Newsletter to Parents .

March 21st 2023.

Dear Parents,

With the end of term coming up in less than two weeks, we can look back on a very busy and productive time in our school in virtually all areas. As such I want to thank you for your continued support and cooperation over the course of the year so far. Term three promises to be a very busy one with school tests, sporting competitions and hopefully the provision of some new classrooms once we iron out issues with our architects. In the meantime I would like to bring the following to your attention:

Jerseys for Ger.

We will be holding a jersey day on Wednesday next March 29th to raise funds for a very deserving local appeal. The fundraiser will be held for Claremorris man and former Mayo footballer Ger Brady who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in August last. As we are all aware this is a devastating diagnosis which unfortunately has once again impacted on our school community. Ger is brother of one of our teachers here at Scoil Íosa, Ms Elaine Brady and we as a school would like to show support for the family by helping out with the fundraising. We are asking all children to wear a sports jersey to school on Wednesday next 29th and for each pupil to make a small contribution of €2 towards the appeal. We would be grateful for any support you can offer which will help Ger, his wife, their newborn baby and the Brady family at this very difficult time. As well as the Jersey Day, our Junior Infants classes will do a sponsored walk on the day in the Friary grounds. Sponsorship cards have been issued so please support generously.

Parents Classes

We thank all parents for their active participation in the English language classes and in the Art & Craft Classes held in conjunction with Ballyhaunis Family Resource Centre over the course of the school year to date. The feedback from the participants has been very positive to date and we as a school are delighted to be able to facilitate the continuation of the programme into the final term of the school year as follows:

• English Classes for Beginners : This very popular class will continue, commencing in the week of Monday April 17th with Evening Classes to take place on every Monday and Thursday evening and Morning Classes scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday Mornings. These classes are available to all parents and to date have been very well received. 
• Drawing and Sketching Classes: We are very lucky to have been able to call on the services of Arunas Skistymas one of our parents and a very talented artist to facilitate a course in Drawing and Sketching for our parents. This class will commence on Wednesday April 18th at 6p.m. in the Friary house. All materials will be supplied and the classes are free of charge. We encourage parents to avail of this opportunity as places are limited.

All of the classes are arranged in partnership with Ballyhaunis Friary under the DEIS scheme and are free of charge to all parents and interested members of the community. Thanks to Stephen and Tracy in the Friary and to HSCL teachers Sheena and Olive for their help in organising the programmes.

For Booking information please contact Sheena Flanagan 087 6261531 or Olive Lyons 089 9832489.

After School Activities.

We are delighted that the school’s after school activities programme has been a resounding success. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the activities on offer and the feedback from parents has been resoundingly positive. This current programme will finish next week on Friday 31st March thus bringing the After school programme to an end for this year. We hope to recommence the programme in Term 1 of the next school year where we hope to offer a more varied and expanded programme of activities for the children. Our sincere thanks to all of the school staff who embraced the programme wholeheartedly, without whom we could not have offered the activities.

Swimming.

The Swimming programme will conclude next Monday for the current school year. We are delighted to have been able to recommence swimming after a considerable break. Swimming is an integral part of our school curriculum and moreso is a very important life skill for all children. 

School Choir

Thanks to Carole Freeley and to Sarah Scully for all of their hard work with the school choir. This year the two ladies have expanded the choir beyong being a liturgical choir and have included children from all cultural backgrounds in this years choral pursuits. As such I would like to bring an upcoming event to your attention. On April 29th at 8 p.m. the Scoil Íosa choir will perform at a concert with The Three Tenors. The concert will take place in the Friary Arts Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity for all parents to see our choir in action. Tickets are priced at €30 and are available from McHughs Cafe, Main Street, The Gem Costcutters Ballyhaunis or from eventbrite.ie. A limited number of tickets may be available through the school.

Scoil Íosa Children’s Drama Group.

Our after school Drama activity group will present ‘Panto Pandemonium‘ in the school hall on Wednesday next 29th March at 7p.m. All parents are welcome to attend what will surely be a very entertaining and amusing evening. Thanks to Ms. Cunnane and to Ms. Connolly for their work in preparing the drama group.

Camoige

Congratulations to our Camoige team on reaching the Cumann Na mBunscol area final last week. The girls were narrowly beaten by Tooreen NS. Reaching this level is a major achievement in what is just our second time to participate in Camoige competitions.

Soccer

Well done to our Boy’s soccer team on winning the East Mayo schools title. The team won all of their matches, beating Knock NS in the final. They now progress to the county finals which will be held in Castlebar on May 4th. Thanks to Mr Henry and to Mr Cullinane for preparing the team.

 

Calendar – Term 3

Monday April 17th: First Day of Term 3

Monday April 24th – Friday April 28th: School Wellbeing Week.

Tuesday April 25th : Confirmation Ceremony of Light in St. Patrick’s Church (Time TBC)

Thursday April 27th : Confirmation  Retreat (Knock Shrine)

Monday May 1st : May Bank Holiday (School Closed)

Saturday May 6th : First Communion in St. Patrick’s Church @11:00 a.m.

Saturday May 20th : Confirmation in St. Patrick’s Church (Time TBC)

Monday 22nd May – Friday June 2nd : Standardised Maths and English Testing

Monday June 5th: June Bank Holiday(School Closed)

Friday June 15th: Sixth Class Graduation Ceremony (Time TBC)

Wednesday June 21st: Final Day of Term. School closes for Summer @ 12 p.m..

Other events such as Active Schools Week, Sports Days etc. will be added as dates are finalised.

School Enrolments.

If there are any further new enrolments for the 2023-2024 school year, we would be grateful if these could be returned at your earliest possible convenience.

Ramadhan Kareem.

We wish all of our Muslim families well as they embark on the Holy month of Ramad

Finally the school will close on Friday March 31st for the end of term reopening on Monday April 17th.

With Thanks

K.Dennedy