Update No. 12 January 7th 2014
Dear Parents and Staff,
Welcome back after the Christmas. Just a quick update since our last note home.
Dates for your Diary
- Deadline to lodging objections to the N28 proposed road changes is 5pm Monday January 13th.
- A meeting for parents of children making Confirmation this year is on Thursday January 16th at 6.30pm in Shanbally NS Halla. We are finalising details for the 5th/ 6th classes’ retreat which will be held in conjunction with Ringaskiddy NS. A provisional date of Friday February 28th has been selected.
- Lenrec Recycling will be at the school on Friday February 7th. They will collect old clothes, books, and phones. You can drop any items you have into the school from Wednesday 5th.
- A reminder that the school will be closed from February 17th to 21st inclusive for mid-term.
- Following consultation with the Board of Management and as per tradition, the school will not be open on Tuesday March 11th as our 5th and 6th classes make their Confirmation.
School News
- We are close to completing our enrolment for September 2014. Please advise us if you have children, not yet enrolled, who are due to start or if you have not yet received a letter of offer.
- Thank you for your support in our grocery collection in aid of St. Vincent DePaul. It was heartening to see people’s generosity in harsh financial time.
- We received communication on 28/12/13 from our uniform supplier, Schools Direct. It states:
- It is with regret that I advise that Schools Direct Ltd. has ceased trade with immediate effect. This has been caused due to market economic pressures, and the uncertainty on whether School Crests are to be kept or not, after February next under the new Government ruling. For a number of schools we have product in stock, however due to a robbery over the Christmas holidays, we at this time are unable to state if we hold product for your school. The company will be placed in Liquidation within the next 2 weeks, and once a stock take post the robbery is done, the Liquidator will be in contact with you in relation to any product remaining which may be suitable. I would like to take the opportunity of thanking you for your support over the past years & wish you and your School the very best for 2014.”
- I will be holding a meeting with the Parents’ Association early next week to look at our options in this regard. We will also be in contact with you to carry out a uniform questionnaire, as required by the Department of Education, to ascertain your views on school uniforms.
- This term we will be running gymnastic sessions with the Carrigaline Gymnastics Club on Thursdays during the school day, up until Easter approx. The first session is Thursday 16th January. The cost of these 10 sessions is €8 per child. Please submit in an envelope to class teachers.
- Fifth and Sixth classes enjoyed French with Nathalie Lynch in the term before Christmas and are scheduled to start further classes next week. The cost of these 2 terms per child is €20. Please remit also to class teachers.
- School Nutrition: Teachers, Margaret Ryan and Nollaig Boland, along with parents, Suzanne O’Leary and Mairead O’Mahony are seeking to revitalise our approach to nutrition in the school. There are plans to conduct brief surveys to gain an insight into our current priorities. More details to follow once finalised.
- We are seeking corporate sponsorship to subsidise the cost of swimming. Hence, no final decision has been made. We will keep you updated.
- A brand-new First Holy Communion dress (marked size or age 9, with tags attached!) has been donated to the school as well as a veil, bag and shoes (size 33). If interested please let me know and/or call in to have a look in my office etc. Thank you to those people who were thoughtful enough to pass them on.
- We would like to remind you of our policy on the handing out of Birthday Invitations which states we are not allowing or facilitating this in school. This is to avoid a situation where a child/children are not included. Where all children or all girls/all boys are invited it’s at the teacher’s discretion to allow. Otherwise, it must be done outside of school. A list of parents and their main contact number is available from the Junior Infant teacher. This is to facilitate communication between parents in relation to, for example, said birthday invitations.
- I last wrote to you on December 18th regarding the N28 proposed road changes. Since then, Fr. Sean and I were part of a delegation that met Minister Simon Coveney last Monday, January 6th, in his Constituency Office. Minister Coveney indicated that he would speak to Noel Murtagh (Cork County Council/NRA) who we had met on December 18th. He is due to respond to me on Thursday January 16th.
- Last night I attended a meeting held by the Cork Regional Branch of Engineers Ireland. Denis Healy (Port of Cork) was speaking at this event. It was most interesting to hear the official stance of aligning the road development programme to further the development of Cork Port (regardless of the impact on local communities like us).
- Meanwhile, 5pm next Monday 13th January marks the deadline for lodging objections. I implore you to lodge individual objections. A detailed objection from the Board of Management may be viewed on the school website. Your objections will, no doubt, be personal and on a smaller scale. It is vital that the volume of objections reflects the wonderful support that you displayed at our public meetings.
- The address again is: The Administrative Officer, Cork County Council, National Roads Office, Richmond, Glanmire, Co. Cork.
Thank you,
David Nolan,
Principal