April 2024

Schools Photovoltaic Programme: The Solar panels were installed and connected during the Easter
holidays. This will provide electricity to the school and any surplus power will be sold back to the grid.
Pupils will be able to monitor the system on a TV screen which has been mounted in the school corridor.

Schools Hot Meals Programme: The school has been working hard to push this initiative along and it was
due to start this week. Unfortunately, there have been some unforeseen delays regarding setup. We will
let you know as soon as the scheme is up and running.

First Holy Communion: Best of luck to our eleven communicants who will be celebrating this special day
this Saturday.

Irish Inspection: Our school has been selected for a routine subject inspection which will take place next
Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th April. The focus on the inspection will be ‘Gaeilge’.

Helmets: Mr. Ryan has a limited number of green medium myco hurling helmets for sale. They are €40
each and are available from the school.

Swimming: Swimming starts this Friday for 3rd – 6 th classes. The cost is €60. If you have not already done so, can you pay by this Thursday.

March 2024

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place in the school on 1/3/2024. Present were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Liz Blackwell, Barry O’Donnell, Eddie Kane, Chloe Hogan and Fr. Roy Donovan.

Extension: The two-classroom extension at the rear of the school began at the end of November 2023, and work is progressing well, it is now up to roof level.

Enrolments: If you know of anyone who wishes to enrol in the school for September 2024, please contact
the office as soon as possible (061 351844).

Items for 2023/2024:
21 st March 2024: 11am – Confirmation (5 th and 6 th classes)
12 th April 2024: Swimming begins for 3 rd to 6 th classes
13 th April – First Holy Communion
29 th /30 th April (new date)– RSA StreetSmart – StreetSmart brings road safety to life in a fun way for young children. Using a pretend streetscape mat and props, children are invited to carry out everyday road safety tasks. (all classes)
8 th – 15 th May – Scholastic Book Fair
12 th /13 th /18 th June 2024: School Tours

School Plan – The Schools P.E. plan was ratified by the Board of Management.

School Policies – The following School Policies were ratified:

a. School Tour Policy
b. Retention of Pupil Policy
c. School Credit Card Policy
d. One to one Teaching Policy
e. Work Experience Policy
f. Protected Disclosures Policy
g. Intimate Care & Toileting Policy

Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024: All classes have been taking part in classroom events and activities to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge. Bíonn na ranganna go léir ag foghlaim dánta agus amhráin, ag déanamh tráth na gceist, ag imirt tóraíocht taisce agus cluichí eile, ag déanamh ealaín, ag damhsa agus ag baint taitneamh as an tseachtain.

Solar Panels: The Solar panels are due to be installed in the coming weeks which will help save energy.
There will be a T.V. screen installed in the school also whereby the pupils will be able to monitor usage.

Hot Lunches: It is hoped that the free hot lunch scheme will be up and running after Easter.

FAI 5- a-side Soccer: Well done to all the pupils who participated in the recent 5-a-side competition.
Congratulations and best of luck to the 6 th class boys team who got through to the next round, which will be played on Wednesday 20 th March.

School Closure: Easter Holidays start at 12 noon on Friday 22 nd March.

Easter Egg Raffle: 6 th Class are having an Easter Raffle, this is to raise funds for their school hoodies. Lines are €2 each from any of the 6 th class.

January 2024

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place in the school on 15/1/2024. Present were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Liz Blackwell, Barry O’Donnell, Eddie Kane, Chloe Hogan and Cleo Fitzpatrick.

Introduction of New Members: Mr. Ryan welcomed new members to the Board of Management as well as the existing members and thanked Eddie Kane for taking over as Treasurer.

Patron’s Nominees: Collette Carroll (Chairperson) and Fr. Roy O’Donovan

Teachers Nominees: Patrick Ryan (Secretary) and Liz Blackwell

Parent Nominees: Barry O’Donnell and Chloe Hogan

Community Nominees: Cleo Fitzpatrick and Eddie Kane (Treasurer)

Extension: The two-classroom extension at the rear of the school began at the end of November 2023, and work is progressing well.

Enrolments: If you know of anyone who wishes to enrol in the school for September 2024, please contact the office as soon as possible (061 351844).

Extra-Curricular Activities:

 After-school training in the Millennium Centre for boys takes place on Tuesdays from 3pm to 3:45 pm.

After-school training in the Millennium centre for girls takes place on Thursday from 3pm to 3:45 pm. Thanks to Mr. Tynan and Mr. Ryan respectively for coaching the teams.

Indoor camogie and FAI 5-a-side blitzes will be played before Easter.

Ms Brazel will also start a Lego club for 6^th class starting Wednesday 7^th February after school. This will be focusing on entering a First Lego League competition.

Attendance & Punctuality: If your child is absent for any reason, please send a written note or email to explain why. All absences over 20 days must legally be reported to Tusla by Caherconlish N.S. School begins at 9am every morning. Pupils may enter from 8.50am. It is vital that your child is on time, as they may miss out on important learning opportunities in the morning, if they are late. We are currently promoting prompt punctuality with weekly punctuality award winners from each class.

Items for 2023/2024:

21^st November 2023: Energy Workshops

21^st December 2023: Panto in UL (all classes)

Music Generation every Monday 2023/24 (all classes)

29^th January 2024: Credit Union Quiz (teams selected in school for senior classes only)

Eason’s Spelling Bee: (student selected from sixth class)

25^th January 2024: Analog Robotics/Lego Workshop

6^th February 2024: Safer Internet Day

4^th/5^th March 2024 – RSA StreetSmart – StreetSmart brings road safety to life in a fun way for young children. Using a pretend streetscape mat and props, children are invited to carry out everyday road safety tasks. (all classes)

5^th March 2024: Annual 5-a-side soccer in Seanchoill

7^th March 2024: Cycle training – 6^th Class (6 weeks)

21^st March 2024: Confirmation (5^th and 6^th classes)

12^th April 2024: Swimming begins for 3^rd to 6^th classes

13^th April – First Holy Communion

8^th – 15^th May – Scholastic Book Fair

12^th/13^th/14^th June 2024: School Tours

December 2023

Christmas Raffle: Tickets will be issued in due course for our annual Christmas Draw, which will take place on Monday 18^th December. Thanks to all the businesses who are sponsoring spot prizes and to those who purchase tickets.

No School: Reminder that the school will be closed on Thursday 7^th December to facilitate teacher training in the New Primary Maths Curriculum.

School Choir: All classes in the school will be singing songs for the Wednesday Club in the Millennium Centre on Wednesday 13^th December (weather permitting). Pupils can wear Christmas jumpers/festive clothes on that day. It is hoped to go to the Nursing Home also.

Parent/Teacher Meetings: Parent/Teacher meetings for 1^st & 2^nd class are taking place this week. Meetings for all the other classes will take place on Monday 22^nd and Tuesday 23^rd January. Appointments will be made immediately after the Christmas Holidays.

Two classroom extension: Finally, the archaeological works have concluded and the contractors are now on site so hopefully the build will now proceed without any more delays.

Christmas Pantomine: All pupils will be going to the panto ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in UCH on Thursday 21^st December. The cost is €25 per person for the ticket and the bus.

Festive Spirit: Pupils may wear Christmas jumpers/festive clothes if they wish from Monday 18^th – Friday 22^nd December to get into the festive spirit.

Christmas Holidays: School will close at 12 noon on Friday 22^nd December and re-open on Monday 8^th January.

November 2023

Board of Management Caherconlish N.S.:

The following people have been ratified as the members of the incoming Board of Management whose term will begin on 1^st December 2023:

Patron’s Nominees: Colette Carroll (Chairperson) and Fr. Roy O’Donovan

Teachers Nominees: Patrick Ryan (secretary) and Liz Blackwell

Parent Nominees: Barry O’Donnell and Chloe Hogan

Community Nominees: Cleo Fitzpatrick and Eddie Kane

Thanks to outgoing board members for their valued contribution over the past number of years.

Child Protection:

The Board of Management adopted the revised 2023 Child Protection Procedures.

Say Yes to Languages: Third to Sixth class recently finished the Say Yes to Languages programmes for this year. They had an eight-week block of learning French with language teacher Rachael Stack. This programme is of great benefit to the students to add to their cultural knowledge and as a step into learning another language in secondary school.

Third Class Trip: Third Class recently had a great day out when they went to Milano’s Restaurant to make pizzas. They got to be pizza chefs for the day and following that they went to the Hunt museum.

Lego Project:The school has been granted a sum of 1800 euro to buy Lego and we have registered for a Lego Challenge. This will begin in the new year. FIRST LEGO League Explore is a global STEM challenge for teams of young people, to explore a real-world theme, develop teamwork, design and programming skills and have some fun.

Trip to Lehinch: 4^th, 5^th and 6^th classes went on a surfing trip to Lehinch beach Co. Clare on the 25^th October. Although it was a little cold and windy, the children had a great day and learnt about safety in the water.

Music Generation: Music Generation lessons are ongoing each week in the school with all classes taking part. Many thanks to music teacher Dillon for making the classes fun and engaging.

Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser:

Fourth, Fifth and Sixth classes recently organised a Bake Sale to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer. The amazing total that they raised was €1620! They baked lots of yummy goodies at home and in school and the community support was unbelievable. Many thanks to Aislinn Crofton, Maria Finnan and the Millennium Centre for hosting this event.

Fire Engine visit:The Fire Engine and Firefighters from Cappamore Fire-station visited the school on the 10^th November. All students got to sit in the fire-truck and use the fire hose. The fire fighters were very accommodating and answered many questions about their jobs and fire safety.

In-Service Day:The school will close on Thursday 7^th December for a Primary Maths Curriculum In-service day for teachers.

Hot Meals: The school applied for the Hot Lunches Programme and the application has been successful. It is hoped that complimentary hot lunches will be available in the school for all pupils in the final term this academic year.

Late Arrivals: Please ensure that your child/children are on time for school each day. It is so important that pupils be in school on time every morning. Being on time creates positive, life-long habits which are vitally important for children to develop. Children miss out on settling in time and learning as a result of arriving late as well as disrupting class room time.

Science Week: The theme for science week this year was, Human? All classes got involved in researching, designing and experimenting for Science week. Junior and Senior infants visited the science fair in 4^th and 5^th class, were blowing bubbles, making car washes and investigating what happens when you put jellies in water. First and Second classes surveyed means of transport to school and graphed the results. Third class learnt about the first humans to walk on the moon and did experiments to see how force and pressure is used to launch rockets. Fourth and Fifth classes researched famous scientists and held a science fair in their classroom. Sixth class were learning about aerodynamics and designed and made gliders and paper aeroplanes.

October 2023

Extension Update: The extension had been delayed as the National Monuments Service had requested that we have an archaeologist on site as foundations are being dug. The archaeology works went to tender and we applied to DES for additional funding. They have now granted the funding so hopefully works can continue soon.

Primary Maths Curriculum: The Department of Education have introduced a new Maths Curriculum for Primary Schools. Teachers will be trained this year in preparation for academic year 2024/2025. Part of this training will require an In-Service Day. I will inform you of that day as soon as we know the date. Attached find an information note for parents/Guardians.

Mid Term Break and Halloween Dress Up: School will close on Friday 27^th October for mid-term break. Pupils may dress up on that day in their Halloween Costumes. Please note school will finish at the normal closing time.

Panto: In order to celebrate Christmas, the whole school will be going to the Panto in UCH on Thursday 21^st December. The Panto is ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Further details to follow.

Fundraiser: The Millennium Centre are organising a bric a brac sale of work on Saturday 14^th October from 2 – 5pm. They are looking for items to sell on the day. Contact the Millennium Centre (351141) or Nancy Lane (086 4088485).

Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser: 4^th, 5^th & 6^th classes are organising a coffee morning in the Millennium Centre to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness month on Friday 27^th October. More details to follow. Please support generously.

September 2023

School Photographer: Reminder that the school photographer, Eamonn Andrews, will be coming to the school this Wednesday 20^th September. It will be an opportunity to get individual photos, photos of siblings and the Junior Infant class photo taken.

Arts/Crafts and Photocopying Money: Many thanks to those who have paid the Arts and Crafts bill. If you have yet to do so, please can you pay €35 as soon as possible to your child’s class teacher or Maria in the office.

School Closure: We have been informed by the ESB that the school will have no electricity on Tuesday 26^th September. Unfortunately, this means that we will have to close the school on that day due to a lack of power and heating.

Insurance: All families have received forms for Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance. There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9). This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past. Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office asap.

French Classes: An eight-week programme called ‘Say Yes to Languages’ which teaches French to 3^rd – 6^th classes began last week. This is a fantastic opportunity for the pupils in Caherconlish N.S. to learn another European language.

Music Generation: We are delighted to welcome back Dylan from Music Generation to our school. He will be teaching all classed musical skills every Monday for the duration of the school year.

August 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians
I’d like to extend a warm welcome back to everyone in Caherconlish N.S.. I’d also like to welcome all the
children who started in Caherconlish NS this year for the first time, particularly to the Junior infant pupils who enrolled and the pupils who joined other classes throughout the school.

Staffing Changes: Ms Mann has joined us on a permanent capacity. Ms Shannon is covering Mr Ryan’s
principal release days on a Tuesday this year. Ms Brazel is covering Ms Butler’s maternity leave.

School Times: The school day begins at 9a.m. for all pupils and finishes at 1.40 pm for the Junior and Senior Infants and 2.40 for all other classes. The school opens to receive pupils from 8.50 a.m. who may proceed
straight into their classrooms. Junior Infants will finish at 12 noon until 8th September.
Communication: As always, you can contact Maria in the office from Monday to Friday from 8.30 –
12.30pm, 061 351844 or email office@caherconlishns.ie. The teacher emails are as follows:
Mr Ryan principal@caherconlishns.ie
Ms Mulcahy mariem@caherconlishns.ie
Ms McKeon sonyam@caherconlishns.ie
Ms Blackwell lizb@caherconlishns.ie
Mr Tynan davidt@caherconlishns.ie
Ms Mann aimeem@caherconlishns.ie
Ms Brazel learyb@caherconlishns.ie
Ms. Murphy marym@caherconlishns.ie
Ms. O Connor keelinoc@caherconlishns.ie
Ms. Shannon fionas@caherconlishns.ie

Email: Caherconlish regularly sends notes home regarding school news. Please keep the school updated with you preferred email address, as well as any change in phone numbers. You can also follow us on Twitter @caherconlishns or see our Facebook page ‘scoil cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed on school news.

Book Rental and Arts Crafts/photocopying money: Please pay any outstanding school bills as soon as possible. The cost is €35 per child.

We are delighted to re-launch our 50/50 draw. Half of each weeks total goes to the winner, the other half goes to the school. We have had over 150 winners since our draw began. Envelopes are €2 and available from the school, Keith Ryan’s shop, Millennium Centre, Matt Barry, MB Hair Design, Upper Cuts and Mrs Hickey. Draw takes place every Thursday and can also be purchased online at the following link.

50/50 Draw

The first Draw of the new Term takes place on Thursday 7th September. The winners are announced on
the school facebook page. There is also a special pupil’s prize each week.

Insurance: The forms for Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance are being sent home today. There are two types:
school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9). This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with
parents in the past. Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday 8th September.
Caherconlish/Caherline Community Council: They are holding a Community Expo at the Millennium
Centre on Sunday 10th September from 2-4pm. Many local businesses will be showcasing what they have to offer, as well as face painting, bouncy castles, pet farm and much more. Tea/coffee/cakes will be available free of charge.

Lunchbag: Many of the pupils are availing of the ‘Lunchbag’. It is a system whereby parents can order a
lunch for their child online and it is delivered fresh to the school the following day. To register go to
http://www.thelunchbag.ie and download their app.

Bua na Cainte: This irish programme is being taught in school this year. There is a new parent app available to download for students to enjoy learning Irish at home with their favourite characters.

Extension: During the summer months an archeological survey was carried out. This delayed the intended start date of the project but thankfully now, the project can proceed. The extension will have two extra classrooms and bathrooms.

Nut Allergy: Please be aware that there are children in the school with  serious nut allergies. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

Attendance: If your child misses school, please send an email or written note to the class teacher with an explanation i.e. illness, holiday, family wedding etc. Please note that if your child misses 20 days or more, the school are legally obliged to inform Tusla, the child and family agency.

May 2023

First Holy Communion
Congratulations to all the boys and girls who received the sacrament of First Holy Communion a
fortnight ago. They were a credit to the school and to their families. Thanks to Ms. Downes, Mr.
Tynan, Ms. McKeon, Ger and Maria who were involved in preparing the ceremony and to Fr. Roy
who officiated over proceedings. Huge thanks also to the Do this in Memory Committee and the
school choir who sang on the day.
Date for 2024
First Holy Communion next year will take place on Saturday 13 th April at 11am in Caherconlish
Church. The Archbishop decides the Confirmation date and as soon as we find out , we will let you
know.
Sponsored Walk
Our annual sponsored walk takes place on Monday 12 th June at 6.30pm. The walk begins at the
school, goes down through the village and loops around by the old creamery and returns back to the
school. It is always an enjoyable evening and refreshments will be served to the children afterwards.
Families are welcome to join in the walk. Sponsorship cards are being sent home today.
Additional Accommodation Update
It was hoped that the build would be commenced by now but we have been told that it will be
delayed by a number of weeks as an Archaeological survey of the site has to be completed first.

May 2023

Additional Accommodation Extension:
Agreement has finally been agreed with the Department of Education regarding funding for the two-classroom extension and the complete rewire of the exiting school. It is hoped that the works will start in the next few weeks.

Standardised Testing:
Annual Standardised Tests for pupils from 1^st – 6^th class in English and Maths will take place from Tuesday 6^th – Thursday 8^th June inclusive. It is very important that the children in these classes make every effort to attend school that week in order to complete the assessments.

School Tours:

The following dates are when the school tours are taking place this year. Further details will be made available from individual class teachers.

Juniors & Seniors: Friday 2^nd June

1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd Class: Tuesday 13^th June

4^th, 5^th & 6^th Class: Thursday 15^th June

Dates for your diary:

Monday 12^th June @ 6.30pm – Sponsored Walk

Monday 19^th June – Sports Day

Wednesday 21^st June @ 11am – 6^th Class Graduation Mass

First Holy Communion:
Finally, the very best of luck to all the communicants who will be receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion on Saturday at 11am.

April 2023

In recognition of the cost of preparing children and young people for the return to primary school each September Minister for Education Norma Foley T.D. has announced funding to provide free schoolbooks, including workbooks and copybooks, from September 2023. This scheme will eliminate the cost to parents of providing these resources.

Funding is being provided directly to primary schools and special schools by the Department to implement the scheme and schools will now have responsibility for providing schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to all children and young people at the start of the school year.

All schoolbooks will remain the property of the school so that books can be reused in future years. Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to children and young people for the duration of the 2023/24 school year and must be returned to school at the end of the school year.

Parents are requested to remind their children to take care of their books and keep them in good condition during the year. It is not permitted to write on textbooks.

There may be some related classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme. Additional details (if any) on what items parents will need to supply for the return to school in September 2023 will be communicated to parents by the school in due course.

March 2023

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place in the school recently. Present were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Liz Blackwell, Cleo Fitzpatrick and Patrick O’Dwyer.

Classroom Extension Update:

Unfortunately, the build has been delayed again. The government is assessing all School Capital projects and are prioritising which works to proceed with. In December 2022, the building finally went to tender seeking construction firms to price the job.

We have been in touch with ministers and local politicians over the past fortnight to update us and have been told that we will have an update in the near future.

Magical Musical Moments:

Tickets are currently on sale in the school for the greatest night of the year taking place on Wednesday 29^th of March at 7pm. Caherconlish N.S. is proud to present; Magical Musical Moments. The cost of tickets is 10 euro per adult, 5 euro for over 12’s and under 12’s free. The line-up includes;

5^th & 6^th: It’s Broadway!

Jnrs & Snrs: The Good Ship Lollipop

1st & 2^nd: Hans Christian Andersen

2^nd & 3^rd: The Sound of Music

5^th & 6^th: Harry Potter

4^th & 5^th: The Greatest Show

Get your tickets fast for what is sure to be a great night of entertainment and fun for all!

All pupils will need to be in the Millennium Centre at 6.15pm on the night.

A recording of the Concert will be available also. A DVD for €20 or a USB for €25 can be ordered through the school. If you would like a copy, please put the money in an envelope and give it to your class teacher or Maria in the office.

Easter Raffle:

Sixth class are busy selling lines for an Eggciting, Eggstravagant Easter Hamper, filled with lots of goodies and treats to help raise funds for their Sixth class graduation hoodies. Lines cost 2 Euro each and Sixth class would be very grateful for your support. They would also like to take this opportunity to thank Aisling Crofton for organising the hampers and hoodies. The Easter raffle will take place on Thursday 30^th March.

Buddy Bench:

Caherconlish N.S. recently received a donation of a Buddy Bench from Exertis Supply Chain Services based in Raheen. A Buddy Bench offers an area for children finding it difficult to interact with others a place to go to get some respite and/or a chance to talk to other children in a designated safe space. It is a much appreciated donation and also thanks to Tadgh Ryan for his help.

Safe Routes to School:

Please fill in and return any surveys that were given to the students last week. It is important to have your say early in any plans that will be decided upon in creating the safe routes to school.

Bicycle Maintenance:

4^th, 5^th & 6^th recently had a Bicycle Maintenance workshop, ran by the Green Schools They enjoyed it as well as learning about bicycle checks, puncture repair & general bicycle maintenance.

Lego Education:

5^th and 6^th classes were in the lucky position to secure a Lego robotics workshop in association with Analog Devices. A team was selected on the day to go forward to the final event in Analog Devices European Research & Development Centre in Raheen on Saturday May 6^th .

FAI Five a side Blitz:

Teams of boys and girls from 4^th-6^th class took are part in a soccer blitz in Seanchoill, Corbally last Monday, they all played well, and 2 teams will be going forward to the quarter finals.

Easter Holidays:

School will be closing at 12 noon on Friday 31^st of March for two weeks for the Easter Holidays. School will re-open 17^th April. Beannachtaí na Cásca orthu!

February 2023

Happy St. Valentine’s Day to everyone!

Buíochas: Well done to all the pupils who participated recently in the Peace Proms Concert in UL. It was a brilliant show. Thanks to Ms. Mc Keon, Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Mulcahy for preparing the choir accompanying the children on the night. Congratulations also to the pupils who made their First Confession recently. Mr. Tynan and Ms. Downes did a great job in preparing the children for the ceremony.

Art Exhibition: The pupils are very excited about the upcoming school Art Exhibition that is taking place next Monday 20^th in the Millennium Centre. It will be a lovely opportunity for them to showcase their creative talents. (See appendix at bottom of this note).

Pancake Tuesday: Pancake Tuesday takes place on Tuesday 21^st February. As is tradition in Caherconlish NS, pupils may bring in their own pancakes on the day and the Parents Association will be on hand to heat up the pancakes and provide toppings.
NB: We are a nut free school so remember not to send in any food item that may contain nuts.

Healthy Eating: Just a reminder that we have a Healthy Eating Policy in place. Attached find a list of foods that are and are not allowed.

Easter Concert: Save the date. Rehearsals will begin next week for our Easter Concert that will take place on Wednesday 29^th March in the Millennium Centre at 7pm.

Hurling Training: We are delighted to announce that Caherline GAA coach Mike Boland will be returning to the school to coach the skills of hurling to all classes. This will begin on Monday 20^th February. The school has a limited amount of hurleys and helmets so it would be most beneficial if pupils could bring their own hurley and helmet to school every Monday for the rest of the school year.

Punctuality: School starts at 9am every day and pupils may enter their classrooms from 8.50 am. It has been brought to my attention that a number of pupils are persistently late. This causes them to miss part of the first lesson of the day and disturbs the class also. As the mornings brighten up, I would ask those parents to make a special effort to ensure their children are brought to school before 9am.

Scoot/Cycle to School: Pupils are welcome to cycle/scoot to school and make use of our Bike Shelter and Scooter Stand behind the school. Cycle and Scoot to School Week in association with Green Schools Sustainable Travel theme takes place from 20^th February – 3^rd March.

Safe Routes to School: Thanks to everyone who has completed the Safe Routes to School Survey. Please click on the following link to complete the survey https://arcg.is/jqaiO1 if you haven’t done so yet.

January 2023

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place in the school on 23/1/2023. Present were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Liz Blackwell, Fr. Roy Donovan and Patrick O’Dwyer.

Child Protection:  The annual review of the safety statement and Risk assessment was carried out. The Patron and Parents Association have been informed.

Enrolment Policy: The enrolment policy was ratified. If anyone needs to enrol their child/children in the school for September 2023, please contact the school immediately for an enrolment form (061- 351844)

Christmas Raffle: Thanks to everyone who purchased or sold tickets for our Christmas raffle. Thanks also to those who donated wonderful prizes. A total of €2475 was raised.

Peace Proms: 4^th to 6^th class make the trip to UL this Sunday evening for the Peace Proms concert. It promises to be a most enjoyable evening of entertainment. Many thanks to Ms. McKeon, Ms, Blackwell and Ms. Mulcahy for taking the choir.

French Classes: An eight-week programme called ‘Say Yes to Languages’ which teaches French to 4^th-6^th classes begins this week. This is a fantastic opportunity for the pupils in Caherconlish N.S. to learn another European language.

School Musical: We will be hosting a musical this Easter in what promises to be an amazing night for all the pupils. Rehearsals will start in February and more details will follow shortly.

Art Exhibition: The school will be holding a very special art exhibition of our student’s artwork in the Millennium Community centre on Monday 20^th February. The exhibition will allow students and their family members to see their art work come to life, displayed on stands in beautiful real wood frames. The artwork will be available to purchase on the day. More information on this special event will follow shortly.

Cash for Clobber: We are currently collecting used clothes. Bags can be dropped to the school. Items such as clothing, bedding, curtains, shoes and handbags will be accepted. No duvets or pillows allowed. The clothes will be collected from the school on 10^th February.

Aldi Rugby Stickers: The school is collecting Aldi Rugby stickers at the moment. This entitles the school to claim free sports equipment. If you shop at Aldi and manage to get some stickers, please send them into the school. Many thanks to those students that have already brought some in.

Dates for your Diary:

Monday 6^th February- Bank Holiday

Tuesday 7^th February- Safer Internet Day

Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th February- Mid-term Break

Hurling and Camogie Training:Training continues for pupils from 3^rd-6^th classes after school on Tuesdays for Hurling (boys) and Thursdays for Camogie (girls). New players are always welcome. Training takes place in the Millennium Centre after school.

November 2022

Parent/Teacher Meetings: This year’s Parent/Teacher meetings will take place on Wednesday 18^th and Thursday 19^th January. It will give parents/guardians a chance to discuss your child’s progress with his/her class teacher. Appointments will be circulated nearer to the time.

School Concert: This year’s school concert will not be taking place at Christmas time this year. It will instead take place in June and promises to be an extra special one.

Futsal: FAI coaches will be coming to the school for four weeks coaching ‘Futsal’. The first lesson will begin tomorrow. This is for pupils from 1^st – 6^th class.

Christmas Draw: Our Annual Christmas draw takes place on Monday 19^th December. Thanks so much to our many sponsors for donating prizes. A book of tickets will be sent home to each family and it would be fantastic if tickets could be sold to friends and family. Many thanks in advance for your support.

Absenteeism: A reminder to send in a written explanation if your child misses school for any reason.

Peace Proms: Practice continues in school and the concert promises to be a great night for all. Don’t forget tickets are for sale on www.peaceproms.com The concert in on Sunday 29^th January 2023 at 7pm. More details will follow soon.

Science Workshops: These will take place for 4^th – 6^th classes on Thursday in school based on plastic problems and travel in the future. The workshops are facilitated by the Rediscovery Centre.

October 2022

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place recently in the school. Present were Fr.Roy O’Donovan, Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Carole Cleary, Patrick O’Dwyer, Eddie Kane and Cleo Fitzpatrick.

Music Generation: Music Generation will be starting music lessons with all classes on Monday 3^rd October. Music Generation is a national partnership programme whose mission is to create inspiring experiences for children through music. We are very pleased to have them and the pupils have really enjoyed their lessons in the past.

Millennium Centre Gala Concert: Well done to all of the pupils that took part and performed at the concert last Saturday evening. Thanks to Mr.Tynan and Ms. Cleary for preparing the students for the event.

Mobile Library: The students from first-sixth class will be taking turns each Monday to visit the mobile library in the Church carpark. This is a great incentive to boost literacy levels for all ages.

Healthy Eating: Caherconlish N.S. has a healthy eating policy that should be followed in all classes. This is part of our Green Schools initiative and SPHE policies. Please note list of foods allowed/not allowed.

What could be in a healthy lunch?
• Sandwiches or rolls with cheese, meat, salad or peanut butter
• Pitta bread, crackers
• Fruit and vegetables (peeled and chopped for small children)
• Raisins
• Homemade popcorn (less salt and butter)
• Pasta
• Salad
• Rice cakes

• Yoghurt (easy to open)

What should not be in a healthy lunch?
• Crisps, salted nuts, shop-bought popcorn
• Chocolate, sweets, lollipops, jellies and cereal bars
• Chewing gum
• Cake, biscuits, pastries or doughnuts
• Chocolate spread
• Fizzy drinks

What drinks could we include in a healthy lunch?
• Water
• Fruit juices
• Diluted drinks
• Milk

. Actimel
• Smoothies/ Flavoured Milk

What drinks should not be allowed?
• Fizzy drinks
• Sugary drinks
• Tea and Coffee (Caffeine)

Transition to Post-Primary: A number of representatives from local secondary schools will be visiting the pupils in sixth class over the coming weeks to meet with pupils regarding post primary school. The responsibility lies with individual parents/guardians to ensure their child receives a place at secondary level. Local schools should be contacted directly and city schools and those in the suburbs are applied for via the ‘Common Application System’. Further details regarding the Common Application System will follow in due course. If you have any queries regarding entry to post-primary, don’t hesitate to contact Mr.Ryan.

Bike Shelter/Scooter Rack: Construction of our new bike shelter and scooter rack is finished. As always, pupils can scoot or cycle to school is they wish to do so. Thanks to Ms. Butler for organising this project. (Photos attached)

Fixtures: Girls Football- The girls football team will play in a blitz on Wednesday 12^th October at 12 noon in Doon GAA grounds. Boys Football: The boys football team will play in a blitz on Wednesday 5^th October at 12 noon in Caherelly.

Peace Proms: We are delighted to be taking part in Peace Proms concert again this year. 4^th, 5^th & 6^th class will be participating. It will be taking place on Sunday 29^th January 2023 at the Sports Arena, University of Limerick. More information will follow closer to the date.

September 2022

School Photographs: School Photographer Eamonn Andrews will be in the school  on Tuesday 27th September. Please complete the form sent home with children during the week if you are interested in photographs being taken. Siblings can be grouped together and a Junior Infant photograph will be taken on that day also. 

GAA Coaching: Mr Tynan will begin boys football training on Tuesday 20th September from 3pm – 3.40pm in the Millenium Centre for 3rd – 6th class.

Ms Downes will begin girls football training on Thursday 22nd from 3pm – 3.40pm in the Millenium Centre for 3rd – 6th class. Gum Shields must be worn at training sessions.

Music Generation: It is hoped that the school will be involved with Music Generation again this year.

Millennium Centre Concert: Pupils from 1st – 6th class will perform at the Gala Fundraising Concert in aid of the Millennium Centre on Saturday 24th September at 8pm. Book your ticket by emailing millcentre2014@gmail.com or ring 061 351141.

Student Teacher: Past pupil Katie Heelan is currently in the school completing her final year Teaching Practice. She will be teaching various classes in the school during her placement. 

Parent’s Association AGM: The Annual General Meeting of the Parent’s Association will take place in the school on Tuesday 27th September at 3pm. All are welcome. 

Reminder: Please label your child’s jumper.

September 2022

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all the children who started in Caherconlish NS this year for the first time, particularly to the 19 Junior infant pupils who enrolled into Ms. Butler’s class and the pupils who joined other classes throughout the school.

 Staffing: Ms. Murphy and Ms.O’Connor  have joined us on a part time basis in a Special Education Teacher capacity. Ms Hogan is covering Mr Ryan’s principal release days on a Tuesday this year.

School Times: The school day begins at 9a.m. for all pupils and finishes at 1.40 pm for the Junior and Senior Infants and 2.40 for all other classes. The school opens to receive  pupils from 8.50 a.m. who may proceed straight into their classrooms.

Communication: As always, you can contact Maria in the office from Monday to Friday from 8.30 – 12.30pm, 061 351844 or email office@caherconlishns.ie. The teacher emails are as follows:

Mr Ryan principal@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Mulcahy mariem@caherconlishns.ie

Ms McKeon sonyam@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Blackwell lizb@caherconlishns.ie

Mr Tynan davidt@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Butler aoifeb@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Cleary carolec@caherconlishns.ie

Ms. Murphy marym@caherconlishns.ie

Ms. O Connor keelinoc@caherconlishns.ie

Ms. Hogan annh@caherconlishns.ie

Email: Caherconlish regularly sends notes home regarding school news. Please keep the school updated with your preferred email address, as well as any change in phone numbers.

Book Rental and Arts & Crafts/photocopying money: Please pay any outstanding school bills as soon as possible.

Covid 19: as per Department of Education guidelines, we are continuing to follow our Covid Response Plan in dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic. Please don’t send your child to school if he/she displays any symptoms. A responsible approach from the community will ensure we minimise the risk of Covid 19 in our school.

50/50 Draw: We are delighted to re-launch our 50/50 draw. Half of each week’s total goes to the winner, the other half goes to the school. We have had 115 winners since our draw began. Envelopes are €2 and available from the school, Keith Ryan’s shop, Millennium Centre, Matt Barry, MB Hair Design, Upper Cuts and Mrs Hickey. Draw takes place every Thursday and can also be purchased online. at the following link.

https://caherconlishns.ie/50-50-draw/

The first Draw of the new Term takes place on Thursday 8th September. The winners are announced on the school facebook page,

Insurance: All families have received forms for  Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance. There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9). This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past. Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday 9th  September.

Caherconlish/Caherline Community Council: A Gala Fundraising Concert will take place in the Millenium Centre on Saturday 24th September at 8pm. All proceeds are in aid of the Millenium Centre. A number of pupils from Caherconlish National School will be performing on the night.

Lunchbag: Many of the pupils are availing of the ‘Lunchbag’. It is a system whereby parents can order a lunch for their child online and it is delivered fresh to the school the following day. To register go to www.thelunchbag.ie

June 2022

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place recently in the school. Present were Fr.Roy O’Donovan, Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Carole Cleary, Patrick O’Dwyer, Eddie Kane and Cleo Fitzpatrick.

Graduation 2022: Farewell to the current sixth class that will be leaving us soon for their journey to secondary school. We hope that they have a wonderful graduation day next Tuesday and remember their time here in Caherconlish N.S. fondly.

Also, we wish the best to any family that is ending their association with the school and thank them for their support.

Additional Accommodation:    After a considerable delay due to circumstances beyond our control, it is hoped that the design stage of the extension will begin very shortly.

Farewell: The Board of Management would like to extend its gratitude to Ms.Meaghar and Ms. O’Reilly for their hard work and dedication to the pupils of Caherconlish N.S. this year. They will be finishing their work in Caherconlish N.S. at the end of this school year.

Staffing Schedule 2022/2023

Ms. Butler: Junior and Senior Infants

Ms. Downes: First and Second classes

Mr. David Tynan: Second and Third classes

Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Mulcahy (Job Share): Fourth and Fifth classes

Ms. McKeon: Fifth and Sixth classes

Mr. Ryan, Ms. Cleary and another: Special Education Teachers

Eilish McGahon, Geraldine Riordan and Caroline Cotter: Special Needs Assistants

Maria Finnan: Secretary

Bridget Hayes: Caretaker/Cleaner

Fire-drill: This terms fire-drill was completed successfully on 10^th June.

Girls Football Final: Well done to the Girls football team who competed in the East Final recently. Unfortunately, they were beaten by the Oola team who were stronger on the day. Hard luck girls but well done!

Preparation for 2022-2023: Booklists will be sent home with report cards but will also be on the school website. Please ensure to have everything ready for a speedy start in September.

Thanks: Thank you to Mike Boland for doing a great job with hurling training and to Aislinn Crofton (Parents and Friends Association) for her continued help and support of the school and to anyone else that have helped out this year.

Summer Holidays: The Summer Holidays will begin on Thursday 23^rd June at 12 noon. We hope you all have a happy, healthy and sunny break! Pupils will return to school on Wednesday 31^st August 2022. Please find amended school calendar attached for academic year 2022-2023.

May 2022

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place recently in the school. Present
were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Carole Cleary, Patrick O’Dwyer and Cleo Fitzpatrick.

Policies:
The Board of Management ratified the following policies: Split Class Policy, Job Sharing Policy, Geography subject plan

Peace Proms:
Well done to all the students that took part in the Peace Proms concert on Saturday 14th May. The students were a credit to themselves and the school. They were amazing and put on a great show. We are incredibly proud of them. Thanks to Mr.Tynan, Ms. Maher and Ms. McKeon for helping out on the night.

50/50 Draw:
Our 50/50 draw continues every Thursday. Envelopes and buckets are in the shops. Best of luck to everyone who enters.

Boys Football Blitz:
The boys in 4th, 5th and 6th classes played a football blitz on Monday 9th May in Doon. They played four
matches and battled hard versus Bilboa, Tineteriffe, Oola and Nicker. Well done to all the players involved for showing great dedication to training this year.

Girls Football Blitz:
Caherconlish school girls football team competed in the East Limerick Girls Football League on Tuesday 17th May in Doon GAA grounds. The girls played their first game against Cappamore followed by a second game against Biboa. Both were great games and all sides put in a great performance. Our girls won both of their games. They showed great teamwork, sportsmanship and drive. They are now into the East Limerick Final against Oola which will take place on Tuesday 24th May. Best of luck girls, we’re very proud of you all!

First Holy Communion:
Second class made their First Holy Communion last Saturday 21st May. They have worked hard in
preparation, learning prayers and songs for the special day with their teacher Mr.Tynan. Also, thank you to the students from 3rd-6th classes for taking part in the school choir which really uplifted the ceremony.
Congratulations to Laura, Amber, Caragh, Liam, Mikey, Jayden, Brooke, Lola, Ollie and Ava. You all were
amazing and looked great!

 School Tours 2022:
Infants Shannon Leisure Centre Thursday 9th June
First class Stonehall visitor farm Tuesday 24th May
Second & Third classes UL Sports Arena Wednesday 25th May
Fourth Class UL Sports Arena Wednesday 25th May
Fifth and Sixth classes Basecamp Adventure Tuesday 7th June

Standardised Testing:
Standardised testing will take place on the week of 30th May to 3rd June. It is extremely important that your child is present in school that week in so much as possible.Sponsored Walk:
The school’s Annual Sponsored Walk is taking place on Monday 13th June. It will be a walk around the
Creamery leaving the school at 7pm. We’re hoping for pupils and parents to join us on this walk.

April 2022

Confirmation: Congratulations to the pupils in 5^th & 6^th class who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation last Friday in Caherconlish Church. They were a credit to the school, their parents and their community. A special word of thanks to Ms McKeon their class teacher, Mr Tynan for playing music on the day and of course Fr Roy who officiated at the ceremony.

Virtual Sponsored Walk for Ukraine:  The Student Council have organised a virtual sponsored walk which is due to take place today – Monday 4^th April. Please return sponsorship cards to the school before the end of the week. Alternatively, people can donate online to our GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/walk-with-ukraine

Easter Raffle: Pupils in 6^th class are busy selling lines for their raffle. It is to raise funds for their graduation hoodies. The prize is a fabulous Easter Hamper. The draw will take place on Thursday 7^th April.

Easter Holidays: School will close this Friday 8^th April at 12 noon and will re-open on Monday 25^th April.

Peace Proms: We are really looking forward to the Peace Proms taking place in UL Limerick Sports Arena at 7pm on Saturday 14^th May. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale at 9am on Friday 8^th Aril from www.peaceroms.com . All students involved will be taken on a bus from the school. More information to follow.

March 2022

St Patricks Day: School will be closed on Thursday 17^th and Friday 18^th March. Pupils can wear green/white/orange tomorrow. We will be having a small parade around the school in honour of St Patrick’s Day.

School Council:  A new school council was selected. Patrick Fitzgerald, Grace Lee, Dáire O’Dwyer, Orlaith Kiely, Malwina Rejs, Tamira Ukaigwe, Erika Boron and Ollie Ryan are members of the school council. They will be a voice to offer their opinions and suggestions in relation to aspects of school life. They will also be responsible for organising events within the school. Their first meeting was held today. It was agreed to hold a Sponsored Walk in aid of the Red Cross who are providing humanitarian aid to the citizens of Ukraine.

6^th Class Easter Raffle: 6^th class are raffling a beautiful Easter hamper and other prizes in order to raise funds for their Graduation hoodies.

Peace Proms: 4^th, 5^th & 6^th Class are busy practising for the Peace Proms Concert. We are yet to receive an official time or date but have been told it will take place on either 14^th or 15^th May.

March 2022

A meeting of the Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. took place recently in the school. Present
were Patrick Ryan, Collette Carroll, Carole Cleary, Patrick O’Dwyer and Cleo Fitzpatrick.
Child Protection: The Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment were reviewed.

Enrolments: New entrants to Caherconlish N.S. for September 2022 have been accepted and the school will be sending letters of acceptance in due course. We look forward to meeting the new students.

50/50 Draw: Our 50/50 draw continues every Thursday. Envelopes and buckets are in the shops. Best of luck to everyone who enters.

World Book Day: World Book Day takes place on Thursday 3rd March. The students are invited to dress up as characters from any books that they enjoy. This is always an enjoyable day in the school calendar and the children are offered the opportunity to talk about and share their favourite books with others. Each pupil receives a book token that can be used in bookshops and there are also mini-books available in exchange for this token in most bookshops. Caherconlish N.S. believes strongly in the importance of reading for enjoyment and the impact that this has on raising literacy levels.

Denim Day for Dementia: On Friday 4th March, Caherconlish N.S. will hold a fundraising day in aid of Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Students are invited to wear denim or their own clothes and each family is asked to donate 2 euro.

Updated Covid-19 Guidance for schools: The Government has recently reviewed and accepted the recommendations from NPHET to remove remaining restrictions relating to mask-wearing and physical distancing in schools. If members of staff or students wish to continue wearing masks or coverings, they may do so. Continued use of good infection prevention and control measures such as hand washing, respiratory hygiene and ventilation is advised. Schools are no longer required to maintain class pods and bubbles.
The requirement to stay at home if you have symptoms or a positive Covid-19 test result remains.

Food Dudes: We will begin the next phase of the Food Dudes programme on Monday 7th March. The students will receive fruit and vegetables for 5 days, a ‘Food Dudes Week’, to help maintain the healthy eating ethos of the school. Please help your child/children by championing the importance of healthy eating and encouraging them to try the different fruits and vegetables. Each child will be given a Passport to Healthy Eating which contains some fun activities to be completed at home.

Peace Proms: 4th-6th class took part in their first online practice of Peace Proms with conductor Greg through a Zoom call on Wednesday 2nd March. The students are sounding and looking great and are working really hard to perfect their performance. Dates are still not finalised but concerts are due to take place sometime mid-May. Further details will follow when available.

Seachtain na Gaeilge: Seachtain na Gaeilge is taking place this year from the 1st-17th of March. Each class will be doing activities to celebrate. Each year we play games, tráth na gceist, céilí and sing songs and say poems. More importantly we promote the use of Irish in conversation. Each student is encouraged to ‘Bain Triail As!’ (give it a try!)

Football Training: Football training for 4th, 5th and 6th classes will take place in the school on Tuesday for girls with Ms.Downes and Thursdays for boys with Mr. Tynan. It will begin at 2:40 and end at 3: 30 sharp. As per GAA rules, players will need a gum shield.

School Closure: School will be closed on March 17th and 18th for St.Patrick’s Day

February 2022

Christmas Raffle: Thanks so much once again for everyone who helped out with our Christmas Raffle. A total of €3,135 was raised.

Coaching: We are delighted to announce that Mike Boland from Caherline GAA Club will be coming to the school every Monday to coach hurling to all classes. It would be extremely helpful if your child could bring in his/her own helmet and hurley to use for training. The school has a limited number of Micro helmets for sale at the reduced price of €40 each. Coaching will start next Monday 21^st February and will continue until the Summer holidays.

Caherline GAA: Juvenile training is taking place on the following days/times. New members are always welcome.

U7s – Monday @7pm (Head Coach: Mike Kennedy 087 9581606)

U13s – Wednesday @ 6pm (Head Coach: Paddy O’Dwyer 087 2214353)

U15s – Wednesday @ 7.15pm (Head Coach: Brendan Heelan 087 2887785)

U9s – Friday @ 6pm (Head Coach: Mike Carroll 087 6333233)

U11s – Friday @ 7.15pm (Head Coach: Patrick Casey 087 6640807)

Peace Proms: The latest update we received from the Peace Proms organisers has stated that they are hopeful that the event will either take place on Saturday 14^th or Sunday 15^th May in UL.

Lunchbag: Many of the pupils are availing of the ‘Lunchbag’. It is a system whereby parents can order a lunch for their child online and it is delivered fresh to the school the following day. To register – click on the following link: https://www.thelunchbag.ie/

Pancake Tuesday: Pancake Tuesday takes place on Tuesday 1^st March this year. It is traditional in Caherconlish NS that pupils bring in their own pancakes to school on that day. The Parent’s Association will be on hand to provide toppings and heat up the pancakes for the children.

February 2022

Covid 19: All our Covid 19 procedures continue to be enforced. We are expecting further guidance from the government at the end of February and will update you as soon as we receive notification. Please continue to inform the school if your child tests positive for Covid 19 and don’t send them to school if they display symptoms. Thank you for your continued support in this regard.

Football Coaching: Katie Heelan, who is a current Limerick Footballer and All-Ireland medal winner, will coach all classes for the next four Fridays.

Heritage in Schools:Historian Michael Moylan will visit our school over the next two weeks. He will be facilitating workshops and showing the children costumes from the past.

Sports/Swimming: It is hoped that once restrictions are lifted that we will be able to return to playing sports and swimming. We have provisionally booked swimming lessons beginning 29^th April for 4^th – 6^th Classes. GAA fixtures have also been provisionally made so hopefully they will go ahead.

Green Schools: 3^rd & 4^th class did a walkability audit with Ellen from An Taisce, They found some great ways to make their walk to school safer and nicer. They did this as part of the Green Schools application for our 9^th Green Flag. The theme for the next two years is safer travel.

Green Schools: As part of Green Schools, we submitted an application for bike and scooter parking and we are happy to announce we got approved for a 20 bay bike shelter and for scooter parking. We hope this will be installed in the next few weeks.

Attendance: Attendance for the past month has improved across the board with the reduction in Covid numbers. This is great to see as continued attendance is very important to children’s education.

Mid Term Break: Mid Term Break this year will take place on Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th February. School will be closed on those two days.

May I wish you all a pleasant St. Valentines weekend.

January 2022

Summer Works Scheme:The Board of Management are delighted to announce that we recently received a grant from the Department of Education to re-wire the school and replace the main Electrical Distribution Board. Invitations to tender will be going out shortly and it is hoped that the work will take place during the Summer holidays.

Sammy Stamps:The Credit Union are in the process of withdrawing the Sammy Stamps Savings Scheme.
It is to do with Central Bank regulations. It is hoped that a new scheme will be in place in the near future as saving is a fantastic habit for children to engage in.

50/50 Draw:Our 50/50 draw will re commence on Thursday 3^rd February. All online subscriptions will be carried over and the envelopes and buckets are back in the shops. Best of luck to everyone who enters.

Enrolments:If you know of anyone who wishes to enroll in the school for September 2022, please contact the office as soon as possible.

School Transport:I received communication recently regarding the school transport Scheme. The Department of Education is in the process of conducting a review of the School Transport Scheme. The review began in February 2021 and encompasses the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs and the Primary and Post-Primary School Transport Schemes.

The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately. The review will also examine the potential for integration of different strands of the scheme and a more co-ordinated approach with other Government Departments that also use transport services. It will also consider issues such as climate action, rural development and promoting where possible initiatives that encourage walking and cycling to school.

As part of the review process the Department will, over the coming weeks, conduct a stakeholder engagement process with school communities, parents and guardians, primary and post-primary students, the education partners and other relevant stakeholders.

We ask you to please submit your views in writing to schooltransportreview@education.gov.ie by Friday 4th February 2022.

December 2021

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Patrick
Ryan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Patrick O’Dwyer, and Cleo Fitzpatrick.

Covid 19: Just a reminder about the current guidelines regarding Covid 19 and limiting transmission:
● Please do not send your child to school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19. These symptoms
include a persistent cough, headaches, lack of taste or smell, sore throat etc…
● Inform the principal if your child has received a positive test result. You can contact Mr.Ryan on any
day of the week, at any time via email: principal@caherconlishns.ie
● Procedures to prevent Covid-19 transmission continues at school as before. Pupils continue to be
placed in pods, hand washing and hand sanitising regularly is encouraged and classes do not mix.
Staff members wear masks and stay within their classroom groupings when on yard duty.

Mask Wearing: We would like to compliment the pupils from 3rd to 6th class in their cooperation with the requirement to wear face coverings at school. This has not been easy for them but they have done so well in helping to keep our school community safe. Well done!

Christmas Raffle: This years Christmas Raffle will take place on Monday 20th of December in the school. Please remember to return any sold and unsold tickets before Friday 17th December.
We would like to sincerely thank those who have donated prizes for the raffle so far;
Matt Barry Butchers, Caherconlish, Caherconlish N.S., Copymoore, Odeon Cinema Castletroy, Woodlands
Hotel & Spa Adare, Aherlow House Hotel, Upper Cuts, MB Hair Design, First Cuts, T & K Alarms,
Valerie’s Music School, Centra, Kitsy Hickey, Post Office, Furniture Man, Dromkeen, Folens Educational
Supplies, Computer Solutions 4 U, Supermacs, Chris & John Ryan, Ann & Ger O’Donnell, Mulcahy’s Bar
and Restaurant, Funworld, Morrisson’s Ballysimon, Pa Curtis, Keith Ryan, Frank Balfry, Pharmacy
Caherconlish, Racefield Pharmacy, SOH Sports, Tasty Bites, Caroline Corbett and Procad Engineering.

Santa Visit: Unfortunately, due to Covid 19 restrictions, Santa will not be able to visit us in person at the school this year.
However, thanks to the clever elves in the North Pole, Santa will have a virtual visit to each classroom this
Friday 17th December. The children are all very excited to see and speak to the man himself and are looking forward to telling him how good they have been this year. We’re sure that they are all on the nice list!

Policies: The Board of Management recently ratified the ‘Hire and use of School Premises’ policy.

50/50 Draw:Thanks to everyone for your continued support. Congratulations to all of our winners. The draw will not be taking place over the Christmas period. The last draw of the year will take place on Thursday 16th December and will resume again on Thursday 13th January 2022.

Extension of School Building: Consultants and the Board of Management are working away on this project and it is making progress.

School Readers: From time to time books are sent home from school. Can you please ensure that these books are returned to the school as they are often part of a set. If you come across any book that you think may belong to the school, please ask your child to bring it in and a member of staff can check it for you.

Enrolments: Places are filling up quickly for September 2022. If you know of anyone who wishes to send their child to the school please email: office@caherconlishns.ie

Safer Cycling: We are delighted to have been granted funding for a covered bicycle shed. This grant is in conjunction with the Green Schools Programme.

School Closures: School will close at 12 noon on Wednesday 22nd December for the Christmas Holidays. We will also be closed on Wednesday 12th January 2022 to facilitate staff training (Primary Language Curriculum).

Staffing: We would like to welcome Ms. Ciara Downes to the staff. She will be replacing Ms. Mulcahy who is currently on maternity leave. Ms. Butler will be acting Deputy Principal in her absence.

Child Protection: Mr.Ryan is the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) in respect of any Child Protection issue. Ms. Butler is the Deputy Designated Liaison person in respect of any Child Protection issue.

Peace Proms: 4th – 6th class are currently practising for Peace Proms planned to take place in February 2022. However, while we are hopeful that this will go ahead, we are ever mindful of the changing situation and guidelines regarding Covid 19 and will let you all know as soon as possible of any changes to this.

Caherline Hurling Team: Well done to Caherline junior Hurling team on their victory in the County Final. The school community is thrilled to see them doing so well and we are delighted to support them.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Finally, from all the staff in Caherconlish N.S., we wish you and yours a very happy and safe Christmas.

November 2021

Parent/Teacher Meetings: Parent/Teacher Meetings will take place this year via telephone week beginning 22^nd November. Covid restrictions still remain in schools regarding visitors to schools. We will begin to make appointments for these telephone calls this week. We will be organising pupils with siblings first. You will have the opportunity to speak with your child’s class teacher and discuss his/her progress.

Science Week:  Science week runs from 7^th – 14^th November. Caherconlish N.S. will be completing lots of exciting activities.

 Shoebox Appeal: Please return any shoeboxes to the school before the end of this week.

 County Final: Best wishes to all our past pupils, their teammates and everyone involved with the Caherline Junior A Hurling Team in the County Final next Saturday. We have our fingers crossed for you all and hopefully the club will be back playing Intermediate next year again.

October 2021

First Holy Communion: Congratulations to all the pupils in 3rd class who made their 1st Holy Communion last Saturday. They did a terrific job. Many thanks to Mr Tynan for preparing the children so well and to Fr. Roy for overseeing the ceremony.

Half Day:  The Department of Education have sanctioned schools to take a half day closure this term to facilitate Staff Training. The school will close at 12.30pm on Friday 5th November.

School Photographer: Andrews Photographer will come to the school on Thursday 21st October. If you would like an individual or family photograph, please complete the consent form which your child received and return it to the school as soon as possible.

Halloween: School will close on Friday 22nd October for the Halloween break. Pupils may dress up in Halloween costumes on that day.

Contact Details: A note has gone home today regarding contact details. Please can you check these and change as required. It is important we have up to date information. 

Communication:  Check your child’s homework journal for notes from the class teacher.  Please check the school website http://www.caherconlishns.ie , follow us on Twitter @caherconlishns or see our Facebook page ‘scoil cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed on school news.

Parking: Please don’t park in or obstruct the disabled parking space at any time as it is used at various times during the day.

September 2021

I’m happy to report that the pupils are all settled into school now after the summer break, and that our new pupils and junior Infants are really enjoying their introduction to school life in Caherconlish N.S.

Summer Works: The Board of Management changed the internal layout of the school slightly during the summer. The junior infant room is much more spacious now, and the secretary’s office has been moved to just inside the front door.

 Staffing: Ms. O’Reilly has joined us on a part time basis in a Special Education Teacher capacity. Ms Meagher is covering Mr Ryan’s principal release days on a Tuesday this year. Miss Blackwell will return to 1^st class on Tuesday 14^th September. In the meantime Ms Brazel will teach the class.

 Communication: As always, you can contact Maria in the office from Monday to Friday from 8.30 – 12.30pm, 061 351844 or email office@caherconlishns.ie. The teacher emails are as follow:

Mr Ryan          principal@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Mulcahy    mariem@caherconlishns.ie

Ms McKeon     sonyam@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Blackwell   lizb@caherconlishns.ie

Mr Tynan         davidt@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Butler        aoifeb@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Cleary        carolec@caherconlishns.ie

Ms O’Reilly     lisar@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Meagher   denisem@caherconlishns.ie

Book Rental and Arts & Crafts/photocopying money: Please pay any outstanding school bills as soon as possible.

Covid 19: as per Department of Education guidelines, we are continuing to follow our Covid Response Plan in dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic. Please don’t send your child to school if he/she displays any symptoms. A responsible approach from the community will ensure we minimise the risk of Covid 19 in our school.

Millennium Centre Sale of Work: This will happen on October 10^th. They will be happy to accept any unwanted saleable items you may wish to dispose of e.g. mirrors, handbags, scarfs, frames, delph,,furniture, lamps, plants etc. Due to Covid 19 items may only be dropped off by prior arrangement. Phone Declan 085 2885181 or Nancy 085 4088485

50/50 Draw: We are delighted to re-launch our 50/50 draw. Half of each weeks total goes to the winner, the other half goes to the school. We have had 82 winners since our draw began. Envelopes are €2 and available from the school, Keith Ryan’s shop, Millennium Centre, Matt Barry, MB Hair Design, Upper Cuts and Mrs Hickey. Draw takes place every Thursday and can also be purchased online.

Credit Union – Sammy Stamps: Saving money is a very good habit. Ger sells Sammy Stamps every Friday in the school These cost €1 each. Once a book is full it can be lodged to the Credit Union (in the presence of an adult).

Insurance: All families have received forms for  Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance. There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9). This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past. Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday September 10^th.

Safer Cycling Training: Our school is holding a course in cycling safety training run by cycling coach, Kieron Selley,from cycle training company ‘Nail the Trail’. 5^th & 6^th class are doing the 6 week course starting this Thursday.

First Holy Communion: 3^rd class are busy preparing for their ‘big day’ which is due to take place on Saturday 2^nd October.

June 2021

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Patrick Ryan, Fr.Roy Donovan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan, Patrick O’Dwyer, and Cleo Fitzpatrick

Graduation 2021: Farewell to the current sixth class that will be leaving us soon for their journey to secondary school. We hope that they have a wonderful graduation day on Friday and remember their time here in Caherconlish N.S. fondly. Also we wish the best to any family that is ending their association with the school and thank them for their support.

Building Works: The initial design for the extension to the school has been drawn up by consultants.

Green-Schools: Congratulations to Ms. Butler and the Green-School’s Committee for all the hard work done to secure the school’s eighth green flag from An Taisce. This year’s theme was Global Citizenship and Marine Environment, and the committee would urge all families to become more aware of the impact we have on the environment and to make some changes to help. There will be a virtual ceremony to raise the flag in September. Well done to all the members of the committee; Katie Martin, Aimee Kelleher, Taylor Ryan, Shaun Ryan, Colin Ryan, Ellie O’Dwyer, Miya Ukaigwe, Emma Carroll and Ruth O’Sullivan, we are all very proud of you.

Staffing Schedule 2021/2022

Ms Aoife Butler: Junior and Senior Infants

Ms.Liz  Ryan-Blackwell: First Class

Mr. David Tynan: Second and Third classes

Mr. Patrick Ryan: Fourth class

Ms. Sonya McKeon: Fifth and Sixth classes

Ms. Marie Mulcahy: SET

Ms. Carole Cleary: SET

Eilish McGahon, Geraldine Riordan and Caroline Cotter: SNA’s

Departures: We would like to thank Ms. Shauna Byrne for her dedication and hard work this year teaching in Third and Fourth class every Tuesday and wish her all the best for the future. We would also like to thank Ms.Grace Jones who has been with the school part-time for the last three years as part of the SET team. She is returning to her base school in Knockea N.S. and we wish her all the best. They will both be missed by all in Caherconlish N.S. and we hope they stay in touch!

School Grounds: A reminder that the school grounds are private property. Nobody should enter the grounds before or after school time unless access has been granted. Also please note that dogs are not allowed in the school yards.

50/50 Draw: We would like to thank everyone for their support of the school with the 50/50 draw and especially to the local businesses for taking part. Congratulations to all the lucky winners so far. We will be taking a break from the 50/50 draw during the school holidays and it will resume again in September.

Dates for your Diary

Monday 21^st June: Summer Holidays (finishing at 12 noon)

Tuesday 31st August: School term begins

School closures for the new school year can be found on the school website.

Junior Infants will finish at 12 o’clock for the first two weeks of term.

Book Rental: The book lists have been sent home with report cards. Booklists will be available for all classes on the school website. Please note that book rental money can be paid on or before Monday 21^st June or at the latest on the first day back on 31^st August. This greatly reduces the cost of the books required and is available to all students.

Policies/Plans: The following policies and plans have been ratified by the Board of Management:

• SPHE
• RSE
• Gaeilge
• English

Millennium Centre: Start gathering up all your bric-a-brac items because the Millennium Centre are holding a Bring and Buy sale at the end of the Summer in aid of the Millennium Centre. Any donations of items would be much appreciated and bigger items can be collected. Contact Nancy Lane on 086-4088485

Thank You: We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the families of our students for their continued support throughout the Covid-19 closures and regulations. Your support is very much appreciated. Thanks also to the staff of the school who worked tirelessly to inhibit the spread of Covid-19 throughout the school.

Summer Holidays: The Summer Holidays will begin on Monday 21^st June at 12 noon. We hope you all have a happy, healthy and sunny break!

 June 2021

Calendar 2021/22: Attached find calendar for academic year 2021/22. Pupils will return to school on Tuesday 31^st August 2021. Junior Infants will also return on the same day but will finish at 12 noon for the first two weeks. Junior Infants will finish at 1.40pm from 13^th September 2021.

 Standardised Tests: Micra and Sigma T testing is taking place this week for pupils from 1^st to 6^th class. Please ensure they are at school if at all possible.

 Book Rental: Books from this year’s book rental scheme will be collected by class teachers on Wednesday 16^th June. Please ensure any textbooks that you may have at home are returned to the school.

Report Cards: End of year report cards will be sent home on Wednesday 16^th June with next year’s booklists.

Art Competition: Mr Ryan’s annual Art Competition will take place again this year. Entries may be completed on A3 paper using any media. The winning entries will be framed and hung in the school .This year’s theme is ‘Life Under the Sea’.

Sports Day: The dates for Sports Days this year has changed for some classes:

• Wednesday 9^th June – Junior Infants
• Friday 11^th June – 3^rd & 4^th Class
• Monday 14^th June – 5^th & 6^th Class
• Tuesday 15^th June – 1^st & 2^nd
• Wednesday 16^th June – Senior Infants

  Graduation: 6^th Class will be graduating from Primary school on Friday 18^th June. We wish them well as they enter the next chapter of their education/lives.

 Holidays: Reminder that school will close on Monday 21^st June at 12 noon.

May 2021

First Confession: Congratulations to the boys and girls in 2^nd class who made their First Confession on Tuesday 25^th May. They are now preparing for their Fist Holy Communion which is due to take place on Saturday 4^th September.

Annual Sponsored Walk: This years sponsored walk was a huge success. Between online donations and sponsorship cards, a total of €3,452 was raised. Thank you so much to the pupils, parents, friends and relations for your very generous support.

Caherconlish Times Newspaper: Congratulations to the boys and girls of Mr Tynan’s class who recently published Edition 3 of the Caherconlish Times Newspaper. It will be hitting the shops in the locality very soon.

Sports Day: Unfortunately due to Covid 19 restrictions, our annual Sports Day will be a little different this year. Pupils will be staying on site and a day has been assigned to each class.

• Wednesday 9^th June – Junior Infants
• Friday 11^th June – Senior Infants
• Tuesday 14^th June – 5^th & 6^th Class
• Wednesday 15^th June – 1^st & 2^nd and 3^rd & 4^th Class

Please give your child extra drinks on that day and sun cream/shorts as they will be outside for a large amount of time. (Depending on the weather)

Green School Committee: The Green School Committee had their evaluation on Tuesday 25^th May. The evaluator was very impressed will all the work that they had done in applying for the 8^th Marine Life & Biodiversity with Global Citizenship Flag.

Additional Accommodation: The Board of Management have appointed consultants for the two classroom extension, with en-suite toilets, which is due to be built.

Standardised Tests: Standardised Tests (Micra T and Sigma T) will take place for all pupils from 1^st to 6^th class on Tuesday 8^th, Wednesday 9^th, and Thursday 10^th June. It is important that your child is at school on those days in order to complete the tests.

Transition Programme: 6^th Class completed their annual transition programme with Limerick Youth Service on Wednesday 26^th May. This programme helped them get ready for their journey into Post-Primary School.

May 2021

Covid 19: It is fantastic to sense such positivity in the air as the vaccine roll out continues at pace and society begins to re-open. However, the virus hasn’t gone away and I would ask everyone to remain cautious and take no risks regarding symptoms or close contacts. We will be continuing with the Covid 19 protocols put on place since last September in order to keep our pupils and staff as safe as possible.

1^st & 2^nd Class: Ms Mann will be teaching first and second class for the foreseeable future in Ms Mulcahy’s absence.

 First Confession: Pupils in 2^nd class will be making their first confession in school with Fr. Roy on Tuesday 25^th May at 11am. This is just for pupils, parents will not be able to attend due to Covid restrictions.

 GAA Coaching: We are delighted that all classes are currently being coached by Mike Boland every Monday and by Séan McCarthy on Thursdays.

Green Schools Committee/ Student Council: The Green Schools Committee/ Student Council are organising a ‘Wheel on Wednesday’ day whereby pupils can cycle, wheel or scoot to school on Wednesday 12^th May 2021.

 50/50 Draw: Thanks to everyone who has supported our 50/50 draw. We have recently ordered new Maths, Science and P.E. equipment for our pupils to use.

 Sponsored Walk: The virtual sponsored walk  can be completed anytime between the 14^th & 16^th May. Sponsorship cards have been given to families and donations can also be logged at  https://ie.gofundme.com/f/Caherconlish-NS Our target is €2,000 and so far we have €1,267.  Remember to send in your photos/videos for us to put online. Great prizes to be won.

 Sensory Room: Our sensory room is up and running since term 1 and we were delighted to receive a €1,000 donation from Inver Fuel company who nominated our school in the leading light campaign. It is a scheme that supports local organisations that support children and education.

April 2021

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Colette Carroll, Patrick Ryan, Carole Cleary, Fr. Roy O’Donovan, Keith Ryan, Patrick O’Dwyer, Cleo Fitzpatrick and Eddie Kane.

 Child Protection – Annual Review: At a recent BOM meeting, held on 19^th April 2021, the BOM reviewed the Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment. These updated documents are published on the school’s website www.caherconlishns.ie. The Patron and Parent’s Association have been notified that the annual review of the School’s Child Safeguarding statement was completed.

Child Protection Feedback: Should you have any queries regarding the school’s compliance of the child safeguarding requirements of the child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017, please contact the school at office@caherconlishns.ie or principal@caherconlishns.ie

Policies: The following policies were ratified:

• Acceptable Usage Policy for Internet
• Bring Your Own Device Acceptable Usage Policy
• Supervision Policy
• Intimate Care Policy

Covid-19: Caherconlish N.S. continues to follow the guidelines for guarding against Covid-19 by strictly following the guidelines issued by the Department of Education and Science and the HSE. The most important action we can take to protect ourselves from Covid-19 is regular hand-washing and good respiratory hygiene. We continue to teach the students that it is most important to follow the simple rules:

• wash your hands properly and often
• practise social distancing
• cover coughs and sneezes
• follow the current public health restrictions

We ask that all parents/people outside the school gate when dropping off or collecting the children would wear a face mask and continue to abide by social distancing rules.

Please ensure that any student displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 or if any person in the students household has symptoms, that the student is asked to remain at home and not come to school for at least 48 hrs until symptoms are gone or until a negative Covid-19 test result has been achieved.

Enrolments for September 2021: Should you wish to enrol your child or know of someone who wishes to have their child enrolled in Caherconlish N.S. please phone 061- 351844 between the hours 8.30am – 12.30pm or e-mail office@caherconlishns.ie

50/50 Draw: Thank you to everyone for your continued support of the 50/50 Draw. Our latest winner was Caragh Buckley who won €212. Congratulations Caragh!

Absences: Teachers are required on the ‘Aladdin’ system to record why pupils miss school. Please provide a note/e-mail to the class teacher with the reason why your child misses school ie: sick, appointment etc… Otherwise your child’s absence will be marked as unexplained.

Virtual Sponsored Walk: We will be having a virtual sponsored walk on the 16^th-18^th May to raise funds for the school. A sponsorship card will be sent out to each family and we are also going online with a Go Fund Me page and the details are www.gofund.me/2496579e

Down Syndrome Fundraiser: Recently the school held an odd socks day fundraiser for Down Syndrome Ireland. We did amazingly well and raised €255 for them. A huge thank you to Supervalu in Castletroy, for donating ice-cream to the students on the day. It was a lovely treat!

Green Schools Committee: The Green School’s committee are doing amazing work in the school, keeping us all informed about our need to look after our planet. They recently organised a ‘Scoot to School’ day and 42 pupils scooted to school that day.

Walk to School Week: Walk to School week is on the week of the 26^th – 30^th April. We would encourage everyone to walk to school or park and walk part of the way to school if at all possible. Please keep Covid-19 guidelines in mind.

Caherline GAA – Club/School link: Mike Boland is due to make a welcome return on Monday 26^th to teach the pupils in our school some GAA skills. We look forward to seeing him!

Friday 26th February

A letter from the Deputy Chief Medical Officer to all Parents and Guardians

Dr Ronan Glynn,
Deputy Chief Medical Officer,
Department of Health,
Miesian Plaza,
50 – 58 Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.

26 February 2021

To parents and guardians,
Through your hard work and willingness to buy in to public health guidance over the past two
months, we have made real progress in suppressing the most recent wave of COVID-19. This
progress has meant that primary and post-primary schools and the wider provision of childcare can
now commence on a phased basis.
The importance of schools for the overall health and wellbeing of children cannot be overstated, and
the risk of COVID-19 has been carefully weighed against the very real harm that can be caused by
sustained school closures. Schools are at the heart of our communities and they play a fundamental
role in the social lives and wellbeing of our children; this is particularly true for children who have
special educational needs, are disadvantaged or who may have been disproportionately impacted by
school closures over the last year.
Our priority is to ensure a safe return to schools for students, their families and school staff, which is
why we have recommended a phased return to in-school learning.
In making this recommendation, the NPHET’s most significant concern is that it will be taken as a
signal by parents and wider society that other forms of household mixing, and mobility are now
acceptable.
We cannot afford for this to happen at this time. Despite the progress we have made, COVID-19 is
still circulating at high levels in our communities. We must do all we can individually and collectively
to ensure that the reopening of schools results in the minimum possible upward pressure on the
reproduction number.
Please avoid congregating at school gates over the coming weeks. Please do not have play dates or
organise after school activities which involve household mixing. And please continue to work from
home unless essential. It is only through your continued buy-in to these measures that we can
ensure that our children will get back to school and then stay back in school.
I know these are difficult requests. We all – adults and children alike – want to meet up with our
friends and neighbours and get back to our old routines. And we will get there.
We now have three very effective vaccines with, hopefully, three more on the way. Over the coming
weeks, older people, and those at high or very high risk of severe disease will be vaccinated and we
will see substantial increases in supply from April onwards. And we are already seeing the very
positive impact of vaccines in our nursing homes and among our healthcare workers. If we can
combine this rollout with a continued suppression of the disease through March and April, we will
have many more options in terms of easing of measures and should be able to provide much greater
levels of certainty to people about the months ahead.
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done to keep your family and
our communities safe over the last year. I also want to thank all teachers, principals and school staff
who have worked so hard to ensure measures have been put in place to limit the risk of spread of
COVID-19 in schools. It has been this kind of work, done quietly and by the majority, which has
underpinned our national response to COVID-19 and which, ultimately, will see us through to
brighter days ahead.
Kind regards
Dr. Ronan Glynn,
Deputy Chief Medical Officer,
Department of Health.

December 2020

A meeting of the Board of Management was held via Zoom recently.

Board ratification:

At the latest Board meeting the accounts were ratified. 

School Plans

St Senan’s Education Office have approved our new Admissions Policy which is on our school website.  

School Works:

We have a new heating system installed fully in the school. It is working very well and everyone is going to be cosy and warm for the Winter months, especially as some windows may be open to ensure good ventilation.

Enrolment:

Can pupils who wish to enrol pupils in Caherconlish N.S. in September 2021, please contact Maria in the office for an enrolment form

Christmas Raffle:

Tickets for the Christmas Raffle are on sale. If anyone would like more tickets to sell or to donate a prize it would be very much appreciated. The draw will take place on Thursday 17th December with some amazing prizes to be won! 

Sensory Room:

Finally, we are delighted to report that our new sensory room is almost finished. The finishing touches are being applied in the next few weeks and it will be ready for use soon. This will be of huge benefit to students that need a short break from the classroom and can be used as chill out zone to students with the most need. 

Parent Teacher Meetings:

Parent teacher meetings will take place the week of 18th January 2021. Due to Covid 19 restrictions these meetings will not be face to face as usual. Your child’s teacher will contact you with a written report through e-mail, with a follow up phone call if deemed necessary.

Credit Union Art Competition:

Congratulations to the winners of the recent art competition: Tara Murnane, Shaun Ryan, Tamira Ukaigwe and Lily May Keyes. Well done to all who took part.  

Online Learning:

As part of the ‘new normal‘ we have moved some of our learning online;

All classes are continuing to use the Seesaw app that was used during the school closure. A code has been sent home with each pupil to login at home. Please do so if not already done.

The whole school are taking part in a Music Generation programme.

Science week – we will be watching some interesting science experiments in school and hopefully trying some out in class. 

Interactive museums are online and available to watch at home.

Covid 19:

Well done to the pupils who are continuing to social distance, wash hands and use the hand sanitiser frequently. 

School Newspaper:

There are some very exciting goings–on in 5th and 6th class at the moment where the class are beginning to write a school newspaper. We can’t wait for all the breaking news stories!

Late Arrivals: Can all children please be at school for 9am and enter through their designated doors. Late arrivals are very disruptive to class. All late arrivals are recorded on the school roll system. 

50/50 Draw:

Many thanks for your continued support on our 50/50 draw. We will continue selling envelopes in all the local shops and at school, but they can also now be bought online. This is mainly for the convenience of people living away that might want to support the school. Thus far the 50/50 draw has helped the school to pay for coding classes, the sensory room, music generation classes last year and this year and has subsidised school tours and trips. The links (which can be shared with anyone) are:

1 entry a week for 5 weeks to draw https://pay.superpayit.com/plan/IrtbNM4

1 entry a week for 3 months to draw https://pay.superpayit.com/plan/8Yzt_7o

1 entry a week for 6 months to draw https://pay.superpayit.com/plan/6sWC-U4

E-mail Address:

If you wish to contact the school our email address is:

office@caherconlishns.ie

Facebook Page: Remember to follow us on our Facebook ‘Scoil Cathair Chinn Lis’ and Twitter @caherconlishns.

22^nd October 2020

Halloween Break: Pupils may dress up tomorrow in Halloween Costumes as we begin our mid-term  break. School will reopen on Monday 2^nd November.

Distance learning: Pupils have received home learning codes this week for the Seesaw App in the event of a school closure. If you have difficulty accessing the app or have mislaid code, please email individual teacher. If your child’s access to a digital device is limited, please contact the school.

Mr Ryan – principal@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Mulcahy – mariem@caherconlishns.ie

Mr Tynan – davidt@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Blackwell – lizb@caherconlishns.ie

Ms McKeon – sonyam@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Cleary – carolec@caherconlishns.ie

Monster Christmas Draw: We are delighted to launch our Christmas Draw today. Each family will receive a book of tickets, which they are asked to sell. We have some wonderful prizes and will have lots more by the time the draw takes place.

Covid 19: Great credit is due to the pupils and staff for adhering to all the procedures we put in place to stop the spread of Covid 19. Thank you also to parents who have contacted the school with queries and those who have told us about family members etc. who have been tested. This information is dealt with in the strictest confidence. Should you have any queries during the mid-term break you can email principal@caherconlishns.ie or office@caherconlishns.ie .

Face masks: Face masks for children featuring the school crest can be ordered from the school. They cost €3.50 each and have an approximate lead time of 2/3 weeks.

Dropping off/collecting children: Can parents/guardians please be conscious of other road users when dropping off and collecting children from school. Can parents/guardians also wear face masks/coverings while dropping off/collecting children from school.

Enjoy the mid-term break

15^th October 2020

Communication: This letter is being emailed to all parents/guardians. If you don’t receive it by email please email office@caherconlishns.ie to receive a copy and to ensure that we have your correct email.

Mid Term Break: School will close on Friday 23^rd October at the normal time for Mid Term Break and re-open on Monday 2^nd November. Pupils may wear Halloween costumes on Friday 23^rd October.

Music Generation: We are delighted to be taking part in the Music Generation Programme. This year each class will participate in the programme which is taking place online with weekly live streams. There is  an incredible roster of musicians, including this summer’s breakout star Denise Chaila, trad virtuoso Zoe Conway, award winning rapper Godknows Jonas, jazz legend Richie Buckley, members of the Irish Chamber Orchestra along with musicians from Music Generation.

Attendance: A reminder to send a written note if your child is absent.

Covid: There is a little bit of confusion around who should self-isolate. There are essentially two pathways relevant to us at the moment:

• If your child has symptoms and is recommended a test, your child is a ‘possible case’ of Covid 19. All household members restrict movements until the test result comes back. If the test is negative, household members can resume activities, but your child should not return to school until 48 hours after symptoms clear.
• If your child is a close contact of confirmed case, but has no symptoms, he or she must self-isolate for 14 days from the last day of contact with the confirmed case. Household members do not need to restrict movements unless your child becomes symptomatic. Then follow HSE advice.

The HSE will inform the parents/guardians of the correct course of action in all cases. More information here: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/if-your-child-has-symptoms.html

Staffing: We would like to welcome Caroline Cotter to the school. Caroline will be working with us as a part-time Special Needs Assistant.

Space Week & Maths Week: The children thoroughly enjoyed learning about Space and completing Maths Trails and coding this week for Maths Week. See twitter and facebook for pictures.

Sammy Stamps: Saving is a great habit to develop. The Credit Union has a savings programme for children whereby they purchase ‘Sammy Stamps’ as a form of saving. They can be purchased every Friday at the school. They cost €1 each.

Monster Raffle: Our Annual Raffle will take place in December. If any business/individual would like to donate a spot prize, please feel free to do so.

Enrolment: Can pupils who wish to enrol pupils in Caherconlish N.S. in September 2021, please contact Maria in the office for an enrolment form.

7^th September, 2020

I am writing to you to advise you of certain procedures that will apply if a pupil in our school tests positive for Covid-19. If that were to occur, the Public Health Department of the HSE will carry out a Public Health Risk Assessment and will decide on the appropriate actions to be taken. The school does not have a direct role in this decision-making process.

The Public Health Risk Assessment may indicate that contact tracing is necessary. To facilitate this, the school may be asked to furnish the names and contact details of pupils (and their parents/guardians) who are close contacts of a confirmed case. If this information is requested by the Public Health Department of the HSE, the school will process the information in compliance with data protection laws*. The information will be given in a secure manner, only to named individuals and only the information necessary for the contact tracing will be given. It is the HSE and not the school, who will carry out any necessary contact tracing.

Yours Sincerely,

Secretary, Board of Management

*Articles 6(1)(c) (processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation) and 9(2)(i) (processing is for public interest reasons in the area of public health) of the GDPR.

9th September 2020

Summer Works: During the summer, a new heating system was installed in the school with new radiators and pipework throughout. We also invested in additional storage in the GP room and a sensory room which is almost completed.

Covid 19: Much work has gone into preparing the school to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The children are well aware of these procedures. The following link gives excellent advice. In all suspected cases, we will be following the advice from the HSE. and would encourage parents and guardians to do the same. The following link gives excellent advice

.https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/40e9c-protecting-your-child-from-coronavirus/

First Holy Communion: 3rd class are busily preparing for their First Holy Communion which will take place in Caherconlish Church on Saturday 19th September. We wish all the communicants well.

Meetings with teachers: All meetings with teachers are strictly by appointment only.  Please telephone the School office to make an appointment. Maria is in the office from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday. We cannot guarantee that the phone will be answered outside of these hours.  If you have a concern about your child, you can email teachers at the following email addresses:

Mr. Ryan – principal@caherconlishns.ie

Ms. Mulcahy – mariem@caherconlishns.ie

Mr Tynan – davidt@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Blackwell – lizb@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Mann – aimeem@caherconlishns.ie

Ms McKeon – sonyam@caherconlishns.ie

Ms Cleary – carolec@caherconlishns.ie

Homework:  Start as you mean to continue.  Check your child’s homework diary every night.  Do not sign off on homework unless you are happy it has been completed satisfactorily.

Communication:  Check your child’s homework journal for notes from the class teacher.  Please check the school website http://www.caherconlishns.ie , follow us on Twitter @caherconlishns or see our Facebook page ‘scoil cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed on school news.

Healthy Eating: We are very proud of our Healthy eating policy. See school website for details. Please ensure your child brings a healthy lunch to school everyday.

Insurance: All families have received forms for Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance.  There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9).  This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past.  Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday September 11^th.

Art & Craft/Photocopying contributions and Book Rental money: Thanks to all the families for their Art & Craft/Photocopying contributions and Book Rental money. If you have not yet paid this money, you can give it to Maria in the school office any day between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m..Caherconlish NS Homework Journals are for sale in the office. They cost €5 each.

Nut Allergy: Please be aware that there are children in the school with  serious nut allergies. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

 Grapes: If your child is bringing in grapes for lunch, can you ensure they are cut lengthwise so they can pass more easily through smaller throats. And never width wise, because they’ll still be big enough to choke on.

 Credit Union: Sammy stamps are available in school every Friday. Stamps are €1 each. Saving is a great life skill and a good habit.

 Túsla:  In the event of any pupil reaching a total of 20 days absence from school in a school year, the school is required by law to make a report to Túsla, the National Education Welfare Board. Parents are advised to be aware of this and to be mindful of their child’s attendance record. Please bring in a note when your child has been off school.

 50/50 Draw: The successful 50/50 draw will recommence on Thursday. Half of the money will be given to a winner every week. The other half will be retained by the school. Pupils can ask their teachers for the special envelopes.

 Parking: Please don’t park in or obstruct the disabled parking space at any time as it is used at various times during the day.

13th August 2020

It is intended that Caherconlish NS will re-open for every child on Thursday 27th August
at 9 a.m.
It is up to us all as a school community to work together to minimise the risk of Covid 19 infection in our school.
Only essential personnel will be permitted to enter the school grounds and
building.

We will be encouraging parents to ‘drop and go’ at the school gate to minimise congregation of people and to adhere to Social Distancing Guidelines.

We will be accepting pupils from 8.50 a.m. directly to their classes. There will be no
assembly of pupils/parents in the school yard under any circumstances. Every class will
be assigned a door to enter and exit the school building at all times. These will be
clearly displayed. Staff will be on hand for the first few mornings to escort pupils to their
classes.
Junior Infants: We extend a warm welcome to our new Junior infants. Junior Infants
will be met on their first day at the school gate by their teacher Ms. Mann and other
staff members.

These are the entry points for each class groups:
· Junior infants: Front door
· Senior infants: Front door
· 1st & 2nd : Front GP Door
· 3rd & 4th : Door at left hand side of School Building
· 5th & 6th : GP Back door

All classes will be regarded as bubbles and will have pods (or groups of pupils) within
them who will be socially distancing as much as possible.

All staff will wear masks/visors except when socially distanced from all others in class.
At present children will not be required to wear masks but will be accommodated if they
wish to do so.

Please drop and go when dropping and collecting your child.

Visitors/Parents will NOT be allowed in the school building unless by appointment and with the approval of the school principal.
Only essential workers are allowed into the school building. This may include HSE
workers etc.
Staggered breaks and lunch times will apply where needed. All classes/bubbles will
have their own play area.

All classrooms will have sanitisation points and sinks for hand washing. We strongly
encourage each pupil to have their own individual hand sanitiser bottle for use.
All classrooms will be cleaned daily using HSE approved fogger which will sanitise
classrooms.

Please do not send your child to school if displaying any symptoms of
Coronavirus: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/symptoms.html.If a child is
displaying any symptoms during school hours parents will be contacted and must collect
their child from school immediately. The school will be following current HSE guidelines.
All before and after school classes, indoor & outdoor activities and classes are
suspended until further notice.

There will be no school assemblies in the GP Hall.

Storage Boxes: Children’s books and copies will be stored in individual 24 litre boxes
in the classroom under the desks.These boxes are already on the booklist for pupils
from 3rd to 6th class.They will now be required for all other children in the school. The
school will be ordering these boxes in bulk to minimise cost to parents.
Pupils will need all their own supplies- pencils, colours etc. Pupils will not be allowed to
share these. Please ensure your child’s name is on all their belongings and stationary.

Uniforms: Children will wear uniforms as normal. Pupils are strongly encouraged to
take off their uniforms straight after school and wash it as often as possible.

Lunch boxes: Will come and go from school as normal. Younger pupils need to bring
lunches and drinks which they can open themselves.
If your child can not tie their own laces, velcro shoes need to be worn.
Coats will be stored on the backs of chairs as will school bags.

Posters will be displayed around the school to remind pupils regarding hand washing,
social distancing and cough etiquette.
Markings will be put in the school yard to show pupils 2m distances.

Pupils in the very high risk category should contact the school immediately to discuss
appropriate arrangements, see definition in the following link
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/people-at-higher-risk.html#very-high-risk

Communication: If you wish to speak to a teacher, an appointment can be arranged by
telephoning the school office 061 – 351844. Maria is at the school between 8.30 am
and 12.30 pm Monday to Friday. Emails for each teacher will be made available at a
later date.

In the meantime, email office@caherconlishns.ie or principal@caherconlishns.ie if you have any queries.

Book Rental/Art & Craft Supplies: Monies can be placed in a sealed envelope and
given to the class teacher. Receipts will be issued. Refer to book lists on school website
http://www.caherconlishns.ie

It is vital that as stated at the beginning of this letter, that we all work as a school
community to prevent the risk of Covid 19 infection in our school

 18^th June 2020

Report Cards/Booklists:

End of Year Report Cards are being posted out this week with booklists and school calendar for next year. Booklists will also be posted on school website www.caherconlishns.ie.

Book Rental 2020/2021
We will be running the book rental scheme next year again. The cost is €10 for pupils from Junior Infants to 2^nd class and €20 for pupils from 3^rd to 6^th class. This can be paid on or before Tuesday 1^st September.

Calendar 2020/2021 and date of return to school
The school calendar for 2020/2021 is provisional depending on advice from Department of Education and Skills and the date all children are returning to Caherconlish NS is Thursday 27^th August

Junior Infants
We are very excited about meeting the new Junior Infants this year. School starts for them at 9am on Thursday 27^th August and finishes at 12 noon until Friday 4^th September. After that, they will finish at the normal time of 1.40pm.
Uniform for Junior and Senior Infants is school tracksuit only and this is available from Fennessy’s, William St. Limerick.

POD Forms (Primary Online Database) for Junior Infants
Can outstanding forms please be returned to school as soon as possible.

Teachers 2020/2021
Junior Infants – Ms Mann will be covering Ms. Butler’s Maternity Leave from the start of the school year.
Senior Infants – Ms. Blackwell
1^st & 2^nd Class – Ms. Mulcahy
3^rd & 4^th Class – Mr. Ryan
5^th & 6^th Class – Mr. Tynan
Special Education Teachers – Ms. McKeon, Ms. Cleary & Ms. Jones.

Confirmation and Communion
We have no update at this time regarding dates for either of these two ceremonies. I will keep in touch via text during the summer with updates.

Graduation
On behalf of all the staff of the school, we say farewell and good luck to fifteen 6^th Class pupils who are leaving Caherconlish NS for the final time this year. We will miss you all. I’m sure you will all excel in every aspect of life in Post-Primary School. Mr. Tynan has arranged an online Graduation which will take place on Monday evening 22^nd June. Mr. Tynan will send a link in due course.

Make I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy summer holidays!

Confirmation 2020 – 10th June 2020

The school has received the following information regarding Confirmation 2020 from the
Archbishop of Cashel and Emly:
Several members of the Council of priests have been meeting to discuss the outcome of
confirmation for this year’s candidates.
A provisional timeframe has been set for those awaiting confirmation to receive the
sacrament in late summer – Although no precise dates can be given at this time.
The ceremonies will be kept small and will include: candidates, parents, sponsors and
members of school staff.
In preparation for the ceremony, a list of candidates with parent/guardian contact
information is required to register your child for the sacrament of Confirmation before 18th June 2020.
Please email the following information to davidt@caherconlishns.ie
Yours Sincerely,
Mr. David Tynan.

1. Phone: ___________________
2. Email: ___________________
3. Name of child to receive confirmation: ___________________
4. Declaration: I agree to have this information retained solely for the organisation and
administration of the sacrament of Confirmation.
Signed: ________________

Tuesday 2nd June 2020

As we approach the final few weeks of what would have been the last term at school, I’d like to bring the following to your attention:

1. Classwork has been posted today on our website by class teachers. There is also schoolwork posted for pupils who attend various groups with the Special Education Team.
2. Communion/Confirmation. There has been an article posted on social media asking parents to register online if their child/children intend making their first holy Communion. This is for schools in the Limerick diocese. As Caherconlish NS is in the diocese of Cashel and Emly, this does not apply to our school. Therefore, at this point in time you do NOT need to register your child/children.
3. Graduation- Plans are underway for a 6th Class Graduation this Year. Details to follow.
4. School Reports and Booklists 2020 – Teachers are currently working on these documents. These will be posted home towards the end of June.
5. School Photographs – Photographs will be available for collection from the school in due course.
6. Book Rental: We will be arranging for books to be dropped back to school on a class by class basis also. Notifications will be sent by text.

Hope you are all safe and well. If you have any queries/questions, please don’t hesitate to email: principal@caherconlishns.ie

18^th May 2020

Today the teachers have posted suggested schoolwork to be completed at home if possible from now until the end of May.

We have yet to receive guidance from The Department of Education and Skills on what school life will be like on our return to school for Academic Year 2020/2021. As soon as we know, we will let you know.

Welcome back to Ms. Mulcahy who re-joins the teaching staff after her Maternity Leave and replaces Ms. Mann. Thanks to Ms. Mann for teaching  1^st and 2^nd Class  for the last few months, for preparing the pupils for the Sacrament of First Confession, First Holy Communion and for coaching the school Camogie Team.

If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to email me: principal@caherconlishns.ie

5th May 2020

As I’m sure you are aware by now, we will not be returning to school this term. This is a disappointing but necessary step that the government has decided to take.

This week was to be a very special one for the whole school with the children in 2^nd class making their First Holy Communion and those in 5^th and 6^th Class making their Confirmation. These ceremonies will take place at a later date and I have no doubt will be extra special when they do happen.

The teachers have posted work for the children on our website today (see below). They will continue to engage with the pupils through the “SEESAW” App for the remainder of the school year. There is suitable schoolwork posted for pupils who are attending SET in groups on this website under the tab SET.

If you need assistance or have any queries don’t hesitate to contact me principal@caherconlishns.ie

Information updates will be posted on our school website, twitter and facebook page.

Stay safe everyone.

May 2020

Dear Parent(s)/ Guardians,

The Department of Education and Skills has cancelled all Standardised Tests for the 2019/2020 School Year.

This means pupils from 1st to 6th class will not be undertaking Sigma-T (Maths) or Micra- T (English) as they normally would at the beginning of June every year.

The Department of Education and Skills said:

‘The priority in these times is to support the learning and wellbeing of all our learners. This is not an easy time for teachers, learners and their families. When schools return the focus for teachers and the whole school community will be on settling the children and returning to normality in the classroom without the added pressure of having to undertake standardised tests.’

20th April 2020

The teachers in the school have been busy preparing appropriate and suitable schoolwork for your child/children to complete during the final term of this school year. I have been in contact with all of them and we have discussed ways to cater for the learning needs of your child/children.

Below you will find a two week plan of work from each teacher which will bring us up to the May Bank Holiday Weekend.

Many of you have signed up for the seesaw app and it is still not too late to do so. Email principal@caherconlishns.ie for access codes.

I wholly understand as do the teachers how difficult it is for pupils to work from home for an undefined period of time and that everyone has different priorities during these unprecedented times. We also understand completely how difficult it is for parents at this time. Don’t feel under pressure to complete everything if that is not possible.

The staff of the school miss teaching your children just as much as your children are missing school.  Don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher through the seesaw app or email me directly if you have any queries or concerns.

If you don’t have the schoolbooks, most publishers are allowing free access to their books online.

Sacraments: Archbishop Kieran O Reilly has cancelled all Confirmations in the diocese until further notice. First Holy Communion may  take place at the end of the school year if schools are back sometime this term.

The most important thing at the moment is that everyone tries to stay as  safe as possible.

24th March 2020

I hope that you are all keeping safe and well. Caherconlish NS has been informed that the enforced closure due to the Global Pandemic Covid 19 will now be extended until at least 19^th April. With this in mind, teachers will be posting schoolwork on our website for your children to do next week as they did on day of school closure.

We will also be setting up a distance learning tool called seesaw for all pupils. This will mean that your child’s teacher will be able to connect to your child via his/her learning in the immediate future in a fun and exciting way.

Due to GDPR regulations, parental permission is required to set up this distance learning app. Please read the consent form below. If you are happy to consent: email principal@caherconlishns.ie with your child’s name and class. I will ensure everything is set up for you. (some parents have signed consent forms already and do not need to do so again).

I understand that many households are under pressure at this time. The schoolwork listed and connection to the app is not compulsory. It is just a suggested list of schoolwork to complete. All the teachers in the school understand that many families may have other priorities at this uncertain time. We understand too that households may not necessarily have the required electronic devices to complete the schoolwork.

If you have any queries or questions, don’t hesitate to email: principal@caherconlishns.ie

Stay safe and look out for each other and remember to email me to if you give permission for your child to use the seesaw app.

24th March 2020     

I am delighted to share with you that our school will be using Seesaw as a distance learning tool for the duration of the school closure due to the Global Pandemic Covid 19.(http://seesaw.me), a secure online journal where students can document and reflect on what they are learning at home. It is a way of connecting to your child’s class teacher. Your child will be able to add the things we work on (including photos, videos, worksheets, drawings and voice recordings) to their Seesaw journal and we can share them privately with you

In order for your child to use Seesaw, the app needs your child’s name in order to be able to associate work like their photos, videos or voice recordings with their account. Seesaw only uses this information to provide the service and doesn’t advertise in Seesaw, create profiles of students, or share or sell your child’s personal information or journal content.  You can read more about their strong privacy promises here: https://web.seesaw.me/privacy.

Under an EU law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in order for your child to use Seesaw, the school must get your consent. For more information on GDPR, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rights-citizens.

I hope that your child will enjoy using Seesaw to document and share their learning.  Please sign below and return this permission slip so that your child can use Seesaw.

Regards

Mr. P. Ryan (Principal)

————————————————————————————————————

Please sign below and return the form. 

I give consent for my child, listed below, to use Seesaw for class activities.

Student Name: ____________________________

Parent Printed Name: _______________________

Parent Signature: __________________________  Date: _________________

March 2020

First Confession: Best of luck to all the boys and girls in Second class who will be making their First Confession this Thursday 12^th March at 7pm in the church. Thank you to everyone who has helped prepare them for this important sacrament. Pupils are requested to wear their full uniform and to be in their seats at 6.45pm.

Indoor Camogie: Congratulations to the girls Indoor Camogie Team who made history by being the first ever team from Caherconlish N.S. to win the East Limerick Cumann na mBunscol Final. It was a very proud day for the school and a fantastic achievement for the girls who were unbeaten in nine matches! They will now contest the County Final on Friday 20^th March in the Millennium Centre. Well done to Katie Martin, Miya Ukaigwe, Grace Lee, Ruth O’Sullivan, Solichi Ifedi, Saoirse O’Leary, Tara Murnane, Emma Carroll, Ava Foley, Molly Mullane, Taylor Ryan and Mia Fogarty.

50/50 Draw: Our 50/50 Draw continues to be successful. Thank you to everyone who supports our draw. We recently purchased a sensory path for the school. We will be making a sensory room during the Easter holidays from the 50/50 Draw funds, and plan to purchase books to be used by all the pupils in the coming weeks.

Covid 19 Virus: The Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. is closely monitoring the development of the Covid 19 disease. The pupils in the school have been taught about the importance of handwashing and posters have been put up reminding pupils to ‘Cover your Cough and Sneeze’. All classes have been shown video produced by HSE called the ‘The Coronovirus Hygiene Video’. Regular updates are on the Department of Education and Skills and HSE websites. We always have and continue to have Antibacterial hand wash available to pupils for handwashing.

  FAI – 5 a side Soccer: A boy’s and a girl’s tvv eam will travel to Seanchoill in Corbally on Monday 23^rd March to participate in the annual 5 a side competition. Best of luck.

Helmets: Medium Mycro helmets are available from the office at a reduced rate of €35.

Seachtain na Gaeilge: We will be having a Ceilí, Tráth na gCeist and Ceolchoirm on Friday 13^th March. Pupils may dress up in green, white and gold to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Confirmation Enrolment Ceremony: Enrolment ceremony takes place in Caherconlish Church at 7.30pm on 10^th  March.

February 2020

Coronavirus: We have received the following notification from the Department of Education and Skills:

Revised information for schools, pre-schools and third level institutions on the Coronavirus – Department of Education and Skills. How to protect yourself from novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV :

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand rub  If you are coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue.
• Throw the used tissue away into a closed bin, and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your flexed (bent) elbow.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who you know has cold or flu symptoms.
• Check the travel advisories from the Department of Foreign Affairs prior to arranging travel abroad.
• The HSE HPSC is monitoring the situation and updating its websitehpsc.ie daily.

Indoor Camogie: Well done to Katie Martin, Miya Ukaigwe, Grace Lee, Ruth O’Sullivan, Solichi Ifedi, Saoirse O’Leary, Tara Murnane, Emma Carroll, Ava Foley, Molly Mullane and Mia Fogarty who qualified for the East Limerick Indoor Camogie Final which will take place on Wednesday 4^th March at 1pm in the Millennium Centre.

Road Safety: We were delighted to be visited by Garda Bridget from Roxboro Garda Station. She spoke to all classes about staying safe on our roads.

Pancake Tuesday: Many thanks to our Parent’s Council who helped out on Pancake Tuesday.

5^th & 6^th Class trip to Lough Gur: As part of Engineering Week 5^th & 6^th class will be attending a workshop called ‘Engineering on the Moon’. They will be participating in activities that will teach them how engineers navigate the hazardous and unforgiving environment of the moon.

Cash for Clobber reminder: The used clothing collection bags will be collected this Friday from the school General Purpose Room.

World Book Day: World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5^th March. Pupils are encouraged to dress up as their favourite character from a book of their choice.

Seachtain na Gaeilge: 1^st – 17^th March. Activities will take place in classrooms.

Engineers Week: 2^nd – 6^th March. An engineer from Roadbridge will visit the school.

School Closures: Monday 16^th & Tuesday 17^th March. *NB. There will be a half day (12.30pm) for pupils on Friday 27^th March. This is to facilitate Teacher training in the New Primary Language Curriculum.

January 2020

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Patrick Ryan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan, Patrick O’Dwyer, and Eddie Kane.

Child Protection: The Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. reviewed the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement in line with Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary schools 2017 at this meeting which was held on 27/01/2020. The school’s Risk Assessment was also reviewed.

School Plans: After a recent review by school staff, the Music Plan was ratified by the Board of Management.

Policies: The following policies were ratified by the Board of Management

1. Enrolment Policy
2. Enrolment Application Form
3. Enrolment Registration Form

School Self-Evaluation: Internet Safety Day is fast approaching and pupils will be learning about using the internet in a safe way. Local Garda Lees will be visiting 5^th and 6^th class to talk about Internet safety and Cyberbullying.

Late Arrivals: Can all children please line up before school in the back yard for 9am. Late arrivals are very disruptive to class. All late arrivals are recorded on the school roll system.

Indoor Hurling Blitz: Well done to Dáire O’Dwyer, Shaun Ryan, Denzel Okorie, Nathan Orlik, Eddie Brunnock, Rhys Moloney, Tobenna Ifedi, Michael Ryan and Emmet O’Donnell who hurled really well against Caherelly, Barna and Bilboa N.S. in the recent Cumann na mBunscol Hurling Blitz. We are very proud of them.

Community Games Quiz: Congratulations to Conor O’Dwyer, Tara Murnane, Evan Martin, Emma Carroll, Emilia Kane and Seán Merrick who took part in the recent Community Games Quiz and did really well.

Green Schools/Creative Schools: Aoife Carroll will be coming to our school as part of her art course, to help the school create an art project that will be used for our Green Schools initiative. It will be based on the theme of Global Citizenship-Marine Environment. We look forward to her working with our students and we can’t wait to see the finished product!

Do this in Memory: The dates for the Do this in Memory masses for children of communion classes are:

• Saturday 15^th February, Caherconlish Church at 6.30pm
• Sunday 29^th March, Caherline Church at 10am
• First Confession/Reconciliation mass in Caherconlish Church on Thursday 12^th March at 7pm
• Communion Day is Saturday 9^th May at 11am
• Post-Communion mass in Caherconlish Church on Saturday 6^th May at 6.30pm

Confirmation Masses:

The dates for Confirmation masses are:

• 22^nd February
• 4^th April

Catholic Schools Week: This week, 26^th– 2^nd February is Catholic School’s week 2020. To celebrate this, Junior Infants will be holding a Grandparent’s/Special Friends Day in the school on the 18^th February. We hope that the grandparents/special friends of the Junior Infants will be able to come and enjoy the day.

Mid-Term Break: Mid-term break will take place on 20^th and 21^st of February and school will be closed.

GAA training: Mike Boland will be returning to the school on 3^rd February to begin hurling/camogie training. We hope that all students will have a hurley and a helmet. Helmets are available to buy in the school at a reduced rate. Thanks to John Hickey who donated hurleys to the school recently.

Pancake Day: Pancake Day will take place on the 25^th February and will be run by the Parents Association who always ensure the students have their fill of pancakes. Pancakes can be donated to the school by parents and dropped in on the morning of the 25^th.

Engineers Week: Engineers week will take place February 29^th-March 6^th, it is a programme that promotes interest and awareness in engineering and the importance of the profession to children in Ireland. An engineer from Roadbridge will be visiting the school to talk to the students about their job.

January 2020

The Board of Management of Caherconlish NS for 2019-2023 is:

Chairperson – Ms Collette Carroll

Patron’s Nominee – Fr. Roy Donovan

Principal/Secretary – Mr Patrick Ryan

Teacher Nominee – Ms Carole Cleary

Community Nominee – Mr Patrick O’Dwyer

Community Nominee – Mr Keith Ryan

Parent’s Nominee – Ms Cleo Fitzpatrick (Mother)

Parent’s Nominee – Mr Eddie Kane (Father)

School Self Evaluation: Our focus this year is our School Digital Learning Plan. Our aim is for pupils to use appropriate digital technologies to foster active engagement in attaining appropriate learning outcomes. We also aim for pupils in Caherconlish N.S. to understand the potential risks and threats in the digital environment. The Staff of the school will enagage in professional development to improve their own educational practice.

Safer Internet Day: 11^th February 2020

We will be celebrating Safer Internet Day by highlighting to pupils the dangers and pitfalls associated with ICT.

Hurling & Camogie training

Hurling training will commence on Tuesday 21^st January with Mr Ryan from 3pm – 3.45pm in the Millennium Centre. This is suitable for boys from 3^rd – 6^th class.

Camogie training will commence on Thursday 23^rd January with Ms Mann from 3pm – 3.45pm in the Millennium Centre. This is suitable for girls from 3^rd – 6^th class.

Pupils will need to bring a hurley and helmet to training. A limited number of subsidised medium sized Mycro helmets are available from the school for €40 (RRP €75).

Caherline GAA Club/School link: We are delighted that Mike Boland (coach) will be teaching hurling and camogie skills to all classes from Monday 3^rd February. It would be most helpful if pupils had their own hurley and helmet. The school has a supply of hurleys and helmets that pupils can use.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Parent/Teacher meetings are taking place in school. It is an opportunity for parents to meet with teachers and discuss their individual progress. If you missed your appointment, can you please contact class teacher to arrange an alternative date and time.

Primary Language Curriculum

As a follow on from the last Teacher Inservice, the Department of Education and Skills have requested that schools close for a further two half days this year for teacher training. The BOM of Caherconlish N.S. will give as much notice as possible for such closures.

Enrolments: Can pupils who wish to enrol pupils in Caherconlish N.S. in September 2020, please contact Maria in the office for an enrolment form. The deadline for receipt for application is 29^th February 2020.

Absences: If your child is absent from school, can you please write a note to him/her class teacher informing them of the reason. If the school does not receive a note, your child’s absence is recorded on our Aladdin system as ‘unexplained’.

Quizzes: Best of luck to our school Quiz teams who will be participating in the upcoming Community Games and Credit Union Quizzes.

Cash for Clobber: Our Annual Used Clothes Collection will take place at the end of February. Bags can be dropped to the school from Monday 24^th February.

Grandparents / Special Friends Day

Junior & Senior Infants will be celebrating Grandparents/Special Friends Day on Tuesday 18^th February. Further details will be made available to Grandparents/Special Friends from class teachers nearer the date.

50/50 Draw: Thank you for your continued support in the 50/50 Draw. It takes place every Thursday.

School Photographs: The School Photographer will come to the school on Friday 31^st January. He will take the Junior Infants class group and individual/family photos also. Individual/family photographs can be taken and there is no obligation to buy. Consent forms are being sent home today.

Dates for your diary:

School Photographer: Friday 31^st January

Safer Internet Day:  11^th February

Mid Term break: 20^th & 21^st February

Cash 4 Clobber: Friday 28^th February

Engineers Week:  2^nd to  6^th March

First Confession: Thursday 12^th March

Confirmation:  Wednesday 6^th May

First Holy Communion: Saturday 9^th May

Lost Property: We have a large number of coats, hats and scarves belonging to children left at school. They will be left in a box in G.P. room until Friday 24^th January. Feel free to come in and re-claim any lost property. After this date the unclaimed items will be recycled.

December 2019

Christmas Concert:  Our Christmas Concert takes place on Wednesday 11^th December 2019 at 7.30pm in the Millenium Centre. There will be a full dress rehearsal tomorrow in the Millenium Centre where the children will get to see the whole show from start to finish.

Pupils are requested to be there at 6.45pm in order to get their costumes and microphones organised. Please send  your children into the Sports Hall area. Teachers will be there to supervise them. Ensure that your child has as much of their costume on as possible and hair done (if requested by class teacher). Teachers have the rest of the costumes.

Pupils from 6^th class do not need to come until 7.15 pm.
Michael Phelan from PVP Digital Media will be recording the concert. A DVD or USB will be available afterwards to purchase for €20/€25 respectively. Payment will need to be sent to the school in pre-paid envelopes by Monday 16^th December.

The school has also organised an official photographer to take pictures on the night.
There will be no interval of raffle on the night.
Entry to the hall will cost €2.

Monster Raffle: Tickets for the Christmas Raffle will take place on Wednesday 18^th December in the school. They will be for sale in the foyer of the Millenium Centre on the night of the concert.

Santa and Mrs Claus: We will be having a visit from two very special people on Wednesday 18^th December to the school. Pupils will get to meet the “Man in Red” and remind him what they would like him to bring them for Christmas.

Assemblies: Junior and Senior Infants will be hosting the last two assemblies of the year this week and next week.

Visit to St. Michael’s Nursing Home: Pupils from the school will be playing music and singing Christmas songs for the residents of St. Michael’s Nursing Home on Tuesday 17^th December.

Christmas Holidays: School will close at 12 noon on Friday 20^th December for the Christmas Holidays and will re-open on Monday 6^th January 2020.

Shoebox Appeal: Many thanks to everyone who donated shoeboxes to Team Hope’s annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

November 2019

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy O’Donovan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan and Patrick O’Dwyer.

The term of this Board of Management ends at the end of November 2019. A new board is to take up office from 1^st December 2019 for a four year term. Julie Rayson-Ward is stepping down from the Board after 12 years of service. She has served as Parent representative, Community representative and Chairperson of the Board. We wish to thank her for her hard work and dedication to the school.

Over the last four years the members of the Board of Management have worked to improve the school in a variety of ways and will continue to do so in the future. Many thanks to all involved.

School Plans: The Board of Management ratified the schools Maths and Drama plans at the last meeting.

Other policies ratified were

• Credit Card policy
• Enrolment policy

Summer Works Scheme: 43 windows and 4 doors were installed over the Halloween break. All windows in the school are now double glazed. This will improve comfort for both pupils and staff. This project was funded by the Department of Education and Science.

Christmas Concert: Pupils and staff are busy rehearsing for a spectacular concert which will take place on 12^th December in the Millennium Centre. The concert is called ‘Magic of the Musical’ and will be a treat for all to see. Many thanks to Gerdie from Frontline Stage School, who has been working hard with pupils and staff.

Christmas Raffle: Tickets for the Christmas Raffle will be on sale shortly. The draw will take place on Wednesday 18^th December.

Sammy Stamps: Sammy Stamps are on sale in the school each Friday. They cost €2 each and are a great way to teach children about saving money. Thanks to Ger who is co-ordinating this with the Credit Union.

Parent Teacher Meetings: Parent teacher meetings will take place in mid-January. Teachers will send home appointment schedules in due course. Please advise teachers as soon as possible if you can’t make the appointment and a different time or date can be arranged.

School council: A student school council has been established in our school this year. Through this we hope to give our students a more active role in the organisation of our school and ensure they are listened to and respected for their ideas and concerns. Our school council representatives will meet monthly or as different events unfold and will work under the guidance of Ms Butler.

Library: The Mobile Library comes to our school on most Mondays. Pupils from 1^st to 6^th class get an opportunity to borrow books each week.

Sarsfield Cup: Congratulations to Evan Martin in 6^th class who has secured a place on the East Limerick Football team. We are all so proud of him and the hard work and dedication that he puts into his training.

LEAF Project: 3^rd and 4^th classes are participating in the LEAF ‘Learning about Trees’ initiative being run in conjunction with An Taisce. They will be visiting Curraghchase Forest Park on 27^th November.

E-mail Address: If you wish to contact the school our email address has changed to office@caherconlishns.ie

Facebook Page: Remember to follow us on our Facebook ‘Scoil Cathair Chinn Lis’ and Twitter @caherconlishns.

October 2019

Staffing: The Board of Management have ratified the appointment of Mr. David Tynan to the position of permanent teacher in Caherconlish NS. Ms. Aimee Mann will be covering Ms. Mulcahy’s maternity leave. We wish Mr. Tynan and Ms. Mann well in their new positions.  Ms. Aoife Butler will be filling in the role of Deputy Principal in Ms. Mulcahy’s absence.

 Gala Concert: Congratulations to all the pupils who participated in our recent Gala Concert. It was a most enjoyable night. Thank you to all the past pupils and other guests who performed, our sponsors, those who donated spot prizes and all the volunteers who helped out. In total over €3,090 was raised. Nancy Lane and Mike Burke who were ably assisted by Aislinn Crofton deserve much credit with organising  the evening. Many thanks to the teachers who prepared acts to perform on the night.

 Halloween Break: School will finish for the mid-term break on Friday 25^th October. This will be a full school day. School will reopen on Monday 4^th November. Pupils may dress up on Friday 25^th in their Halloween Costumes. There is no charge for the privilege.

 Girls Football: Well done to Ms. Cleary and the Girls football team who participated in the Cumann na mBunscol Blitz held in Doon this week.  They gave a fine display of football and were a credit to the school.

 Code of Behaviour & Anti- Bullying Policy: These policies are available to view on the school website.

 Window Replacement: The Summer Works Scheme which involves replacement of the existing teak windows and doors that was due to take place during the Summer is due to take place during the mid – term break.

 Shoebox Appeal: Team Hope annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal takes place again this year. It is a charity that organises the giving of gifts to less well-off children in Eastern Europe and Africa. The closing date is 8^th November for boxes to be returned to the school. See www.teamhope.ie for more details.

 Nut Allergy: Please be aware that there are children in the school with  serious nut allergies. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

Absences: It is essential to provide a note to school for every day your child is absent.

Christmas Concert: This year’s Christmas Concert will take place on Thursday 12^th December. It is called “Magic of the Musical”. Gerdi Mc Glynn who runs Frontline Stage School will be producing the show. The children are really excited about this production and all the children in the school will get an opportunity to participate.

Wishing you all an enjoyable and safe Halloween Break!

October 2019

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy O’Donovan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, and Patrick O’Dwyer.

The term of this Board of Management ends at the end of November 2019.

Digital Learning Plan: The school recently had a visit from a PDST advisor, Leanne Lynch, to advise staff about the School Digital Learning Plan which is part of the School Self Evaluation plan. The school has made significant progress in this area over the last few years with the use of interactive whiteboards in each classroom, tablets and coding classes.

Curriculum: The new Primary Language Curriculum will result in some in-service closures. The first school closure to facilitate the training will be Friday 10^th January 2020.

50/50 Draw: We would like to thank everyone for their support of the school with the 50/50 draw and especially to the local businesses for taking part. Congratulations to all the lucky winners so far. Tickets are available in the local shops, pubs and Millennium Centre at a cost of  €2 each. The draw will continue to take place each Thursday in the school. Good Luck!

Student Teacher: Shauna Byrne is a final year student teacher and is teaching in 3^rd and 4^th class for the first three weeks in October. She will then be teaching in Junior Infants for the first three weeks in November. We wish her all the best on her placement.

Concert: A fundraising concert for the school is taking part in the Millennium Centre on Friday the 18^th of October at 7:30 pm. There will be a number of acts including pupils from the school, past pupils and local acts. A raffle will also take place on the night. Tickets are available from the school at a cost of €10 for adults and €5 for students, children are free. As always your support would be very much appreciated and we are looking forward to a great night!

Green-Schools: The Green-Schools committee is back in action in the school with this year’s focus on water usage and the environment. Ms.Butler is leading the committee this year. The importance of taking care of our environment has never been more relevant. We look forward to learning more and doing what we can to help.

Music in the School: Ms Cleary is continuing with guitar lessons after school on Wednesdays. Ukelele lessons for 4^th and 5^th classes are continuing within school on Wednesdays. Music Generation are taking 1^st-4^th classes until June and will result in a big concert at the end of the year in Thomond Park featuring a number of schools.

Extra Curricular: Mr Ryan will be doing football training with the boys from 3^rd-6^th on Tuesdays at 3-3:45pm in the Millennium Centre.

Ms Cleary will be doing football training with the girls from 3^rd-6^th at 3-3:45pm on Thursdays in the Millennium Centre.

Coding: Coding continues this year in the school each Friday with Chris Reina. The pupils are learning how to write code for animations and programmes and Junior and Senior infants are getting an introduction to coding by using robots.

Absences: Any pupil that misses school is required to bring a note explaining their absence on their return to school. We are legally obliged to report any absences of 20 days or over to TUSLA.

Building Works: We are on track to have the older windows replaced during the Mid-Term break.

Healthy Eating: We are a healthy eating school and a list of appropriate foods is printed overleaf.

September 2019

On behalf of the Board of Management and staff, I would like to welcome all the boys and girls back to school. I would like to welcome particularly all the Junior Infants who are starting school and to the other new pupils who have joined us in various classes.

Summer Works: It was a busy summer. New LED lights were installed throughout the whole school. The quality of lighting is much better now.
Insulation was installed in the attic and vents were put into the roof to provide for ventilation. A foundation for a new shed was poured and a new shed will be erected this week.

Unfortunately there was a delay with the installation of the new windows. It is hoped that they will be fitted during the mid-term break.(Halloween)
The heating system also has been delayed and as of yet the Board of Management don’t have a definite timeframe for this work to be completed.

Staffing: I would also like to welcome back Ms. Butler who will be teaching Junior Infants and Ms. Blackwell  to the staff of the  school who will be teaching Senior Infants . Mr. Maloney has secured a job as principal of Knockadea N.S. We wish him well and thank him for all that he has contributed during his time here in Caherconlish NS.  Mr. Tynan will be teaching 5^th & 6^th class until  such time as a permanent appointment is made. Shauna Byrne is a final year student in Mary Immaculate College. She will be teaching in various classes in the school from 2nd September to 22^nd November.

Meetings with teachers: All meetings with teachers are strictly by appointment only.  Please telephone the School office to make an appointment. Maria is in the office from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday. We cannot guarantee that the phone will be answered outside of these hours.  If you have a concern about your child, speak to the class teacher as a first step.

Homework: Start as you mean to continue,  Check your child’s homework diary every night.  Do not sign off on homework unless you are happy it has been completed satisfactorily.

Communication:  Check your child’s homework journal for notes from the class teacher.  Please check the school website http://www.caherconlishns.ie , follow us on Twitter @caherconlishns or see our Facebook page ‘scoil cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed on school news.

Healthy Eating: We are very proud of our Healthy eating policy. See school website for details.

Lost property:   Please ensure your child’s name is on every item of clothing.

Supervision: Children are supervised from 8.50 a.m. each morning.  The school cannot be responsible for pupils arriving at school before 9 a.m.

Insurance: All families today received forms for Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance.  There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9).  This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past.  Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday September 13th.

Thanks to all the families for their Art & Craft/Photocopying contributions and Book Rental money. If you have not yet paid this money, you can give it to Maria in the school office any day between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m..

Caherconlish NS Homework Journals are for sale in the office. They cost €5 each.

Nut Allergy: Please be aware that there are children in the school with  serious nut allergies. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

Grapes: If your child is bringing in grapes for lunch, can you ensure they are cut lengthwise so they can pass more easily through smaller throats. And never width wise, because they’ll still be big enough to choke on.

Credit Union: Sammy stamps are available in school every Friday. Stamps are €1 each. Saving is a great life skill and a good habit.

Túsla:  In the event of any pupil reaching a total of 20 days absence from school in a school year, the school is required by law to make a report to Túsla, the National Education Welfare Board. Parents are advised to be aware of this and to be mindful of their child’s attendance record. Please bring in a note when your child has been off school.

50/50 Draw: The successful 50/50 draw will continue every Thursday in the school. Half of the money will be given to a winner every week. The other half will be retained by the school.
Pupils can ask their teachers for the special envelopes.

June 2019

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy O’Donovan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan and Patrick O’Dwyer.

Staffing Schedule 2019/2020

Ms Aoife Butler: Junior Infants

Ms.Liz  Ryan-Blackwell: Senior Infants

Ms.Marie Mulcahy: First and Second

Mr. Patrick Ryan: Third and Fourth

Mr. Eoin Maloney: Fifth and Sixth

Ms.Sonya McKeon: SET

Ms. Carole Cleary: SET

Ms. Grace Jones SET (part-time)

Eilish McGahon and Geraldine Riordan: SNA’s

We would like to thank Marie Power for her dedication and hard work this year teaching Junior and Senior Infants and wish her all the best for the future.

We would also like to welcome Liz Ryan-Blackwell to the staff and we wish her a great year working with senior infants.

School Grounds:

A reminder that the school grounds are private property. Nobody should enter the grounds before or after school time unless access has been granted. Also please note that dogs are not allowed in the school yards.

50/50 Draw: We would like to thank everyone for their support of the school with the 50/50 draw and especially to the local businesses for taking part. Congratulations to all the lucky winners so far. Tickets are available in the local shops, pubs and Millennium Centre at a cost of  €2. The draw will continue to take place each Thursday during the Summer Holidays, Good Luck!

Dates for your Diary: Thursday 29^th August: School term begins at 9am.

School closures for the new school year can be found on the school website.

Junior Infants will finish at 12 o’clock for the first two weeks of term.

Book Rental:

The book lists have been sent home with report cards. Booklists will be available for all classes on the school website. Please ensure that book rental money is paid by Monday 24^th June. This greatly reduces the cost of the books required and is available to all students. The school calendar and booklists are available on the school website.

Policies:

The following policies have been ratified by the Board of Management:

• School Tour Policy
• Pupil Retention Policy
• Work experience Policy

Sponsored Walk

The annual sponsored walk took place recently and as usual it was a fantastic evening. The rain held off and great fun was had by all. Thank you all for your continued support and the amount raised so far is 1,931.50 Euro.

ALDI Rugby Stickers:

Thanks to students and their families for their efforts in collecting a huge number of stickers. The school received rugby balls and equipment as a result and will be put to good use in PE classes.

School Tours:

• Juniors and Seniors, 14^th June, Mary Immaculate college Just 4 Fun camp
• 1^st & 2^nd, 19^th June, Corofin Farmyard, Co. Clare
• 3^rd & 4^th: 21^st June, Microsoft Dream & Chocolate Warehouse, Dublin
• 5^th & 6^th: 14^th June, Splatball, Shanagolden

Primary Game:

A massive congratulations to Tom Carroll and Mickaella Ryan for being chosen for and playing in the Primary Game. It is a huge achievement that shows the skill of these players and the huge potential that they have. We are so proud of them!

East Final:

3^rd-6^th classes all went to the Gaelic Grounds to support our hurling team in the East Final. The support that was shown to the boys by their school mates and friends and family was outstanding and they might have heard the roars in Caherconlish when the boys won beating a great team from Cloverfield. We are so proud of their achievement.

Summer Holidays:

The Summer Holidays will begin on Tuesday 25^th June at 12 noon. We hope you all have a happy, healthy and sunny break!

June 2019

Sports Day: Sports Day will take place on Tuesday 11^th June. We will be using the facilities in the Millennium Centre and the school on that day. Please ensure your child brings extra drinks, puts on sunscreen and wears appropriate clothes for the day i.e. shorts and school tracksuit. Can they also bring a spoon and potato for egg and spoon race, and an old scarf/tie for the three legged race.

Active School’s Week: Active School’s week will take placed from 10^th June to 14^th June. Pupils can wear their tracksuits/navy shorts every day this week as they will be doing a different physical activity every day at school that week.

Other Important Dates: See NEWS tab on http://www.caherconlishns.ie for other events happening in our school throughout the month of June.

Sponsored Walk: Our Annual Sponsored Walk takes place on Monday 17^th June @ 6.30pm. The route is from the school, through the village, around by the creamery and back to the school. This is always an enjoyable event on the School’s calendar. Every family has been given a Sponsor card and it would be much appreciated if each family could ask friends and family for sponsorship. There will be refreshments afterwards for the children which is organised by the Parent’s association.

Hurling Final: Best of luck to the School Hurling Team who will be playing in the East Final v Cloverfield N.S. on Monday 10^th June @ 12.40pm in the Gaelic Grounds. A bus has been booked for all pupils from 3^rd to 6^th class to go and support the team. Your support will be appreciated also.

May 2019

As we are heading toward our final month at school. I would like to bring the following to your attention.

Tuesday 28^th May:  Infant Induction Day at 2pm. This is an opportunity for new entrants into Junior Infants to familiarise themselves with the school, the classroom and staff members. It is also an opportunity for parents to ask the principal/staff any questions they may have.

Monday 3^rd June:  Bank Holiday – School closed.

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 4^th/5^th/6^th June:  Standardised tests will take place for pupils in 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th classes. Please ensure that your children are present at school on those days as these tests are very important.

Monday 10^th June: East Final. Best of luck to the boy’s hurling team who will play in the East Hurling final in the Gaelic Grounds. Hopefully they will do the double, having already won the football last October.

Tuesday 11^th June: Sports Day

Monday 17^th June: 6^th class transition post-primary School Workshop facilitated in the school by Limerick Youth Service.

Monday 17^th June: Annual Sponsored Walk at 6.30pm

Monday 17^th June: Final Board of Management meeting of the Academic Year.

Tuesday 18^th June: Report cards and Booklists for 2019/20 will be sent home.

Wednesday 19^th June: 6^th class Graduation Mass in the church at 11am.

Thursday 20^th June: All book rentals books must be returned on this date.

Tuesday 25^th June: School holidays. School will close at 12 noon.

School Tours: All school tours have been finalised at this stage. Notes with permission slips will be sent home to all pupils with details of individual tours this week.

Fine Weather: Pupils may wear plain navy shorts to school if they wish. Please write your child’s name on all jumpers/tracksuits as they get misplaced quite easily.

School Absences: A reminder to send in a written note if your child is absent from school. If your child misses 20 days or more from school we are legally obliged to inform Tusla – the child and family agency.

April 2019

Welcome back to all the pupils after the Easter break. Congratulations to Conor O’Dwyer, Emma Carroll and Emilia Kane who won the recent Annual Doon CBSNS Quiz.

As we begin the final term of the school year, I would like to bring the following information to your attention regarding what is happening in the school throughout the month of May.

Monday 6^th May:  School Closed (Bank Holiday)

Wednesday 8^th May:  4^th class trip to Milano’s Restaurant

Wednesday 8^th May:  Mackey Cup: Best wishes to Tom Carroll who is representing the school on the East Limerick Hurling Team.

Thursday 9^th May: Neville Cup: Best wishes to Mickaella Ryan who is representing the school of the East Limerick Camogie Team.

Saturday 11^th May @ 11am: Best of luck to the boys and girls in second class who will be making their First Holy Communion. Many thanks to Ms Mulcahy, Fr. Roy, Fr. Currivan and the Do This in Memory Committee.

Thursday 14^th May: The Wriggle Roadcaster is coming to Caherconlish N.S. This is a mobile coding roadcaster where all classes will get a chance to code in an exciting and interactive format.

Wednesday 15^th May: 1^st & 2^nd class trip to Milano’s Restaurant

Wednesday 15th May: The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to school for a week.

Thursday 16^th May @ 12.30pm: Boys hurling blitz in Kilteely.

Tuesday 21^st May: Science Blast. 5^th & 6^th class will be showcasing their project ‘What genre of music makes me run faster for longer?’ in Mary Immaculate College. Parents and the general public can attend the exhibition.

Thursday 23^rd May @ 12.30pm: Girls camogie blitz in Boher.

Friday 24^th May: School closed due to school being used as a polling station for local elections.

Saturday 25^th May: Post-communion Do This in Memory Mass @ 6.30pm in Caherconlish Church.

Tuesday 28^th May @ 2pm: Infant Induction Day. Incoming Junior Infants will get a chance to see the school and meet with the principal and teachers. It will also be a chance to ask any questions that you may have for parents of children who have children starting in Junior Infants in September.

Standardised Tests: Standardised Tests in Maths (Sigma T) and English (Micra T) will take place at the end of May/1^st week in June. Dates to be confirmed. These tests are for children in 1^st– 6^th class.

School Tours: The 50/50 Draw has been a large success. Many thanks for supporting it. We will be using some of the money raised to pay for the buses for this year’s school tours. That means, parents/guardians will only need to pay the cost of entry to the event/venue.

Coding: We are also using the 50/50 draw money to pay for coding lessons and Wriggle Roadcaster which benefits every child in the school. The coding lessons will continue until the end of the year.

Cash for Clobber Fundraiser: A huge total of €369 was raised from our last used clothing collection. Many thanks all everybody who dropped in old clothes etc.

April 2019

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy O’Donovan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan and Patrick O’Dwyer.

BOM Members: Each member on the board has a designated role;

Julie Rayson-Ward- Chairperson

Patrick Ryan- Secretary

Patrick O’Dwyer- Treasurer/Parent Nominee

Carole Cleary- Teacher Nominee

Collette Carroll- Parent Nominee

Fr. Roy O’Donovan- Patron’s Nominee

Keith Ryan- Community Nominee

Staffing Schedule:

Mr. Patrick Ryan: Principal/3^rd-4^th class teacher

Ms .Marie Mulcahy: Deputy Principal/1^st-2^nd class teacher

Ms. Sonya McKeon: Assistant Principal II/SET

Ms.Carole Cleary: SET

Mr.Eoin Maloney: 5^th-6^th class teacher

Ms.Marie Power: Junior and Senior Infants teacher (Covering maternity leave for Ms.Aoife Butler)

Ms. Grace Jones: Part time SET (shared with Knockea N.S.)

Geraldine Riordan: SNA

Eilish McGahon: SNA

Maria Finnan: Secretary (08:30-12:30 daily)

Bridget Hayes: Cleaner/Caretaker

50/50 Draw: The school’s new fundraising initiative has been a great success. We would like to thank everyone for their support and especially to the local businesses for taking part. Tickets are available in the school and in local businesses at €2.  The draw will continue to take place during the Easter Holidays on Thursday 18^th and Thursday 25^th April.

First Confession: Congratulations to the boys and girls in Second Class for making their first Confession. They are really looking forward to their big day when they make their First Holy Communion on Saturday the 11^th of May.

Neville Cup: Congratulations to Mickaella Ryan who was selected to play on the East Limerick Neville Cup Camogie Team.

 Policies: The following policies have been ratified by the Board of Management:

• Healthy Eating Policy
• SPHE Policy
• SEN Policy
• Critical Incident Policy
• RSE Policy

 Child Protection: The Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. reviewed the Child Protection Safeguarding Risk Assessment on 08/04/2019.

Warm Weather: With summer on the way, hopefully we can expect some warm weather. We would ask that you label jumpers and coats as students may need to remove them and they can become misplaced easily if not labelled.

Absences: If your child misses school, could you please write a note explaining the reason to your child’s teacher. As with all schools, we are obliged to record all absences and reasons given. Being absent for 20 days means that schools are legally obliged to report the absences to TUSLA who may investigate the reasons for absences as they see fit. We would urge that a student would not have any unexplained absences. The absence categories that we are obliged to record are as follows;

A: Illness

B: Urgent Family Reason

C: Expelled

D: Suspended

E: Other

G: Transfer to another school

H: Holiday

F: Unexplained

Easter Holidays: The Easter Holidays will begin on Friday 12^th April at 12 noon. Pupils will return to school on Monday 29^th April. We hope you all have a happy and healthy break!

March 2019

50/50 Draw at Caherconlish National School

Caherconlish National School are delighted to announce their latest fundraising initiative. It is called the 50/50 draw. Every Thursday during the school year, one winner will be pulled out of the hat. He/she will receive half of the money raised that week and the school will receive the other half.

People can enter by writing their name and placing €2 in an envelope; then pop the envelope in the Special Red boxes which are located in certain business premises in Caherconlish as well as in the school. Maria in the office has extra envelopes if required.

The Red boxes are in the following locations from today 19^th March 2019.

MB Hairdressers, Keith Ryan’s XL Shop, Upper Cuts, Matt Barry Butchers, Mulcahy’s Bar and Centra.

The first draw will take place on Thursday 28^th March and every Thursday after that during the academic year.

Envelopes are being sent home with each family today, should you wish to enter. Many thanks in advance for your support.

First Confession
Congratulations to all the boys and girls who made their first Confession recently. Many thanks to Ms. Mulcahy, parents in the Do this in Memory Committee, Fr, Roy and Fr. Currivan who officiated over the ceremony on the night.

Food Dudes

Food Dudes return to school for the week beginning 1st April.

Easter Holidays

We break up on Friday 12th April at noon, and return on Monday 28th April.

FAI School’s Soccer
Best of luck to the boys’ soccer team who will play in the next round of the FAI 5-a-side Soccer tournament on Thursday.

Coding
Our weekly coding lessons with Coding expert, Chris are proving to be a great success.
On 10^th April, the Wriggle Roadshow will be visiting our school for the day. It is a coding bus where pupils will be able to experience coding in a fun and interactive way.

March 2019

50/50 Draw: Caherconlish N.S. will be running a weekly draw which will start in the next few weeks. Half of the money collected will go to the school. The other half will be given to whoever’s name gets pulled out of the hat. Further details to follow.

Pancake Tuesday: Next Tuesday 5^th March is Pancake Tuesday. Pupils are requested to bring in pancakes if possible The Parents Association will be on hand to assist with catering.

Peace Proms: Best wishes to the pupils from 3^rd – 6^th class who will be performing with a live orchestra next Sunday night in UL at the Peace Proms. They sang beautifully for the Wednesday Club this week in the Millennium Centre.

FAI – Five a side soccer: Best of luck to the boys’ and girls’ team who will be representing the school at the annual FAI 5 a side held in Corbally next Tuesday. They are looking forward to wearing their new school jerseys.

World Book Day: Caherconlish N.S. will celebrate World Book Day on Friday 8^th March. Pupils can dress up as their favourite Book Character.

Junior Entrepreneur Programme Showcase Day: 5^th & 6^th class have been busy designing, manufacturing and marketing their hybrid products. They will be hosting a showcase day on Monday 11^th March at 1.40pm in the School’s GP room. This will give people a chance to see the products and to learn more about the J.E.P experience. Items will also be on sale that day. All welcome.

Internet Safety: In view of recent controversy regarding the online MOMO, parents are advised to monitor your child’s online activity closely.

Seachtain na Gaeilge: We will be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge this year before St Patricks Day. Beidh lá Gaeilge againn ar an triú lá deág de mhí Márta.

Cash for Clobber: Sincere thanks to everyone who dropped in bag of old clothes etc. to the school.

School Absences: If your child misses any day in school, please remember to send in a written explanation  as per school policy. There are absence notes in the homework journal that can be used.

February 2019

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll, Keith Ryan and Patrick O’Dwyer.

After many dedicated years of service to Caherconlish N.S.Board of Management, Phyllis Heelan has resigned from the Board. We would like to thank Phyllis for being such an integral member of the Board and supporter of Caherconlish N.S. We wish her all the best for the future.

Policies: The following policies have been ratified by the Board of Management:

• Substance Use Policy
• SNA Policy
• Records Retention Schedule (as part of Data Protection Policy)

Child Protection: The Board of Management of Caherconlish N.S. reviewed the Child Safeguarding Statement in line with Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 at this meeting held on 11/02/2019.

JEP: As part of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme 5^th and 6^th class pupils took part in a Dragon’s Den to showcase their products. The students were lucky enough to present to local businessmen and entrepreneurs Barry Lunn, Eamonn Boland and 69Chris Kelly. The students learned a lot about bringing a new product to market and will be busy in class making these products to sell to the community in the near future.

SEAI: The BOM agreed to have the following works done to the school during the summer months:

• Upgrade the heating system (radiators and pipework)
• Change fluorescent lighting to LED’s.
• Insulate the attic in pitched part of the roof.

Tipperary Energy will oversee procurement and works on behalf of SEAI.

Coding: 1^st-4^th class will be starting coding workshops after Mid-term break. Chris Reina will be teaching the pupils a ‘Scratch’ programme where they will create their own interactive stories, games and animations. A ‘Wriggle Roadcoaster’ will be visiting the school on April 10^th. Every class will be given the opportunity to climb on-board this digital themed bus to take part in digital and coding activities.

I.T.: We have recently invested in 40 more tablets for pupil use in the school. Ms.Mulcahy is currently formulating a Digital Learning Plan to set targets and improve student engagement with digital technology for learning. A parent questionnaire will be sent out next week for parents to fill in. We would be grateful if you could fill this in and return it to the school as soon as possible.

Indoor Hurling and Camogie

Well done to the boys and girls in the Hurling and Camogie teams who played in a blitz last week. Keep up the training and hard work!

Mycro Helmets (sized Medium) are available from Maria in the office and are priced at €35 each.

Creative Schools Grant

We have purchased a set off ukeles with money from the grant this year. A tutor from Music Generation will be teaching pupils from 3^rd & 4^th class how to play them after Mid Term break. The school will receive a further grant of €2000 next year to promote the Creative Arts in the school.

Peace Proms: 3^rd– 6^th class students are singing almost every day in preparation for the Peace Proms that will be taking place in UL on the 3^rd of March. We all enjoyed a recent workshop and the students did themselves proud! More information will be coming soon regarding the logistics of the concert.

School Closure: School will be closed on Thursday 21st   and Friday 22^nd  February for Mid-Term break and on Friday 15^th and Monday 18^th March for St. Patrick’s Day.

Cash for Clobber: Please send in any unwanted clothing items, matched shoes, belts, hats, etc in a black bin bag for a Cash for Clobber collection on Friday 1^st March to help raise funds for the school.

Headlice: There has been a case of headlice in school and your child may have been exposed. Anyone can pick up headlice. Headlice do not reflect standards of hygiene. They are just as willing to live in clean or dirty hair.4 The way to check someone’s head is called “detection combing”. This should be done regularly and in the case of a confirmed infection in one family member, the other members of the household should carry out “detection combing” twice weekly for one week. Please also tie back your child’s hair if possible.

Healthy Eating Policy: The children have been reminded recently about the school’s Healthy Eating Policy. Please ensure that your child brings a healthy lunch to school each day as it is essential for their overall well-being. A list of food that is considered healthy and unhealthy is available in the school.

January 2019

Child Protection: A copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement is published on our school’s website. The Child Safeguarding Statement is reviewed annually by the Board of Management. Mr. Ryan is the school’s Designated Liaison Person (DLP) and Ms. Mulcahy is the Deputy Designated Liaison Person (Deputy DLP). Should you request a copy of the Child Safeguarding Statement, please email the school: lishns.ias@eircom.net.

School Self Evaluation and Digital Framework for schools: The Department of Education has directed that all schools begin to engage with the Digital Framework for schools this year. The Digital Learning Framework represents one of the key supports envisaged under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020. In implementing the Digital Learning Framework, schools and teachers are given a structure which will allow them to identify where they are on the journey towards embedding digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment, and enable them to progress in that journey. Ms. Mulcahy is leading the school in this area of School-Self Evaluation.

GAA Coaching: Mike Boland will begin hurling coaching with all the classes in the school on Monday 4^th February. Children are requested to bring a hurley and helmet to school. Medium sized Micro Helmets are for sale from the school at a reduced price of €35 . Mike Boland has been our club/school link for the last number of years. We are very grateful to Caherline GAA for enabling this initiative to take place.

GAA Five Star Programme: The GAA 5 Star  initiative aims to support and recognise Primary Schools that provide pupils with  moderate to vigorous Gaelic Games activity in a manner that ensures the children will experience fun, friendship, fairness and ultimately improve their fitness. Caherconlish NS is participating in the 5 Star GAA Programme 2018/19. Games Development Officer James Ryan is assisting us with the implementation of this programme. He will deliver this programme on Wednesdays throughout the month of February.

Guitar Lessons: We are very grateful that Ms. Cleary is teaching guitar to a group of pupils from 3^rd and 4^th class after school. Places for this term are now full. Lessons will begin on Wednesday 6^th February.

Chess Club: Chess club is open to children from fifth to sixth class. Mr Maloney will be organising the chess club. Children enjoy testing their chess skills against each other and against the computer. The children have really improved throughout the experience and well done to all involved. At various points in the school year parents will be informed of dates and times through text message.

Safer Internet Day: Will take place on Tuesday 5^th February. It is an EU wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all years, especially young people, We will have 2 garda members in school next week to speak to pupils about safe internet safe and cyber bulling. We encourage all parents to monitor internet interactions at home. Webwise.ie is an excellent resources which offers internet safety, advice and help to parents.

Creative School: As part of the Creative Schools Project pupils from 3^rd – 6^th class will  be learning how to play the ukulele. More details to follow.

Credit Union Quiz: Best of luck to our four quiz teams who will be participating in the Credit Union Quiz next week.

Cash for Clobber:  Our Annual Used Clothes Collection will take place at the end of February. Bags can be dropped to the school from Monday 18^th February

Aldi Rugby Promotion: We are collecting rugby stickers from Aldi. If you spend €30 in Aldi you get a rugby sticker. These stickers will enable us to get rugby equipment for the school. Stickers can be given to the class teacher.

Tusla: A reminder that when a pupils misses 20 days or more we must legally report this to Tusla. If your child misses any day(s) in school, you must provide a written note/doctor cert as part of our  school policy. Our Tusla Officer will be visiting our school in February to speak with some parents on this matter.

Peace Proms:  The workshop takes place next Thursday 7^th February during school time. The concert takes place on Sunday 3^rd March at 7pm.

January 2019

Award: We were delighted to hear that we recently won Scoilnet’s Star Site Award. This is a prestigious award from educational website scoilnet.ie. Well done to Maria in the office for keeping our website up to date and informative. http://www.caherconlishns.ie

School Photographs: The School Photographer will come to the school on Friday 25^th January. He will take the Junior Infants class group and individual/family photos also. Individual/family photographs can be taken and there is no obligation to buy. Consent forms are being sent home today.

Summer Works 2019: Caherconlish N.S. has received funding from the Department of Education and Science to replace all the existing single glazed windows in the school. Hopefully this work will be carried out during the Summer months

Peace Proms: Ms. McKeon is busy preparing the choir for the Peace Proms which will take place in UL on Sunday 3^rd March at 7pm. There will be a practice in UL on Thursday 7^th February.

Community Games Quiz: Best of luck to our two teams who will be participating in the Community Games Quiz this week.

Hurling Training: Mr Ryan will commence hurling training from 3pm to 3.45pm on Tuesday 22nd January in the Millennium Centre.

Camogie Training: Ms Power will commence camogie training from 3pm to 3.45pm on Thursday 24^th January in the Millennium Centre.

Grandparents Day: Junior and Senior Infants will be inviting their Grandparents to visit them on Wednesday 13^th February. Invitations will follow in due course.

Cycling Training: A Cycling Safety Training course is being run in the school for 5^th & 6^th class starting this Thursday. It will last 6 weeks.

Swimming:
Swimming lessons for all pupils from 3^rd to 6^th  will begin this year on Friday 22^nd March and will continue for six weeks. Further details to follow.

December 2018

Christmas Concert: Congratulations to all the pupils in the school who took part in our School Christmas Concert last week. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and thanks to everyone who helped out. A total of €2,790 was raised by the raffle and entrance fees. Thanks to the Parents Association, anyone who donated/sponsored prizes and to all who purchased tickets. Special thanks to the class teachers for preparing the children.

Christmas Pantomines: Junior & Senior Infants went to the Pantomine ‘Little Bo Peep lost her Sheep’ in Friars Gate Theatre in Kilmallock last Monday. 1^st – 6^th classes went to see Snow White in University Concert Hall in Limerick. Both concerts were excellent and were a great experience for the children.

Creative Schools Project: As part of our involvement with the Creative Arts Project, Joanna Parkes conducted drama workshops for all classes this week in the school.

Community Links: Pupils from the school sang Christmas Carols for the residents of St Michael’s Nursing home on Tuesday. They also sang for the Senior Citizens in the Wednesday Club and the pre-schools during the week.

Santa Visit: Thanks to the Parents Association for inviting Santa Claus and Mrs Claus to the school yesterday. The children and staff were delighted with their visit and are looking forward to seeing what he brings on the 25^th.

Assembly: Junior & Senior Infants will host our final assembly this Friday. The school team who won the East Limerick Football Championship will be presented with their medals on that day.

Christmas Holidays: School will close at 12 noon on Friday 21^st December and will re-open on Monday 7^th January at 9am.

On behalf of the Board of Management and Staff of the School may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas and New Year.

November Board of Management meeting

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan,  Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll and Patrick O’Dwyer.

The board adopted and ratified the following policies: Code of Behaviour, Anti-Bullying Policy, Parents as Partners Policy, CCTV Policy and Privacy Notice. Policies may be viewed on our website https://caherconlishns.ie/school-policies/

Parents Association: The Parents Association held their AGM in the school recently. The following were elected:

Chairperson: Aisling Crofton

Secretary: Emma Hehir

Treasurer: Maria Foley

Mr.Ryan acknowledged the great work of last year’s committee and wished the new committee well.

Uniform: It has been noticed that a small number of students are not wearing their full uniform in school. This is a reminder that all students must wear their full uniform on all days with tracksuit uniform required on PE days. A timetable of PE days for all classes is listed below:

Juniors and Seniors: Monday and Wednesday

First and Second: Tuesday and Thursday

Third and Fourth: Monday and Thursday

Fifth and Sixth: Monday and Wednesday

Any changes to this timetable will be relayed to the students if necessary.

 Parents as Partners Policy: Caherconlish N.S. strives to establish good communication with parents/guardians. As part of the Parents as Partners Policy the following 5 Step process must be followed if a parent wishes to lodge a complaint

STAGE 1– Informal Stage

• A parent/guardian who wishes to make a complaint should, firstly approach the class teacher with a view to resolving the complaint. Where the parent/guardian is unable to resolve the complaint with the class staff he/she should approach the Principal with a view to resolving it
• If the complaint is still unresolved, the parent/guardian should raise the matter with the Chairperson of the Board of Management with a view to resolving it.

STAGE 2-FORMAL STAGE:

• If the complaint is still unresolved and the parent/guardian wishes to pursue the matter further, he/she should lodge the complaint in writing with the Chairperson of the Board of Management
• The Chairperson will bring the precise nature of the written complaint to the notice of the staff member and seek to resolve the matter between the parties within 5 days of receipt of the written complaint.

STAGE 3:

• If the complaint is not resolved informally, the Chairperson should, subject to the authorisation of the Board:
  1. Supply the staff member with a copy of the written complaint and
  2. Arrange a meeting with the staff member, and where applicable, the Principal with a view to resolving the complaint. Such a meeting should take place within 10 days of receipt of the written complaint.

STAGE 4:

• If the complaint is still not resolved, the Chairperson should make a formal report to the board within 10 days of the meeting
• If the Board considers that the complaint is not substantiated, the staff member and the complainant should be so informed within 3 days of the Board meeting
• If the Board considers that the complaint is substantiated or that it warrants further investigation, the following steps should be followed:

1. The staff member should be supplied with copies of any written evidence in support of the complaint
2. He/she should be requested to supply a written response to the complaint to the Board and should be afforded an opportunity to make a presentation to the Board and to be accompanied by another person to that meeting
3. The Board may arrange a meeting with the complainant, who may be accompanied by another person to this meeting.

STAGE 5:

Following the Boards investigations, the Chairperson shall convey the decision of the Board in writing to the staff member and the complainant within 5 days of the meeting of the Board. The decision of the Board shall be final.

School Christmas Concert: All staff and students are currently preparing and practicing for our Christmas Concert. This will take place on Thursday 13^th December at 7pm in the Millennium Centre, so save the date! All families of school students have received raffle tickets to sell for €5 and we would be delighted if families could sell these and return the money and ticket stubs before Wednesday 12^th. Currently all fundraising goes towards purchasing educational equipment for the school. Many thanks for all your support in this.

Enrolments: Places are filling up fast, so if you or anyone you know are wishing to enrol a child in Caherconlish N.S. please enquire in the office for an enrolment form as soon as possible.

School Closure: The school will be closed on Friday 7^th December for school in-service day.

We will close for Christmas Holidays on 21^st December at 12 noon and will return in January on the 7^th.

Achievements: The school was recently awarded a Digital School of Excellence award. This was a great honour for the school and shows the progress that is made in each classroom in terms of technology and the student’s role in this.

Victoria Gacka, a 5^th class student, has succeeded in getting through to the National Levels of the Credit Union Art Competition having stormed her way through and winning both local and Chapter level of the competition. We couldn’t be more proud of her and wish her the best of luck in the final part of the competition.

I.T. : The school has recently purchased more tablets for the children to use in class from the money raised from the Family Fun Day. Many thanks to all that contributed on this day.

Finally the Board of Management and Staff of Caherconlish N.S. would like to wish all of you and your families a very happy Christmas and New Year. Nollaig Shona Daoibh.

22 November 2018

Christmas Concert: This year’s Christmas Concert will take place at 7pm sharp on Thursday 13^th December in the Millennium Centre. Entry is €2.

Raffle Tickets: Raffle tickets will go on sale tomorrow for our annual Christmas Draw. Tickets are priced at €5 each. Each family will be given a book of tickets to sell to friends and family. Your support is greatly appreciated. Please return tickets to the school before Wednesday 13^th December.

Pantos: 1^st – 6^th class will be going to the Christmas Panto in UL on Monday 17^th December. The price of tickets is €15 per pupil. Money can be given to your child’s class teacher.

Junior & Senior Infants will be going to the Christmas Panto in Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock on Monday 17^th December. The price of tickets is €8. Money can be given to your child’s class teacher.

The cost of the bus for both pantos will be covered by the Schools transport fund.

Shoebox Appeal: Thanks to everyone who donated shoeboxes this year. In total,  one hundred boxes were collected which is a record for our school in recent times.

Primary Language Curriculum Staff In-Service: There will be no school on Friday 7^th December due to staff training regarding the New Primary Language Curriculum in English and Irish.

24 October 2018

Football Champions: Congratulations to the Boys Football Team who beat Cloverfield N.S. last Monday in the East Final. A goal in either half secured the win – Oscar Martin in the first half and Evan Martin with the late winner. Captain Robbie Hehir and vice-captain Calvin Lenihan accepted the cup on behalf of the school.

Credit Union Art Winners: Congratulations to Victoria Gacka and Shaun Ryan who were recent winners in the C.U. Art competition. What a talented bunch!

Peace Prom Tickets: Pupils from 3^rd – 6^th class will be singing in the Peace Proms Choir on Sunday 3^rd March 2019 at 7pm in UL. Advance sales of tickets for this event go on sale on Monday 5^th November. They cost €15 each. Group tickets are available at €13.75. Go to website www.peaceproms.com. Use Code: LIMSUN7PM

Shoe Box Appeal: The Annual Shoebox Appeal takes place again this year. Pupils have received a flyer at school with all the details.

Halloween Dress Up: Reminder: Children are permitted to dress up as Halloween Costumes this Thursday 25^th November. We are suggesting a donation of €2 per family in aid of Childline. We will be having cheerios breakfast on that day.

Helmets for Sale: Mr Ryan has a limited number of small and medium sized helmets Mycro hurling helmets for sale. Cost €35 each.

Staffing: Mr Tynan who has been on 4^th year placement from Mary Immaculate College since of the beginning of the year will be teaching in Junior 7 Senior Infants from 5^th – 23^rd November.

Best of Luck: Best wishes to Ms Mulcahy who is getting married during the mid-term break.

16 October 2018

Family Fun Day: Many thanks to everyone who donated, helped out and supported our Family Fun Day and Market recently. It was a huge success and €4,000 was raised for the school.

Parent/Teacher meetings: Parents will have the opportunity to meet with the class teacher/S.E.T. teacher on Wednesday 21^st November. Your Child’s teacher will be in touch with you immediately after the mid-term break to arrange a suitable time.

East Final: Congratulations to the boy’s football team who play Cloverfield NS on Monday 22^nd October in the Gaelic Grounds AT 12.30pm. This is a huge occasion for the boys and your support would be appreciated.

Food Dudes: We are delighted to be participating in the Food Dudes Programme again this year. It is a programme to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables. It will begin in November and last for approximately two weeks. For more information see fooddudes.ie

Parent Association AGM: The Annual General Meeting of Caherconlish NS Parents Association will take place on Tuesday 6^th November in the school G.P. room at 7.30pm.

Peace Proms: Caherconlish NS are delighted to have been accepted to take place in the Peace Proms Choir this year. This will take place on Sunday 3^rd March. Tickets sell out quickly for this, and we will let you know when they are on sale.

Heinz Beans: We are collecting labels from Heinz Beans tins. These labels will enable us to get sports equipment for the school. Labels can be given to the class teacher.

Dates to remember: School closed Friday 26^th October for the election. We return Monday 5^th November after half term. Xmas Concert is on Thursday 13^th December.

October 2018

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan,  Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll and Patrick O’Dwyer.

The board adopted and ratified an Administration of Medicines policy for use in the school.

Family Fun Day and Market: A family fun day and market has been arranged as a fundraising initiative for the school to take place on Sunday the 7^th October starting with a fancy dress parade from the school to the Millennium Centre at 2pm. This is a great opportunity to take plenty of photographs of our wonderful students and give them encouragement. There will be three separate areas to visit at the market; in the Main Hall will be the main market area with plenty of bric-a-brac and items to purchase, the Sports Hall will be full of family fun and a place for the children to have a break and catch up with friends and the Heritage Room (room to the right of entrance to the Millennium Centre) will have a furniture and large items sale. This fundraising sale is thanks to Nancy Lane, Ashlinn Ryan and their tireless support of Caherconlish N.S. Also many thanks to all volunteers on the day, the staff of the Millennium Centre, the Parents Council and all supporters of school initiatives.

New equipment: Equipment for music, PE and geography was purchased recently for the school with monies raised from our sponsored walk last June. This equipment is going to be enjoyed for many years and we hope our neighbours won’t be too upset to hear the sound of bongos, tin whistles and other percussion instruments!

Panto: First to Sixth classes will be going on a very special outing to UCH to see a pantomime this December 17^th. We believe it is very important to promote the arts in Caherconlish N.S. and that live performances enrich our students’ education. Further details of this outing to follow soon.

Christmas Concert: Our Christmas Concert will take place this year in the Millennium Centre on December 13^th. More details to follow in due course.

Dates for your Diary: School will be closed on the Friday 26^th October for the Presidential Election. The following week is mid-term break and the school will be closed.

Dance Lessons: Dance lessons with Nancy Lane have resumed in school. The students enjoy learning new dances and it is a great way to stay in touch with our Irish heritage.

Recycling Workshops: 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th classes recently took part in a recycling workshop. As we are a Green Flag school, we encourage recycling as much as possible.

3^rd & 4^th class Trip: 3rd class went to Milano’s Restaurant in Limerick last week to learn all about how restaurants work. They were lucky enough to make and then eat the yummy pizzas in the restaurant. There were lots of jealous students (and teachers!) when we saw the pictures.

4^th class also went on a day trip to Limerick and visited the Hunt Museum and learned all about the Ilen Boat Restoration project. A great day was had by all.

Digital School: The school is getting a visit from an assessor to see if we will receive a Digital School of Distinction award. We have made great progress over the last number of years in terms of technology and the students’ accessibility to it. Fingers crossed we will be successful.

Extra-Curricular Activities: Boys football training with Mr.Ryan for 3^rd-6^th class students takes place on Tuesday after school until 3:45 at the Millennium Centre. Girls football training with Ms.Power for 3^rd-6^th class students takes place on Thursdays after school until 3:45 at the Millennium Centre. Chess club with Mr.Maloney takes place in the school on Fridays until 3:40.

Liam McCarthy Cup: Caherconlish N.S. was lucky enough to enjoy an historical visit to the school from All Ireland Hurling Champion Brian Finn and ex-Limerick captain James Ryan with the Liam McCarthy Cup. There was a great turnout from students, staff and members of the local community. Brian was a very gracious visitor and signed autographs and smiled for photographs. A great day was had by all!

Sammy Stamps: Sammy Stamps (Credit Union saving stamps) are available for sale in the school every Friday. They cost 2 Euro each and are a great way to teach children about the importance of saving and spending!

Peace Proms: Caherconlish N.S. was privileged to be accepted into the Peace Proms 2019. This is an initiative to encourage schools from all over Ireland to take part in a live choir event with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland. We would ask that parents/guardians of 3^rd-6^th class pupils fill in the parental consent form and return it to the school as soon as possible. More information to follow.

September 2018

On behalf of the Board of Management and staff, I would like to welcome all the boys and girls back to school. I would like to welcome particularly all the Junior Infants who are starting school and to the other new pupils who have joined us in various classes.

It was a busy summer. A new boiler has been installed. This was a major project but a worthwhile one which will be of benefit to the school for years to come. It will no doubt improve efficiency and make the school a warmer place for the benefit of pupils and staff. Two classrooms and the SET rooms were painted also. Bridget did a lot of cleaning and painting in the school also both inside and out and her work is to be commended. New furniture was also purchased and a lot of percussion instruments were purchased from the Sponsored Walk money that took place last June.

Last Friday fifteen children enjoyed their first day at school. I look forward to getting to know them all over the coming weeks. I would also like to welcome Ms. Marie Power  to the staff of the  school who is filling in for Ms. Butler. Mr. David Tyan is a final year student in Mary Immaculate College. He will be teaching in various classes in the school from 3^rd September to 23^rd November.

Meetings with teachers: All meetings with teachers are strictly by appointment only.  Please telephone the School office to make an appointment. Maria is in the office from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday. We cannot guarantee that the phone will be answered outside of these hours.  If you have a concern about your child, speak to the class teacher as a first step.

Homework: Start as you mean to continue,  Check your child’s homework diary every night.  Do not sign off on homework unless you are happy it has been completed satisfactorily.

Communication:  Check your child’s homework journal for notes from the class teacher.  Please check the school website http://www.caherconlishns.ie , follow us on Twitter @caherconlishns or see our Facebook page ‘scoil cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed on school news.

Healthy Eating: We are very proud of our Healthy eating policy. See school website for details.

Lost property:   Please ensure your child’s name is on every item of clothing. We have a number of coats which were left in the school by pupils at the end of June. They are in a box in the General Purpose room. Any items which are not claimed by the end of this week will be recycled.

Children are supervised from 8.50 a.m. each morning.  The school cannot be responsible for pupils arriving at school before 9 a.m.

All families today received forms for Allianz Pupil Personal Insurance.  There are two types: school day cover (€6) or all-year-round (€9).  This is entirely voluntary but has proven very popular with parents in the past.  Should you decide to avail of this insurance, please hand monies to the School Office by Friday September 14th.

Thanks to all the families for their Art & Craft/Photocopying contributions and Book Rental money. If you have not yet paid this money, you can give it to Maria in the school office any day between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m..

Caherconlish NS Homework Journals are for sale in the office. They cost €5 each.

Slapped Cheek: Attached is a letter with information regarding Slapped Cheek Syndrome as we have had a case of this in the school recently.

Nut Allergy: Please be aware that a child in Senior Infants has a serious nut allergy. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

Grapes: If your child is bringing in grapes for lunch, can you ensure they are cut lengthwise so they can pass more easily through smaller throats. And never widthwise, because they’ll still be big enough to choke on.

Fundraiser: On Sunday 7^th October all roads will lead to the Millennium Centre for our Family Fun Day. Your support would be greatly appreciated and all monies raised will go towards educational supplies for the pupils of our school. If you have anything that you would like to donate as Spot prizes, such as unwanted gifts etc. please drop them into the school. You can also contact Ashlinn Ryan (087 9061809) or Nancy Lane (086 4088485).

Credit Union: Sammy stamps are available in school every Friday. Stamps are €1 each. Saving is a great life skill and a good habit.

Túsla:  In the event of any pupil reaching a total of 20 days absence from school in a school year, the school is required by law to make a report to Túsla, the National Education Welfare Board. Parents are advised to be aware of this and to be mindful of their child’s attendance record. Please bring in a note when your child has been off school.

June 2018

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy Donovan Carole Cleary, Collette Carroll and Keith Ryan.

Policies: The following policies were ratified by the Board of Management: Visual Arts Policy, English Policy, ICT Policy and the Internet Acceptable Use Policy

Copies of these policies are available from the office.

The Board also sincerely acknowledges the support of children, parents and members of the school community who helped raise €2,586 for the school on our recent annual sponsored walk.

Staffing Schedule: Next year the staffing schedule will be as follows;

Junior and Senior Infants – Ms. Aoife Butler

1^st & 2^nd class – Ms. Marie Mulcahy

3^rd & 4^th class – Mr. Patrick Ryan

5^th & 6^th class – Mr. Eoin Maloney

Special Education Teacher: Ms. Sonya McKeon

Special Education  Teacher: Ms.Carole Cleary

Special Education Teacher (part-time): Ms. Grace Jones

Attendance: Ms.Natalie Heaslip from TUSLA visited our school recently. She spoke to the children about the importance of coming to school on time and attending as often as possible. She will be returning in September 2018 to meet parents of pupils who have missed more than 20 days at school this year. If your child is absent please send a written note to his/her class teacher explaining the reason for the absence.

School Tours: Junior and Senior Infants had a fantastic time in Shannon Leisure Centre this year and 5^th and 6^th also had a great day out at Ardnacrusha Power station followed by a game of Foot-golf. They were blessed with fine weather. 1^st & 2^nd classes are going to Cragganowen and Kidstown Adventure Centre this Friday, while 3^rd & 4^th classes are going to Ardnacrusha Power station and Foot-golf next week. We hope they have a super day and that the sun shines down!

Sports Day: Many thanks to the Parents Association for providing a bouncy castle for the children’s enjoyment on Sports Day. Thanks also to the Millennium Centre for the use of their facilities.

Dates for your Diary: Pupils will return to school on Thursday 30^th August. Please ensure that they come to school with all their books and copies as per the booklist on their first day. Booklists are published on the school website.

Graduation: Eight pupils will be moving on to post-primary school this year from Caherconlish N.S. we will miss all of them as they all played a special role in the spirit of the school during their time here. Best of luck in the future to you all!

Family Dun Day Fundraiser: Caherconlish N.S. will be having a fundraiser in the Millennium Centre on 7^th October 2018. Please bear this in mind if you come across anything during the Summer holidays that would be useful for the bric-a-brac and jumble sale.  If you have any items to donate such as bric-a-brac, toys, furniture etc. (No books) please contact Ashlinn Ryan (087 9061809) or Nancy Lane (086 4088485).

STEM: Caherconlish N.S. continues to develop its STEM projects each year. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education. We recently received our 2018 Discover Science and Maths award for a presentation on all the work that has been done in the school in this area. Well done to everyone involved.

Arts Council Grant: The school has recently won a grant for €2000 to put towards the development of Arts Education. Arts Education includes the subjects Visual Arts, Music and Drama.

Tidy Towns: Caherconlish N.S. were delighted to be able to fundraise in the school to support the hard work and dedication of the Tidy Towns Committee. One day a week for the last four weeks we have had a special day to fundraise. These special days were an ice-cream day, board games and movie day, crazy hair day and a jersey day. In total we raised 550 euro for the Tidy Towns committee.

May I take this opportunity on behalf of the BOM and staff of the school to thank you for all your support throughout the year.

17 May 2018

Confirmation: Congratulations to all the boys and girls in 5^th and 6^th class who were confirmed yesterday by Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly. Well done to Mr Maloney and all who were involved in such a special occasion.

 Drugs Awareness: Limerick Youth Service are hosting two Drug Awareness Information evenings on Tuesday 22^nd May and Tuesday 29^th May from 7pm to 8.30pm in the Castleoaks Hotel. All parents are invited to attend. Pupils in 6^th class may attend with their parents also.

Grow Your Own Ireland: Caherconlish NS have won €500 in the Grow Your Own Ireland competition. This money will be used to develop our school garden.

Jersey Day: Reminder: Pupils are permitted to wear a jersey of their choice to school on Friday 18^th May. Pupils are asked to bring €2 per family which will be donated to Caherconlish Tidy Towns Committee. (If pupils don’t have a jersey, coloured top will suffice).

Sponsored Walk: Our annual Sponsored Walk will take place on Monday 18^th June at 7pm. Sponsorship cards will be sent home in the coming days. This year’s proceeds will be used to buy educational equipment for the pupils of our school. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Family Fun Day: The Family Fun Day will take place this year on Sunday 7^th October in the Millennium Centre. If you have any items to donate such as bric-a-brac, toys, furniture etc. (No books) please contact Ashlinn Ryan (087 9061809) or Nancy Lane (086 4088485). Alternatively items can be dropped into the school. Thanks for your continued support.

May 2018

Book Fair:

We are delighted to announce that the Book Fair has returned to Caherconlish NS. It will be at the school from Thursday 10^th May until Wednesday 23^rd May. Pupils will get a chance to purchase books of their choice and the school will also benefit.

 New Furniture:

The new furniture has arrived and has been installed in all the classrooms. It looks great.

Service of Light:

Well done to all the boys and girls in 5th & 6^th class who participated in the Service of Light last night. The Service of Light is another step on their Confirmation journey. The Confirmation will take place on Wednesday 16^th May at 11am in Caherconlish Church.

PLEASE NOTE: School is open for everyone else who is not attending the Confirmation Ceremony.

Standardised Tests:

Standardised testing (Micra T and Sigma T) from 1^st – 6^th class will take place between 29^th May and 31^st May. Please ensure your child is present on those days.

Tidy Towns Fundraiser:

We plan to raise some funds for the local Tidy Towns Committee who do great work in keeping our community clean and tidy. With this in mind we will hold the following fundraisers over the next few weeks. A contribution of €2 per family per day is the recommended donation.

Friday 18^th May – Jersey Day

Thursday 24^th May – Crazy Hair Day

Thursday 7^th June – Board Games and Movie day

Friday 15^th June – Ice Cream Day (Details to follow)

April 2018

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently.
Policies: The following policies were ratified by the Board of Management:

1. Sports Day Policy
2. Extra Curriculur Sport
3. Swimming Policy
4. Student Teacher Placement Policy
5. Supervision Policy

Copies of these policies are available from the office.

Curriculum: From September 2018, there will be full implementation of all strands of the new Primary Language Curriculum from Junior Infants to 2^nd class.

Coaching: Mike Boland is continuing hurling coaching on Mondays.

Literacy Lift Off: The Board would like to thank all the teachers who are involved in the Literacy Lift Off Programme for their hard work in setting up such an initiative.

 Confirmation: The Confirmation takes place Wednesday 16^th May at 11am in Caherconlish Church. The Ceremony of Light is on Wednesday 9^th May at 8.30pm in Caherline Church.

 Communion: The Board would like to thank everyone who was involved with Ms Mulcahy in making the Communion Day such a success. Congratulations to all the boys and girls who made their First Holy Communion recently. You were a credit to the School!

Biodiversity/ CraftED: Pupils from 3^rd & 4^th class enjoyed a fantastic workshop about pollination, and 1^st & 2^nd class are really enjoying the CraftED Programme.

Book Fair:  The Book Fair is coming to the school on Wednesday 9^th May  for a week.

Túsla:  In the event of any pupil reaching a total of 20 days absence from school in a school year, the school is required by law to make a report to Túsla, the National Education Welfare Board. Parents are advised to be aware of this and to be mindful of their child’s attendance record.

Annual Sponsored Walk: Our annual sponsored walk will take place on Monday 18^th June at 7pm.Sponsor cards will be distributed to pupils in the coming weeks. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Mackey Cup: Congratulations to Tom Carroll for making the East Limerick Hurling Team.

Tidy Towns Fundraisers: The pupils in Caherconlish NS recognise the enormous work that the local Tidy Towns Committee do. With this in mind, the pupils will be organising some fun fundraisers in the weeks ahead to raise money for the Tidy Towns. The first fundraiser is a Jersey Day, which will be held on Friday 18^th May (Limerick play Tipperary on Sunday 20^th). €2 per family is the recommended donation.

School Year: Caherconlish NS will reopen after the Summer break on Thursday 30^th August at 9am. Next years calendar is available on the schools website: www.caherconlishns.ie

Dates to Remember: 

School will close this Friday and next Monday for the Bank Holiday. We are also closed for the referendum on Friday 25^th May.

Sports Day: Thursday 21^st June (weather dependent)

Graduation Mass: Wednesday 20^th June at 11.30am.

Infant Induction Day: Tuesday 12^th June at 2pm.

School Tours:

Wednesday 23^rd May –          5^th/6^th School Tour

Friday 8^th June                        –          Infants School Tour

Friday 22^nd June          –          1^st/2^nd School Tour

Monday 25^th June       –          3rd/4^th School Tour

Weather: As the weather is set to improve (hopefully), please ensure all jumpers and jackets are labelled. Children may wear navy shorts is fine weather.

20th March

Seachtain na Gaeilge: We will be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge this Thursday 22^nd March in the school. We will have a Céilí and Tráth na gCeist. Pupils can wear Green/White/Gold on the day.

 Child Protection: The Board of Management and Staff recently completed its Child Safeguarding Statement, which replaces the Child Protection Policy previously required. The Statement and Risk Assessment is on the school website under the policies section.

Cash for Clobber: Many thanks to everyone who assisted with our Used Clothes Collection. We had a huge response and raised €332. Go raibh maith againbh.

School Self Evaluation: As part of our School Self-Evaluation Process, can you please complete the attached forms and return to your child’s class teacher.

Communion Choir: Ms. McKeon is busy preparing the school choir for First Holy Communion. Can you please put a note in your child’s journal granting them permission to sing at the Communion on Saturday 21^st April at 11am. We would be very grateful to any pupils from 1^st to 6^th class for their participation in the school choir.

Easter Raffle: Our Parents Association have arranged a raffle for an Easter Hamper. Tickets are €2 each and can be bought from Aislinn Crofton Ryan or Maria in the office.

School Staff: Many thanks for Ms. Lucy Butler who has been teaching with us since September. Sadly, she is returning to Knockea full time. We wish her the very best. We will welcome Ms. Grace Jones on Thursday who will be replacing Ms. Butler.

Craft-ed Programme: We are delighted to welcome Fergus Grant Stevenson who will be working with 1^st and 2^nd class over the next few weeks. He is a local jewellery maker and silversmith who will be teaching the children all about working with metals.

Easter Holidays: School will close this Friday 23^rd March at 12 noon and will reopen Monday 9^th April.

26th February

World Book Day: Caherconlish N.S. will celebrate World Book Day on Friday 2^nd March. Pupils are encouraged to dress up as their favourite character from a book on that day.

 Hurling: Best of luck to the  boys in 3^rd & 4^th class who play in the East Limerick Hurling Final tomorrow at 12.45 in the Millennium Centre.

First Confession: Ms Mulcahy and the boys and girls in 2^nd class are preparing for their First Confession which will take place on Thursday 1^st March at 7pm.

Used Clothes Collection: To date, over seventy bags have been dropped into the school. You can still drop bags in to school. The bags will all be collected on Friday 2^nd March. Thank you for your support.

Child Protection: The Department of Education have directed all schools to close for one days training in the new Child Protection Guidelines. Caherconlish N.S. will be closed on Friday 9^th March to facilitate this staff straining.

School Photographs: If you wish to purchase school photographs please return the completed pack by Wednesday 28^th February.

 Holidays: School will be closed on Monday 19^th March (Bank Holiday) and from 26^th March to 6^th April inclusive for Easter Holiday.

Swimming: Swimming lessons for all pupils from 3^rd to 6^th  will begin on Friday 16^th March. Please pay for this by Friday 9^th March if it has not already been paid.

21st February

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently.

New Furniture: The school has been fortunate to secure a DES grant to purchase new school furniture. We will be replacing tables and chairs for the students. The new furniture will give a new lease of life to our already colourful classrooms.

Child Protection: The BOM recently carried out a Risk Assessment and completed a Child Safe-Guarding statement as a result of new child protection guidelines coming into place on 11^th of March this year. To facilitate staff training in this matter the school will be closed on Friday 9^th of March.

Confirmation Preparation: A meeting will be held for the parents and children making their confirmation on Wednesday 28^th February at 8pm in the Millennium Centre. Cora Guinnane will address the meeting.

Enrolments: The school is now accepting enrolment applications for the school year 2018-2019. Please contact the school if you are interested in enrolling a student or to obtain an enrolment form or any further details.

Literacy Lift Off: The BOM has granted funds for the purchase of books for the Literacy Lift Off scheme for the school. This is an early intervention (senior infants-2^nd class) that gives children lots of opportunities to read books at their own level of competency and gradually lift the complexity of what they can do in both reading and writing. This is a very worthwhile programme given by trained staff members that will be of benefit to all students taking part.

Thanksgiving Mass: A Thanksgiving mass will take place on Saturday the 24^th of February at 1pm in the Millennium centre. This was organised by the ever-thoughtful Nancy Lane, in order to give thanks for the safety of all the students from St. John the Baptist school, that were recently involved in a serious bus crash on the way to school. As many of the students involved were former students of Caherconlish N.S, we also give thanks for their safety and wish all of them a speedy recovery.

Used Clothes Collection Reminder (Change of date): We are having a Used Clothes Collection on Friday 2^nd March. Please bring any unwanted clothes (clean, dry and reusable), paired shoes, trainers (tied), handbags, belts or bedclothes (not quilts or pillows) in bags to the school hall this week.

Social Media: Caherconlish N.S. is constantly updating our Facebook page, Twitter and website with lots of photos and information about events happening in the school. Keep up to date by logging in to keep informed of any upcoming and special events we have planned.

Sports: Swimming lessons for all students from 3^rd-6^th classes will begin on Friday 16^th March at UL Swimming Pool and will continue for six weeks.

Well done to the boys who won the first round of the Cumann na mBunscol East Indoor Hurling League. They did us proud!! Michael Boland has returned to coach hurling to all classes. He encourages all students interested in hurling to go to training and join their local club. Medium size Micro helmets can be purchased from Mr.Ryan in school at a reduced rate of €30.

Art competition: Best of luck to our winners in the County Games Art Competition who will compete in the upcoming County Final.

Engineers week: Engineers Week is taking place from the 24^th Feb to 2^nd March. There will be lots of fun challenges in each classroom to help create a positive awareness and spark enthusiasm about the engineering profession in our students.

Grandparents Day: Well done to all the boys and girls in Junior and Senior Infants and their teacher Ms. Butler for organising a very special day to celebrate Grandparents and the role they play in a child’s life. They were invited into a very special assembly where the infants sang songs and said poems, they got a tour of the infant classroom and were able to check out all the hard work being done by their grandchildren in school, topped off with a cup of tea and a bun! Thanks to all involved for their hard work and time, especially the Parents Association.

STEM: Well done to 5^th and 6^th class and their teacher Mr.Maloney and all that helped, for an outstanding presentation of their science experiment in Mary Immaculate College as part of the RDS Young Scientists Exhibition.

Pancake Tuesday: Thanks to the Parents Association, Eilish and Ger for their help in making this Pancake Tuesday a great success, and to all the students for donating €135 to Trócaire for our Lenten Campaign.

29th January 2018

School Photographs: The School Photographer will come to the school on Thursday 1^st February. Consent forms have been sent home. Individuals, families and class photographs of Junior Infants will be available to purchase.

Parents Association: The AGM of the Parents Association was held recently. Mr Ryan thanked the outgoing committee and their helpers for all the great work they have done in recent times. The new officers on the committee are: Chairperson – Aisling Crofton,  Secretary – Emma Miniter,  Treasurer – Maria Foley.

 Credit Union Quiz: Best of luck to our two teams who have entered into the Annual Credit Union Quiz.

 Used Clothes Collection: Our Annual Used Clothes Collection will take place at the end of February. Bags can be dropped to the school from Monday 19^th February.

Grandparents Day: We are delighted to announce that Junior and Senior Infants will be celebrating Grandparents Day by inviting Grandparents of pupils in the Junior and Senior Infants to the school on Wednesday 14^th February. Further details to follow from the class teacher.

Midterm Break: The School will be closed on Thursday 15^th & Friday 16^th February for mid-term.

Parking: It has come to our attention that people are parking in front of empty car parking spaces in the morning before school. In the interest of people who would like to use the spaces for which they are intended, please discontinue this practice.

Hurling Training: Hurling training for 3^rd to 6^th classes will begin Tuesday from 3pm to 3.45pm in the Millennium Centre. Camogie training will start shortly. Mike Boland will be doing hurling  training at school on Mondays from 5^th February.

 Pancake Tuesday: Pancake Tuesday will take place on Tuesday 13^th February.  As is tradition in Caherconlish NS, pupils are requested to bring in pancakes. The Parents Association will heat up and distribute the pancakes to the children during the day. Please being in €2 per family which will go towards our Trócaire Lenten Campaign.

15th January 2018

Parents Association Annual General Meeting: The AGM of the Parent’s Association will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 17^th January in the school. All are welcome.

Assistant Principal: Ms. Sonya Mc Keon has recently been appointed to the new position of Assistant Principal II in our school. We wish her well in her new position. She will be joining Mr. Ryan (Principal) and Ms. Mulcahy (Deputy Principal) as part of the in-school’s management team.

RDS Primary Science Exhibition: We are delighted to be taking part in the RDS Young Scientists Exhibition again this year. It will take place in Mary Immaculate College on Friday 19^th January. Caherconlish NS will have a stand at the exhibition. Mr. Maloney and his class have been working very hard on this project for the last few months. Feel free to come and view our exhibit which will be on display from 9.30 to 2pm in Mary Immaculate College.

Flu Virus: The staff and pupils in the school are taking precautions to prevent the spread of flu in the school.  Information from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre of the HSE for teachers, parents and pupils on reducing the risk of spreading influenza in schools can be found here.
http://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/guidance/schools/

Enrolments: We are now taking names for pupils intending to enrol in the school in September 2018. If you need an enrolment form or know of someone else who is intending to send their child to Caherconlish N.S. , contact Maria in the office (061- 351844) or email lishns.ias@eircom.net

Dance Lessons: We are very grateful to Nancy Lane who has returned has returned and is currently teaching dance to all pupils in the school.

Swimming: Swimming lessons for all pupils from 3^rd to 6^th  will begin this year on Friday 16^th March and will continue for six weeks. Further details to follow.

Green Schools: As part of our commitment to the Green Schools Programme, we will be participating in a battery recycling programme. It is called the ‘Big Battery Hunt’. Every child in the school will receive a box, in which they can collect batteries for recycling. The batteries can then be bought to the school. Schools and individuals who collect batteries will be eligible to win prizes.

15th December 2017

A Board of Management meeting took place recently in Caherconlish NS.

We are delighted to have learned that the school has been selected to take part in the CRAFTed Programme for Primary schools.

Christmas Concert: This year’s Christmas concert will take place in the Millennium Centre on Thursday 14^th December at 7pm.The children are so excited about participating and have been practicing very hard.  Thanks to those  who have been so generous in sponsoring spot prizes for the raffle and to those who sold tickets.

Santa Visit: The Parent’s Association have organised Santa Claus to come to the school on Wednesday 20^th. Pupils will get their class photo taken with Santa Claus and these photos will be put on school website.

Parent’s Association AGM: The Annual General Meeting of the Parent’s Association  will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 17^th January 2018.

Contacts: It is important that the school has at least three telephone  contact numbers for parents/ guardians of pupils in school. Sometimes we cannot get in touch with people if a child is sick and a telephone number has been changed. These might be a grandparent or some other relation who can be contacted during school hours . It is advisable to email these three contact names and numbers to lishns.ias@eircom.net

Literacy Lift Off: The BOM of Caherconlish NS has approved funding for the purchase of Literacy Lift Off resources from BOM funds. Literacy lift off is a whole class intervention aimed at increasing each child’s competency in oral language, reading and writing. It is a six week programme which will be implemented in 2018 in the lower and middle classes. There are four elements in the lesson which involves station teaching. It includes

1. Familiar reading
2. Word work
3. Writing
4. New book

We hope that this programme will lead to an increase in literacy levels in the school. The children are actively involved and it will be an enjoyable experience for them which will increase their confidence in literacy and enable them to access other areas of the curriculum. Staff have also signed up for training in this very worthwhile programme.

Swimming: 3^rd to 6^th class will be going swimming in UL mid March for 6 weeks (with a break for Easter holidays). More information to follow in the New Year.

Child Protection: The BOM are aware of the new Child Protection Guidelines for schools which came into effect on Monday 11^th December 2017. We will be reviewing our Child Protection Policy and providing staff with training in due course.

Shows: 3^rd to 6^th class went to see Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the Lime Tree Theatre on Friday 1^st December. On Friday 15^th December Juniors to 2^nd class will be going to Friars Gate Theatre in Kilmallock to see Little Miss Muffet’s Christmas Caper.

Website: All information relating to the school, school calendar, booklists, etc.  is on the website www.caherconlishns.ie  . Check in on  Twitter @caherconlishns to keep yourself informed on school news and our new facebook page Scoil Cathair Chinn Lis

In-Service Training Day – New Curriculum Thursday 11^th January. School will be closed on the day.

Finally, on behalf of the BOM and staff of the school, I would like to wish everybody a safe and happy Christmas and New Year and to thank all the dedicated staff of our school for all their hard work in the last twelve months.

Mr. Ryan
(Secretary Board of Management).

4th December 2017

Christmas Concert: Our Christmas Concert will take place on Thursday 14^th December at 7pm in the Millennium Centre. The children are getting really excited about this at the moment.

Christmas Raffle: We will be holding a Christmas Raffle on the night of the Christmas Concert. We would be delighted if your family could sell some tickets on behalf of the school, and return any money and ticket stubs to the school before Thursday 14^th December. We will be accepting donations of spot prizes. These can be dropped into the school. Currently, all our fundraising goes towards purchasing educational equipment for the pupils of our school.

 New Primary Language Curriculum: All the teachers in Caherconlish N.S. will be attending In-Service training on Thursday 11^th January 2018. As a result, there will be no school on that day.

Christmas Closing: School will close at 12 noon on Friday 22^nd December and re-open on Monday 8^th January 2018.

Winners: Congratulations to the winners of our recent SEAI competition.

Parents Association – AGM: Date to be announced.

Please check the school website www.caherconlishns.ie, follow us on twitter @CaherconlishNs or on facebook  ‘Scoil Cathair chinn lis’ to keep yourself informed of school news.

November 2017

Cake Sale: Many thanks to everyone who supported our recent Cake Sale. It was a huge success which raised €412. Thanks to the Parent’s Association for organising same.

Christmas Cards: Proof of the Christmas Cards that the children designed are being sent home today. If you would like to order cards. Wrapping paper, gift tags etc. please return the money to the school on or before Wednesday 22^nd November.

Folens Christmas Annuals: If you would like to purchase a Folens Christmas Annual, please give €3 to your child’s class teacher on or before Wednesday 22^nd November.

Parent/Teacher Meetings: The majority of Parent/Teacher  meetings will take place next week. This is an important time for you to meet with your child’s class teacher and find out how he/she is progressing at school. If you cannot attend at the appointed time, please contact Maria(secretary) or class teacher ASAP.

October 2017

Halloween Break: Reminder, school will close at the normal time on Friday 27^th October for midterm break. I wish you all a happy and safe holiday. School will reopen on Monday 6^th November.

Cake Sale: The Parents Association have organised a cake sale which will take place on Sunday 29^th October after 11am mass in the school. Cakes and buns etc. can be dropped into the school from 10am.

Dress up Day and Cheerios Breakfast Morning:Pupils are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes on Friday 27^th October. We are asking each family to contribute €2 for our Childline Cheerios Breakfast Morning.

Nut Allergy: All classes will be having a Halloween party on Friday. Pupils may bring in some treats. Please ensure no nuts or food containing nut products are bought to school as we have a pupil in Senior Infants with a severe nut allergy.

Parent Teacher Meetings: Parent/Teacher meetings will take place on the week beginning Monday 20^th November. Your child’s class teacher will be in touch with you regarding a time and date after the Halloween break.

Caherconlish Caherline Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) Group: Caherconlish/Caherline SEC are running a poster competition to raise awareness of the sustainable Energy Project that us currently underway in the parish. Details can be found on our website and on our new facebook page  scoil cathair chinn lis.

 Shoebox Appeal: Flyers for the Annual Shoebox Appeal were distributed this week. Shoeboxes need  to be dropped into the school before 11^th November which is the week we come back to school after the mid-term break.

I wish you and your families an enjoyable Halloween break.

Board of Management newsletter – October 2017

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward (Chairperson), Patrick Ryan, Carole Cleary, Phyllis Heelan, Collette Carroll, Patrick O’Dwyer and Keith Ryan.

The Board of Management members are: Chairperson: Julie Rayson Ward, Patron’s Nominee: Fr. Roy Donovan, Principal: Patrick Ryan, Parents Nominees: Collette Carroll and Patrick O’Dwyer, Community Nominees: Keith Ryan and Phyllis Heelan, Teachers Nominee: Carole Cleary

 Curriculum: The Board ratified the Drama and Music plans.
New Primary Language Curriculum :School Year 2016/17:  There will be an initial emphasis on the Oral Language/Teanga ó Bhéal strand. From September 2016, this strand will begin to be implemented for infants to second class.
School Year 2017/18  From September 2017 the Reading/Léitheoireacht and Writing/Scríbhneoireacht strands will begin to be implemented for infants to second class alongside the oral language strand.
School Year 2018/19 From September 2018, there will be full implementation of all strands from infants to second class.
School Year 2019/20 From September 2019, implementation of Primary Language Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile for third to sixth class will begin.

Michelle Healy from PDST will visit the school on November 7th to discuss Maths in the school and to give advice.

Trespassers: It has come to the attention of the Board of Management that certain individuals are on the school grounds without permission in the evenings and at weekends. Damage was done to the roof recently as individuals were up on it. The CCTV has been reviewed and information has been passed on to the Garda to investigate. If you notice anyone on the premises, after school or at weekends please contact the school (061 351844) or any members of the board.

Cake and Bake Sale: The Parent’s Association will be hosting a Cake and Bake sale after 11am mass on Sunday 29^th October in the school General Purpose Room. Your support will be greatly appreciated. Cakes/buns etc. can be dropped to the school after 9.30am on the day

Facebook: Caherconlish N.S. now has a Facebook page. Scoil Cathair chinn lis. Our website and twitter account is also updated regularly. We have redesigned our website www.caherconlishns.ie. Keep up to date with what we are doing and photos by going on to the website.
Special Items: We have applied for participation in the RDS Young Scientists Exhibition and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Award of Excellence again this year and will also participate in the Junior Entrepreneur programme after Christmas.

School Closure: The school will close for the Halloween break on Friday 27th October and re-open on Monday 6^th November. Details of all school closures are on the school website www.caherconlishn.ie
Christmas Carol Service: Caherconlish NS will hold a Christmas Carol Service on Thursday 14^th December in the Millennium Centre so save the date! Details to follow.

Parent/Teacher Meetings: Parent/Teacher Meetings will take place on the week beginning Monday 20^th  November. These meetings will take place outside of school hours and class teachers will be in touch closer to the time to make appointments.

Breakfast: We will be holding an ISPCC Cheerios breakfast on Friday 27^th. It is a fun charity breakfast which is hosted across the country to help support the ISPCC Childline services which answers calls from children in need across Ireland 24 hours a day. We will also be doing a Halloween Fancy Dress on the same day. A suggested donation of €2 per family with all proceeds going to the ISPCC.

Bualadh Bos Writing Festival: Caherconlish NS won a free writing workshop. 3^rd to 6^th class will receive this Creative Writing Workshop on Friday 20^th October.

September 2017

I would like to report that all the Junior Infants and the other pupils who joined us this September have settled in very well and are now very much part of the school community. I would also like to welcome Ms. Lucy Butler, who is our new part-time Special Education Teacher and Eilish McGahon who is our new SNA.

Summer Works: During the Summer the Board of Management got two of the four classrooms painted and the Parents Association painted the front boundary wall of the school. Bridget did great work in cleaning the school and painting various hallways and corridors. Many thanks to all concerned.

ICT: The Board of Management purchased and installed Smart Boards in each of the four classrooms and purchased laptops and ipads for the pupils to use. This state of the art equipment will enhance the learning opportunities of the pupils of Caherconlish N.S. The monies used to purchase this equipment came from fundraising over the last two years, as well as a grant from the Department of Education and Science.

Change of Details: If you have moved home or got a new telephone number in the recent past, can you inform Maria in the office. It is vital that we are able to make contact with parents in case of emergency.

School Insurance: Optional extra school insurance is available. Please contact Maria in the office if you wish to avail of this cover. There is a form attached with details of price.

Art & Craft and Photocopying: The €25 per pupil charge (€35 for infants) for Art & Craft supplies and photocopying is now due. Families with three or more children will be asked to pay a reduced rate of €60 per family. Also any outstanding book rental monies is due.

Nut Allergy: Please be aware that a child in Senior Infants has a serious nut allergy. Please avoid bringing any type of nut to school.

Fundraiser: On Sunday 1^st October (note change of date) all roads will lead to the Millennium Centre for our Family Fun Day. Your support would be greatly appreciated and all monies raised will go towards educational supplies for the pupils of our school. Your child would have got a flyer this week in school (See website for copy of same). If you have anything that you would like to donate as Spot prizes, such as unwanted gifts etc. please drop them into the school.

Credit Union: Sammy stamps are available in school every Friday. Stamps are €1 each. Saving is a great life skill and a good habit.

Hatch for Schools: On Monday 18^th September we will be receiving some hen eggs which will be in an incubator. Over the next week or two, we will be able to see the eggs hatch. This should be a wonderful experience for our pupils.

Board of Management newsletter – June 2017

The Board adopted the Social, Personal and Health Education Policy as well as the RSE Policy for use in the school. The Board acknowledges the support of the children, parents and member of the school community who helped raise €2,263 for our recent annual sponsored walk.

Retirement: Rena Carroll will be retiring at the end of this school year. Rena has been working as an SNA in the school since 1999. Throughout that time she has worked extremely diligently for the pupils under her care. The Board will be making a special presentation to Rena to mark her retirement at assembly on Thursday 22^nd June.

Staffing Schedule: Next year the staffing allocation will be as follows:

Junior & Senior Infants – Ms Aoife Butler

1^st  & 2^nd class – Ms Marie Mulcahy

3^rd & 4^th class – Mr Patrick Ryan

5^th & 6^th class – Mr Eoin Maloney

Special Education Teacher – Ms Carole Cleary

Special Education Teacher – Ms Sonya McKeon

Special Education Teacher – Ms Lucy Butler (part time)

 Attendance: Ms Emma Fahy from TUSLA visited our school recently. She spoke to the children about the importance of coming to school on time and attending as often as possible. If your child is absent please written a note to his/her class teacher explaining the reason for such an absence.

 School Tours: Junior and Senior Infants had a fantastic time in Shannon Leisure Centre. 1^st & 2^nd class travelled to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park followed by Rollerjam. 3^rd – 6^th class went to Zipit in Farran Woods in Co Cork. It was an excellent outdoor pursuits adventure. You can see photos from these tours on our website www.caherconlishns.ie

Sports Day: Many thanks to the Parents Association for providing a bouncy castle for the children’s enjoyment on Sports Day. Thanks also to Caherconlish AFC for the use of their facilities.

Dates for your Diary: Pupils will return to school on Thursday 31^st August. Please ensure that they come to school with all their books and copies as per booklist on their first day. Booklists are published on our school website.

Graduation: Eighteen pupils will be moving on to post-primary school this year from Caherconlish NS. We will miss all of them as they all played a special role in the spirit of the school during their time here. Best of luck in the future to you all.

 Family Fun Day fundraiser: Caherconlish NS will be having a fundraiser in the Millennium Centre on Sunday 24^th September similar to last year. Bear this in mind if you come across anything during the summer holidays that would be useful for the bric-a-brac and jumble sale.

May I take this opportunity on behalf of the BOM and staff of the school to thank you all for your support throughout the year.

4th May 2017

School Tour:School tours will take place on the following dates:

• Junior & Senior Infants    Friday 2^nd June                 Shannon Leisure Centre
• 1^st & 2^nd Class                    Tuesday 20^th June           Bunratty Castle and Rollerjam
• 3^rd – 6^th class                      Monday 19^th June           Zipit
• More details to follow.

Graduation: The 6^th class graduation will take place at 11.30am on Wednesday 21^st June.

Infant Induction: There will be an induction afternoon for the new infants starting in September 2017 at 2pm on 13^th June.

Standardised Testing: Standardised testing (Micra T and Sigma T) will take place the last week of May and first week of June. Please ensure that your child attends school on these days.

 Junior Entrepreneur Programme: 5^th & 6^th class are going to the Junior Entrepreneur Programme showcase day in Woodlands Hotel, Adare on Tuesday 30^th May.

Uniform: If the weather is warm pupils will be permitted to wear navy shorts. Please also label items of clothing.

Conor Martin: Congratulations to Conor Martin who made the East Limerick hurling team for the Mackey Cup. Well done Conor.

27th April 2017

Green Schools: Great news! We received notification this week that our application for our eighth Green Flag has been successful. Well done to the hard working committee.

Mayoral Visit: The Mayor of Limerick City and County Kieran O’Hanlon will be visiting or school on Friday 5^th May. He will be coming to raise our latest Green Flag.

Book Fair: Thanks to everyone who supported our recent Book Fair. As a result, the school will receive books to the value of €342.30.

 Food Dudes: We will be participating in the Food Dudes programme in May. The Food Dudes programme is developed to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables at home and at school, Pupils in Junior & Senior Infants and 1^st & 2^nd class will receive a small sample of fresh fruit and vegetables each day for 16 days starting on Tuesday 2^nd May. 3^rd – 6^th class will receive a sample of fresh fruit or vegetables for 8 days in a row. For more information about Food Dudes go to www.fooddudes.ie

Communion: The First Holy Communion is on Saturday 22^nd May at 11am

Bank Holiday: Reminder: There will be no school next Monday 1^st May as it is a Bank Holiday.

2nd March 2017

World Book Day: Caherconlish NS will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 3^rd March. Pupils are encouraged to dress up as their favourite character. We will also be collecting €1 per child or €2 per family in aid of “Bumbleance”, which is the National Children’s Ambulance Service.

Green Schools :  We are in the process of applying for our 8^th Green Flag. As part of this programme, the Green Schools Committee is running a “Design and make a robot from recyclables” competition.
The winners will be announced at assembly this Friday.

First Confession: The pupils in second class are busy preparing for their First Confession. The ceremony will take place in the church on Thursday 9^th March at 7.00 p.m.

Punctuality: It is very important that pupils are on time for school. Our computerised attendance system records pupils who are late. Pupils are requested to line up with their class in the back yard before the bell rings at 9 a.m. so that they can be escorted into the school building by their class teacher. Please avoid using the front door.

Attendance: Attendance is paramount to a child’s education. It is the legal obligation of every school to report absences of twenty days or more to TUSLA.

Book Fair: We will be hosting a book Fair from Wednesday 8^th March to Tuesday 14^th March.

Seachtain na Gaeilge : We will be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge from 1^st – 16^th March

School Closure: Caherconlish NS will be closed on Friday 17^th March (St. Patrick’s Day).

25^th January 2017

RDS Primary Science Fair: Congratulations to all the boys and girls who participated in the RDS Primary Science Young Scientist Exhibition in Mary Immaculate College last Saturday. They were a credit to the school and the judges were highly impressed by their project. See our website for photos.

Photographs: Eamonn Andrew (school photographer) will be coming to the school tomorrow, Thursday 26^th January. Please return completed consent forms by tomorrow at the latest. If pupils are getting their photograph taken, please ensure they are wearing their full uniform. He will also be taking a class photograph of Junior Infants so please ensure they are wearing their full school uniform.

Used Clothes Collection: Reminder that the used clothes collection will take place on Friday 17^th February.

Operation Transformation: Excitement is building in Caherconlish N.S. in anticipation of the visit of the Operation Transformation Film Crew who will be here on Friday. Please note the following:

• It is essential that all completed On-Air/On-Screen Child Release forms are fully completed. No other note/written permission is acceptable. Failure to sign completed form will mean your child will NOT be permitted to be filmed.
• Please ensure pupils wear their school tracksuit as they will be engaging in various P.E. activities throughout the day.
• Morning Pilates: Pilates/Yoga stretches will take place on Friday morning before school in the back yard (weather permitting). The Operation Transformation Crew may film this activity also. (Subject to confirmation).

16th January 2017

School Closure: Reminder: There will be no school tomorrow, Tuesday 17^th January, as the Teachers are attending an In-Service Training Day.

Photographs: Eamonn Andrew (school photographer) will be coming to the school on Thursday 26^th January. Envelopes will be distributed in advance with all the details.

RDS Primary Science Exhibition: We are delighted to be exhibiting our project ‘Do People with longer legs run faster?’ in May Immaculate College on Saturday 21^st January from 9.30 – 2.30 pm. Pupils who have not been part of the project may attend. Tickets are available on the door (Sports Building) and cost €3 per child, €8 per adult, or a family of 2 adults and 2 children costs €15.

 Munster Rugby Coaching: Kenneth from Munster Rugby has begun coaching 3^rd – 6^th classes on Wednesday. He will visit the school three times in total.

GAA Coaching:James Ryan will begin hurling and football coaching with all classes this Wednesday 18^th January for  5  weeks. Pupils are requested to bring in Hurley and helmets for the next 5  weeks if possible.

Hurling Training: Mr Ryan will begin hurling training next Tuesday (24^th) in the Millennium Centre from 3pm – 3.50pm. Boys from 2^nd -6^th class are most welcome.

Enrolments: The school is now accepting enrolment applications for school year 2017-2018. Please contact the school if you require an enrolment form.

Used Clothing Collection: Caherconlish N.S. will be having a Used Clothes Collection on Friday 17^th February. Please place any unwanted clothes (clean, dry and reusable), paired shoes, trainers (tied), handbags, belts in bags and bring to the school that week.

Credit Union Quiz: Best of luck to our four teams who have entered the Annual Credit Union Quiz.

Please check the school website www.caherconlishns.ie or follow us on twitter @CaherconlishNs to keep yourself informed of school news.

30th November 2016

Christmas Concert The pupils in Caherconlish N.S. are busy preparing for this year’s Christmas Concert. It will take place at 7pm sharp on Wednesday 14^th December in the Millennium Centre. The running order on the night is as follows:

Junior & Senior Infants,  1^st & 2^nd Class, Interval, 3^rd & 4^th Class, 5^th & 6^th class

Entry fee: €3 per adult/teenager. Free entry for Primary School Children

Monster Christmas Raffle Many thanks to those of you who are busy selling tickets, and to people who have donated prizes. All money collected must be returned to the school before Friday 9^th December. It is vital that unsold tickets are returned also. Further tickets will be sold on the night of the concert. The draw will take place after the Concert.

RDS Young Scientists Exhibition  We are delighted to announce that for the second year in a row, Caherconlish N.S. has been selected to exhibit their project on Saturday 21^st January in Mary Immaculate College. This year our project is entitled ‘Do people with longer legs run faster?’.  We are delighted to be included in such a prestigious event.

 Santa Visit  Santa Claus will be visiting the School on the 21^st December. Many thanks to the Parents Association for organising same.

Christmas Annuals Christmas Annuals can be ordered from the Class Teachers. They cost €3 and must be ordered before Friday 9^th December.

Christmas Holidays The School will close on Thursday 22^nd December and will open on Monday 9^th January 2017.

25th October 2016

Cheerios Breakfast
The Cheerios Breakfast we held recently in aid of Childline was a great success. The pupils really enjoyed the novelty of eating their breakfast at school. Thanks to the Parent’s Association for their help in running the event so smoothly. A total of €120 was raised.

Halloween Dress- Up Day
Pupils are encouraged to dress-up this Friday in their Halloween Costumes. We are collecting a donation of €1 per child or €2 per family for the Cliona Foundation. Cliona’s Foundation provides financial assistance to parents of children who are gravely ill or seriously injured and have exhausted all other financial resources. Your support would be appreciated.

At our monthly assembly on Friday, pupils who haven’t missed a day this month will be in with a chance of winning a prize for full attendance. Student of the Month prizes and certificates from each class will also be presented.

Monster Christmas Raffle
Caherconlish National School Parent’s Association are organising a Monster Christmas raffle this year. Tickets will be on sale after the mid-term break. Thanks to all who have sponsored the fantastic and valuable prizes. The draw will take place on the night of the Christmas Concert which is 14^th December.

Updated Website
We have upgraded our school website, which is updated regularly. Notes like this one can be found in the “notes” section.

Shoebox Appeal
Flyers for the Annual Shoebox Appeal were distributed this week. Shoeboxes need  to be dropped into the school before 11^th November which is the week we come back to school after the mid-term break.

I wish you and your families an enjoyable Halloween break.

13th October 2016

A meeting of the Board of Management was held in Caherconlish N.S. recently. In attendance were Julie Rayson-Ward, Patrick Ryan, Fr. Roy Donovan, Carole Cleary, Phyllis Heelan, Collette Carroll, Patrick O’Dwyer and Keith Ryan.

New Chairperson:The B.O.M. would like to announce that Julie Rayson Ward is our new chairperson and wish her well for the remainder of her term in office. Fr. Roy will stay on as a member of the B.O.M.

 Curriculum: The New Primary Language Curriculum will be implemented from juniors to 2^nd from September 2016. This will be implemented in a phased basis in all schools. Oral language in English and Irish is the first phase. Training for all staff will take place on Tuesday 17^th January in Limerick Education Centre.
*School will be closed on that day.

Cyber – Bullying: Guard Kieran Lee visited the school on Friday  7^th October to talk to 3^rd to 6^th class about Cyber bullying.

Extra Curricular Activities:Football for boys and girls takes place in the Millennium Centre after school on Tuesdays and  Thursdays respectively.
Swimming will start on Friday 11^th November in UL pool for pupils in 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th.
In January, coaches from Munster Rugby will teach rugby skills to pupils in our school.

Fundraiser:The B.O.M. would like to thank all those who helped organise and who supported the Family Fun Day and mini- market. It was a huge success. In total €3,545 was raised. This money will be spent on installing a wireless broadband system in the school and the purchase of laptops and tablets for the children to use at school. Special thanks to Nancy Lane, her team of helpers and the Parent’s Association.

Website:We have redesigned our website www.caherconlishns.ie. Keep up to date with what we are doing and photos by going on to the website.

Painting of School: The B.O.M. would like to thank all the volunteers who gave their time most generously to paint the exterior of the school during the summer break. Thanks also to the local businesses who provided sponsorship for the purchase of painting supplies and the Parent’s Association who co-ordinated the project. The recent Tidy Towns Report for the village of Caherconlish was very complimentary of the new paint job!

Special Items: Green Schools: Caherconlish N.S. Green Schools Committee has been re-established and over the next two years will endeavour to work towards our eight Green Flag. We have also applied for participation in the RDS Young Scientists Exhibition and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Award of Excellence again this year. We hope to participate in the Junior Entrepreneur programme after Christmas.
Health and Safety:Fire Drill. All pupils took part in a fire drill in September. Two members of the Board have been appointed as Health and Safety Officers.

Christmas Concert:Caherconlish NS will hold a Christmas Concert on Wednesday 14^th December in the Millennium Centre so save the date! Details to follow.

Parent/Teacher Meetings:Parent/Teacher Meetings will take place on the week beginning 21^st November. These meetings will take place outside of school hours and class teachers will be in touch closer to the time to make appointments.

Breakfast: We will be holding an ISPCC Cheerios breakfast on Wednesday 19^th October. It is a fun charity breakfast which is hosted across the country to help support the ISPCC Childline services which answers calls from children in need across Ireland 24 hours a day.

Halloween Fancy Dress on Friday 28^th October. A suggested donation of €2 per family with all proceeds going to the Cliona Foundation.

5th September 2016

I hope you all had an enjoyable Summer break. I would like to welcome all the boys and girls of Caherconlish N.S. back to school and in particular our new Junior Infant pupils.

Painting: Many thanks to all the volunteers who painted the exterior of the school during the month of July. It was an extremely laborious and time consuming process which took a huge effort. Thanks also to local sponsors who contributed to the cost of purchasing the paint.

Refurbishment: The Board of Management refurbished both bathrooms in the school during the summer months.

Stop and Drop: The carpark in front of the school is a busy area. Please remember to “stop and drop” your children in the morning to allow other people to park (unless you are accompanying younger children to the line).

School Insurance and Contact Details: Optional extra school insurance is available. Please contact Maria in the office if you wish to avail of this cover. Please return any outstanding contact details forms this week so we can update our database. It is important that we have your contact details so if you change address/ phone number at any time please let us know.

Art & Craft and Photocopying: The €25 per pupil charge for Art & Craft supplies and photocopying is now due. Families with three or more children will be asked to pay a reduced rate of €60 per family.

First Holy Communion: May 20^th 2017 is the date for the First Holy Communion in Caherconlish N.S. this academic year.

Fundraiser: Every family received a note last week about our Monster Fundraiser which will take place in the Millenium Centre on Sunday 25^th September. Your support would be greatly appreciated by attending this event. If you have anything that you would like to donate as Spot prizes, such as unwanted gifts etc. please drop them into the school.

Credit Union: Sammy stamps are available in school every Friday. Stamps are €1 each.

Le gach dea ghuί,
18th May 2016

Confirmation: Congratulations to all the pupils in 5^th and 6^th class who were confirmed this week. Special thanks to Ms McKeon for preparing the children and to everyone else who helped out on such a special day for the parish.

School Tours: School tours will take place on the following dates:

Junior and Senior infants: Friday 27^th May

3^rd to 6^th class: Thursday 2^nd June

1^st and 2^nd class: Tuesday 7^th June

Primary Language Curriculum: Caherconlish NS will be closed on Monday 23^rd May as staff will be receiving In-service training for the new Primary Language Curriculum

Standardised Testing: Standardised testing (Micra T and Sigma T) will take place on Tuesday 31^st May and Wednesday 1^st June for 1^st to 6^th class. Please ensure that your child attends school on these days.

Change of date: Please note Caherconlish NS will not be closed on Friday 3^rd June as previously stated. As a result school will now close for our summer holidays on Wednesday 29^th June.

6th April 2016

Science Exhibition: 3^rd and 4^th class will be hosting a science exhibition in the GP room in the school as part the Discovery Primary Science (STEM) Award. Parents are invited to attend on Tuesday 12^th April from 1.15 – 2pm.

Communion: Preparations for the 1^st Holy Communion are progressing nicely; the ceremony will take place on 23^rd April at 11am. Pupils from 1^st – 6^th class will be invited to participate in the school choir. Permission slips will be issued shortly.

Active Week: As part of our application for an Active Flag, Active Week will take place from Monday 25^th – Friday 29^th April. Pupils will be required to wear their tracksuit every day that week as they will undertake different physical activities each day. These include Irish Dancing, Taekwon-Do, hurling, camogie and fitness training. We will start each day with Yoga and Pilates in the yard behind the school for 20 minutes starting at 8.40, so if your child comes to school early he/she will enjoy the benefits of some pre-school exercise.

Confirmation: The next event in the programme of confirmation is the Ceremony of Light. This will take place in Caherline Church on Tuesday 10^th May at 7pm. Please note change of date.

The Confirmation ceremony will take place on Tuesday 17^th May at 11am. Both schools in the parish will be closed on this very special day for the parish. This will afford siblings and relations as well as staff members the opportunity to attend this very auspicious ceremony.

Primary Language Curriculum: A new Primary Language Curriculum is being introduced by the Department of Education and Skills on a phased basis over the next few years. Staff will be receiving In-Service Training on Monday 23^rd May. The school will be closed on that day.

New Cleaner: We are delighted to announce that Bridget Hayes has been appointed as our new cleaner. We wish Bridget all the best in her new position.

1st March 2016

World book day is this Thursday (3^rd March). Children can dress up as their favourite character from their favourite book. We are asking for a donation of €2 for Limerick Early Intervention Service.

Mini 7’s boys hurling takes place on Tuesday 8^th March in Doon GAA grounds at 12.30pm. Mini 7’s camogie takes places on Friday 11^th March in Doon GAA ground. Lifts would be appreciated for both days.

We are launching our brand new website (www.caherconlishns.ie) at 1pm on Thursday 3^rd March (World book day) in the G.P. room. Parents are invited to attend.

The Parents Association are organising an Easter Egg Hunt and an Art & Craft session on Friday 11^th March during school. Please bring in €2.

Seachtain na Gaeilge – Pupils will be encouraged to speak as much Irish as possible at school from now until the Easter holidays. We have lots of exciting things planned for Seachtain na Gaeilge including a Céilí, Tráth na gceist and a Ceolchoirm.

Proclamation Day is March 15^th. Details of how Caherconlish NS are celebrating Proclamation Day can be accessed from our website.

Please note school will close at 12.30pm on Wednesday 16^th March for our Easter holidays.