Ogonnelloe National School

Roll No: 17563P Principal: Marie Roberts Email: ogonnelloens.ias@eircom.net

Ogonnelloe N.S. Scariff, Co. Clare Phone No: 061-923144 www.ogonnelloe.com

Dear Parents / Guardians, May 2009

As we settle into our final school term for this academic year, I wish to advise you of some upcoming events.

End of year Assessment.

Class tests and end of year pupil assessments will be taking place over the next few weeks. Please ensure your child’s attendance in school.

Reports on children’s progress will be issued to all parents at the close of the school year.

First Holy Communion

The ceremony will take place in St Molua’s church on Sunday May 24^th at 10:30am.

This is a very special occasion, most especially for the first communicants and their families, but also for the entire school and parish community.

We ask that pupils from first to sixth class join in our school choir and participate in the celebration of this special day for our friends in second class. Please support us in this major event for the school and parish by ensuring your child is present.

The parents association are organising a reception for the first communicants and their families in the Parish hall immediately following the ceremony.

Class Outings

There will be four class outings taking place this year, each reflecting the ages, interests and work activity of the class involved. Plans are being finalised at present. You will receive details on your child/ren’s outing from their class teacher(s) in due course.

Artist in School

Jane Seymour, ceramicist, has been working with our pupils for the past number of weeks. Her work with our pupils is now coming to a close. In order to celebrate the children’s work and their achievements, the Parents Association with Jane have offered to assist in exhibiting their work in the Parish Hall on Wednesday May 27^th at 7pm. All are welcome to attend. Unfortunately, these masterpieces are not for sale!!

“Busy Bodies”

We have engaged Ms Grainne Ryan, HSE, to speak to the parents and pupils of sixth class on issues relating to growing up, forming friendships and relationships and other such issues as part of their RSE programme. This will take place at the school on Wednesday evening, June 17^th at 8pm. This is very important, so please ensure that at least one parent/guardian representing each child attends.

New Entrants

Letters are being sent to all parents of children who have received places in our Junior Infants class for September 2009.

We will hold an information night for the parents of the new entrants in mid June.

Sport

Tennis coaching has commenced for pupils from first to fourth classes and we were blessed with a beautiful day on Tuesday last. Lessons will continue for the next five Tuesdays (until June 9^th) weather permitting.

Training in camogie and hurling has also commenced on Thursday mornings for infants to fourth classes and will continue until June 4^th next.

The Cumann na mBunscoil competitions are also underway, with both our hurling and camogie teams flying the flag high for our school. The Hurling team have reached the semi final. Date to be confirmed. Matches will continue to take place in the coming weeks. Good Luck to all involved.

County Finals of the Cumann na mBunscoil competitions will take place on the 17^th/18^th June, if we are successful in the semi final.

Rugby training takes place for the pupils of 5 & 6 classes on Friday afternoons until June 12^th.

Our boys basketball team have made their way to the semi final of the Marion Keane Tournament. Both the semi final and finalwill take place on Thursday May 21^st next. Congratulations to the boys on the team and to all their supporters. The final will take place in Ennis and arrangements are being made to enable supporters from the Fifth and Sixth classes to travel with the team on the day.

The Parents Association will be hosting the Annual School’s Sports Day in June, date to be finalised. Our thanks to the Hurling Club for the use of their pitch and to the Parents Association for organising the event. This is usually a fun-filled day for all the family and is not to be missed! The Parents Association is promising us a day filled with fun and activity for everyone.

Dates to Remember

Ongoing each week: tennis, hurling/camogie, rugby training; green school committee work, choir practice, gardening, artist in school.

May 21^st Semi-Final/Final: Marion Keane Basketball Tournament (Boys)

May 24^th First Holy Communion Day (10:30am)

May 27^th Exhibition of Children’s Ceramics and Pottery,

Parish Hall: 7pm

May 29^th School Closed. (Friday)

June 1^st Bank Holiday (Monday)

June 3^rd Class Outing 1^st & 2^nd Class

June 5^th School closed (Friday): Polling station

June 10^th Class Outing Infants Class

June 11^th Class Outing 5^th & 6^th Class

June 16^th Class Outing 3^rd & 4^th Class

June 16^th Information Night of Parents of New Entrants

June 17^th Parents’ Night: 6^th class (8pm)

June 17/18^th Finals, Cumann na mBunscoil

June 19^th Graduation Ceremony for 6^th class pupils

June 25^th School Holidays: school closes at 12:00pm

August 31^st School re-opens for new term.

Other dates and events to be decided will be circulated in due course.

Ogonnelloe NS

Board of Management

The Board of Management has been asked to remind all parents who use the Hurling Club’s Car Park, that when bringing and collecting their children, they ensure that the gate is closed on leaving.

If there is no one behind you, assume that you are the last!!

We are very grateful to the Hurling Club for allowing parents the use of this facility.

Once again, the Board of Management wishes to remind parents that the school takes responsibility for the supervision and safety of our pupils from 9:20 am to 3pm daily.

It is of grave concern to the BOM and school personnel that a number of children are left unsupervised on school property up to 30 minutes or more before school commences.

A number of minor incidences have occurred in the past few weeks that have resulted in upset to children and staff. Our worry is that these incidents are escalating in frequency and seriousness. On the grounds of Health and Safety, this situation cannot be condoned.

A suggestion to combat this is to bring the school day forward to begin at 9am and finish at 2:40pm (infants to finish at 1:40pm) from August 31^st next.

This matter was raised at our recent Board of Management meeting. Following from this, the Board agree in principle to this option. The School Staff has considered and are in favour of this option. The Board is in contact with Bus Eireann to investigate the feasibility of this change for the school bus. The Parents Representatives on the Board are in consultation with the Parents Association to ascertain the views of parents on this matter. If you have an opinion on the change, you are most welcome to contact the school in writing. The Board will meet again to discuss this option further once they get feedback from all the interested parties.

The Board has undertaken a number of projects recently in order to upgrade facilities about the school, both indoors and outdoors. The Board wishes to acknowledge the receipt of donations from the Parents Association, which funded some of this work and for their co-operation in seeing some of this work through to fruition, for the benefit of all our children.

The Chairman is happy to announce that we have received grant funding from the Department of Education and Science under the 2009 Summer Works Scheme. On foot of an application made by the Board of Management, the school has been allocated E20, 900 to be used to extend parking facilities at the school. The Chairman is in consultation with parent representatives on the Board with a view to garnering parent input into this worthwhile project.