Newsletter 11 – Nov 17th, 2023
Dear Parents/ Guardians,
A stormy start to the week but thank God things settled down as the week went on.
School is a special place at this time of year with the older boys and girls preparing for the Christmas Carol Service and the younger children preparing for their Christmas plays and concerts. The children are busy rehearsing lines, and the sound of music is all around. We can’t wait to see some Oscar-winning performances in December.
Special Visitors to our School Today at 9.30am Minister for Further and Higher Education, Mr. Simon Harris came to St. Brigid’s to talk to our 6th classes about science and being in the Irish Government. He told us about growing up in Greystones and how he campaigned for his brother’s education.
Accompanying him on the day was Ciaran from Science Education Ireland who came to speak to us about different areas of science. Ciaran also told us about his experiences with physics and how science is for everyone. It was inspiring and interesting. We really enjoyed this wonderful opportunity. We are all so grateful to Minister Harris and Ciaran Seoighe for answering all our questions and coming to our school. (Written by Amber Boden, Robyn Deery and Georgia O’Gorman Room 16)
Parent Teacher Meetings – While the main focus of parent-teacher meetings should be on learning, it’s also an opportunity for you to discuss factors that may be affecting your child’s learning, as well as your child’s strengths and challenges. The teachers have allocated 10/15-minute slots for each meeting. If you feel you need more time to discuss an issue that has been on your mind, please don’t hesitate to request more time on another day. The teachers are very accommodating and more than willing to further discuss any concerns you may have.
Admissions for Junior Infants 2024-2025. The school shall cease accepting applications for admission on Monday 27th November. Monday 4th December 2023 is the date by which applicants will be notified of the decision on their application.
Happy Birthday – Happy birthday to the nine pupils at our school who are celebrating birthdays this week. They are Ben O’ Gallagher (11yrs), Edie Nolan (6yrs), Freddie Gormley (10yrs), Charlie Corrigan (11yrs), Zoe Brennan (11yrs), Conor Higgins (7yrs), Lily Lockhart (11yrs), Corbyn Doyle (8yrs) and Ciarán Finn (12yrs), We hope they all enjoy their special day.
Sport
- Fencing – Out three fifth classes have started fencing classes with Piri from En Garde Fencing Club which they seem to be enjoying. The classes will run for seven weeks and at the final lesson Piri and her partner will put on a fencing display for all the children.
- Boys Soccer Blitz – Fifteen of our 6th class boys headed off to Bray on Tuesday 14th November to participate in their first soccer Blitz of the year. The boys played really well and worked fantastically as a team. A big thank you to teacher Martin Dodd who accompanied them on the day and to parent Paul Williams who helped with the refereeing.
- Girls Gaelic Blitz – It was the girls turn to head off to Bray on Wednesday 15th November for a Gaelic Blitz. The girls demonstrated great skills in all their matches and ended up winning three out of their four games. Maith sibh a chailíní! Thank you to Ms Niamh Murray, SNA Helena and parent Eimear Doran for bringing the children to this Blitz.
- Boys Gaelic Blitz – Twelve boys from our 3rd and 4th classes donned the St. Brigid’s kit on Thursday 16th November and headed to Bray for their Gaelic Blitz. They showed great team spirit as they battled it out against the other local schools. They enjoyed their day out and are already looking forward to the next one. Thank you to Ms. Finnerty and parent Leisha McGerr who went with them to the Blitz.
TY Students We look forward to welcoming Nicole Maxwell, Lucy Cole, Stella Doyle and Laoise Finnerty to the school next week to participate in our St. Brigid’s Transition Year Programme. We hope they get a good insight into the teaching profession and that some of them will go on to qualify as teachers in the future! ‘Is proifisiún í an mhúinteoireacht a mhúineann na proifisiún uilig eile’
Nomination and Election of Parents to 2023-2027 Board of Management The 2019-2023 term of the school’s board of management finishes on 30th November 2023 and I would like to thank the current parent nominees, Aoife Murray and Jim Clarken for their contribution to the board.
The new term will begin on 1st December 2023. This will require elections and the appointment of new members of the board of management, including two parent nominees (one being a father and one being a mother).
I would like to invite you to consider becoming a parent nominee on our board of management. Parent nominees bring a mother’s and father’s view to board of management discussions and decisions and play an important role on the board. Board meetings are confidential to board members, but all members of the board work together to make decisions in the best interest of the children and the school.
A meeting will be held at the school on Monday 27th November at 7.30pm to elect the parent reps. We would love to see as many of you as possible on the night.
Gaeilge – Frásaí na Seachtaine # 10 – This week’s phrase is: “Maith thú ?” (Any news?)
Friendship Week – We celebrated Friendship Week at St. Brigid’s this week with lots of fun activities throughout the week. As part of the week, we launched a School Buddy System which saw senior classes pairing up with junior classes to do paired reading, build lego, play games and much more. The boys and girls are looking forward to seeing their buddy classes again in December for some more fun and games.
All classes explored the qualities and traits that make a good friend. A collaborative display is being created to illustrate all the wonderful ideas that the boys and girls came up with. This will be displayed outside the office so make sure to check it out if you are passing through for your Parent Teacher Meeting’s. An anti-bullying lesson was also delivered in every class in the school. (Written by Ms. Corcoran)
It Takes a Village: Funny Raiser – Saturday 18th November at 8pm at the Whale Theatre – The event will feature a range of comedians including Kevin McGahern, Julie Jay, Colm O’ Regan, Bernard O’ Shea, Áine Gallagher and Aidan Greene. Tickets available at www.whaletheatre.ie
School Calendar – You can still order your 2024 Calendar via Aladdin Connect if you have not already done so. The cost is €15 per calendar.
Santa comes to Greystones this weekend Santa and his elves are coming to Greystones tomorrow Saturday 18th November. They will be here for the turning on of the Greystones Christmas Lights and the Santa Parade. Santa hopes to see as many boys and girls as possible along the route and would love them all to give him a big wave.
Go dtí an seachtain seo chugainn (Until next week)
Slán go fóill
Máire Costello
Principal