Dear Parents & Guardians,

As we approach Mid-term break I think everyone would agree that it is great to be back in school. It is important to recognise how well the children have adapted to the new situation and they are all doing so well. It is lovely to see smiling happy faces coming in the school gates every morning. As a staff & B.O.M. we are happy with the procedures & practices in place to protect the children & staff whilst they are at school. We thank you for your support to date & continued support as we try to ensure that the school will remain open.

Please find a list of recent & upcoming events.

First Confession/First Holy Communion: We would like to congratulate the boys & girls on making their First Penance & First Holy Communion recently. We thank Ms Cusack for preparing the children for both Sacraments. We also thank Ms Kelly for giving her time & providing the music on both occasions & to Fr Roche for performing the ceremonies.

School Photos: County Photos were in the school recently to take the children’s photos. If you are interested in getting the photos you can go online or return the order form to the school before Tuesday 13th October.

Seesaw: We are all now up & running with the online platform Seesaw. It has been working well so far and the kids seem to be enjoying using it. Thanks to Ms Cusack for all the work she has done to set this up for everyone.

Maths Week: Maths Week will run from Monday 12th October to Friday 16th October. This is always an enjoyable week for the children. As children will not be getting Maths homework that week we would ask that you give them the opportunity to use Maths in the Environment for e.g. estimating shopping bills, using measures when cooking, cost of petrol/diesel per litre, identifying shapes & looking at numbers on road signs or in the home.

Congratulations: We pass on our congratulations to the St Thomas’ Senior Hurlers on winning the County Title for the Third year in a row. This is a fantastic achievement by a wonderful group of players.

Halloween Costumes: The children will be allowed to wear their Halloween Costumes if they have them on Friday 23rd of October.

Shoebox Appeal: Due to the effects of Covid-19 the Christmas Shoebox appeal has moved online for 2020. If you’d like to donate it can be done by accessing www.Teamhope.ie

School Book Fair: We normally have our annual School Book Fair in November. We have decided to wait & see if we may be able to organise it at some point in the New Year.

Parent-Teacher Meetings: We will be guided Public Health Advice before organising Parent Teacher Meetings this year. Should you wish to communicate with your child’s teacher please don’t hesitate to contact by calling the school phone or by email.

Bun & Biscuit Day: 3rd & 4th class will be having their annual Bun & Biscuit day on Friday 23rd October. Unfortunately, due to the current situation it will be restricted to the children in the class & parents will be unable to attend this year. We thank you for your understanding on this matter.

Schools Hurling & Camogie Competitions: The most recent communication from Galway Cuman na mBunscol is that this year’s Mini-7s competitions will not go ahead prior to Christmas. A decision on organising any school’s competitions will take place in the New Year.

School Closures:
-Mid-Term Break Monday 26th October-Friday 30th October. School reopens Monday 2nd of November.

If you have any further queries in relation to any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely
Francis O’Connor
Principal