Dear Parents & Guardians,
I hope this finds you all safe and well. The end of the second term is upon us & it’s good to see normality returning to school life. Please see below a list of recent and upcoming events.
Lifting Covid-Restrictions: Schools have been given the go-ahead to remove Covid-19 restrictions. After the Easter break there will be no staggered breaks for children. Children from all classes will be on the yard at break times. The school closing time will be 3pm for children from 1st -6th. There is no longer a requirement for children to bring their own face cloth to dry their hands after washing. As pods are no longer a requirement there will be more flexibility around changing seats for group work in classes. Children can enter the school grounds from 9am but will continue to be dropped at the school gate by parents or guardians. We would also ask parents to use the front door of the school & press the intercom if you need to pick up your child or drop off something for them. We thank for your assistance on this matter.
Development of the school Grounds: There was a great turn out to the meeting held on Thursday 3rd March in the school hall. Everyone in attendance were happy with the plans & very supportive of the development. A new committee of the Kilchreest Community Recreation Group was formed & the following are the officers of the Committee. Chairman: Mike Mahony, Vice Chairman: Shane Nash, Secretary: Francis O’Connor, Assistant Secretary Mairead Glynn, Treasurer: Fiona Clarke, Assistant Treasurer: Lisa Mahon, PRO: Michael Fahy. We thank all those who have volunteered. Work has started with grant applications & we are very grateful to Mairead, Shane & Aidan Clarke for all the time & effort they are putting into this. It is very much appreciated. We will be keeping you all updated as & when there are any updates.
Standardised Tests in English, Maths and Gaeilge will take place in the coming weeks.
Drumcondra English – Thursday 26th May
Drumcondra Maths – Tuesday 31st May
Drumcondra Gaeilge – Thursday 2nd June

Please make every effort to ensure your child is present on these dates as it can be unsettling for a child to complete the tests on their own at another time.
School Closures:
Easter Break: The school will be closing for Easter holidays on Friday 8th April at 12:30pm. Buses will run as normal. School reopens on Monday 25th April.
Monday 2rd May: Bank Holiday
Monday 6th June: Bank Holiday
Wednesday 8th June: Staff meeting – children go home at 1.45pm
Friday 24th June: School closing for Summer holidays.

Graduation Ceremony: Graduation ceremony for 6th class students and their parents will take place on Thursday 23rd June at 1pm in the school hall.

Sacraments:
Confirmation: Confirmation for 5th & 6th class pupils is on Monday 23rd of May at 11am in Castledaly church. The children will wear their school uniforms for the ceremony.
First Penance: First Penance for 2nd class children will take place Tuesday 7th June at 7pm in Castledaly Church
Communion: First Holy Communion for 2nd class children will take place on Saturday 11th June at 12pm in Castledaly church.

Staffing: We welcome Ms Hayes back to 3rd & 4th class after the Easter break. We are also delighted that Ms Flanagan will be staying on Staff until the end of the school year covering additional teaching hours we received from the Dept. as a result of the school closures due to Covid. Ms Flanagan will be teaching in all classes. We also welcome 2nd year Mary I student Laura Hanbury to the school. Ms Hanbury will be doing her placement in the 5th & 6th classroom after the Easter break until Friday 20th of May.

School Report Cards: Will be sent out on Friday 10th June with the children. If there is anything you would like to discuss in the report card, please make an appointment with the class teacher. Your child’s booklist and calendar for next year will be included in the envelope.

Clothes Collection: We will be having a school fundraising clothes collection on Tuesday 10th May. We would be grateful for your support. Bags of clothing can be left outside the front of the school from Monday evening 9th May.

RSE Talks: Relationship & Sexuality education talks for 5th & 6th class will take place in the school hall on Tuesday 10th May at 7:30pm. Qualified professional Ms Therese Fennessy MA will be our guest speaker/facilitator. More information to follow after Easter.

School Tours: Tuesday 21st of June is the date for this year’s school tours. The Infant-2nd class children will be going to Glendeer Pet Farm in Athlone. The children in 3rd-6th will be going to Bay Sports also in Athlone. We will communicate prices & other information closer to the time.

Congratulations: We would like to pass on our congratulations to past pupil Sarah Healy on winning a Camogie All-Star recently. This is a fantastic achievement for Sarah & her family.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries in relation to any of the above.
Yours sincerely

Francis O’Connor
Principal.