April Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Dates for your Diary:

• Monday 4th May – Public Holiday, school closed

• Saturday 16th May, 12 noon – First Holy Communion

• Tuesday 19th May – Staff Training, school closed

• Tuesday 26th May – 2nd & 3rd Class Tour

• Monday 1st June – Public Holiday, school closed

• Thursday 11th June – 1st & 2nd Class Tour

• Friday 12th June – Junior Infants Tour

• Monday 15th June – Senior Infants Tour

• Tuesday 16th June – 4th, 5th and 6th Class Tour

• Wednesday 24th June – School ends for the summer at 12 noon

After-School Service:

The Glounaguillagh After-School Club is up-and-running and going well, although it would benefit from increased numbers attending. If you would like more information, please contact glounaguillaghafterschool@gmail.com. The service will run during the summer holidays. See attached flyer. To access this, please contact Jade (after-school supervisor) directly on 087-4580875.

School Tours:

• Junior Infants – Nature Hub – Friday 12th June

• Senior Infants – Nature Hub – Monday 15th June

• 1st & 2nd Class – Muckross Nature Camp – Thursday 11th June

• 2nd & 3rd Class – Tralee Wetlands – Tuesday 26th May

• 4th, 5th and 6th Class – Gap of Dunloe trip – Tuesday 16th June

Class teachers will be in touch with you regarding arrangements, etc.

Congratulations to:

• Lorcan Doyle and Eimee Lynch, 6th Class, who represented the school at the Mid-Kerry Primary Game trials held recently.

Good luck to:

• Adam Houlihan, Charlie Enright and Jack Moloney who are representing the school at the Mid-Kerry Primary Boys Skills competition tomorrow in Keel.

• Caoimhe Foley, Caoimhe O’Connor and Eimee Lynch who are representing the school at the Mid-Kerry Primary Girls Skills competition on Wednesday in Keel.

Confirmation:

Congratulations to the children in 6th Class on making the sacrament of Confirmation at the end of March. We hope you had a wonderful evening celebrating with your families and loved ones. Our thanks to Bishop Ray, Fr. Kevin, Sinéad Geary and all involved for a lovely service. We also extend our thanks to Seán Treacy, and to the students and staff of Glounaguillagh N.S. and Scoil Réalt na Mara for their time and participation in the choir on the evening. Your support is very much appreciated.

Wellbeing Week:

Organised by our Amber Flag Committee, with the support of Mrs. Phelan, Wellbeing Week took place from Monday 20th April to Friday 24th April last. It was a fantastic week filled with positive activities that promoted mindfulness, gratitude and overall wellbeing throughout the school. We kicked off with Mindfulness Monday, where students took part in guided meditation, mindfulness colouring and DEAR/DEAC time. With the welcome return of sunny weather, classes also enjoyed spending time outdoors, making the most of the sunshine. On Thankful Tuesday, the focus was on gratitude. Pupils created thoughtful notes for people at school and home who make a difference in their lives. A Gratitude Jar was on display for contributions, and our whole-school Gratitude Garden came to life, with students adding petals, flowers and leaves featuring messages of appreciation. Wellbeing Wednesday focused on emotions and how to build positive feelings. Activities included engaging with Weaving Wellbeing videos and discussions on ways to boost wellbeing. Students also enjoyed a break from regular homework, with wellbeing-focused activities instead. Thursday was Terrific Thursday, which included a “Pyjama Day” fundraiser in support of Pieta House. The day focused on resilience and self-awareness, encouraging students to reflect on their personal strengths, skills and positive affirmations. We finished the week with Feel Good Friday, packed with fun and celebration. Highlights included a yard disco, performing random acts of kindness and reflecting on positive moments from the week. Students also enjoyed a relaxing yoga session with Ms. O’Shea. Overall, it was a hugely successful and enjoyable week for everyone involved. A sincere thank you to the Amber Flag Committee; Caoimhe Foley, Caoimhe O’Connor, Iveragh Mansell, Cian Murphy, Hayley Walker, Áine O’Carroll, Zack Scully, Rachel Seagrave, Kayla O’Carroll and Ivan Morris along with Mrs. Phelan for their hard work in organising such a meaningful event.

Cumann na mBunscol Girls:

Our girls’ football team will partake in the Cumann na mBunscol 6/7 Teacher Schools Competition this Thursday, 30th April, in Currow. Best of luck to all involved.

Book Fair:

Our thanks to everyone who supported our recent book fair. Thanks to your generosity, we have over €1000 for the school to use to continue to update and improve our classroom libraries.

FAI Primary 5s:

Well done to our two girls’ soccer teams for representing the school very well at the FAI Girls Primary 5s soccer tournament held in Killarney Celtic recently. Both teams played four great games each, showing brilliant skill, teamwork and determination throughout. Thanks to Wayne and Ms. McCarthy for accompanying the teams on the day.

Swimming:

Swimming lessons concluded for 3rd and 4th Classes last week with 5th & 6th Classes having finished their six sessions earlier in the new year. Safe to say, all children enjoyed the lessons. Thank you once again to the Parents' Association for contributing to the cost of the swimming lessons and to the parents of the classes involved for supporting us to offer these lessons to the children.

Time to Count:

Time to Count has reached a conclusion in 3rd Class. Our visit was postponed recently but we will finish the programme with our visit to Fexco and wrap-up party tomorrow, Tuesday 28th April. Thank you to Eileen, Clíona, our wonderful volunteers from Fexco along with Business in the Community Ireland and Fexco for their commitment to this programme.

Kind regards,

Sinéad Pigott

Principal