Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir!
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I am delighted to welcome you to the Christmas Edition of our Newsletter. The festive spirit has truly landed here in Clashmore National School! For the past couple of weeks, the school has been transformed into a Winter Wonderland with all of the lovely Christmas decorations and the beautiful Christmas Art created by the children adorning the walls. This has greatly added to the Christmas cheer and festivities in school.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all of the wonderful staff of Clashmore National School for helping to create this magical atmosphere around the school. I would also like to thank J.J Fitzgerald for donating a beautiful outdoor tree to the school. Equally, I wish to thank all of you for your support throughout the first term. It has been an incredibly busy term, but an enjoyable term. We hope that a special person may take time out of his busy schedule to visit the school this week. He might even bring some treats for the children also! Please see below for further updates.
1. School Attendance
For November our overall attendance rate was 94.6%. We are delighted with this, as there was an increase in the attendance rate for November. Congratulations and well done to the boys and girls in Junior and Senior Infants who won Class of the Month for best attendance!
2. Christmas Carol Service
We all enjoyed a truly memorable occasion at the Christmas Carol Service in Clashmore church on Tuesday 12th December. There was a medley of performances from the drama `Wiggly Nativity` to Carol singing and a special performance on the ukuleles. It was a wonderful night enjoyed by all. Many thanks to Sheila Murphy & Danny Dunford who both helped out with the musical preparations.
3. School Fundraiser 5th & 6th Class Christmas Market 13th December
We were delighted to host our first ever Christmas Market in the school last Wednesday 13th December, organised and run by our 5th & 6th Class children with their teacher Mrs. Osborne. This was a special fundraising event in aid of the end of year 6th class hoodies. The effort and hard-work and commitment by these wonderful boys and girls was very evident on the day. There were various stalls with handmade decorations, Christmas centre-pieces, Christmas themed games, face-painting etc and even Santa and Mrs. Claus also paid a visit to the school on the day. 5th & 6th Class raised a total of €1726 from this event. Congratulation to the boys and girls in 5th & 6th class and their teacher Mrs. Osborne for this outstanding achievement. We are so proud of them. Equally, I would like to thank all of the parents, grandparents, extended family and friends from the community who supported this event & all of the businesses who sponsored prizes for the raffle. We are truly grateful to you.
4. Christmas Panto & A Visit to the Heritage Centre
All pupils from 1st-6th class attended the Christmas Panto in The Opera House in Cork on Thursday 14th December to watch Jack and the Beanstalk. Junior and Senior Infants enjoyed a special visit to the Heritage centre that same day, to watch a movie and play lots of festive games. It certainly was a day to remember for all!
5. The Daily Mile Update
Last Friday 15th December, the boys and girls completed the final 56 km of their Daily Mile journey to return home to Waterford. This has been a great initiative to re-energise the children, add to their fitness and help their concentration levels in class. We are aiming to begin a new journey in Europe after Christmas. We are greatly looking forward to this. Sincere thanks to Mrs. Seward for co-ordinating this initiative.
6. Enrolment Ceremony & Confession
Congratulations to the 2nd class boys and girls who celebrated their enrolment service on the 4th December. Míle buíochas to Fr. Kelly who performed the service and who also gave confession to 3rd-6th class in school on the 15th December.
7. Christmas Jumper Day Wednesday 20th December
We will celebrate our annual Christmas Jumper Day on Wednesday 20th December in aid of the Dungarvan Lions Club. Please note that the €2 donation per child has already been paid by parents in September, as it was combined with The Arts Crafts & Photocopying fees. The children may also wear their Christmas Jumpers to school on Friday 22nd December.
8. New Board of Management
As you are aware a New Board of Management took effect as of the 1st December.
The Members of the Board are as follows:
I wish the members of the new Board of Management every blessing and every best wish, as they begin their 4-year term in office.
9. Clashmore National School Parents` Association
Many thanks to The Parents` Association who covered the cost of the bus to the Panto and who also purchased the Christmas Annuals for each child in the school. We are extremely thankful to our Parents` Association for all that they do on behalf of the school. They recently held their AGM on the 22nd November. Sincere thanks to all the parents who attended the AGM.
The New Committee Members are as follows:
The P.A will be having a clothes collection in January (date to be confirmed) and a further fundraiser a Table Quiz on Friday 2nd February 2024 (Save the date!).
10. Enrolments for the 2024-2025 School Year
Please note that we are currently accepting enrolments for the coming school year. Please contact our secretary Laura Barron for enrolment forms by email clashmorens19@gmail.com or by phone on 024-96404.
11. Parent-Teacher Meetings January 2024
Parent-teacher meetings will take place from 23rd-25th January 2024. Times for these meetings can be booked via Aladdin Connect closer to the date. You will be notified of this again in January.
12. Important Dates for Your Diary
Finally, I hope that you and your families enjoy a restful and happy Christmas & I wish you all the very best for the New Year.
Le gach beannacht uaimse,
Yvonne Uí Fhlaithimhín
Principal of Clashmore National School