January Newsletter 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the first edition of our Newsletter for 2024!
I hope that all of you are well and that the children have settled back into school at this stage after the Christmas break. Thankfully the weather is starting to finally improve and the evenings are beginning to stay brighter for longer. We are very excited about the term ahead, as it is jam-packed with many fun-filled events as you will see below.

1. School Attendance- `Don`t be late, it`s going to be great! `
As you are aware, we are aiming to improve our overall attendance in the school as part of our DEIS Plan. It is very important that when the children are feeling well that they are in school every day. If they are absent from school, absence reasons must be recorded by the parent on the Aladdin App. For December our overall attendance rate was 94.2%, however our overall Attendance for January was 93.7%. We will be aiming to bring this attendance back up for February, but we need your help to do just that. Congratulations and well done to the boys and girls in First and Second Class who won Class of the Month for best attendance in January! Maith sibh a pháistí!

2. Supervision
As the new term begins, the Board of Management would like to remind you that the school operates from 9.20am to 3pm. Infants finish at 2pm. To facilitate the children`s safe arrival to school, your child should arrive at school between 9:10am and 9:20am. There will be supervision in the yard in the morning between 9:10am and 9:20am. To Keep everyone safe, pupils are not permitted to enter the school grounds before 9:10am. Supervision will be provided until 3pm. However, the school accepts no responsibility for children before 9.10am or after 3pm.

3. Access and Road Safety
I wish to draw your attention to the following safety protocol regarding the children`s entry and exit from the school. In order to provide for the children’s safe entry to and exit from school, the following protocol is still in place. Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd classes are to enter and leave the school grounds via the lower pathway on the village side. Senior children from 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th classes are required to use the upper pathway on the Aglish side.

4. Parent-Teacher Meetings
We were delighted to meet all of our parents at the parent-teacher meetings that occurred between the 23rd-25th January. This was the first year that the school utilised Aladdin to arrange meeting slots with parents & we were delighted at it worked out so well. So thank you to all of our parents for again making this transition so easy.

5. Clashmore National School Parents` Association
Our wonderful Parents` Association are currently undertaking 2 fundraising events and we would as always greatly appreciate your support.

• Clothes Collection- Bags of clothes can be dropped to the school each morning between 9am-9:30am until the 9th February.
• Quiz in May O`Rourke`s @7pm on Friday 9th February.

6. Presentation of Commemorative Wall Chart by The Clashmore Heritage Group
Clashmore Heritage Group recently presented a Commemorative Wall Chart to the school as part of a Decade of Centenaries project funded by Waterford County Council and Waterford County Archives. This project aims to engage the pupils and to educate them on some of the major events & flashpoints that occurred in this area during the period of 1919-1923 and where they took place in the local landscape. We are extremely grateful to The Heritage Group for their hard-work and dedication in creating this wonderful piece of local History.

7. Extra- Curricular Activities

• Athletics- Despite the very heavy frost, the children recently enjoyed an Athletics Day with Waterford Sports Partnership on 16th January!
• GAA- We are delighted that Mary O`Rourke will continue to do GAA with the children each fortnight.
• Soccer- In addition, further sessions of soccer will be occurring with Gary Tobin, Paula-Kelly Carey & John Murphy this term.
• Swimming- Children from 3rd-6th class will begin their 8 weeks of swimming in Aura Youghal beginning on Monday 12th February, followed by each Monday thereafter with the exception of the bank holiday week. Lessons will occur on Thursday 21st March that week. The final swimming lesson will be on 15th April.

8. Youghal Library
Since becoming a DEIS school we have been putting a particular emphasis on reading for enjoyment in school and at home. As part of this initiative, we are hoping to forge greater links with Youghal Library. In doing so, we will be giving out membership forms for Youghal Library for each child to join the Library. Membership is free. We are hoping that each child will join the library. If you are interested in having membership for your child, please return the forms to the school by Friday 9th February. We will return the forms to the library and we hope to bring the children on a visit to the library before the end of the school year.

9. Green Schools News
We are currently in the second year of the Global Citizenship-Litter & Waste Flag. As part of the preparation for this flag, we have been working hard to become global citizens and to reduce our waste in school. The whole school has been learning about some global goals. We came up with a Green School song, we completed some lovely Art work and the Green School Committee held their first assembly in December. We have also got involved in testing the quality of the water in our local river. We will be having an Action Day in April. This will be a very exciting day for the whole school and it will involve a range of whole-school events.

10. Outdoor Mural Re-Vamp
The children have been working very hard on finalising a concept to shape our new outdoor mural. This concept has been finalised and the sketches completed by out Waterford Walls Artist approved by the children. The Artist is scheduled to come to the school on Tuesday 6th February to work with the children (15 in total) on the mural. We are extremely excited at the thought of this event and we look forward to seeing the finished product, which is at the moment TOP SECRET!

11. First Penance Service 20th February
I would like to wish our second class pupils every blessing as they prepare for their First Penance which will take place with Ballycurrane National School in Clashmore Church on Tuesday 20th February at 7:30pm. We look forward to a very special evening.

12. 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.

13. New Parental Complaints Procedure
Please be advised that there is a new Parental Complaints Procedure that has come into effect. It is attached to this Newsletter.

14. Important Dates for Your Diary

• Monday 6th February Bank Holiday, School is closed.
• Monday 8th March, the school is closed as it is being used as a polling station.
• Monday 18th March Bank Holiday, the school is closed.

Finally, I would like to wish you all every blessing for the year ahead,

Le gach beannacht uaimse,
Yvonne Uí Fhlaithimhín
Principal of Clashmore National School