September Newsletter 2025

Fáilte is fiche romhaibh thar n-ais!

Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter for the 2025-2026 school year. I would like to wish you all a very warm welcome back to school. I hope that you are all keeping well and you had a restful Summer break. I would like to wish all of our boys & girls, parents, staff, Board of Management, Parents` Association and school community every best wish for the year ahead. I have no doubt that it will be a busy one, but a great one!! I would also like to extend a very special welcome to our New Junior Infants and our new families to the school. We wish them many happy years in Clashmore National School. I would also like to wish our past pupils all the very best, as they begin their secondary school journey.

Like previous years, the school was a hub of activity over the Summer period with upgrades. All classrooms, the reception area, the corridor, staff toilet and staffroom have been painted & the staff toilet has been refurbished. Each classroom has been fitted with new display boards and new shelves. Additional shelving has been also placed outside 2 of the classrooms. A new boiler has been installed, as well as new soap and toilet roll dispensers. I would like to extend a huge debt of gratitude to members of the Board of Management and their families as well as parents in the school, who greatly helped us during these upgrades. We are extremely grateful & we could not have made all of these amazing upgrades without their help and dedication.

Please note that this is an extra-long newsletter, as it has many reminders and important updates for the coming year.

1. The Staff of Clashmore National School are as follows

• Principal & Special Education Teacher- Yvonne Uí Fhlaithimhín
• 5th & 6th Class Teacher- Mrs. Patricia Keogh
• 3rd & 4th Class Teacher, Mrs. Michelle O`Donovan
• 1st & 2nd Class Teacher- Mr. Phelan
• Junior & Senior Infants Class Teacher- Ms. Lauryn Crotty (Substitute)
• Special Education Teacher- Ms. Ellen O`Connor (Substitute) based full-time in Clashmore this year.
• S.N.A (Special Needs Assistant)- Mrs. Siobhán Fitzgerald/Job-share Partner Linda Power
• S.N.A (Special Needs Assistant)- Mrs. Dawn Goulding
• S.N.A (Special Needs Assistant)- Mrs. Michelle Fitzgerald
• Secretary- Mrs. Laura Barron
• Caretaker Mr. Michael Dunne
• Cleaner: Mrs. Marian Flavin

2. Comhghairdeas -Congratulations

I would like to wish Ms Hynes Deputy Principal every best wish in her retirement. Equally I would like to congratulate Ms Osborne and her family on the birth of baby Matt. We wish them every blessing and we look forward to meeting Baby Matt.

3. 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.

4. Access and Road Safety

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.

5. Attendance/Pupil Absences

As a DEIS school we will be placing a huge focus on attendance again this year. The importance of attendance cannot be under-estimated. By maintaining a good attendance, children can not only develop academically, but can develop their social skills and friendships but to name a few of the benefits. So please make every effort to ensure your child is in school. If your child is absent, it is mandatory that a reason for the absence is communicated to the school. Equally, we would ask that appointments be made outside of school time and that children are not leaving school early. In addition, please try to avoid taking holidays during term time, as regardless of the time of year children are missing out when they are not in school. As per our Attendance Policy, the Principal will issue a letter to parents following absences of 10 days, 15 days and 20 days. If a child has been absent for more than 20 days in a school year, then this will have to be reported to Tusla Child and Family Agency and the Children’s Education Welfare Officer may be in touch if there is cause for concern.

6. School Secretary

Our School Secretary Mrs. Laura Barron is here on a part-time basis and is contactable at the following times:

• Monday 9:20am-1pm
• Tuesday 9:20am-1pm
• Wednesday 9:20am-1pm
• Thursday 9:20-1pm Friday 9:20-1pm

Please note that these times may be subject to change.

7. A Couple of Reminders:

• Aladdin Connect App: A gentle reminder that Aladdin Connect is our school administration system. Please ensure that you are registered and can log in to this App at all times as all messages will come through Aladdin. Text messages will only be issued in the event of an Emergency.
• Face Cloths: Please ensure that you child has a face cloth in a sealed zip bag to dry their hands each day. We would also ask that this face cloth is changed/washed each week.
• Labelling Children`s Clothes: Please remember to label all of your child(ren)`s jumpers, as jumpers tend to get mixed up or mislaid.
• Earrings: Please be advised that the children only permitted to wear stud earrings.
• Return Bin: We are continuing with our Return bin as we aim to buy a 4th Lego Spike box. Plastic bottles & cans can be sent into school each Monday.
• Homework Journals: Please ensure that you have signed your child`s homework journal. Homework pages can be signed for Infants. A gentle reminder that Homework will not be given in the school until the 22nd September.
• School Crests: The iron-on/sow on School Crest is still available to buy from the office at a cost of €5. This is also a Parents` Association fundraiser, so we would greatly appreciate your support

8. Extra-Curricular Activities

• Music Generation: Music Generation will continue in school this year. Junior Infants to Second class will be focusing on Musical Beginnings (songs, rhythm, pitch etc), while 3rd-6th class will be learning to play the Ukulele. Danny Dunford will be the children`s music teacher. This is our third year of Music Generation and it one of the highlights of our week. There will be a cost associated with this programme, payable again through Aladdin. However, this programme is subsidised by the school.
• GAA: I am delighted to announce that Mary O`Rourke will be back with us to do GAA with all classes. We are greatly looking forward to this.
• The Daily Mile: The whole school will again be engaging in the Drop Everything and Run initiative again this year, beginning this month. This will involve every class spending 10 minutes running at their own pace every day. We as a school will record the accumulative distance that we run on a weekly basis. Our destination will be unveiled in the coming days.
• Green Schools: This year the school is continuing its great work on the theme of Global Citizenship & Energy. We hope that our community will come together to become active global citizens through the many different events that we will be holding this year.

9. School Fees Total €32.00

Please be advised that the following things will be covered in the €32.00 fee per child:

• Arts, Crafts & Photocopying Fee is €23 per child for the coming year.
• Allianz Pupil Insurance Fee €7: This is 24 hour cover 365 days a year for school activities, social, domestic and leisure activities (including school holidays).
• Fundraiser Fee: There will also be a €2 fundraiser fee for the Christmas Jumper Fundraiser for the Lions Club.

Please do not send in any money to the office, as this fee will be payable through Aladdin. You will be notified by email with the link to pay the fee when it is due.

10. Child Protection

Please note that Yvonne Uí Fhlaithimhín is the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) in relation to Child Protection in the school. The Child Safeguarding Statement and Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment can be viewed on the wall inside the front door of the school.

11. Medication

In the event that your child requires medication during school hours, you are required to fill out an indemnity form and information form in advance before any medication can be permitted in school. These forms are available on request from the office.

12. Healthy Eating Guidelines

As part of the school`s Healthy Eating Guidelines, Pupils are allowed to bring a small treat on a Friday (e.g. fun size bar/bag of sweets, small home bakes, popcorn or pretzels, chocolate spread or yogurts not containing nuts). There is a total ban on nut and nut products (e.g. Nutella) due to the serious allergies of some pupils. Equally cordial is only permitted with lunch.

13. Foxy Stamps Saving Scheme

To enable the children to gain the experience of saving, in conjunction with Youghal Credit Union, the school runs the Foxy Stamps Saving Scheme. This scheme allows pupils to buy saving stamps from the school at a cost of €1 each Friday and redeem their savings card in Youghal Credit Union or lodge into their account. This will begin in the school on Friday 12th September.

14. Important Dates for your Diary

• 24th October School Closed: the school will be used as a polling station for the Presidential Election.
• 27th November School Closed: Staff training in Child Protection
• 28th January & 29th April 2026 School Closed: Staff training in the New Primary School Curriculum.
• 25th & 26th November: Parent-Teacher Meetings will be held in the school.
• 1th December: Our Christmas Performances will take place in the school.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a welcome return to school and I look forward to catching up with all of you over the coming weeks.
Le gach beannacht uaimse,
Yvonne Uí Fhlaithimhín
Principal of Clashmore National School