Sporting their new sky blue running vests (thanks to the ... Normans, and our brilliant trip to Maynooth castle, we deci
Presentation Girls’ School, Maynooth October 2017 Newsletter Dear Parents/Guardians, What a busy six weeks we have had here in school! Our Junior Infant girls are all well settled by now and taking part in all school activities. Here at Presentation Girls’ School we continue to promote healthy lunches. Please ensure that only one small treat is included on a Friday. As there are a number of girls with serious nut allergies, I ask you to be conscious of this when preparing your child’s lunch. Food with traces of nuts is not acceptable and chocolate spread is a “no, no”. Breakfast is widely acknowledged as the most important meal of the day. Please make sure your child eats breakfast. Health & Safety in our school is always a priority. Those of you who bring girls to the Junior Yard in the morning are aware that it is a very busy area. Fourteen classes assemble on this yard. For this reason, we ask your support with the following:
that girls go directly to their lines on arrival – it is not a play area in the morning that the yard become a ‘child friendly’ space, by parents and minders staying in the Adult Area, which is behind the yellow line. This will help the girls to become more independent.
I am aware that many parents/guardians are already waiting in the Adult Area and I thank you for your support. Safety while entering and exiting the school is also a priority for us. It is great to see many girls cycling to school but cycling is not permitted on the pedestrian paths or through the car park by children or adults. Cyclists must dismount and walk on the paths. Please note that bicycles are left at owners’ risk. Pupils entering and leaving the school on their own or with parents/minders must use pedestrian paths. Walking in through the main gate and around the barrier is NOT SAFE. The barrier may be activated at any time and could cause a serious injury to anyone in close proximity. Our traditional Hallowe’en cake sale and dress up takes place on Friday 27th October. I hope to meet you at our Sponsored Walk fundraiser on Sunday 22nd October at 12 noon. Cora McGorry.
School Walk This year we are running our Sponsored Walk in aid of school funds on Sunday 22nd October at 12 noon. We hope that all families can become involved as it is a social occasion as well as a fundraiser. We walk Carton Avenue so it is possible for small legs to complete the route. Cards will be issued early next week and money should be sent in to school by Friday 20 th October. The cards will only be valid from 10th – 20th October and will be watermarked in an attempt to avoid bogus collectors.
Hallowe’en Cake Sale The Parents’ Association organise a Cake Sale before Hallowe’en every year. It is a wonderful day for the pupils – they love shopping for treats and will have the added delight this year of shopping while in Hallowe’en themed costumes. Please be vigilant about the school’s No Nut Policy when baking some delights for cake sale!
Volunteers We are anxious to get the library up and running as soon as possible but are dependent on the availability of volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering for an hour or more a week, please contact the school office. Normally two parents work together and scan the library books as the pupils borrow and return books.
ABC for active kids Agility Balance and Co-ordination - indoor athletics programme for children starts Friday 10th November 4:30pm to 5:30pm in the Boys' National School, Maynooth. Suitable for Junior Infants up to 2nd class. For further information and booking contact Karen O’Hanlon, GNS and BNS athletics coach at 0879816569
G.A.A. Coaching The pupils from 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes have started G.A.A. coaching on Wednesdays. Their enthusiastic coaches are Transition Year students from Maynooth Education Campus and the sessions are co-ordinated and supervised by Jenny O’ Dwyer from Maynooth G.A.A. Jenny is a past pupil so it is lovely to see her back in our school again. The girls will learn and practice many new skills such as hand passing, kick passing, soloing and scoring! Modules covering football and camogie will be provided. We are sure that we will see many Kildare G.A.A. starts in the making!
Farewell Father Liam This month we had to say farewell to our Parish Priest Father Liam, who has been with us for the past ten years. The girls have many fond memories of Fr. Liam. We compiled these memories into a scrapbook which was presented to him last Wednesday. The girls said a final farewell to Fr. Liam on Tuesday when he came to thank them for their lovely artwork, poems and stories. He said he would treasure this gift forever. We all sang his two favourite songs ‘The Cloud’s Veil’ and ‘We are the Greatest’. Fr. Liam’s final message to the girls was remember that ‘You are the greatest and God loves you’. We will miss you Fr. Liam!!
Schools Cross Country Success in Kilcock. Congratulations to the 24 girls from 4th, 5th and 6th classes, who represented Presentation Maynooth so impressively on Friday September 22nd in Kilcock. Sporting their new sky blue running vests (thanks to the Parents’ Association) all 24 ran to the best of their ability. Anna Killian was particularly impressive when
she won the 4th class race by a distance, and Elena O’Keeffe and Siofra Loftus also finished in the top ten in the same race. Maebh Caffrey finished 2nd in a very tight finish in the 5th class race and she was closely followed by Aoife Murnane in 5th. Bolu Oloyede finished in 10th. Presentation Maynooth had another 1st place in the 6th class girls race when Aoife Mc Nerney won by a distance. Niamh McDonald finished in 3rd, with Carla Duffy and Aoife Richardson finishing in 6th and 8th respectively. It was a really enjoyable and successful day.
5th Class Visit to Maynooth Castle On the 20th, 21st and 22nd of September, each 5th Class got the opportunity to visit the historical Maynooth Castle. We arrived at the castle ready to ask so many questions as we have been studying the Normans and Maynooth castle is a Norman Castle. Each 5th Class received a guided tour around the castle by knowledgeable guides who were able to answer all of our questions. As a result of our studies on the Normans, and our brilliant trip to Maynooth castle, we decided to undertake projects on the Normans to research them even more! Overall, our trip to Maynooth castle was very beneficial and has allowed us to learn more about the amazing history in our local area!
Dates for your diary School Walk
Sunday 22nd Oct at 12 noon (meet at the school)
Hallowe’en Cake Sale & Dress Up
Friday 27th Oct
Parent / Teacher meetings
Senior Infants – 6th
21st / 22nd Nov (information to follow)
Keep an eye on school website for up-to-date information www.presgirlsmaynooth.ie
