CENTRAL SCHOOL SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2013

Dear Parents/Guardians, It is hard to believe that we are in the last month of yet another school year. We hope you enjoy this summer newsletter. Bain taitneamh as!

Missionary Children Ireland Congratulations to John Randles (5th Class) who was the winner of the Children Helping Children Easter Colouring Competition (10-11 category). There were over 6,500 entries in the competition but John’s entry stood out from the crowd. John received a €20 book token as well as a certificate. John’s picture with his teacher Miss Moriarty featured in the May ‘Children Helping Children’ magazine.

Rowing Boat Competition Donal O’ Sullivan was the worthy winner of the Rowing Boat Competition which was organised by the Rowing Club. The pupils of all schools in the greater Kenmare area had to think of a name for the four new rowing boats which the club recently purchased. Donal O’ Sullivan was chosen as one of the four winners for his name “The Scéine Beauty”. Donal won a €30 voucher for Finnegan’s shop, Kenmare. His chosen name “The Scéine Beauty” takes pride of place on one of the new Kenmare rowing boats. Fantastic name Donal!

Confirmation Congratulations to the fifth and sixth class pupils who received the sacrament of Confirmation on April 25th. They prepared conscientiously for this occasion and great credit is due to them and their teacher Miss Moriarty as well as Valerie Tiffin. I would like to thank Eileen Scanlon who assisted with the choir. I would also like to compliment the children in the choir, the altar servers and all others who played their part in making this day special for our parish.

Trip to UCC On Wednesday, 1st May the 5th and 6th class pupils along with their teachers Miss Moriarty, Miss Doyle and Special Needs Assistant Valerie Tiffin visited UCC, Cork. The children got a tour of UCC as well as getting the opportunity to wear conferring robes. They saw the Crawford Building, the beautiful architecture of the church and a lot of worried students preparing for exams in the Boole library. They also visited the Observatory and examined telescopes dating back to the 1880s. They were presented with certificates and some goodies. We hope that one day many of the 5th and 6th class pupils will attend UCC.

Community Games Clay Modelling: Congratulations to the following children who won prizes in the Community Games Clay Modelling competition which was held in on the 7th April, 2013.  U-10 Girls - 1st Saoirse Buckley, 2nd Mia Gadsden  U-10 Boys - 3rd Callum Buckley  U-12 Girls - 2nd Eva Gadsden 3rd Kathy Cronin  U-14 Girls - 1st Christine McCarthy Saoirse Buckley (only 6 years of age) came fourth U-10 and Christine McCarthy came third U-14 in Clay Modelling at the Community Games Finals which were held in Athlone on May 26th 2013. Well done girls!

Art Beth McCarthy represented Kerry in the U-8 Community Games Art Competition in Athlone on Sunday, 26th May 2013. Beth did herself and her county very proud.

Soccer U-12 Huge congratulations to Dion and Corey Murphy as well as Kyle Cronin who were on the Kenmare U-12 Community Games soccer team who won gold on Friday, 19th April. They played in the semi-final and won 2 – 1. Dion scored the first goal! They played Rathmore/Gneeveguilla in the final and won 2 – 1. The team goes on to represent Kerry in the Munster Final at the end of June. Three future soccer stars!

Athletics Well done to all the children who participated in the Community Games Sports which were held on the 20th April in the GAA field, Kenmare.

Futsal – Mini-Soccer Donal O’ Sullivan and Daniel Casey were part of the U-13 Kenmare Community Games Futsal team who beat Spa/Muckross in on the 2nd June. The boys will go on to represent Kerry and play in the Munster Final in on the 29th June. Again two outstanding soccer players!

Football Tadhg O’ Donoghue (3rd Class) was part of the Kenmare Community Games team who came 3rd in the U-10 football competition which was held in Tralee on the 3rd of June. Tadhg played so well on the day scoring 1 goal and 8 points. A hugely talented player!

Hurling Blitz On Friday, 3rd May, boys from 4th – 6th class travelled to Rathmore to compete in a hurling blitz. Four teams were involved; Rathmore, Kenmare, Monastery and Kilgarvan. Our first game was against Rathmore, the home team and we beat them. Subsequently, we won our games against Kenmare and Monastery, Killarney. Therefore, Kilgarvan were out right winners! All players involved played outstandingly. Many thanks to our mentors Mickey and John Foley for their expertise and guidance. Thanks also to Marie O’ Sullivan who provided the team with energy drinks and snacks. Team: Daniel Casey, Donal O’ Sullivan, Michael Rice, Kieran Kelleher, Liam Twomey, Gary Foley, Jack Foley, Dion Murphy, Joseph Healy, Daragh O’ Brien, Eugene O’ Sullivan, Jake Casey and Ronan Foley.

Primary Schools Hurling Skills On 23rd May, Daniel Casey, Donal O’ Sullivan and Liam Twomey took part in the County Hurling Skills. They represented Kilgarvan Central School and South Kerry. The boys won the team event. They were presented with individual trophies as well as the overall shield. Furthermore, Daniel Casey won the individual event. Daniel was presented with a beautiful trophy also. This was a fantastic achievement for the boys and for Kilgarvan Central School. On Thursday, 13th June, Donal O’ Sullivan, Liam Twomey and Jack Foley represented Kerry and their school in the Munster Final Hurling Skills competition in Mallow. Unfortunately, due to injury, Daniel Casey was unable to compete. The boys were unsuccessful on the day however, but they did their school and county proud.

Cumann na mBunscoil Final On Thursday, 20th June pupils from 4th,5th and 6th class played in the Final of Cumann na mBunscoil at Caherslee, Tralee. Their opponents were Ballyduff. At half time Ballyduff were well ahead. The second half saw Kilgarvan fight back but it wasn’t enough to win the match. All players were presented with medals. Well done lads!

Kerry Life Education Mary O’ Donoghue from Kerry Life Education visited the school on Thursday, 16th and Friday 17th May 2013. Kerry Life Education was set up as a response to increasing levels of substance and alcohol misuse in . They operate a fleet of specially equipped mobile “Life Education Centres”. Inside these units a specialist trained educator delivers age appropriate programmes to all primary age groups covering topics such as health, nutrition and diet, exercise and lifestyle, self-awareness and self-esteem, peer dynamic, bullying as well as substance and alcohol misuse awareness. The staff and students found the “Kerry Life Education” extremely beneficial and we thank Mary for visiting our school.

First Holy Communion The children in 2nd class received their First Holy Communion on Saturday, 25th May and I congratulate them all on this special occasion. The nine pupils were Callum Buckley, Clodagh Casey, Mark Casey, Nathan Kelleher, Sarah O’ Donoghue, Timothy O’ Donoghue, Chloe O’ Leary, Conaill O’ Sullivan and Luke Scanlon. My thanks to their teacher Miss Cronin for preparing them so well. Thanks also to the choir members for singing at the Mass and the pupils who played the instrumental music. This really added to the ceremony. I am also grateful to the Parents’ Association and all the parents for organising the Communion party in the school. Míle Buíochas dhaoibh go léir.

Sports Day Sports Day was held on June 17th . A wonderful day was had by all and the children were presented with a Sports Day Certificate and a cup/trophy for each classroom. Thank you to the Parents’ Association for organising the event and a sincere thank you to Ray Gadsden who co-ordinated this fun-filled event. Obair mhaith!

Junior Infants Induction Meeting The Junior Infants Induction afternoon took place on June 18th from 2 – 3pm and was a great success. The staff of Kilgarvan Central School are delighted with the new group of ten enthusiastic children for the coming school year and we look forward to collaborating with the new parents. The new entrants spent the hour in their future classroom with their teacher Miss Doherty while their parents enjoyed a cup of tea and a chat in the school hall. Thank you to the Parents’ Association for organising the tea/coffee for the parents.

School Tours The pupils of Kilgarvan Central School were very excited about their school tours. Miss Cronin’s class went to the Playdium in Tralee on Thursday, 30th May and had a truly enjoyable day. 3rd and 4th classes went to Ocean World and Fungi the Dolphin on Wednesday, 12th June. Miss Doherty’s class toured Muckross Farm, Killarney on Friday, 14th June. Despite being soaked, the infants enjoyed the experience. Finally, 5th and 6th classes travelled on the early train to Dublin on Wednesday, 19th June and visited the Wax Museum, Dáil Éireann and the Jervis Shopping Centre. Thanks to TD Michael Healy-Rae and his son Kevin for welcoming us at the gates of Leinster House and giving us a guided tour. Michael treated the children and staff to refreshments in Leinster House and gave the children a copy of The Proclamation of Poblacht Na h-Éireann. It was the best day ever! Míle Buíochas.

New Purchases The staff and pupils are delighted with the catering equipment which the Parents’ Association recently purchased from Brennan’s Catering, Killarney. The catering equipment include the following:  100 stacking white mugs  3 dozen teaspoons  2 glass milk jugs  2 large teapots  1 20 litre Burco water boiler  1 5 litre coffee jug  4 small ceramic pots for butter/jam Obair sár – mhaith.

French Lessons Hillary Brosnan from Kenmare will be coming to Kilgarvan Central School from September to teach French to all pupils from Junior Infants to sixth class. Hillary will be coming for two hours per week. Thanks to the Parents’ Association who are paying for the lessons.

Swimming Lessons Sixth class pupils will start a course of swimming lessons in the Kenmare Bay Hotel in October 2013.

Summer Jobs The following work will be carried out in the school over the summer holidays:  Purchase of some new chairs for 1st and 2nd class  Purchase of new teachers’ tables and chairs  Purchase of new typist table and chair  Purchase of new resource teacher’s horse shoe table  Tarmac around oil tank area of the playground  New gate for the oil tank  Hanging of holy pictures and other pictures  General maintenance/clean up around the school

Parents’ Association We have a very vibrant Parents’ Association in Kilgarvan Central School. They have worked extremely hard since they were formed in February 2013. The following are the areas parents in Kilgarvan Central School have contributed to, since February 2013:  Non Uniform Day  Coffee Morning  First Communion Party  Sports Day  Organised Ice-Cream Day for Down Syndrome Ireland  Purchase of catering equipment for the school  Organise meet/greet for new Infants’ Parents The Parents’ Association will be holding their Annual General Meeting in September. All parents welcome. Further details to follow in September.

School Vegetable Garden We have recently set up a school vegetable garden growing strawberries, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, turnips, oregano, parsley, thyme and sage in our five raised beds. Everything is growing!

Tidy Towns The pupils potted six containers with French yellow marigolds, begonias and trailing lobelias for the Kilgarvan Tidy Towns committee. We hope that the summer bedding flowers will add a splash of colour to the village. The staff and pupils are delighted and very impressed with the work which the Kilgarvan Tidy Towns committee are doing at the moment. The village looks wonderful. Coiméad suas é!

Summer Camps  Irish Water Safety – – 8th July, Tousist – 5th August  Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps – Kilgarvan - 1st to 5th July (Football), Kenmare – 15th to 19th July (Hurling)  Active Kids - Geraldine Foley - Kenmare – 8th to 12th July  Fitkidz – Kenmare – 17th to 21st July  Lets Go - Kenmare - 22nd to 26th July  FAI Soccer Camp – Kenmare – 12th to 16th August

Policies/Plans/Reports Since Easter 2013, the following have been completed and ratified by the Board of Management:  Plean Scoile don Ghaeilge  Liosta Áiseanna don Ghaeilge  Critical Incident Policy  SSE (School Self-Evaluation)  SIP (School Improvement Plan) A summary of the School Improvement Plan has been sent home to all parents.

School Reports School reports have been sent out to parents by post. In accordance with the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020, standardised testing in English and Maths took place in June this year for pupils from 1st to 6th class. Your child’s school report will include the results of his/her tests. The NCCA has developed an information leaflet that explains standardised test results to parents. This leaflet is also attached to the school report. Further details can be found on www.ncca.ie.

Website Thank you to my sister Linda Williams who is busy creating and designing our school website. Eileen Scanlon and I have been busy for the past two months preparing and e- mailing material for the website. Linda and I will be putting the finishing touches to the website over the summer holidays. Míle Buíochas Linda!

School Crest Local artist Tara McCarthy and the pupils of Kilgarvan Central School have been designing a school crest. This crest will appear on the website, headed notepaper for the school etc. We are all looking forward to viewing the end product.

Architect On Friday, 14th June architects Mike and Alexander Williams visited our school. They presented a powerpoint presentation to us, including buildings which initially inspired them to be architects. They also showed us some very interesting projects which they worked on. Alexander explained the subjects which he studied in order to be an architect. They also recommended www.sketchup.com which is a 3D modelling programme designed for architects. Then there was a question and answer session with all the children. It was a really enjoyable session and most inspiring. Perhaps we will have some architects in Kilgarvan in the future!

School Mass and 6th Class Graduation Our end of year school mass will take place on Tuesday, 25th June at 11am in the school hall. This mass will also mark the graduation of our 6th class pupils. We hope that many of the 6th class parents will celebrate with us. Graduation medals and certificates will be presented to the children. They will also be given a potted native Irish tree which I hope they will plant at home. Finally, a copy of “Kilgarvan in the Beautiful Valley of the Roughty” will also be presented to the 6th class pupils. It was Frank Shanley together with Críostóir MacCárthaigh and a local Kilgarvan community group who put this wonderful book together. We thank them for this wonderful book on the history of Kilgarvan. Tea/coffee will be served to the 6th class parents after the Mass. We wish our 6th class pupils every success in the future and they will be missed by all.

Teaching Staff Best of luck to Mrs Heather Williams (shared resource teacher) who is retiring from Kilgarvan Central School during the summer holidays. Miss Doyle’s fixed term learning support post also comes to an end. We will have 2 permanent posts now available in the school which must be offered to the Redeployment Panel. We wish both teachers the best of luck and we thank them for their outstanding work, kindness, help and support at all times. Go n-éirí an bóthar libh!

6th Class Pupils Fourteen pupils will be finishing their Primary Education in Kilgarvan Central School on the 26th June 2013. They are Aaron Buckley, Daniel Casey, Jonathan Cronin, Gary Foley, Seamus Healy, Zuzanna Herliczka, Kieran Kelleher, Bridie Lynch, Christine McCarthy, Donal O’ Sullivan, Liam Palmer, Michael Rice, Jacqueline Twomey and Liam Twomey. The 6th class pupils have been a joy to teach and we would like to wish them all the best in the future as they leave Kilgarvan Central School and embark on their new journey in Pobalscoil Inbhéar Scéine.

Certificates of Excellence Certificates of Excellence in school attendance for the academic year 2012/2013 were presented to the following children: Chelsea O’ Leary, Sebhirín Twomey, Kieran O’ Donoghue, Laura Scanlon, Jimmy Kelleher, Orla O’ Brien, Chloe O’ Leary, Ronan Foley, Mary Ellen McCarthy, Niamh O’ Sullivan and Donal O’ Sullivan.

End of Year School closes on Wednesday, 26th June at 12 noon and re-opens on Monday, 2nd September 2013. The full school calendar will be issued in September.

As we approach the end of another school year I would like to thank you all for your support and co-operation. Sincerest thanks to all the staff for their hard work throughout the year. As always I acknowledge the work of those parents in the Parents’ Association. Their contribution adds greatly to the school in many ways.

On behalf of the Board of Management and staff of Kilgarvan Central School I wish you all a happy and safe summer holiday.

Bainigí taitneamh as laethanta saoire an t-samhraidh.

Mise le meas,

______Gail Ní Shúilleabháin (Príomhoide)