Clarecastle NewS

“ I have come so they may have life and live it to the full” June 2017

Important th Many projects were undertaken 5 GREEN FLAG including ‘Feeding the birds’, Dates awarded to monitoring and surveying the

th birds frequenting our school Monday June 19 Clarecastle yard, setting up a bug hotel, a Active Schools Week wild garden, school trips to our starts and continues to National School rd local rivers and woodlands, Friday 23 . planting trees and shrubs and For many years our school has Tuesday June 20th various workshops. been involved in the National Bio Diversity Flag Green Schools Programme raising at Clarecastle NS The school also had to revisit which is part of an international at 1pm. All welcome. and maintain the previous four environmental education Monday June 19th themes (1) Litter & Waste (2) programme and award scheme Active Schools Week known as Eco-Schools. Energy (3) Water and (4) starts and continues to Travel. rd Friday 23 .

th In March we were visited by a Tuesday June 20 representative from An Taisce RSE talk in school hall for Rang 6. to our school and thereafter we were delighted to be awarded th Wednesday June 21st our 5 Green Flag. In order to School Reports issued. celebrate this great achievement we hope to raise the flag on nd th ThursdayJune 22 June 20 at approx 1.00 p.m. Rang 3 & Rang 4 Hurling Blitz organised It is designed to raise students' We are extending a warm by Clarecastle GAA. awareness of environmental and invitation to all to attend this

sustainable development issues event and to join us for a cup of Friday June 23rd through classroom study. tea, a biscuit and a chat Sports Day Schools are required to afterwards. Thanking you, The

undertake a particular theme for Green School’s Committee. Wednesday June 28th each flag and to devise and Graduation Mass for 6th implement a two year action Class in School Hall at plan coordinated by a school School Reports 8 p.m. committee and involving all

students and teachers from the School Reports will be e-mailed Summer Closure: st school. home to parents on 21 June. School closes at 12noon This is the first year we will be e th on Thursday 29 June mailing home reports so it is essential that we are made aware th Wednesday August 30 of any issues which may arise. Start of the 2017/2018 school year. The school th will re-open to pupils at The theme for the 5 Green Flag 9.00 a.m. is Biodiversity, the variety of plant and animal life and the study of our local ecosystems.

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An information leaflet, the pupils. I asked Dr. Griffin apps and should be checking Understanding Your Child’s for feedback from the day in apps before they are installed to School Report, is available in order to be able to inform make sure you know the features the Parents section of the school parents of potential areas of and whether or not it is age website under Tips for Parents. concern. appropriate. Common sense media https://www.commonsens The following are a list of emedia.org/ is a great resource Parent Portal concerns Dr. Griffin raised for checking out games, apps, based on her interactions with sites etc. the pupils in our school!!!!! Next August we will be rolling As parents we do all in our out the Parent Portal element of 1. Students using age power to protect our our school’s Pupil Management inappropriate apps and sites (e.g. children.... System, Aladdin. This will be Instagram, Musical.ly and the primary means by which Snapchat -all of which are rated information will be circulated by LET’S DO SO ONLINE 13+) TOO! the school. The Parent Portal will further enhance the school's 2. Students are lying about their communication with parents and age online with some pretending will enable parents to stay informed Accelerated about and connected with their to be over 18 years. This increases the risks children face Reader child's education and learning. online. The Accelerated Reader

Programme which is funded by E Payments 3. Students are using the main the Parents Association Youtube site instead of Youtube continues to go from strength to In August 2018 we hope to be in kids, which is designed for a position to commence strength with 99% of pupils children under 13 years. This is st th receiving electronic payments particularly relevant for 3rd and from 1 to 6 class engaging from parents. The E 4th class students. with the programme this year. Payment system will facilitate the easier payment of school 4. Students playing 16+ and 18+ Last year, as always, we were money collections for first person shooter games such very proud of all the boys and parent/guardians and reduce the as the Call of Duty series, the girls when they read over 9300 amount of cash and cheques Grand Theft Auto Series etc. books totalling in excess of 111 being sent into our school in line These games are completely age million words. Believe it or not with recent central bank inappropriate for children at they have improved on that!!!!! directives. Updates will be primary school age. Parents issued next year. should check the pegi rating system http://www.pegi.info/ie/

5. Students having technology in the bedroom at night-time. Numerous campaigns have demonstrated the negative effects of having technology in Internet Safety the bedroom (e.g. Safefood, Talk National Sleep Foundation, World Health Organisation) To date pupils from 1st to 6th have read 12,500 books totalling The Parents’ Association 6. Students having password in the region of 130 million organised Dr. Maureen Griffin, protected devices where parents words!!! That is a massive 3200 Forensic Psychologist, to talk to do not know the password and more books and 19 million more pupils from third to sixth on the students download apps onto words than last year!!!!! topic of internet safety. These devices without parental talks proved to be very supervision. Parents should have Our fantastic library facility informative for and beneficial to the password to download all would not be the way it is only

Page 2 for the continued support and played brilliantly but in short funding provided by our were the better team wonderful Parents Association and winners. and the library volunteers who maintain this fantastic resource Gaelic games are an important in our school. part of our heritage and culture

and we are delighted to promote pupil participation and Pupils from third to 6th Class involvement in activities. took part in the annual schools Swimming Gala held in The assistance and continued Pool. Our fifth class girls’ team support of Clarecastle GAA in came 3rd!! Well done. If anyone has any unwanted this regard is much appreciated. books that are in good condition Each year schools involved in and that they would like to Cumann na mBunscol are donate to the school, you can invited to send 6th class pupils leave them into the school for trials to represent Clare in office. the Primary Game which is held at half time in Munster Senior Championship Games. This year Emma O’ Loughlin (Camogie), Niall Brigdale School Basketball (Hurling), Evan O’ Connell (Football) and Charlotte O’ Clarecastle National School took Brien (Football) represented part in the Marion Keane Clarecastle NS. Well done to all. Basketball Tournament on Niall, Evan and Charlotte went 15th March 2017 in Gurteen. 6th on to play on the Primary Games class boys and girls trained with Cumann na Team at half time in the relevant Ms. Howard, Ms. Darcy and Ms. Munster Championship. Talty on the run up to the mbunscol tournament during lunch times.

Both boys and girls teams Both boys and girls teams competed in the annual Cumann performed brilliantly in both na mBunscol Hurling and blitzes and great fun was had by Camogie Competitions. all involved. Despite our best efforts we unfortunately didn’t The boys’ team met some stiff proceed to the next rounds. Well opposition along the way from done to all who took part! Ennis CBS, Gaelscoil Mhichil Children from 4th, 5th and Ciosog, Ennis NS and 6th class represented the NS. While no win was recorded school in numerous Table Trad Music Group the efforts from all panel Quizzes during the year. They members was excellent and we took part in Féile na hInse, battled on to the end. in the Community Games Quiz, and more recently in the The camogie team were Garda Síochánna Quiz in May. narrowly defeated by Gaelscoil Our 6th class Credit Union Mhichil Ciosog and Flagmount Quiz team did particularly well NS but wins over NS this year, winning their regional and Ennis CBS led to a play off quiz in January. They went on to with Flagmount NS where we compete in the tightly contested reversed the original result. This Clare/Limerick regional Clarecastle N.S. Traditional placed us in a semi final against final. Well done to all the Music Group is made up of Clonlara NS. On the day of the children who took part! members from 2nd – 6th class and semi final in Newmarket we is open to all who enjoy playing

Page 3 a few tunes! We have been very first for the second year running 3rd class busy this year playing at school in this competition. This marked events such as the Christmas the start of a very busy weekend Biodiversity Concert and the for them as they also performed Grandparents’ Mass. We also as part of a massed choir in the project entertained the people at UL Sport's Arena the Clarecastle Daycare Centre following Sunday to a thousand and our 2nd class and 6th class strong audience for the Peace musicians played beautifully at Proms. The children loved the their Sacraments of Holy experience of performing with a Communion and live orchestra and many other Confirmation. choirs.

We were most excited to play The children sang at the Ms Duff’s third class recently once again at the Seinn na nÓg Grandparents Mass in the began a project studying the Concert where we joined in school and at the Holy biodiversity in Clarecastle. The with schools across the diocese Communion which was held in project which will be ongoing to perform in May. May also saw them throughout their years in and for the first time we were undertake the long journey to Clarecastle NS is being carried invited to perform as part of the Navan where they participated out in conjunction with Fleadh Nua. We really enjoyed in the Navan Choral Festival Clarecastle Community playing for the passers-by in for the first time. They sang Development’s Tidy Towns Ennis town centre and are their hearts out and placed 4th Committee. The whole class looking forward to our next out of 15 choirs, an achievement visited the wild flower garden in performance as part of the Green of which they were very proud. the local cemetery in Clarehill Flag raising ceremony. where they met PJ Garry of Tidy In a slight change to the usual Towns. They identified a range end of year concert with which of wildflowers and grasses and the choir have become plan to return again to see the synonymous in the school, the changes that take place as the children were requested to year progresses. perform in a special concert in St. Mary's Cathedral in Limerick on Tuesday June 27th. Our “Díolachán Here they will perform with National School and Cácaí” the visiting Philadelphia Girls Choir and this evening promises School Choir to be an unforgettable opportunity for the children, Clarecastle School Choir has where they will not only had another great year, having perform their own repertoire but had many opportunities to will have the chance to showcase the hard work of this collaborate with other choirs in a very talented group of children. joint performance of songs.

Last Christmas they performed The choir will also perform at at the annual Christmas concert the Green Flag raising On 15th June, 5th classes held a and in the Daycare Centre ceremony. before their first competition of díolachán cácaí in the school the year on March 3rd where halla. It started a nine and ended they travelled to the Limerick at about 12 noon. Everyone Choral Festival to defend their baked nice treats – for example title from last year. The boys buns, cakes, cookies and brownies. We got the idea from and girls beat stiff competition from 14 other choirs to place

Page 4 our Irish book so we decided to Parents association Unwanted talk in Irish during the sale. uniforms We raised just over €420. We We are very fortunate to have a are going to give half to the proactive and supportive Parents If anyone would like to donate Under 14 Camogie Féile and Association who works unwanted uniforms that are in half towards the Stephen diligently and tirelessly to good condition they can do so O’Keefe competition for the enhance the provision of by handing them in to the school boys U12 Hurling. The bake education for ALL pupils within office before the school closes sale was so much fun and we are the school. for holidays on June 29th happy we made so much money. In order for this to be sustained By Lara Kelly and Sarah going forward our Parents Gorman, 5th Class Association needs new volunteers.

Third and Fourth Class Blitz

Clarecastle GAA is organising a blitz for third and fourth class nd pupils on Thursday 22 June It is hard to believe that the at 10.30 a.m. All parents are You too can help! summer holidays are nearly welcome to come along to here. The school will close to support. Drop your name in to the school pupils at 12 noon on Thursday th office and a member of the 29 June and will re-open on th Parents Association will be in Wednesday 30 August at contact. 9.00am.

Our School Community

Our school is very fortunate to have the support of a wide School variety of volunteers from across the community whose Photography We wish our 6th class pupils all contributions truly enrich the the best as they leave us for educational experience of pupils secondary school. Each year our school produces in our school. photographs of pupils and We hope that everyone has a classes for the school calendar, The Board of Management, staff safe and enjoyable summer. Communion and Confirmation and pupils would like to say a booklets and other school huge THANK YOU! to the publications. We would like to Parents Association, say a huge THANKS to John Clarecastle GAA Club

Power who takes the photos at coaches, Chris Thomas, all school events on a voluntary Kathleen Ryan, Nigel Bridge, basis and is always at the end of and all other volunteers who the phone willing to help out. have given so generously of

their time over the past year for

the benefit of our pupils. Thank

you also to our local sponsors

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School Calendar 2017/2018

th 30 August 2017 School re-opens.

30th October to 3rd November 2017 School closed October mid-term break

nd 22 December 2017 School closes at 12 noon for Christmas break

8th January 2018 School re-opens after Christmas break

12th – 16th February 2018 School closed for mid-term break

19th March 2018 School closed – Bank Holiday

rd 23 March 2018 School closes at 12 noon for Easter holidays

9th April 2018 School re-opens after Easter break

th 7 May 2018 School closed for May Bank holiday

4th – 5th June 2018 School closed

28th June 2018 School closes at 12 noon for Summer break

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th rd Active Schools Week Monday 19 - Friday 23 of June

We are running an Active Schools week again this year with the help and funding of the Parents’ Association. We are trying to promote exercise and healthy eating during this

week. Please see below the timetable for the week. We hope everyone enjoys the fun filled week of physical activities.

Ms.Darcy, Active School Co-ordinator and Elaine Price, Parents’ Association

Monday 19th  Yoga with Rosie McMahon Second Class-Sixth Class

 Tennis with Kieran Galvin Junior Infants-Sixth Class

Tuesday 20th  Yoga with Ms. Healy Junior Infants-First Class

Wednesday 21st  Trip to BallyBeg Woods. Orienteering and Teddy Bears Picnic. Junior Infants- Sixth Class. Refreshments provided by the Parents’ Association Zumba Dancing with instructor Darren rd Thursday 22 Nash. Junior Infants –Sixth Class

Hurling Blitz Third/Fourth Class 10am- 12.30pm. Organiser: Ken Ralph

Friday 23rd  Cricket with Chris Thomas, Munster Cricket  General sports day for all classes

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