St Conleth’s National School Derrinturn

January 2011 School of the Year - 2010 www.stconlethsns.ie

“School of the Year” award

Derrinturn School has recently been rugby, basketball, gymnastics and awarded “School of the Year – 2010” over the coming months pupils will by Co Kildare Cumann na mBunscoil. be introduced to American football. 4 awards were made on the night: the The award was presented to the best small school, the best middle- school at a recent function in sized school, the best large school, and Lumville House. Mrs Marthria Kenny Contents the best overall school in County accepted the award on behalf of

School of the Year 1 Kildare. Our school won the prize for Derrinturn, and Mrs Caroline the best middle-sized school, and then O’Donoghue, deputy principal, also Celebrating 50 years 1 went on to scoop the overall prize for represented the school. Attendance 2 best school in County Kildare! Our pupils, staff, coaches, parents 4th Class Project 3 This is a great honour for our school, and all involved in promoting sport

6th Class visit Belfast 3 but no real surprise! Our school is in Derrinturn can be justifiably proud actively and successfully involved in of this award. Lunch Club 3 many sports, and over the past few Closing for Enrolment 4 months won three GAA competitions:

Dates to Note 4 Boys u-12 football, Girls u-12 football, and u-12 Camogie. Our school also participated in cross- country running, in swimming, tag-

Celebrating 50 years

Our school was built in 1961 – 50 years Each month our school website will ago! It is time to celebrate! also feature a short video of a We now invite all past pupils to log on school activity or class to celebrate to our school website 50 years. (www.stconlethsns.ie) and to contact Meanwhile, pupils of 4th class are us by email with photos, stories, doing a project involving older memories, highlights of the past 50 people, such as grandparents, and years. Past pupils from far and near can these older and wiser people in our make contact with us in this way. Each community will help the pupils past pupil will be responded to and understand what life was like 50 thanked for their contribution and years ago. photos and written contributions will be posted around the school building. Page 2 of 4 St Conleth’s N.S. School Newsletter

Attendance

The attendance of children in our school Saunders;Darcy Clancy Carberry; continues to improve. In September we Jacqueline Craven; Deimante Disleryte; had 97% attendance; in October we also Josh Kelly; Nicole Moore; Annie-Rose had 97% attendance; in November we Byrne; Ciaran Mills; Maria O’Reilly; had 95% attendance. The attendance Mollie Patel; Caitlin Boyle; Lucy Coyne; dropped in December, due to the snowy Lee Flynn; Rory Heffernan; Alex and icy weather, but we still had an Connell; Sarah Kelly; Kyle Martin; Rugile attendance of 91%. Zapolskyte; Roisin Boyle; Ciara Corrigan; William Smyth Cronly; Niamh Jenkins; The following pupils had 100% Ciaran Kenna; Kornelija Kirjanovaite; attendance for November & December: Katlin Moore; Olivia O’Neill; Andrew Sarah Craven; Jack Cully; Adam Duffy; Walsh; Tyler Saunders; Dylan Behan; Ciaran Gallagher; Aiste Glinskaite; Ciana Sophie Corrigan; Ben Cummins; Isobel Hall; Leah Herbert; Lynn Herbert; Luke Curley; Jake Herbert; Josh Clarke Hurst; Hogan; Megan Hogan; Aoife Jenkins; Clodagh Kearney; Zoe Kelly; Caoimhe Our attendance Shannon Kearney; Jack melia Kehoe; Lewis; Katie O’Boyle; Emily O’Reilly; figures exceed the Jamie Kelly; Sophie Larkin; Megan Josh O’Reilly; Robyn Prendergast; Scott national average of Boyle; Grainne O’Keeffe; Natasha Boyle; Poppy-Mai Cullen; Abbie Gill; 94%. O’Reilly; Shane Smullen; Cian Walsh; Cara Kenny; Grace O’Boyle; Kelly Byrne; William Carrigan; Leona Kennedy; Aaron Conor Carberry; Lauren-Ava Carey; Eva O’Neill; Nicole O’Neill; Ciara O’Reilly; Casey; Aimee Daniels; Josh Dee; Cliona Sullivan; Shonagh Heffernan; Shannan Doran; Paul Fleming; Illan Aaron Mills; Daniel Mills; Thomas Nolan; Kelly; Heather McCarthy; Keri O’Neill; Dylan Rennicks; Patrick Rowley; Jack Noelle O’Shea. Norton; Ian Cully; Shaun Kelly; Shauna “Who is our oldest Well done! O’Brien Hurst; Leah Prendergast; Evan living past-pupil?” Our oldest past pupil!

This year our school celebrates its 50th boys and girls just like when the present Birthday! school was built. Many people are wondering who is our Do you know pupils from those days? oldest past pupil. Who is our oldest past-pupil? Of course, our oldest past pupils are those who were in 6th Class in 1961.( We would love to hear from some of them!) Before this, Derrinturn School was down in the village, where Costcutters now stands. There was a separate school for How we travel to school

Almost 160 or 57% of our pupils travel to school by car; 33% walk to school. The 160 remaining pupils either cycle (7%) or 140 come on the school bus (3%). 120 Our Green School Committee will be 100 inviting the whole school community to 80 look at transport over the next year. 60 See February Newsletter next month for 40 more details. 20 0 School Newsletter Derrinturn N.S. Page 3 of 4

4th Class Project

The pupils of our two 4th classes are Both classes will collect photos and doing an interesting History Project over artefacts from the past, and create a the next 6 weeks. The project is linked history museum in the school. to our school’s 50th Celebrations. The project will finish on February 23rd One class is going to work closely with with a special celebration and display. older people in their lives, e.g. We look forward! grandparents, and they hope to interview them at home and in the classroom about life 50 years ago. The other 4th class will focus on houses and toys from the past.

Seasonal Flu – what should I do as a parent?

Two important actions to protect your when coughing or sneezing. If no tissue family is available they should cough or sneeze into the inside of their elbow. Be sure 1. Be aware of the symptoms of flu-like to set a good example by doing this illness and know where to seek medical yourself. See school website care.(See school website) for more • Teach your children to use a tissue 2. Teach your children the following information for only once and dispose of it quickly and good health habits to help stop the schools and parents carefully (a dustbin is fine). spread of germs: on spread of • Teach your children to wash their influenza. • Teach your children to cover their hands frequently with soap and water. mouth and nose with a paper tissue Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself. Lunch Club

Bradbury’s of Athy continue to supply Any pupil can order a lunch. Lunches our school with healthy lunches every are free, except for a small charge of day. €10 per family per term. This fee is now due for term 2. Many of our pupils avail of this. Each lunch has 4 items: a sandwich, a fruit, a Please place your order, as soon as bottle of water and a surprise. Pupils possible, with Mrs Morrin. receive their packed lunch before 11 a.m. in time for their first break of the day. 40 children have applied to enrol for Junior Infants

Many parents have completed to. Next the school puts the applicants applications for enrolment in in order, according to criteria agreed by Derrinturn. So far we have 40 children school board. That the children be local whose parents have applied to have is one criterion. Another important them enrolled in Junior Infants next criterion is the age of the child. If all St Conleth’s N.S. Sept. applicants are not accepted, only those who have applied before closing date Derrinturn The closing date for making an will be considered, so it is important to Carbury application to any of the four parish get your application in before February Co. Kildare schools is Friday 4th February. 4th. Phone: Next step is for the school to look at (046) 9553490 Parents will be informed before Easter how many pupils can the school accept. whether their application has been E-mail: Some years we can accept all successful or not. [email protected] applications, some years we are unable

School of the Year 2010

www.stconlethsns.ie

Dates to Note

Thursday 20th Jan: 6th class pupils travel to Oaklands College (Edenderry) for Open Day. Wednesday 26th Jan: Staff Meeting (school closes @ 12.30) Wednesday 16th February: Meeting for parents of Confirmation candidates @ 8 p.m. Wednesday 16th February: Parent-Teacher Meetings (see February Newsletter for further details) Thursday 17th February: Parent-Teacher Meetings (see February Newsletter for further details) Wednesday 23rd February: 4th Class project with older people concludes. Thursday 24th February: school closed for mid-term break. Friday 25th February: school closed for mid-term break.

CONTACT DETAILS OF PARENTS Did you get a new mobile phone for Christmas? Do you still have your old number/ If you have recently changed your mobile number, please inform Carol, school secretary.