www.stconlethsns.ie February 2012 St. Conleth’s N.S., Derrinturn. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Catholic Schools Week 2012. Catholic Schools Week 1 First Confessions 1 We celebrated Catholic Green Schools Activities 2 Schools Week 2012 at St. Comenius Visit 2 Conleth’s National School. The Enrolment for Next September 2 highlight of the week was Happy Hearts at St. Conleth’s 3 Scientists and Engineers 3 St. Brigid’s Day. Brendan O’ Trócaire 3 Donnell visited the school Seachtain na Gaeilge 4 to teach the ancient art of Boxty and designers making ribbon or a handkerchief Dates to remember 4 making St. Brigid’s Crosses. a St. Brigid’s cloak. The out on trees or clotheslines. children also decorated one Children, parents and staff The belief was that if Saint of our trees as part of an worked together on Brigid touched the cloth, it age-old tradition. This different activities. Check would possess curative and tradition, which has almost out our website to see a protective powers. These died out involves creating a selection of photographs. ribbons or handkerchiefs "St. Brigid's Mantle." This is You can see our chefs are called "St. Brigid's where families hung a making traditional Irish Mantle." First Confessions at St. Conleth’s. Children from Second as they continue to prepare Classes received the for their First Holy Sacrament of Penance for Communion. Special thanks the first time on Wednesday are extended to all the the 8 th of February. It was a parents and the teachers, beautiful celebration for the Mr. Farrell and Miss children and their families. Kenny. We were very proud of the children on the night and we wish them every success Page 2 www.stconlethsns.ie Cycle on Wednesdays. Green Schools Activities. Our Green Schools On Wednesday March 7 th CYCLE ON WEDNESDAYS! ü It’s your chance Committee has been busy we’ll have our ‘COW’ to get exercise! organising our COW launch. launch. A series of activities ü Less cars It is part of our campaign on and workshops have been travel. All year people have arranged to celebrate the parking at abandoned the cars on great work that has been school makes Wednesday and made their done by everybody at school our school a way to school on foot, by and to encourage more safer place. bike or even on scooters. people to cycle on ü Less cars also Teachers that travel greater Wednesdays. Our campaign distances have adopted a has focussed on four aspects means less park-and –stride programme. of our lives – health, fitness, pollution. safety and the environment. We’re delighted to be a step Now we ask everyb ody to COW! closer to getting another get on your bikes and….. Green Flag from An Taisce. Comenius Visit. For the past seven years our visitors from these schools intolerance and promotes school has been involved in later in March, when we will peace and friendship. Next the “Drums for Peace” share our projects with each month’s newsletter will have project. Pupils in St. other. photos and details of our Conleth’s take part by trying exciting Comenius visit. Our pupils will perform their to live peaceful lives, writing “Drums for Peace” for our peace poetry and various international visitors, as we peace-themed class activities welcome them to Derrinturn. including Art, Drama and Music. It is also hoped to produce a Calendar based on work by Our partner schools in children from all the Belfast, Germany, Finland countries involved. We look and Sicily have joined us in forward to being part of the this project and we look . project which combats forward to the arrival of Enrolment for Next September Many parents have completed enrolment § Whether there are siblings of the forms for September 2012. Already more proposed new entrant already in than forty children have enrolled. Our next the school; St Conleth’s N.S. step is to look at the enrolment forms that § Ages of the children; Derrinturn have been submitted alongside our Carbury enrolment policy.The applications will be § Parish boundaries organised in order based on the criteria in Co. Kildare § Children of staff members; Phone: our Enrolment Policy. You can read this (046) 9553490 policy on the school website, § Lottery www.stconlethsns.ie . The criteria for E-mail: Successful applicants will be informed [email protected] acceptance to St. Conleth’s National School are:- before the Easter holidays. www.stconlethsns.ie Page 3 Happy Hearts at St. Conleth’s. Harry Happy Heart has visited classrooms at St. Conleth’s this month. When he arrived in a classroom, the children dropped everything they were doing and went outdoors to get active. Outside with Harry they took part in a continuous ten-minute period of physical activity. Everybody is getting fitter and healthier thanks to Harry Happy Heart. This is not Harry’s first visit to the school. He has changed though. He is bigger, fitter and stronger due to all the skipping, running and playing he has been doing. Harry encourages all the children to get involved with the fitness activities. Harry also set a challenge for the children of St. Conleth’s. He hopes to return in May and the challenge is that every child should be able to jog at their own pace without stopping for ten whole minutes! We look forward to seeing Harry again in May. REMEMBER A HEALTHY HEART IS A HAPPY HEART! Scientists and Engineers. The young scientists and engineers are busy at school this month. Why not go to our website to see the volcanic eruptions conjured up by our Fourth Class students. If only they could make a sunshine machine! While all of this excitement was brewing Sixth Class pupils were invited to the Curragh Camp for a unique opportunity to participate in one of the activities organised for National Engineers Week. The children, accompanied by their teacher Mrs. Morrin went to the Military School of Engineering. The trip was sponsored and organised by the County Kildare Leader Partnership. The children participated in several amazing workshops. The first was a Bridge-building challenge which involved several types of bridges, including a military assault bridge. They then tried their hands at the complicated radio technology involved in signalling and satellite navigation systems. One of the most outstanding experiences of the day was the opportunity to use the Hobo Robot in a bomb disposal exercise. The children had a wonderful day and learned a lot. Our sincerest thanks to the County Kildare Leader Partnership for affording our school this opportunity. Trócaire. Trócaire’s Lenten campaign for 2012 is called Rebuilding Communities for Lasting Change. Trócaire invites you to journey through this Lenten season in solidarity with the community of Bar Kawach in northern Uganda. This particular community have been brought together by Trócaire’s work with them. Theirs is a unique story of returning home after conflict, and the struggles faced by them in order to rebuild their lives, families, livelihoods and community. At school the children will learn about Daniel, a young boy from this community. They will see how he has struggled along with his family to recover after a long and cruel war. The children will be able to relate to Daniel and will tell you all about him. Please remember this community during Lent. Page 4 www.stconlethsns.ie St. Conleth’s N.S., Seachtain na Gaeilge 2012. Derrinturn, Carbury, Co Kildare. Ta Seachtain na Gaeilge linn arís. It’s Seachtain na Gaeilge again and all sorts of exciting events have been organised at Scoil Naomh Chonnlaodh. There’ll be Gaeilge labhartha, ceol agus craic to start the month of March and lead us to St Patrick’s Day. Ask your children to keep you up to date with the ‘phrase of the day’ and our activities. Phone 046 9553490 Fax 046 9552547 E-mail [email protected] DATES TO REMEMBER. CONFIRMATION 2012. Sixth Class will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday March 15 th . We wish them every success and hope they enjoy the day. We’re on the web! www.stconlethsns.ie ST. PATRICK’S DAY. The school will be closed on Monday 19 th March in lieu of St. Patrick’s day which falls on a Saturday. EASTER HOLIDAYS. The school will close on Friday 30 th March and re-open on Monday 16 th April. .