Run, skip, jump and play,
Let’s be active every day.

20 Past Nine – In Your Line
Dear Dads, Mums, Pupils and Staff,
Welcome back for the final term of this school year. We have lots of plans to keep us busy over the next few months so every minute at school is important. It would be wonderful if everyone could make an extra special effort to be on time for school during April, May and June.
Of course, there might be the odd time when something goes wrong and we are late but being on time is a good habit that we all need to practise.
Being on time for school means that
• the girls have time to chat with their friends before lessons begin
• the girls have time to organise their books and belongings before lessons begin
• the girls are not be embarrassed by arriving late
• the girls won’t disturb their classmates by arriving late.
I look forward to seeing all the girls lined up and ready for action at twenty past nine each morning.

Yours sincerely,

_________________________
C. O’Reilly – Principal

Congratulations
Huge congratulations to Amy (5th Class) who came third in her Irish Dance competition at the World Championships during the Easter holidays. Well done Amy – being in the top three out of 189 competitors is a fantastic achievement! Amy is a pupil of our school Irish Dancing teacher, Dawn. There was even more good news for Dawn when her son won his competition outright and he is now the Senior World Champion.

Confirmation
On Saturday morning, we will welcome Bishop Dermot Farrell to Ferrybank for the celebration of Confirmation. This will be Bishop Farrell’s first Confirmation in the Diocese so it is a very special occasion for all the girls and boys in Sixth Class. They have prepared well with their teachers Mrs. Foley and Mr. Nagle and we wish them a wonderful day with family and friends.

Reminder – School Closures
On Wednesday next, 18th April, all the teaching staff will attend an In-service Training Day in Waterford Teachers’ Centre. The topic is the New Primary Language Curriculum. As a result, the school will not open for pupils on that date.
We have also been informed that the school will have to close on Friday, May 25th as it is required as a Polling Station for the referendum.

Library Visit
Tomorrow morning, our Junior Infants will bring their Mams and Dads to school with them. The Mams and Dads will visit the classroom and then everyone will walk to Ferrybank Library together with Miss Walsh.
The staff in Ferrybank Library are really looking forward to meeting the girls and their parents and all the girls will be able to join the Library and get a lovely book to take home with them. What an exciting day!

Active Schools Week
Active Schools Week will take place from April 23rd to 27th. Miss Anderson and the Active School Committee have been busy arranging lots of different activities to get us all moving during that week.
Weather permitting we will extend our morning break for a few minutes every day so that we can fit in some extra exercise.
Mums, Dads and family members are invited to join us before school every morning for a walk along our newly installed Active School Walkway. With your help we are planning to ‘walk across Europe’!
It would be a great week for everyone to try to Park and Stride to school, cycle to school (wear your helmet), car share, scoot or walk to school.
Remember our Active School slogan: Run, skip, jump and play, let’s be active every day.

Thank You
Miss Kelly and her trusty helpers want to thank everyone who contributed to the Trócaire collection during Lent. With your help we raised a total of ………………………………….
Waterford Sports Ability Day
Waterford’s first ever Sports Ability Day will be held at WIT Arena, Carriganore, Waterford on Saturday 14th April from 11am to 2pm.
This FREE event is suitable for people with a disability of all ages, their families and parents. For further information please contact:
Pauline Cunningham, Sports Inclusion Disability Officer,
Waterford Sports Partnership on 0761 10 2682
or email pcunningham@waterfordsportspartnership.ie

Poetry Month
April is Poetry Month and April 26th is Poetry Day in Ireland. The theme this year is Poetry Surprises. Why not surprise yourself during the month of April by reading some poetry or by writing a poem to share with your family and friends. Look out for news of Poetry Day activities in Ferrybank Library and at school. Check out www.poetryireland.ie for lots of lovely activities.

Green Schools News
Great News we have been awarded our 7th Green Flag on the Theme of Global Citizenship — Energy. Climate Change, the most serious environmental problem of our time, is intrinsically linked to energy use. Its impact on both the environment and people all over the globe, in particular people in developing countries is huge. Well done to everyone especially the Green Schools Committee and Ms. Finucane for all their hard work. Thank you for all your support, throughout the year.

Little Sisters Of The Poor – Celebrations
The Little Sisters of the Poor are celebrating 150 years in Waterford. Bishop Farrell will say a special mass on Saturday next and on Monday April 23rd Second Class will sing at a mass for the residents of the home. We would like to send our best wishes to the Sisters on this wonderful occasion. May they have many more happy years here in Ferrybank.

Parents’ Association Raffle
We were very kindly invited to assembly on the morning of the Easter holidays where we held our raffle. There was great excitement as the names were drawn out. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to Miss O’Reilly for the two K-Sport vouchers. Many thanks to you all for buying tickets, we are grateful for your support. The total raised was €331.

Dates for Calendar
1st Easter Sunday
2nd Bank Holiday
9th Term 3 begins
13th Lailat Al-Miraj
14th Confirmation
18th School Closed
Independence Day Zimbabwe
23rd St. George’s Day
25th Anzac Day
26th Our Lady of Good Counsel
Poetry Day