The School Bell

Back Together Again

September 22, 2022

Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

We are very happy to have a new outdoor learning space available to us at our school. Lots of people have been working hard over the summer months to get it ready and I know that the girls will thoroughly enjoy using it. I have already seen some of our pupils and the staff out there digging, weeding and planting, enjoying reading and playing team games.

Last Friday, we held our weekly Assembly in the new space. In this Season of Creation, we enjoyed being outdoors, listening to the birds singing, feeling the grass under out feet and the sunshine on our backs, and looking at the beautiful blue sky overhead. It was great to have all the girls and the staff together again and we look forward to making great use of the space as the year goes on. Thank you to Miss Kelly, Mark and the Board of Management for the work they have done to create this lovely addition to our school.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

European Languages Day

As you know, we are fortunate to have so many girls in our school who are not only bilingual (can speak two languages) but multilingual (can speak many languages). It brings a richness and diversity to our school community and it has helped us to appreciate and value our own wonderful language – Gaeilge – even more.

Next Monday, is European Languages Day. To mark the day, some girls from Sixth Class have kindly volunteered their language skills and will share/read a story to the Junior classes in their home languages using our lovely dual language books.

Camogie News – Mrs. Shanahan

Yesterday, we began a six-week block of camogie in Ferrybank GAA club. All classes from First Class to Sixth Class took part. It was brilliant to see so many enthusiastic girls trying their best and enjoying the coaching. The coaches John and Sarah were impressed with the girls. A huge thank you to Sheila O’Donoghue, Waterford Camogie and Aisling Heffernan, Ferrybank GAA club for their help in organising the coaching.

School Mass

After three years, we can finally return to the Parish Church as a school community. On Tuesday 27^th September at 11.30a.m. Fr. Kieran will celebrate Mass for the beginning of the school year. If any of you are free that morning, you are very welcome to join us as we ask God’s blessing on our work and our play.

School Rules

Expectations

The school rules apply to all our pupils. All pupils are expected to follow the rules and teachers and staff members are expected to treat all pupils equally by implementing the rules consistently.

General

Be polite at all times.

Arrive on time for school.

Present yourself for school in a tidy manner.

Respect yourself and your belongings.

Respect others and their belongings.

Complete all homework to a high standard.

Uniforms

Wear your full school uniform every day, except on PE days.

Pinafore/skirt, school shirt, tie, jumper, navy or white socks /tights, flat shoes

Wear your tracksuit on PE days (or when asked to do so by your teacher) Please note, 1^st Class to 6^th Class will have Camogie every Wednesday from now until 26^th October so the girls should wear their tracksuits.

Hair

Keep your hair neat and tidy at all times – in a plait or a bun. This rule helps us to keep head lice at bay!

Make Up

Remove make up and nail polish before you come to school

Jewellery

For your safety, you may wear only one pair of stud earrings in the ear lobe and a watch.

Mobile Phones

The girls are encouraged not to bring mobile phones to school. If it is absolutely necessary to do so, the phone must be switched off outside the school gate and handed to the teacher as soon as the child comes into school. Phones will be returned at the end of the day and must not be switched on again until the child is outside the school gate. Phones that are not handed up will be confiscated and will be returned only to an adult.

Green School Policy

Use reusable tubs and containers for your lunch and your drink.

Keep the school and the school grounds clean and tidy.

Bullying

Make sure that Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS is a ‘bully free’ zone. At school, tell a teacher if you are being bullied or if you know that someone else is being bullied.

Rewards

As a school, we encourage and reward positive behaviour in many ways – for example: a mention at Assembly, a Good Counsel Good Citizen Award or a mention in ‘The School Bell’.

Each teacher will also promote and reward good behaviour in her classroom – for example: a sticker chart or Golden Time.

As a citizen of Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS, it is your responsibility to make our school a happy, safe place for everyone.

In My Line for 10 Past Nine

School hours are as follows: 9.10a.m. – 1.45p.m.Junior and Senior Infants, 9.10a.m. – 2.45p.m First and Second Class 9.10a.m. – 2.50p.m Third Class to Sixth Class. Staff will be outside the gate to receive the children until 9.20a.m. and the gates will then be closed. On wet mornings, to allow for more traffic, the girls should arrive no later than 9.30a.m. – this allows 20 minutes assembly time for the children, plenty of time for them to come in, get organised and be seated in their classrooms for the roll call at 9.30a.m.

Save the Date

Thursday October 6th – General Information Evening for Mams and Dads

Smoothie Recipe

Can you guess what ingredients we used to make these delicious smoothies?

Go to the Latest News tab of our website to find out.

Fáilte Ar Ais – Welcome Back

September 8, 2022

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

You are all very welcome back and we hope that you are settling into the school routine again.

We extend a very special welcome to the families that are joining us for the first time, and of course we have to give a special mention to our wonderful Junior Infants who have made a great start.

Miss Power, Ms Harney and Mrs. Evans will be with us again this year and the whole staff is looking forward to lots of hard work and fun during the school year. Special congratulations to Ms. Harney who got married during the summer and to Miss Walsh who got engaged recently. We wish them both every happiness.

Thank you very much to all the Mams and Dads who are helping us out by driving through the car park to drop off and to collect the girls. The system is working so please continue to co-operate with us in getting the girls safely in and out of school. This will be especially important as our Junior Infants will be joining the other girls for the morning drop off from Monday onwards.

As our Junior Infants begin their Primary school journey, I want to share the news that I am coming to the end of my time ‘at school’. After a long and very happy career as a teacher and school principal, I will retire from my position on December 4^th this year. The Board of Management will shortly begin the process to appoint a new principal and you will be kept up to date on any news. Whoever is appointed will be fortunate to be the principal of this wonderful school community, but in the meantime, it will be business as usual😊

Our newsletter, The School Bell, will be published on the school website every second Thursday – keep an eye out for lots more news as the year goes on.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us and look after us during this school year.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

We’ve Been Busy!

The school may have been closed over the summer, but it was still a hive of activity.

All the corridors, hallways and public areas of the building have been painted and the floors and windows have been cleaned and polished.

Our Outdoor Learning area is taking shape – it has been fenced and painted and we are looking forward to making use of the tables and seating for lots of learning outdoors.

Each classroom now has a smartboard installed and the girls and their teachers have already been enjoying using them.

Sincere thanks to our Board of Management for supporting all the improvements and to our In-School Management Team – Miss Kelly, Mrs. Ryan and Mrs. Shanahan – for giving their time so generously over the summer months.

Stay Safe

During this first term, teachers will teach the Stay Safe Programme to each class from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. Mams and Dads are encouraged to check out the programme through these websites: http://www.staysafe.ie/parents.htm https://www.webwise.ie/parents/ and www.pdst.ie/staysafe We also encourage you to discuss the lessons with your children.

What To Do If You or Your Child Has a Problem

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, a problem will arise that needs to be sorted out. In our school, we follow the nationally agreed procedure for dealing with any concerns or problems. Thankfully, it is our experience, that we very rarely need to go past No. 1 or No. 2 as most problems can be sorted out quickly when adults can have a reasonable conversation with each other. So, if you or your child has a problem, this is what you need to do:

1. Make an appointment to speak with the class teacher. To do this, call the school office on 051 832984.

Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step

2. Make an appointment to speak with the school principal. To do this, call the school office on 051 832984.

Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step

3. Make an appointment to speak with the chairperson of the Board of Management. To do this, call the school office on 051 832984.

Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step

4. Lodge a complaint in writing with the chairperson of the Board of Management

Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step

5. Chairperson makes a formal report to the Board of Management

6. The Board determines whether or not the complaint is substantiated.

Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step

7. The Board conducts an investigation

The Board makes a decision and informs the parent/guardian and the person against whom the complaint was made in writing of its decision. The decision of the Board shall be final.

Save the Date!

We are delighted that we will be able to invite parents to the school on October 6th for a General Information Evening. You will have the opportunity to see where your child learns every day and to meet with your child’s teacher. The teacher will talk to you about the curriculum for the year and give you some ideas about how we can all work together to help the children progress. You will receive more information about the meeting before then, but for now, please save the date!

School Calendar 2022-2023

Term 1 begins Thursday, 1st September 2022

Hallowe’en Closed Mon. 31st Oct to Fri. 4th Nov

School re-opens Monday 7th November

Last day Term 1 Wednesday 21st December

Christmas Holidays School closed Thursday 22nd Dec. to Wed 4th Jan. 2023

Term 2 begins Thursday 5th January 2023

Bank Holiday School closed Monday February 6th

Mid-Term Break School closed Thursday 16th and Friday 17th February

St. Patrick’s Day School closed Friday 17th March

Last day Term 2 Friday 31st March

Easter Holidays School closed Monday 3rd April to Friday 14th April

Term 3 begins Monday 17th April

May Bank Holiday School closed Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd May

June Bank Holiday School closed Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th June

Last day of school year Wednesday 28th June

End of Year Report

June 24, 2022

What We Have Achieved Together this Year

Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

We have made it to the end of our first full school year since June 2019. Phew! Thanks to everyone who makes Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS such a special place, we have dealt with the challenges and made great progress. There is always room to improve but as we finish for the summer break, here is a little reminder of just some of our achievements this year.

The girls and their teachers have worked extremely hard to achieve the targets in our School Improvement Plan. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we have had enormous improvement in our test scores for Vocabulary Development. We will continue to review and evaluate so that the great work continues.
We enjoyed celebrating and taking part in Science Week, Maths Week, Engineers Week, Fire Safety Awareness Week, World Book Day, Intercultural Week, Seachtain na Gaeilge, Mother Languages Day, Africa Day, Friendship and Wellbeing Week, Poetry Day, Internet Safety Day, Sports Day and the list goes on!
Our school was well represented by our Camogie and Basketball Teams, and over the past week, the girls have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Poc Fada and GAA skills competitions on the school grounds. Well done to Mr. Dooley, Mrs. Shanahan, Mrs. Foley and Mrs. Burke for giving so generously of their time.
Our weekly Assembly on Zoom was a great success, and we looked forward to hearing the report of the week’s activities from each classroom. The children and staff also prepared beautiful, reflective Special Assemblies for the many Feast Days and Holy Days during the school year.
Wednesday 22^nd June was a very special day because it was the first time since 12^th March 2020, that all the children and staff in the school were able to get together. We gathered outside in the lovely Outdoor Learning space that Miss Kelly is developing. It was an opportunity to celebrate the girls in Sixth Class who are moving on to Secondary School and it was a truly wonderful morning. Our thanks to Sr. Mary for taking the time to join us.

Sixth Class treated us to a wonderful end of year show yesterday, and it was so good to be able to invite their family members to join us. Girls, we wish you well as you move on. We have watched you blossom into young ladies, and we know that you will continue to bloom in the years to come.
Achieving our first Amber Flag to recognise the school’s efforts in promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing for all was a highlight. Mrs. Shanahan and her Wellbeing Warriors deserve great credit for all they do. Our school lights are now amber to reflect our special status.

Congratulations to all the girls who took part in various competitions and events during the 2021-2022 school year. Some special awards were presented at Assembly on Wednesday last.

School Camogie Player of the Year 2021-2022 – Megan (Sixth Class)
Good Counsel Good Citizen of the Year 2021-2022 – Amelie (Sixth Class)
Poc Fada – Lilly May (Sixth Class)
Staff Poc Fada – Mrs. Power

The children may be on holidays but the school will be a busy place during the summer months.

Mrs. Ryan has been working hard upgrading our ICT systems during the year, and during the coming break, she has arranged for the installation of smartboards in every classroom.

All the corridors and hallways will be painted and freshened up before the next school year, and work will continue on our Outdoor Learning space.

Two teachers will be recruited for First Class and for Special Education.

The end of the school year is always a time for ‘Farewells.’ Over the past few days, the children and the staff have been celebrating Mr. Dooley’s contribution to Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS over the past six years, including the achievement of a STEM Plaque Award this year. We wish him every success in his new role as Principal of Ballyneale NS.

We also send our thanks to Miss Harney and Miss Power who were with us this year, and we wish Miss Harney the happiest of days for her wedding during the summer.

We are delighted that Miss Hall will be joining us as a permanent member of staff from September onwards.

As a school principal, I have the special privilege of seeing all the fantastic things that happen in our school on a day-to-day basis. What stands out most, is the genuine care and concern that every single member of staff has for every child, so to my wonderful colleagues, thank you for all you do.

Our school progresses because parents, staff, the Parents Association and Board of Management are focussed on a single goal – making our school the best in can be for all our children. Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and encouragement and we look forward to working with all of you again in the new school year.

Enjoy the summer break – we will be in touch with you in late August with any updates for re-opening on September 1^st. May Our Lady of Good Counsel continue to guide and bless us.

Yours sincerely,

Miss O’Reilly, Miss Kelly and the staff of Good Counsel GNS

Great News!

June 9, 2022

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

I am delighted to let you know that our school has received two very special awards in the past couple of weeks.

The first is an SFI Discover Science and Maths Award. Thanks to all the wonderful work that the girls and their teachers took on in Science, Engineering, Maths and Technology (STEM), we have been awarded a Plaque of STEM. We look forward to the presentation ceremony which will take place online next Friday 17th June. Well done to Mr. Dooley who co-ordinated the project and who submitted the application.

Our second award is the 2021-2022 Pieta Amber Flag and it recognises the school’s efforts to promote positive mental health by encouraging teamwork and contributions from peers. A huge ‘Well Done!’ to the girls and the staff for making our school a happier place for everyone, and a special word of thanks to Mrs. Shanahan and her Wellbeing Warriors for managing the activities and for submitting the application.

The final School Bell for 2021-2022 will be published on June 23^rd. Until then, we look forward to a busy end of term.

Kind regards,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

What the STEM Assessor had to say!

Well done to staff and pupils in Our Lady of Good Counsel. It was a pleasure to assess you Plaque application. Your Log was clearly laid out and provided lots of evidence of the many STEM activities going on in your school. You acknowledge that Technology is an integral part of every school and yet you are using it to provide so many learning opportunities to explore coding, circuits, programmes, throughout the school – even your younger students are doing coding. You used Tree Week to great advantage to examine the many trees in your locality. I particularly liked that you appreciated Mark the Caretaker’s input into STEM and the new greenhouse he constructed from old timber will give your bedding plants a great start before going out into the flower beds. What a great idea to showcase one of your projects for the school on ZOOM. presentation and communication are some of the important STEM skills – also building your confidence in front of the camera. You are worthy recipients of the Plaque of STEM for 2022.

Check our school’s STEM website here: https://sites.google.com/view/olgcstem/home

Amber Flag Award

We are delighted to announce we were awarded our first Amber Flag on Friday June 3rd. The Amber Flag is an initiative run by Pieta House. It recognises the efforts of schools, clubs and community groups to support mental health. We were not surprised because everyone makes a huge effort to support positive mental health in our school. Pieta House was extremely impressed with our application which included many of our initiatives such as the Good Citizen Good Counsel Award, Pieta House Fundraiser, Wellbeing Week, staff-pupil meet and greet every morning, The Daily Mile, The Stay Safe Programme, the Zen Den and Internet Safety Day. The list goes on. A huge thank you to the Wellbeing Warriors, Staff and all the special girls in our school who make Our Lady of Good Counsel such a happy, safe place. The Amber Flag will be flown proudly outside our school when we receive it.

Mrs Shanahan and her Wellbeing Warriors

Sports Day

We have fingers, toes and everything crossed that we will have some fine weather tomorrow for our school Sports Day. No matter what the weather is like in the morning, we will make the best of the day.

The girls should wear their school tracksuits and bring some spare clothes with them (a spare leggings, top and socks). Wear your rain gear Girls and be prepared to be outside (if it is not too wet or windy!) Drop off and pick up times are as usual. Bring lots of drinks too.

Book Rental

There has been a great response to our new online payments system for the Book Rental scheme. Thank you to everyone who has already paid the Book Rental fee for September. We cannot order books for or provide books to pupils who have not paid the Book Rental fee. Please contact Miss O’Reilly or Tracey in complete confidence if you have any difficulty in paying and another arrangement can be made.

To take part in the Book Rental scheme (First Class to Sixth Class) please:

Register on the Databiz Portal (www.databizsolutions.ie) If you have not already received an email from Databiz, please contact the school office as soon as possible.
Once you have registered, you will receive a request to make an online payment.
Make the payment and you will receive a receipt.
Sign the Book Rental Contract that your child brought home and return it to her teacher.

This is a new system for all of us, so if you have any trouble, please contact the school office on 051-832984.

Good Luck and Congratulations

During the month of June, we will pray during our Friday Assemblies for all the students who are sitting their Junior and Leaving Certificate exams at the moment.

Special congratulations from everyone at Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS go to the girls in Sixth Class who were confirmed in the Parish Church on June 2^nd. They were a credit to their families and their teacher, Mrs. Power. We are very grateful to everyone in the Parish community who helped to make the occasion so special – Fr. Kieran, the ushers, the Sacristan, those who prepared the Church so beautifully, the Parish Secretary and the Choir.

Classes for September 2022

The new school year will begin on 1^st September 2022 and classes have been allocated as follows:

Junior Infants Miss Ciara Hall

Senior Infants Ms. Carmel Fogarty and Mrs. Feana Foley

First Class To be appointed

Second Class Mrs. Maeve Power

Third Class Mrs. Mary Ryan

Fourth Class Miss Ann Cunniffe

Fifth Class Miss Eilís Walsh

Sixth Class Mrs. Clare Burke

Special Education/EAL Team Miss Monica Kelly

Mrs. Aisling Shanahan

Ms. Susan Rellis

To be appointed

Ferrybank Library

May 26, 2022

Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful public library in Ferrybank. Our staff and pupils visit regularly and we are very grateful to all the staff who work in the Library for their kindness to us. Joining the Library is free for everyone, adults and children,and even if you forget to bring back a book, there are no fines. The summer break will soon be here, so why not make use of this fantastic facility? In the meantime, some of our girls may be interested in the LEGO workshop that will take place on June 11^th. Check out the information below and pay a visit. You will be made very welcome.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Welcome

Kilkenny County Council Library Service would like to welcome you to our library service.

You can join the library through our website: www.kilkennylibrary.ie, or by calling into your local branch.

Where we are

Ferrybank

X91 D211

+353 51 89 7200

ferrybank@kilkennylibrary.ie

Joining the library is free for everyone

Our libraries offer a warm, safe and inclusive spaces and are free to use by all.
Joining the library is free. With library membership you can borrow books, audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs and much more from your library.
We also have printing, photocopying and scanning services.
You can access internet, WiFi and computers for free.

ONLINE SERVICES

PressReader provides access to thousands of newspapers and magazines from around the world
PressReader offers instant translation in up to 18 different languages for most articles and even full publications in as little as three clicks.

Log in to your account with card number.
Then simply click on the three dots in the top right corner of the PressReader screen.
- Select Interface Language and translate into the language you want.

Borrowbox is our eBook and eAudiobook service. You log in with your card number and PIN. Borrowbox provides a large range of digital books and digital audiobooks, including books in 10 different languages.

Transparent Languages is our online language learning app. To sign up, you will need your library card number and an email address. There are 29 English language courses for speakers of different languages.

Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and keep up to date with what is happening. @kilkennylibrary

Book Rental Scheme 2022-2023

This week you received a letter about the Book Rental Scheme for 2022-2023. The information is also available on the Latest News tab of the website. Thank you to everyone who has already used our new and easy online payments system.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the girls in Sixth Class who had their Ceremony of Light on Thursday last. The ceremony symbolises the handing on of faith from one generation to the next. It is one of the final steps in preparation for Confirmation which takes place on June 2^nd @ 7p.m. We look forward to a very special evening in Ferrybank Parish Church.

Africa Day

On Wednesday, we celebrated Africa Day in our school. Miss Kelly put together a display of books, artefacts and projects for the girls to enjoy. Well done to Rang a Trí for their lovely artwork and to Dorka for her terrific project on Egypt. Each class listened to a story on an African theme.

There are lots of cultural events taking place in Waterford this weekend

Polish Community

The Polish Community in Waterford is organising a Family Fun Day in De la Salle College from 10am – 3pm on Saturday. All are welcome.

Ascension Thursday

Today is Ascension Thursday. In the Catholic faith, Ascension Day traditionally falls 40 days after Easter, which is a Thursday. It used to be a holy day of obligation, but the celebration has been moved to the following Sunday, the seventh Sunday of Easter.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he told the apostles to wait on the Holy Spirit to come upon them. They stayed and prayed for 9 days until Pentecost Sunday, making the first novena.

The ascension of Jesus is the 2nd glorious mystery of the rosary!

Calendar 2022-2023

The calendar for the next school year has been agreed with St. Mary’s BNS. Please keep it for your own reference. You can also access the calendar through the free Text-a-Parent App.

School Calendar 2022-2023

Term 1 begins Thursday, 1^st September 2022

Hallowe’en Closed Mon. 31^st Oct to Fri. 4^th Nov

School re-opens Monday 7^th November

Last day Term 1 Wednesday 21^st December

Christmas Holidays School closed Thursday 22^nd Dec. to Wed 4^th Jan. 2023

Term 2 begins Thursday 5^th January 2023

Bank Holiday School closed Monday February 6^th

Mid-Term Break School closed Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th February

St. Patrick’s Day School closed Friday 17^th March

Last day Term 2 Friday 31^st March

Easter Holidays School closed Monday 3rd April to Friday 14^th April

Term 3 begins Monday 17^th April

May Bank Holiday School closed Monday 1^st and Tuesday 2^nd May

June Bank Holiday School closed Monday 5^th and Tuesday 6^th June

Last day of school year Wednesday 28^th June

Friendship and Wellbeing Week

May 12, 2022

Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS is a hive of activity this week. The girls are busy learning about wellbeing, kindness and friendship. Each day, we are focusing on a different topic and there is a lovely, friendly, happy feeling around the school. We can’t wait to see the girls dressed in their colourful clothes on Friday for our annual “Wear your Bright Colours Day”. A big thank you to Miss O’Reilly for updating our website and sharing our daily message with parents. We hope everyone is enjoying this special week.

Remember to wear your brightest colours tomorrow.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Shanahan

National Parents Council Helpline

If you know any families that have recently arrived from Ukraine, this helpline may be useful for them.

Bike Week

We have a fabulous bicycle shelter and we would love to see it full during Bike Week which takes place from May 14^th to 22^nd. Girls, if you are cycling or scooting to school, please keep yourself safe. Wear your helmet and your high-vis jacket. The girls in Fourth Class have recently completed a Safe Cycling course so this is a good opportunity to put what they have learned into practice.

On Wednesday 18th, we will be counting the number of girls who cycle to school and we will submit the numbers to a national count of cyclists on that date.

First Holy Communion

Our very best wishes to all the girls in Second Class who will receive their First Holy Communion on Saturday next. They have been preparing well with Miss Hall, Ms. Fenton and Fr. Kieran and they are ready for their special day. We hope that the girls and their families will enjoy this lovely occasion.

Very Important People!

On Wednesday, four girls from our school travelled to Dublin to take part in a consultation with the Department of Education (DE). The DE is reviewing its procedures for Anti-Bullying Policies in schools and they wanted to hear the views of children. Out of 3,200 primary schools, only 13 were invited to attend so we are very proud that the girls from Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS were included. Well done girls! We know that you made a great contribution to the discussion, and we hope that you enjoyed meeting with the Minister of Education, Ms. Norma Foley. Thank you to Mrs. Shanahan and Tracey who travelled with the girls and who looked after them so well.

On Wednesday, we attended the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in Dublin. The
Department wanted to consult with children to get their views on the anti-bullying action plan 2013
and make suggestions how to improve it.
We met with government officials and 12 other schools. We were put into our class groups. We
spoke to new people and even made new friends. We were lucky enough to meet with the Minister
of Education Norma Foley. She explained they wanted to get children’s point of views and
suggestions for improving the anti- bullying plan.
She asked us about our opinion on bullying and what we would do if someone got bullied. She asked
us how we could improve our school’s anti-bullying policy. We did lovely activities to explore the
above. We were able to tell the other schools about all the wonderful stuff we do in our school.
We were treated very well in Dublin and had lovely pizza, goujons and chips for our lunch. A big
thank you to, Miss O’Reilly, Mrs Shanahan and Tracey for organising the trip.

By – Alianna, Charlotte, Ella and Amelia

Senior Infant Future World Champions!

Miss O’Reilly has had visits this week from some of our Senior Infants. The girls have been taking part and winning cups and medals in lots of different competitions, from Irish dancing to athletics. Well done Amber, Charlotte, Ella and Ciara and keep up with your exercise.

Reminder

As far as possible the girls are expected to be in their line and ready to come in the gate at 9.10 every morning. The gate will be closed at 9.20a.m.

Important Note

Staff members have to undertake one more in-service training session during this school year. We have agreed with St. Mary’s BNS that both schools will close early on Friday June 3^rd to facilitate the training. The girls will go home at the following times on that date:

Junior and Senior Infants @ 12.15p.m.

First and Second Classes @ 12.25p.m.

Third to Sixth Classes @ 12.30p.m.

Congratulations

We send a big welcome to little Bobby Dooley who arrived safely in the world last week. Warm congratulations to Bobby’s Dad, Mr. Dooley, to his Mam and big sister.

Poetry Day Ireland

April 28, 2022

Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

Welcome back to school for the final term of the 2021-2022 year. We have had a busy start this week with the girls participating in outdoor activities such as cycling, basketball and camogie. Well done to our Camogie team who played an away match against Kill NS on Wednesday and thank you very much to the staff members who give their time (and their lunchbreaks) so willingly to give the girls the opportunity to play sports.

Last Tuesday was the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The story of the painting of Our Lady is on the Latest News tab of the website. Two terrific readers from Sixth Class shared the story with us over the school’s intercom system – thank you girls. We are also celebrated Poetry Day Ireland this week and I am looking forward to reading the many poems that the girls have submitted for our annual Poetry Competition. I will share some of their wonderful work with you at a later date.

For your reference, here are the planned closures for the rest of the school year. The calendar for next year will be published as soon as it has been agreed.

Term 3 begins April 25th

May Bank Holiday School closed Mon. May 2nd

June Bank Holiday School closed Mon. June 6th

School year ends Fri. 24th June 2022

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide each and every one of us through a safe, happy term full of learning and fun.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

What To Do If You or Your Child Has a Problem

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, a problem will arise that needs to be sorted out. In our school, we follow the nationally agreed procedure for dealing with any concerns or problems and even though times are different right now, the procedure still applies. Conversations may now need to be held over the phone, and if necessary, we can arrange meetings in a manner that keeps everyone safe, but we can still work things out. Thankfully, it is our experience, that we very rarely need to go past No. 1 or No. 2 as most problems can be sorted out quickly when adults can have a reasonable conversation with each other. So, if you or your child has a problem, this is what you need to do:

1. Make an appointment to speak with the class teacher. To do this, call the school office on 051 832984. Problems will not be addressed by email.