The School Bell
School Bell Special Edition 25th June 2020
My Heroes
Dear Good Counsel Girls, Mams, Dads and Staff,
We’ve heard a lot of talk about heroes since March 12th and there is no doubt that the people who have been on the frontline to keep our country going, have been absolutely heroic. But there have been other heroes too and as we bring this school year to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them.
Hero Mams and Dads, since March 12th you have taken on the huge task of helping your children to continue learning. Not only have you become teachers, you were also carers, cooks, cleaners, workers, positive role models and organisers of entertainment in your homes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your kind messages of thanks and support to the staff have helped to keep us going. You have done an amazing job, so take a bow and take a well-earned break from Home Learning!
Hero Staff members, you are dedicated and caring at all times, and this has never been more evident than during the school closure. You cheered me up every week at our virtual Staff meetings, and your positive messages to the girls and their families were very much appreciated. Enjoy the summer break with your own families and loved ones and take some time to relax and refresh yourselves.
Hero Good Counsel Girls, what an amazing group you are! As your school principal, I am always proud of you and I am especially proud of you this year. You did everything you were asked to do to keep yourself and the people around you safe. You have worked hard at home, you have learned wonderful new skills and you have gotten to know your family better. Remember this time – it’s hard to imagine right now but in years to come you will tell your children and grandchildren all about it, and they will find it hard to believe. For your special effort, I am nominating each of you for a great big Good Counsel Good Citizen Award. Continue to stay safe and well, and have a wonderful summer break.
On a very personal note, I’d like to thank each and every one of you who sent me messages of sympathy and support when my mother Eileen, one of my very special heroes, died in March. I could not have managed without the support and help of Miss Kelly, Tracey, the staff and the entire school community.
Heroes are brave and they have courage, they are determined, helpful and honest, they inspire us to be better than we think we can be, they make personal sacrifices and protect others, they are selfless and strong. You have been, and continue to be all of these things and more. I pray that the sun will shine for us all over the summer months, and that Our Lady of Good Counsel will continue to keep us in her loving care until we meet again.
Yours sincerely,
Catríona O’Reilly
Dear Good Counsel Girls, Mams and Dads,
I hope that you and your family are keeping well, staying safe and looking after each other. No one could have imagined how much our world and lives would have changed since March 12th when we closed the school door at 3 o’ clock that Thursday afternoon. Here’s my message to you all. Stay Safe:
School closed on March 12th. Preparations are going on in the background with all the relevant education partners and at present our school is due to reopen 1st September. This will bring us all back to some kind of normal. It is good to have a date and focus.
Thank you to our Board of Management, Miss O’Reilly, teachers, SNAs and staff for their commitment and dedication to our pupils and school over the last few months. A big thank you too to our Parents Association and ALL our PARENTS for your kind comments, patience and support for the work of the school at home. It has been amazing. There may have been illness in some homes, some of our parents may have lost their jobs, and some of our parents are going out to work every day. Let’s look after each other.
A big well done to all our wonderful girls in Our Lady of Good Counsel School. You are wonderful children. You all have been learning at home over the last few months in different ways. I commend and thank you most sincerely. Thank you too for helping out at home and for being kind. Keep doing some jobs helping your Mams and Dads. Be kind and help.
Yes, all of us have been disappointed that we didn’t get to finish out the year as we had planned. No First Holy Communion but Fr. Kieran came up with a plan to mark that day virtually. I’m sure Fr. Kieran will give us a date to do it for real, when he knows for sure it is safe. And 6th Class, what can I say…We know you were looking forward to doing lots of the many activities that 6th Classes always do. Mrs. Power and you all worked hard over the last few weeks to make your graduation a reality. In years to come, you will always be able to say ‘We were the 6th Class of Our Lady of Good Counsel 2020’. Best wishes to you all as you begin a new and exciting chapter in your lives.
Stay safe at all times and Girls that includes online. Yes it is important to stay connected to our friends, but online activity comes with some risks and parents should always know what our children are doing on line and that they are safe. Please keep your devices in your living areas with your parents/guardians present.
Active – keep the balance right. Be active for short bursts of time, three or four times a day. Walk a mile with a smile every day. Play Frisbee together. Cycle your bike. Practice your GAA or football drills. Or skip! It is brilliant for us all. So is downtime and chill out time. So is family time, meal-times and gardening time. It is important also to get a good sleep every night. Be it holiday time or not!
For now, it is important that we keep going and that we continue to keep ourselves safe. We can see our friends but keep social distance at the same time. Remember to keep washing those hands and practice good cough/sneeze hygiene!
BE your best, don’t worry and have a great summer! We will all meet up again when we get back to school in September. Summer 2020 – here it comes! Have a safe summer.Miss Kelly – Deputy Principal
The “School Bell” June 6th 2019
School Calendar 2019-2020
Dear Mums, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
The school calendar for 2019-2020 has been agreed between St. Mary’s BNS and Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS. We are publishing the calendar now so that it will help you to plan family time and holidays during school closures.
Please keep a copy of the calendar for your own reference. Closures are also listed on the Text-a-Parent calendar so if you have not already done so, and you’d like to have the calendar to hand, please download the free App from https://app.textaparent.ie/get/app.
Term 1 begins Monday 2nd September 2019
Hallowe’en Break Closed Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November inclusive
School re-opens Monday 4th November
Christmas Closed Monday 23rd December to Friday 3rd January 2020 inclusive
Term 2 begins Monday 6th January 2020
Mid-Term Break Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February
St. Patrick’s Day Closed Monday 16th March
Closed Tuesday 17th March (Public Holiday)
Easter Break Closed Monday 6th April to Friday 17th April inclusive
Term 3 begins Monday 20th April
May Bank Holiday Closed Monday 4th May
June Bank Holiday Closed Friday 29th May
Closed Monday 1st June
School year ends on Friday 26th June 2020
Yours sincerely,
_____________________________
C. O’Reilly –Principal
End of Year Reports
In the week beginning June 17th, you will receive an End of Year Report Card for your child through the post. Please let the School Office know if you have changed your address recently. If you do not receive a Report Card by Wednesday 19th June, please contact the School Office immediately on 051-832984.
School Self-Evaluation
Over the last number of months, we have been working on improving the girls’ writing skills. Junior Infants, First Class, Third Class and Fifth Class have been learning how to write Narrative Texts (Stories) and Senior Infants, Second Class, Fourth Class and Sixth Class have been working on Report Writing. The girls have put a lot of effort into improving their own work and we are delighted with the outcomes.
It is very obvious that the children who read more, find it easier to write and produce better pieces of writing. So, one way to help your child to become a better writer, is to encourage her to read more. For the younger children who are still developing their reading skills, it is important for them to hear adults read to them on a daily basis. To keep the interest in reading going over the summer break, why not take on the Summer Stars Reading Challenge in Ferrybank Library?
Do You Enjoy a Challenge?
Once again, the annual Summer Reading Challenge (Summer Stars) will run in Ferrybank Library.
This challenge encourages children to read a minimum of 8 books through the summer holiday period. We invite children to come along to the library with a parent to sign up anytime from Saturday 15th June. Once registered, they receive a card to record their progress. Children can read whatever they like – fact or fiction, as long as the books are borrowed from the Library! After reading 4 books, a drawstring bag will be rewarded, and on completion, a certificate and prize will be awarded. The challenge ends on 31stAugust. Last year 157 children completed the challenge in Ferrybank Library. Let’s see if we can do better this year!
Basketball Blitz
Up to 50 girls from 4th, 5th and 6th Classes took part in the after-school basketball lessons during this term. Fantastic! When the lessons were finished, the teachers organised a basketball blitz for all the girls who had taken part. Matches were played at lunchtime and last week, we had a very exciting final. The two teams showed off their new skills and they had great support from all the spectators. Congratulations to the winning team and we will have a little surprise for you at this week’s Assembly. We’d like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to Mrs. Burke, Miss Kissane and Mr. Dooley who gave up their time after school to organise the lessons, and their lunchbreaks to run the competition.
Health and Wellbeing Week
Ms. Finucane has been busy planning a celebration of Health and Wellbeing which will run from Monday June 17th to Friday June 21st. Each day we will focus on a different aspect(s) of wellbeing – physical, emotional, environmental, intellectual and spiritual. At the heart of the wellbeing wheel is our own responsibility to keep ourselves content and well, both physically and mentally.
Some days are better
Some days are worse
Look for the blessing
Instead of the curse.
Be positive, stay strong,
And get enough rest.
I can’t do it all,
But I can do my best.
Eid-ul-Fitr
The end of Ramadan is marked by a big celebration called ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’, the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. This year, Eid took place on June 3rd and 4th and we hope that everyone in our school community who was celebrating Eid, had a very special time with family and friends. We wish you a Happy Eid, Eid Mubarak.
Attendance Award
The Attendance Award for the month of May goes to Fifth Class with an attendance rate of 97.59%. They were closed followed by Sixth Class on 96.91% and Third Class with 94.68%. At the end of June we will see which class has the best overall attendance for the full school year – it is very close at the moment with less than 1% between the best two classes!
Bringing Up Happy Healthy Children
As a follow on to our recent Healthy Families workshop, St Brigid’s Family & Community Centre and Parents Plus are organising a 4 week ‘Bringing up Happy, Healthy & Active Children’ Parenting Programme for parents starting Thursday 30th May. The ‘Bringing up Happy, Healthy & Active Children’ is most relevant to parents of children from 3 years up to 10 years of age. Parents are very welcome to attend all four workshops of the Programme or if this isn’t possible parents can attend any one or more of the workshops. There is no charge for the Programme. The Programme takes place in St Brigid’s Children Centre, Hennessy’s Road (not Yellow Road).
If you have any queries or would like more information on the Programme, please feel free to call on 051 375261.
Newsletter 28th March 2019
Organ Donor Awareness Week
Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
Next week is Organ Donor Awareness Week 2019. It was launched by the Minister for Health Simon Harris on March 26th. In his statement, the Minister said that ‘In 2018, there was a total of 274 transplants carried out, …….with donations occurring in 25 hospitals.’
This might seem like an unusual topic for a school newsletter, but we have our very own ambassador for organ donation here at Good Counsel GNS.
Before Christmas, Molly (1st Class) received the amazing gift of a new kidney, thanks to the generosity of a donor. If you were watching Ireland AM on Wednesday morning, you may have seen Molly and her Dad Brendan on the show, telling their stories and encouraging more of us to become organ donors. They were terrific!
If you are interested in becoming an organ donor, this is the advice given by the Irish Kidney Association:
- email: donor@ika.ie
- freetext DONOR to 50050
- lo call 1890 543639
- By post to: Freepost, Donor House, Irish Kidney Association,
- Park West, Dublin 12
- Collect a donor card at your local pharmacy
- Sign the back of your driving licence to indicate your wishes.
Most importantly, discuss your wishes with your next-of-kin.
We wish Molly and Brendan, and all organ recipients continued good health and we will remember all organ donors and their families in our prayers.
Yours sincerely,
__________________
C. O’Reilly – Principal
First Penance
Congratulations and well done to all the girls who made their First Penance on March 21st. Thank you to Mr. Dooley, Fr. O’Shea and their families for helping them to prepare so well. We know that the girls are looking forward to their First Holy Communion on May 11th.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Thank you to everyone who came along to support our school St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and to all the Mams and Dads who went to such great effort to make sure that the girls were as colourful as could be! We know that the Sacred Heart of Mary Sisters and the residents of St. Joseph’s Care Home very much appreciated the girls’ visit. Well done girls.
Safe Cycling
On Wednesday next, the girls in Fourth Class will begin a four week Safe Cycling course with Donal Jacob. Donal will come to the school and he will provide the bicycles and helmets for the girls. We are very fortunate that we get some sponsorship every year to help with the costs of the course, and our Parents’ Association is always generous in supporting us. As a result, the cost to the girls is only €5 each. Please forward the €5 to Mrs. Ryan or to the school office any time before the end of the course (8th May).
New Television Show
RTE Junior has contacted us about the hit RTÉjr show Donncha’s TWO TALENTED. Applications are now open and will close on the 10th of April.
Adare Productions are looking for the country’s most talented youngsters age 5-11 years of age to take part. Singer or dancer, solo or duet, all applications are welcome. There are no judges, no competition just a chance to showcase the best talent Ireland’s kids (and their chosen grown- ups!) have to offer. The show sees the child take charge and mentor a chosen adult member to join them on our stage. To apply interested parties can register online and submit their short audition clip at-https://submit.link/heBzR
Host, rugby legend Donncha O’ Callaghan, will be on hand to steady the grown-up’s nerves, as talented youngsters showcase their talent, before taking on the challenge of mentoring their chosen adult family member to join them on the big stage.
For more information contact 01 2843877 or visit the RTÉjr website for more information.
“The School Bell” October 18th 2018
It’s Maths Week!
Dear Mums, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
It’s Maths Week! The girls and their teachers have been celebrating in lots of different ways. On Wednesday, Fifth Class went to the Central Library in Lady Lane for a terrific workshop with the Museum of Mathematics of Catalonia. The girls did lots of puzzles to develop their Maths skills while learning about Leonardo Domes, Mobius bands, magic and much more.
On Friday, Fourth Class will visit Ferrybank Library for more fun and games based on Maths.
If you’d like to try some puzzles at home, why not check out the Maths Week website – http://www.mathsweek.ie/2018/ ? Go to the ‘Resources’ tab and click on ‘Puzzles for all ages’.
If you don’t have internet access at home, you could celebrate Maths Week by playing some board games – Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Connect 4.
Here’s a little puzzle to get you started.
Horace was looking through the family photograph album, which had photos of each of his parents, each of his grandparents, all the way up to each of his great-great-great-grandparents. How many photos did Horace see?
You’ll find the answer somewhere else in this newsletter.
Slán go fóill,
_______________________________
C. Ní Raghallaigh – Príomhoide
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. The procedure listed below has been agreed nationally and it is the procedure that we use in this school to sort out any difficulties. Thankfully, we very rarely need to go past No. 1 or No. 2 as most problems can be sorted out fairly quickly when adults sit down and 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 see the class teacher.
Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step
2. Make an appointment to see the school principal
Problem solved? Yes – procedure finished No – Go to next step
3. Make an appointment to see the chairperson of the Board of Management
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.
Evacuation Drill This morning, we had an Evacuation Drill at the school. We practise evacuating the building so that we are all familiar with what to do in case on an emergency.
Reminder Girls, please remember that some parts of the school grounds are off limits, unless your teacher is with you. Please do not go behind the old building on the top yard or up the grassy area beside the convent avenue. As a Good Counsel Good Citizen, you have a responsibility to keep yourself safe.
Mayor’s Visit
On Monday 22nd October, the Mayor of Waterford Metropolitan District, will visit the school to present Attendance Certificates to any girl who had full attendance last year. Congratulations to Mia, Isabelle, Victory, Mia, Dara, Sophiat, Niamh, Julie, Sophie, Chi Chi, Dzesika, Fiona, Sarah, Dzesika, Sophie, Lorraine and Favour on your wonderful attendance.
The school will also give certificates to the girls who missed no more than three days during the last school year. We do this to recognise the great effort made by the girls to be at school every day. It is also to recognise the effort that you make as parents/guardians to get the girls out the door to school every morning. Every school day counts!
Mission Week
Our annual Mission Drive will begin on Monday, 22nd October. For those of you who are new to the school, Mission Week is one of the highlights of the year. Classes from Sixth to Third set up stalls and sell cakes, buns, unwanted toys, books, etc. to all the other children in the school. Please bear in mind that Good Counsel is a ‘Nut Free’ school. This year’s sales are as follows:
Monday 22nd October Mrs. Power’s Class
Tuesday 23rd October Miss Kissane’s Class
Wednesday 24th October Mrs. Ryan’s Class and Mrs. Burke’s Class
On Thursday 25th October we will have our Talent Competition, which is organised and judged by Sixth Class. All the money we raise is sent directly to a project in the developing world so that none of the money is spent on administration. It is a good idea for the small girls to bring along a ‘shopping bag’ to make it easy to carry the things they buy. There are usually lots of goodies for sale so the girls might not need to bring a lot to eat for small break during the Mission Sales.
We are always amazed at the generosity of the girls and their parents during Mission Week. Remember, a little goes a very long way in the developing world.
PLEASE NOTE: School will remain open until 3p.m. on Thursday
5th October. School will close on Friday 26th October as it is required as a Polling Station for the Presidential Election and the Referendum. The traditional ‘Mayors’ Half Day’ will be held over until February.
Peace Proms
The girls in 3rd and 5th classes will take part in the Peace Proms Concert on Sunday 10th February
@ 7p.m. We have received the links to all the wonderful songs that the girls will sing and we are all looking forward to hearing them practice.
Mums and Dads, tickets for the concert will go on sale on Monday 12th November, with a pre-sale on Monday 5th. We will let you know if there is any further update, but please be aware that tickets sell out very quickly, and tickets may only be bought through the Peace Proms website. They are not available from the school.
Bookville at the Library
On Friday the 12th of October , 4th class went to a workshop in the library to meet an author called Alan Nolan as part of Bookville. We have read one of Alan’s books in class, it’s called Conor’s Caveman. In the workshop, Alan taught us how to draw Ogg, our favourite character from Conor’s Cavemen and told us about his new book, Sam Hannigan’s Woof Week. He told us that he’s writing two more books, that will be coming out next year. We hope to get our hands on some! We had a very fun and enjoyable time with our favourite author. By Saoirse – 4th Class
How many photos did Horace see?
2 parents
4 grandparents
8 great-grandparents
16 great-great-grandparents
32 great-great-great-grandparents
2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 = 62 photos in all.
The School Bell October 4th 2018
Thank You
Dear Mums, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
It was just wonderful to meet so many of you at our Parents’ Information evening last Thursday. I know the effort that it takes to come out to a meeting in the evening so I very much appreciate the fact that so many Mums and Dads came along. I would also like to acknowledge the staff of the school who gave their time to plan and deliver the meetings. It really does make a difference to the children’s learning when they know that their school and their homes are communicating and working together.
I hope that you found the meetings informative and that you also had an opportunity to chat to some of the organisations who were here about the services they provide.
On page 2 of this newsletter, you will find a very short feedback form. I would appreciate it very much if you would take a few minutes to fill it in and return it to the school. Your thoughts will help us to reflect on the information that we are providing and to think about how we can it make it more relevant to you as parents/guardians.
Yours sincerely,
_______________________
C. O’Reilly – Principal
Feedback Form
Parent Information Evening
I found the Parent Information evening helpful because:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It would make the meeting more helpful to me as a parent if:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would prefer an afternoon meeting (3.15-4.15p.m.)
I would prefer an evening meeting (7-8p.m.)
Reminder
Swimming lessons for 2nd and 3rd classes will begin on Monday 5th November. Your child has already brought home a note about the lessons. The school’s Parents’ Association is paying the cost of transport for the children. Please forward the money for the lessons to your child’s teacher before the Hallowe’en Break. As always, if any parent/guardian wishes to make an arrangement with the school to pay for the lessons over a number of weeks, please feel free to contact Miss O’Reilly in absolute confidence.
St. Dominic’s Credit Union
St. Dominic’s Credit Union visits the school every second Thursday. When your child joins the Credit Union at school, they receive a free gift and a little deposit into their account to get them started. New members are always welcome. If your child is interested in becoming a member, please give the school office a call and we will get the information you need back to you.
Well done to all our regular savers. The next collection date is Thursday 11th October.
Every Schoolday Counts
Well done to Mr. Dooley’s Second Class who had the best attendance during the month of September with a fantastic attendance rate of 97.38%. They were closely followed by our Junior Infants and in third spot was Sixth Class. Well done girls and keep up the great work!.
Practical Tips to Reduce the Weight of My Schoolbag
1. How many pencil cases do I need?
2. Do I need every book every night?
3. Can I bring home some of the sheets from my folder instead of the whole folder?
4. Am I letting my work build up, or can I do a little every night so that my bag isn’t overfilled?
I should remember to
1. Carry my schoolbag on both shoulders.
2. Make sure my schoolbag is sitting in the right place on my back. It’s called a backpack not a bottompack!
3. Put my schoolbag on a desk/table, and slip my arms in.
4. Leave my schoolbag down if I am standing in one place
5. Fasten the waist strap if there is one on my schoolbag
Team Hope – Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2018
This year we would like to make a special effort to help children for whom Christmas is just like any other day of the year. Many live in difficult situations and a shoebox can bring happiness and joy at this time of year. Your kindness will bring laughter and excitement to a child who may never have received a gift.
If you would like to put a shoe box together for a child there will be leaflets available from the school office next week explaining how to put your box together so that the items you put inside will be of most benefit to the child who receives it. The last date that boxes can be accepted at the school is Friday November 9th 2018. For more information about the Shoe Box Appeal go to www.teamhope.ie
Positive Ageing Week Visit
On Monday 1st October we visited the residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor for Positive Ageing week. While there, we found out some interesting things about them, as they did with us. We learned a little about their past lives. One man used to slaughter pigs in Clover meats; another lived on a farm and made their own puddings and gave it to their neighbours; and there was also a hotel manager!
Rose showed us around the building and we saw the beautiful Mary Altar made by one of the residents
In the end, it was a great experience for the class as well as the residents, and we hope to see them again in the future.
Dates for Calendar
1st National Day China, Hong Kong
Independence Day, Nigeria
9th Navaratri
16th Week of Prayer for World Peace
22nd Mission Week begins
26th Presidential Election – School closed
29th Mid-term Break begins
31st Hallowe’en
20th September 2018
Parent Evening
Dear Dads, Mums, Pupils and Staff,
We are looking forward to our Information Meetings which will take place in the school at 7p.m. on Thursday 27th September. You should have received your invitation on Thursday last so if you haven’t, please contact the school for more details.
We always have very positive feedback from Mums and Dads after these meetings so it is worth your while to come along, meet your child’s teacher and see where she spends her time in school.
Thanks to our Parents’ Association and the support of The Jolly Barber, Shades Hair Studio and K-Sport, we will have a free raffle on the night for anyone who joins us for a cup of tea before the meeting.
Yours sincerely,
C. O’Reilly – Principal
Acrostic Poem By 6th Class
Well done Girls – you’ve made a great start to the school year. Everyone wishes you an enjoyable year in Sixth Class. It’s an important time for you as you prepare yourselves for Second Level. Enjoy it and make the most of it.
B ackpack zipping.
A ll together again.
C heers, laughter, smiles.
K icking off a new school year.
T eachers and children chatting.
O ur Lady of Good Counsel rocks!
S o much to learn.
C onfirmation to prepare.
H ungry for our lunches.
O thers joining our community.
O utstanding pupils!
L et’s begin…
20 Past Nine – In My Line
School hours are as follows: 9.20a.m. – 2p.m. Junior and Senior Infants, 9.20a.m. – 3p.m. First Class to Sixth Class. The girls are expected to be in their lines in the yard when the bell rings at 9.20a.m. Anyone arriving after 9.20a.m. is considered late for school. Supervision is not provided before or after school hours so pupils are the responsibility of their parents outside of these times.
Wet Mornings: Please note: On wet mornings, the roll call will not be taken until 9.40a.m. The double doors will open as usual at 9.20a.m. so this allows 20 minutes assembly time for the children, plenty of time for them to come in, change their shoes and be seated in their classrooms for the roll call, without any need to stand outside in the yard.
Sacramental Preparation
We have been informed by the Diocesan Office and the Parish Office of the following dates:
Confirmation – Saturday 9th March 2019
First Holy Communion – Saturday 11th May 2019
Children in Hospital
An organisation called Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) is currently recruiting Play Volunteers for University Hospital Waterford.
Many of our volunteers are parents, grandparents and oftentimes teachers, people who have 2.5 hours per week to play with sick children in hospital. An information evening will take place in Waterford at 6pm on Wednesday 3rdOctober. If you are interested, please send an email to info@childreninhospital.ie, or call us at 01 2903510.
People interested in volunteering can also register directly on our website at www.childreninhospital.ie/volunteers.
6th September 2018
Run, skip, jump and play, Let’s be active every day.
It’s Good to be Back!
Dear Dads, Mums, Pupils and Staff,
A very warm welcome back to everyone in our school community. We had such a wonderful summer with lots of sunshine, and in spite of the rain today, we hope the good weather will continue for a little while yet.
While we all enjoyed the summer break, it is good to be back to the school routine and it was such a pleasure to see the girls smiling, happy and ready for a busy year ahead last Monday morning.
I look forward to working with all of you this year as we continue o build a happy learning environment for the girls. Wishing all of you a successful year at school. It’s good to be back!
Yours sincerely,
C. O’Reilly – Principal
Welcome
You will have noticed a few new faces since we returned to school. We welcome Ms. Deirdre Kissane, who is teaching Fifth Class and Mrs. Clare Burke who is teaching Third Class.
Miss Susan Rellis has rejoined us after five years working in the Middle East—Marhabaan bieawdatik Susan. We are also happy to welcome Mrs. Jean Evans who will work with us as a substitute SNA while Ms. Moore is on Maternity Leave.
Welcome to Good Counsel.
Congratulations
It’s great to begin the new school year with some good news.Congratulations to Mr. Cathal Dooley who has been appointed as a permanent member of our staff.
We were delighted to hear the news that Ms. Moore’s baby boy Fionn arrived safely at the end of August. Congratulations to Ms. Moore, to her husband Johnny and of course to Sean who will be a great big brother.
More Good News
Our Board of Management has recently received some good news from the Department of Education and Skills (DES). The DES has sanctioned funding to allow the Board to build a new classroom extension to the school. The Board will now progress with the process and we will keep you informed of developments.
Over the summer months, the Board of Management bought some new furniture for four classrooms, so all the girls now have lovely, modern tables and chairs which should help them to work even harder!
Parents Plus Parenting Programme
St Brigid’s Family & Community Centre is organising a Parents Plus Parenting Programme for parents/guardians of primary school age children. The course hopes to help parents gain support of other parents and find down-to-earth solutions for difficult situations. The focus of the course is positive and aims to build on your strengths as a parent and what you are already doing right.
The course will take place on Wednesday mornings from 10.00am – 12.30pm starting 12th September– 14th November 2018 in St Brigid’s Family & Community Centre, 37 Lower Yellow Road, Waterford. Places are limited and the cost is €10 (includes the Parenting Course Booklet). For more information or to book your place please contact Mags or Carmel on 051 – 375261.
Well Done
Our new Junior Infants have made a great start and they are lining up so nicely every morning. You and your families are welcome to our school.
Text A Parent
We use the Text a Parent service to keep in touch with you about school events. If you haven’t already done so, please download the free TextaParent App to your phone. School messages and calendar updates can now be sent to the App.
https://app.textaparent.ie/get/app
David Coleman Talks
Renowned Clinical Psychologist David Coleman will be giving a talk about “Effective Communication with Children and Teenagers” in Waterford this October.
The talk will take place in the Tower Hotel on October 24th from 7-9p.m.
For more information on the talk or to book a ticket, check out https://bookwhen.com/livelifenow or www.rosariiryan.ie
Parents’ Association News
Good Counsel Parents’ Association welcomes everyone back to school after the summer holidays. We hope that you had a wonderful time and that you enjoyed the beautiful weather.
We are always looking for new ideas so if you’d like to be involved in your Parents’ Association, please contact the school office on 051 832984, leave your name and number and a member of the Committee will get back to you.
Summer Reading Challenge
Well done to the 28 girls from our school who took part in the Summer Reading Challenge in Ferrybank Library. Karyn, the Librarian is delighted that so many of you took part and she will present your certificates at our first Assembly of the school year. Congratulations girls!
Condolences
We offer our sincere condolences to the Sacred Heart of Mary Community on the death of Sr. Mary Dunne, former Principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS. Sr. Mary died during the month of August.
We would also like to extend our deepest sympathy to Tracey, whose brother-in-law Martin died earlier this week. May he rest in peace. Please keep Tracey’s sister Celine, her three little nieces and the wider family in your thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
Remember: 20 Past Nine – In Your Line
