Fáilte Ar Ais – Welcome Back - Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS

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.