Dear Parents, Guardians, Pupils and Friends of the School,
I hope this message finds you all well. As we move further into the summer term, we look forward to the brighter evenings and hopefully some lovely sunshine in the weeks ahead!
During the month of May, we take time to honour Mary, Our Mother, in a special way. On Friday May 8th, we celebrated a beautiful May Assembly led by Mrs. Ryan’s 5th Class. The girls did a wonderful job and helped make the occasion very meaningful for everyone.
Our May altar, thoughtfully arranged by Ms. Kelly in the school entrance hall, is looking beautiful. A sincere thank you to all the girls who have brought in flowers — your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated.
Wellbeing Week
We recently enjoyed a very busy and successful Wellbeing Week, organised by Ms. Shanahan and our wonderful Wellbeing Warriors. Each day had a different theme and focus, from Mindful Monday to Friendship Friday, helping to promote positive wellbeing throughout the school.
Throughout the week, the girls took part in a wide variety of enjoyable activities including daily intercom messages, mindful walks, the Daily Mile, breathing exercises, mindfulness colouring, meditation, teamwork and co-operative games, a Healthy Eating Assembly and healthy food tasting activities organised by Ms. Burke’s 6th Class.
One of the highlights for many classes this term has been the gymnastics sessions every Wednesday with Kenny, which the girls have been thoroughly enjoying.
To conclude Wellbeing Week, we held a ‘Wear Your Brightest Colours Day’ where the girls came to school dressed in bright and cheerful colours. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraiser on the day. All funds raised will go towards activities and resources for the girls.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising and participating in such a positive and enjoyable week for our school community.
First Holy Communion
We extend congratulations to the girls in 2nd class who made their First Holy Communion last Saturday. They have put a little piece below together for this months newsletter!
A sincere thank you to Miss Hutchinson for all her hard work and preparation with the class, and also to Fr. Whearty for his support and for a beautiful ceremony.
We hope the girls and their families enjoyed a wonderful day of celebration!
Weather
The weather is due to improve soon and a reminder to you to please ensure that your child has plenty of drinks to keep them hydrated in school and that we encourage you to apply suncream to your daughter before school and for them to wear a hat also.
Camogie Teams
Well done to our U-11 and U-13 camogie teams who have been representing the school so well in recent weeks. The girls have shown great commitment and enthusiasm at training and matches.
Our U-13 team played Butlerstown last Wednesday and were delighted to come away with a fantastic win. Well done girls! The team will now face St. Mary’s Ballygunner in the Eastern Final on Tuesday coming May 26th @ 2pm in Walsh Park. We wish them the very best of luck!
Our U11 girls also took part in a blitz on Thursday. It was wonderful to see so many new players representing the school for the very first time. The girls showed great enthusiasm, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the day and gave their very best in every game. Well done!
School Activities
It has been a very busy and enjoyable period in the school with a range of activities taking place across all classes. The girls have been taking part in gymnastics sessions with Kenny over the past six weeks and are coming to the end of this programme this week. They have thoroughly enjoyed developing their skills, balance and confidence, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to take part.
Fourth Class have also been participating in the Cycle Right programme with Donal and Ollie. The girls have been learning important cycling skills and road safety awareness, and are really enjoying the hands-on, practical approach to the lessons. 1st 5th and 6th class began drumming lessons with Cathy this week which will take place over the next 4 weeks.
We were also delighted to welcome pupils from Abbey Community College who gave a very interesting talk about their experience of rearing five calves as part of an Irish Angus Beef project. The girls really enjoyed hearing about the responsibility and learning involved in this project.
FTD Fundraiser
Today, our girls and staff were delighted to welcome and cheer on The FTD Brothers as they passed our school during their incredible Irish Challenge. Jordan and Cian Adams are undertaking the remarkable feat of running 32 marathons in 32 days across all 32 counties of Ireland to raise awareness and vital funds for Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a disease that has deeply affected their own family! Their run here in Waterford was marathon 24 of 32. If you would like to donate, you can do so here – https://theftdbrothers.com/pages/donate
In Memory
Our school community was deeply saddened to learn recently of the passing of a number of people closely connected to our school. We remember them with great fondness and extend our heartfelt sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Paschal Kennedy, the much-loved sacristan of our local church in Ferrybank. Paschal was always a gentleman and a kind, welcoming presence to all in our school community. He was generous with his time and always made the girls and staff feel welcome during our visits to the church. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by the wider Ferrybank community. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Imelda, his daughter Sarah, Chairperson of our Parents’ Association, and to all of Paschal’s family and friends.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to former Deputy Principal Ms. Geraldine Ryan on the passing of her husband Tom. Tom had a long connection with our school community and also served on the school’s Board of Management many years ago. We remember him with great fondness and extend our sincere sympathies to Geraldine and the girls at this sad time.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy also to the Murphy family on the passing of Keith Murphy, brother of our caretaker Mark. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this very difficult time.
May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
School Closures
In-Service Training
A reminder that the school will be closed for pupils this Friday, May 22nd, to facilitate teacher In Service training. The school will reopen as normal on Monday, May 25th.
School Closure from Monday June 1st (Bank Holiday) – Friday June 5th. School reopens on Monday June 8th.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support, involvement, and encouragement in all aspects of school life.
Yours sincerely,
J.Nagle
Principal
