Dear families and friends of the school,
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and that you are all enjoying the fine weather.
May and June are generally the busiest times of year in schools with all of the activities going on and this year it is no different. It is exciting to see the development that is the North Quays progress outside of our school and we are lucky to have a bird’s eye view of the area especially the new walking bridge which is currently being shipped into the port here in Waterford.
Election of a new Pope
Since our last update, we were saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis. He will be remembered for how he lived his life and the great values he possessed namely his love for those who are poor and marginalised and how he promoted unity in the Catholic Church and beyond. Since his death, Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the new pope and has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV. He is the first American Pope. Pope Leo XIV has some local links here in Waterford. He, as an Augustinian monk has spent some time visiting the Augustinian orders in Ireland, one of those being St. Augustine’s College not too far away from us in Dungarvan. We hope that he can continue the work of Pope Francis during his tenure.
First Holy Communion
Congratulations to the 2nd class girls who celebrated their First Holy Communion on Saturday last. Thankfully, the weather was amazing and the girls did so well. Thanks to Mrs. Power for her work in preparing the class and to Fr. Whearty and Angela in the Parish Office for all of their help throughout. We hope you all had a wonderful day.
School Activities
The classes throughout the school are busy with all of the different activities. Currently, Junior and Senior Infants are almost finished the Balance Bike Programme with their teachers thanks to Waterford Sports Partnership, 1st 5th and 6th are doing Rhythm and Shakes with Cathy, 5th and 6th are doing Spanish with Miss Grace (Abbey C.C.) as part of the Say Yes to the Language Programme, 4th class are participating in the Cycle Safety Programme here in the school with Donal and Ollie while they are also learning about sustainability with Sarah from SLI Waterford where they will work with 1st and 3rd class to spread the word on their chosen topic ‘Fast Fashion’ and how it effects the environment. All of the classes also look forward to their school tours which begin next week for 3rd and 4th class and our annual Sports Day at the end of the year.
Bí- Cineálta (Anti-Bullying Policy)
We are in the process of updating our Anti-Bullying Policy which, under new procedures set out by the Department of Education is to be called the Bí-Cineálta (Be Kind) Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying in Primary Schools. Last week, we sent a survey regarding bullying to all parents on Aladdin. Many thanks to those who completed the survey. If you would like to complete it, please see the link on the Aladdin message that was sent out to all parents this week.
School Calendar for 2025/2026
The school calendar for the 2025/2026 school year has been uploaded to the school website and is available under the ‘calendar’ tab. You can download the file at the bottom of the page – please be careful not to view the current school year calendar. A school calendar will be sent home to all families for the coming school year before the summer holidays.
Books for next year
The Department of Education has announced funding to again cover the costs of books in the coming school year. Information regarding books and school reports will go out in good time before the summer holiday.
Trócaire 2025
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Trócaire 2025 Lenten
Campaign. Team Trócaire raised a total of 101 Euro. Every donation
will make a difference to helping some of the world’s most vulnerable
people. Pictured are the Trócaire team with Miss Kelly handing over
the Trocaire box to the Parish Office.
Our Out-door Learning Space May 2025
Here is an update of our vegetable growing so far this growing season. There are onions,
garlic, potatoes, carrots, turnips, radish and different types of salad leaves in our garden at the
moment. Fifth class pupils are learning lots about crop growth and importance of sunlight and
water. Miss Kelly
Board of Management
A note went home to all families on Tuesday of this week regarding the Parents’ Nominee on our Board of Management. Currently, Michelle Daly sits on our Board as the Parents Nominee (mother) but Michelle is due to stand down as her daughter is in 6th class and will not be with us next year. If you are interested in putting your name forward, please fill in the form and return it to the school before Friday, May 30th.
On behalf of the school, we would like to extend a big thanks to Michelle for her long service to our Board of Management. Michelle has been on the Board for 10 years now, since 2015 and continues to make a big contribution to our school and everyone in it. Thanks for all of your work!
Cake Sale
The Parents’ Association will hold a Cake Sale on Wednesday, June 11th as their final fundraiser for the year. Our Cake Sale last year was a great success thanks to the efforts of the girls and parents in the school. As ever, all monies raised will go to the education of all of the girls in Good Counsel. A note on Aladdin will go out to parents closer to the time. Thank you for your continued support.
Camogie
The camogie in the school is currently in full swing. Our U-11 girls on their second outing in Tramore last week produced some great performances which saw them reach the final of the competition only to loose out narrowly to Ballygunner. The girls have improved hugely throughout the year so keep practicing and keep up the good work!
Following on from a successful qualifying round where we won our 3 games, the U-13 girls will play their county semi-final on Monday coming vs Portlaw N.S in the pitch here in Ferrybank @ 11am. The final is due to be played on Tuesday in Walsh Park so the winning team will have a quick turnaround with the game on the following day! Best of luck to the team.
Primary Game
We are delighted to have Sinead in 6th class representing the school this weekend. Sinead has been selected as part of the Primary Game team to play during half time of the Waterford vs Cork Senior Hurling Munster Championship game this Sunday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. She is the first girl to represent the school in this capacity and we wish her the very best of luck for Sunday! Well done Sinead!
Upcoming Dates
Monday and Tuesday, June 2nd & 3rd – School Closed for June Bank Holiday plus 1 day
Wednesday, June 25th – Half Day for Summer Holidays
I will be in touch again in a few weeks.
Yours sincerely,
J. Nagle
Principal
