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 4th 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
What a lovely start to our new school year, seeing all the smiling faces on the 1st September. All the girls are so eager to get started on all the lovely activities which we will be doing in 2nd Class. To start with, we are all learning a new classroom routine and getting to know each other too. So far, we have had a nice mix but most importantly it has been lovely to hear the girls ideas and making our classroom a positive and happy place to be in everyday. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year in 2nd class.
Mrs. Power
Do you recognise anyone here?
Dear Mams, Dads and Good Counsel Girls,
The summer holidays are almost over and we hope that you had an enjoyable break from school. The new school year will begin for all pupils on Thursday 1st September and we are looking forward to seeing you again.
To help you to plan for Thursday, here is some information that may be useful for you.
- Our ‘Stop, Drop/Pick Up, Go’ system has been very successful over the last two years as we dealt with Covid-19. The girls have told us that they enjoy being greeted by the staff as they arrive every morning, and it has helped to create a calm start to the school day so we will continue with that practice.
- Mams and Dads, if you are dropping or picking up by car, please do not get out of your car. The staff will take the children from the car in the morning and bring them back to the car in the afternoon. The system operates really well when everyone works together so we are relying on your ongoing co-operation.
- School starting time is 9.10a.m. (There is a separate timetable for Junior Infants for the first two weeks of school). 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.
- School finishes at the following times:
- Junior and Senior Infants @ 1.50p.m. (Separate timetable for J. Infs. for two weeks)
- First and Second Class @ 2.45p.m.
- Third to Sixth Class @ 2.50p.m.
It may take us a little while to get back into the swing of things, but if we all have patience, then we will get everyone moving as quickly as possible. As far as possible, we encourage the children to walk, scoot or cycle safely to school. We have a covered bicycle rack and we would love to see it being used!
Girls, whether you come to school by car, on the bus, walking, scooting or cycling, help to keep yourself safe by wearing your hi-vis jacket to school every day.
During the school day,
- We will no longer have staggered lunch breaks and all the children will return to being on the yard at the same time. The yards are divided so that Junior and Senior Infants, First and Second Classes, Third and Fourth Classes, Fifth and Sixth Classes will each have a separate area for play.
- The girls have been so diligent about hand hygiene over the past two years. We will continue to emphasise hand hygiene and cough etiquette to help minimise the spread of coughs, colds and Covid-19. https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/how-to-clean-your-hands/
- We will continue to make use of the CO2 monitors in classroom to ensure adequate ventilation.
Mams and Dads, please keep your child home from school if she is unwell and be sure to send a note/email to your child’s teacher to explain any absence. Teachers email addresses should only be used to provide information about illnesses, absences or appointments with doctors, dentists, etc. If you need to speak with a teacher about any other matter, please contact the school office and the teacher will get back to you as soon as possible.
It is very important to make sure that your contact details are up to date in case of emergency.
- If your mobile phone number, address or email address have changed please let us know. You can contact the office on 051 832984.
Our newsletter ‘The School Bell’ is uploaded to the school’s website every second Thursday during the school year so be sure to check in regularly for all the latest news. The calendar for 2022/2023 will be included in the first newsletter on Thursday 8th September.
Thanks to your wonderful support and the hard work of our staff and the Board of Management, we managed our way successfully through two very challenging school years. As we move past Covid-19 restrictions, we look forward to working with you for the benefit of all our wonderful Good Counsel Girls.
Enjoy the next few days girls, get back into your school bedtime routine and remember, on Thursday morning be nice to Mam or Dad as they help to get you out to school.
With kind regards, Miss O’Reilly and the Staff of Good Counsel GNS
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 22nd June was a very special day because it was the first time since 12th 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 1st. 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
Enjoy the summer holidays and stay safe.
On Tuesday, 4th set off on their school tour where they visited Reginalds Tower, The Silver Museum and The People’s Park. With the glorious weather and plenty of sun cream applied the girls had a very enjoyable day and covered over 6km in walking distance throughout the day.
