Dear Mums, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
The school calendar for 2021-2022 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. This will be especially important for the children given the length of time that schools had to close over the last two years.
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. The calendar is under the Events tab.
Term 1 begins Wednesday 1st September 2021
Hallowe’en Break Closed Monday 25th – Friday 29th October inclusive
School re-opens Monday 1st November
Christmas Closed Thursday 23rd December to Wednesday 5th January 2022 inclusive
Term 2 begins Thursday 6th January 2022
Mid-Term Break Thursday 24th and Friday 25th February
St. Patrick’s Day Closed Thursday 17th March
Easter Break Closed Monday 11th April to Friday 22nd April inclusive
Term 3 begins Monday 25th April
May Bank Holiday Closed Monday 2nd May
June Bank Holiday Closed Monday 6th June
School year ends on Friday 24th June 2022
Yours sincerely,
C. O’Reilly –Principal
End of Year Reports
In the week beginning June 13th, 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 15th June, please contact the School Office immediately on 051-832984.
You may have heard the girls talking about tests that they have doing over the past couple of weeks. Every year (except for last year) the Department of Education asks schools to do what are called Standardised Reading and Mathematics tests with children from 1st to 6th Class. As teachers we know how your children learn, and how hard they work, so we understand that the Standardised Tests are just one little measure of how your child is getting on at school. It is most important this year, that no child, parent or teacher is in any way upset or disappointed by Standardised Test scores. Since March 2020, schools were closed for 7 school months out of 14 so it is just not realistic to expect all the children to score in the usual way on these tests. I really like this image that was shared by one of our staff members and I hope that we will all keep it in mind when school reports are issued. Some things are much more important that test results.
Book Rental Scheme
Every child from Senior Infants to Fifth Class received information last week about our Book Rental Scheme.
We would ask you to pay the Book Rental Charge by contactless payment. Thank you to all who have already done so if you would like to participate in the scheme, please send an email to the office secretary.ferrybankgns@gmail.com requesting a link for payment. Receipts will be given.
Well Kids
The Well Kids Club will take place for boys and girls aged 4-6 years old beginning on Saturday May 29th from 10am to 11am each week in Ferrybank GAA Club, children will learn Hurling, Gaelic Football, Movement Activities and Fun Games. Come along and join in, all are welcome.
Have a Céilí in the Kitchen from Cruinniú na nÓg
Céilí in the Kitchen is back again this year. On the 12th of June, we’re calling on children to gather their families together and have a Céilí in the Kitchen. Anyone can have a Céilí in the Kitchen no matter where you are in the world. Whether you live in Ireland or elsewhere, the city or the countryside, all you need is a kitchen, your family and get ready to have lots of fun!
But what is a Céilí in the Kitchen? Years ago, family, friends and neighbours would visit your house and all gather in the kitchen. They would bring their instruments, dancing shoes and some treats to share with everyone. Gathering around the fire they would tell their news to each other, play music, sing songs, share stories and poems and do lots of dancing, young and old all together. This would go on until the early hours of the morning and was always great fun. That’s how everyone learned the songs, steps, stories and tunes. They were passed on from one generation to the next at the céilí in the kitchen.
In the meantime, we’ll be preparing you with all the tips and tricks to need for your party piece at your own céilí. Join us live at 5pm Monday – Thursday for the next few weeks where we’ll be teaching you Irish dance steps, songs, drumming, storytelling techniques, lilting, rapping, Irish folklore and traditions and all round Céilí craic! You won’t want to miss it. The classes are 20 – 30 minutes long but don’t worry if you can’t make the live daily class. We’ll be recording them and uploading to www.aircdamhsa.com/ceili for you to watch back in your own time.
Join Céilí Club at 5pm https://us05web.zoom.us/j/87271143632?pwd=TjZlWm0zT2FBYllraFU0bmIwYXhVUT09
Meeting ID: 872 7114 3632
Passcode: ceiliclub
Mondays – Dance & Irish Traditions with Edwina Guckian
Tuesdays – Storytelling & Folklore with Clare Murphy
Wednesdays – Songs & Folklore with Cathy Jordan
Thursdays – Drumming & Céilí craic with Peter Crann
