Time to Say ‘Thank You and Farewell’.
Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

Our wonderful Deputy Principal, Ms. Geraldine Ryan, has announced that she will be retiring at the end of this school year. Ms. Ryan has been a staff member here for 27 years, and during that time she has earned the respect and admiration of countless numbers of children and their families.
On a personal note, Ms. Ryan has been an amazing colleague and friend to me, and I know that I speak for all the staff when I say that we will greatly miss her support, her expertise and her wisdom.
I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Ms. Ryan on her many achievements and her great work over the course of her career. We wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement, enjoying time with family and friends. Thank you Ms. Ryan for everything you have given to the Good Counsel school community. We will miss you.

Yours sincerely,

________________________
C. O’Reilly – Principal

End of Year Reports
End of Year Reports will be sent out by post in the next day or so. If, for any reason, it has not arrived by Wednesday next, June 20th, please telephone the school office as quickly as possible on 051 832984.

Summer Stars
The ‘Summer Stars’ Reading Challenge will run in Ferrybank Library during July and August. The Challenge encourages children to read during the summer holidays and they can pick up stickers and rewards for doing so. So long as the books are borrowed from Ferrybank Library, the children may read whatever they like – either fact or fiction.
Why not register at Ferrybank Library anytime from June 19th onwards and then you can join in this fun and easy way to pass the time during the summer holidays?
Anyone who takes part will receive a certificate and a medal. You will also be invited to a special celebration show in the Springhill Court Hotel, Kilkenny at the end of September

2018-2019
The new school year will begin on 3rd September 2018 and classes have been allocated as follows:
Junior Infants Ms. Carmel Fogarty
Senior Infants Mrs. Feana Foley
First Class Miss Ann Cunniffe
Second Class Mr. Cathal Dooley
Third Class To be appointed
Fourth Class Mrs. Mary Ryan
Fifth Class To be appointed
Sixth Class Mrs. Maeve Power
Special Education Team
Ms. Bernadette Finucane
Mrs. Aisling Shanahan
Miss Monica Kelly
Miss Susan Rellis

The girls will have the opportunity to meet their new teachers before the summer holidays, and they will receive their booklists for next year at that time.
Our school deals with change every year – some pupils leave us, some join us – and so school life goes on. This year, we will have a few extra changes to add into the mix.
Mrs. Emma O’Neill, who has been a wonderful addition to our school as a substitute teacher over the last couple of years, has been offered a permanent position in another school, so unfortunately she will not be returning to us in September. We thank Mrs. O’Neill for all her hard work and congratulate her on her well-deserved success. We would also like to congratulate Mr. Cathal Dooley who has been appointed as a permanent member of staff in our school.
Miss Susan Rellis will return to the staff after a number of years working abroad and Miss Eilís Walsh will take a Career Break.
As always, the team here looks forward to your support and to working with you during the 2018-2019 school year.

Congratulations
Congratulations to Ms. Detta Cahill, Principal of Abbey Community College, who is retiring at the end of August. We wish her well.

Thank You
Sincere thanks to everyone who came along to support the girls during their Dancing Display on Tuesday last. We hope you enjoyed it. We would also like to thank Dawn and Denise for the wonderful work they have done with the girls during the last year.

Please Note
Our new Junior Infants will visit the school next Wednesday afternoon, to meet their teacher and some other members of staff. To facilitate the visit, Miss Walsh’s Junior Infants will go home at 12.30p.m. on that date.

Head Lice
The warm weather seems to have brought on a spate of head lice. Please check your child’s hair regularly and treat it as necessary. It is important that each child’s hair is tied up neatly to help prevent the spread of head lice.

World Meeting of Families Icon
This morning, we went to Mass in the Parish Church. The Icon for the World Meeting of Families was there. Fr. Dempsey explained the meaning of the Icon. We learned that an icon is written, not painted. This Icon was written by a man from Romania and by an order of Redemptoristine Sisters in Dublin. We prayed for all of our families and for families everywhere.

End of Year Mass
The school’s End of Year Mass will take place in the Parish Church on Tuesday 26th June at 11.30a.m. The girls who are leaving us will receive a special blessing and we would be delighted to see lots of Mams, Dads and family members there.

Last Day of School
The school will close for the summer holidays at 12.30p.m. on June 29th.

Chick News
Our chicks will return to Nore Valley Farm tomorrow. All the girls will receive a free pass to visit the farm during the summer holidays.