Dear Parents, Pupils, Guardians and Friends of the school,
As we come to the end of September, as ever, our school is a busy place. We hope that all of the girls have settled in well and are looking forward to the school year ahead. Please see below for some updates and information on the activities in the school.
New Junior Infants
We are delighted to welcome our new Junior Infant Class to Good Counsel this year. We hope you and your families enjoy many years of learning and happiness here in Good Counsel. Please see some photos below from their first day in school!
Parents Information Evening
Our annual Parents Information Evening takes place on Thursday coming, October 2nd here in the school. Parents are welcome from 6.45pm with events getting under way from 7pm sharp. The Information evening should take no longer than an hour, finishing around 8pm. We look forward to seeing all parents there.
An invitation has been sent to all families with further information and we look forward to welcoming you all on the night.
Stay Safe
We teach the personal safety education programme called Stay Safe during the first term. A note has been sent home on Aladdin with further information on the programme.
Shelters
We have had three new shelters installed in the new Drop-Off area. We hope that the shelters help any parents and children who are waiting outside the school especially on the cold and wet days. It is kindly asked that they treated with respect as they will last as long as they are looked after by all.
SNA Appreciation Day
We celebrate SNA Appreciation Day today and would like to especially thank Ms. Fenton, Ms. Moore and Mrs. Morrissey, the SNAs in our school for all they do for the girls and our staff every day!
Camogie
We are delighted to have a camogie coach coming to the school to take some of the classes next week. The coaching is part of the School Games Development and will take place over 4 weeks between October and November.
New Curriculum
You may have read or seen in the national media that the Department of Education is in the process of introducing a new curriculum in the Irish Primary Education System. Our current school curriculum is the 1999 Curriculum for Primary Schools which means that it is 26 years old. There will be little to no change in the short term as the new curriculum, although being introduced to teachers this school year 2025/2026, it is not due to be implemented in classrooms until the 2026/2027 school year and implementation will be on a phased basis. For further information please click on this link –
New Primary School Curriculum – Information for Parents
Secretary and Caretakers Strike
We were happy to learn earlier in the month that the strike action by Forsa on behalf of school secretaries and caretakers had been withdrawn after talks had been agreed between the relevant parties to find a resolution. Thank you to the staff and families who showed support during the strike days to our secretary Tracey, Mark our caretaker and to Jackie from St. Marys’ BNS who joined us. The work that the secretaries and caretakers do not only make a big contribution to enable schools to stay open but help us greatly in keeping our school running smoothly throughout the year. We couldn’t do it without them!
Art, Craft and Photocopying money
Many thanks to the parents who have paid the Art, Craft and Photocopying money for this school year. If you have yet to do so, payments can be made on Aladdin or to Tracey in the Office.
Pupil Insurance
Many parents have availed of the Allianz insurance that is offered by the school which is also paid for via Aladdin Connect or to Tracey in the office. If you have availed of this insurance and have paid via Aladdin Connect, please ensure that the insurance form is also returned to the school. The final day to avail of the insurance is Tuesday coming, September 30th.
Communion and Confirmation Dates
As we begin the new school year, parents of girls in 2nd and 6th class are always eager to be informed of the sacrament dates. Currently, no dates have been given but we will send out the dates as soon as they are made available to us.
Dates for your diary
Parents Information Evening – Thursday October 2nd @ 7pm
School Closed – Presidential Election Friday October 24th
School Closed – Hallowe’en Break from Monday October 27th to Friday October 31st.
I will be in touch again in the next few weeks.
Yours sincerely,
J. Nagle
Principal
