St. Brigid's National School

The pupils from 3rd-6th classes enjoyed their school tour in Clara Lara Adventure Park recently. They enjoyed a day of fun and adventure and also managed to get a bit wet!.

Active Week took place this week. The highlight of the week was Sports Day on Monday 17th. A great time was enjoyed by all and of course the ice-cream was an added bonus. On completion of the days activities the children were presented with their medals and trophies. Special thanks goes to Mr McGreal for organising a jam-packed, fun activity-filled week.

The pupils had a very enjoyable Active Week. The pupils got to experience many different sporting activities during the week. Many thanks to Mr McGreal for co-ordinating all these activities.

Best wishes and congratulations to all our 6th class pupils who left our school for the final time today (Friday, 21st June). We wish them every success and joy as they prepare for their next adventure. It has been a privilege to watch them grow over the years and their positive outlook has shone throughout their time with us. We wish them all the luck they deserve as they head into Post-Primary school. They celebrated their graduation from Primary school this week. We thank their families for their support and encouragement over the years. We had a lovely mass as part of their graduation celebration. Many thanks to Deacon John for facilitating this mass. We thank their families for their support and encouragement over the years. Many thanks to Luke from Music Generation and Mrs Shanahan who organised music on the day. Massive thanks to the Parents' Association for providing refreshments for the pupils and their families.

Nuala Madigan from Irish Peatlands Conservation Council visited our school on Wednesday 19th of June. All children got the opportunity to complete hands on activities in the bog and investigate the flora and fauna of the habitat. This fieldtrip was funded by the Parents' Association. Many thanks to Patrick Connolly who organised a turf cutting demonstration for the pupils on the day. An enjoyable day was had by all.

The pupils in Junior Infants, Senior Infants and 1st Class recently enjoyed a scavenge hunt around the school grounds and found most items on the list.

Well done to many of our pupils for their sterling efforts in being in school daily over the school year. In keeping with our legal obligations, all pupils who missed over 20 days of school will be included in the final attendance report of the school year to TUSLA. Parents are encouraged to be proactive in ensuring that their child/children attend school whenever possible.

We held an attendance campaign after the easter holidays and we were delighted to announce that 2nd/3rd classes topped the leader board. Well done everyone!

Have a look at some of the fantastic work recently completed by the pupils in our school. Photos of recent activities will be added to our Twitter/X page in the coming days.

Well done again to the pupils in Junior Infants, Senior Infants and 1st Class who completed the Seakeeper's Challenge.

Water Safety Ireland PAWS (Primary Aquatics Water Safety) outlines essential life-saving guidelines that every child needs to know. PAWS offers simple common sense on how to be safe around our waterways. The lessons are designed for all ages groups. All pupils completed these lessons over the month of June.

We welcomed 12 incoming Junior Infant pupils and their families to the school last week. They had a lovely time visiting their classroom and mingling with their new classmates. Many thanks to Sandra from Edenderry Library who was available on the day to sign the pupils up to the library.

Please ensure pupils wear the correct school uniform to school each day. Our school uniform consists of a formal school uniform and a school tracksuit. The formal school uniform will need to be worn on school photo days and required for other occasions. The school tracksuit must be worn on PE days. Pupils otherwise have the option of wearing the school tracksuit or the formal school uniform. School crests are available to purchase from the school office.

Navy trousers/skirt/pinafore.

Button up white shirt/blouse.

Navy v-neck jumper/cardigan with school crest.

Red tie.

Navy tracksuit bottoms.

Navy sweatshirt with school crest.

White polo shirt.

*Plimsolls are required for pupils in 2nd-6th classes.

Wellington boots are required for pupils in Junior Infants, Senior Infants and 1st class.

Under the Free Primary Schoolbooks Scheme all children's books, workbooks and copybooks will be provided by the school for the coming school year, 2024/2025. Parents will not have to purchase books but are requested to purchase school stationery/supplies. Pupils should have their stationery list in place and clearly labelled for the start of the school year. Please see email with stationery required for each class group.

The fee covers the cost of arts and crafts materials, photocopying and pupil insurance. The school books and copybooks are now free under the government scheme and will be supplied by the school. It should be noted that the funding for the school books scheme reduced by 16% this year compared to last year. School fees can be paid via Aladdin Connect are should be paid before Friday, 30th August.

The class splits for the 2024/2025 school year are as follows:

-Junior Infants, Senior Infants & 1st Class

-2nd/3rd Class

-4th, 5th & 6th Class

I would like to say a most sincere thanks to the staff, pupils and community of Ticknevin for organising the leaving celebration, marking my retirement from Ticknevin. How the staff and children prepared for it all without a word is a wonder to me?. The memories that I take with me from Ticknevin are unfailingly positive. I was overwhelmed by the kind wishes, generous gifts and cards. I wish the entire Ticknevin School Community the best of luck in the future. May the school continue to grow and prosper for many generations. Thanks a million for everything. Peter McGreal.

Should you have any concern please note that the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is Nóra Lynch and the Acting Deputy Designated Liaison Person is Eilís McCabe.

Best wishes and congratulations to Mr McGreal on his recent retirement. Mr McGreal has been a hard-working, dedicated and valued member of our school staff since 2002 and a permanent member since 2006. We were incredibly privileged to have Mr McGreal working with us here in the school for many years. Mr McGreal has left a lifetime of memories that the staff and pupils will cherish. We will all miss Mr McGreal a great deal and we wish him all the best as he sets off on his new adventure and well earned retirement. We hope the next chapter of his life is filled with happiness, laughter, joy and adventure. Many thanks to the staff who organised a fantastic send off for Mr McGreal. We hope he enjoyed the day!

We will re-open on Thursday 29th August at 9.00am. New Junior Infant pupils will arrive at 9.10am for the first two mornings and finish at 12noon to ease with the transition. From Monday 2nd September they will start at 9.00am and finish at 1.40pm. Pupils in first class will now finish school at 2.40pm.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers and staff for all their dedication and hard-work throughout what has been another busy year for the school. I would also like to thank our Parents' Association who have shown generosity of time and energy and are a true credit to the school. Our Board of Management also deserves our praise and thanks. All members of the Board work quietly behind the scenes in a voluntary capacity to ensure the smooth running of the school. Their generosity of time and dedication to the school cannot be overstated and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Finally, I would like to thank all the pupils and parents of our school, who have made my job a pleasure and who make St. Brigid's the wonderful school that it is.

I would like to wish you all a very enjoyable and restful summer holiday and I look forward to working with you all in September.

Le gach dea-ghuí

Nóra Lynch

Principal, St. Brigid's N.S.