Nuachtlitir Lá le Pádraig

Lá le Pádraig shona daoibh ar fad. Tá súil againn go mbeidh lá deas le chéile agaibh mar chlann amárach agus go mbainfidh sibh taitneamh as lá náisiúnta difriúil ach dóchasach le cúnamh Dé. De ghnáth, bheadh na páistí ag réitiú don bparáid amárach le ceol, canadh agus éadaí speisialta réidh acu. In áit sin i mbliana, bhí paráid speisialta scoile againn an Aoine seo chaite. Beidh píosaí de sin le feiscint ar an bparaid fíorúil amárach ar www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com Le cúnamh Dé, cífidh tú do pháiste óg (iad faoi bhun Rang a Dó) sna pictiúirí. Chomh maith le sin, tá lá mór imeachtaí ar-líne, idir cheoil, canadh agus cúrsaí timpeallachta ar siúl chun taitneamh a bhaint astu. Coinnigh súil amach d’iar-scoláirí na scoile a bheidh páirteach le Music Generation, an grúpa iontach Burnchurch agus fiú Evanne Ní Chuilinn mar bhean an tí don lá.

A very happy Lá le Pádraig to you all in this strangest of national holidays tomorrow. We hope you have a great family day and that we can all look forward in hope to being dressed up and have practised our tunes and songs to march in the 2022 parade through the city as our school has done for many years. In the absence of that and even the club hurling and football finals, please tune in online tomorrow to www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com where you’ll see all the huge efforts put in to have a virtual parade and festival for the day and into the evening. The music, in fact, starts this evening at 8 pm but there is a packed programme tomorrow.

We had our own virtual parade last Friday with the children up to Rang a 2. Thanks for all your help with preparing for this and we hope that the children in those classes make it onto the screen for the virtual parade tomorrow. Míle buíochas to John Purcell, a Dad in the school, who did such great work capturing the atmosphere on film and we will be sharing that film on our Facebook and Youtube accounts tomorrow. Special buíochas to Múinteoirí Michelle and Proinnsiasa for their help as always at this time of year. Keep an eye out too for our past pupils tomorrow who are involved with Music Generation Kilkenny, Seo Linn and Burnchurch, whose special song Dóchas sums up all our hopes for better times on the way. Former staff member Nell Ní Chróinín will feature while Evanne Ní Chuilinn is compère for the whole day’s events. Bain taitneamh as an lá iontach seo.

Comhgáirdeachas Cartoon Saloon
Táimid an-bhródúil mar scoil as Cartoon Saloon atá taréis a chúigiú ainmniúcháin d’Oscar a bhaint amach leis an scannán Wolfwalkers. Comhgáirdeachas speisialta do Mhúinteoir Liselott, a chéile Tomm agus an chlann ar fad chomh maith le gach duine sa chomhlacht. Bhí páistí sa scoil ag glacadh páirt chomh maith le ghuthanna Marc Ó Conaill, Róisín Ní Shé agus Eoin Ó Cléirigh le clos ann. Bhí an t-ádh lenár scoil chomh maith go bhfacamar na dréacht-chóipeanna den scannán dhá bhliain ó shin agus go raibh deis ag ár bpáistí a gcuid tuairimí a thabhairt. Beimid ag súil go mór le bua i Los Angeles i mí Aibreáin le cúnamh Dé!

We are hugely proud of local company Cartoon Saloon who have this week received their fifth nomination for an Oscar for their movie, Wolfwalkers, beautifully set in Kilkenny. Special congratulations to Múinteoir Liselott and her husband Tomm, who along with Ross Stewart, directed this latest blockbuster. We are also delighted that students Marc Ó Conaill, Róisín Ní Shé and Eoin Ó Cléirigh starred as some of the children in the animated film. We were privileged two years ago to see some of the first drafts of the film in halla na scoile and that our children got to have their own input and give their opinions, while seeing the process of an animated film being made. We even made the credits at the end of the movie!! We can’t wait to have the chance to take all the children to see the movie in the local cinema but in the meantime we warmly recommend you watch it at home on Apple TV. You can do this for free, using the option for a free week’s trial on this channel (don’t forget to log off after Week 1 if you don’t want to continue!) We’ll have all our fingers crossed on April 25th that the little gold statue will finally be making its way to the Marble City.

Meanwhile, TG4 are showing two of the other Cartoon Saloon nominated movies this week. Today at 4.30 pm you can see Rún Mhór Cheannanais-The Secret of Kells as Gaeilge and on Thursday, they’re showing Amhrán na Mara-The Song of the Sea, again as Gaeilge at the same time. Bíodh an popcorn réidh!

Rothaíocht agus siúl ar scoil
Táimid an-sásta leis an méid rothaíochta agus siúl ar scoil atá ar siúl ónar thánamar ar ais ar scoil. Bhí 75 rothar agus scútar againn inniu-sin 17% den scoil! Táimid ag iarraidh go shroichimid céad rothar agus scútair arís roimh dheireadh an seachtaine. Táimid ag iarraidh chomh maith go mbeidh fíor-bheagán ghluaisteáin ag teacht isteach i gclós na scoile. Lig go do pháiste siúl ar aghaidh ó carr-chlóis áitiúla cosúil le LIDL, ALDI, Supervalu nó fiú an Watershed. Tá sé iontach dóibh agus don dtimpeallacht.

We are delighted that we have seen so many children cycling and walking since we came back to school. This morning saw 75 bikes and scooters come to school-that’s 17% of all our children. We want to try and break the 100 mark again by Friday and we ask children to green up their scooters and bikes on Friday. We also want to see very few cars coming into the school yard. Please let your child walk from the carparks in LIDL, ALDI, Supervalu or even the Watershed. Children living within a kilometre of school should be well able to walk to school. Remember this is good for your child and for the environment, even on wet mornings! If you must enter the school grounds by car, PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY and park carefully.

Foirm ‘filleadh ar scoil’
Bí cinnte go líonann do pháiste an fhoirm Filleadh ar Scoil ar Aladdin Connect taréis gach lá go bhfuil siad as láthair.

Please ensure your child completes the Return to School form on Aladdin Connect after EVERY day they miss at school, for any reason. You can access this by going to Attendance Note on Aladdin, then to Return to Education tab and filling in the details. This is crucial so we can be certain that ALL staff and students are fit and well enough to be in school.
Please also note that you MUST OBEY THE 48 HOUR RULE. Your child must be free from all Covid19 symptoms before they attend school.

We also ask you to continue to keep to all the national rules about families mixing outside of school. Playdates and Sleepovers are a definite breach of the rules and we ask you please to say no to these suggestions to protect all of our health and wellbeing.

Culaith reatha agus Éide Scoile
Mar is eol daoibh, beidh culaith reatha nua againn go luath sa scoil. De bharr sin, tá na sean-chinn ag rith amach as stoc insan dá shiopa a dhíolann iad. Má tá sean-cheann ag éinne nach bhfuil in úsáid, an seolfaidh sibh isteach glanta iad le bhur dtoil, ionas gur féidir linn iad a thabhairt do pháistí eile. Is féidir leanúint ar aghaidh ag úsáid an sean-cheann chomh fada agus is maith libh.

As you know, our school tracksuit will soon be changing after well over a decade. Because of this, our local suppliers are running out of stock of the current tracksuits. If you have old tracksuits which are not in use, could you please send them in to us (cleaned if possible) so they can be reused in the coming months. You can continue to use the existing tracksuits for as long as they last. Please don’t feel any pressure to buy the new ones unnecessarily later this year. We also welcome any spare items from the formal school uniform or cóta na scoile which we will always find good homes for.

Rith Beo
Dáta don dialann. Tá Rith Beo ag dul ar aghaidh aris ar an deireadh seachtain an 29 agus 30 Bealtaine 2021.

Our annual Rith Beo 5 and 10k road races will go ahead again this year on the 29th and 30th May. At this point, they will proceed as virtual races and the coiste will be giving more details in the coming weeks.

Nuachtlitir na Scoile Deireadh Fomhair 2019

Fáilte mhór ar ais ar scoil, a chairde, anois is go bhfuil gach éinne againn socruithe ar ais arís. Tá an-díomá ar roinnt tuismitheoirí nach bhfuair áit inár scoilne agus is mór an trua sin. Tá fáilte ar leith roimh ár 64 naíonáin bheaga agus táimid ag súil le ocht mbliain iontach foghlama acu linne anseo. Beimid ag cur trí chrann dúchasacha inár ngáirdín an tseachtain seo a bhfásfaidh tríd an ocht mbliain sin is iad ar scoil.

Now that we have all settled in a little and our first month has been completed in school, we welcome you all back to Gaelscoil Osraí for the learning year ahead. We particularly welcome our 64 new Junior infants and look forward to eight years of great learning and fun ahead. We have a lot of disappointed parents who didn’t get a place in our school and that is a great pity for those seeking the advantages of education as Gaeilge. We will plant a tree for each of our three new classes in the coming week, which they can watch grow as they progress through their loves here with us.

Sonraithe cearta/Correct Information

Mar is eol daoibh, úsáidimid an chóras eolais Aladdin chun teangmháil a dhéanamh leat agus chun sonraithe tábhactacha do pháiste a choimeád. Déan cinnte de go bhfuil an app ar siúl ar do fón chun na teachtaireachtaí a fháil láithreach. Cinntigh le’d thoil go bhfuil sonraithe do pháiste agus do chlann i gceart le’d thoil. I mbliana, tá an Roinn Oideachais ag lorg Eircode gach páiste agus is féidir leat é a chur suas ar Aladdin mar an líne deireanach do sheoladh baile do pháiste le’d thoil.

Please ensure that your child’s details are fully correct on the Aladdin data management system we are using please. It is vital for us to be notified of any changes of phone numbers in particular, in case of emergencies. Please ensure also that the app on your phone or computer is working fully. This year, for the first time, the Department of Education is demanding the Eircode for each child. Please include it as the last line of your child’s home address. Please check also that notifications from Aladdin are not blocked on your phone to ensure you get all messages from us.

Thanks to everyone who has completed the permissions section for their child on Aladdin. Please ensure you have done so in the coming week. On one permission, please be aware of the consequences of refusing permission for your child’s image to be used by the school or by local or national media without their name appearing. This can cause real, practical difficulties at sports events, concert performances etc. Please explain to your child that they must step out of photographs on these occasions at it is hugely difficult for teachers to patrol these measures.

Páirceáil agus teacht ar scoil

Tá an t-uafás tráctha i dtimpeallacht na scoile ar maidin, le cúig eastát tithíochta sa cheantar, chomh maith le Scoil na Toirbhirte in aice linn. Mar scoil ghlas agus scoil ghníomhach, táimid ag iarraidh go mbeadh a laghad tráchta agus gur féidir ag teacht chugainne. Spreag do pháiste le’d thoil chun rothaíocht, siúl, teacht ar an mbus nó ar a laghad gluaisteán a roinnt nuair gur féidir. Má tá ort teacht sa ghluaisteán, tá cead ag ár dtuismitheoirí páirceáil ar maidin agus tráthnóna i gcarr-chlóis LIDL, ALDI nó Supervalu agus siúlar aghaidh ón áit sin.

Má tá ort teacht isteach i gclós na scoile, tabhair aire don gcóras páirceála le’d thoil. Níl chead do ghluaisteán a fhágaint ar thaobh na scoile don mbóthar idir an raca rothair agus an Astro. Is ionad bailithe agus fágála amháin an áit seo. Níor choir ach oiread páirceáil dúbalta a dhéanamh riamh nó do pháiste a ligint amach i lár line tráctha, rud atá an-dainséarach.

There is a large amount of traffic around our school grounds in the mornings and afternoons and we share our area with five local housing estates as well as the busy Presentation secondary school next door. As a Green, Health Promoting and Active school, we encourage as little traffic as possible to come into our grounds. Please encourage your child to walk or cycle to school whenever possible. The best way to encourage this is to join them, even for a day or two. It’s much safer than you think! Please also allow your child to travel by school bus where they can. We have Junior Infant children travelling on buses without problems. Finally, if you must come by car, please enquire about car-pooling or sharing with a neighbour or friend.

If you do come by car, please remember that you are welcome to park in the LIDL,ALDI and Supervalu car-parks and allow your child to walk the remaining distance. We call this our Park and Stride programme.

If you must enter our grounds by car, please note our traffic and parking system. There is NO parking allowed on the school side of our internal road except purely for drop-off and pick-up purposes. You should never leave your car unattended in this area. On the main road side, please respect the staff overflow car-park area. Please ensure also that you NEVER double park or leave your child out in a line of traffic as this is extremely dangerous.

Féitheoireacht Maidine/Morning Supervision

Cuirimid féitheoireacht fiche nóimead ar fáil gach maidin idir 8.50 agus 9.10 am mar ghar daoibhse mar thuismitheoirí. Táimid ag iarraidh nach mbeadh páisti i láthair roimh an ama sin agus má tá siad ann go dtuigeann tú gur gan féitheoireacht atá siad. Ní bhíonn féitheoireacht againn i ndiaidh am scoile agus ba chóír do pháistí imeacht ón scoil nó dul go imeachtaí iar-scoile i slí sábhálta.

We provide twenty minutes supervision of children who arrive early each morning from 8.50 to 9.10 am as a facility for parents coming to work. Please note that children should not arrive before that time and if they do that they are unsupervised and present at their own and their parents’ risk. Please note also that we DO NOT supervise children after they are dismissed at the end of the school day at 2.50 pm and that they should make their way to school buses, to meet their parents or to after-schools activities safely and carefully. Please let class teachers know if after-schools service providers are collecting your children or if anybody other than the normal people who collect them will be doing so on any occasion. A quick call or email to the office will do.

Timpeallacht agus Scoil Ghlas

Táimid ag tabhairt faoinár séú bhrat ghlas mar scoil i mbliana. Is ‘Saoránachta Domhanda- Bainistiú bhruscair agus dramhaoile’ atá mar théama againn. Tá Múínteoirí Deirdre agus Máise ag stiúriú an choiste i mbliana agus táimid an-bhuíoch do Mhúinteoir Maria R as na blianta atá caite againn i mbun na hoibre seo. Má tá suim agat cabhrú le hobair an choiste, téigh i dteangmháil tríd an oifig le’d thoil. Tá an t-eolas ar fad faoin mbrat anseo:

https://greenschoolsireland.org/themes/global-citizenship-litter-waste/

We are undertaking the work for our 6^thGreen Flag this year and the theme for this flag is Global Citizenship-Litter and Waste Management. Múinteoir Deirdre and Máise are the new co-ordinators of this work and we extend huge thanks to Múinteoir Maria R for over a decade of work with our Coiste Scoil Ghlas. If you are interested in helping the committee with its work, please contact the office. All the information on our current flag work is available at the link above.

Míle buíochas go Malcolm Noonan agus Máire Ní Bhraonáin as an lá iontach bhrú úlla a bhí againn cúpla seachtain ó shin. Thanks a million to Malcolm and Máire for our wonderful apple pressing day recently where we made the freshest of apple juice with apples from Gáirdín na scoile and gáirdíní an bhaile. Some classes missed out due to other events on the day but there are upcoming dates, including the Auxiliary Hospital, Wolfe Tone Street on Sunday next the 13^thOctober and of course at the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival on the October bank holiday weekend.

Bhí tionól speisialta domhanda chomh maith againn ar an 20 Meán Fomhair nuair go raibh an stailc scoile ar siúl inar phléamar an cheist do theithiú domhanda. Chomh maith le sin, tá JaneWickham, tuismitheoir na scoile, taréis seans a thabhairt dúinn a bheith mar chuid de thoinscnamh nua, Pobail Inmharthana Fuinnimh, a bheidh pobal Loch Buí ag cur isteach air. Faoi láthair tá breis is €20,000 in aghaidh na bliana á chaitheamh againn ar chúrsaí teasa agus solas agus beimid ag iarraidh é sin a laghdú go mór.

We had a special climate change assembly on September 24^thto coincide with the international school strike day. Our senior classes watched the Gretta Thunberg and other videos while we discussed our own individual roles at assembly. One of our parents, Jane Wickham, has asked us to become involved in the Sustainable Energies Community Project which the local Loughboy Community are applying for. As part of our application, we have discovered that we have an annual energy bill of more than €20,000 and we are determined to reduce both our costs and our carbon footprint. Any suggestions you have would be welcome.

Scoil Ildána/Creative School

Tá áthas orainn go bhfuilimid páirteach arís san dara chuid den dtionscnamh Scoileanna Ildána. Deineadh obair iontach an bhliain seo chaite agus táimid an-bhuíoch do Mhúinteoirí Áine agus Liselott a stiúraigh sn obair ar fad, chomh maith le Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, ár gcomhghleacaí chruthaitheach sa scoil. Bhí ár gcoiste páistí lán de smaointí agus ghnímh anuraidh agus tá an choiste nua gach pioc chomh maith leo. Má tá suim agat san obair seo, tar i dteangmháil leis an oifig.

We are delighted to be involved in the second year of the Creative Schools pilot project as part of the Arts Council Creative Ireland project. You will all be aware of the fantastic work carried out last year by our Creative School committee, led by Múinteoirí Áine and Liselott with class reps from R a 3 to R a 6. Our new committee is equally enthusiastic and the highlights so far this year have included class visits from Lorraine O’ Sullivan of the Heritage Council who gave expert talks on water conservation and minibeasts in our local rivers to our senior classes and this will be followed by Michele Castiaux who will be doing creative work on the same topics. Some of our classes have also visited the fantastic exhibitions in the Butler and National Craft galleries. All creative ideas will be most welcome during the year and if you feel you can give us some time or volunteer your services, we’d be delighted. We will also be asking you for some feedback as part of our School Self Evaluation work this year on the creative arts in our school and would again welcome your feedback.

Ráiseanna Tras-tíre/Cross Country races

Beidh ráiseanna tras-tíre an chontae ar siúl amárach i bPáirc an Chaisleáin óna 12.00 meánlae go dtí 2.30 pm. Beidh ár bpáistí ar fad ó R a 3 go R a 6 páirteach. Seol isteach €1 an duine leo le’d thoil. Táimid an-bhuíoch do Mhúinteoir Conor as ucht an eagrúcháin ar fad a thabhairt air. Tagann sé in áit Seán Lynch a d’eagraigh an ócáid seo le dhá bhliain déag anuas. Gabhaimid buíochas mhór do Sheán agus tá súil againn go n-eireoidh go maith linn amárach agus go mbainfidh gach páiste taitneamh agus tairbhe as.

The annual Kilkenny Primary schools cross-country races take place tomorrow, October 8^thin Kilkenny Castle Park. ALL our children from R a 3 to R a 6 take part. Please give your child €1 each to help with the costs. We are thankful to Múinteoir Conor who has taken over the organising of the whole event. He succeeds the legendary Seán Lynch, who has run the event for the past twelve years and we extend huge thanks to Seán for providing such wonderful days and memories to our current and past pupils. We hope our runners will compete well tomorrow but most importantly that they will all enjoy the experience and learn the joy of running as part of a healthy lifestyle.

A reminder also that our annual Rith Beo fun run will take place on Sunday 24^thMay 2020. This will be a busy weekend this year as our First Communion takes place on Saturday 23^rdMay. We hope this will encourage families to participate on both days and that our parents will participate and volunteer as you always have.

Éide Scoile/Uniforms

Bhí sé deas gach éinne a fheiscint gléasta san éide scoile ceart ar maidin. Beimid ag súil go mór le na griangrafanna i bhféilire 2020. Cinntigh le’d thoil go bhfuil an éide scoile ceart á chaitheamh gach lá ach amháin na laethanta atá fógraithe ag an Múinteoir ranga do chúrsaí chorp-oideachais, snámh 7 rl.

It was wonderful to see all our children from R a 1 upwards wearing their full school uniform today and we look forward to seeing the pictures in our annual 2020 calendar. As a school, we are very conscious of the expense involved in purchasing the school uniform and we ask you to ensure your child wears it on all the days outside of the one or two a week designated for tracksuit for PE, swimming etc. Please check that you know the appropriate days and that we keep the rules as best we can.

Ranganna Ghaeilge

Beidh ranganna Ghaeilge do thuismitheoirí na scoile agus daoine fásta eile ag tosú an Chéadaoin beag seo an 9 Deireadh Fomhair sa scoil ag 7.00 pm. An iar-mháistir Mícheál Ó Máirtín a bheidh i bhfeighil agus beidh an béim ar an gcomhrá. Tapaigh an deis chun do Ghaeilge a chleachtadh agus a fheabhsú arís. Is naoi seachtaine atá i gceist agus €45 don naoi oíche ar fad. Luach airgid iontach atá ann. Beidh ar a laghad deichniúir ag teastáil. Scaip an fhocail mar sin.

Gaeilge classes for parents and other adults will begin in the school this Wednesday night at 7.00 pm and will last for nine Wednesdays until early December. Subject to a minimum of ten people taking part, the charge of €45 is excellent value. Former Máistir Micheál Ó Máirtín leads the classes and the emphasis is on everyday conversational language. Spread the word and let’s get back speaking the language our children are learning through.

Bille Scoile

Táimid an-bhuíoch do gach éinne a d’íóc an bille scoile go dtí seo. Ná dean dearmad go bhfuil imeachtaí spoirt i rith am scoile cosúil le gleacaíocht agus snámh clúdaithe sa bhille seo chomh maith leis an scéim chíosach leabhair sna hard-ranganna. Thar aon rud eile áfach, tá clúdaíocht 24 uair a chloig, 365 lá sa bhliain árachais phearsanta ag do pháiste faoi scéim Allianz. Beidh duais d’aisíoc an bhille iomlán do pháiste amháin i do chlann d’éinne atá an méid iomlán íoctha acu ar lá laethanta saoire na Samhna.

We are very grateful for all those who have some or all of their bille scoile so far. Please remember that the bill covers the cost of extra PE activities, including gymnastics, Irish dancing and swimming as well as the cost of book rental in the senior classes. Most importantly, we are lucky to have the cost of 24 hour, 365 days a year personal insurance for all pupils who have paid, inside and outside of school through the Allianz insurance scheme. Remember also that there will be a draw from all those fully paid up by the Friday of the mid-term break on October 25^th. The winner will receive a full refund for one child of the bill paid.

Coiste na dTuismitheoirí agus Bord Bainistíochta/Parents meeting and Board of Management

Beidh cruinniú bliantúil Choiste na dTuismitheoirí ar siúl sa scoil ar an 16 Deireadh Fomhair ag 7.00 pm. Ba mhaith linn go mbeadh ionadaí ó gach rang ar choiste na dtuismitheoirí taréis an chruinniú. Beidh aoi-chainteoir againn ar an oíche agus beidh sóláistí ar fáil ina dhiaidh.

Our parents association annual general meeting will take place on Wednesday 16^thOctober in the school. We hope to have a representative from each class to take part in the committee’s work for the year ahead. We will have a guest speaker on the night and refreshments will be provided at the end.

Club Osraí

Beidh Club Osraí, óg-chlub trí mheán na Gaeilge, ag tosú sa scoil ar an Déardaoin seo, an 10 Deireadh Fomhair óna 4.00 pm go 5.30 pm. Is deis iontach í seo do pháistí R a 5 agus 6 a chuid Ghaeilge a chleachtadh trí cluichí, spraoi agus deis bualadh le páistí ó scoileanna eile. Beidh an club ar siúl i gColáiste Pobail Osraí taréis na Nollag.

Club Osraí, our Irish language youth club for our senior pupils and those from other schools in the surrounding area begins this Thursday from 4.00 to 5.30 pm. This is a great chance for students to use their language in an informal way through games, fun activities and meeting children from other schools. The club takes place in our school up to Christmas and in Coláiste Pobail Osraí for the second term. The club is funded through the School Completion Programme, which we are lucky to be part of and children with financial challenges at home are welcome to attend.

Sean-leabhair/Old Books

Má tá aon sean-leabhair ón scoil agat, an féidir iad a chur isteach le do pháiste go dtí an oifig le’d thoil?

Can you please return any old library or text books to the school if you happen to come across them. A number of our popular novels and books like atlases, maths text books etc are in short supply and we would prefer not to have to replace them if they are taking up space at home. Please spread the word to other past-pupil’s families also.