School Newsletter-October 2018

                           

• On October 1^st a very special mass was held in the school to mark the retirement of our esteemed Principal, Mrs Denise Deery. We were delighted to welcome members of the Deery family, along with the Board of Management who gathered in Denise’s honour and to give thanks for her long and rewarding teaching career. Fr Vincent Sherlock celebrated the mass, while the hymns, readings and prayers were all provided by the pupils. Following the mass, a presentation of a lamp which has an etching of the school crest was presented to Mrs Deery by  Aoibhínn Duffy on behalf of all the pupils. She was also presented with a framed parchment which displayed all of the pupils’ signatures, along with a school jersey which signified Mrs Deery’s commitment to the promotion of Gaelic Games. Following the mass, Mrs Warde welcomed the Deery family, Board members and Councillor John Caulfield. She paid tribute to Mrs. Deery’s long and distinguished career, during which time she touched the lives of many pupils in a positive way. She oversaw building projects and yard improvements, embraced new methodologies, initiatives and technology and was involved in quizzes, dramaíocht and Cumann na mBunscol activities. Mrs Deery then spoke in praise of all the pupils and thanked everyone for the support she received down through the years. Photographs were taken by Mr. James Hunt and refreshments were served to all of the assembled guests.

• Mrs Mary Warde was appointed as the new Principal of the school. She is warmly congratulated by colleagues, Board of Management and parents and is wished much satisfaction, success and happiness in the years ahead.

• Eugene Ivers, County Board Coach, returned to the school for a number of sessions of Gaelic Football skills for pupils from First to Fourth Classes.

• Members of Charlestown Fire Services delivered a ‘fire safety’ talk to pupils from Junior Infants to Fourth Class. Children were engaged in identifying fire hazards, recognising ways in which they can actively make their homes safer and were encouraged to devise with their families a fire plan in the event of having to exit their houses in an emergency. The older pupils in the group   were then given a ‘fire safety’ checklist to work on at home, after which they were awarded a ‘Safety Certificate’. This was a most informative and worthwhile visit and we thank Simon and Dermot for coming to our school.

• GOAL Jersey Day was held and a total of one hundred and thirty euro was raised. This year we had the unique opportunity of having a representative from GOAL, visit the school to explain about the work undertaken by the Charity. Pupils were invited to reflect on the reasons why aid is required in some countries and with the use of drama, the pupils explored through imagined experience the impact of drought on an Ethiopian family. Children spoke of having a greater understanding of the work of GOAL and the importance of our annual Jersey Day.

• Fred ‘The Party Professor’ returned to the school and entertained everybody with a combination of juggling, music, magic and humour.

• The Photographer made her annual visit.

• Winners of the colouring competition run in conjunction with the launch of the Kilkelly-Kilmovee Parish Magazine were Caitlín Llongo, Oran Frain and Gráinne Hunt.   

• Several pupils attended the Cleary-Coyne Traditional Weekend in Claremorris. Attaining third place in the bilingual quiz were Matthew Boylan, Aoibhínn Duffy, Liam Boyle and Oran Frain. Aoibhínn and Ewan Duffy were also prize-winners in the traditional music and singing competitions. In addition they attended the workshops organised as part of the line-up of activities, with a view to improving their musical proficiency.

• Once again students participated in the Kenny-Naughton Local Schools’ Writing Competition. Children were invited to submit a story or poem entitled ‘My Choice for President’. Winners in the Story Section were Emma Shiel, Declan Duffy and Sinead Regan while successful in the Poetry Section were Cian Roddy, Steven Rush, Gemma Rush and Liam Boyle.

• The Halloween Sale of Work organised by Sixth Class raised a total of three hundred and fifty euro.  A special word of thanks to everybody who donated raffle prizes. The amount raised will be spent on Christmas Annuals for each child, along with helping to defray costs associated with the use of buses.

• We welcomed Ms Amanda Egan to the Staff of Kilmovee School as she took up her role as Teacher in the Infant Classroom. She is congratulated on her Appointment and is wished much contentment and happiness in the times ahead. We said farewell to Ms Hannah Mulchrone who has taught at the school for the past number of months. We thank her for her dedication, hard work and considerable talents which enriched the lives of her pupils.

• The Aistear theme in Miss Mulchrone’s classroom was People Who Help Us. In conjunction with this theme, members of Charlestown Fire Services spoke to the children about how they can be fire officers in their own homes and showed them their uniforms and equipment. In the Socio-Dramatic area, pupils set up a fire station and in Construction, Small World and Sand Play Areas the theme was further explored. Children reflected on the wide range of people and agencies that are there to help them. As always, Aistear activities proved very popular in the Infant Classroom.