School Closure and Early Dismissal

A reminder that the school will be closed on Thursday, 27th February to facilitate a whole-staff training workshop on the new Primary Mathematics Curriculum.  Afterschool @ KETNS will be running camps on that day.

We also will have an early dismissal on Thursday, 6th March to facilitate a special staff meeting.  The infants will finish at 12.50 and the other classes will finish at 13.00.  Hot lunches will not be affected that day.  Afterschool @ KETNS will be open from the dismissal until 18.00.

Talent Show

A reminder that the Talent Show to Friday, 28th February at the school.  Matt will visit the classes on Wednesday, 26th February to find our who will participate and write a list of the acts.  The event will kick off at 18.30.  This is a family event, and both children and parents are invited to share any talent.  Come along even if you don’t intend to perform as we need a good audience!  

Swimming

Children in 1st through 6th Class will have their annual series of swimming lessons beginning the first week of March.  These will be taking place at the Kingfisher Club at the University of Galway.  There will be six 45-minute lessons that will finish the week before Spring Break in April.  We are trying an earlier date at the request of the Active School Committee and to avoid making the final term so busy due to the large number of special events that take place in May and June each year.  The cost of the lessons, including bus transport, will be €55.  A separate email will be sent to each family providing further details next week.

Parking

Many thanks for your continued support in ensuring that drop-off and collection times run smoothly and are safe for everyone.  A few reminders:

  1. Please park in the direction of the flow of traffic.
  2. Please do not park in the housing estates or opposite driveways to ensure access for your neighbours.
  3. No one should turn in the middle of the road; instead, please proceed to the top of the road before turning back.
  4. When parked, please turn on the engine rather than idling.

New Classes Opening

The school has been asked by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on behalf of the Department of Education to open two classes for autistic children.  These classes will open in the Autumn in a modular building that will be situated at the end of the green next to the road.  These classes will provide an appropriate educational experience for autistic children with specific learning needs, while also providing opportunities for integration with the other classes in our school.  This is an exciting step for our school community. 

In the interim, we need to begin enrolling children for these classes.  As part of that process, our Admissions Policy needs to be modified.  It is required that we consult the parents in our school whenever the Admissions Policy is changed.  Attached with this newsletter is a revised draft Admissions Policy.  Please reply to this email if you have any observations, questions or concerns. 

We anticipate the building work to commence soon, and we will work with the project manager to ensure it doesn’t disrupt the day-to-day activities in our learning community.  As further information becomes available, we will provide more details. 

Seeking Accommodation

A student teacher will be coming from Spain to complete an internship in the school from 24th March through 23rd May.  He is looking for accommodation to rent, ideally within walking distance or with public transport to the school.  A single room with access to a kitchen and bathroom is all that is required.  If anyone is a position to provide such accommodation, please reply to this email.

Mobile Phone Survey for Parents

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is surveying parents about the possibility of a contract for parents to agree delaying giving children a smart phone until the end of primary school.  If you haven’t already, please complete this survey.

Peace Proms

The school choir participating in Peace Proms at University of Limerick last Sunday.  It was an amazing concert, and well done to all the children for their hard work and efforts in making it such a rewarding experience.  The choir will take a short break for the remainder of the month of February.  Regular rehearsals will resume from Monday, 3rd March onwards.  New members are welcome, and you can sign up with Claudia if you wish to participate.

The view from the choir’s vantage point at Peace Proms 2025

Credit Union Quiz

We are so proud of our two quiz teams who represented the school at the Credit Union Quiz on Monday evening.  Both teams did so well in a very competitive environment.  In order to progress to the next level of competition, teams have win first place in one of the two age brackets.  For the third year in a row, one of our teams achieved this.  Our Category B team will now move on to the Chapter competition at the beginning of March.  Well done to both teams for a great evening and a superb result!

Green School Visit

Yesterday the Green School Committee welcomed a visit from Lorraine, the Environment Officer from Galway City Council for the renewal and assessment for our third green flag with a focus on transport.  Well done to the Committee, facilitated by Sarah and Nora, for all the efforts.  We look forward to some special events in the spring related to active transport.

Our Green School Committee with Lorraine

Parent-Teacher Association Meetings Notes

10th February (in person)

Attended by: Vajiha, Leonie, Maggie, Cynthia, Brian, Will and Matt 

13th February (online)

Attended by: Karen, Magdalena, Tina, Eoghan, Ewa, Lisa, Maria, Sandra, Catherine, Paula and Jorge

Talent Show:

The Talent show had been rescheduled to the 28th of Feb due to Storm Éowyn. Will be looking for parent volunteers at the start and end of the evening for the set-up and clean up of the event. All attending will be asked to bring along something to share.

Hot Meals:

Considering ways in obtaining clarity in the food source from Carambola. In the near future we will look at an internal survey for parents and children to complete for the purposes of feedback to carambola for areas of improvement. 

Spring Fair:

  • A letter on the school letterhead has been drafted and is available from Claudia to present to any potential sponsors that will be approached.
  • €15/per table as stall cost was decided for anyone (student or otherwise) who is wanting to book a table for the fair. 
  • A spreadsheet will be created with all relevant information on it in regards to the organisation of the spring fair, so information will be easily accessible going ahead.
  • Matt is to looking into out-sourcing the printing of the raffle tickets in comparison to having them put together by the school. 
  • Matt to approach classes in taking lead of carnival games. 4th Class usually takes lead in organising the obstacle course and parents are then needed for volunteering the running on the day.
  • Looking to create a price list for the coffee shop so pricing can be consistent and within reasonable range to avoid leftovers and waste.
  • Also will look at negotiating returning unopened snacks purchased for the Carnival Shop (snack shop on the green) to once again avoid waste.

Modular Build for Autism Classes:

  • There will be a new modular building coming up in the school to facilitate for children with additional learning needs.
  • There is permission for 2 classrooms and 4 smaller rooms for small-group learning support plus soft play areas adjacent to the new building.
  • Will be looking at feedback from parents for the revised admissions policy as part of protocol.
  • Offers for admission will mostly open end of March.

Concerns raised and acknowledged related to the new building and generally:

  • Increase in the already present traffic issues.
  • Surveillance and vandalism maybe an area of concern with the new setup.
  • The kerb to the alleyway behind the school is a potential hazard and impedes active transport.

Junior and Senior Infants have been enjoying some fantastic music sessions with Alyson!