January 2020 Newsletter
Welcome back to Ballybay Central School for the start of a new term. We hope everybody had a Happy Christmas and had the opportunity to rest and enjoy family time. We are delighted to welcome Pam Mullen to the staff this week. Pam has been appointed as SNA in the infant classroom.
Gymnastics
We are pleased to welcome Lisa Boyle from LA Gymnastics to school this term. From Monday next, 13th January all children will take part in a gymnastic session – one of the strands of the PE curriculum, for 6 weeks (until half term). The cost of the lessons are €2 per lesson per child. The Parents’ Association has kindly offered to subsidise the lessons which keeps the cost down and we are thankful to them for this. Payment can be made weekly in advance of each class or paid in full this week – if your child misses a session due to illness you will be refunded the cost of that session. Please put the money in an envelope with your family name on it for the attention of Mrs. McBride.
Christmas Activities
Thank you to all who helped out in any way with the activities before Christmas. The plays were a great success and everybody enjoyed the visit from Santa also.
We had a very enjoyable walk to school on Thursday 19th December and this was followed by a delicious breakfast on our arrival at school. €150 was raised on the day for Ballybay Cancer Society.
Many thanks to all who contributed to our non-perishable food items collection before Christmas. Caire Douglas from Hope Café was overwhelmed with the amount collected and thanked the children very much. She reminded us that some people have very little and often January can be a very tough month for families – our food items will be used to help families less off than ourselves.
The morning of our school holidays saw 54 very excited children exchanging Kris Kindle presents in the hall – it was lovely to see the smiles on their faces as they ripped open the wrapping paper revealing their gifts. Many thanks to the ‘shoppers’.
Cash for Clobber
Following on from our clothes collection in October last year, the school received a cheque for €456. This money was used to buy new outfits for the Christmas Plays.
New Interactive Board
The Department of Education are funding a new interactive board for the senior classroom. This will be delivered and installed this week hopefully.
Open Afternoon
Our Open Afternoon will take place on Wednesday 19th February 1.00-3.00pm parents considering enrolments for September 2020 are most welcome to visit the school with their child/children during the afternoon. Enrolment forms will be available on the day. The Open Afternoon will be advertised locally nearer the time.
Dates for your diary:
Wednesday 19th February Open Afternoon
Thur/Fri 20th/21stFebruary Mid Term – School Closed
Tuesday 17th March St. Patrick’s Day – School Closed