January Newsletter 2026
Happy New Year to everyone and we hope you had a lovely Christmas with your family and friends. The weather is to be very cold this week so please make sure children have hats, coats, gloves etc in school each day.
Aladdin Connect
Over the coming months we can expect there will be days where school openings are in doubt. If school is closed any day due to inclement weather you will be notified on Aladdin. It is very important that you have Aladdin Connect downloaded on your phone and have alerts switched on in order to receive notification of a message.
Attendance
If your child is absent from school please fill in reasons for absences on Aladdin each day that they are off. It is the responsibility of parents to do this, not teachers. You may enter planned absences also (e.g. appointments etc). Please use Aladdin to inform staff of late arrivals and early leaving. Parents will receive a letter each term stating the number of days their child has been absent to date. When a child is absent for 20 school days plus in any given year, the education section in Tusla (TESS -Tulsa Education Support Service) is notified. This is a mandatory requirement for schools.
Fundraising
The Christmas quiz sheets distributed by the Parents’ Association raised €718. Many thanks to all who bought the sheets and/or donated money.
The clothes collection raised €299 for school funds.
The donation bucket at our Christmas show raised €318.40 also for school funds.
The festive walk to school and breakfast resulted in €194 for Ballybay Cancer. Many thanks to all who gave to this charity an also to the Parents’ Association and Fresh Today who provided the breakfast on the morning.
Hand Towels
Due to ongoing costs associated with the paper hand towels, from this term we are reverting back to using cotton hand towels. Each classroom will have a clean towel every day. If you wish your child may bring their own small towel/face cloth which should be kept in a plastic bag in their school bag and brought home each day to be washed.
Football
Children continue to wear tracksuits and runners on Fridays this term. We have been included in Monaghan GAA’s Coaching and Games schedule on Fridays until Easter. All children will participate in football and games each week. There is no charge for this.
Say Yes to Languages
As part of the ‘Say Yes to Languages scheme’ 5th and 6th class children are getting a fantastic opportunity to learn Spanish this term. Ruth Jamieson is the tutor and she will be teaching Spanish every Thursday 1.50-2.50.
Open Day for 2026-2027
Our annual Open Day will take place on Wednesday 18th February 1.00-3.00. If you know of any families considering Ballybay Central School for their child please let them know. Application forms and information regarding the application process will be on the website shortly.
School Closures
Monday 2nd February - Bank Holiday
Friday 6th February - School closed due to New Primary Curriculum Training Day
Thursday 19th & Friday 20th February - Mid Term
Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th March - St. Patrick’s Day Weekend