Summer Term Newsletter 2021
Litter Picking with Ballybay Tidy Towns
Congratulations and a huge well done to the boys and girls in Ms. Brown’s room who spent a morning litter picking recently. Olivia Duffy from Ballybay Tidy Towns Committee was delighted to meet with the children and provided high vis jackets, gloves, litter pickers and bags. She also gave the class an insect hotel. In total the children collected 5 bags of rubbish. During the month of April the pupils in Ms. Brown’s room have been learning about their environment and more importantly how to look after it. It is sad to see so much litter being thrown around and with more and more food being ‘taken away’ unfortunately there seems to be an increase in littering. It is important to teach children from a very young age not to litter.
Trip to Castleblayney Outdoor Adventure Centre
We are limited in options for a school tour this year and some schools have decided not to go on a tour at all. After much consideration we have provisionally booked a trip to Castleblayney Outdoor Adventure Centre for all pupils for Friday June 4th. This trip is optional and if you do not wish your child/children to attend that is understandable. However if children do not go on the tour they will have to stay at home as all staff will be required for supervision at the Adventure Centre on the day. We will not be using buses as we cannot be certain of social distancing on a bus. As such parents will be responsible for bringing their own children to the Adventure centre and collecting them at the end of the day. Children will be remaining in their pods for the activities on the day, just as they would in school.
The itinerary for the day along with consent forms and prices will be issued nearer the time.
Sports Day
Pupils will take part in our school’s Sports Day before the end of term. Unlike other years where pupils from all classes form teams, this year each classroom will take part in their own events. Each room will rotate around different parts of the school grounds so as to ensure pods are not mixing. Our sports day is weather dependent but we are provisionally planning it for the last week of term.
Standardised Testing
Pupils from 1st – 6th Class will complete standardised tests before the end of term in both English and Maths. These tests were not administered last year as schools were closed. Test results will be included with the end of year reports.
Low-Mow Lawn
We have been asked by Ballybay Tidy Towns to leave a section of the grass at the front of the school uncut. This is to allow wild flowers such as daisies, dandelions etc. to grow naturally and species diversity will increase.
Stranooden Group Water Scheme
Many thanks to Ross MacDonald from Stranooden GWS who donated a native tree (Birch, Hazel or Hawthorn) to each pupil. The children will receive certificates in June when Ross visits to talk to the children (outdoors) about biodiversity.
End of Term
School will close at 12.00pm on Friday 18th June. All text books and library books which are the property of the school must be returned before the end of term.
School Holidays 2021/2022
Reopening Thursday 26th August 2021
Mid-Term Mon 25th-Fri 29th Oct inclusive
Christmas Closing Wed 22nd December
Reopening Thurs 6th Jan 2022
Mid-Term Thurs 24th & Fri 25th Feb
St. Patrick’s Day Thurs 17th & Fri 18th March
Easter Closing Fri 8th April
Reopening Mon 25th April
May Bank Holiday Mon 2nd May
June Bank Holiday Monday 6th June
Summer Holidays Closing Tues 21st June 2022