Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you are well this week. Our news is as follows

• Thank you to all parents and staff members who contributed to our clothes recycling collection last Tuesday. A total of €252.35 was raised for the school.

• Next week we will celebrate Maths Week and we have a number of events organised. Some classes will do maths trails around the school where they will have to solve maths problems posted at various locations. 1st-6th classes will take part in a Maths table quiz. We will organise a bingo session also for 1st-6th classes. The senior classes will take part in an online maths challenge called Mangahigh where they can pit their maths skills against children all over Ireland and beyond. All classes have completed beautiful art work using a maths theme and this is displayed in the hall at the moment. The shape witches completed by Junior Infants are great while Seniors did beautiful Ladybird 6s.Why not have your own maths week at home where you can count with your child, quiz on the tables or spot maths in your home environment?
• Well done to our Girls’ football team who qualified out of their heats in the Cumann na mBunscol football competition last Friday. Well done to the Boys’ team also who did not progress to the next stage but played brilliantly. They only lost out on qualification by one point. Both teams represented St. Tola’s so well and showed a positive sporting attitude win or lose! Well done to all.
• Our Parents’ Association will organise a cake sale this Friday at 1p.m. Pupils will get an opportunity to buy cakes and buns. All donations of baked goodies will be gratefully accepted. Parents are welcome to attend also.
• A Spooky Halloween Fancy Dress Table Quiz will take place on Thursday 27th Oct here in the school at 6.30p.m. Tables of four (2 adults 2 kids/1 adult,3 kids) can enter and tables cost €20 per team. There will also be prizes for the best dressed team and maybe the best dressed teacher!!!!It promises to be a fun night for all involved. Tracey is now taking bookings for tables in the office and it will be first come first served.
• An enrolment meeting for parents of 6th class pupils who wish to make their Confirmation this year will take place in Mary immaculate Church on Thursday next 20th Oct at 7.45p.m. At least one parent must attend this meeting.
• Can I remind parents again to please be very cautious driving into and out of the car park. Please do not abandon your car and cause an obstruction. If there are no spaces the Gardai have informed us that it is ok to park safely on the road. Please slow down also as some drivers are driving too fast. Remember that very small children also use the car park and it is difficult to spot them. We all want everyone to be able to use the car park in a safe manner. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.
• In conjunction with Clare Family Learning Project we are offering English language classes to parents here in the school every Tuesday morning from 9a.m.-11a.m. and they are free of charge. If you know a parent whose first language is not English and would benefit from these classes please let them know and encourage them to come along. Information in various languages is attached to the back of this Thursday Note.

Kind regards,

Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, Principal