Dear Parents/Guardians,

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

• If you have a child due to start in St. Tola’s N.S in Junior Infants next September please ensure that you complete an enrolment application form as soon as possible. These are available from the school office.  Closing date for receipt of completed application forms is Thursday 31^st January 2019.

• GAA coaching will continue next Wednesday for Junior Infants, Senior infants, 5^th and 6^th classes. Pupils need to wear their school tracksuit and runners. We are delighted that Mark O’ Donnell from Wolfe Tones GAA club will facilitate the coaching again this term.
• We know that it is difficult to get up these dark, cold January mornings but we would ask that all pupils make a big effort to arrive to school on time. It is disruptive for your child to arrive into class when the work has already started. All classes line up in the hall in the morning and teachers collect them at 9a.m.  Those few minutes before school are a chance for the pupils to have a little chat with each other. The hall is supervised from 8.40a.m. onwards and pupils are welcome to come in from that time on.
• I am delighted that Ms. Corry and Mr. Tyrell are going to start a Scratch Coding Club at lunchtimes on Wednesdays with pupils from 4^th class initially. This will start from next week and numbers are limited to 16. There has been a great response from 4^th and all places are filled at present.
• There is a First Communion preparation Mass taking place this Sunday at 11a.m. in Mary Immaculate Church. All pupils are requested to wear their school uniform and if possible sit at the front of the church on the right hand side facing the altar.  The pupils in 2^nd class who are making their Communion this year are busy preparing for First Confession. This will take place on Tuesday 12^th February at 7p.m. in Mary Immaculate Church.
• The staff are busy working on School Self Evaluation at present. We have decided to focus our efforts on improving the teaching and learning of acquisition and use of vocabulary across all subjects. We are hoping to get some information about this at home also. To this end I have a short interview for parents which should only take 10 minutes to complete. If you would like to take part in this please contact the school office to arrange a time that would be convenient for you.

• Our school policy in relation to birthday invitations states that pupils or parents are not permitted to distribute invitations here in the school. This can cause a lot of distress for pupils and it is also a distraction for the smaller pupils in particular when there is an invitation in the bag for the day. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

• Can I remind parents to make sure your child has a coat at school at this time. We do go outside weather permitting and the temperatures have dropped and a coat is necessary.  Some pupils would go out in a tshirt if permitted even on the coldest days!!
• St. Tola’s is taking part in the Active Homework Challenge organised by Clare Sports partnership over the next three weeks.  There is a lovely active homework tracker being distributed today and we will start the challenge from next week.

Kind regards,  Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, Principal