Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you are keeping well and enjoying the fine weather this week. Let’s hope it continues for another while. Our news this week is as follows

• Our homework journals finally arrived yesterday and were distributed to classes. We apologise for the delay in getting them but our supplier had issues. Thankfully they have arrived and can be put to good use!
• We had great news this week when we found out that St Tolas has been selected to take part in one of the  Peace Proms 25 concert in the University of Limerick next March. Pupils from 4^th, 5^th and 6^th classes are invited to take part. We will join with schools from all over the Mid West and the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland to perform a number of songs. There will also be world class soloists from all over Ireland performing at the concert. St Tolas has taken part a number of times and it is a unique and special experience for every child who attends. 
• I would like to wish our pupils taking part in the East Clare Cross Country competition in Lee’s Road Ennis all the best next Wednesday 25^th September. Thank you to Múinteoir Lorna, Múinteoir Fiona, Múinteoir Ciara and Múinteoir Maeve for giving up their lunchtimes over the past few weeks to train the pupils. I hope the weather stays fine for the competition on Wednesday.
• We will celebrate the opening of the new school year with a special mass in Mary Immaculate Church next Thursday 26^th September at 11a.m. Parents and grandparents are welcome to join us. We will make alternative arrangements for the pupils who do not attend Mass here in the school.
• Shannon parish published the dates for Communion and Confirmation ceremonies for all schools last weekend. St. Tola’s Confirmation ceremony will take place on Friday 2^nd May at 11a.m. while First Communion will take place on Saturday 17^th May at 11a.m.
• While we have returned to school recently I am afraid to say that headlice have also decided to come back to school. Please check your child’s head regularly. If you find headlice please let us know and we can alert everyone in the class. it is important to treat headlice to get rid of them. If you call into your local pharmacist they can give advice in relation to treatments. If your child has long hair it might be a good idea to keep it tied up and there is less chance of headlice transferring from one head to another.
• Please see flyer attached from Shannon Library in relation to sensory play workshops.
• Please see flyer attached from Fergus Dental here in Shannon who have an offer for child dental examinations – ‘PAY YOUR AGE DENTAL EXAMINATION’ – cost of dental examination will be the same as the age of the child.
• Our Agree to Agree Internet and technology user guide has been sent out recently to all families in the school. Thank you to those who have signed up to this agreement. If you would still like to sign up but do not have the form please contact the office and we can give you a new form. Our agreement is being launched next Wednesday in Clare Education Centre along with a number of other schools in Clare where we will celebrate the work carried out in the past few months.

Kind regards,

Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal