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

• We have updated our Mobile Phone and Electronic Device policy following consultation with staff, pupils and Board of Management here in St. Tolas. Please see a copy of the updated policy attached. If you wish to have a hard copy please contact the school office and we can provide one for you.  Following on from this we recognise that a small number of pupils may need to bring their phone to school with them so they can be contacted after school. If this is the case and you require your child to bring a phone to school you will need to inform the school in writing that you are allowing your child to bring a phone to school. The phone will need to be handed up to your child’s class teacher while in school. It will be stored in a secure location and your child can have it back at home time. As before if you need to contact your child during the school day please contact the school office and we are happy to pass on any message. Similarly, if a child needs to contact a parent/guardian during the day this contact will be made through the school office. We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.
• Our newly elected Student Council met for the first time last Friday.  The student members had some fantastic ideas for improving the school for everyone. One of their requests was if we could paint a goalpost on the astro turf fence for lunchtime games. Our caretaker Kevin has started work on this request already. We are also going to purchase some chess sets for 5^th class to trial out playing chess on wet days when we have to have breaks inside. I look forward to working with the Student Council in the months ahead.
• Today we are celebrating World Book Day. At 10a.m. we had D.E.A.R time – drop everything and read. Our senior pupils are going to visit the junior classes today to read and discuss a book with a younger pupil. Many classes will complete book reviews today also and there will be prizes for the best reviews.
• From next Monday we will be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge. Pupils are learning a song/poem as gaeilge to perform for the school at our weekly Cruinniu (assembly). There will be an award for the Gaeilgeoir Na Seachtain for the next two weeks. All classes are also learning a dance to the Irish song Beidh Aonach Amárach.
• We had a visit from Joe Searson today in 2^nd and 6^th class to meet the children making First Communion and Confirmation. Joe works for the diocese of Killaloe advising and supporting schools around Religious Education. He complimented the pupils and the teachers on all the work they have put in so far this year.
• Can you please ensure that your child has sufficient drinks for the school day (preferably water). Some pupils are complaining of being thirsty and not having enough to drink and a few pupils are not bringing drinks at all. We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Kind regards, Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal