Dear Parents/Guardians,

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

• We wish our boys’ soccer team all the best as they take part in the FAI 5’s competition tomorrow in Lee’s Road. Thank you to Mr Tyrrell who has given the team extra coaching this week before school.  We know our boys will do St Tola’s proud.
• The Ceremony of Light will take place next Thursday 30^th March at 7p.m.  in Mary Immaculate Church for the pupils in 6^th class making Confirmation this year. We wish all the pupils engaged in this all the best for this step on their journey to Confirmation.
• There is a First Communion preparation Mass for pupils in 2^nd class this Sunday in Mary Immaculate Church at 11a.m. We are looking forward to the First Communion ceremony which will take place on 29^th April.
• Here in St Tolas we welcome the new government initiative to fund the cost of schoolbooks for every pupil in primary school. Please see attached information for parents/guardians.
• Thank you to Ms Hansbury and Ms Flynn who have started a school band for pupils from 3^rd to 6^th classes. The band meet for rehearsals on Thursdays at lunchtime. We have tin whistles, keyboards, ukele, violin and harmonica currently being played in the band. We have received donations of two clarinets, a saxophone, a drum kit, concertina, guitar and keyboard and we hope that some of the pupils will take up these instruments.
• Well done to 4^th class who recently completed the Junior Achievement programme with volunteer Ciara Halliday. The pupils had to come up with a business idea in groups and present it to the rest of the class. They designed group posters to explain their ideas. There were Friends cafes with doggy daycare, a cookbook, DJs shop selling amazing gadgets such as floating shoes, Chocolate Wonders where you can make your own chocolate and World Sports.  I was very impressed with the level of detail and thought that had gone into their ideas and we certainly have some budding entrepreneurs in 4^th class. Well done everyone!
• The Parents’ Association have organised an Easter egg raffle. Tickets cost €2 for one or 3 for €5. There is a prize of an Easter egg for each class. The draw will take place next Friday 31^st March.
• We are almost at the end of Term 2 in the current school year. St. Tolas will close to pupils and staff next Friday 31^st March at 12p.m. The school will re-open on Monday 17^th April at 9a.m.

Kind regards,

Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal