Dear Parents,
Welcome back to a new term at St Catherine’s. I hope you all had lovely Easter holidays.
Thank you for your support of our Proclamation Day events, it was great to see so many parents there and lovely to see the children’s efforts at dressing up. Well done to all the children, too, for their songs, poems, proclamations and above all to the 4th Class children for their play.
I attach the calendar of holidays and early closings for next year. Please print off and stick to the fridge!
We are having a staff meeting on Wednesday and the school will close early, at 1:20 pm. Please ensure that your children are collected promptly. We always seem to have a few stragglers!
Well done to Peter Donnelly, Max Murphy, Evie Barwise and Erica Scalzo who took part in the Irish Under 8 Chess Championships over the Easter holidays!
St Catherine’s Got Talent Grand Final is this Friday at 11:00 am in the school hall. Parents welcome but do be prepared for a bit of a squash!
Swimming starts next week on Tuesday April 12th for first and second classes, and will run for six Tuesdays, not including the mid-term break. The lessons take place in Templeogue College swimming pool under the supervision of trained swimming coaches, and the children’s class teachers and SNAs will also be attending and supervising. The school provides transport to and from the pool, but if you live near the pool it’s fine to bring your child there directly for 9:00 am.
Please have your children at school by 8:25 am at the latest every Tuesday as the bus will pull away at 8:30! The children will need:
- swimsuit (it’s fine to have the swimsuit on under their normal clothes).
- swim hat
- a towel
- a swimming bag to carry their wet stuff back in
- goggles are not essential, but many children find it much easier to swim with them on.
Our policy up to now has been to bring 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th swimming for a half-term each year. However the cost is prohibitive as the school’s numbers have increased so much, and following our survey earlier in the year, it’s clear that most parents were happiest with children from 1st and 2nd classes only attending swimming lessons. The consensus also was raise the voluntary swimming contribution, for those whose child is attending swimming lessons, to €30. I hope that’s ok with everyone, it is voluntary but very necessary to defray the cost of swimming. Please send it in if and when you can (1st and 2nd Classes only!)
Swimming is a mandatory part of the PE curriculum and it is compulsory except for medical reasons which have been explained and documented to the school. If your child comes to school to late for the bus on Tuesday, or misses swimming for any reason, s/he will be supervised and given work to do, but her class teacher will not be there until the class returns from the swimming lesson.
The children usually thoroughly enjoy the swimming and it’s also a great way for them to be encouraged to become more independent as they have to mind their gear, get undressed and dressed, dry themselves etc. Staff are on hand to help out, of course but mostly the children manage for themselves, which is great.
If anyone has an issue with regard to swimming please let me know.
Have a great term!
Kind Regards,
April Cronin.
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St. Catherine’s National School, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 4542679