Summer has certainly arrived at St Anne’s! Our playing field is being put to great use these days, not only for sports day, but on all the days of good weather in the past week. Thanks to Tony the summer flowers are looking well and there is plenty of growth in our herb garden created by junior infants, Mrs O Brien and Mrs Moran . Lots of summer sports are underway too so it is a busy time for all!
It is also the season of beginnings and endings, as we welcome new junior infants and say farewell to our 6th class students. Each year brings a new cohort of children as others move on; each group leaving their mark in a unique way.
Junior Infants 2017/18
We give a special welcome to our new junior infant classes and their parents who visited the school recently. We were delighted to meet with parents on the evening and to outline the programme and preparations for their children attending St Anne’s. Many thanks to you all for taking the time to be with us.
It was wonderful to meet with all the boys and girls who will be coming to St Anne’s and we look forward to welcoming them fully in September. It is the start of a wonderful journey for them all and we hope we can guide and inspire them on their way.
We will have other children joining classes through the school also- welcome to Nathan & Amelia, Róisín & Aisling, Jack & Martha. We hope you will enjoy your time in St Anne’s.
First Communion:
Congratulations to all the boys and girls in 2nd class on receiving their First Holy Communion at the end of May. You made us very proud on the day with how much work you put into preparations and your reverence on the day. It was lovely to see all your families back at the school after the ceremony and while the rain may have been falling each of you shone brightly!
I want to pay a special tribute to Ms Dunne for her work in preparing the children for the ceremony, to Mr Mansfield, Mrs O Brien and Mrs O Connor for the lovely music and to the boys and girls in the choir for their beautiful singing. Thanks also to the PSG who arranged the school party for children and families. And of course we thank Fr Matt and Fr O Byrne for their guidance in preparation and celebration of the sacrament.
Mrs Kelly’s Class
We had another lovely occasion at St Anne’s recently, celebrating the opening of Mrs Kelly’s Special Class on June 1st last.
Members of St Anne’s Student Council were busy welcoming guests including parents, friends and families, local guests and people who had assisted in the creation of our special class area. The event began with some refreshments for guests- Thanks again to the PSG for their hospitality on the day.
It continued with a guided tour of the class area and a showcase of the children’s work and events they have been involved in to date. Well done to Mr Mansfield’s class who composed a special song for the occasion, entitled ‘Welcome to our School’. Also to Mr O Loinsigh’s class for their performance of ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’ and to the children who were part of the Buddies and Circle of Friends programmes. Children in 4th class have been writing stories too.
It has been a great privilege for us all to work with all the boys in the class- each has brought so many gifts and challenged us all to explore different ways of thinking and learning. As I mentioned on the day I wish that these boys, and indeed all our children, reach for the highest stars!
I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the huge amount of work and commitment that Mrs Kelly has put into the setting up of and running of the class. Special thanks also to our wonderful SNAs, Kathy and Mary, for all their work in supporting the boys.
Book Fair
Well done to Mrs Knightly and parents for organising our recent book fair. The school sold €3717.64 of books during the book fair earning the school a total commission of €1261 to spend on books. Thanks to PSG for being such supportive ‘shopkeepers’ and to the parents who took such an interest in the book fair.
We are planning to set up a new library in the school in new year and will keep you informed on progress!
Links with Kildare Library
We were delighted to team up with Aisling and her colleagues in Celbridge library for a number of events over the past year. Among these were the STEAM workshops on Scratch for 6th class and 4th class were treated to an interesting session with author Dave Rudden this week.
Sports:
The sporting calendar in St Anne’s is full over the past weeks. Well done to all teams involved in the various sports and matches. We are delighted that you have taken part in such a wide variety of sports this year, from basketball to hurling, from athletics to soccer and so much more. I know you wore the jersey with pride and represented us well in all events- Well done to you all!
Congratulations to all on your participation in our Sports Day last Tuesday. I think the team events need special mention- I am proud of the 6th class leaders who took on their roles with such responsibility and encouraged the younger children so well. I was a hectic and fun-filled day for all. It was lovely to see some past pupils returning to help us out on the day and of course our PSG members who assisted were wonderful.
This week we will see the finals of the Football League- well done to Mr O Leary and co for organising. And of course there will be the staff .v. student matches in basketball and soccer this week too- may the best team win (……or survive for some of us!).
Graduation:
The sixth class students are busy preparing for moving to second level- currently they are involved in a transition programme. This involves doing a ‘mock secondary’ set up and former St Anne’s students who are now in second level have come to visit the 6th classes and fill them in on their experiences.
I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all the 6th class students on reaching the end of primary education. I really want to complement each and every one of you on how you have contributed to life in St Anne’s from nurturing the younger children, to leading all by the example you have set and most of all for your sense of fun whilst working to high standard. You have set up a number of firsts for St Anne’s in sport, in the student council and in many other ways. You will be greatly missed and I hope you will come back to visit us regularly. Go n-éirí libh! Make us proud!
The graduation for the 6th class will take place on Thursday next at 1.30pm.
Preparation for Next year:
Booklists, calendar and notes on uniform have been sent to all families; also the note re school contribution. We thank you for your generosity and support of all that goes on in St Anne’s.
You also should have received the calendar for next year. Class teachers will be announced at the end of the week- please note that not all position will be filled before the summer break but I will inform parents about class teacher in advance of the return to school in September.
Thanks
I wish to thank most sincerely the members of the PSG who work tirelessly in fundraising and in hosting so many events for the children in St Anne’s. You create a wonderful sense of community here and for this we are very grateful. Special thanks to Ruth and Lorraine for their inspiring work as co-chairs and to all officers on the committee. Also to Janice, Lorraine and Angel who are leaving this year as their children move to second level- we appreciate very much all that you have done over the past years.
I also wish to pay tribute to all the staff, teachers and SNAs, in St Anne’s. Thank you for your professionalism and commitment to all the children in our school and for your tireless work in setting high standards and creating a caring atmosphere here. A special mention to Tony for maintaining the school and grounds so nicely and to Nora for keeping everything running so efficiently. It is a privilege to work with you all!
Summer Greetings
Finally, may I wish all children and parents a wonderful summer break. Do look after yourselves and we look forward to seeing you all on August 31st and to hearing all the stories of the summer. May the sun shine wherever you are and enjoy it all!