DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 2019
Christmas is fast approaching and lots of preparations for the festive season are underway here in St Anne’s. Our entrance is filled with our Christmas tree and decorations are being created in many classrooms to be hung on the tree.
We are celebrating the season of Advent and our Advent wreath is at the Sacred Space, with our Advent Calendar in the hall for use at assembly. There aren’t many sleeps left to Christmas!
This year we will be gathering all classes together to sing carols and to read the nativity story. The school choir will perform as well as some of our classes learning violin and the full school will sing well-known carols together.
The junior infant classes will perform some festive songs for parents on December 19th at 9.30am. It’s lovely to hear the sound of carols throughout the building and to see such lovely Christmas art work too. Well done everyone!
Charities: It is a season when we remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves. This year we will be supporting two charities, Crumlin Children’s Hospital and The Peter Mc Verry Trust. On the final day, December 20th, all children are invited to wear a Christmas jumper or item related to Christmas and to bring in some money to donate to Crumlin. We encourage all to use items they already have, rather than buying new items. For the PMVT collection, we will be welcoming Pat Doyle, Chief Executive of the trust, on Wednesday December 18th to collect any items we have donated. We would be grateful for items for children and adults (see list of suggested items on display on the website and at the school)
Thank you for your support of these events.
Holiday arrangements: Please note that school will close for half day on the 20th. Infants may be collected at 12.15 with other classes finishing at 12.30pm. School re-opens on Monday January 6th
Looking back at the past few weeks, a lot has been happening.
PSG Activities:
The PSG have been very busy on a number of events and I wish to thank the committee and officers for the huge amount of work that has been undertaken.
We have had clothes collections, Christmas cards, calendars and other events for fundraising for the school. Thanks to you, the parents, for supporting these and well done to the committee and volunteers.
The Family Fun Day was a great success and was enjoyed by so many families- again well done to the PSG for the organisation of this and your enthusiasm in taking it all on.
The AGM was held in November. It is a great occasion to get to hear about the working of the PSG and the school in general. I wish to express sincerest thanks to the outgoing co-chairs, Amy Meally and Jacqueline Wilson, to Aoife Kelly, secretary and all the committee for the immense contribution you have made to the community of St Anne’s. I look forward to working with the new committee going forward and I know that great things are planned for the year ahead.
Garden
I’m sure you have seen some changes to the garden in St Anne’s, particularly at the entrance gates. It is looking lovely! Members of the PSG have been working hard to re-plant the planters at the gates and to place them in new locations, all of which has really added to the beauty of the environment around the school. Children will be assisting over the coming weeks with planting and there are great plans for further work in the new year. Sincerest thanks to you all, and to other parents who came on board to assist in moving, digging and planting and of course getting the plants and equipment organised.
You make a great difference!
Board of Management:
A new Board of Management for St Anne’s is now in place since December 1st. The members of the Board are:
Mary Manley and Barry O Leary (Teacher nominees)
Fr O Byrne and Johnny Buckley (Patron’s nominees)
Serena Conheady and Donal Mac Giollaphádraig (Parents’ nominees)
Deirdre Casey and Mairéad Earley (Community nominees)
I wish to express my thanks to the former Board for their support and dedication to the school. A special tribute to Seán Mc Garr, who has served on the Board for 36 years, for his huge contribution to St Anne’s and the families of Ardclough. I express my thanks also to Dr Marie Griffin and Fr Matt Kelly who have served many years on the Board and to Fiona Kerrins and John Butler for their dedication over the past term of the Board. It has been a pleasure working with you all.
Community Links:
AVC: On behalf of the staff of St Anne’s I wish to congratulate the Ardclough Village Centre committee on the recent launch of the Arthur’s Grave exhibition and the work done in the old school. It is a wonderful resource. We were delighted to attend the launch with some of the children from our current 6th class who attended the old school in junior infants.
GAA Coaching: We are delighted to link with the local GAA club for coaching in hurling and football this year. Thanks to all involved in setting this up; we look forward to preparing the stars of the future. Football coaching will commence for junior classes after Christmas.
JAI: Our 4th class students were privileged to be part of the Junior Achievement Ireland programme this year. The programme encourages ‘early-stage entrepreneurship’ in primary school students, helping them learn how to become entrepreneurs and to enabling them to design a business plan focusing on innovation and enterprise. The programme culminated in a trade fair and Dragons’ Den style event in St. Anne’s Primary School where the students showcased their entrepreneurial acumen to friends and families and pitched their ideas to Dragons including Wendy Vahey, Fidelity Investments; Gary McLoughlin, Microsoft; Frank O’ Rourke TD and Joanne Haugh, The Orchard.
Special thanks to our wonderful facilitators, Rita Kelly and Siobhán Magner, who inspired us all with their enthusiasm and energy. Well done to all the students who embraced the programme and came up with unique and wonderful ideas for their businesses.
The entrepreneurs of the future may well be from St Anne’s!
Happy Christmas: Finally, I wish to send season’s greetings to you all. I hope the coming days of preparation for Christmas are enjoyable and that the Christmas period brings much rest, relaxation and happiness for you all.
I look forward to an exciting and event-filled year in 2020.
Mary Manley