Dear parents,
As we approach mid-term I wish to update you on events that are happening in St Anne’s.

School Uniform: Well done to all students on wearing uniform over the past weeks- it really shows pride in their appearance and in the school they represent. A gentle reminder to all to ensure that the full school tracksuit is worn on PE days.
Lunchtime clubs: Sixth class students are arranging lunchtime clubs for children in younger classes. The range of clubs includes- dance, chess, ICT, Yearbook, filming. The Club 3 Stories continue to be created and sold as is the The Weekly Buzz- thanks to the children involved in all these initiatives and to you for supporting same

AGM: thanks to all parents who attended the recent AGM and to all who have volunteered to be on the committee for the coming year. Thanks also to those of you who assisted with gardening and other tasks recently- it really does make a difference to us. If you have skills /knowledge to share please do make contact with us.

School Environment: We have spent the last few days planting spring bulbs in the pots along the fence outside the school gates. Thanks to Tony and parents who prepared the pots for us. Each child in the school planted a bulb. We hope that these will bloom in spring and we will have the colours of Ardclough on display (flowers in red, yellow and black)

Launch of our mosaic: Over the past year, artists Katy and Karim Seddiq have created and installed a mosaic on the exterior of our school building as part of the Percent for Art scheme with the Department of Education and Skills. The mosaic captures much of the history of the area but also represents the journey through school life where we aim to nurture children’s imagination and curiosity. A mosaic piece will also be installed internally based on work the children did with the artists over the past year. The mosaic is called: Suaitheadh na Samhlaíochta (Swirl of Imagination). The mosaic was officially launched at a short ceremony on Tuesday last. We were joined by guests from the locality and from arts and education world for the event. The interior piece was unveilled and guests were guided by our sixth class ambassadors to view the mosaic and the work created by children and inspired by the mosaic. A great day was had by all!

After-school activities: Many after school activities continue as last year- we welcome back the drama, art, Irish dancing and hip-hop classes. We also have some new classes underway including Music Theatre, Chess, ballet to name but a few.

Sports teams: Well done to our sports teams who have represented us so well in recent events!

Code of Behaviour:
We have developed a new Code of Behaviour for St Anne’s- this is now available on the school website. The Code was drafted in consultation with PSG representatives and brought to the AGM last week. It has been ratified by the Board of Management and we have trialled/revised this over the past weeks.
All children are expected to adhere to the Code. We ask that you read this and discuss with your child. We will communicate with you regarding any behaviour matters pertaining to your child as indicated in the Code and as appropriate.

Field Development
You have probably noticed the work that has been going on in the playing field over the past weeks (thanks to Ger Moore for the work on this). As you know we went ahead with a great Sports Day last June in the field but the advice to us is that the field needs to be re-seeded in order to ensure a suitable area for general playing and sport going forward. This is now being done and we hope that all will be in good shape and ready for use in the spring/early summer.

Educational Trips
Second and third class travelled to the National Concert hall recently to attend the Music in the Classroom event. Children had been listening to and practising the pieces in advance and so were able to join in with the Concert Orchestra and performers. A very enjoyable day was had by all!
Other classes will have opportunities to travel to cultural events during the year.

Hallowe’en Dress-up Day
Children are invited to dress up for Hallowe’en on Friday 28th. We encourage children to create their own costumes and they will have opportunity to talk to other children re how they created this.

I wish you all a restful and enjoyable mid-term break! Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss any matters with me.

Warm regards,
Mary Manley