Frasaí na Seachtaine #5
‘Cé leis é? …….. Is liomsa é!’
See below to listen to the girls from Ms Fennell’s Rang a Cúig
showing us how to pronounce our Frásaí na Seachtaine!
Labhair Gaeilge linn – sa bhaile agus ar scoil!
Admissions for School Year 2024/2025
The process for admission to Junior Infants 2024 opened on Monday 2nd October and will remain open until Friday 27th October.
All details including relevant dates/forms/policy etc are now available here.
Applications may be posted to the school or delivered by hand. As original documents supporting the application must be included, applications cannot be made by email.
The school will commence accepting applications for admission on | Monday 2nd October 2023 |
The school will cease accepting applications for admission on | Friday 27th October 2023 @ 3pm |
The date by which applicants will be notified of the decision on their application is | Friday 17th November 2023 |
The period within which applicants must confirm acceptance of an offer of admission is | Friday 1st December 2023 @ 3pm |
Junior Infants
Parents/Guardians of Junior Infants are cordially invited to attend a short talk on the Junior Infant curriculum on Wednesday 11th October at 12:30pm.
Parents/Guardians should enter via the main entrance of the school where our Student Council will be on hand to escort you to your daughter’s classroom.
Collection time will be 1:10pm as usual, from the school yard.
We look forward to seeing you then.
School Calendar 2023/2024
The 2023/2024 calendar is available here.
Lost Property
Many coats, tracksuit tops and school jumpers are being mislaid each day. Please check your daughters' uniforms this weekend, to ensure that they have their name and class on each item. Many of the items being found have no names, or names from children who are no longer in the school. Don’t forget to label their jackets and raincoats too.
Active & Wellbeing Week
Wow what an Active & Wellbeing Week the girls had last week! It was action-packed from start to finish. The girls welcomed several sports stars who answered some fantastic questions during the Q and A sessions.
On Fitness Friday the girls wore their Wellbeing T shirts with pride as we sang our theme song for the week, 'You Can Count On Me'.
We couldn’t have offered the array of activities to the girls without the support of our local clubs – Foxcab, Kilmacud Crokes, Granada FC and the FAI coaches, Blackrock College RFC and Southside Sports.
Our teachers went above and beyond as always offering Yoga, Irish Dancing, Basketball and Athletics workshops to the girls throughout the week.
The week was a true celebration of activity and wellbeing.
Sponsored 3K Fun Run
We were thrilled with the success of our Sponsored 3K Fun Run. Together our families raised a staggering €13385!!! for the school. Sincere thanks to all our families for their generosity. All funds raised will be used to further enhance your daughters’ learning environment.
All families who contributed to this fundraising activity were entered into a raffle.
And the winner is….!
Air Fryer: Ellie Rouse
TV: Éabha Whelehan
Very grateful thanks to the parent who kindly donated these prizes to the school.
Hallowe'en Dress Up
Friday 27th October will be the last day of this half term and it will also be Hallowe'en Dress Up Day.
Library Ladies
Thanks to our Library Ladies, the school library is back up and running for 2nd to 6th Classes.
Monday | 2nd Class |
Tuesday | 3rd Class |
Wednesday | 4th Class |
Thursday | 5th Class |
Friday | 6th Class |
6th Class: Creative Writing Workshop
On Tuesday, as part of the National Children’s Book Festival 2023, the girls in 6th class visited Deansgrange Library for a writing workshop with author Sarah Webb .
The girls heard all about Sarah’s journey to becoming an award-winning author. They have been inspired to continue reading a range of genres and develop their own creative writing skills.
They are looking forward to putting their creative writing skills into practice over the next few weeks as we embark on Narrative Writing in school!
The National Children’s Book Festival is running throughout October in all libraries. It aims to encourage children to enjoy the experience of reading and provide activities and events in collaboration with writers, illustrators and storytellers.
We encourage all our girls to check out their local library during the month of October – there are lots of wonderful events taking place!
World Dyslexia Day
World Dyslexia Day is observed on October 8 each year. What many of us take for granted, such as reading and writing fluently, is an area of struggle for those who have dyslexia. Dyslexia is a common learning disorder that affects a person's ability to read and write properly.
Many famous people may have had dyslexia, including Leonardo da Vinci, Saint Teresa, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.
World Dyslexia Day raises awareness about these issues and what can be done to manage such a disorder.
Opening of the School Year Mass
The Opening of the School Year Mass took place in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Foxrock on Thursday 28th September. Girls and boys from 2nd to 6th Class attended and children from both schools sang in the choir. Thank you to Fr Gerry and the Parish Team for facilitating this important school tradition.
Dates for Sacraments 2023-24: 2nd & 6th Class
Please see below dates for Sacraments/Ceremonies during this school year.
Ceremony | Date | Class | Staff in Attendance |
First Confession | Saturday 10th February 12pm | 2nd Class | GNS |
Ceremony of Light | Wednesday 21st February 7:30pm | 6th Class | GNS |
Ceremony of Light | Wednesday 28th February 7:30pm | 6th Class | BNS |
First Confession | Saturday 9th March 12pm | 2nd Class | BNS |
First Holy Communion | Saturday 20th April 2pm | 2nd Class | BNS |
First Holy Communion | Sunday 21st April 10am | 2nd Class | - |
First Holy Communion | Saturday 27th April 2pm | 2nd Class | GNS |
First Holy Communion | Sunday 28th April 10am | 2nd Class | - |
First Holy Communion | Sunday 5th May 10am | 2nd Class | - |
Confirmation | Friday 17th May 12pm | 6th Class | BNS |
Confirmation | Friday 24th May 12pm | 6th Class | GNS |
Parents may choose to attend the relevant ceremonies on which ever date best suits their families.
Registration for Sacraments
Registration Opens: Wednesday 1st November
Registration Closes: Wednesday 29th November
Foxrock Parish Family Mass Group
Foxrock Parish Family Mass Group (FMG) 2023/24 is back, following the Summer break. Choir practice is on Thursday evenings in Tír na nÓg room, Parish Centre, 7-7:45pm for 10am Mass on Sunday.
We will also encourage children to take part in Prayers of the Faithful and/or acting out the Gospel reading (but only if they would like to participate), which is great for their confidence in public speaking.
Come along to the Parish Centre any Thursday evening to try it out without any commitment or contact davypaula@icloud.com/0868449509 for further information.
Foxrock Parish Pet Blessing
Foxrock Church are having a Pet Blessing on Sunday 8th October @ 2pm in the grounds of the church and the Parish Pastoral Council would like to invite the girls and their families to join them with their pets on the day.
Cumann na mBunscol League Update!
Our girls have their final match of the group stages tomorrow. We will be travelling to St. Enda's Park to play against Divine Word, Rathfarnham. We wish our girls the very best of luck!
Goal Jersey Day: Friday 13th October
Wear a sports jersey of your choice to school on Friday 13th October and contribute to GOAL via our bucket collection.
Jersey Day is GOAL's flagship annual fundraising campaign held across Ireland and throughout the world. GOAL Jersey Day sees tens of thousands of people across Ireland coming together and wearing their favourite sports jerseys to support GOAL's work with vulnerable communities.
PA: Christmas Card Fundraiser
Templates have arrived in school and will be completed over the coming weeks. Further details to follow on how to order your cards for Christmas. Thank you to our PA for this traditional fundraising endeavour.
Date for your Diary: Parent Talk on Wellbeing
In a joint initiative, Fiona Forman, expert on wellbeing, has been invited to talk to the parents of Hollypark GNS & BNS on Thursday 19th October @ 7:30pm. (Please note change of time from the original, which was 7pm). Hollypark BNS are kindly hosting the event in their school hall.
Nurturing Self-Efficacy & Growth Mindset in Your Child
Fiona Forman (M.Sc. Applied Positive Psychology)
Nurturing your child’s sense of self-efficacy and Growth Mindset can play a powerful role in helping them to feel more resilient, confident and empowered to face challenges and grow towards their potential.
In this talk, Fiona will outline what self-efficacy means, as well as offering several ways to nurture it in your child.
Growth Mindset (Dweck,2012) - the understanding that our talents and abilities are not fixed, but that they can be developed through effort, practice, and persistence – will also be explored.
Fiona Forman is an author, speaker, facilitator and trainer in the area of well-being and Positive Psychology in education and parenting. She holds an M. Sc. in Applied Positive Psychology, the science of well-being, from the University of East London.
Having spent many years as a teacher, Fiona is passionate about placing well-being at the heart of school and family life, and she has seen first-hand the many benefits this brings to both children and adults alike. She is the co-author of Weaving Well-Being, an SPHE programme for children which is now widely used in Ireland and abroad. Fiona is also the author of Wired for Well-Being, a well-being programme for second level schools. Her junior programme, Welcome to Well-Being, has also been released in Ireland and abroad.
Fiona is also the mother of 2 young adults, which has deepened her awareness of the importance of equipping our children with the support and skills they need to thrive and flourish, despite the challenges of life.
Her latest book, BRAVER THAN YOU BELIEVE: A Parent’s Guide to Building Children’s Resilience using Positive Psychology Skills has recently been released.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults”
Frederick Douglass
Post-Primary Open Evenings (5th & 6th Class)
Blackrock ETSS Wednesday 4th October 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Respect for Our Neighbours
As a Green School we actively encourage our girls to walk, cycle and scoot to school. As 80% of our pupils live within 2km of the school, this is very doable for many.
Walking, cycling and scooting not only provide a wonderful opportunity for chats with friends, improving our physical and mental health and caring for our environment, but these methods also help to reduce traffic, making the area around our school a safer place not just for our pupils but for all our neighbours.
Unfortunately, but quite justifiably, our neighbours frequently complain of inconsiderate parking on the roads close to our school.
Please use the Church car park if it’s on your route to school: parking at the Church is free to all families at drop off and collection times.
