St. Brendan's Boys Primary School

Great attendance stats from term 1 with 26 boys at 100% for the term and lots of boys with improved attendance. Boys with 100% and improvers were presented with certs .The winners of our attendance team ( Boys 1st-6th) were team 3-They will get a trip to Tearaways as prize for having the best overall team attendance ( highest average from 75 days) as with our school plan.

Warrior Run 2017
Our warrior run for term 2 started this week. It is an OPTIONAL walk / run of laps around the school each Mon / Fri morning from 9.10-9.20. Mr Crofton will start from basketball court. This year we are going to run to Dublin—Phoenix park– Operation Transformation– by mid term break
Boys count their laps and teachers record each day. Laps are added on our display and progress can be seen.

All boys are encouraged to take part and will be supervised. Prizes will be given out by class teachers at the end for boys who embrace the warrior run in the spirit that it is designed through a draw system.

The school is taking part in Operation Transformation 10@10 programme on 10th February this year also– Should be fun !

Hard to believe that January is done and dusted!!
As we face into February our midterm break is only around the bend. With this in mind we are really encouraging full attendance across the board. I was super impressed at the school assembly on the 18th January by all the boys who had full or almost full attendance. Keep up the good work. Mairead Keevey, Mr. Crofton and myself are continuously checking the roll books and keeping an eye on everyone’s attendance.
This is going to be one busy term. I urge parents to keep an eye out for the lovely ‘yellow’ notes that come home in the boy’s bags. Maths for Fun, Grandparent’s Day, Seachtain na Gaeilge, Zumba, Walking, Baking and much more will be coming your way this term. It is so important to read and reply to these notes so as no one is left disappointed. We will also be hosting an information evening in the next couple of weeks about Internet/Phone safety. Do you know what your child is doing online?! This is a fantastic presentation so WATCH THIS SPACE!!
Finally, as always, please don’t be afraid to pop in, say hello, volunteer. It is OUR school. We are always looking for your input….and with that said….I NEED A COUPLE OF FRUIT VOLUNTEERS!! You can contact me on 086 6045024 or hsclbirr@gmail.com
Kindest regards,
Richelle

The school received some fantastic hurling gear to support the game at school level last week. Mr Johnny Pilkington presented the school with helmets , hurls and balls from Birr GAA club which came from the fantastic fundraiser last year. Mr Kennedy and some keen hurlers from 4th class accepted the gear on behalf of the school and thanked Johnny and the Birr GAA club for their continued support. Our indoor hurling league continues for senior boys with plenty of goals and some broken hurls !

Offaly schools Football Cumann na mbunscoil champions 2016
Congratulations to all the football panel under the management of Mr. Kennedy on the recent success of winning the schools football title. The team trained hard with a great team spirit and played with fairness and honesty of effort in each game. They were unbeaten all year with wins against Dromakeenan , Gaelscoil Tullamore and Banagher. They met Banagher in the final again in St. Brendans and it was a much tougher match. Banagher made a great start but all credit to our boys , they didn’t panic and slowly started to get back into the game. They were down at half time by 2 points but rallied to produce a great 2nd half performance to tear into the lead. It was a position that they held and won well by the final whistle with lots of our subs getting a chance to shine. Joint captains Darragh Guilfoyle and Ailbe Watkins lifted the cup to huge cheers. The boys had chips and sausages the next day at school as a token of the schools appreciation for their teamwork this year and for representing the school so well. Thanks to Mr Kennedy for the coaching and the other school staff who supported by attending training sessions and the final. Please forward any photos to principal@stbrendansps.ie for our website etc

Arguments are flying around in 6th class as Mr Cunningham prepares his team for the next round of the midland schools debating competition. The team under captain Damien Delaney have already had two great debates with Oxmantown NS and St . Cronans NS Roscrea which they narrowly won. Thanks to Mr John McArdle who officiates are independent judge. All involved in the school teams should take great pride in the high standard and no doubt we are witnessing future politicians in action ! ( Pictured St Brendans PS V Oxmantown NS)

We are delighted to have our newly upgraded and decorated computer room officially opened. Huge thanks to Ian Murray for all his work in setting up the 20 desktops and flatscreens and getting it up and running with network and WIFI. Pictured are some pupils accepting cheque from PA Chairperson Caroline Boyd and PA Treasurer Lucy Franks. To our Parents Association who raised the money and all who support them last year we say a massive thank you– To the boys we say ; use carefully respect technology, be aware of its advantages and dangers and enjoy many years of learning !

Santa Visit: With the help of our Parents’ Association Santa visited St. Brendan’s. He arrived this year in his sleigh. He visited and had a cool selection box in his bag for all the classes.

Parents’ Association Christmas Draw
Our hard working Parents’ Association organised their Christmas Draw again this year in support of our school activities. With wonderful prizes on offer all tickets were sold . Draw took place on Tuesday 20th December with Mr Tommy Shaw ( Superhero!) pulling out the winning ticket. The 1st prize of a PS4 went to our very own Noah Lynskey from 2nd class—Congrats Noah !We would like to thank all the sponsors, organisers and supporters of this great initiative. It is always one of the highlights of the school year.

Full list of sponsors ( over 50 prizes) and winners can be viewed on PA facebook site

Christmas was a busy time for all classes with many Christmas Shows:
Juniors Infants performed a lovely Christmas play called “ A Miracle in Town”,First class presented “ A present for the baby”,3rd class performed “ It’s a baby”
4th class entertained all with play “ The magical Christmas Jigsaw” and last but not least-5th class presented a modern take on nativity with “ The 3 wise dudes”
Thanks to all staff involved for their creativity and hard work involved. All the boys enjoyed dressing up and performing cheered on by family and friends all week.

Advent Ceremonies ; In preparation for Christmas we held our Advent Ceremonies in the gym. The boys from 3rd / 2nd and 6th classes read the prayers sang the carols and lit the candles on the Advent Wreath. We also got to sing the 12 days.
School Crib: Many classes visited our school Crib and relived the Christmas story with their teachers and friends.

A highlight of the year for our older boys is when Sixth class visit the Community Care Nursing Unit and they sang Christmas Carols for the residents. 6th class with help from some of 2nd class also sang Christmas Carols as part of the Birr Christmas Lights ceremony. Thanks to Ms. Yvonne Ryan and Mr Kelly for providing the fab music on guitars.