St. Brendan's Boys Primary School

Jan 2024

Dear Parents,
Please not the new procedures for every national school in Ireland.
These outline a clear pathway to ensure continued good home-school relationships at our school.
Kind regards,
Niall Crofton
Principal Teacher
12370c Parental_Complaints_Procedure_2024

Dear Parent / Guardian.

Just a short email to provide some further detail regarding the implementation of the RSE programme at our school. 

These lessons take place in January and February as per our 2 year SPHE cycle is for the RSE Programme.

This is a mandatory programme like Stay Safe. It must be taught in all mainstream classes and special classes. Parent have received an email already about the programme starting.

Like Stay Safe last year, all teachers will email the parents each week letting them know title and topic of lesson (s) for the following week.

In terms of the content in these lessons please click on the website link https://pdst.ie/primary/health-wellbeing/RSE

This programme is the same as previous years and indeed has been taught in our school since 1998 when printed.

The media may mention new RSE curriculum changes in relation to identity and other areas but this has not been drafted / issued to schools. 

Should any parents have concerns over the content in relation to identity / language used ;we ask them to click on the link and read from the programme.

It is a parents right to withdraw their child from any RSE lesson and there is a procedure for doing so as schools must ensure parent-teacher meeting and written record as per our school policy.

Our RSE policy is available on website and upon request along with parent withdrawal forms ( After meeting with teacher) .

Kind regards,

Niall Crofton

Principal Teacher
12370C RSE School Policy Parental Withdrawal from content record

12370c RSE policy St. Brendans

Medal Presentation night at our school hall
Wow ! Thanks to Offaly Dual star Cormac Egan for presenting the Offaly Cumann na
Mbunscoil football winners medals to our school panel this week ! ⭐️ Parents Association St. Brendan’s Boys School, Birr Gaelscoil na Laochra Cormac got a great entrance
with “ The boys of Offaly “ blaring out in the hall which brought back great memories !
Cormac spoke so eloquently to the large crowd and to the panel of players .The boys all
received their winner medals and got the photo with Cormac too .
Both school principals Mr Crofton and Ms Ni Chlerigh spoke and thanked the coaches
Mr Kennedy / Mr Carroll and Mr Crofton for their time and congratulated the panel of
39 boys on their achievement
Mr Crofton also thanked the parents and staff of the boys school for their support along
with BOM chairperson Pat Teehan for his support of GAA in the school –
What an absolute role model to all young players- Cormac did a QnA with Mr Crofton
about balancing the demands of dual games along with making sure your studies and
future are focused also – very wise words from such a young man who has a bright future ahead of him both on and off the field
Birr boys / Gaelscoil na laochra Gaelic Gaelic season by numbers :
2 schools 39 players 3 coaches 100% support from all staff / parents
3 matches / 2 challenge matches / 1 final = good game time for all players ( 5 bus trips
paid for by BOM / player contributions)
10 training sessions ( mostly after 3pm) Lunchtime catch and kick league supporting
Gaelic with 40 boys over 4 weeks 19 players who lost last years final = resilience
1 trophy and gold medals = memories for a lifetime

Christmas newsletter 2023

12370c Gaelic Games newsletter term 1 2023

School Completion Programme – Report – Christmas 2023
It has been an active term for the Roscrea/Birr School Completion Programme. Throughout the term, we have facilitated five transfer sessions with Ms Doyles 6th class. As part of our transfer programme, the boys joined up with 6th class from the Mercy Primary School and Oxmantown School to participate in the annual treasure hunt. This activity provided the pupils with an opportunity to meet up with boys and girls from the other schools that will be in their first year in St. Brendan’s Community School. We look forward to working with the boys again for some more of our Transfer Programme, and our Ceilí in March.
Along with our transfer programme, we also met and provided support on an individual basis to some pupils from other classes. Our afterschool programme included the Let’s Read Pal programme in conjunction with TY students from St. Brendan’s Community School, golfing, swimming and tennis.
Next year, we look forward to continuing with our individual and afterschool programmes, along with facilitating our eight-week socialisation programme with Junior Infants and Life Skills with fourth class.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank your School Principal, Mr. Crofton, your HSCL, Ms. Anne Hennelly and all the staff in St. Brendan’s Boys’ School most sincerely for their support. Without this support, we could not do the work we do.
On behalf or the School Completion Programme team, Rachel Moloney, Dani Dunne, Margaret Blake, Dearbhla Hall and myself Mairead Keevey, we would like to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and best wishes for 2024.
Mairead Keevey

Board of Management 2023-2027
The school is run by the Board of Management in collaboration with the Principal. St. Brendan’s is extremely lucky to have a very supportive, committed and active board. The present term of office began in December 2023 and will extend for four years. The board meets a minimum of once a term and 5 times per year.
Principal
Mr. Niall Crofton

Parents Nominees
Mr. Rory Hannify
Ms. Joanne Rock

Patrons Nominees
Mr. Pat Teehan (Chair)
Ms. Colette Mulrooney

Community Nominees
Ms. Mary McIntyre
Mr Dominic Plunkett

Teacher Nominee
Ms Sarah Pilkington

Dear Parents / Guardians,
Just a few notes to let you know all the details of tomorrow.
There are 2 concerts to allow parents and family to attend. The concerts are free and all we ask is a donation to our Parents Association / Christmas draw tickets on sale.
Boys are asked to wear their school uniform please and bring a drink to school for evening concert.
The hall we appreciate is small with a limited capacity so we ask extended families to attend one concert only please to ensure room for all.
Morning concert- Tuesday 12th December 2023
• Doors open 9.10am ( Infant bell)
• 4th Class will be singing in entrance FOYER from 9.20am
• 9.30am – First Class ( 3 songs)
• 9.40am – Snowman at sunset ( Junior and Senior Infants)
• 10.15am – Second class ( 3 songs)
• 10.30am – Third Class ( 3 songs)
• 10.45am – Fifth and sixth Classes ( Tin whistle tunes)
• 11.00am – End concert and sos for boys.
Evening concert- Tuesday 12th December 2023
• 6.30pm – Boys can enter the school via school entrance to left side of school. This is for boys and staff only. Parents can wait in school shed if they wish as we set up.
• 6.45pm – Doors open for parents and families ( Main school door)
• 4th Class will be singing in entrance FOYER from 6.45pm
• 7.00pm – First Class ( 3 songs)
• 7.10pm – Snowman at sunset ( Junior and Senior Infants)
• 7.45pm – Second class ( 3 songs)
•
• 7.55pm – Mini break/ interval
•
• This will allow parents of the younger boys JI/ SI/ 1st / 2nd to collect them and take them home.
• If they have anyone involved in the Gaelic Football medal ceremony they can be collected from class and brought back to the hall as we should have more room.
• 4th class boys involved in football will come back to the hall and the other boys can be collected to go home also.
• We will be joined by our sporting friends from Gaelscoil na Laochra at this stage.
• 8.00pm – Third Class ( 3 songs)
• 8.10pm – Fifth and sixth Classes ( Tin whistle tunes)
• 8.20pm – Medal Presentation for Winning Offaly Cumann na mbunscoil Gaelic Football 2023- Special Guest Mr Cormac Egan
• Finale – Snow is falling
• Boys can get some photos with Cormac afterwards
• 8.40pm ( approx ) Home

The purpose of our concerts are very simple and the same as always with our school
– To provide each boy the opportunity to perform on stage.
– To allow each boy the chance of being in a concert with his friends.
– To display the wonderful songs and tunes that he has learnt at school.
– To welcome our wonderful families and friends to our school to be part of the concert experience.
– To make good use of our school stage and sound system- both of which were purchased with support of parents.
– To celebrate our school team winning the Football cumann na mbunscoil 2023- Well done to all 39 boys on the panel who will all get their precious gold medal on the night.
We look forward to a great day and evening of Christmas cheer and goodwill.
Kind regards,
Niall Crofton
Principal Teacher

BOM Annual CS review 2023 2024