Scoil Mhuire na Dea Chomhairle Phone 061 367289

Kilkishen Email:
Co. Clare kilkishennationalschool@gmail.com
Roll Number: 13870E Website: kilkishen.weebly.com
Twitter: @kilkishenns

May 2023 Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I would like to bring the following announcements to your attention

First Holy Communion:

Congratulations to Second Class pupils that made their First Holy Communion at Kilkishen church on
Saturday May 6. Thank you to Fr. Donal for celebrating the ceremony and to Ms. McNamara for co-
ordinating the beautiful music and singing on the day. Thank you also to Mr. Walsh and Caroline Madden
for their efforts in preparing the pupils for the very special day. The Parents Association Committee and
volunteers hosted an after communion reception for families back at Kilkihsen N.S. where a beautiful
communion cake, donated by Noni Donnellan, was enjoyed by all. Thank you to parents, pupils, teachers
and extended families for making the day such a memorable and special occasion.

Confirmation: On Friday June 9 at 12 noon, pupils in 6th class from Kilkishen N.S. and O’Callaghan’s
Mills will make their Confirmation. Fr. Donal Dwyer will celebrate the sacrament and our school choir will
sing during the ceremony. We wish all our 6th class pupils and families the very best on this special day.
Cumann na mBunscol Hurling and Camogie:

The boys and girls in 5th and 6th class are competing in the Cumann na mBunscol Divison 3 and Division 2
primary school competitions this term. Kilkishen N.S./O’Callaghan’s Mills N.S. boys have qualified for the
semi-finals where they will take on Ruan/Toonagh N.S. The girls will play Tulla on Friday May 26 for a
spot in the semi-finals also against Ruan/Toonagh N.S. Best of luck to both teams and well done on the great
performances so far.

Students Council Bake Sale Fundraiser Friday May 26:

Please join us this Friday the 26th May at our School
Bake Sale. We are seeking baked donations which
can be dropped to the school from Thursday the 25th
May. Please do not include any items that contain or
'may contain' peanuts.
Please buy some delicious baked goods and donate on
the day as all proceeds will be used to help support the
cost of our school tours. There will also be a raffle on
the day. We hope to see you all then!
Bike Week 2023:

Pupils at Kilkishen N.S. celebrated Bike Week and were encouraged to cycle, walk or scoot to school. A
school cycle took place from Kilkishen G.A.A. grounds on Tuesday May 16 and Thursday May 18 which
was a great success. Pupils and families joined our school cycle along the way and highlights of the days can
be viewed here https://vimeo.com/827296820. We plan to have a Cycle to School group once a week during
June. Details to follow.

Greens Schools Award:

Kilkishen N.S. received our 5th Green Flag this year for Biodiversity. The flag was presented to Kilkishen
N.S. at an awards ceremony in the Galway Bay Hotel in Galway on May 11. Miss Fawl and Mike Hogan
attended along with our excellent representatives from our Green Schools Committee, Natasha and Leah.
A special thank you to Mike Hogan who received a special long-term commitment award for 10 years of
dedication to the Green Schools Programme.
Standardised Tests:
Standardised tests in literacy and numeracy will be carried out with pupils from 2nd to 6th classes in the
coming weeks. These tests are not intelligence tests, and their objective is to help a teacher identify strengths
and weaknesses in individual pupils and to offer some guidance to parents. Standardised tests are only one
of several ways that we monitor and measure a child's progress. It is up to you, as a parent to decide if you
wish to discuss the exact result with your child which will be reported in the End of Year reports sent home
in mid-June. The school would strongly advise that you only discuss results in general terms with pupils.
Pupils are not advised to discuss results with other pupils at school. For more information about standardised
testing please read the NCCA parent note available at https://ncca.ie/media/1429/understanding-
standardscores_eng.pdf

Clare Colours Day: In preparation for the

Clare Senior Munster Final On June 11, all
children are encouraged to wear the Clare
colours to school on Thursday June 8. Up
the Banner!

Social Personal Health Education (S.P.H.E.): Pupils continue to engage with Stay Safe lessons which
aim to teach pupils personal safety skills so they can look after themselves in situations which could be
upsetting or dangerous. The program deals with common situations which most children will experience at
some stage or other and emphasises the importance of telling a trusted adult about any problems they have.
Your child may bring home worksheets which will inform you on the topics being covered in class. You can
familiarise yourself with the content of these lessons at www.staysafe.ie/teachers/resources.htm. Senior
pupils will carry out lessons dealing with topics such as online safety and cyber bullying. The Relationship
and Sexuality element of the programme (RSE) includes learning, understanding and the development of
attitudes, beliefs and values about relationships, sexual identity and intimacy. This will be taught on Friday
June 12. A separate letter will issue to all families detailing the class content for each class level in early
June.
Dates for your Diary:

 Confirmation: Pupils in 6th class will make Confirmation on Friday June 9 at 12 noon in
Kilkishen church. (Kevin Donovan 086 6008007 will be in attendance before and after the
ceremony.)
 School finishes at 1pm on Friday June 9 for all pupils.
 School Tour Junior and Senior Infants: Moher Hill Farm
 School Tour 4th-6th Classes: Aquadome Tralee
 School Tour 1st-3rd Classes: Turoe Pet Farm

(Details on each tour to follow later next week.)

 Sports Day: Friday June 23.
 School Closes on Friday June 30 at 12 noon.

A reminder school will close be closed Friday June 2, Monday and Tuesday June 5 & 6. School term
finishes on Friday June 30 at 12 noon. The 2022/23 and 2023/24 school calendars are attached below.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me by email (principalkilkishenns@gmail.com) or
by phone (061 367289) and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Principal Kilkishen N.S.

 Kilkishen N.S. School Calendar 2022-2023
2022-23 M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
September

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
October

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
November

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
December

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
February

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
March

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
April

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
May

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
June

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
July

School Reopens
Wednesday August 31
Standardised Closures Bank Holidays Closes Friday June 30 Weekends Staff Return
 Kilkishen N.S. Calendar 2023-2024
2023-24 M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
September

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
October

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
November

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
December

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
February

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
March

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
April

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
May

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
June

School Reopens/Ends for Pupils School Holidays Bank Holidays Weekends Staff Return on Tuesday August 29