Scoil Naomh Iosaf Adare Boys National School Newsletter

December

2013

Cumann na mBunscoil Football

The boys played several matches in this competition and were unlucky not to qualify for the final. They played very well in all of their games and did the school proud once again. Their skill level has greatly improved and many thanks to Stephen Lavin for his after-school coaching sessions.

New School Jerseys

Thanks to Mary and Michael Collins of Collin’s Bar, Adare, we have lovely new jerseys for the 2014 hurling and football season. The boys chose the design and the material and they are really looking forward to wearing them. The previous jerseys are 15 years old and were sponsored by the Pink Potato. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored our jerseys down through the years.

Thanks also to James and Carmel Collins of Adare Pharmacy who have sponsored two new table tennis tables for our school. The tables are due to arrive before the Christmas break.

Sarsfield Cup By Michael Keane

We all went to Mick Neville Park in the hope that we would get a place on the West Limerick Sarsfield Cup team. Three of us got on the team, myself, Daniel Twomey and Cathal O’Neill. We trained for 5 weeks before our first match against Limerick City. Unfortunately, we lost our match for four points but it was a great experience.

St Vincent de Paul Shoebox collection

In spite of the recession and all the doom and gloom about the Irish economy, the boys and their parents were extremely generous again this year and donated 84 shoeboxes of goodies to be distributed to needy families in the Mid-west area. The boys enjoyed wrapping and filling the shoeboxes and also filling the van when it arrived to collect our boxes. Thanks to everyone for their support.

Live Crib

The Adare Live Crib was held on Sunday 15th December. Our slot with the school choir was at 2.30p.m. In spite of the bad weather and many other events happening on the same day, we had a large number in our choir. The music was great and all were in full voice. Supported and accompanied by many parents, the boys and teachers really enjoyed the event.

Our shepherds turned out in great style at the Live Crib. Half an hour with the animals and the “Holy Family” was an enjoyable event for many of our students. Thank you all for making this event so special for our community.

Parents Association

The Parents Association AGM was held in the school on Tuesday 8th October 2013. The following are the officers for the coming year:

Karina Byrne – Chairperson

Vicky Corbett – Vice Chairperson

Rose Morrissey – Secretary

Helen Moore – Treasurer

I, Karina Byrne, have taken over as Chairperson and would like to thank Carmel Normoyle for all her work and dedication to the Parent's Council over the last 3 years as Chairperson.

Halloween Our annual fancy dress Halloween Party for the boys took place on Friday 25 October in the school hall. Thanks to all the parents who helped out in preparing the hall and organised games on the day. The boys were treated to a funpacked day with all sorts of spooky games, pumpkin races, face painting and trick or treat goodie bags. They, and the many mothers who volunteered, had a fantastic day. Many thanks to Michael & Mary Collins, Pat Collins Bar, for their contribution to the day.

Crib Night The evening of Tuesday December 10, we were treated to beautiful carol singing from all the boys at the opening of the Crib. A lovely night was had by all followed by refreshments prepared and served by the Parent's Council. Thanks to all the parents and who helped make this night a success.

Christmas Santa made his annual visit to Scoil Naomh Iosaf on Wednesday 18th December. He promised the boys to try his best to bring all the toys on their list but only if they promised to go to bed early and be really good for their Moms & Dads!

Upcoming Dates for Your CalendarFebruary Our annual Fun Pub Quiz will take place on Friday 7 Feb 2014 in Pat Collins Bar. This is the main fundraiser for the boys annual musical show held at Easter. A good night is guaranteed, so please book the babysitters early and put it in your diary!

March We hope to have a Bingo night for the boys and their siblings on Friday March 21 2014 instead of a Beetle Drive.

April The school show.

May First Holy Communion day for the Second Class boys will take place on Saturday 10 May 2014. It is tradition for our school to host the Communion Breakfast and Scoil Naomh Iosaf parents always come up trumps in volunteering to help prepare for this day.

We have a very busy, fun year ahead of us as parents. There’s a great social aspect to being involved in our Parents Association – it’s a great way for parents to get to know fellow parents – lots of lasting & rewarding friendships have stemmed from our meetings and subsequent coffee mornings. We would strongly encourage parents to come to our meetings or if you can’t make these, contact any member of the committee if you would like to get involved in any other way – we are always looking for assistance when running events.

A big thanks to all our wonderful parents who helped in any way with recent events - the boys and their teachers REALLY appreciate it.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and all the best for 2014.

Karina Byrne

Chairperson

Adare Awards Night by Michel Keane, Daniel Twomey, Harry O’Donnell and Thomas McCarthy We all went to the Adare Bórd na nÓg GAA awards night at the Woodland House Hotel on Monday 9th December. We sat down at the U12 table and waited for the prizes to be awarded. We were shocked to find that we would be going home with awards. Michael Keane got hurler of the year, Thomas McCarthy got most improved hurler, Daniel Twomey got footballer of the year and Harry O’Donnell got most improved footballer.

Transition Year Students

To date we have had three students in our school. Stephen Flynn, Michael Mackey and Sean Hogan are interested in the possibility of a career in teaching. The boys assisted teachers in their classes with photo-copying and sports coaching. They also prepared and gave classes in teacher-chosen subjects. It is great to see past pupils return to our school to get a view of school from the other side.

Santa Letters Juniors and Seniors

Dear Santa,

Rowan Collins was very good this year and would like Octumus Beast Hunter Transformer and a remote control car.

Please bring Adam Ahern a Bat Cave, turbo sword and Submarine with a shark in it.

Caiden Broderick would like Goal Posts, a Bow and Arrow and a Hurling Helmet.

Conor Barrett would like Slippers and a Fox Teddy.

Please bring Michael Kirby a Go-Cart and a soccer ball and a helmet.

James Fitzgerald would be very happy if you brought him a battle dinosaur and a suprise.

Jack Doran would love a Go-Cart and a surprise.

Daniel Deely would be very happy if you brought him a round baler and Limerick shorts and socks.

Please bring Jack Driver Skylander Swat Force and a Spiderman toy.

Luke Madden would love a digger and a small toy tractor.

James Canty wants a Go-kart, a number writing book and a surprise.

Please bring Hugh Hennessy a Nintendo and a Spiderman playset.

Conor Gohery would love a 2-wheeled scooter with shoulder pads, a helmet and knee-pads.

Michael Simontsev would really love Lego

Mark Wallace wants a Spaceman that transforms into a space rocket and a Go-Cart and 11 more racing cars

Jordan O’Donoghue would like Hot Wheels and a Rattlesnake with a remote control.

Please bring Michal Rogala a car and a surprise.

Tim Dvornyy would like a Gruffalo costume and a surprise.

Please bring Jan Rosolski an art set and a train station.

Thanks Santa and have a great Christmas

From all the boys in Junior Infants.

Pupils Achievements

My name is Barra Coffeyand I am a member of the Mulcare Swimming Club and I really enjoy swimming. A few weeks ago I took part in the Novice Gala. I made the breastroke final by 31 miliseconds. We had to wait in a concrete room and then we were led to the pool. I then beat my competitor by 1 milisecond. The following week I was awarded the bronze Novice medal at the Mulcare Swimming school.

My name is Cian Kirwan and I got picked for the Limerick under-13 Golf Team. We had a competition in Cahir, County Tipperary. When we go there they gave us team jerseys. When I was teeing off, people were watching me and that made me nervous. The course was very hard but I enjoyed my day out in Tipperary. When I finished I got a score of 32 points. We added all our scores and had a total of 204 points. North Cork won and Limerick came third. Even though we didn’t win, I still enjoyed my day out with my team mates.

My name is Cathal O’Neill and I play for Kilpeacon. We competed in the 2013 Féile which was held in Limerick. We spent months preparing for the three matches. Our first game was against Dungannon from Tyrone and we lost heavily to them. I played left-half forward and scored two points. After the match I met the people who were staying with my family for the weekend. Their names were Jack and Matthew and were from Dungannon. On Saturday we played against Ballyduff of Kerry. I was playing in the same position from the last match. Later in the afternoon we played Ballingarry and won by 4 points. I scored 2 goals and 2 points. I really enjoyed the Féile and I hope that we can compete in the competition again.

My name is Jack Lynch and the hobby I enjoy most is Irish Dancing. Last April I competed in the Munsters and came in amazing places. Following that in May, I danced 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 hand reels in the All-Ireland’s in Dublin. Recently I danced in the Mini-Munsters in Killarney. Next April I will be going to London for the World Championships to do an 8 hand reel and I am really excited about this.

On December 15th, Aaron O’Sullivan, Scott Gilbourne and Luke Armstrong went to the Milk Market. We were very excited and we were booming with joy. As they called our names we began to get nervous. Aaron was playing the electric bass, Luke played the drums and Scott played the acoustic guitar. We were delighted with the reaction of the audience and we enjoyed by experience a lot.

My name is Jack O’Connor and I run with Dooneen Athletic Club. I go to training every Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. I do running because it helps me in every other sport. I ran in many competitions during the year. On the 16th October I ran in the Cross-Country All-Ireland and I came 25th out of 159 competitors. I have been running for 2 years now and I love it.

Ard Scoil Blitz By Gavin Collins and Tim Murphy

On Saturday 5th of October we competed in the Árd Scoil Rís Blitz. When we got there we discovered that we were in a group with Ballybrown N.S., Cratloe N.S., and Crecora N.S. Out of the three games we lost one and won two resulting in us being in a quarter final against J.F.K. N.S. which was one of the toughest games of the tournament. After a break we were down to play Sixmilebridge N.S. of Clare. Unfortunately we lost, but we had one more chance to win the Shield final. After a thrilling encounter, we ran out victorious by 10 points. The Shield was presented to Gavin Collins (team captain) by Bríd de Brún, Principal of Árd Scoil Rís. We would like to thank Árd Scoil Rís for facilitating us on day.

The team panel was: Cian Kirwan, Jack O’Connor, Gavin Collins(Captain), Daniel Twomey, Michael Keane, Cathal O’Neill, Tim Murphy, Eoghan Collins, Thomas McCarthy, Harry O’Donnell, Aaron Leahy, Mark Twomey and Robert Moloney (injured).

RSA ‘Get into Cricket’ Initiative

Scoil Iosaf NS was recently presented with cricket equipment under the joint Cricket Ireland and RSA ‘Get into Cricket’ project by Cricket Ireland’s Regional Development Officer for Munster, James Doran.

Scoil Iosaf NS principal, Barry O’Riordan, showing the 5th & 6th class boys how to hit a boundary six with the school’s new RSA ‘Get into Cricket’ kit

Santa Claus Visit

Santa called to the school on Wednesday 19th Dec to reassure the boys that everything is on schedule for Christmas Eve and to check if anyone had forgotten to write his letter or had changed their mind about what they asked for. He was escorted to the school by the local Garda squad car and he got a rousing reception from the pupils and also the teachers. Everyone assured him that they had been extra good this year so hopefully he will bring everything on our lists! Thanks Santa for visiting us and bring us lovely

presents. Thanks also to the parents who turned out to help Santa take photographs and provide refreshments for Santa after his long morning.

School Crib By Michael Murphy and Hugh Lawler On Tuesday 10th December the pupils of Scoil Naomh Iósaf got together to sing at the unveiling of the School Crib. We had the Junior Infants singing Jingle Bells and Jack O’Connor and Michael Murphy played the First Noel on the button accordion and concertina. All our parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters were there to listen to our singing. All of the classes from Junior Infants to Sixth Class sang accompanied by Stephen Lavin on the guitar. Afterwards, we went to our classrooms to watch a movie while our relations went to the staffroom and had tea, coffee and biscuits. A big thanks to Tommy Houlihan and Joe McDonnell who set up the crib and to the Parents Council for organising the magnificent event. We all had a great night!!!

Christmas Holidays

The School closes on Friday 20th December at 12.30pm for the Christmas Holidays. It will re-open on Monday 6th January 2014 at 9.20a.m.

We really appreciate your support throughout the year and of course the pupils are the main beneficiaries of your generosity. The staff in the school welcome your input and if you have any constructive ideas they would be delighted to take them on board.

Thanks to our Board of Management for their work on behalf of Scoil Naomh Iosaf . Their advice and input is greatly valued by everyone at the school.

A big thank you to the Parents Council under the leadership of their Chairperson, Karina Byrne. The Parents Council give of their time to organise various events and projects throughout the year for the good of the school and its pupils. We are very appreciative of all their hard work and efforts throughout the year.

A Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous NewYear From All

of the Staff atScoil Naomh Iosaf