MILFORD NATIONAL SCHOOL – 11th April 2019
Dear Parents,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your undying support, continuous encouragement, cheerful friendliness, and co-operation and commitment to the school at all times. Without your help and support all the great activities and facilities we enjoy here in Milford School would just not be possible. I hope that you and your family have a safe and relaxing Easter holiday.
Easter Closing: A funeral mass will take place in Milford Church on Friday at 12pm. Please take care on Friday at collection time as the carparks and roads near the school will be very busy. In the interest of health & safety the school has put the following arrangements in place:
- Pupils may be collected early from their classrooms from 11am on Friday morning.
- Pupils not collected before 12pm will be supervised in their classroom up until 12:30pm.
- All pupils must be signed out on Friday in their classroom (not the Office).
- The only exception to this is where a parent gives written permission for their child to walk or cycle home on Friday morning.
Automated External Defibrillator (AED): On behalf of all of us here at Milford National School I would like to extend a sincere “Thank you” to Louise & Glen Anderson (parents in our school) for their extremely generous donation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to our school. It is located on the wall to the the right of the school office (between classrooms 15 & 16). Thank you so much.
Sonia O’Sullivan Visit: Sonia O’Sullivan and Gerard Hartmann visited our school last Tuesday at 11:30am. It was a really wonderful occasion and honour to host a world champion, world record holder and olympic silver medal winner. Sonia was greeted by members of our Student Council who invited Sonia to the school playground where she played catch with the Infants and joined the older classes in their daily mile. The whole school community then welcomed Sonia into our school gym where she was entertained by our school band and answered questions from the pupils. Many thanks to the many staff members who help with the organisation of the visit. A special word of thanks to Gerard Hartmann (parent) and to Sonia O’Sullivan for giving so generously of their time to us. It is a day that we will never forget!
Roof Repairs: Our school has secured funding to replace the 35 Roof lights and to carry out any necessary repairs. Many thanks to Joe Pond and Willie O’Dea T.D. for their support in helping the school to secure the funding to carry out the necessary repairs. Drake Hourigan Architects are presently organising tenders for the roof project. The project is scheduled to be completed during the summer holidays.
Aldi Competition: Thank you to everyone who participated in the ALDI sticker challenge. The closing date for entries is today. We have completed six posters in total. Well done everybody! Special thanks to Rose for coordinating the collection.
Seachtain na Gaeilge: Reachtáileadh Seachtain na Gaeilge ó 11ú – 21ú Márta. Bhí atmaisféar croíúil spraíúil le brath thart timpeall na scoile agus bhain chuile dhuine an-chuid taitnimh as! Children trying their best to use their cúpla focal were rewarded with prizes in their classrooms, and Gaeilgeoir an Lae was awarded every day to the child who made the most effort in their class! Songs and poems were recited over the intercom daily for the week by children.
A highlight of the week was an exciting Lá Glas & Ceolchoirm which was held in the school gym. Before every class level performed a highly entertaining collection of songs and poems the children were entertained by our school band, school choir and by the school Scór group.
It was fantastic to see so many children singing Amhrán na bhFiann in unison which concluded the day’s celebrations. Míle buíochas to the teachers and special needs assistants for preparing the children for all the activities and to everyone who helped make the Seachtain na Gaeilge such a success. Check out www.milfordns.ie for some great photos. Beatha teanga í a labhairt!
Camogie & Hurling: Matches are well under way for U11 and U13 hurling and camogie teams. We wish the teams the very best in all their game this year. Many thanks to all the coaches Mr. O’Brien, Ms. Spicer, Ms. Moloney, Ms. Newman, Ms. O’Sullivan, Mr. Nelligan, Ms. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Kelly, Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Gallagher, who train the teams after school.
Congratulations also to the Milford NS camogie girls and hurling boys who both won the City Indoor titles. The teams also contested the County Finals in Caherconlish Hall but came up against very strong opposition on the day.
Basketball: Many thanks to Ms Quinlan and Ms Hynes who continue to train the 6th Class girls basketball team each week. Training takes place in the school gym after school. We wish them every success in their remaining matches this year.
School Garden: Our Green School’s Coordinator, Mr. Denis O’Connor and his team have been very busy recently preparing the vegetable garden for planting. The garden has been dug, rotavated, raked, fertilised and the raised beds have been repaired. It is now ready for the children to begin planting vegetable seeds and plants. Many thanks to Denis O’Connor, Joe Pond and all the pupils & teachers who have helped out. Hopefully, we will have a bumper harvest this year!
Milford Gazette: Please check www.millfordns.ie for the latest edition of the Milford Gazette, our school newspaper. A huge “Thank you” to Ms. Elaine Rael for all the work which goes into guiding the ‘news editors’ into the production of such a professional result.
Choir: Milford National School choir performed in the Redemptorist Church on Friday 1st March as part of the Limerick Choral Festival. The choir finished in Joint Second Place. Many thanks to Linda O’Meara, Angela Reidy and Hannah O’Sullivan for leading the choir.
School Band: The annual School Bands Spectacular saw over 120 pupils from Ennis National School and St. Finnachta’s N.S. Sixmilebridge from Co. Clare as well as Milford National School, Co. Limerick deliver a two-hour performance in the check-in area on 5th March 2019. Many thanks to our wonderful band members and band leaders Ms. Reidy, Ms. Hynes, Ms. Taylor, Ms. O’Meara, Ms. Ryan, Ms. Fitzpatrick, Ms. O’Sullivan and Ms Fenton who represented our school so brilliantly on the day.
Fire Drill: We completed our Term 2 Fire Drill on Thursday 28th March. The drill went extremely well as the children and staff had to contend with late arrivals due to an accident on the Dublin Road. Just a reminder to everyone, that in a situation where the school claxon is in alarm or if the school is evacuating please do not enter the school building. The evacuation assembly points are typically located in the yard and the school gym.
School Tours: Tours are being organised at the moment and most will be in June. Hopefully the weather will be kind as it has been for the past few years. It makes such a difference!
Incubator: Ms. Áine Fitzpatrick’s class recently witnessed the hatching of twenty eggs. During the last four weeks all the classes were monitoring the incubator and were captivated by the young chicks as they were born. Many thanks to Áine for organising the MNS Hatchery again this year.
Confirmation: This took place on Thursday, April 4th. The ceremony was truly beautiful and great credit is due to the teachers (Ms. Linda O’Meara, Ms. Áine Fitzpatrick & Mr. Brian Kelly), special needs assistant (Ms. Eileen O’Dea), Rose, our school secretary, band leaders & musicians and to all the boys and girls involved. Well done everybody! A special word of thanks to the Salesian Fathers for their support in preparing the children for their big day.
Teddy-Bears Hospital (TBH): On Wednesday March 13th children from Juniors, Seniors and First attended a session in the UL Teaching Hospital run by the Medical Faculty in UL. This event aims to alleviate children’s fears about going to the doctor or to hospital. This is the seventh annual TBH run by UL and was a great success, as usual.
Donation: A big thank you to parent Nick Whittome (NTES) for donating eight refurbished computers to our school.
Communion: Second class are busily preparing for their big day on Saturday, May 18th.
Wellness and Wellbeing: Many thanks to Ms. Laura Hynes, Mr. Conor O’Brien and Ms.Gemma Ryan for coordinating the many wellness & wellbeing events. Classes have been very busy engaging in mindfulness activities and even got the chance to attend yoga classes with Ms. Vanessa Clarke. Happy Mind Day took place on Tuesday and last Friday, to celebrate World Down Syndrome Awareness, we had an Odd Sock Day!
Geoff Hunt: Geoff Hunt, our environmental expert worked recently with the Fifth Class children. 4th Class and Junior Infants will have the opportunity to enjoy pond dipping around the environs of UL and under the microscope in the classrooms when Geoff returns in May and June.
Community Games: Congratulations to our pupils Olivia Flannery and Siluni Wasala who both won medals in the Community Games Art Competition. The medals were presented recently at the Woodlands Hotel, Adare. Well done to both of you!
Athletics: Well done to our pupils Stuart Tobin, Abbie Yelverton and Sarah O’Halloran who competed recently in the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Athlone! A huge congratulations to Stuart who won GOLD in his event, 60m hurdles. All in Milford N.S. are very proud to have athletes of your calibre competing at national level. Mo cheol sibh!
The UL Sport Children’s Run for Fun at the Bon Secours Hospital Great Limerick Run 2019 will take place on Saturday the 4th of May. Registration is still open for children who would like to take part in the run (www.greatlimerickrun.com). All of the children’s races are off road, starting at the GAA pitch beside the running track and finishing on the running track.
Limerick Primary School Sports: The annual Primary Schools’ Sports in Plassey will take place on Thursday, May 16th. A word of thanks to Neasa O’Donnell, Catherine Dooley and Sara Hartigan in the Arena for authorising the use of the Running Track on Mondays for the Milford Athletics Team to train. The University has been, and continues to be, a great neighbour to have!
Parents’ Council:
Easter Cake Sale: A Cake Sale will take place on Friday April 12th. All donations of cakes, buns and treats can be left into the staffroom on the morning of Friday 12th. Children who wish to purchase buns/cakes/treats should bring coins. Please remember that we are a NUT FREE ZONE.
St. Patrick’s Weekend Raffle: Many thanks to the Parents’ Council for their leadership & support in organising the gym raffle fundraiser. It was a wonderful success and generated a profit in excess of €11,000.00. Many thanks to you the parents for your help selling the tickets and for giving so generously of your time. These events don’t happen without your help. A special thank you to our Parents’ Council and their helpers for your incredible efforts. A huge thank you to all the businesses that were so willing to support us in our fundraising efforts. As you may be aware, we were lucky enough to hold a raffle in each classroom on the day of our St. Patrick’s Weekend Raffle. Not forgetting the very generous donations from parents and friends of Milford N.S. please find below the list of the sponsors for this raffle.
- Shannon Airport (Main Sponsor)
- La Cucina (Main Sponsor)
- Finnegan’s Bar & Restaurant (Main Sponsor)
- Castletroy Park Park Hotel
- SQT Training
- The Recovery Rooms
- Vistakon
- UL Arena
- The Absolute Hotel
- Matthew Stephens Jewellers
- Planet Health
- Cook Medical
- Róisín O’Connell Solicitors
- McDonalds
- Park Lodge Medical Centre
- Justin Herbert
- Mary Lillis Landscaping
- Munster Business Equipment
- Allianz
- CJ Fallon
- Green Cross Pharmacy
- University of Limerick Concert
- Milano Restaurant
- Prestige Car Wash
- Castleknock Hotel
- Monaleen GAA Camp
- Adventure World (UL)
- Milford Activity Camp
- Nevsail
- Grove Island Leisure Centre
- Kidstown
- Jurassic Park Mini Golf
- Odeon Cinema
- McCabe’s Pharmacy
- Frank Hogan’s Garage
- Rollerjam
- Vue Cinema
- Omniplex
- Tons of Fun
- Smyths Toy Store
- Funworld
Mixing Classes: Traditionally in Milford N.S., we mix up our Senior Infants and form new classes for First Class. Last year, we mixed up our two Fifth Classes to form three new Sixth Classes which has resulted in a very positive experience both for the pupils and teachers. We will continue review classes each year and mix classes dependent on needs of the school and children and to ensure that:
- There are opportunities for children to learn and play with a wider variety of peers
- To enable greater social interaction between children as they move through the school
- To ensure that the classes remain balanced in response to pupil transfer and transition during phases
- To promote a greater sense of community
- To prepare children for the transition to secondary school.
Class lists will be communicated to parents and children in June as part of the end of year arrangements.
School Closures 2019/20: A copy of the school closures 2019/20 will be distributed this week. We are publishing our holidays dates at this time of the year to give parents an opportunity to book holidays, time off, etc. at an advanced stage. If at all possible, please refrain from taking your child on holidays during school time. Please see the reverse of this page for a copy of the school closures.
Other News:
- Congratulations to Mr. Brian Kelly on the recent birth of his daughter.
- Best wishes to Sarah Spicer who is getting married this week.
- Sincerest condolences to Ms. Maureen Meehan and her family on the recent bereavement of Maureen’s sister, Ms Pat Egan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.
Dates to remember:
- School closing on Friday, 12th April at 12pm. (please see note above)
- School reopening on Monday 29th April
- The UL Sport Children’s Run – Saturday 4th May
- First Holy Communion – Saturday 18th May
- School Closure on Friday 24th May – European & Local Elections
- School Closure on Friday 31st May – Primary Language Inservice
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Diarmaid Moore
Principal
