MILFORD NATIONAL SCHOOL – 25th June 2018
Dear Parents,
The school year is drawing to a close and we are all looking forward to the summer holidays.
Music Generation: Third and Fourth Classes attended the annual National School Summit in Thomond Park on Wednesday, 13th June. Eleven schools came together in Thomond Stadium. They sang and performed with the band and tutors from Music Generation. Our visiting musician, Áine Doolan, has been facilitating workshops since September. The focus was on vocal technique and core musical skills building. Áine, together with the class teachers, helped the pupils compose original pieces of work, culminating in every class being afforded the opportunity of performing and recording their superb compositions at the event. It was a fun-filled day and musically beneficial for all involved.
Limerick Sings: Milford National School Choir was invited to perform at the ‘Limerick Sings’, International Choral Festival on Saturday, 9th June in the Augustinian Church, Limerick. Two International Youth Choirs also performed on the day, a Children’s Choir from Estonia and a Youth Choir from Texas. The Festival organisers wanted to offer the opportunity for a local Children’s Choir to perform. We were thrilled to be asked. Milford Choir performed for a 20 minute slot, singing 6 songs in total. It was a delightful experience for everyone involved.
Geoff Hunt: Geoff Hunt, our environmental expert, was back in Milford NS later on this term. Fourth Class and Junior Infants will have the opportunity to study our local butterflies in the environs of UL and under the microscope in the classrooms.
History Live: On Wednesday, June 20th, historian Michael Moylan visited our school. Classes got the opportunity to listen to stories and to learn about a specific period in history. These ranged from the Vikings through to World War 1 and World War 2. Michael brought various clothes, armour, helmets and weapons from different eras. Some of the children even had an opportunity to try on the outfits and test the equipment. Many thanks to Mr. Brian Kelly for organising the visit.
Homework Policy: We are presently conducting a homework survey with a view to updating the school policy. The link to complete the survey is https://goo.gl/forms/9I9UEpXixzVX4xIV2
Mayor’s Cup: Comhghairdeas to Blake Campbell (Captain) and Paul Canny who were selected by the Limerick City Team Selectors to play for Limerick City in the Mayor’s Cup Competition. The City Team won and Blake, was also selected as captain, lifted the trophy to the delight of everyone in Milford. Congratulations also to Mark Field who was selected to play in the Primary Game which took place in Cusack Park, Ennis on the same day that Limerick hurlers played against Clare. We are very proud of their achievements
Camogie/Hurling: It has been a very good year for our school camogie and hurling teams. The U13 Boys won the Shield Final and the U13 Girls won the City Final at the end of May in the Gaelic Grounds. They then advanced to the county stages of the competition where they lost out to an extremely strong side in the final. The girls were fantastic and gave 100% in every game. We are very proud of their achievements this year. Well done!
A big “Thank You” to all the coaches involved in looking after teams this year. Mr. John Nelligan, Ms. Yvonne Newman, Mr Denis O’Connor, Mr Aaron Gallagher, Ms. Áine Fitzpatrick, Mr. Brian Kelly, Ms. Fenton, Ms Moloney, Ms O’Sullivan, Ms Munnelly, Ms. Quinlan and Ms. Cussen generously volunteered their free time to teach the intricate skills of camogie, football, hurling and basketball.
Medal Presentation: Many thanks also to Limerick GAA star, Niamh Richardson, who returned to her alma mater on June 18th to present the camogie medals to the Milford champions and finalists!
Fitness and Fun: Children had great fun this month participating in a range of fitness activities. These included egg & spoon races and three-legged races, the Rope Challenge, skipping, rounders, Class marathons, school/class distance runs using the Map My Run app, playground games (Hopscotch and 100-square games etc).
Aladdin Communication App: 90% of families have signed in to our school parent portal called Aladdin. End of Year Reports and Standardised Scores are available to view on the portal either through the internet (link on school website) or via the Aladdin App (free to download).
78% of families have validated a mobile number on the app. Mobile validation means that this number will receive an app message (which are free) instead of a text message. Keep in mind the family may still receive a text message if there are other unvalidated numbers stored in the students Mobile text number(s) field.
In September, we hope to give parents the option of making payments electronically via Aladdin. This will be our preferred way of accepting money – it’s safer in terms of banking and takes the onus away from children to carry what are sometimes fairly large sums of money.
**Lotto**: Many thanks to everyone who plays the school lotto. The jackpot currently stands at €7,100. Our last Lotto Draw for this school year took place last Friday. The jackpot was not won. Congratulations to Rory Hendrick, Ms. Doody’s Class, who won a Chromebook Laptop in a special end of year draw. Everyone who had played the school lotto in April, May and June had their losing lotto tickets entered as raffle tickets. Well done Rory!
Communion: Congratulations to all the boys and girls who made their First Holy Communion last month. The ceremony was beautiful and all who took part are to be commended on their excellence. Well done to 2nd Class! Many thanks to Ms. Emma Dolphin, Ms. Maggie Moloney, Ms. Ann Barrett, Ms. Hannah O’Sullivan and Ms. NIamh Meehan for helping the pupils to prepare for their Communion. A big thank you also to our school band members and their leaders for playing throughout the ceremony.
Discover Primary Science and Maths Award: We have been informed that we have achieved a Science Foundation Ireland Discover Science and Maths Plaque of STEM Excellence for the 2017/18 academic year. It has been wonderful to see all of the science, technology, engineering and maths work being carried out in our school with such enthusiasm. Many thanks to Ms. Claire Quinlan and Ms. Celine Munnelly for their fantastic efforts coordinating the award application. Both the children and teachers really enjoyed taking part in the Awards programme this year.
Shakin’ with Shakespeare: Shakin’ with Shakespeare with Ms. Orla Murray will re-commence in September 2018.
School Uniform Reminder: The uniform consists of a brown crested school jumper or cardigan, cream shirt or blouse and brown gymslip, skirt or trousers. Black or brown shoes should be worn with the brown school uniform. This uniform is worn from 1st to 6th. Under no circumstances should runners be worn under skirts or trousers. The school track-suit is worn on PE days. It is dark blue with a pale blue stripe and is crested. A light blue polo shirt may be worn underneath. Runners may be worn with the track-suit. If possible, runners with a light-coloured sole should be worn to prevent marking of the gym floor. The track-suit is the only uniform necessary for Junior and Senior infants.
Well Done: Well done to all the boys and girls who participated in extracurricular activities this year, and who represented the school in so many events. A huge “Thank You” is due to the teachers who give so much of their time after school.
New Buildings: The Department of Education has sanctioned the building of a new classroom and a new special educational needs room. We are presently at the design stage of the project. We hope to have temporary accommodation on site in September. If everything goes to plan Junior Infants, Senior Infants and one more class stream will have a pupil / teacher ratio of 1 teacher to 21 pupils.
School Calendar: The School Calendar 2018/19 was published earlier this term and is available to view on our school website. A reminder also, that Milford N.S. is used as a Polling Station so we will be closed for any Elections/Referendums that may be called.
Dates to Note:
- Tuesday, June 26th: Classes for school year 2018/19 published on Aladdin and sent home in the children’s bags.
- Tuesday, June 26th: Second hand book sale in the staffroom
- **N.B. Wednesday, June 27th: summer holidays for all children at 12 noon.
Not every child can achieve the highest heights in sport, drama, music or academia. But every child is unique and individual in personality and abilities. Congratulations to all those who greeted with a warm smile this year, with a lovely “slán” on the way home and a willingness and enthusiasm to engage with daily tasks. You have brightened the days of everyone around you. You are truly the Milford success stories and you make us very proud!
Finally, on behalf of us all here at Milford School, I wish parents, children and family members a well-deserved and enjoyable break, and I hope that everyone will return safely and in good health on Thursday, August 30th.
Gaoth an tsonais libh uile!
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Diarmaid Moore
Principal
