6th Class Graduation

Dear 6th Class, I hope you are all doing the best you can in these very unusual and difficult times. It must be a challenge at this stage to keep motivated. I encourage you to keep going for the last few weeks of term and just do your best. Use your time constructively and positively to pursue your interests and set little challenges for yourself. Read lots, get some exercise and help around the house. Be kind and keep smiling. I am delighted to hear you are doing a few pages from the book ‘Mind the Gap’. This is a great way to start preparing yourself for the big jump to Post Primary. I know even though you missed the final term you are ready for the challenges which lie ahead and you will do very well. It would be a good idea to reach out to past pupils of Ard Rí, or neighbours, or friends who attend your particular school and ask them any questions you might have. They would be delighted to support you. You are not alone. I have now spoken to the Principals of all the Secondary Schools in the town. They know that this September will be different and they will have to do some extra work to support you. They have promised to take good care of you. If you have any questions please ask Jack on Seesaw or email the office on [email protected]. We will do our best to help. Myself and Jack are planning for your graduation night. We will hold a ceremony on Zoom on Thursday 18th June at 7pm....

Photography Challenge

Good afternoon everybody, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather. It is hard to believe we are coming up to the June Bank Holiday Weekend. School will be closed on Friday 29th May, Monday 1st, Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd of June. Logging on to Seesaw every day can be tiring and I hope all the boys and girls enjoy the time off. I would like to remind children that life as we know it now during COVID won’t be forever. We can see from Seesaw that everyone is making the most out of every day. Families are baking together, making clothes for their dolls, exercising together, embracing technology, meeting up with friends and relations on Zoom, reading more than ever, keeping journals, dressing-up, having picnics. You are making the most out of every day we are apart. Tomorrow teachers will be assigning a photography challenge to all classes. You can submit your entry on Seesaw on Thursday 4th of June. The theme of the challenge is ‘Gratitude’. I encourage you all to pause for a few minutes and reflect on the things you are grateful for in this challenging time. Take a photograph to represent this and you can write or submit a voice message explaining your photo. Teachers will share these photographs on Seesaw on Fab Friday- 5th of June. Here is my entry to get the creative juices flowing…   At a time when so many people were sick I am most grateful for my health. I enjoy active time with my family. This picture was taken at the Ramparts in Navan, a path along...

Distribution of Books: Sunday 24.05.2020

Hi everybody, Teachers are currently preparing packs of books to be sent home. As you know by now the Rugby Club is a COVID Test Centre so safe access to the school is very limited. For this reason we will be distributing books on Sunday 24.05.2020 as follows: First letter of Surname Time             A-C 10:00-10:30 D-G 10:30-11:00 H-L 11:00-11:30 M-O 11:30-12:00 P-Z 12:00-12:30 There will be a drive-through system in place. Remain in your car. Follow the one-way system and as you come to your child’s teacher they will hand you a bag. Follow the directions from stewards and proceed to exit. We will only be returning workbooks, copies, artwork plus any other personal property left at the school. We will not be distributing Book Rental books. We ask you return any of the following school books on Sunday: Oxford Reading Tree- Fun Readers Core Readers Library Books 3rd-6th Class- Starlight, Planet Maths etc. Class Novels e.g. Warhorse If you need to borrow a specific Book Rental book to support your child’s home learning please email a request to...

Graduation Hoodies

Dear Class of 2020, Little did we think that when we closed the school on 12th March we would not see our wonderful Sixth Class pupils again before their graduation. We are heartbroken that these young adults missed out on so many of the coming of age milestones of term 3. In the next few weeks Jack will begin to teach lessons from Springboard program; Mind the Gap. This program is designed to help support children in their transition from Primary to Post-Primary. I have been in contact with almost all the Post Primary schools. They are preparing additional induction activities to support the children in their transition to Post-Primary. We are planning a virtual graduation ceremony for the class. Please email us any pictures you would like in included in the slideshow to [email protected] (The more embarrassing the pic the better!!) Our Parent Association are organising graduation hoodies for the children. We need the following; Choose a hoodie size: Child size– 9/11 32″, 12/13 34″, Adult size– S, M, L Take a close up photograph of your child’s first name signature and attach (We can write your child’s name in script if that is easier for you- just let us know) You can send this information to us via email to [email protected] or on Seesaw. Please try to complete as soon as possible so we can avoid delays. The cost of the hoodie is €16.50 (Parent Association pay €7). When we receive message from you we will send you a Way2Pay link for payment. We will try to make the graduation as special as possible. Stay Safe, Darragh and...

Home Based Learning- Ard Rí CNS on Seesaw

10.05.2020 Dear Ard Rí Community, I hope everyone is safe and well. My letters to you are beginning to feel like I am a soldier at war or I am stranded on a desert island. When we closed our doors on 12th March we did not foresee a closure lasting until September. This is the new reality which we must all face. I think the cancellation of the Leaving Certificate this week is a sign that normality is a good way off yet. We must pace ourselves. The responses being posted to Seesaw are fantastic. I hope teacher feedback is helping the children to stay motivated and focused while working at home. Teachers will now begin to broaden courses of work to include resources like IXL, Top-Marks, Oxford-Owls, Kahoot and Read Theory. Our lessons will focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Wellness. I encourage you to incorporate play, reading and movement into every day. Set up a station with paper, pencils and some crayons and scissors so children have opportunities to express their imaginations and be creative. The length of time we have to practice the remote learning program is long. The amount of work we are assigning is designed to be sustainable for both teachers and parents. You may wish to assign additional academic work yourself. At this point children will be missing their friends most of all. I encourage you to reach out and connect with each other to set up short supervised calls or pen-palling for your child so children can feel connected while apart. Webwise.ie have some excellent videos to help teach your child skills required...