Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Fáilte romhaibh uilig agus Bail ó Dhia oraibh ar fad ar ais i mbliana go scoil Naomh Pius X.

I am delighted to see pupils, parents and staff back after the summer break. Everybody is looking healthy and refreshed and ready for the new term.

NEW ENTRANTS: We would like to extend a special welcome to our new Junior Infants who have settled in extremely well with Ms. Pléamonn and Ms. Devenney. We would also welcome especially the large number of children who have joined from other schools.

NEW APPOINTMENTS: Two newly appointed teachers Ian Matthews and Gearoid Ó’Fáthárta have joined our staff and we wish them every success and happiness in their new careers.

SCHOOL BUILDING: The new extension which is near completion contains five resource rooms and two very large rooms one of which will be our new Science Room. This is a new and exciting venture, where we will strive to make Science an interesting and exciting subject for all our children. We will, at a later date, give you an opportunity to see at first hand, the great benefits of this resource. The other room will be a G.P. room which will enable us to implement the new curriculum in areas such as drama, music etc. which cannot be accommodated in the classroom.

HEATING: The school has upgraded our heating system during the summer with brand new radiators, pipe work and boiler being installed. Management has decided to change to natural gas and are confident that this system will add greatly to the comfort of children and staff.

DECORATION: The school is looking brighter as a result of the painting carried out over the summer. All classrooms, corridors etc have had a new coat of paint applied.

PE & GAMES: Elaine Goddard who is a fully qualified PE teacher, teaches all classes in the school and organises a wide range of extra curricular sporting activities. This year she will be assisted by:-

Furthermore, we will have experienced coaches from Faughs Hurling Club (Dave and Noeleen), Templeogue Synge Street Football Club (Aisling) and the Irish Cricket Union (Brian) coming to the school to give intensive training.

HURLING: Faughs Hurling Club training for the Under 8 begins this Wednesday 13^th September at Faughs Hurling grounds (beside the Spawell) from 6-7 p.m. ( sharp) Please bring a hurley and helmet, old runners or boots and wear tracksuit bottoms. Contact David Needham - 086 3101034

GAELIC FOOTBALL:The football nursery for Templeogue Synge Street restarts this Saturday 16th September for children age 6-9 years in Bushy Park from 10.30 – 11.45 a.m. Contact Aisling Farrelly -

087 6647515

CUMANN NA mBUNSCOL: We are extremely proud to inform you that our school has been awarded a much coveted Cumann na mBunscol Promotion Award for our involvement in Gaelic Games. Many thanks to all our teachers for their voluntary work after school time in this area of sport.

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT: The school is governed by the Board of Management. The Board under our Chairperson Fr. Colleran is extremely supportive of the Staff and Children and I want to thank all its members for their dedication and commitment to the school.

COMPUTER ROOM: St. Pius BNS has a state of the art computer facility and our computer education programme is going from strength to strength. Boys from infants to second have a weekly computer class with our computer teacher and pupils from third to sixth attend every second week for a double session.

ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME: Following the success of a pilot scheme last year with pupils from third to sixth who excel at English or Maths, we are delighted to be able to announce the continuation of this programme. Feedback from pupils who were involved, and from their parents, reinforced our view that this is a very worthwhile initiative. Pupils work in small groups with a dedicated teacher Liam Gaynor to develop and hone their creative and problem solving abilities.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: We are now fortunate to have six teachers in our Special Education Department. This allows us to continue to have one dedicated teacher, Vincent Ryan, to attend to Maths Learning Support on a full time basis.

SCHOOL CHOIR: Anne Purcell is continuing as director of our school choir. Her choirs have won acclaim far and wide and we wish them every success this year.

SPANISH: Elisa Dempsey will be returning to teach Spanish to the 5^th & 6^th Class boys. This project has proved very successful and enjoyable to date.

PARENTS ASSOCIATION: We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic and supportive Parents Association. They provide a wealth of extra activities for the children. Enrolment for these will take place on Saturday 17^th September in the School Hall. Enrolment forms have been handed out to the children.

PUPIL UP DATE FORMS: Please find attached Pupil Update Forms and we would ask you to return these as soon as possible. It is essential that we keep our records up to date in order to ensure that we can make contact with you in an emergency.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS: Our crested school jumpers and polo shirts are available from O’Sullivanwear and the contact is Margo (4903542)

APPOINTMENTS WITH TEACHERS: Should you wish to discuss any matter with your child’s teacher please arrange an appointment with Ms. Madigan in the office. This will allow the teacher to arrange suitable supervision and planning of class work.

CONTRIBUTIONS: Thank you to those of you who have sent in your voluntary contribution already and could this be a subtle reminder to those who have not. This money is essential to enable us to provide the best possible educational facilities for your child.

TRAFFIC: A considerable problem is caused by the sheer volume of traffic outside the school. A strict one way system applies (please see attached map). As part of the schools healthy living drive we would encourage as many as possible to walk to school. Failing this we would ask you to park some distance away and then walk. Hopefully this will alleviate the situation. We would ask you to consider this when parking your car. We would also ask you to be aware of pedestrians and to avoid obstructing the pathways.