Dear Parents,

 

It is with pleasure that I write this address at the end of another school year. This yearbook has come to be an integral part of Cloghogue N.S.. It provides us with an important insight into the life of a school and the mix of activities that take place on a weekly basis. This year I am particularly glad that we have this record. As you all know I was fortunate to be on leave until December while the school was left in the capable hands of Mrs. Flannery and the rest of the staff. While I kept in touch with school activities it is not until I look through the yearbook that I realise just how busy everyone was in my absence. For the first time I am seeing school activities from a bystander point of view and I can appreciate the effort that went into the activities.

 

This is an effort that has been made by everyone connected to the school. Firstly, I would like to thank the staff for their hard work throughout the year. I appreciate that this has been a particularly challenging year. With the unfortunate loss of a teacher in September, teachers had to adapt to teaching more classes and unusual class groupings. However, they were undeterred and everyone is still smiling as we come close to the holidays!

 

The fact that we teach fantastic children is a factor in our ability to smile. We are incredibly lucky in the cohort of children in this school. Polite, hard-working, cheerful, kind. the list could go on. Our thirteen new infants were a pleasure to teach with their enthusiasm and love for learning. It is with sorrow that we say goodbye to our sixth class as they have a steadiness and maturity that permeates throughout the school. All the classes in between have their own unique characteristics and all enhance the school community.

 

Of course, we have such lovely children because of the efforts of the parents in the school. As we continue with our open door policy in the school it is rewarding to see the interest that parents take in their children’s learning and in their happiness. We feel that being accessible to parents is an important part of a child’s education. If a parent feels comfortable approaching the school about a problem we feel that the child will also feel comfortable in talking about any problem that they may have.

 

On the subject of parents, I would like to say a special thank you to the members of the Parents Association. They work tirelessly for the benefit of the school. They help out at all school events; Christmas plays, Grandparent’s Day, Graduation mass, Family Fun Day to name but a few. They have also introduced us to Music Generation which has been beneficial to all the children in the school. I’m sure parents of the senior children enjoyed the Bodhrán performance that took place recently. I would encourage more parents to become involved in the PA as all input is welcomed and many hands make light work!

 

I am also grateful to the Board of Management of the school who are unfailing in their support for school activities and who are always on hand with advice if needed.

 

I would like to end this address on a congratulatory note. The children took part in many activities and competitions throughout the school year. Our debate team gave up evenings and lunchbreaks along with their teacher Miss. McGuinness to work on their debates and they should be commended on their performance. Our football team continue to perform well under the guidance of Miss Marren. Our girls are in the semi-finals of the Cumann na mBunscol as I write this. Chess has been introduced this year and the senior children are becoming very proficient. We hope to introduce this further down the school next year. We also have children who have been successful outside school in their chosen talents. We have dancers, kickboxers, athletes, footballers, singers, coders and musicians and we love to hear about and celebrate their successes as a school community. However, here in Cloghogue we try to celebrate all the children and encourage them in all that they do. Thank you so much to everyone who contributes to our school life and speaking on a personal note, make work so enjoyable. May you all have a beautiful, sunny and safe summer and see you all in September.

 

Mise le meas,

 

Aisling Tighe

Principal