Salesian Primary School Summer Newsletter June 2023

 As we draw the 2022-2023 school year to a close, I pause to reflect on the truth that "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." — R. Collier (2021). I am honoured to be the principal of Salesian PS due to the active school community with whom I work.

The 2019-2023 Board of Management now enters its twilight hour of governance of Salesian PS. The whole school community appreciates the volunteered time and effort of Eugene O'Brien, Chairperson, and the Board continues to commit to the school. They manage the school and give tirelessly for the benefit of the pupils, their parents, and staff so that Salesian PS provides an education for the pupils in as safe a campus as possible.

Thank you also to the Salesian Sisters as trustees who volunteer their time to enhance the education provided here and who also grant funds each year to support initiatives such as STEM, literacy, and many more.

The PA committee with Marie Lavan as their chairperson, oversaw a very successful Fashion Show Fund Raiser, a Senior Infant Maths Games initiative in all three classes, the library preparation for September 2023, and hosted the refreshment side of welcoming new parents, celebrating special moments such as sacraments and graduations. The PA who is made up of all the parents of pupils in the school is as effective as the time committed by members. This year, the school has benefited immensely from all of your hard work and efforts. Thank you.

Our active student council deserves a special mention for the positive changes which you have introduced to benefit the pupils you represent including managing and replacing yard equipment and your fundraising efforts for further initiatives.

Thank you to all my colleagues, fellow managers, teachers, and ancillary colleagues for all your hard work, commitment, and dedication throughout the school year and in preparation for the coming one.

Thank you to Fr. McAuliffe and Fr. Ryan who help us to live our Catholic faith in a true way that is welcoming of those of other faiths.

I would like to wish you all the very best summer vacation possible. To the families leaving us, on behalf of the Salesian PS Community, we want you all to experience only the best in your future destinations. For our returning families, we look forward to welcoming you back on the 1st of September. 

The New 2023-2027 BoM will be appointed from the 1st of December 2023.

The BoM of a school is 8 volunteers who come together to govern (teaching and learning, finance, building works, Health and Safety, etc) the school in a child-centered way. They are responsible for upholding the Salesian Spirit of our school. All decisions are made with the children at their centre.

The BoM comprises of two Salesian Trustee Nominees, the principal teacher, a staff nominee, two members of the wider community, and two-parent nominees (one father and one mother).

The BoM works as one body. The parent nominees* act as part of the BoM with the benefit of having a parent perspective when decisions are made. Nominations will be welcomed at the PA AGM early in the new school year.

We ask that over the summer if any non-parent members of the community would be interested in taking on a role as part of a dedicated Salesian PS BoM he/she contact the school via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stationery lists for each class grouping for September 2023 have been added to the school website. Follow the link below to access the lists. 

​A child doesn't develop the ability to recognise danger fully until they are about 11 or 12. Primary school children rely on caring adults for this. Please help us to ensure our pupils enter and exit our school as safely as possible each day. 

As you plan for the return to school in September:

1. Remember it is best to walk or e.g. cycle to school.

If you drive:

1. Please be careful:  WAIT until you have pulled in safely with the ignition off before they exit the car.
2. DO NOT park on footpaths - pedestrians (mostly children- some in buggies) should not have to walk on the road. Leave them space to safely walk on the footpaths.
3. Use the footpaths and the school crossing. DO NOT create a habit for your child to walk on the road. It is too dangerous a habit to give them as they will continue to do this when they are unsupervised.

​At the end of this school year, we will be sending our 15-day and 20-day school absence letters through Aladdin.

This may result in a duplication of earlier letters. Parents whose children have been referred to the Education Welfare Office have already been contacted.

Please be reminded that a child is marked absent if they are not physically present in the classroom at the time of recall. Late arrival and early collection are also recorded. The reason for absence is also recorded.

Finally, parents/guardians should ensure that pupils access their right to education. Missed days naturally happen from illness etc. 20 school days each year in primary school equates to almost a full year of teaching and learning. Therefore, strongly consider family holidays to happen outside of term time. 

Our Annual Poetry Competition

Salesian Primary School has a proud tradition when it comes to poetry and every May we are delighted to celebrate our annual Poetry competition results and the wonderful writing produced by our pupils. Every year we are amazed by the beautiful entries we receive, and this year was no exception. Our judge, Wanda Knopek, was extremely impressed at the talent in our school. We are very proud of everyone who made such efforts to participate in our competition and we extend huge congratulations to our winners.

• In 6 th class, Brianne was our overall winner, closely followed by Louise and Kate in 2nd with Caoimhe in 3rd. Well done to all of them.
• Valentina was our overall winner in 5th class with Lucy in 2nd place.
• Our fourth classes took on the challenge of writing a Haiku and the competition winner was Molly. Alicja and Rawan were in 2nd place and Lamar was 3rd.
• Kintia won 1st place in the 3rd class competition with Caelie in 2nd. Both Emilia's were in 3 rd place. Well done to all the girls.

We are so proud of you all.

We would like to send a huge big thank you to Fiona FIizpatrick for organising this event in our school annually. It is something we look forward to each year and it is her dedication and commitment that ensures that this tradition continues for our pupils. 

Engineer's Week 

1st Class Science Fair

5th Class STEM Buddies 

Lego Investment

A Message from the Student Council

The Student Council had a very busy run-up to the Easter holidays. We were very busy preparing beautiful Hampers for our Easter Raffle Fundraiser. We also hosted a very fun and very wild 'Crazy Hair Day'. We were blown away by all the amazing crazy styles! Even some of the staff rocked up to school with questionable hair. Our aim was to raise funds to go towards a Water Bottle Refill Station which was one of the biggest requests from the students in a survey carried out earlier in the year. Since then, Sonia Browne, Hybrid Technology Partners (www.hybridtp.ie) has been in touch and has very kindly offered to sponsor our Bottle Refill Station. We are very grateful for the support Hybrid Technology Partners is giving to the Council and our school. The Student Council will put their profits towards buddy benches for the yard.

The Student Council also would like to thank the staff, the children, the parents, and everyone who supported our fundraising initiatives, without you none of this would  be possible. 

ESB Science Blast

Ms. O'Reilly's 5th Class were very busy this year preparing for the ESB Science Blast. The students came up with the project titled: "Do Colour Blind people ever see in colour and are there different types of colour blindness?"

All their efforts and scientific skills were rewarded on May 15th when they presented their project in Mary Immaculate College. They were highly commended by the judge who commented "The students conducted and advanced scientific research and review to reach their answer, they showed great enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to know that were very evident in every part of their project. The team was also well prepared and showed an amazing understanding of the scientific background behind their question". Well done 5th class, we are very proud of your scientific achievements.

STEM in Senior Infants 

Ms. Doyle's Senior Infants cooled off in the hot weather by learning about what materials are waterproof and which ones aren't. We tested lots of different fabrics and household materials to see which ones absorbed water and had some brave volunteers up to test what clothing was waterproof.

We used the knowledge that we gained about waterproof materials to complete a STEM challenge. The challenge was to create a boat that will float and support a Construction Man. The materials that the teacher provided were: fabric, cardboard, and tinfoil (as well as scissors).

Children worked in partners to create a plan, drawing their boat design. They then presented this to Ms. Doyle, outlining which material would be best to prevent the boat from sinking. Children could use their own stationery (pritstick, pencils, etc.) to support their design.

Once building and planning was underway, we completed two "learning walks", taking a look at other groups' work and using any good ideas to help us with our own designs. Then, the boats were ready to test! Most floated on the first try and pupils were able to take their boats apart and build another version. For boats that began to sink, pupils problem-solved, deciding where to put tinfoil to increase the waterproof ability of our ships.

Well done Seniors! 

Inspiring Limerick Street Art 

6th Class had great fun exploring Limerick city Street Art Trail in the sun! It encompasses 17 vibrant and evocative pieces creating an eclectic and engaging collection of urban art throughout Limerick City.

Reading Buddies

Older children reading to younger children has many advantages. Our 6th class teamed up with Junior Infant classes this term for reading sessions and it was clearly enjoyed by all. The children looked forward to their weekly meet-up and the excitement was palpable during the sessions as the pairs chatted about their books. Both young and old benefited greatly. Keep up the reading this summer!

 Summer Reading Stars in a Library near you!

It's that time of the year again when we tell you about Summer Stars Initiative in your local library. Your child has worked hard all year, improving his/her reading. It would be greatly beneficial if he/she could continue to read throughout the summer, developing fluency, comprehension and confidence. Of course the main reason we read is for enjoyment, and all children love a good story! Reading aloud to your child is also fantastic as he/she sees you modelling reading skills and children absolutely love listening to stories being read aloud. Summer Stars runs from 12th June - 31st August 2023.

6th Class Graduation

We are most proud of our 6th Class Girls that graduated on Tuesday night surrounded by family, friends and staff. The girls entertained guests with music, dance, songs, poetry, gymnastics and a specially penned song about 'Who you are', a Salesian. The girls delighted in sharing their talents and creativity, and all their hard work and enthusiasm was clearly evident. Girls, you have been a pleasure to teach and a fantastic role model and leader in our school this past year. We wish you and your family continued happiness and every good wish for the next exciting chapter in your lives. A huge thank you to our PA who organised the girls' graduation t-shirts and provided refreshments for all on the night.