The Board of Management will mark the 25th anneversary of the schools opening at the end of October. A series of events are currenting being planned. We would be happy to hear suggestions from past pupils and parents.

The school is closed at the moment for the summer holidays. If you wish to contact the school for any reason please leave a message on the answering machine or alternatively send an email to eolas@pilibbarun.com. The school office will be open from the 26th of August fro 9.30 to 12.30.

The school reopens for pupils from 9 a.m. on the 1st September. There will be a full day for all pupils except the new Junior Infants who will be going home at 12.00 for the first fortnight. A half-day to facilitate a staff meeting will be held on Friday the 3rd September. Pupils free from 12.30.

The school is organising 2 “Walk to School” days on Wednesday and Thursday, 16th and 17th June 2010, to encourage the children to be independent, healthy and become more energy aware.

The walk will begin at Ballycarnane Woods entrance at 8.30am and will collect children at the following times and places:

• Ballycarnane Woods: 8.30am
• Clarinwood: 8.35am
• Glenview/Cairn Dubh: 8.40am
• Moonvoy Valley/Caolán: 8.45am
• Ard na Groí: 8.50am

All children taking part will have no homework on the days in which they walk. In fact, any child who walks or cycles to school on these days will have homework off!

Teachers will supervise the walk but some parents will be required to wait at the entrances of the estate to ensure children are supervised at all times.

If you are interested in your child/children taking part please fill in the form which has been sent home and return to the school by Tuesday, 15th June 2010.

Gaelscoil Philib Barún is delighted to welcome our Comenius partner schools to Tramore on Wednesday June 9th 2010. Twenty six visitors in total will visit, 15 adults and 11 children. The adults will stay in The Grand Hotel while some of the children will be hosted by local families.

On arrival on Thursday morning, each group will get the chance to make a small presentation on their respective school and country. The teachers and children will sample school life in the Gaelscoil during Thursday and Friday. The children will get the opportunity to partake in some of the lessons and the teachers will get a chance to observe. Since our last meeting, the theme of ‘Our Family’ has been the focus of the Comenius project. We will share our activities and work in this regard with the children and teachers from our partner schools. Time will also be set aside during the visit for continued work on our common project “Think Globally, act locally”.

It will not be all work, however. A concert will take place on Friday, showcasing the childrens’ talents and presenting a taste of Irish song, dance and wit. On Thursday, some exhibition matches demonstrating our unique GAA skills will be centre stage. On Saturday our visitors are free to explore Tramore and the surrounding areas, engage in some sightseeing or even some shopping. Sunday June 13th 2010 is departure day for our guests.

We are looking forward to a very enjoyable weekend and hope that you will join us in celebrating this wonderful partnership with our new friends in Germany, Iceland, Turkey and Wales.

Gaelport.com reported on an article from the Daily Mirror this week about how pupils educated in Irish-language schools were outperforming students from English-language schools in subjects such as Maths, but also in English itself. We have covered similar articles in the past to this effect and it is all very positive for Irish-language schools generally.

Now all we need is a permanent school building to cope with the increase in enrolments that articles like this will inevitably lead to over the coming years.

Source: Gaelport.com

The Open Day for New Junior Infants takes place on Thursday next 20th May at 1.45 in the school. Children will meet their classmates and parents will be addressed by the principal. This year significant alterations are being made to the Junior Infant programme and it is important that parents are aware of these changes. Parents unable to attend should inform the school. As there has been a significant increase in demand for places in the school more than 30 pupils are expected to enrol.

Saturday, 8 May 2010 was first Holy Communion day for the pupils of Rang 2 at Gaelscoil Philib Barún. Many congratulations to the pupils, their families and their teachers for being (as the priest remarked several times during the ceremony), one of the best-prepared and well-mannered classes he’d had the pleasure of dealing with for many years.

The day was also once again made more special by the terrific reception afterwards at the school, hosted by the parents of Rang 1 for the family and friends of those making their Holy Communion. This (now traditional) reception has become a very popular event in the annual school calendar and provides extended family and friends with a unique opportunity to see the school, something many of them might never otherwise have the chance to do.

A huge debt of gratitude must go to the parents of Rang 1 and the Parents Association who organised and hosted this reception so brilliantly, and of course to all of the parents who donated cakes and other food items. Rumour has it that Elton John is looking to hire you for his next post-Oscar party!

Well done and congratulations to one and all.

We had a healthy turnout for the Living Willow Workshop with Eamonn McSweeney at Tramore Community Garden on May Day. A beautiful living willow compost area was created at the end of a very relaxing morning. All participants gained some great skills that they can now use in their own gardens and pass on to friends and family. Thanks to a core group of volunteers the garden is growing from strength to strength. If you would like to volunteer your time on any given day or would like to donate unwanted garden materials or supplies please contact Fiona at tramore20@eircom.net or telephone 051-330408. We are especially in need of top soil, gravel, scaffolding planks and seeds/seedlings. A special thank you to all our GIY Tramore friends for their kind donations of plants and seeds so far! This community space is there for everyone in Tramore to enjoy and pass some time growing with friends old and new. We look forward to meeting you there on any given Tuesday andor Thursday evening from 7 to 9.

Gaelscoil Philib Barun has donated a piece of land to the Transition Town Tramore group for a community garden space. Passers-by may have already noticed the polytunnel that was erected on the site recently by a group of eager volunteers. There will be a public meeting in the school on Wednesday 21st April at 8pm to discuss plans for the development of this community space. Whether you are a keen gardener or a complete novice in all things green you are encouraged to attend. T3 and all volunteers will be turning the first sod on Friday 23rd April at 7pm so if you can’t make the Wednesday meeting join us on Friday instead with your wellies and spades.

Gardeners working at Gaelscoil Philib Barún

Finally, as part of the educational theme behind the garden we will be holding a short willow workshop on Saturday 1st May from 10am to 1pm. Learn how to construct a willow archway and compost area for your garden. A small donation of €7 is requested from participants. Please e-mail your details to Fiona at tramore20@eircom.net to book your place. Donations of materials, top soil, seedlings etc for the garden are most welcome. Please contact Fiona if you would like to make any donations to this worthwhile project. You can find T3 on Facebook at “Transition Town Tramore T3“

Following recent parliamentary questions on our behalf by Brian Ó Sé TD, Gaelscoil Philib Barún have been informed that as of yet the DES has no plans to progress a building project.