May Newsletter 2026

 I’m sure everyone is aware by now that I will be retiring at the end of this upcoming August.  The procedure for appointing a new Principal will be beginning soon and we pray that the school will be blessed with a new Principal that will lead it with enthusiasm and wisdom into the future.

Upcoming Events

• End of Year SESE Assessments, Drumcondra Reading & Spelling Tests and Sigma T Numeracy Tests are taking place during the coming weeks of May.
• RSE Day will be held in school for 5^th & 6^th Class pupils on Wednesday 3^rd Castleblayney Central pupils hope to join us.  Consent forms have been sent home with 5^th and 6^th class pupils today– please sign and return asap.
• The School Tour will take place on Thursday 11^th June to Todds Leap. We are attending the Open Park Day where students can explore the park more independently while still attending as part of our group. They can enjoy up to 15 self-guided activities and can go on activities as many times as they like, giving them the freedom to make the most of their day. The tour will be partly funded by the Board of Management funds.  It will cost €25 per pupil.
• We hope to hold the annual BBQ at the school on Friday 12^th
• Please find the Holiday List for next year attached.
• School closed Monday 1^st June – Bank Holiday
• School closes on Friday 19^th June for Summer at 12.00pm
• School reopens on Wednesday 27^th August

I didn’t receive this from Mrs Crawford, but thought it should be mentioned in the Newsletter –

Huge congratulations to our very own Mrs Crawford on winning “Volunteer of the Year” award at the VEX Robotic event held in Combilift on Wednesday, 6^th May.  This award recognised Mrs Crawford’s support of the Vex initiative being rolled out in local schools.  We are all so proud of her!  It was also very special to have the award presented by one of Mrs Crawford’s past pupils, Stephen Johns.  The trophy now has pride of place in the Senior Classroom.

Clontibret N.S.

School Calendar 2026-2027

School Will Reopen: Wednesday 26^th August 2026

Halloween Half Term: School Closed Monday 26^th – 30^th October 2026

School Will Reopen: Monday 2nd November 2026

Christmas Holidays: School will close on Tuesday 22nd December 2026

School Will Reopen: Wednesday 6^th January 2027

St. Brigid’s Day:  Monday 1^st February 2027

Spring Half Term: School closed on Thurs & Fri 18^th & 19^th February 2027

St. Patrick’s Day: Wednesday 17^th March 2027

Easter Holidays: School will close on Friday 19^th March 2027

School Will Reopen: Monday 5^th April 2027

School Closed:  3^rd May 2027 – Bank Holiday

                            7^th June 2027– Bank Holiday

Summer Holidays: School will close on Friday 18^th June 2027

 Stationery List for Senior Pupils

10 – HB pencils (keep some at home until they are needed)

Rubber, sharpener, ruler, protractor, colouring pencils/twistable crayons, scissors &

Pritt stick.

Blue pen, red pen, calculator (5^th & 6^th class only)

A4 Plastic document folder (they are usually made of card) for worksheets

2 Folders with 40 plastic pockets

Please label everything

Stationery List for Junior Pupils

10 – HB pencils – that do not break easily when sharpened (keep some at home until they are needed)

Pencil case, rubber, sharpener, Twistable crayons & Pritt stick

Ruler (1^st & 2^nd class)

Please label everything

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Museum Visit                                                  By Joseph

On the 16^th March we went to the museum in Monaghan on a school trip.  We had to look for different artefacts and write our answers on a clipboard.  The museum was fascinating, having many different artefacts like flint swords, a famine pot, a grinding stone, an axe, a birthing chair, drums, movie theatre seats, spear heads, outfits, a wing of a plane, guns and much more.  We were amazed with all the items that the museum had collected over the years.  It was fascinating.

We also watched a video showing lots of pictures from the olden days of Ireland (1900s) and it was very interesting!  The museum was fantastic.

While we were in the museum the Junior Room went to the library.

After our museum visit we went to an Nead an Irish speaking café.  We spoke in Irish and we got hot chocolate and some traybakes.  The café looked very nice.

History of Bread Making                           By Olivia

On the 19^th of April Lucy a bread maker came to school and taught us how to make wheaten bread.  First, we put plain flour and brown flour into 2 different bowls.  Then we mixed them together and added an egg and some honey to another bowl.  We added buttermilk and baking soda together.  The baking soda made the buttermilk fizz, which would help the bread rise.  We mixed everything together and spread it out in a loaf tin.  We put it in the oven and cooked it.  After break when the bread had cooled we tasted the bread.  It was very nice and tasty.  We watched a video about milling. And we got to grind some wheat using a grinding stone. It was as very interesting day.

VEX Competition                                          By Bonnie

We had two VEX Robotic competitions.  The first one was on Thursday 23^rd April.  We left school at around 10am and set off for the Peace Campus in Monaghan.  When we arrived, we went in and practised for a bit.  The competition started and we watched the matches.  Everyone was a bit nervous.  Then it was our turn.  There were a few qualifying rounds to get to the final.  We got into the final, it was very exciting.  The final consisted of 2 players.  Each player had 30 seconds to stack, knock and move pins.  When your 30 seconds were up you had to swap players.  Then the next player had 30 seconds to do the same.  We didn’t get a very good score but that didn’t matter because we still had another competition to take part in. 

The 2^nd competition was in Combilift.  This competition was on Wednesday 6^th May.  We got the bus and headed for Combilift.  We got to look at all the schools practising when we arrived.  It was basically the same as the last competition but this time we got 3^rd place!!  Our score this time would have beaten the winning score last time.  Mrs. Crawford also won “Volunteer of the Year Award”.  It was a really fun day out and we had the best time!

Clontibret N.S.        Newsletter

                 March 202 6

• Lucy Forde, a specialist form the Heritage council will visit the school on Friday 13^th She will provide an interactive workshop on the history of milling and bread making.  The children will learn about grain harvesting and milling from hunter/gatherer times through to today.  We also hope to bake brown bread together.
• On Monday 16^th March all the pupils and staff are going to visit Monaghan Museum and the new Library in the Peace Campus. We also hope to visit the Irish café “An Nead” where the children will have an opportunity to speak ‘as Gaeilge’.  We hope to have a hot chocolate/water and a bun each.  We will be back in school in time for the hot lunches. 
• No school on Tuesday 17^th March – St Patrick’s Day.
• Swimming begins on Friday 17^th April in Monaghan Leisure Centre. We will leave school at 11.30 for our lesson at 12.00. We should be out of the pool just before 1.00pm.   Junior and Senior Infant children need a parent or older sibling to help dry/dress them after the lesson.  They may be taken home after the lesson.  All lessons must be paid for in advance.  It will cost €64/child for 8  The lessons/bus are also subsidised by school funds but buses have become more expensive and we have kept the price as low as possible.
• School closes on Friday 27^th March for Easter at 12pm
• School reopens on Monday 13^th April

February Newsletter 2026

• School will be closed tomorrow Thursday 5^th February due to Teacher Training in the Education Centre.
• Our Senior Room are taking part in a Changemakers Project with St. Mochua’s PS, Derrynoose. Our first trip is next Tuesday 10^th February to Parkanaur Forest Park for some team building games.  We will leave school at 9.00am sharp and return by 2.30pm.  Children do not need to wear school uniforms that day.  But they need to bring wellies with them as we will be orienteering in the forest.  We will have 2 breaks so bring a healthy packed lunch.
• Dates for changemaker project 3^rd-6^th Class with St. Mochua’s, Derrynoose

1. February 10^th – Parkanaur Forest Park
2. February 18^th – in Clontibret
3. February 26^th – in Derrynoose
4. March 4^th – in Clontibret
5. March 12^th – in Derrynoose
6. March 19^th – in Parkanaur Forest Park

• The Junior room will travel to the Hidden Village on Friday 13^th February for a fun morning in the role play centre in Castleblayney. Children will travel by bus to Castleblayney.  They need to wear school uniform and bring a healthy snack for break time.  They will be back for their hot lunch.
• Mid-term will take place Thursday and Friday 19^th and 20^th February and school will be closed.

      Dates for your Diary – School Closed

Teacher Training                       Thursday 5^th February

Mid-term break                        Thursday/Friday 19^th /20^th February – School closed

St. Patrick’s Day                        Tuesday 17^th March – School closed

Easter Holidays                         School will close at 12 noon on Friday 27^th March

School will reopen on Monday 13^th April 2026

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Christmas Party                        By Jack

Before we finished of before Christmas on the 19^th December we had our Christmas Party.  It was our last day of term and it was a half day.  We didn’t have to wear our uniform.  We played lots of games – musical statues, the bus game, different number of body parts touching the floor, over the mat.  We had juice and crisps as a treat for our break.  Santa came and brought us all presents.  We were all delighted with what we got.  We had a great day and it was a good start to our Christmas holidays.

P.E.                                               By Jake

On Tuesday, January 27^th we went to Braddox Hall for P.E.  The whole school went and we travelled by bus.  It is a big hall and we could run around.  It was good exercise.  We played lots of games – stacking cones, catch and different number of body parts touching the floor.  We had a good morning before we went back to school for lunch.

World Wetlands Day               By Ethan & Joel

Yesterday, 3^rd February was World Wetlands Day.  We had Rachel come and speak to us about wetlands and bog lands.  We learned about all the animals and plants that live in wetlands – frogs, crayfish, newts, dragonfly, heron, swan, kingfisher, pond snail, pond skater, reeds, cat tail and lily pads.  She also spoke about bog lands and told us we had over 700 bogs in Monaghan.  The turf when wet helps to keep the carbon dioxide in the ground.  There were 2000 acres of bog land burned in ____________.  Dexter cattle are kept on the bog land because they are small animals.  They are not fenced in but wear collars that keep them within the boundaries of virtual fences.

      January Newsletter 2026

Happy New Year and welcome back to school. We trust everyone enjoyed their Christmas holiday and had a lovely break with family and friends.

Dates for your Diary

• P.E. will commence this term on Tues 13^th January with Gaelic. This will continue every Tuesday. Please wear tracksuits and runners.
• We are having a skipping day at Clontibret N.S. on Friday 23^rd January with Mark McCabe. Tracksuits and runners to be worn that day.
• Parent Teacher Meetings from 2pm on Thursday 29^th Children will go home at 1.50pm.
• School closed Monday 2^nd February – St. Brigid’s Day and Thursday 5th February – Teacher Training.
• Open Day on Thursday 12^th February at 1.30pm. Parents of Junior Room children are welcome to attend to help promote school with new parents.
• School closed Thursday 19^th and Friday 20^th February for mid-term.

December Reports

Lego                                    By Lexi, Adam and Jake

On Friday 12^th December Hazel from Faith Mission brought Lego to school and told us the story about the first Christmas, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  We had to build the stable with Jesus in it with Lego.  We spent about an hour building the stable.  When we had it built we showed it to everyone in the classroom.  Rebecca took photos of our stable.   We enjoyed playing with the Lego and building our stables which reminded us about the birth of Jesus.

Spanish Day               By Olivia and Joel

On Friday 12^th December we had a Spanish Day with Rebecca.  She came and refreshed our Spanish which she had taught us earlier in the term.  She reminded us of different words that she had taught us; food, numbers, days and months.  We learned some Spanish dancing and played some football as it is very popular in Spain.  After break we sis some Spanish face painting with the Spanish colours – red and yellow.  After that we tried Spanish food – olives, jambon and churros.  We loved the churros – they were the favourite.  Rebecca gave us some Spanish keyrings.  We had the best day and enjoyed the Spanish language.     

The Christmas Play             By Emily and Jack

On Wednesday the 17^th December we are having our Christmas play in Braddox Hall at 7.00pm.  for the past 5 weeks we have been practising the play and our singing.  Our play is called ‘The Christmas Factory’.  It’s Christmas Eve and the children in the play are excited for Santa coming.  Everyone goes to bed and Santa arrives and drops a present, he wakens the 3 children and they come running down the stairs.   Santa brings them to the North Pole.  They get to see Santa’s helpers making toys.  They meet the reindeer and see the snowmen having a snowball fight.  When Ted who is a tatty bear gets mended by the elves it’s time to leave winter wonderland.  They’re very tired as they go to bed and Santa tucks them in.  Next morning, they have lots of wonderful presents.  John, Lisa and Chrissie had the best Christmas.  They remember winter wonderland but think it was a dream.

December 2025

Dear Parent,

• We continue to practice for the play and the excitement is building. The children have all learned their words and we have all our costumes sorted.  We will go to the hall on Monday and Tuesday to practice and get used to the stage.  Our production takes place on Wednesday 17^th December at 7.00pm.  Please have children at the hall at 45pm dressed in their costumes.  Please make sure all children go to the toilet before they come to the hall as they can’t go during the play.  Do invite family and friends as everyone is welcome.  Remember to bring supper with you – mince pies, shortbread and biscuits. 
• No After School money is needed next week. If you have already paid, it will cover the first week in January.  Junior and Senior Infants still stay til 2030pm.                  

• Bag2School will have our clothes collection next Friday 19^th December. Clothes may be left in at any time.  Remind family and friends of our collection as it is a great way to support the school.

Below is a reminder of what we can accept;

Clothes, Paired Shoes, Handbags, Hats, Scarves/Ties, Bras/Socks, Belts and Jewellery

Towels, bedding (duvet covers, pillows etc) and curtains are not accepted.  

A donation is given to Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice to support the work there.

• Christmas jumpers may be worn on Thursday and Friday 18^th and 19^th
• We will hold our Christmas Party on Friday 19^th December and school will close at 12 noon. There will be no school lunches that day.
• School will reopen on Monday 5^th January 2025

VEX IQ Robotics                by Zac

Vex is high tec Lego.  Mrs Crawford got this Lego for us.  We got instructions on the iPad and began to assemble the robot.  After we built it we started on the floor.  We can use the robot to grab and lift the cones.  We can stack the cones on top of each other or move them round the board.  We enjoyed constructing this project.  It has taken time and we have had to think about putting it together.  We love playing with it as it is something different to do in school.

We wish you all a Merry and Joyous Christmas and a Peaceful New Year

Clontibret N.S.                 Newsletter September 2025                      

Welcome

We are delighted to welcome everyone back this term and a special welcome to Ethan, Ayda and Sophie.  We hope and pray that they will settle in quickly and enjoy many happy days in our school.

• If your child is not taking the school hot lunch on certain days, we would encourage you to send healthy lunches to school. Some healthy snacks that we encourage include wraps, pasta, sandwiches, bread sticks, rice cakes, crackers, yoghurts, fruit, vegetables, cheese, water, diluted orange juice.  No sweets, biscuits, chocolate, crisps or fizzy drinks Monday-Thursday please. A small treat is allowed on Friday. 
• It is important that all pupils go outside to play every day at lunch time. All children should bring coats so they may go outside on damp days.  A child may only stay inside if they have a note from home.  An unused coat could be left in school.
• Please remember to wear the full school uniform and attach names to jumpers as sometimes they can be misplaced.
• Infants should be collected at 1.30pm, all 1^st-6^th class children should be collected at 2.30pm. Children may arrive at school between 8.40-9.00am.  After school for Junior and Senior Infants will continue on Tuesday and Thursday from 1.30-2.30
• E. will be on Fridays. P.E. clothes should be worn then. 
• Pupil insurance cover is limited to School Related Activities Only and still costs €5.30 per pupil. This is a ‘compulsory’ basis whereby all pupils are covered during school hours/school activities. We have used this insurance cover for several years and we feel it the best cover out there at the moment for school pupils. Please forward this to the school asap.
• Please find an Internet Acceptable Use Policy sent home today, read through it with your child/children and make your child aware of the importance of Internet safety and netiquette. All 3^rd-6^th class pupils should sign the policy and return the form ASAP.  A parent should also sign the form.  Parents sign on behalf of Junior Infants-2^nd class pupils.  Please also sign the publication consent form at the bottom of the page.  PLEASE RETURN THE CONSENT FORM ASAP as pupils will not be allowed to use the ipads if they have not returned a signed form.  This form must be completed in September every year.
• The Department of Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer have advised that: Children should stay at home if they are unwell.  The best way to keep all viruses out of school is to stay home if you are unwell and until your symptoms have substantially resolved for 48 hours.                     We will continue the following in school:                                                                                             Maintain a good standard of hand hygiene                                                                                       Adhere to good respiratory etiquette                                                                                                        Ensure good ventilation arrangements                                                                                                    Continue to maintain good levels of cleaning

PLEASE NOTE:

The Principal has to inform Tusla if a child missed more than 20 days during the school year.  Please ensure that your child attends school as much as possible.

Clontibret N.S. Newsletter

October 2025

If you have not paid for your child/children’s school insurance please forward it to the office asap.  €5.30 each.

Dates for Your Diary

• Christmas Cards Children have designed their cards and they will be sent away today.
• Mid Term School closed Monday 27^th-Friday 31^st October
• Photos Money due by Tues. 4^th November
• Shoebox Appeal Boxes due by Tues. 4^th November
• Christmas Play 17^th December
• Clothes Collection We are using a new collection company, Bag2School this year and the collection will be Fri. 19^th  See the poster below, to see what they are collecting.  Please let friends know about this. It will be collected early on Friday morning so we will take clothes Mon.-Thurs. of that week. Bag2School will donate an additional 10% to LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
• Christmas Break School will close on Fri. 19^th at 12.00 and reopen on Monday 5^th January 2026.
• After school Will continue after midterm for Junior and Senior Infants

The Planetarium

On Tuesday 7^th October the Junior Room went to the Planetarium in Armagh.  We went by bus.  When we arrived we went into the dome and watched a movie about aliens trying to find somewhere to holiday.  After the movie we learned about the planets.  Pluto is one of the dwarf planets.  We then went downstairs and made rockets, we took them outside and blasted them off.  Alannah’s travelled the highest and longest.  We went inside and cleaned up.  We then had lunch.  The lady told us all about life as an astronaut in the International Space Station.  We had free time to run around the space science room.  We could dress up as astronauts.  The bus collected us and brought us back to school.

By Tara, Alannah and Faith.

Spanish

Every week Rebecca comes in and teaches us Spanish.  So far, we have learned numbers, colours, food, days and months.  We’ve learned our birthdays.  Every day she comes in she picks a Spanish Star of the Day.  Every so often she puts a picture on the board, talks about it and see if we understand it.  Near the end of every lesson we play a game – she calls out Spanish actions and we have to do what she calls out.  And the last one standing is the winner.  We enjoy the Spanish and we will hopefully carry on when we go to secondary school.  It’s an easier subject than French and it’s a fun subject as we enjoy ‘rolling our Rs’.  It’s a nice change from Irish.

By Bonnie and Lucy

November Newsletter 2025

• All the children are working very hard at learning their lines, song lyrics and dance moves for this year’s Christmas play which will be held on Wednesday 17^th December at 7pm in Braddox Hall. Thank you parents for helping to provide some props and costumes.

1. If anyone has any large robust Christmas decorations that could help to set the scene in Santa’s Toy Factory please send them into school.
2. If anyone has any Elf-like pyjama sets or suits that would also be appreciated.
3. We hope to serve some tea/juice and shortbread, mince pies and biscuits/buns after the show. We will need some volunteers to help serve the refreshments please.

Please invite friends, family members, grandparents or any potential new families and their children along for the evening.

• The flu vaccine will be administered in the school to pupils who agreed to receive it next Tuesday 25/11/25 at approximately 11.45am.
• The pupils were fantastic at demonstrating their Science experiments as part of Science Week last Thursday. They also were very productive at making and programming their Lego models to move in different ways. We have also started making the VEX Robotics which are on loan from Monaghan Co. Co.

• Big Congratulations to Lexie who has made the CMUL Cavan Monaghan Underage League U12 Girls Academy Team for 2025/26. This is a fantastic achievement as only 22 girls from Cavan and Monaghan are selected for the Academy and we wish her every success.

• Christmas Card project update – Your child will have their sample Christmas card in their school bag today. Please take a few moments to review the information below regarding the online process.

Order Deadline: The deadline to place your order is the 22nd of November. Please note that this is a school order and won’t be processed until after the above date.

Processing Time: Kindly be aware that there is a processing time of 10 to 12 working days for all school orders. We appreciate your patience during this period.

Tutorial: Before placing your order, we strongly recommend watching the tutorial available on our website. It will guide you through the ordering process and answer any questions you might have.

Name Changes: If there are any name changes that need to be made, please make sure to update them before placing your order. Once the order is placed, changes cannot be accommodated.

• Pupil Insurance is now overdue. If this is still ourstanding please forward it to school asap €5.30 per child.
• The school photographer will collect the photo orders on Thursday this week, 20^th November, so return your orders before then.
• Clothes Collection – Please spread the word we are having a clothing collection at the end of term. Bages of clothes may be left into school from Monday 15^th December. The collection will take place early on Friday 19^th December.  This year we are using a new company – Below is a reminder of what we can accept;

Clothes

Paired Shoes

Handbags

Hatslts

Scarves/Ties

Bras/Socks

Belts

Jewellery

Towels, bedding (duvet covers, pillows etc) and curtains are not accepted.  

A donation is given to Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice to support the work there.

• Parent/Teacher Meetings will take place at the end of January.
• Healthy Eating Policy – Following the review of the Healthy Eating Policy No biscuits, sweets, crisps or chocolate of any kind is allowed in lunch boxes on any day of the week. Treats will be given out on special occasions i.e. Christmas and Easter holidays. For healthy lunchbox ideas see the links Safefood-Lunchbox-Leaflet.pdf or www.National Dairy Council – Healthy Lunchbox Ideas.

Ancient Egypt

In History we are learning about ancient Egypt.

• Egypt is a country in Egypt.
• The Egyptians were good farmers, they grew onions, beans and lettuce. They caught fish in the River Nile.  They were able to survive on all they grew.
• Work was hard for the Egyptians as the had to move large blocks every 3 minutes to build pyramids. They took 30 years to build.
• Egyptians built a mythical creature called a sphinx. It was the largest sculpture in the world.  It had a lions body and a pharaoh head.
• The Pharaohs were the kings/leaders in Egypt.
• They were rich with gold thrones, jewellry and their sarcophagus/coffin was also made of gold.
• The servants, animals and belongings of the pharaoh was kept in the pyramid as Pharaohs thought they would be useful in the next life.
• In the pyramids the had lots of trap doors so that thieves couldn’t find the treasures buried with the Pharaohs.
• Tutankhamum was the most important Pharaoh as he was found with all his treasure.

By Elea and Ethan