The Friday Note (28.11.25)

THE FRIDAY NOTE (28^TH NOVEMBER 2025)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

At the time of writing, our Parents’ Council are busy setting up the hall for our Multicultural Celebration event, which will take place between 1.30pm and 3.30pm today. Please collect your child(ren) at the normal times and then come into the hall to join us! I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank our Parents’ Council for planning such a fabulous celebration of the diversity of our school! It’s what going to an integrated school is all about!

Courtesy of our Parents’ Council, we’ve also had lots of fun events happening in school this week- P7 enjoyed a Japanese Origami workshop, while P4-P6 children took part in lively tin whistle sessions.

I hope you all find the following information useful. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

FUNDRAISING FOR IPADS!

A key project we are hoping to fundraise for is a brand-new set of the latest 128GB iPads with protective cases. A full class set of 30 iPads will cost £7,947. We know this is a significant amount, but our current iPads can no longer be updated and many of the apps we would love to use to give our pupils the very best learning experiences are no longer accessible. Within our school budget, we simply cannot fund this project on our own, and so we really do need the support of our families and wider community.

Here’s how you can help:

If you have a business and are able to sponsor an iPad with case (£264.90 each), we will gratefully acknowledge your support on our Facebook page and in our Friday Notes.
We have also added a GoFundMe link (https://gofund.me/085f2fd0f) to make donating as easy as possible.

Every contribution, large or small, will make a real difference! Thank you!

CAR PARK UPDATE

Thank you for your patience as we await the contractors to complete the line markings in the car park. In the meantime, please remember:

Disabled parking spaces must only be used by families with a blue badge.
It is especially important that children who use wheelchairs can access the dropped kerb safely to come into school.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our car park safe and accessible for all.

GATE LOCKS AND ACCESS TIMES

Our gates are now fitted with keypad locks and will be closed from 9.15am each morning to keep all of our pupils safe.

The gate at Mrs O’Braonain’s and Mr Phillips’ classroom door opens at 10pm daily for Nursery pick-up.
All other gates open at 50pm to allow parents to access the playgrounds for pick-up.

If you need to collect your child earlier than the above times, please report to Grainne at reception and wait while your child is brought to you.

NURSERY & P1 NATIVITY

We are excited to announce that our Nursery and P1 children will stage their Nativity performance on Wednesday 17th December at 10am.

Doors will open at 9.15am.
Tea and coffee will be served by our wonderful Parents’ Council.

We look forward to seeing our youngest stars shine on stage!

OPEN NIGHT

If you have a child due to start Nursery or P1 in September 2026, or know someone who does, please save the date:

Tuesday 9th December, 6.00–7.30pm (Principal’s Address at 7pm in the assembly hall).
Stay & Play session for prospective Nursery and P1 pupils: Tuesday 6th January, 10.30am–12noon in Leafy Hollow. This will also be the first day of Term 2 for P2–P7 pupils. Nursery, P1 and P1/2 pupils will return on Wednesday 7th January.

We would also appreciate if you could share information about our Open Night on Facebook!

REPORTING ABSENCES

All absences should be reported via the ‘Book an Absence’ link on our website on the first day of absence. This helps us keep accurate records and ensures compliance with Education Welfare guidance.

COMMUNICATION

To help us keep communication clear and consistent, we kindly ask that all messages for teachers are sent directly via Class Dojo or via the office. Staff members arriving with children in the morning have important duties supporting classes, and so are not in a position to pass on messages to different teachers. Using Dojo ensures your message reaches the right person quickly and avoids anything being missed.

CHRISTMAS JUMPER FOR HAMISH COMPETITION

To support Gail and the Deck the Paws event, we are running a fun competition to decorate a Christmas Jumper for Hamish!

Colouring pages are going home with the children today.
Please return completed entries (£1 per entry) by next Thursday.
Winning entries will be displayed at the Deck the Paws event on Saturday 13th December at Armagh Cricket Club.

Thank you for your support with this!

DECK THE PAWS!

The Nit & Natter Community invites you and your furry friends to a festive Christmas celebration at Armagh Cricket Club on Saturday 13th December (12–5pm).

For just £15 per dog, your pooch will enjoy a “pawtrait” with Santa Paws, a puppuccino, a personalised gift, and a festive goodie bag.

Dogs and humans alike are encouraged to dress to impress- think jumpers, tinsel, hats, or festive collars! All proceeds support Pretty ‘n’ Pink. Hamish, of course, will be there with bells on! We hope to see lots of you there too!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, you’re always welcome to get in touch with me or your child’s class teacher via Class Dojo or you can catch me at drop off or collection time. For safeguarding concerns, please contact Mrs O’Braonain directly at aobraonain211@c2kni.net.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Mr A. Scott-Mulholland
Principal