Latest News and Events
School Calendar 2024.25
Beginning of the new school term 2024
We were delighted to welome our students on Thursday and Friday. The beginning of the school year is always a nervous and exiting time. We were so lucky to have beautiful sunny weather to ensure that our yard was very enjoyable. Thank you to Ms. Ní Chinnéide for organising the really fun games - it was a lovely way to connect on our first few days!
CMNS Sponsored Walk 14.6.24
Our fundraising focus this year was on increasing our stock of assistive technology in classrooms - partiularly iPads, as we use these for all aspects of accessing the curriculum for our students throughout the day. Our fundraising target was to raise as much as possible towards the purchase of an additional 20 ipads: to have two per class, to compliment the shared stock of ipads we have.
Thank you so much to our wonderful students and their families for their sponsorship raising a current running cash total of almost €2000!! We have also had some very generous corporate donations of six further ipads (value of €3500) which is absolutely wonderful news!!
Our sponsored walk on Friday had a Bloomsday theme as this Sunday (16/6/24) is Bloomsday. As a reading school we are always looking for ways to bring a love of reading and literature to life alongside the intervention we provide.
Many classes watched an adaptation of Ulysses https://ulysses22.ie/episodes/youll-see that was made by Branar theatre company as part of the 100 year anniversary celebration of the publication of Bloomsday in 2022.
Our sponsored walk then took in some of the famous Dublin landmarks mentioned in Ulysses including The National Library, Sweny's Chemist, Clare Street, and Grafton Street. Well done everyone and a huge thank you!
Our May Newsletter
Click here for our latest edition
Our third term has been a busy one so far. Here are some of our highlights:
First Lego League comes to Catherine McAuley NS!
Trips to Milanos
Drumming Workshops
Ringsend Athletics Meet
Rugby Silverware comes to Catherine McAuley NS
Strength, conditioning and boxing training with Michael Carruth!
Tri-Readers Sports Day
Santry 2024
Our April Newsletter
Click here for our latest edition
Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!! Looking forward to welcoming all our students back on Monday 8th of April. Dont forget to keep up your reading every day.
Our March Newsletter
Click here for this latest edition!
Our February Newsletter
Click here for our latest edition!
Captains Run at the Aviva Stadium!
A huge thank you to Karen - who organised for our whole school to go to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday 29th of February....to see the Irish team and the U20s train!! We had the best day!!
Click on this link to see a clip - it was a great atmosphere!
Thank you to Noel, John and Caroline for coming with us and helping us keep safe while crossing the road!
Term 2 so far....
This term is when we really settle into our routines in school, and also try to bring as much spring creativity as we can!
Here is a snapshot of some of our assmebly star award students who have been working hard during January and February:
The Feast of St. Brigid/Imbolc
We enjoyed learning about the stories and traditions of St. Brigid/Imbolc. Aoife came in to help us make St. Brigid's Crosses
Thank you Sarah for bringing in so many reeds for us to use to make crosses!
Room 10s wonderful assembly on the different stories and traditions of St. Brigid
The students in Room 10 did a wonderful presentation where they each took a different story or tradition and explained it. It was a superb assembly!
Confirmation class of 2024
Some of our 6th class are preparing for their confirmation at the moment. We went to mass on the feast day of St. Brigid
Room 1 Update
Room 5 Update
Room6/7 Update
Room 8 Update
Room 4/9
Room 10 Update
Calendar update: half day closures for curricular development in terms 2 and 3
St. Vincent de Paul Fundraising
Well done to our wonderful students for their amazing efforts - through the cake sale, bric-a-brac sale, games and raffle - raised a whopping €1,473.25!!!!!!! Well done to all, and thank you to parents for supporting this so generously.
Hallowe'en in CMNS
What a fantastic end to the half term - we had a wonderful Hallowe'en parade in the sunshine!
We also had fun in our classrooms playing some traditional Hallowe'en games, working on some spooky art and winding down before the break.
Click here to view our latest newsletter! 20/10/23
Sports for Fun - Autumn Event!
Building on the success of the 'sports for fun' day that was held in June - we decided that it was an event that we should hold earlier in the year so that students have the chance to form new friendships that develop and grow throughout the year. The event was held in Herbert Park, and students were on different 'colour' teams where there was a mix of students from all classes. There was a range of fun events including: an obstacle course, target shot, spud and spoon, sack race, welly throw, scarecrow dress-up, pumpkin carry - and the mighty tug of war! Thank you to Ms. Ní Chinnéide and Ms. Kennedy for organising this. Loads of fun was had and new friendships were forged!!
Please click here for our newsletter 6/10/2023
Inclusive June
During the month of June our student council have been promoting different activities throughout the school to make sure everyone feels welcome and included in our school. They did a superb job! Inclusive June finished on a real high with a rainbow/colour parade and a disco with our favourite DJ!
Have a look at our parade here
Another part of Inclusive June was our first ever 'Sports For Fun' day. This was where our student council members led teams made up of students from different classes who wore their team colour on the day. This helped students meet and make friends with others they wouldnt normally get to play with. It was a really fun day!!
Catherine McAuley has got talent!!
Our annual talent show was a real end of year highlight. Well done to all of our talented students who took part, you were wonderful!
Arts in CMNS in Term 3
We were delighted to have Emmet back with us from Burning House Productions who facilitated worshops with each class - where students created and shot their own amazing film!
We were also delighted to have Aoife back in with us to do a number of creative projects this year - finishing up with personalised notebooks that students designed themselves, and then learned the technique of découpage
Wonderful constructions by Room 9!
5th and 6th class students in Room 9 have been working on a construction project as part of their science curriculum. The brief for their project was to design and build a contruction using a variety of media that also contained a working circuit that powered a motor or lightbulb! Their indiviual and group constructions were so creative and innovative - well done!
Sponsored Walk to Fundraise for our Sensory Room!
We have been raising funds to convert a space in our school to a sensory room - that can be a lovely chill out spot for students to relax. We did a sponsored walk today - and as it was Bloomsday our walk took in some of the City Centre spots featured in Ulysses! A huge thank you to the Parents Association, all students and parents for raising a MASSIVE €3388!!!!! Our sensory room will be ready to go in the Autumn Term.
Visit from Author Paul O'Flynn
We were so thrilled to welcome Paul O'Flynn to our school today to talk to us about being an author - and the books he has written. He also spoke to us about the sports people he has met through his job as a news/sports presenter and journalist - and he read a chapter of his fantastic book 'Go, Johnny, Go!'
Students had lots of great questions for him about the writing process and who would be his dream sports personality to write about. We were lucky to receive a donation of 'Go, Johnny, Go!' books so that every child got to bring home a book that Paul was kind enough to autograph. He also presented Sophia in Room 8 with her write a book merit award.
Dates for your Diary: June
There will be a talk for parents this Wednesday night at 7.30pm. This is primarily for senior primary students with a focus on preparing for the transition to post primary school. All are welcome!!
Our sponsored walk will take place this coming Friday the 16th of June. The children will do this walk with their class during the school day. Thank you so much for all of the money raised - this will go directly to our sensory room project which will be completed over the Summer Break. We will update with the total raised and also some photos of our walk on the day.
Write a Book Project 2023
Congratulations to all of our 99 students who took part in the Write a Book Project this year. It is a HUGE achievement for all of our students to have written their own book, well done!
The students who were chosen for the merit award in each class were invited to attend a ceremony in the Killiney Court Hotel where they were presented with their medal and a certificate. Congratulations!
School Tours and Trips June 2023
Our end of year school tours have got off to a great start with 5th class going to ZipIt. They had a super time!
Workshop at the Boatanic Gardens
Rooms 1 and 6 had a fantastic trip to the Botanic gardens, and even got to look at different plants under the microscope!
Term 3 miscellaneous trips
Classes had the chance to go on some other wonderful curricular and fun trips to: The Ark, Dublin Castle, Milanos, Storytelling workshops and the Dublin Literary Festival!
Reading Schools Fun Olympics!
On Friday the 9th of June students from the three Reading Schools got together in Irishtown Stadium in Ringsend for our now annual get together. The sun shone and we had a fantastic day of fun and sport together. It was great to see so many parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles there to cheer us on! Students competed in track and field events. We are looking forward to next year already. Special thanks to Ms. Ní Chinnéide, Ms. Kennedy and Karen for organising such a fantastic day.
Here are some videos! https://www.dropbox.com/s/10iyahtwsf77hbd/Ringsend%201.MP4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9rgb5ijxsj9cxrr/Ringsend%202.MP4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqrpwx9wqxy96h7/Reading%20School%20fun%20Olympics%209.6.23.mp4?dl=0
Children's Books Ireland launch of Patricia Forde as Laureate na nÓg
Some of our 5th class pupils were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Ireland's 7th children's Laureate in the Arts Council building on Monday. Photos courtesy of Julien Bahal Photography
Santry Athletics in UCD!
Congratualtions to our squad of athletes who represented Catherine McAuley NS so well in both track and field events including: individual sprints, relay teams, shotput and longjump. You were all fantastic, well done!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5c276l1ipr1pkpw/Santry_May_23_1.MP4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d9h1u6py75wjbdj/Santry_May_23_2.MP4?dl=0
Zambia update and thank you from Ms Kennedy
Primary Cross Country event in Ringsend Park
Well done to our students who took part in this event today, and who cheered one another on!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qqg9kkxfa42jl2t/Ringsend%20sports.MOV?dl=0
Visit from a very special past pupil!
We were delighted to welcome Dylan - a past pupil of Catherine McAuley NS - back to speak to some of our 5th and 6th classes. Dylan is a secondary teacher, and he had some great words of wisdom and advice to share with us.
Ireland's Incredible Marine Life Workshops at the Natural History Museum
Rooms 10 and 1 were lucky enough to go to the Natural History Museum for a fantastic workshop on Irish Marine life with Marine Biologist Mona McCrea!
Confirmation 2023
Congratulations to all of our students who made thir Confirmation this year - whether it was with their own school, or with us and Scoil Chaitríona in St. Andrew's.
Six Nations and Triple Crown Trophies come to Baggot St!!
We were so delighted to see this amazing silverware up close and personal! Huge thanks to Karen and Lindsey for organising this :)
The students in Ms Jackson's class presented their AMAZING stop motion films for us at assembly - here they are! Well done
A busy start to 2023 with every student becoming a published author in our Write a Book Project! Congratulations and thanks to the hard work by all students ...and staff!! 
February 1st we celebrated St Brigids Day with very creative crosses in every classroom 
Finally we held student council elections . The Junior Council is busy researching our new mural and the senior council are hard at work preparing for our Zambia fundraising week .
Closing Date for applications for September 2023 - 20th of December 2022!!
For any parents, guardians or schools that are interested in making an application for the 2023 intake please note that the deadline for applications is 20th of December. To make an application please send the educational assessment for the applicant in to us either by post to Catherine McAuley NS 59 Lower Baggot St. Dublin 2 D02C625, or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Please see our admissions policy and annual admissions notice for further information on admissions criteria and important dates for the process.
Fundraiser for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
We hold an annual fundraising day in the run up to Christmas every year, where students themselves raise money through holding a cake sale, bric a brac sale, jewellery sale and raffle. This year two more activities were added: a games carousel and christmas card making station! It was a really fun day that was enjoyed by all. Thank you to all families who donated bric a brac, prizes for the raffle, jewellery and made delicious cakes and treats.
We will post the total amount raised here shortly!
Its beginning to look alot like Christmas in Catherine McAuley NS!!
The students in Room 2 with Ms. Walsh have done a lovely display - which is an advent of kindness. There is a suggestion for every day in December of a kind act that we could do:
Live Performances are back on Lr Baggot St!
We are delighted to be preparing for a live Christmas performance on Tuesday the 20th of December at 11am in our school hall.
Really looking forward to seeing you all then! Make sure to come early to get the best seat in the house!
Forest School comes to Catherine McAuley NS!
A huge thank you to Ms. Kennedy for organising for Ciara Hinksman from Forest School Ireland to come in and work with all of our students. We have been loving having Ciara in to work with each class, and help them learn more about our natural environment, and to learn some new skills in the process! Ciara is a Heritage Specilaist who is with us as part of the Heritage In Schools Programme - run by the Heritage Council.
Farewell to Johnny - the best bus driver in Finglas :)
We were sad to say farewell to Johnny who has driven the finglas bus for the last number of years. We wish him all the best and look forward to having him back to visit!
Room 7's excellent Bronze Age Presentation!
Students from Room 7 gave a fantastic presentation of their models of Bronze Age dwellings, and told us all about the facts that they had learned about this period of history. It was the first assembly presentation this year and was fantastic! Well done to all students.
Science Week in CMNS!
We really enjoyed our hands on experiements for science week:
Here are students from Room explaining their circuit - click here to see the video
Term 1 Star Award Students!
Hallowe'en Celebrations in Catherine McAuley NS !
We had a superb day just before the Hallowe'en break when Ms. Kennedy organised for us to complete a history trail around Merrion Square, a visit to the Dead Zoo (Natural History Museum), a visit to the National Gallery and a trip to the playground! It was a superb day and everyone really enjoyed it. The painting we all sent to see in the National Gallery was 'The marraige of Strongbow and Aoife'. Ms. Ní Chinnéíde provided a wonderful guide to observing this painting and the wonderful room where it is on display.
One of the best parts of Hallowe'en in Catherine McAuley NS is the party! A huge thank you to Ms. Walsh and Room 2 for hosting a superb party for us all!
Check out this video of our Hallowe'en get together - click to view here
Term 3 - some of our highlights!
This has been a fantastic term - and alongside all of the hard work our students have done, there has been lots of fun too.
A wonderful team of 4th class students took on the mighty challenge of representing our school in the Spar FAI Primary School 5s National Finals that were held in the Aviva Stadium. It was a superb day and our team played so well! They were supported by family members and their friends who made t-shirts and banners espesially for the occasion. It was a fantastic afternoon and the team did our school proud!
CMNS Calendar
Here is our calendar - please note the following closures for the remainder of terms 2 and 3:
- Monday 4th April
- Easter holidays beginning with a half day on Friday 8th April. Easter break from 11th April to 22nd inclusive
- Monday 13th June (this day reflects the discretionary day we had originally scheduled to take on 18th March, before this was declared a bank holiday)
Trip to Milanos! 22.3.22
A huge thank you to the wonderful staff in Milano's on Baggot St., and also to our own Ms. Callanan for organising todays pizza making trip to Milanos! What a brilliant way to start our Tuesday! Students from Rooms 4, 6 and 8 got to be the first group to return to Milanos to make (and most importantly eat!) their very own pizza.
Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation
Some of our 6th class students, alongside 6th class students from Scoil Chaitríona Baggot Street NS are getting ready to make their confirmation on Sunday 3rd of April in St. Andrew's Church in Westland Row.
In preparation for this - Fr. Enda held the enrolment ceremony on Monday 21st March. This was a lovely ceremony that Ms. Ní Chinnéide, Karen and Ms. Nolan had helped the children prepare for, where they formally put their names forward to receive the sacrament in the parish. They had prepared beautiful prayers and songs.
We are really looking forward to further preparations in the lead up to their big day!
The service of light will take place this Wednesday the 23rd of March at 7.30pm in the chapel in the Mercy International Centre - 64A Lower Baggot Street.
St Patrick's festivities in Catherine McAuley NS
We were delighted to be able to return to our traditional celebrations for St. Patrick's Day! It was wonderful to be able to fill our preparations with colour, fun and laughter.
CMNS Hat Parade
Room 1 hosted our fun filled hat parade - and they kicked off festivities in style!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/82sy3jukgj0x80t/Room%201%20Hat%20Parade.MP4?dl=0
CMNS Céilí
Star Awards Friday 11th March 2022
Room 1 did a fantastic assembly showing us their wonderful aimated stories they made using the Book Creator app. Their animations were fantastic! They were able to describe the process, how they worked in groups creatively and were able to add speech for the characters. Well done. They also did some incredible singing!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bo76i648vrrrai7/Rm%201%20assembly%2011.3.22.MOV?dl=0
Star Award Students from Room 1
Thank you to Emmett and Cooper for doing such a wonderful job of tidying up our entrance hallway. Such a kind thing to do!
Star Award Students from Room 10
Students from Room 8 presented their ingenuous plans as to how to catch a leprechaun! Their presentation was fantastic - and just in time for our preparations for St. Patrick's Day! Well done to everyone - superb preparation, individual presentations and illustrations.
Star Award Students from Room 8
Star Award Students from Room 4
Star Award Students from Room 6
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your generous support with the recent request for blankets and throws.
The feedback from the Catherine McAuleys NS community was amazing with approx 100 blankets and throws being donated.
Your donated blankets are due to arrive at the Romanian border with Ukraine where it has been cold and snowing.
Thank you to Róisín and her parents for showing great leadership in putting the request out. Such a great and compassionate community.
Wishing Heilean and Iulian a safe journey https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0309/1285415-romania-ukraine-refugees/
Ireland training session in the Aviva Stadium! 3rd of March 2022
Thanks to Karen - one of our wonderful SNAs who organised for our first whole-school trip in two years! We all went to the Aviva Stadium to watch the Ireland senior rugby team as well as the under 20s training session. It was a fantastic day out!
Advice from a sporting hero
Our number 1 Dubs fan in Catherine McAuley NS is Jack in 4th class. He had written to Dubs legend Johnny Cooper, and he brought in the letter he received back from Johnny. Jack got some great advice here and was delighted with his reply.
Wishing Brian a Happy Retirement!
We were very sad to say goodbye to Brian, one of our wonderful bus drivers - as he embarks on his retirement. We wish him all the very best!!
Jack - one of the students on his bus - did this amazing canvas drawing that all the students signed as a keepsake for Brian
Star Awards 16th and 18th of February
Students in Room 10 did an amazing assembly on aerodynamics as part of what they had been learning about in science.
Check out the videos from their assembly
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9j5zx1hres8mlo/Rm%2010%20assembly%2018.2%20%281%29.MOV?dl=0
Students from Room 6 explained during their assembly how they created their wonderful Stop Motion videos that brought "The Twits" to life - Catherine McAuley style!
Check out their brilliant animations here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1clilia6ciyhu34/My_Stop_Motion_Movie.mov?dl=0
Star Award students from Room 6
Star Award Students from Room 4
Star Award Students from Room 8
Star Award Students from Room 2
Star Award Students from Room 7
Our 5th and 6th class students took part in a fantastic pilot project in the National Gallery where they got to be 'artists in residence' for two weeks.
Our students got to take part in a range of practical workshops using a variety of media and techniques - this was the best part! As part of the project, they gave guided tours of selected pieces to all of the classes who visited the gallery. They were fantastic tour guides. An exhibition of their work was open to the public for two weekends - it was wonderful that students could bring their families into the National Gallery to show their very own work!
As a special treat for student's hard work on their 'write a book' projects we had a whole school ice cream treat! Well done everyone on your AMAZING books!
Star Awards 28th January 2022
Star Award Srudents from Room 2
Star Award Students from Room 3
Star Award Students from Room 7
Star Award Students from Room 5
Star Award Students from Room 9
Great excitement ahead of Dublin's first league match!
Jack was busy making posters ahead of the game
Plant Services Ireland to the rescue!!
It has been a busy few weeks. One of our students - Emmett - who is always working hard and looking for ways to help - brought his dad on board to help remove and recycle our Christmas tree. Thank you Emmett and Brendan!!
Inagural Junior Student Council Meeting
Ms Bradley hosted the first Student Council meeting for Juniors today. It was fantastic to hear student's ideas and have them come together to represent their classes.
January Update - A snapshot of the hard work happening in Catherine McAuley NS!
Paper planes in motion! https://www.dropbox.com/s/oy3v1t3s111to9a/Room%208_1.MP4?dl=0
Here is room 10 striking a pose! https://www.dropbox.com/s/i48u9k9przv38iv/Room%2010_10.MP4?dl=0
Term 2 2022
There will be a closure for curriculum training/development on Thursday 6th January 2022. We are looking forward to welcoming students back on Friday 7th of January for the beginning of the new school term!
You can access a copy of the school calendar here Pupil Calendar 2021.22
Fundraising for St. Vincent de Paul
It is an annual tradition in Catherine McAuley NS that students raise funds for children and families needing support in their communities during the festive period. Ms. Roche, Evelyn and the students of Room 2 held two wonderful jewellery sales - having made a range of beautiful jewellery. Ms. Walsh, Evelyn (again!) and the students of Room 2 organised, publicised and held the raffle last Friday which brought epic levels of excitement to our school! Between both of these wonderful events - our students raised a whopping total of.......€1724!!!!! Well done everyone! Thank you for all of the raffle ticket buying and generous donations we received.
Its beginning to look alot like Christmas!!!
All of our classes are busy putting the final touches to their FANTASTIC class plays!! I will be in touch with you next week to let you know what day the link for your child's play will be sent to you.
We will be having our annual fund raiser for St. Vincent de Paul this coming Friday the 17th of December. On Friday the jewellery makers of Room 3 will be having a jewellery sale. The students of Room 2 will be hosting a raffle. We will be doing this safely and connecting virtually for the raffle in school. It is always a very exciting event! Tickets are on sale for 20 cent each. I have shared a live google doc with pictures of all the fantastic prizes available!
Christmas is a time where we love giving and getting cards and presents. There are also lots of things in our lives that we are grateful to have every day. Rooms 1 and 2 have done a beautiful display where students have detailed things they are grateful for.
Changes to Covid 19 response in schools
The following documents are the most recent we have received from the Department of Education and NPHET.
They outline the new arrangements for the use of antigen testing for students who are close contacts of a covid case, and also detail on the requirement for mask wearing in school for children in 3rd to 6th class. Unfortunately our school, and all special schools are not included in the antigen testing scheme for close contacts in school. There is no current rationale as to why we are not included. I have made my views clear to the dept - it is not good enough that our students and their families by extension are being treated differently. I would encourage you to make contact with these relevant ministers, and your own local representatives to ask why our children are being excluded and treated differently to their peers in mainstream:
Norma Foley Minister for Education This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Josepha Madigan Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Anne Rabbitte Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and at the Department of Health This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Unfortunately the govt havent been doing a super job on their inclusion and communication of same of late
Letter regarding the use of antigen tests for parents
Letter regarding the use of antigen tests for schools
This is the letter and detail sent to us regarding the wearing of face masks in school. As I had mentioned in my email to all parents - we are working to support and encourage students in 3rd to 6th classes to wear masks more regularly during the school day for their safety and the safety of others as an added short term mitigation. We have explained the reasoning and rationale to students, and we ensure that students have the chance to take regular 'mask breaks'. We appreciate parents and students ongoing support of helping to maintain as safe a school as possible.
Letter from CMO to parents regarding mask wearing for students in 3rd to 6th class
Detail on the directive on face covering in Primary schools
Assemblies and Star Awards 3.12.2021
Junior assemblies were held today - and as always they were absolutely fantastic!
Students from Room 1 performed an amazing Christmas Rap!
Star Award Students from Room 10
Star Award Students from Room 1
Students from Room 8 presented their superb projects on The Romans.
Star Award Students from Room 6
Star Award Students from Room 4
Star Award Students from Room 8
Star Awards and Jewellery Sale 26.11.2021
Room 3 opened the doors to their wonderful jewellery shop on Friday - holding the first of their two sales. Every year we host a fund-raiser for St. Vincent de Paul, and we will donate the proceeds from the jewellery sale and the raffle we will host closer to the end of term.
Star Award Students from Room 9
Star Awards Students from Room 5
Star Award Students from Room 2
Star Award Students from Room 3
Star Award Students from Room 7
Star Awards and Assemblies 19.11.2021
Junior assemblies were held today and they were fantastic!!
Room 10 gave a wonderful presentation on all they had learned about the hunter gatherers and the Stone Age. They also showed us the pinch pots they had made.
Star Awards Students from Room 10
Star Award Students Room 1
Room 4 gave a superb presentation and explanation of the 'portmanteau words' that they had created. Students explained that this was when two words were blended together to form a new word. They shared their own examples with us.
Star Award Students Room 4
Star Award Students Room 6
Star Award Students Room 8
Star Awards and Assemblies 12.11.2021
Students in Room 5 did a fantastic presentation on different figures from the 1916 rising. They have been learning about this period in history, and visited Kilmainham Gaol as well as part of their research.
Star Award Students from Room 5
Star Award Students from Room 9
Star Award Students from Room 2
Star Award Students from Room 3
Star Award Students from Room 7
Star Spotting by Darragh in Room 9
Darragh is one of the biggest soccer fans in Catherine McAuley N.S. His dream unexpectedly came true when he met the Ireland squad before the Portugal game last week!!
Darragh and Séamus Coleman
Darragh and Jeff Hendrick
Star Awards and Assemblies 5.11.2021
It was great to welcome all of our students back this week after the mid term break, and help them get back into a good working routine. A huge well done for all of the wonderful reading that students did over the mid term break!
Our junior bubbles held their assemblies today.
Star Award Students from Room 10
Star Award Students Room 1
Room 6 presented their amazing projects on different counties in Ireland. They did a wonderful job of researching facts and putting together really interesting projects!
Room 6 Star Award Students
Room 4 Star Award Students
Room 8 Star Award Students
Hallowe'en Fun! Friday 22nd October
We had a fantastic day dressing up and playing games on Friday as the half term came to a close.
Well done to all students on their hard work settiling in to the term in Catherine McAuley NS. We hope everyone has a really enjoyable mid-term break, and dont forget to keep reading....EVERY DAY! Students all have a Hallowe'en Reading Log to fill in over the break as they keep the habit of daily reading going. Please support them to do this by making tme to read with them every day.
Here are as election of individual class photos as well as some of the Hallowe'en parades/parties
Bubble 1 Hallowe'en Parade (Rooms 1, 4, 6, 8 and 10)
Room 1
Room 10
Room 4
Ms. McCauley and Mary both dressed up as the Zones of Regulation!!
Room 6
Room 8 Pumpkin craft and dressing up
Room 2
Room 3 drama performance and dressing up
The students performed a fantastic spooky drama based on the poem The Visitor by Ian Serrailier
Room 7
Students had been working on an Archaeology project
They took a trip to the Archaeological Museum (National Museum of Ireland)
They also completed some excellent work for Fire Safety Awareness Week!
They also collected hundreds of conkers!
Rooms 5 and 9
Arrangements for Friday 22nd October
We are looking forward to this Friday when we will be finishing up for the half-term Hallowe'en break. School will finish at the normal time of 2.40pm on Friday.
All students are encouraged to wear or bring fancy dress to school on Friday. Please no clown masks or costumes.
We will be doing normal class-work in the morning, so if the children come to school in their costume it needs to be work-friendly also! We will have a Hallowe'en party in the afternoon. It is always a really fun day.
We will be giving all students a reading log that needs to be filled in over the half term break. Students need to maintain their good habit of daily reading throguhout the break. Please support them to do this.
Assemblies and Star Awards!
In our school we hold assemblies every two weeks. This is a time when small groups of children come together, and one class does a presentation on something they have been learning about. This is a great way for students to learn the skills of research, presentation, and to help build confidence with speaking in front of a group.
Each teacher also nominates three students to receive a 'star award' where they get a certificate and a prize.
Room 1 Star awards 15.10.21
Room 4 super star awards 15.10.21
room 6 star awards 15.10.21
room 10 star awards 15.10.21
Last week (1.10.21) the junior classes held their assemblies
Room 10 are learning about viualising in comrehension
And room 8 have done great work on onomatopoeia poems and great pumpkin stories ! 
Star award students from Room 1
Star Award students from Room 4
Star Award students from Room 6
Star Award students from Room 8
Star Award students from Room 10
This week (8.1.21) the senior assemblies were held.
Star award students from Room 2
Star Award students from Room 3
Star Award students from Room 5
Star Award students from Room 7
Star Award students from Room 9
Settling in to the new term in Catherine McAuley NS
Well done to all of our students for their hard work so far over the last five weeks settling into the first term. All students are well and truly settled into a new daily routine!
We were delighted to be asked to take part in a campaign that Children Books Ireland ran in September to call for funding to be restored in the budget for books for class libraries. Some of the students in Room 6 got to take part in a photoshoot in our yard!
Hard at work and having fun
Here is a sneak peek inside some of our classrooms and class trips to show you what students have been learning about this term so far!
These photos are from Room 10's first STEM (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) lesson. Students engaged so well in group work learning about buoyancy, density and water displacement.
Room 6 have been busy in the garden doing leaf rubbings and some clearing and planting. They also went on a trip to the National Art Gallery.
Room 4 have been doing lots of STEM activities too - here is a photo of the coloured caterpillar they made showing capillary action. They also followed the Patrick O'Reilly scultpture trail throughout Dublin City Centre!
Getting ready for the new term!
We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our new students, and returning students to Catherine McAuley NS for the first day of the new term on Wednesday 1st of September 2021.
Bus Eireann have confirmed that work is still ongoing at their end to finalise bus routes - so dont worry if you havent heard from your child's driver yet. This is completely normal, you will have contact from them in the few days before the first day of school.
For the first day of term - all your child will need is:
- A healthy snack, a healthy lunch, and a drink
All stationary and books will be provided (and included in the book rental amount). Your child can of course bring in their own pencil case if they would like to.
Congratulations to all our fabulous authors from our Write a book project! Medals presented by Minister O'Gorman in our lush garden today !
photos from the National Gallery by Jack Caffrey the Pimlico Project
Yesterday Rooms 9, 5 and 6 were lucky to be invited to the National Gallery for a pilot schools visit making us the only school in the country to see inside the gallery this year!
June 2021
June is always an extra busy month at Catherine Mc Auley ns and despite Covid restrictions this June is as busy as ever. Bubble 1 had a fantastic tour of the zoo, Bubble 2 are going to ZIpit on June 17th and Bubble 3 are doing a full sports skills day on June 18th. We have also had a fabulous visit from our friendly farmer Eoin! Also our creative schools module is continuing so that everyone in the school gets a chance at being a filmaker thanks to Emmet and Burning House productions.
See photos below ! 
Remembering our wonderful Sophia
Our school community is devastated by the loss of Sophia, who was in 6th class. We are thinking of her family, friends, classmates and friends on the school bus at this very difficult time. Our work to support all students is ongoing.
Summer/July Provision 2021
While Ministers Madigan and Foley announced the Summer Provision scheme last week https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/5d15a-summer-provision/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/summerprovision/ all schools are still awaiting the detail/guidelines for the scheme which have not been released yet.
When this information is published, we will then be able to consider if it is possible to run a school based programme. We will be back in touch with you to let you know if this is possible, and provide further details.
Catherine McAuley NS super star film makers!
As part of the Creative Schools initiative Emmet from Burning House Productions worked with Bubble 3 students in Term 2 to help them shoot and edit short films. Their films were selected to be part of the 'Creative Schools' showcase of Irish talent in our classrooms. They are included in episode 3 and can be viewed using this link
http://www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/celebration-2021/
Well done to all students and their teachers
Room 8 - backwards poetry 14/5/21
For their assembly presentation, the students of Room 8 read their amazing backwards poetry. Their poems were absolutely brilliant!! Well done.
Room 1 Amazing Art!
Well done to these really creative students who love working together
Star Awards: Bubble 1 and Bubble 3 30/4/21
Star award students from Bubble 1
Star Award Students from Bubble 3
Bubble 2 Assembly 23/4/21
Room 2 did a fantastic presentation on individuals they researched and learned about who were really important figures in the 1916 rising. Superb work and presentation!!
Star awards students from Room 2
Star awards students from Room 7
Star Award students from Room 8
Write a book celebration treat!
19.4.21 All of our students did such a fantastic job on their 'Write a Book' projects that we had a special whole school ice-cream treat to say well done for all of their hard work and perseverance. Well done to all!
16.4.21 We were delighted to welcome all students back after the Easter Break. As we begin our final term - this week was a time for students to settle back to the school routine and resume their habits of hard work.
All students have completed writing their very own book for the 'Write a Book' project. This is such an incredible achievement for every single one of our students and we are so proud of your achievements!!
Room 1 did an absolutely brilliant assembly in the garden where thet presented their amazing Write a Books!! These students are the youngest class in Catherine McAuley NS, and produced the most INCREDIBLE selection of fact/fiction/horror books. Brooke wrote about her experience in making the change to come to Catherine McAuley NS - and what that has been like for her. Well done to all of the students in Room 1 for presenting their wonderful stories!
Star Award Students from Room 1
Star Award Students from Room 4
Star Award Students from Room 10
Star Award Students from Room 3
Star Award Students from Room 5
Star Award Students from Room 6
Reminder re: school closure this week!! Catherine McAuley NS is closed on 17th, 18th and 19th of March. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back on Monday 22nd of March. Please support your child to read each day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Even though we are still not able to celebrate this special day as we normally would - we had great fun in school on Tuesday preparing for our national day.
Look at this fantastic video from Room 10 students with their Kerry Polka! Click here
In non-covid times we would usually gather as a whole school in one room and have a 'Hat Parade' with hats that students crafted themselves.
Room 1 kept this tradition going this year - and treated room 2 to a wonderful hat parade. Watch their fab parade here
Throughout the school our creative students produced beautiful hats, cards and art.
We hope you all have a great day today!!
Star Award Students! Friday 12th March
Well done to all of our star award recipients
Room 1
Room 2
Room 3
Room 4
Room 5
Room 6
Room 7
Room 8
Room 9
Ms Ní Chinnéide totally cheated - and gave all of her students a star award for their fantastic and consistent hard work on their 'Write a Book' project! Well done to all!
Room 10
Well done to all of our students for their hard work during the last period of online learning. You have been working so hard at home. This lockdown has been really tough - we are very proud of all of your efforts and consistent hard work.
Here are some photos from our first few weeks back in the building.
Room 1
Star award pupils and some of our super-stars on World Book Day!
Room 3
Some pre-Christmas photos of trips and our Christmas production. Star award winners from our last assembly.
Room 4
Star award winners from our first assembly of term 2
Room 5
Engineers week projects and star award students from our first assembly in Term 2
Room 6
Here are some of our Engineers Week projects, and our star award students.
Room 7
Engineers week projects and star award students.
Room 8
Photos from pre-Christmas projects as well as star student award winners.
Check out our video here
Room 9
Here are some photos of our bridge building during engineers week, and also our star award pupils.
Room 10
Here we are presenting our animal reports with 3D models!!
End of term arrangements
We will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 22nd of December. Well done to all students on a fantastic term of hard work! It has been wonderful to see your progress, and we look forward to even more progress in the New Year.
Dont forget to keep up your reading over the Christmas break - teachers will provide a reading log to keep track of the reading your child completes. Please support your child by making time to read with them each day of the holidays. It is so important that students keep on reading over the break so that the progress and gains they have made are not lost!!
We look forward to welcoming student back for the second term which begins on Wednesday the 6th of January.
Prior to our return to school on Wednesday the 6th of January, I will be sending you a pre-return to school questionnaire (on Tuesday 5th of January) that I will need you to fill in and return to me. This is an essential pre-requisite to the new term.
Raffle in aid of St. Vincent de Paul - Friday 18th December!
We are really looking forward to the raffle that will take place next Friday the 18th of December in aid of St. Vincent de Paul. At this time of year, especially at the end of such a tough year we are thinking about families who may need some extra support - St. Vincent de Paul work wth families all over Ireland, doing geat work in all of our communities.
Sincere thanks to all of our families who have donated amazing raffle prizes - it is going to be a really exciting bumper raffle this year! Tickets can be bought in class - 50c per ticket, or five for €2. We will have a maximum ticket spend of €10 per student - any amount in excess of this can be donated to the total raised. Thank you for your support, this will really make a difference.
Christmas Productions are almost ready - final edits in progress!
Each class is filming their own production - which will be emailed to you on Friday 18th of December, so that you can view their production together as a family. While we have had to change from the usual stage production that we would normally join together to do at Christmas - filming our own production in each class has been a great experience! The students of Catherine McAuley NS never fail to find the silver lining in each situation! You are in for a real treat at home - watch your email inbox on Friday the 18th of Dec for access to your child's play.
Bubble 2 Assembly Friday 11th December 2020
Students from Room 8 took a really creative approach to our last assembly before Christmas - and using Irish Sign Language - learned how to sign parts of some of our favourite Christmas songs!! They performed these for Bubble 2 out in the garden. It was so lovely - they were asked to perform it twice! You can see a video of their performance here.
Star award students from Room 2
Star award students from Room 7
Star award students from Room 8
Bubble 3 Assembly Wednesday 9th December 2020
Students from Room 3 presented a fantastically festive assembly on Wednesday of this week all about Christmas traditions in different countries around the world. They did a wonderful job, and wowed us with their presentation skills! Well done Room 3!!
Star award students from Room 3
Star award students from Room 5
Star award students from Room 6
Star award students from Room 9
Bubble 1 Assembly Friday 27th November 2020
As the cold weather is here for the remainder of Winter - we will now have Assemblies in the hall, every three weeks.
This week was Room 1's turn. After thy had wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving - click here to see - it was time for the assembly for Bubble 1. They presented their 'Winter' acrostic poems - and explained to everyone that an acrostic poem uses each of the letters in the word 'Winter' as the first letter in each line of their poem. They were wonderful performers and shared their individual poems with us. Watch out for these poems that will be on display this week! This assembly put us in the Christmas Spirit! Well done Room 1.
Star Award winners from Room 1
Star award winners from Room 4
Star award winners from Room 10
Creative Schools in Catherine McAuley NS
We are part of the Creative Schools project - and are working with Emmet Kelly (Creative Director with Burning House Productions) learning how to shoot and edit our own short films! Emmet is currently working with senior students in Bubble 3, and he is already so impressed by the creativity and skill of our film-makers. Watch this space - we will keep you posted on our progress!
Update from Room 1
Students in Room 1 have been so busy during November - apart from all of their daily Wilson and Maths - they have been busy doing Science experiments, going on local trips in town and getting ready to present their second assembly of the year! Keep up the great work.
A well deserved treat for Room 7
These hardworking students enjoyed a wintry hot chocolate outdoors - a reward for their hard work! Well done - and keep up the great work.
Spooky Hallowee'een Poetry from Room 8
Look at these amazing poems! Well done - super work.
Bubble 1 Assembly 13th November 2020
Room 4 did a fantastic presentation on the four provinces of Ireland which was absolutely brilliant!! Each group picked a province - and described two counties in that province - giving lots of detail they had learned during their research. Awesome job room 4!
Here are the superstars themselves
Star Award Students from Room 4
Star Award Students from Room 10
Star Award Students from Room 1
Bubble 2 Assembly 13th November 2020
Continuing with the theme of places - Room 2 did a superb presentation on the different counties they had been learning about - and had completed projects on. They presented their projects giving great detail and facts about population, culture, cuisine to name but a few. Brilliant job Room 2!
Here they are with their projects
Star Award Students from Room 2
Star Award Students from Room 7
Star Award Students from Room 8
Star Award Students from Room 9
Science Week 2020!
Look at these fantastic robots that the students of room 3 created as part of their STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) challenge - brilliant work!
Hallowe'en 2020
We had a great day of fun dressing up to celebrate Hallowe'en and also marking the last day of school before the mid term break. Well done to all of our students on their hard work during the last eight weeks settling into a new term in Catherine McAuley N.S. Enjoy the mid term break!!
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Well done on a super start to the class of 2020/21!
Well done to all of our students for the last six fantastic weeks of settling in to Catherine McAuley NS. Students have worked hard to settle into new routines - and get stuck into lots of hard work:
First Assemblies held - Friday 2nd October
We hold fortnightly assemblies where one class does a short presentation for the rest of the classes in their bubble. This is usually a presentation of learning that the class has been engaged in - and is developing/practicing the important oral language skills of presenting to a small audience. This may be the first time that students have had the chance to develop these oral language skills - and it is done is a very supportive way.
As part of these fortnightly assemblies, and as part of our whole school rewards and sanctions (in line with our Code of Discipline) teachers give three 'star awards' to students in their class to reward students for a goal they have been working towards/another academic or non acedemic achievement. This award is read out at the assembly. Each star award winner receives a special certificate and also gets to choose a prize.
Each teacher across our three assemblies stated that they could have given a star award to each one of their ten students! It was very tough to try to narrow this down to three students. This shows the wonderful standard of new habits and hard work that all of our students have adopted over the past few weeks. Well done to you all!
Bubble 1 Assembly 2nd October 2020
Room 1 did a fantastic presentation on 'friendship' which was absolutely wonderful!! They have set a very high standard for assembly presentations!! They spoke about what it means to be a friend, and described the traits that they look for in a friend. They also did a really super role play where the audience had to decide if behaviour was 'friendly' or 'unfriendly'. Awesome job room 1!
Students from Ms. Cronin's class preparing for their assembly performance
Star award students from Room 1
Star award students from Room 4
Star awards students from Room 10
Bubble 2 Assembly 2nd October 2020
Room 8 presented a really informative piece on 'landmarks' which was fantasticl!! They presented their final projects which included illustrations and research facts on their chosen landmark. Awesome job room 8!
Students from Ms. Jackson's class preparing for their assembly performance
Star award students from Room 8
Star award students from Room 2
Star awards students from Room 7
Bubble 3 Assembly 2nd October 2020
Room 9 presented an assembly that was 'out of this world'!! Each student represented a planet in our solar system using a scaled model they had constructed. They presented facts about their planet - explaining the different kinds of condition on each planet, and creating a scaled visual representation of the solar system in our very own yard. Awesome job room 9!
Students from Ms. Ni Chinneide's class during their assembly performance
Star award students from Room 9
Star award students from Room 3
Star award students from Room 5
Star award students from Room 6
Here is a snapshot of some class activities
Room 1 Class activities and awesome assembly!
Sharing 'show and tell' with our neighbours in Room 2 via video link
Our display of our brilliant assembly materials on friendship
A well deserved treat - popcorn and a movie after our fantastic assembly!
Room 2 working hard - and having fun!
Room 3 Drama superstars!
Room 4 Wonderful independent work
Room 5 Great independent work:real life maths - budgeting using Lidl magazines!
Room 6 Working independently - reading and enjoying golden time!
Room 7 - Striking a pose and enjoying extra P.E./Yard time
Room 8 Diligent students hard at work!
Look at our cool video here !
Room 9 Analytic problem solvers!
Room 10 - Master music makers!
Watch our brilliant video here from our music lesson here !
Current Covid19 restrictions in Dublin at present
Please be re-assured that we will re-double our efforts to support students to practice frequent handwashing and sanitisation in school - with particular attention on correct technique. We are minimising contact and possible risk of transmission/infection by ensuring children only have contact within nominated 'bubbles'.
Please ensure that your family adheres to the advice being given to all Dubliners (and those who attend school in Dublin!) - it is best summed up in this short video
Please click here for the latest advice for parents/guardians on what to do if your child has symptoms of coronavirus.
It is especially important to note that current advice clearly states that children cannot come to school if they have been given calpol or paracetamol in any form. They must be 48 hours without any symptoms that necessitate the taking of a paracetamol product.
Room 4 Mascots
The students in room 4 have been learning about what Dyslexia means for them - and learning about famous people who have a positive attitude to Dyslexia. They also - quite rightly - identified that Dyslexia is their superpower! Students also identified other individual superpowers/strengths that they have - see their wonderful display.
These creative students also designed their ideal school 'mascot' - watch their video showcasing their creative talents here . Well done Room 4!!
Latest HSE advice for parents
Here is a link to the hse live page with more detailed information for parents - with particular regard to specific symptoms and what to do.
Please also keep an eye on this section of the DES website as well as general advice from the HSE here
Catherine McAuley NS is back in business!!
We were so delighted to welcome all our pupils back in on Tuesday of this week.
It is great to be back!!
Everyone (adults inlcuded) is getting used to early morning again - and as the week draws to a close, our new routines are becoming our "new normal".
Here are a snapshot of our students from this week!
Room 1
Room 2
Room 3
Room 4
Room 5
Room 6
Room 7
Room 8
Room 9
Room 10
Wonderful Work Wall!!
With all of the fantastic work being done at home at the moment - we wanted to proudly post some of this work. Please keep an eye on this section of our website as more wonderful work will be added.
Here are some super STEM challenges that room 6 have been up to! Robots, boats that float, towers, houses of cards, enclosures for teddies, names in 3D as well as life-sized portraits!
And check out this great video here
Our next example is some wonderful artwork from Room 6 curated by the faboulas Joan! What a lovely Summer garden in full bloom!
First up from Room 3 we have some of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and wellbeing assignments. Students created robots, constructed towers as tall as themselves, created short videos and described things that brought them joy during a typical lockdown day.
Awesome work, well done! 
Hot off the press! Lockdown ideas from the superstars of Room 10!!
Click here to see what some of our students have been doing to keep busy during lockdown - when they have finished their work/wilson (of course!!). Well done to you all - and Ms. Jackson for these great tips.
Learning at home: Not all heroes wear capes!
We are in such uncertain times at the moment - and the current necessary measures have changed families lives across the country. We understand that some family circumstances have changed overnight, and you may be having to deal with very sudden changes to your working arrangements: whether working from home or having to adjust to reduced hours, company closures or caring for family.
We responded as quickly as possible to make sure that children went home with appropriate work as well as maintaining remote contact and providing learning opportunities for students through gmail. The work we have provided is to help give structure to the day at home - and help students maintain their progress.
You are doing great!!
Remember - you are not expected to replicate the school day. Little and often is the best way at the moment
You dont want to end up feeling like this parent 
Prioritise reading - and Wilson work if you can
We are here to support you during this time
Links to readers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
19/3/2020The Taoiseach announced that school closures may continue into 'April or May'. This is a fluid situation, and we will be in touch with you as soon as we have an update. Four our condensed information on Coronavirus and school closures please click here
Dont forget - the best strategy for us all at the moment is social distancing
Congratualtions to all of our students who made their confirmation this term!
For those children who have been confirmed in their own parish - we hope you had a wonderful day of celebration with your families! Well done to the children who made their confirmation in St. Andrew's Parish on 8th March - it was a really lovely ceremony and you all did us proud!
Assistive Technology talk for parents - Wednesday 25th March 7pm!!!
Do not miss this!!!! Using technology to access the curriculum is key for students in Catherine McAuley NS. We are helping all students to become more proficient with technology during their time here with us. I am delighted to be able to invite you for a parent talk - definitely not to be missed - with James Northridge from Urability. James is a leader in the field of Assistive Technology, and is severely Dyslexic himself. He really understands (first hand) the challenges that you and your child face. The Board are facilitating this really important talk for parents on Wednesday 25th of March in the school hall at 7pm. This is a must - do not miss it.
6th Classes represent Catherine McAuley NS at the ESB Science Blast! 3rd March 2020
Well done to Ms. Kennedy's and Ms. Ni Chinnéide's 6th class students who represented our school at the ESB Science Blast. Their research and experiemnts were all about the science and engineering of bridges. They got incredible feedback from the judges - and did a superb job!
Captain's Run - Donnybrook Stadium 28th February 2020
The senior students were lucky enough to get tickets for the captains run held in Donnybrook Stadium. They got to meet some of their Irish Rugby heroes! Huge thanks to Karen O'Brien (SNA) who organised this visit for our seniors.
Election Day in Catherine McAuley NS!
Voting is brisk here this morning in Catherine McAuley! There is a great turnout in our election for Student Council. There is a desire for change - and after an enthusiatic campaign, candidates are tired but hopeful.
"6th class students are doing a very efficient job at the polling station" Ms Kennedy (Returning Officer for this polling station) commented this morning. Voting cards have been issued to all voters, who present their card at the entry. They then proceed to the register where their name is ruled out. Next they receive 'approved' voting ballots - before they go to the polling booth to cast their all important vote, indicating as many preferences as they wish.
Lastly, they post their vote in the senior/junior ballot box!!! We will have more information later on when our exit poll issues, and some early indication from tallies.
Jim O'Callaghan (TD in Dublin Bay South) dropped into the election count centre - and congratulated 6th class on doing such a great job of running the election!
The count centre!
The very last count ....being double checked
Congratulations to our newly elected student council representatives!
Setting up Parents Association
Thank you to the parents who came along to the meeting last Wednesday evening that was facilitated by Carmel from the National Parents Council. It was a really positive start to the process!! These parents have agreed to form a working group who will reach out to parents with the ultimate aim of getting a good group of interested parents together to form a Parents Association in the coming weeks. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make direct contact with this working group if you would like to be involved in the set up.
Internet Safety and Cyberbullying Talk this Wednesday evening 6.30pm!
We are delighted to welcome Ger Brick to our school this Wednesday (5th February) to give an internet safety talk to our 4th/5th/6th class pupils during the school day. The Board is also funding a parent talk at 6.30pm as this is such an important area - which often spills over into school life. Please attend this talk - we are keen to support you as parents, and Ger will be able to help you navigate some of the necessary structures and boundaries that will help keep your child safe. inetsafetytalk.com
New Year Assemblies
Well done to all students in Rooms 1 and 2 who held the first assemblies of the new year. They were absolutely fantastic!!
Students from Room 1 told us all about how to be 'bucket fillers' and to watch out for 'bucket dippers'. They have displayed their colourful examples of both fillers and dippers on the noticeboard just as you come through the front door.
Students from Room 2 presented a superb assembly about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. Well done!
Christmas Performance 18.12.19
Just a reminder that our Christmas performance will take place in the school hall at 11 am sharp on 18.12.19.
Here is a sneak peek from our rehearsals today....
If you would like to take your child home after the performance is finished - you can collect them from their classroom, and sign them out there (after the performance) as well as letting the bus driver know that they wont be going home on the bus.
Fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul 13.12.19
Well done to everyone today for all of their efforts and excellent selling skills - we had a wonderful fun day and raised (scroll down for the total amount!) a superb amount for our charity.
Thank you to all parents for your very generous donations of delicious cakes, bric a brac, jewellery and raffle prizes.
A fantastic day was had by all!
The most important part.....counting the money!! Thank you and well done to Ms Kenneddy and Room 5 for co-ordinating our fantastic day today!!! Having counted the money..we have a toal of €1090 euro!!! An amazing amount raised for a fantastic cause.
Last but not least - the raffle ! A great way to end the day.
December Update
We are looking forward to our fundraising day for St. Vincent de Paul this Friday the 13th of December. It is a really fun day where students run a cake sale, a bric a brac stall and a jewellery stall as well. There is also a raffle where can win all sorts of fantastic prizes!
If you would like to bake or send in something for the cake sale - please send it in with your child on the bus on Friday morning.
If you would like to send in anything for the bric a brac stall (and thank you for all the donations received so far!!) please send it in with you child on the bus tomorrow or Thursday. The types of things sold are pre-loved toys, games, books, unwanted gifts etc.
Watch this space for photo updates!
A reminder also about our Christmas performance next Wednesday 18th of December at 11a.m.
The teachers and children are working so hard on their scenes at the moment, and cant wait to share it with you next week. All welcome!
You can take your child home with you after the performance next Wednesday. After the show, students will go back to their classrooms, and parents can collect them from their room.
Looking forward to welcoming you then!
Dates for your Diary
Christmas Performance - Wednesday 18th December, approx. 11am
Last day of term - Friday 20th of December half day! Students finish school at 12 noon
Information Session for Parents Association - a date for the new year to be confirmed
Internet Safety/Cyberbullying evening session for parents - a date for the new year to be confirmed
First day of Term 2 - January 6th 2020
For students making their Confirmation: Wednesday 12th February 7pm (Chapel in the Mercy International Centre). Sunday 8th March: students will be confirmed as part of 11.30 am mass in St. Andrews Church in Westland Row.
Follow up to Parent Evening
It was great to meet so many of you at the parent evening a few weeks ago. Please find a copy of the notes here and the references can be found here . You contributed to detail some of the challenges from the first few weeks, and a more detailed response to the main themes can be found here.
Confirmation Enrolment Ceremony
Well done to our students, and students from Scoil Chaitríona Baggot St. who took part in the enrolment ceremony on Wednesday afternoon in the chapel in the International Mercy Centre. These students will be receiving the sacrament of confirmation in March, and have now officially started their preparation with Ms. Ní Chinnéide.
Welcome back!
We were glad to welcome students back after the mid term break, and well done to all of those students who kept reading during the break and filled in their reading log. With seven weeks to go to the Christmas holidays - we are getting back to good habits with classwork and homework.
Please ensure that you sign your child's reading log and journal every night.
We enoyed a super spooky Hallowe'en Party just before the mid term break!
Term 1 so far!
We were delighted to welcome Trish and Lisa from 'Hidden Strength' who gave a superb motivational talk to the whole school. Their big messages included:
- The are always opportunities in adversity
- Try to find a moment's courage to take on challenges
- If you experience a setback - acknowledge the feelings of disappointment. Then ask yourself if you want to try again, and if so "What do I need to tweak/improve?"
- To succeed we have to get really good at trying again
- Asking for help/encouragement can be really beneficial
We went out to protest about action needed for climate change as a whole school!
Rooms 1 and 10 went to the launch of "The accidental adventures of Onion O'Brien: the head of Ned Belly" by Jason Byrne in the Liberty Hall Theatre. Hannah and Mason were brave enough to get up on stage!!
We also went to the launch of Bressie's new book "Take 5" in Dubray Books. We had a super morning.
Date for your diary!
There will be a parent talk held in the school hall on the evening of Wednesday the 16th of October at 7p.m.. This is a really important evening to attend as it will give lots more information about placement, and the year ahead. It is especially important for parents whose children have just stated here in Catherine McAuley. I understand that it is a huge effort to come in, especially for families who are travelling a long distance - but it is a really important time of the year to link in with you. Looking forward to seeing you all then!
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Room 5 Welcome Ministers McHugh and Madigan to Catherine McAuley NS!
Ms. Kennedy and the 6th class students in Room 5 did a fantastic job welcoming the Minister for Education, and the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to our school today. The school was also delighted to welcome the directors of the Arts Council and the Creative Ireland programme as part of this visit: as a grant award was made to Catherine McAuley NS as part of the Creative Schools Initiative announced today.
The students in Room 5 had been doing some cross curricular project work inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. They had made a range of model spaceships, complete with circuit driven lights and buzzers! They had also made 'claymation' animations using the iPads, as well as using google docs to demonstrate their digital literacy skills. Both ministers were really impressed with their creativity and ingenuity. They did an outstanding job representing our school today - well done!
A crew from news2day also came to speak to Ms. Kennedy and the students about their wonderful project work - and their creative skills. Dont forget to tune in today at 4.20 to see them on the show!
Well done Room 5!!!
Eoin made individualised name plates for Joe and Josepha - and he illustrated each letter of their name. They loved them!
Great start to the first term!
Well done to all students on such a fantastic first full week back in school! It is great to see everyone settling in so well to the new school year in Catherine McAuley NS.
Show and Tell with rooms 1 and 2
Room 3 working hard in maths
Room 4 sketching in the garden
Room 5 completing their space models in the garden
Room 6 with their brand new aquarium display
Room 7 working hard
Room 8 taking a well earned break!
Room 9 writing planet poems
Room 10 playing maths games
First Day of Term 2019/20!
Welcome back to all returning and new students! School starts back on Thursday 29th September at 850 am. Bus drivers will be in contact to arrange pickups early in the week. We look forward to welcoming all students and remind everyone that all books and copies will be provided by the school. Just bring yourself, your pencil case, a healthy lunch and a great attitude to our new school year!
Published authors in Catherine McAuley!
Congratulations to Emily Rose Hitchcock Agnew and Adam Young who had their merit stories from the 'Write A Book' project published in an anthology of stories from 6th class pupils. Superb achievement!!
Sports Day 2019!
We had our sports day on Thursday 20th of June. Juniors held theirs in Merrion Square, and seniors went to Herbert Park. A fantastic day was had by all!! Well done to all students for their participation and great attitude.
FAI soccer coaching session
Visit from our favourite farmer! Eoin, who is a past pupil of Catherine McAuley NS brought his mobile farm to our yard! A super day was had by all.
Trips in Term 3 Classes have been on some great trips this term. They have included:
The Botanic Gardens
Fighting Words workshop: where students work with writers and illustrators to create their own text!
Author visits to Dubray books: including Anna McPartlin
Presentation to Self Help Africa We were delighted to present the cheque for €420 to Deborah from Self Help Africa. Well done everyone!
School Closure Tuesday 4th June A reminder for parents that there will be a closure to facilitate an open day for new students starting in September 2019. School will re-open on Wednesday 5th June.
Coin Trail 2019! Well done to all students for taking part in our annual fund raising coin trail for Self Help Africa. It was a great success, and congratilations to Room 4 for their amazingly long trail !
School closure for polling on Friday 24th May! Parents please note that the school will be closed for polling.
Santry 2019 Congratulation to all of the students who represented our school so well at both the track and field events at Morton Stadium. Students trained really hard for these events, and we are really proud of all of our athletes!
Follow up to ILSA conference If you are a teacher who attended the conference and would like more information about further CPD opportunities please click here
May 2019 We couldn't believe our luck to find free ice cream in Merrion Square!
April 2019 Our yard reward trips (positive reinforcement/whole school reward as part of our Code of Behaviour) took place just before the Easter holidays were fantastic! Seniors visited the Explorium sport and science museum. Juniors went in two groups: to a playground/sports centre, and to the fire station in Dublin airport! Thanks to Karen, Elaine and Debbie.
14/3/2019
Annual Hat Parade Room 1 hosted a fantastic hat parade this afternoon. All students took part and displayed their beautifully crafted hats...and got to share in the pot of gold!!
13/3/2019
Ceilí 2019! We had a super ceilí this afternoon - well done all!
11/03/2019
Congratulations to our 6th class students who made their confirmation in St. Andrew's on Westland Row yesterday! We hope you had a fantastic day of celebration with your families.
25/02/2019
It was great to welcome students back today after the mid term break!
Just a reminder that fortnightly swimming lessons will resume this week.
The first group to resume this Wednesday the 27th of February will be seniors. Juniors will start back next Wednesday the 6th of March.
Please ensure that your child comes to school with a towel, swimming togs and a hat on their designated day.
04/01/2018
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!
We are looking forward to welcoming all students back for the first day of term on Monday 7th of January.
Reminder: There will be a school closure for curriculum development on Monday 14th of January.
As we are beginning a new school term, we wish to do so on a positive note - and look forward to a successful and fun term ahead. In the coming week we will be once again reinforcing our class, school and bus rules. This is a good time to speak to your child about rules on the bus, especially those ensuring safety: seat belts must be worn at all times, and mobile phones/tablets/tech with a camera/recording function are not permitted on school transport.
Also a reminder that there is a school calendar printed on the inside of the back cover of your child's school journal.
7/12/2018
Dates for your diary
Friday 14th December 2018: Student fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul.
Wednesday 19th December: Christmas performance 11am sharp in the hall. After the performance if you would like to take your child home you can sign them out from their classroom.
Friday 21st December: Last day of term, school finishes at 12 noon.
Monday 7th January 2019: First day of the new term.
Reminder 20/11/2018 Internet safety talk, all welcome 630 pm
Some of our fantastic Halloween costumes!
5/10/2018
Dates for your diary:
17th October: Open Night 7pm in the school hall
School closed for election Friday October 26th.
School closed for mid term October 28-november 2nd inclusive.
20th November: Internet Safety/Cyberbullying talk for parents, 6.30pm in school
2/10/2018
Fantastic morning with Ciaran, Rory and Mike from Fitter Faster Stronger gym on Leeson St., who visited school today.
Ciaran shared his experience of being dyslexic, and the strategies that have worked for him (like us...he loves Roald Dahl!)
He spoke to the students about the four pillars of a healthy lifestyle:
- Healthy food
- Getting plenty of sleep
- Positive minset and self talk
- Daily exercise
They led a session in the hall which was great fun, and this ended with the wall sit challenge!!
Welcome back 2018 -2019
School starts back on Thursday August 30 th at 845 am.
All books and copies are supplied through school Book rental scheme so all you child needs is a pencil case , a healthy lunch and a drink.
You bus driver will be in touch before Thursday . Any enquiries about buses should be addressed to school transport on 01 8302222
Children will be assigned to classes on Thursday, subject to change in the first month.
Look forward to seeing you all on Thursday !
