14th September, 2020.
A Thuisti,
First Communion
With schools closing on March 12th many important school events were cancelled. One of these was the First Communion and I’m sure the children were very disappointed at the time.
All the disappointment was forgotten last Saturday when the children made their First Communion at Rathfeigh Church. It was a historic occasion as it was the first time that the First Communion and Confession were held in unison and also the first time the ceremony was held outdoors.
A huge community effort resulted in a very special and memorable ceremony. Ms Reynolds is highly commended for preparing the children so well in difficult circumstances as there was no practices at the church beforehand. The children were very mature in saying their prayers etc and they seemed to really enjoy the ceremony. We also thank Mrs Vaughan and Mrs Campbelll for all their work preparing displays for the Communion. Helen put in numerous hours putting the Mass Booklet together which is a difficult task particularly with the phone ringing very five mintues! Lisa’s piano playing really added to the ceremony and we thank her for giving her time last Saturday.
Our Parents’ Association and Amanda did a great job liaising with the school and getting the church grounds ready for the ceremony. We knew a lot of work was being put in to decorate the church grounds but everyone arriving at the church on Saturday were blown away with the finished product. The grounds looked fabulous. Celebrity weddings would be less spectacular! We are indebted to everybody who played their part in making this Communion a truly memorable and special occasion. I thanked so many people after the Communion on Saturday for their huge efforts and if I forgot to thank someone please accept my apologies. It was great to see Ms. Ward in attendance for the children’s big day and they did her proud also. All the children represented themselves their families and the school really well and we hope they enjoyed their celebrations with their family and relations afterwards. Finally, a big thank you to Fr. Thomas for celebrating the Communion in an enjoyable and relaxed manner.
Policies
The following policies are on the school website:
- Safety Statement
- Child Safeguarding and Risk Assessment
- Code of Behaviour
- Anti- Bullying
- Administration of Medicines
- RSE
- Swimming
- Homework
- Complaints Procedures
- Strategy for School Attendance
- Admissions Policy
- Covid 19
A hard copy of these policies are available on request from the office. It is important that parents/guardians are aware of the content in these policies.
Attendance
The importance of regular attendance at school cannot be over emphasised. With schools closing on March 12th last the children have missed out on many school days. It is, therefore, extremely important that your child is in school regularly. Of course it goes without saying that children shouldn’t be in school if they have symptoms of coronavirus. When a child is absent is absent for 10 days the class teacher will contact the parents/guardians to ascertain a reason for the child’s absences and if further support is required. Please read the Strategy for School Attendance Policy available here link
Is mise,
Seamus Tansley.
Priomh Oide.