We had our Friendship assembly yesterday.

Opening Prayer
Dear God, thank you for our friends. Thank you for the fun we can have with them and the happy times we spend together. Please help me to be a good friend. Please help me not to be selfish but to think always of other people and their needs. Amen.

The theme of this assembly is friendship. Friendships are among the most important relationships you’ll have in your life. Many of your favourite memories probably include times you’ve spent with friends. But having friends can be hard work sometimes, when they get on your nerves or when they’re going through a tough time. Not knowing what to do or say to help them can be frustrating and emotionally challenging. However, doing your best to make them feel better shows you care about being a good friend. The only way to have a good friend is to be a good friend.
A friend is someone………………….
you can trust and won’t judge you
won’t deliberately hurt your feelings, but will show kindness and respect
will love you not because they feel they have to, but because they choose to
you can depend on, who is loyal and whose company you enjoy
will be there no matter what your situation is
is trustworthy and not afraid to tell you the truth, no matter how hard it is sometimes
accepts you for who you are, and lend you an ear when you need advice

We had children from Room 15,16 and 17 who brought up their friendship posters that they had made in class.

Mr Reidy spoke to the children about Mr Keohane who was the principal for 36 years in St. Declan’s and was a well respected member of the community. We have a picture of him on our altar today and we will say the Our Father together as a sign of respect. We think about his wife Catriona who was also a teacher here in St. Declan’s and their son Daniel.

Prizes /Awards
First Confessions
Congratulations to all the boys and girls from Room 18,19 and 11 who made their confessions last Thursday night in the church in Ashbourne. You were all excellent and we are very proud of you all. Well done to Ms Doran, Ms Quinlan and Ms Tobin who prepared you all for the sacrament. Thank you to Ms Mc Gowan for teaching the children all the songs for the ceremony. We look forward to seeing you all on the day of your Communion.

Bio-Diversity
Well done to everyone who made a huge effort last week to dress up for bio diversity day. Well dome to Ms Lydon and the Green Schools Committee who has worked really hard preparing for the day. We will know shortly if we have got the flag.

Friendship Bench
We got a friendship bench recently which we are going to put out on the different yards for all the boys and girls to try out. If you feeling a little sad or lonely you sit on the bench and wait for someone to come along to join you and then you can go off for a play with them. If you are happy playing with your friends there is no need to sit on the bench. We have to mind the bench so there is no climbing or standing on the bench . We have to treat it like we would treat our furniture at home.

Pupil of the month trophy
Room 15- Maja
Room 16- Alannah
Room 17-Arabella
Room 18-Devon
Room 19-Conor J
Room 11-Conor

Best Line Award- Room 17
Best Dressed Class-Room 15
Best Behaviour on yard award- Room 18
Best Attendance Award – 1st Class Room 11 , 2nd Class Room 11

Friendship Bracelets
We ordered bracelets for the whole school for friendship week Here in St. Declan’s friendship is very important and we always look out for one another. To have a good friend you have to be a good friend. The bracelets read St Declan’s Friendship Week 2017. I hope you all like them.

Friend Poem (Read by Mr Reidy)
The Best of Friends
The best of friends, Can change a frown,
Into a smile, when you feel down.
The best of friends, Will understand,
Your little trials, And lend a hand.
The best of friends, Will always share,
Your secret dreams, Because they care.
The best of friends, Worth more than gold,
Give all the love, A heart can hold.

Performance
Room 18,19,11 sang Zacceheus Song from the First Confessions.


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