4th Class Cycling Safety Programme                                                                       

Well done to our three 4th classes who took part in an eight week Cycling Safety Programme. The course is aligned to CYCLE RIGHT, the National Standard for Cycle Safety Training in Ireland, and was delivered by qualified trainers from the national register, The children learned about safe equipment; rules of the road; starting and stopping; road positioning; shoulder checking; turning left and right; overtaking and traffic manoeuvres. The emphasis of the course was on safety through control of the bike and awareness of surroundings.

 

New School Jerseys

We were delighted to receive a donation of a brand new set of school jerseys for our football teams. The very kind donation came from parent Seán Tobin of Celsius Mechanical Ltd. who linked in with Mr. Melia to get the jerseys designed and ordered. The boys junior football team played their final match of the season in the new kit and there were smiles all around to be out representing the school in the new jerseys. 

Senior Infants Prayer Service                                                                                             

Our three Senior Infant classes will take part in a prayer service with Father Jinse on Wednesday the 3rd of June. Some of the children will read prayers and they will all say the Hail Mary together. The children have pictures prepared for the prayer service. Father Jinse will give the children a set of rosary beads each so they could say their prayers at home. Lots of our classes have a May altar set up in their classroom for the month of May to celebrate the life of Mary.

4th Class Historical Walk with Ann Kavanagh                                                                                                 

Last week, our 3rd and 4th classes enjoyed a fascinating history walk around Ashbourne with Ann Kavanagh. Ann, a former primary school teacher and member of the local historical society, shared her incredible knowledge and passion for the rich history of our village.The tour began at the old Killegland graveyard before the children set off to explore Ashbourne and learn about how and why the village was established in 1820 as a halfway stopping point for travellers. Along the way, the children heard about important historical figures connected to Ashbourne, including Frederick Bourne and Thomas Ashe. The classes visited many monuments and historic buildings throughout the village and discovered where horses were once rested and where travellers stayed during their journeys. The children were amazed to learn that many of the buildings still standing on Main Street today are almost 200 years old. This wonderful learning experience has inspired the children to create excellent recount writing pieces and projects based on their new knowledge of Ashbourne and its history. A huge thank you to Ann Kavanagh for so generously giving her time and for providing such an engaging and enjoyable experience for the children. Thank you to Ms Crehan for organising the historical walks. 

School Year 2026/2027                                                                                             

Classes and teachers for the school year 2026 to 2027 will be communicated in the next few weeks with the collection of books and details of our individual pupil expenses for the next academic year. All books will be collected by Friday the 19th of June. Please make sure to have all books back in to enable us to carry out a full book audit. Workbooks can be kept at home as they can’t be used again. School reports will be released via Aladdin Connect. We are currently reorganising our current Senior Infant classes for first class and our current 4th classes for 5th class 2026-2027                                                                                      

Sports Update                                                                                                                   

Most of our extra curricular activities have come to an end now in school.

Well done to all the boys and girls who took part in the Fingal league for Junior and Senior boys and girls teams. Thanks to all the teachers who trained these teams throughout the school year. The girls Basketball team narrowly missed out on a semi final spot. There was a Rugby Blitz last week for 5th and 6th Class girls against ACNS.Athletics training is going well in school at the moment and the event will take place in Claremont on Tuesday the 16th of June. Well done to all who were selected for the teams and events. 

Active Schools Week is the 8th-12th of June. Senior Sports Day is on Tuesday the 9th of June. 3rd and 4th class will be from 11 20 am to 12 45pm. 5th and 6th class will be from 1 20 pm to 2 45pm. Junior Sports Day is Wednesday the 10th of June. Junior and Senior Infants will be from 11 20 am to 12 45pm. 1st and 2nd class will                                        be from 1 20 pm to 2 45pm. 

Junior Infants 2026/2027                                                                                                                                                                                      

We will have three Junior Infant classes joining us in September 2026. Our induction day for incoming Junior Infants and their parents was yesterday Wednesday the 27th of May.  It was great to meet the parents and their children and we look forward to the 75 junior infants  joining us in September 2026. 

First Holy Communion                                                                                           

Our three 2nd classes went to the church on Thursday the 7th of May.  Father Michael brought the children into the sacristy and showed them all the sacred vessels and where the priests hang their vestments. He showed them the holy cloths and where the wine for Communion was kept and the candles.  He spoke to them about receiving their Communion. 

It was a very special day for the children and their families on Saturday the 9th of May. Thank you to their class teachers, Ms Collins, Ms Crowley, Ms Molloy and Mr Barry for working so hard with them during the year and preparing them for the day. Also thank you to Father Michael and Father Jinse for a beautiful ceremony on the day. It was a huge success and enjoyed by all!! The children got a lovely surprise when they came into school last Monday and were treated to an ice-cream cone by JJ’s ice-cream van. Thank you to the PA for providing goodie bags for all the children. Have a look at our school website for all the photographs. 

https://youtu.be/HyFR2L5UlkM?feature=shared 

 

6th Class Update                                                                                                              

We hope our four sixth classes enjoy their last month of school in St. Declan’s. Thank you to our PA who gave a very generous donation towards the cost of the 6th class hoodies and will also be contributing towards the cost of the bus for the 6th class school tour. Our four sixth class teachers recently met the first year yearheads and special education coordinators from ACS and CDL. We are also in the process of compiling their education passports. This will enable us to give a thorough handover of all of our pupils to support their transition in September. The classes are currently working hard preparing for their graduation. Our graduation ceremony for our four sixth classes will take place Wednesday the 24th of June at 7pm in our PE hall. 

Féile Ceoil (Music Performance) 05-06-2026                                                                                   

We would like to invite all parents to our Féile Ceoil (music performance) on Friday 5th June at 2:05pm in the school hall. This will be an opportunity for children to perform to an audience and showcase all their developing musical talents. All are welcome to attend – it may particularly suit parents/guardians who are collecting their children from infant classes at 2pm. You are welcome to bring your child with you when you collect at 2pm. The performance will be finished by 3pm. We look forward to a great afternoon of talent and entertainment. 

The Féile Ceoil will feature: 

Children from 2nd Class who will be performing on Tin Whistle

Children from 4th Class (and our After-School Violin Class) who have been learning to play fiddle as part of our Music Generation Programme during the year

Our 5th Class school choir

PA Update                                                                                                                             

Thank you to all families who donated clothes to the recent cash for clobber collection. The uniform shop made 287 euros last weekend. There will be another uniform shop organised in early July. More details to follow closer to the time. 

Attendance Team Update                                                                                                                                                                             

As we continue our attendance drive, any class that achieved full attendance during a particular week in May was entered into a draw to win an Ice Cream Party for the class. Well done to Ms Conway’s class and Ms Molloy’s/Mr Barry’s class who were both entered into the draw to win. Congratulations to Ms Conway’s class who won the ice-cream party. They were delighted. 

Our attendance team took part in an Anseo Workshop on Tuesday the 19th of May. The Anseo Framework is a school-based model that gives staff and families the tools they need to tackle absenteeism.  

We will be running an attendance drive for the month of June. We have three full weeks of school  in June,  8th to the 12th of June, 15th to the 19th of June, 22nd to the 26th of June. Children who are in for all five days in any of the above weeks will be entered into a draw for a Melt voucher. 

Dates to note                                                                                                                 

We will be closed tomorrow the 29th of May, Monday the 1st of June and Tuesday the 2nd of June for the June Bank Holiday Weekend. 

We will be closed Thursday the 4th of June for CPD Training on the Primary Curriculum Framework. 

6th Class Graduation Wednesday the 24th of June at 7pm in the PE Hall 

We close at 12 o’ clock for our Summer holidays on Friday the 26th of June.