Address
Scoil Mhuire an Chroí gan Smál
Leenane
County Galway
Contacts
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +353 (0) 95 42366
Roll Number: 18490T
🎨 SEAI Art Competition
A huge thank you to Jerome Bletterie for facilitating the SEAI Art Competition in our school. The Leenane Development Association and SEAI are currently working to produce an energy road map for Leenane, and our pupils played their part by bringing awareness to the topic through their wonderful artwork.
We had a very exciting visit from the SEAI and their mascot ‘Guzzler’ to announce the winners.
Congratulations to Leon, Lily, Finn, Maelys and Amelia for their fantastic work!
☘️ St. Brigid’s Crosses
On Friday last, we celebrated the feast of St. Brigid by spending the morning making traditional St. Brigid’s crosses. Fr. Burke visited the classrooms to bless the crosses.
Thank you to all the children who brought in rushes and to the parents and staff who lent a helping hand. It was a wonderful morning of creativity and tradition.
🧠 Credit Union Quiz
Best of luck to our two teams competing in the Credit Union Quiz this Saturday in Clifden Town Hall.
We have an U11 team and an U13 team taking part. The quiz starts at 1:30pm. Do your best, boys and girls!
🎨 Whole School Display
A huge thank you to **Edel Mitchell** for helping us create our stunning new whole-school display, inspired by the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.
Every single child was involved in the process, which celebrates creativity, confidence, and the idea that every mark,and every child,matters. The finished display is a beautiful reflection of the imagination and talent in our school. Be sure to take a look if you are visiting the building!
🎭 School Trip to Grease
We had a fantastic day out at Sancta Maria School to see their production of Grease. From Junior Infants to 6th Class, everyone was captivated by the performance. It was a brilliant opportunity for our children to experience live musical theatre. Well done to all involved!
📅 Upcoming Dates to Remember
11th February | School Closed – Curriculum Planning/Training Day
13th February | Garda Alan visit – Internet Safety Week
19th & 20th February | Mid-Term Break
26th February | Enrolment Afternoon for incoming pupils (more details to follow)
27th February | First Confession in the school
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Thank you for reading. We look forward to another busy few weeks ahead!
🎉 Fundraising Update
We are thrilled to announce the success of our recent fundraising initiatives
Thanks to the outstanding support from our families during the Readathon, we have already received the first batch of new sports equipment. This has enabled us to enrich our PE programme with a variety of sports including tag rugby, hockey, basketball, tennis, and more—giving our pupils even more opportunities to stay active and explore new activities. We are still expanding our collection and are deeply grateful for your continued generosity
Additionally, the Bake Sale held at the Leenane Hotel, organised by Agnes and her fantastic team of bakers, raised an incredible €600! These funds will go directly toward our upcoming polytunnel project, planned for January, which will bring a wonderful new dimension to our school yard.
🎄 Christmas Gathering
On Tuesday, 16th December, we enjoyed a heartwarming afternoon full of festive fun and community spirit at the Leenane Hotel. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, and family members come together to support the children.
Our students delighted the audience with carol singing, tin whistle performances, and a lively talent show to close the day. Special thanks to Sarah McEvoy and Grace Wade for their invaluable support in preparing the event.
A highlight for all was a visit from Santa, made possible through generous sponsorship. Every child received a present and a festive hat, adding even more joy to the celebration. It was a truly memorable afternoon for all involved.
✍️ Writing Workshop
As part of the Kylemore Abbey Schools Reading Programme, students from 2nd to 6th class took part in a Narrative Writing Workshop with author Anthony Garvey. The session focused on descriptive language, and the children produced some truly excellent stories. We are proud to be part of this meaningful literacy initiative.
🎬 Cinema Trip
As a well-deserved reward for their hard work and preparation, the children enjoyed a special outing to Westport for a private cinema screening. They loved visiting the kiosk and settling in for a double feature of Zootropolis and Home Alone 2. It was a relaxed and joyful day, giving everyone a chance to unwind together.
🎨 Art Competitions
We are delighted to share that several of our students were winners in the recent Credit Union Art Competition:
U13 Category: Gwen, Indie, Leon
U10 Category: Isabelle, Mia, Kitty
U8 Category: Cara, Oscar, Evan
Congratulations to all our talented artists!
Additionally, a Climate Awareness Art Competition is currently underway, organised by Jerome Bletterie. This initiative aligns with our recent focus on renewable energy. Due to recent absences, the submission deadline has been extended to January.
📅 Dates to Remember
School Returns: Monday, 5th January
🎁 Season’s Greetings
We wish all our families a very Happy Christmas and a joyful, restful break. We look forward to seeing everyone again in the New Year!
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.
📚 Fundraising Success – Readathon “Read and Raise”
Our recent Readathon was a wonderful success! Together, pupils logged over **11,000 minutes** of reading and raised an amazing **€1,280**.
Thank you to all pupils, families, and staff for your incredible support. Funds will go toward new PE equipment and school yard improvements.
🗣️ Have Your Say – DES Survey
The Department of Education Services invites all families to take part in the **Have Your Say Survey**.
Share your feedback about our school—what we do well and where we can improve.
The survey is **anonymous, takes just a minute, and closes on 16.12.25**.
Take part here: [www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey](http://www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey)
📖 Kylemore Abbey Donation
We are delighted to announce that Kylemore Abbey has selected our school for its **Schools Reading Programme 2025/26**.
We will receive **€600** to support our library and promote literacy.
More details on how the funds will be used will follow soon.
🙏 Thank You, Fr. Burke
At the start of November, Fr. Burke led a respectful and meaningful prayer service at the cemetery with our pupils.
We are very grateful for his time and guidance.
🔬 STEM Zipline Challenge
As part of November’s STEM activities, senior room pupils designed and built their own **ziplines** to explore friction and motion.
They presented their creations at the end-of-month assembly—well done to all!
🎄 Christmas Afternoon – Tuesday, 16th December
Join us for our **Christmas Afternoon** from **1:00–3:00 PM** at the hotel.
Enjoy carols, tin whistle performances, class recitals, a talent show, and a visit from Santa!
We look forward to celebrating with our school community.
🎬 Cinema Trip – Wednesday, 17th December
Both classes will visit the cinema in Westport.
Film choices: *Zootropolis 2* or *Home Alone 2*.
More details to follow.
🧁 Bake Sale Thank You
A big thank you to **Agnes** for organising the Bake Sale on Sunday, 7th November, and to all local bakers for your delicious contributions!
🏫 Principal’s Welcome
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we reach the end of another busy month, thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. It is really appreciated.
📰 School News & Announcements
We’re delighted to say that our school website has been updated and will continue to be a valuable source of news and information throughout the school year. A big thank you to Tim for his time and effort in making it look so fresh and inviting. It will be a great way to stay connected with all that’s happening in our school and we look forward to adding lots more updates and photos as the year progresses
🎉 Student Highlights
Maths Week Fun!: October has been full of curiosity, and hands-on learning as we celebrated Maths Week throughout the school.
The school was alive with maths in action, from Maths Eyes Trails and Walkway Additions to Magnetic Patterns, 3D Shape Stations, Estimating and Weighing and exciting Scavenger Hunts with Ciara.
A special thank you to our fantastic 6th Class students who helped organise and run the maths stations. Their enthusiasm and leadership made it a great experience for everyone.
Music with Mary Finn: We were delighted to welcome Mary Finn back to the school this October as music lessons resumed. It’s great to see the children picking up right where they left off with their tin whistle tunes from last year! There’s a lovely buzz in the classrooms once again, and the children are looking forward to adding even more pieces to their repertoire in the year ahead.
Author Visit in the Library: A big thank you to Krista for organising a very special Author Visit in the library. The talented Patrick Ryan entertained the children with his captivating storytelling, weaving together folk tales, mysteries, and riddles that kept everyone spellbound. It was a great experience that inspired imagination and laughter from Juniors to 6th!
Active Flag Skipathon: Our Active Flag Skipathon was a great success and full of fun! The children enthusiastically combined their skips to reach exciting “destinations” such as Mont Blanc, Lake Victoria and even Mount Everest. It was fantastic to see everyone so active and motivated, working together towards each goal.
Pumpkin Carving in the Senior Room: To round off the month, the Senior Room got creative with some pumpkin carving. The students designed and carved wonderful pumpkins, which were proudly displayed at the school’s front door.
📅 Dates to Remember
Reminder: The school is closed tomorrow, Friday 24th until Tuesday 4th of November.
📝 Finally..
Well done to all pupils for their hard work and positive attitude these last few weeks. Enjoy the well-earned rest, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for the rest of the term.
🏫 Principal’s Welcome
We’re off to a great start in Leenane NS this year, and it was a very different one as we began September without Garry and Alice for the first time in many years. Thank you all for your good wishes and support. I was made to feel very welcome—so thank you all! I’m delighted to share some of the students’ achievements and activities from this month.
📰 School News & Announcements
We were delighted to welcome our four Junior Infants who have made a fantastic start to life in our school.
Student Council: Congratulations to Mallaidh, Isabelle, Gwen, Michael, and Oscar who have been chosen as the very first members of our brand-new Student Council. They are eager to begin their work and represent their classmates throughout the year.
A special thank you to Fr. Burke for organising our Beginning of Year School Mass.
🎉 Student Highlights
From Garden to Kitchen: With our packs of wildseeds and fresh cooking apples, Mia, Laoise, and Isabelle worked together in the kitchen to prepare a delicious apple crumble for their classmates. It was enjoyed by all!
STEM Challenge: This month in STEM, the boys and girls in the senior room were tasked with an exciting engineering challenge—to design and build a house that was both windproof and waterproof using a variety of materials. Extra marks were awarded for innovative architectural design. Our Junior Room students served as judges, and they had a very difficult task choosing the winner!
Library Visit: Thank you to Krista for facilitating a library trip for the children. Everyone enjoyed their time, borrowed plenty of books, and we are looking forward to returning in October for a special Author Visit!
Congratulations to all at Sea Garden Crèche on the completion of their new premises. It is a fantastic facility and a great asset to our school community. Well done to all involved—we wish you continued success.
📅 Dates to Remember
Wednesday 8th October: Music Lessons start with Mary Finn
Friday 24th October: Closed for Presidential Election
Monday 27th – Friday 31st October: Mid Term Break
📝 Finally..
We will be participating in Active School Flag for the year ahead. We will kick start this journey with our “Skip Around the World” challenge next week. You can find out more about this at activeschoolflag.ie.
It has been a busy, creative start to the school year. Well done to all our pupils for their enthusiasm and hard work. We look forward to many more exciting moments together in the months ahead!
Scoil Mhuire an Chroí gan Smál
Leenane
County Galway
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +353 (0) 95 42366
Roll Number: 18490T