MESSAGE FROM DERMOT

We are heading into the Spring Break and are all looking forward to brighter evenings and a well-earned break from school.

We were delighted to take part in professional development training on the new Primary School Curriculum Framework a few weeks ago. The staff found the sessions engaging, practical, and very helpful in supporting our ongoing work in the classroom.

The new curriculum is being introduced on a phased basis, and we are currently embedding mathematics, and some of the language curriculum. The new curriculum places a strong emphasis on developing children’s key competencies, including critical thinking, communication, and creativity. The coming 5 – 6 years, will see further annual supports and guidance for our staff.

You can read more about this:

I hope you have a nice break and look forward to seeing you in term 3,

Dermot.

School Closures

HALF DAY TOMORROW School Closes at 12noon, March 27th.

SPRING BREAK for next two weeks – School re-opens Monday 13th April.

MID TERM BREAK May 4th – 8th, as per our school calendar – HERE

STAFF TRAINING – June 11th / School Closed.

The 2026 / 27 Calendar is also available – HERE

Hot Lunches

We encourage families to regularly review their child’s menu choices on The Lunch Bag App, as there are some seasonal additions that your child may not yet be aware of.

If your child will be absent from school due to an appointment, please remember to cancel their lunch for that day to help avoid food waste. Cancellations must be made at least 72 hours in advance.

The Board of Management is currently developing a Lunch Guidelines/Policy document, which will be circulated to parents for feedback shortly. This document will outline roles, aims, procedures etc, along with the appropriate steps to follow if you wish to raise any issues regarding hot lunches, including quality concerns. In the meantime, if you have any concerns about hot lunches, please contact the school directly and we will address them promptly. If you require any clarification on any matter, please do not hesitate to get in touch – we are happy to support you.

Help Us Plan Supports for All Students

The Department of Education asks that we collect information about students’ immigration or protection status for statistical purposes and to ensure the correct supports are available for the school. If your child currently falls into any of the following categories:

Ukrainian Temporary Protection
International Protection Applicant
Recognised Status (Refugee / Subsidiary Protection / Humanitarian Permission)

we kindly ask that you get in touch with the school office. Providing this information and will not affect your child’s enrolment, but it helps us apply for, and plan supports and resources effectively.

If you know a family in our school community who might fall into one of these categories but may not read this newsletter, please let us know.

PARENTS ASSOCIATION

Save the Date – Our Summer Event is Back!

Summer BBQ – June 13th, 2026. 2 to 4pm.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS – TERM 3

Registration day for the third term will be on Wed, April 15 at 7pm. After school clubs will be available on the after school webpage.

Thank-you Aline for all your work organising these activities.

CANAL WAY SPORTS SPRING 2026

6th Class Boys’ Football Blitz

This week, some of our 6th class boys played in a football blitz in Saint Catherine’s Community Centre. The blitz was highly competitive, with 11 teams from schools based in Dublin 8. The boys fought hard and never gave up but only managed to finish with a record of 1 win and 3 losses. Many players were showing real promise on the team. The future will be bright for this team and there are more matches to come.

5th 6th Class Girls’ Football Blitz

On Friday, 20th March, some of the girls from 5th and 6th class represented the school in a community football tournament at St Catherine’s Sports Hall. The girls played exceptionally well, progressing through the group stages and into the semi-finals. They narrowly missed out on a place in the final, losing to the team that went on to win the competition.

Swimming

Our 3rd Classes have just started their swimming lessons at the Swan Swimming Pool in Crumlin. All of our children will get the opportunity to improve and practice their swimming skills. This is a critical part of our Physical Education Curriculum.

Handball

Art in 2nd Class represented Canal Way in the Dublin Handball competition in Croke Park last month. He was the youngest player in the tournament and scored an incredible 7 aces on the day Abú Art.

Cycling

Our 4th Class students have officially kicked off their Cycle Right Training Program. Over the coming weeks, they’ll be mastering essential road skills and gaining hands-on experience to build their confidence on two wheels. By the end of the course, our goal is for every student to be fully “road ready” and cycling safely!

Canal Way Climbers Compete

Canal Way was thrilled to have two teams competing at this year’s School Climbing Competition at Awesome Walls. A huge congratulations to Maria, Lucia, Aodhán, Casper, Hugh, Lillian, Rua and Lucas for representing our school and placing 10th in their respective categories. Maith sibh!

Local Sports Camps

Our friends at Kevin’s Hurling Club, Templeogue Synge Street GAA, and Larkview FC are all running camps next week for primary school children. These camps are a fantastic way to learn new skills, stay active, and make new friends. If you’re interested in joining a club or just want a fun week of sports, we highly encourage you to reach out and get involved!

E-Scooters and E-Bikes – Important Notice

Thank you to all parents and guardians for your continued support in ensuring that children are not using e-bikes or e-scooters to travel to and from school.

Following recent contact from An Garda Síochána , we have been reminded that it is illegal for anyone under 16 to use an e-scooter in any public place, including routes to and from school. The Gardaí have also advised that they are actively enforcing this legislation, and devices may be seized where necessary.

We appreciate your ongoing cooperation in keeping our students safe and ensuring they travel to school in a safe and lawful way.

SNA Allocations: The Other Side of the Story

Many of you will have seen recent media coverage regarding Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations. Following a strong parenta national campaign, the planned re-allocation process has now been paused. As always, there are two sides to every story.

While this has protected schools who are deemed over resourced, it is a bad news story for others.

Our school had been identified as needing additional SNA support, and we had received clear indications that this would be approved. However, due to the pause, we have now been informed that this will not proceed. We are currently appealing this decision. This means that while over resourced schools avoided reductions, others, including ours, are now missing out on supports our children were due to receive.

We will continue to pursue this and will keep you updated. It may be necessary in the coming weeks to mobilise our parent community to advocate for our students, just as other schools did last month.

We need to be the squeaky wheel now.

Important Dates: Assessment Weeks

Reminder to all families about upcoming assessment weeks for all classes:

Junior and Senior Infants: Your assessment week will be:
- Monday, 12th May to Friday, 15th May 2026
1st to 6th Class: Assessments will take place over two weeks:
- Monday, 18th May to Friday, 22nd May 2026
- Monday, 25th May to Friday, 29th May 2025

It is crucial you do not plan any trips during this time and that your child arrives at school on time each morning.

In-school assessments are conducted to help us identify students who may need additional support. The results are also used by the Department of Education to allocate teachers and resources effectively.

There is no need to do additional prep/ study for this – please. No pressure is placed on the students from the school as we are aware this is just a brief snapshot of their capabilities. All core subjects will be assessed at each class level. Teachers, of course, consider all the child’s work over the year, using informal and formal assessment methods to evaluate the progress they have made.

Attendance and Punctuality – Reminder

School grounds open at 08:20 AM
Children admitted to school building at 08:30AM
Teaching starts at 8:45 AM

Being ontime, helps children settle, catch key instructions, and connect with their friends. Arriving late can be unsettling. If you are late, please be patient. We will open the door as soon as we can. Holding the buzzer will not speed us up.

All absences must be recorded on Aladdin, even if you have told the school. Children not present by 10AM will be marked absent. If they arrive after 10AM, you can log the reason on Aladdin.

Please Note: It is school policy to contact families of children with unexplained absences or high levels of absenteeism. We are also mandated to report high levels of absenteism to TUSLA, Child Protection Agency.

Please contact the school if you need support attendance or punctuality. We are here to help.