Ms. Dunne and all the staff of Ratheniska NS wish you all a very happy and safe Summer Holidays.

We will return for Day 1 of our new school year on August 31st at 9am.

After almost 30 years teaching Infants in our school, the children, Ms. Dunne, the staff and many parents gathered together today to say goodbye to Mrs Dwyer and wish her all the very best as she opens a new chapter in her life. Mrs Dwyer has seen many changes since she started teaching in Ratheniska NS – from blackboards to whiteboards, workbooks to iPads, video cassettes to Youtube and much more!

We wish her health and happiness as she embarks on her journey to retirement.

Go dtéigh tú slán, Mrs Dwyer.

We would like to congratulate our 29 6th Class pupils as they  come to the end of their Primary Education and head off in many different directions to Secondary School.

As we reminisced about the eight years they have been here, we enjoyed looking at the photos in the video below.

We wish them all the very best and we know they will do us proud!

Our annual Sports Day was a great  success this year.

We took ourselves to the G.A.A. pitch where we sprinted, panted, puffed, fell over, ate ice-cream and had a great day!

All the boys and girls from 1st to 6th classes have sung their way through the year as they attended their choir classes each Thursday.  Ms. Sarah Troy has introduced them to songs in many genres and this is just a sample of what they have learned.

We wish Ms. Troy all the very best as she heads off on her travels in the months to come.

Congratulations to two of our 6th class girls, Molly and Mia, who have been chosen to represent our school on the Laois Cumann na mBunscol panel. They will head off to DCU, St. Patrick’s Campus on Wednesday next to play in the Cumann na mBunscol Áth Cliath Girls’ Football Blitz.

On the day, they will be up against Offaly, Westmeath and Louth.

Go n-eirí an bóthar libh, a chailíní.

In the stunning backdrop of the Mass Rock in Oughaval Woods, Rang 6 and their parents got together today along with Ms. Dunne, Mr. Conway, and Mrs Spillane for their Graduation Mass. Fr. Ciprian and Fr Aurelio concelebrated the Mass with readings and prayers from some of the pupils in Rang 6.

Before heading for their lunch at the picnic area, they were presented with their graduation hoodies by the Parents’ Association.

3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Classes started training for the now annual Class to 3k after Easter. We trained  along with Ms Dunne, our teachers and SNAs twice weekly. Many of us thought we would never be able to run three kilometres, so it was with trepidation for some and excitement for others that we got together on Friday, June 9th, to complete the challenge. We were joined by all those from Infants to 2nd class who ran one kilometre. We  are all so proud of ourselves and we are delighted to wear our brand new hoodies which were presented to us by Ms. Dunne in recognition for all our hard work. Juniors, Seniors, 1st and 2nd Classes were presented with certificates in honour of their fantastic running also. Thank you to all involved in this great day and also, of course, to all the parents who came along to cheer us on.

It’s all hands on deck for the Green Schools’ activities to help enhance our biodiversity! The boys and girls from First and Third classes were busy preparing some soil at the front of the school for some wildflower seeds. In the months to come, we hope to have a beautiful wild flower patch to attract bees and butterflies and many other insects. So watch this space – literally!

6th Class enjoyed a great day out at the University of Limerick today, May 31st for their final school tour before they head off to secondary school. Throughout the day, they partook in land and water activities and when they stopped at the Barack Obama Plaza on the way home, they had the honour of meeting Declan Hannon, Limerick hurling team captain and winner of four All- Ireland Hurling medals to date.

Thank you to the team at UL and to Mr Conway, Ms. Begley and Mairéad for a great day out.