Children are currently receiving their reports. We are proud and happy to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of all our students this year and congratulate them on their achievements and the progress which they have made in so many aspects of their learning and development. We also gratefully acknowledge the support which you give to them and to us which enables each child to give of their best and achieve their potential.
In your child’s report, you will notice that your child’s teacher will have included a STen score in the relevant section. Department of Education and Skills Guidelines recommend that all schools provide parents with the results of Standardised Testing in English Reading and Mathematics from 1st to 6th classes. The results of these tests are recorded in the form of STen scores By now, many parents will be familiar with this system but should you wish to find out more about this system you will find all the information required to help you interpret your child’s score at either or both of the following addresses:
https://www.schooldays.ie/articles/Understanding-Standardised-tests-or-Stens-test (Simple explanatory table)
https://www.ncca.ie/media/1354/standardised-testing.pdf (More detailed information)
While standardised tests are an indication as to your child’s progress, it is vital to remember that, while widely used and accepted as an indicator of performance, they are not an exact science and only measure part of the overall picture that is your child. Many factors can influence how your child performs on any given day and teachers sometimes report differences between the expectations which they would have had of pupils based on the child’s performance throughout the year and their actual score on these tests. However, should you have any concerns around your child’s progress or regarding any aspect of his/her report, please do not hesitate to contact us before the holidays and we will be happy to arrange a meeting with you.
As we approach the end of another busy year we thank all who have helped to make our school such a special place during 2017-2018. In particular, we thank our sixth class pupils who have excelled in so many ways and given great leadership and example during their time with us. We wish them continued success and happiness in secondary school and throughout their lives. We also thank their families, and, in particular, the families who will now finish with our school community, and pray that life will bring nothing but the best to you and your children, of whom you can be truly proud.
We regret to inform you that, due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to move the date of our School Mass and Celebration to Monday, June 25th instead of Friday, June 23rd as originally planned. We apologise for any inconvenience which this may cause but, unfortunately, the change was unavoidable. We ask any parents or family members who would like to attend the Mass and barbecue to please contact Clare to confirm their attendance as soon as possible. We hope that the change of date for the Mass and barbecue will now allow us to hold our Sports Day on Friday, June 23rd (or on another day that week) instead of Monday 25th but will make a final call on the date nearer the time pending weather forecasts.
The first day of our 2017-2018 school year, Thursday, August 30th, will herald another exciting chapter in the life of Scoil Naomh Cualán when we will welcome the arrival of our second ASD class. We are eagerly looking forward to this and liaising persistently with the DES in our ongoing quest to provide the best possible learning environment for everybody.
We will close for summer holidays at 12 noon on Tuesday, June 26th and we wish all families a very enjoyable summer! We would be very grateful to receive any outstanding book money as soon as possible as we prepare for the new school year. We also hope to organise a used clothing collection in the autumn so would ask parents to bear this in mind if at all possible as it was a great help last year.
Thank you for your unfailing support and generosity throughout the year.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh as ucht bhúr tacaíocht agus dea-mhéin,