Primary School Information Folder - Wilkinstown NS

Fáilte

Scoil Naomh Barra is a Roman Catholic School under the patronage of the Bishop of Meath, Dr Thomas Deenihan. Scoil Naomh Barra is located 6km from Navan and caters for children from Junior Infants to 6th Class. We currently have 9 mainstream classes, 2 Special Classes, 2 Support Teachers, 6 SNAs and an administrative Principal. Our school ethos is to create a warm, caring, friendly atmosphere where learning and willingness to learn are central.

Message from the Principal

Céad míle fáilte go dtí Scoil Naomh Barra. I would like to thank you for taking the time to explore our information booklet. You can also see a video of our school @ www.wilkinstownns.ie. The virtual tour hopes to provide an insight into the everyday life of our school community. If you have any further queries please contact the school office.

- James Minnock, Principal

School Ethos

“Our school ethos is to create a warm, caring, friendly atmosphere where learning and willingness to learn are central.”

School Opening Times

Students of all classes can be dropped at the school from 9am. The bell rings at 9.10am and the children line up with their classes. Infants finish at 2pm and all other classes finish at 3pm.

School Uniform

The uniform for boys and girls is compulsory and is as follows: Navy trousers/skirt or pinafore, Crested navy round neck jumper/cardigan, blue shirt.

PE Tracksuit is a Navy round neck jumper with school crest, red polo shirt and navy tracksuit bottoms. Plain navy shorts can be worn during the summer months.

Board of Management

The school is governed by the Board of Managemnet, with eight members, Chairperson, Principal, Patrons nominee, two parent nominees, teacher’s nominee and two Community nominees. The Board of management is responsible for all aspects of the upkeep and maintenance of the school. It is also responsible for the employment of all staff. Strict accounting procedures are adhered to and all Board of Management accounts are audited annually.

Parental Involvement

Scoil Naomh Barra Parents’ Association work closely with the school to provide support in many areas, including fundraising. They organise events such as Witches Walk at Halloween, Santa Visiting the school at Christmas, NonUniform Days , Cash for Clobber etc.

We have strong community links with many organisations in our local area such as GAA, Tidy Towns and local soccer club. The PA also runs the Book Rental Scheme. In recent years we have expanded the Rental Scheme to include all books and stationery for each child in the school.

Sensory Garden/ Playground

Our sensory garden/playground is an interactive space which can be accessed by all the children in the school. It has been designed with the purpose of stimulating the five senses. With the inclusion of two bug hotels, several bird houses as well as a plantation of wildflowers, we have also tried to encourage biodiversity and create a wildlife-friendly habitat. Our intention was to create a colourful, inspiring space which would be engaging for all the pupils at Scoil Naomh Barra. We have no doubt that all our students will have fond memories of the time they spend there.

School Life at Scoil Naomh Barra

Every year, there is a wide variety of activities organised. They include Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, soccer and basketball. Here at Scoil Naomh Barra we pride ourselves in engaging in innovative learning projects and programmes along with a variety of Health and Wellbeing initiatives, including: Green Schools, Active Schools, Art, Music, Drama Workshops, Grandparents Day, Gardening, Dance, Gymnastics, ICT projects, Athletics, Mindfulness, GAA, Christmas Plays, Credit Union Quizzes and much more.