Christmas Newsletter

The school closes tomorrow, Friday 19th of December, for our Christmas break and will re-open on Monday 5th January 2026. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, safe and enjoyable Christmas with your families.

We are excited to welcome back Rachel Owens, who will be returning from her maternity leave in the New Year. We also extend our best wishes to Christina Tamburro as she begins her maternity leave.

School Development

video for new land

Supporting Our New School Pitch

We are in the process of purchasing land to the rear of our school, and we would love your support.

With your help, we hope to fund the drainage, fencing, levelling, and reseeding needed to transform this field into our dream pitch — a space for everyone in the community to enjoy.

Please consider joining our weekly lotto to help raise funds for our new pitch.

Watch this video for full details and to see our vision come to life.

If you are involved in pitch sowing, drainage, or sports ground development and would be interested in offering financial support or assistance in helping us transform this land into our dream pitch, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact our office on 046 905 4329 or email office@wilkinstownns.ie.

Active Schools

Swimming lessons will commence on Tuesday the 6th of January in Navan Swimming Pool for 1st and 2nd class children. If your child would like to participate but you have not yet paid, you can do so via the Aladdin app.

Olympic Handball

On the last Tuesday of November, 6th class A & B went to the Wilkinstown Community Centre and played Olympic Handball against schools in Skryne, Yellow Furs, Kells and more. Skryne won and everyone had a brilliant time.

Markings in the Hall

The student council recently met to decide how to spend the money raised from our non-uniform days, and they all agreed that investing in the hall and sports equipment was the best choice.

Over the Halloween break, new sports markings were added to the hall floor, making it possible to play a variety of games using the correct lines. Since then, we’ve started a lunchtime badminton and pickleball club, which has been a lot of fun for everyone involved!

Badminton & Pickleball

Every Monday and Wednesday, Mr Minnock trains us in pickleball and badminton at lunchtime, and we really enjoy practising and learning new skills together. More classes will be getting a chance to take part after Christmas.

Cycling Lessons

The 4th class students have been taking a bicycle safety course over the past few weeks. The course included eight hours of training, covering topics like safety equipment, road rules, starting and stopping, road positioning, shoulder checking, turning, overtaking, and on-road training. The focus was on bike control and being aware of surroundings.

Gaelic Training

Junior Infants, Senior Infants, and 5th & 6th classes participated in weekly Gaelic training sessions as part of their P.E. lessons throughout November, and we look forward to these continuing in the new year.

The boys and girls in 3rd & 4th classes are training at lunchtime every week. They are working very hard in preparation for the mini-7s in the new year.

Cross Country

The Meath Schools Cross Country competition was held at Fairyhouse. A big congratulations to all the students who represented the school.

Special Events

Christmas Perfomances

Our Christmas performances were a joyful celebration of talent and teamwork. Junior Infants, Senior Infants and 2nd Class A & B each performed their own class plays, followed by a 1st-6th class presentation of A Story of Christmas. Pupils from 2nd to 6th Classes led the singing, while 1st Class acted out the Christmas story.

The music was beautifully supported by pupil musicians on harp, violin, tin whistle and guitar, led by Harry Long. Sincere thanks to Mrs McCarthy and Ms Dowd for leading the choir, and to Ms Maynes for managing sound throughout the day. It was a memorable and festive occasion for all.

Our School Choir

Harry Long and Musicians

Senior Infants Performing Ralph the Reindeer

Junior Infants Performing A Wriggly Nativity

School Choir

On December 3rd, under the guidance of Mrs McCarthy, Ms Dowd and Ms Maynes the choir performed for the Wilkinstown Active Retirement Group.

On Sunday, December 7th, our school choir filled Navan Shopping Centre with Christmas cheer. Well done to all the children! A big thank you to Mrs. McCarthy, Ms Dowd, our Parents' Association, and all the parents who came to support them. The children raised over 800 euro for the school.

Christmas Jumper Day

On the 5th of December, everyone at Scoil Naomh Barra got to wear their Christmas jumpers! All the money raised will go towards looking after our school therapy dog, Fiona, helping with her food, grooming, and vet care.

Visit from Santa

Santa visited Scoil Naomh Barra on December 16th and arrived by helicopter! Santa visited all the classes and gave every child a selection box! We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw him landing! It was the best surprise ever! A big thank you to our teacher Mrs Kellett and her husband Reese, along with the Parents' Association, for all their hard work and support in making this happen.

Curriculum Links

Children in 5th and 6th Class participated in Spanish lessons during November and December. These lessons supported the aims of the new Primary Curriculum Framework, which encourages children to experience learning a modern foreign language and to develop awareness of languages and cultures.

Ready, Set, Go Maths

Ready, Set, Go Maths has recently been introduced in Junior Infants, providing a fun and engaging way for pupils to develop early numeracy skills. Through hands-on activities, games, and playful learning, children are building confidence with numbers while developing a positive attitude towards maths from the very beginning of their school journey.

Chess Club

Every Friday children from 3rd - 6th classes meet up in Ms Dowd's room for chess club. There is a chess tournament taking place in 2026. The teams will be announced in February.

BLAST Creativity & Arts in Education Residency

5th Class are currently working with artist Mary Schoales on a lantern-making project, where they are learning to bend sticks into different shapes and create colourful paper panels for the lantern frames. This creative residency is part of the BLAST (Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers) programme, an initiative funded by the Department of Education under the Creative Youth Plan that gives pupils the opportunity to work with a professional artist on an imaginative, collaborative arts project in school.

Thank you for reading our Christmas Newsletter🎄🧑‍🎄!

Nollaig shona daoibh go léir agus saol agus sláinte daoibh don athbhliain 2026.

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