We cannot stress the importance of reading to children enough as it opens an entire world of opportunities and new experiences. It is so important for children to have access to books and to be encouraged to read and develop this hobby.

There was a brilliant atmosphere as we celebrated World Book Day in school recently. A day to focus on the joy and love of reading. Our wonderful students brought treasured books to school and dressed up as their favourite characters and showcased their costumes on our catwalk!

We were amazed at the thought and effort that went into the portrayal of characters from reading books. It was so interesting to see the books that are so popular with our children at the moment and we were delighted to see some of our own personal favourites making a re-appearance!

The children were proud to present themselves and tell us who they were and what book they were from. A huge thank you to our parents for all their help and support as always in the background.

Comghairdeachas to our Sports Quiz Team who on Sunday will represent our school in the first ever Allianz All Ireland Cumann na mBunscol primary schools’ sports quiz final in Tullamore, Offaly.

Our team has progressed through Area, County and Connacht qualifiers to reach the National Final. This really is a fantastic achievement, especially in light of the standards required and we are very proud of all our team members.

All our best wishes on Sunday to Conor and Tom from our 6th Class and Luke and Ted from our 5th Class. Go néirí an t-ádh libh go léir.

Ghlac Rang a Trí páirt sa Féile Dramaíochta Cill Mobhí agus Féile Scoil Dramaíochta Chonnacht sa coicís seo caite sna drama Píobaire Hamlin. D’eirigh go hiontach leo agus bhí an craic acu.

Tá súil againn go mbainfidh na paistí go léir taitneamh as. Táimid an bhrodúil as na páistí mar go n-oibríonn siad go crua agus go ndéanann gach duine a ndícheall agus iad ag foghlaim agus ag labhairt gaeilge.

Buíochas mór le gach duine a chabhraigh leo chun an drama a chur ar siúl go háirithe múinteoir, Ms.Henry. We really appreciated Ms. Henry’s hard work, interest and enthusiasm in putting this together and to all who helped in the background. Thank you also sincerely to Ms.Quinn and Grazyna who for everything on and off stage.

Bhí na paistí go léir ar fheabhas and this was a fantastic team effort.

A sincere thank you also to our parents who watched the children on stage in Charlestown and travelled to Indreabhán. We really appreciated this fantastic support!

Comhghairdeachas Rang a Trí. You can be so proud of all your effort and performances. Bhí sibh thar barr. We are all very proud of you. Maith sibh go léir!

5th Class have spent the past months predicting, researching, investigating, experimenting and recording their question for this year’s ESB Science Blast.

The question was “Does the air pressure in a ball determine how far it will travel when kicked?”. Their visit to the RDS was the culmination of their studies, where they had the opportunity to showcase their project. 

The children were buzzing with excitement ahead of their trip to Dublin. The bus journey flew as they all chatted, laughed and sang their way to the Big Smoke! Once arrived, they set up our project display at stall number 37. Immediately, there were visitors calling to view the investigation, and everyone commented about the visual representation of the project and the wonderful knowledge of the children. It certainly looked fabulous on the stand!

The children were divided into groups, and each group spent 30 minutes “on duty” showcasing the wonderful work that they had done. Everyone got ample opportunities to wander the main arena and see all of the exhibition area, as well as attend both shows “Science saved the world” with the Ministry of Science ” and “Extreme Adventures” with Mark the Science Guy. The shows were brilliant scientific experiences and great fun. Jessica and Liliana even got the opportunity to be scientific helpers in the shows!

In fact, all of the children made a big impact on the RDS today, and the RDS had a huge impact on them. It truly is a wonderful event and gives the children opportunities to engage in Science activities in a fun and age-appropriate manner, where they see the presence of science all around them. One of our visitors was so impressed by the project and knowledge of the children that she invited them to present their project, in the coming months, at the Oweninny Wind Farm visitor centre. Such was the impact that they had made on her! 

Our judge, Fionnuala from Dublin City University/ ESB was blown away by the knowledge and input of all the children today, and commented on the teamwork that was evident in abundance. 

Her feedback was:

“ I was extremely impressed with this class. Their scientific approach to this experiment was unbelievable! 

They set out with a clear intention and prediction to what seems to be a very simple experiment. As they learned, it was actually very complex. They broke the scientific theory down into smaller bits and had an illustrative experiment for each one. 

Their explanation of the results verbally was absolutely fantastic. They were able to reach a conclusion that was different from their prediction and could explain why. The children were able to build on each experiment critically to understand their final conclusion. They analysed every aspect of the experiment very well. 

I was so impressed by the children’s creativity. The music video was amazing! The stand looked fantastic with lots of props and it was really engaging. The class collaborated very well together. Everyone took part in the experiments and they all took turns to speak.

I was blown away by the class’s ability to communicate their research and findings. It was clear that they really understood the topic and could explain everything. 

I felt like I learned something myself today! This project was absolutely brilliant. The class should be so proud and they could all be scientists!”

Super praise indeed for our children in 5th Class….and well deserved! We are so proud of them and the effort, energy and enthusiasm they brought to this project, and everything else they do! They were a pleasure to take away to a big day out like Science Blast, and made their teachers and families extremely proud. We are very lucky to be able to enjoy challenging and fun initiatives with respectful, mannerly, kind, brave and great students. Science Blast is a yearly initiative in which we love to participate in, and it inspires a love of science in all of our students.

Finally, mile buíochas to Mr.Neary and Ms.McDonagh for their wonderful work with 5th class on this project. We thank them sincerely for the time, interest and enthusiasm promoting this great work. This was a wonderful opportunity for all of our 5th Class students. Thank you also to Sarah for her continuous support and kindness to all our 5th Class students.

We celebrated Grandparent’s Day on Wednesday, January 22nd. This is always one of the highlights of our school year and an essential part of our Catholic School Week celebrations.

Our day began with Mass in St.James’ Church giving thanks for all our grandparents. The mass was prepared and led by Ms.Henry’s Third class who deserve great credit for their hard work and the manner in which they prepared for and participated in the mass.

After mass, it was lovely to welcome our grandparents to school where they visited our classrooms and chatted with pupils and grandchildren. We heard many stories of what their school days were like, how they travelled to school, First Holy Communion Day, etc. We learned of chores they did on family farms and jobs which they worked as young adults, getting an insight into school and family life in former times.

Grandparents Day allowed us to meet some of our grandparents and think about the importance of all of our grandparents and the gift they are to our lives. For some, it was a return to their alma mater and a time to reminisce.

For all in St.Attracta’s NS, it was a privilege to have the opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contribution grandparents make. We sincerely thank those who took the time to visit and speak to the students and hope that all our grandparents from near and far had a lovely day!

Comghairdeachas to our most recent Students of the Week all of whom have continued to impress their teachers with their achievements, deeds, hard work and effort.

Throughout school, all classes explored the whole school themes of Incredible Inventions and Ireland. As always, these have been wonderful learning experiences and it has been a joy to visit classrooms and see this first-hand. Maith sibh!

We are also reminded of wonderful projects ongoing alongside the regular business in our classrooms from Internet Safety, Féile Dramaíochta, World Book Day, Soccer 5’s, Sports Quiz and Science Blast Project to Wellbeing Week. Here we are most grateful for the trojan work of the Amber Flag committees. Well done to all, we are very grateful for this fantastic work. endeavour to promote mental health in the classroom, to teach children about wellbeing and to instil positive attitudes towards their mental health.

Well done again to all our most recent Students of the Week for their positivity in school and kindness towards others. These are qualities that we look for in all of our students. We are so proud of you all for being the very best that you can be. Maith sibh go léir.

We are now accepting enrolments for the new school year 2025/26.

To begin the process, we would appreciate it if you could fill in a short pre-enrolment form by using the following link https://www.aladdin.ie/i/5142428197584896 

Further details are available in the Parents and Quicklinks sections on the homepage of our website www.stattractasns.ie  (Parents & Quicklinks section).

Should you have any questions at this time please do not hesitate to get in contact by email at office@stattractasns.ie or by telephone at (094)9254905.

Tháinig Daidí na Nollag ar cuairt chuig Scoil Naomh Athrach maidin de hAoine roimh an Nollag. Bhí sceitimíní áthais ar na páistí!

Santa visited the very excited boys and girls of St. Attracta’s before the Christmas break. He arrived in style with the Charlestown Unit of the Mayo County Fire Service.

Santa imparted many wise words to all our excited students for the build-up to Christmas! It was a lovely way to finish the term.

A special word of thanks to Paul and of course to Daidí na Nollag for taking time out at this extremely busy time to visit our school.

Students from our 5th and 6th classes visited St.Attracta’s Nursing Home on Thursday, December 19th to sing Christmas carols and seasonal tunes. This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to meet with and perform for some of the older members of our community.

It was a lovely morning and we greatly appreciate the warm welcome we were afforded by Trina and her staff and not forgetting the delicious treats after! Well done to each of our students of whom we are always so proud. A sincere thank you to all the parents who joined us and helped with transport to and from St.Attracta’s.

Finally, míle buíochas to Ms.Connaghan Ms.Tierney, Ms.Peyton, Mr.Neary, Sarah and Ms. Shuana Quinn who prepared the children so well while adding so much to our visit.