Enrolment Applications for Junior Infants for the school year 2024-2025 is now closed. 

We are currently taking enrolments for 1st, 2nd & 6th Class for September 2024.

Web Enrolments:   https://www.aladdin.ie/i/5685713985077248

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Click the Enrolling icon to learn more. 

Click the Enrolling icon to learn more. 

Principal’s Welcome

Welcome to Brannoxtown
Community National School!

Welcome to Brannoxtown Community National School! We opened as a Community National School in September 2018 under patronage of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). Our school is located about 10 minutes drive from Naas and 5 minutes from Kilcullen. We are guided by four values (which children chose): Respect, Teamwork, Effort and Ambition. Brannoxtown CNS is a happy place where we support all children to grow in competence and confidence so they can flourish as learners and individuals. Our school is at the heart of the community and we value strong communications with parents and community members.

We are enrolling across all classes. If you’d like to inquire about enrolling your child(ren), email us at: brannoxtowncns@kwetb.ieYou can find out about our learning adventures here and by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Deirdre Murphy, Principal,

Notice Board

Oct 18th 2024: Primary Maths Curriculum Training Day (26/06/2024)

Dear families, 

Following communication from the Department of Education, please be advised that, as part of a Department of Education training day for the  New Primary Maths Curriculum, Brannoxtown CNS will close on Friday the 18th of October.  We will of course remind you of this in the new school year and update our calendar accordingly. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Deirdre

 

End of Year Newsletter (25/06/2024)

Dear families, 

Please find attached our End of Year Newsletter that shares with you:

  • Spotlights on each classroom.
  • Term 3 Events
  • Expressions of Gratitude
  • A message from our Board of Management
  • The 2024/2025 School Calendar
  • Back to School Information

From all of us here at Brannoxtown CNS,  we congratulate your children on a year of hard-work, team spirit and fun, we thank you for your support and positivity and finally, we wish you the happiest of summer holidays. 

BCNS-June2024-Newsletter

Warm wishes, 

 

The BCNS Staff. 

 

 

PA Raffle (21/06/2024)

Dear families,

 A special announcement from our Parents’ Association:

 We are delighted to announce our BCNS raffle winners: 

 1st Prize Tom O’Connor 
2nd Prize Deirdre Wilson 
3rd Prize Nikki McDonald
4th Prize Leanne Duff 
5th Prize Aoife Brennan
6th Prize Patrick Hallissey
7th Prize Christy Doran
8th Prize Bill Walsh
9th Prize Jack O’Connor 
10th Prize Laura Hickey
11th Prize Sinead Leydon
12th Prize Jennifer Dowling
13th Prize Sean Brennan
14th Prize Gerard Hughes
15th Prize William Ducie
16th Prize Michael Grey
17th Prize Jack Duff
18th Prize Elaine Kerin
19th Prize Ross Dignam
20th Prize Chloe Hughes

 

Kids Draw 
1st Prize Eloise Dunne 
2nd Prize Ciaran Thackaberry 
3rd Prize Leo Condon 
4th Prize Oisin Brown 
5th Prize Annika Flynn 
6th Prize Jared Dunne Weir 
7th Prize Sophie Clifford 
8th Prize Tyler O’Neill
9th Prize Michael Hallissey
10th Prize Luke O’Brien
11th Prize Nicholas Beaumont
12th Prize Tad Davis

 

All children in BCNS received a little goodie at home time as a Massive Thank You from the PA for their involvement in our hugely successful raffle. 
We raised an astonishing €2790.00 for our School, its development and resources. Every cent goes back into the School and the Children. 
The draw was held in each of the classrooms and the children of the classes picked the winning tickets out under supervision of a PA Member and School Staff. 
Members of the PA will be in touch with our lucky winners to arrange collection of prizes on Monday. Congratulations to all and a Huge Thank You supporting the PA and our Children’s fantastic  education.

 

 

 

Culture & Diversity Day (12/06/2024)

Dear families, 

From the staff of Brannoxtown CNS, we wish to say a huge thank you to all members of our school community for the incredible effort, generosity and community spirit that was alive in our school yesterday. We were blown away by the thought and time that went into setting up the stands – what a wonderful way for our pupils to be able to learn about the cultures and countries that enrich the BCNS school community. Yesterday, we had stands representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Moldova, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, U.S.A. (I hope I haven’t left anyone out!).

Please click on the links at the bottom of this message to access a video and a gallery of photos that capture the BCNS Culture & Diversity Day.

Once again, a huge thank you to all families – we feel very lucky to be part of such a supportive and united school community. A word of congratulations also to our wonderful pupils for their performances and for their respectful and positive attitudes, not only yesterday but throughout the school year. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, 

The BCNS Staff.

 

Video: https://youtu.be/tp7x9Hbfti0?si=vD1fuWGnJvQxJe9Y

 

Photos: https://adobe.ly/3XiYFbZ

 

 

 

 

Reminder: Friday 7th of June - School Closed for Election Day (05/06/2024)

Dear parents, 

 This is a reminder that Brannoxtown CNS will be closed for use as a polling station this Friday the 7th of June.

 Kind regards,

 Deirdre

 

 

 

 

BCNS Parents Association Annual Raffle (29/05/2024)

Dear Parents,

Please see attached information from Sinéad in relation to this year’s Parents Association Annual Raffle for our school.  The raffle will take place on Friday, 21st June.

 Regards,

 Liz

 

 

 

Pipers Hill - Incoming First Years (22/05/2024)

Dear Parents of children who will be starting in Pipers Hill next term,

Pipers Hill are running  a workshop next Tuesday 28th of May in Piper’s Hill @7pm for parents of incoming first years to help them with the transition to secondary school.

The workshop will help parents support their children if they are nervous or stressed, how to handle changes in behaviour, develop healthy routines starting school etc. It is run my Caroline O’Connor who is based in Naas and runs workshops on wellbeing and mental health through her organisation EiSHT.

Please find poster attached.   Please confirm a place by emailing hscl@phcol.ie. Places are limited. 

Regards,

Liz

White Illustrative Motivational Education Quotes Classroom Poster_20240517_074728_0000 (1)

 

 

Summer Care Project (14/05/2024)

Dear Parents,

Please see attached flyer from Sinead with details of the Summer Care Project running from July 1st – July 19th.

Kind regards, 

Liz

 

 

Invitation: BCNS Cultural and Diversity Day - 13/06/2024 (10/05/2024)

Dear families, 

We are very excited to announce that we will once again be holding the BCNS Cultural and Diversity Day on Thursday, June 13th. This year, we extend the invitation to  all parents and children of Brannoxtown CNS to attend what will be a day of sharing and connecting with our school community. 

The theme of the BCNS 2023-2024 Cultural and Diversity Day is, ‘I Am Unique’. It is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity that we cherish here in our school. As part of this day, our Parents’ Association will host a fundraising Art Expo. Every BCNS pupil will create and exhibit a piece of art that expresses their unique selves and you the parents will have the opportunity to purchase your child’s art work.

The success of the BCNS Cultural and Diversity Day relies on teamwork across our school community. We invite families to set up stands that celebrate the countries, cultures and  traditions that connect us here at Brannoxtown CNS. Attached are pictures of the 2023 BCNS Cultural and Diversity so you have a taste of what the day is all about. If you wish to be a part of what will be a very special day, please fill out the form by following this link: https://forms.office.com/e/rWVdjSV9WH

Thanking you all in advance, 

The BCNS Staff.

 

 

Parent Information Evening: Primary school students | Online Safety | Smartphones (09/05/2024)

Dear Parents,

Please see email below from the Kildare Education Support Centre.

Regards,

Liz

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Colleague,

For your information please find details of forthcoming Information Session for Parents/Guardians.

 Your assistance in bringing the information below to the attention of the parents/guardians of the students in your school would be much appreciated.

 The Department of Education are holding a Parent Information evening in Kildare Education Support Centre on Wednesday, 22nd May, 2024 @ 7.15pm.

The focus of this event is to enhance Online Safety and initiate conversations around smartphones. Webwise, a department-funded service for schools and parents, will present available resources to promote safer and more appropriate online use. The department will then conduct a facilitated discussion on smartphone use and a smartphone consultation process .

To register please click    https://www.eckildare.ie/coursebooking/search-result.html?category_id=20

 

 As always, thank you for your continued support.

 Many thanks and kind regards.

Vivienne.

 Vivienne O’Loughlin.

Kildare Education Support Centre.

045 530200.

 

 

BCNS Upcoming Events: Save the Date (02/05/2024)

Dear parents, 

Shared with you are some important and exciting dates in our Brannoxtown CNS calendar! 

Warm regards,

Deirdre

May Mid Term Break (01/05/2024)

Dear parents,

This is a friendly reminder that school is closed for mid-term break from Friday the 3rd of May – Wednesday the 8th of May inclusive.

School finishes at the normal time of 14:30 tomorrow(Thursday) and we return to school on Thursday the 9th of May.

Warm wishes,

Deirdre.

School Cinema Night - 10th May (24/04/2024)

Dear Parents,

Please see attached flyer from the BCNS Parents Association in relation to the School Cinema Night.

Kind regards,

Liz

Bus Éireann School Transport for new applications closing 26th April (23/04/2024)

Dear Parents,

This is a reminder that the closing date for new applications for the Bus Éireann School Transport from Naas to Brannoxtown CNS is this Friday, 26th April.

Regards,

Liz

RSE (16/04/2024)

Dear parents, 

Please find attached an information letter about RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education) Curriculum that will be taught across all class stages from Tuesday the 23rd of April. 

We encourage you to engage with the linked material provided in the letter. Following this, if you have any lingering queries, please do not hesitate to make contact with your child’s teacher. 

Kind regards, 

Deirdre

RSE-April2024

3rd - 6th Class Visit Microsoft Dream Space (12/04/2024)

    Dear parents,

     

    On Wednesday, 3rd – 6th Class visited Microsoft Dream Space – it was an incredible experience. Below is Harry & Sebastian’s account of how the day went and a video created by Múinteoir Eoin that offers a glimpse of what our pupils got up to!

    Microsoft Dream Space

    On Wednesday, the 10th of April, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th class of Brannoxtown Community National School visited Microsoft Dream Space at the Microsoft headquarters in Leapordstown, Dublin. When we arrived, we were greeted by the Microsoft team who led us into Dream Space. First, we left our bags in the lockers; then, they told us the rules of the area and explained what we would be doing. Next, we were divided into our classes and given numbered codes. Straight after that, we were handed laptops to complete a thirteen question quiz. Once everyone finished the quiz, we sat down at tables where there were booklets that contained questions on the activities that we were doing and also contained brain warm-ups. Once we concluded the brain warm ups, the team showed us a mini self driving car called Indi. Indi had a colour sensor at the bottom, so when she passed over the rubber squares, Indi received different instructions depending on the colour. For example, green is go, red is stop and blue is turn right etc. For lunch we were served three slices of pizza and some chips. After lunch we went back to Indi and were told in our groups of three to complete a series of challenges for the miniature self driving car Indi. When we had finished with Indi. We were split into 3rd and 4th class in one group and 5th and 6th class in the other. We were given microchips to code. The microchips had 25 LED lights so we could make symbols and our names they could also play music. That concluded our tour in Microsoft Dream Space and we left. We had an incredible day developing our coding and STEM skills and cannot wait to for our return trip on the 30th of April! 

    By Harry & Seb

     

    Junk Art Workshop and Play Day (11/04/2024)

      Dear Parents,

      Please see attached flyer from Sinead.

      Regards,

      Liz

       

      Bag 2 School Fundraiser (03/04/2024)

        Our Parents’ Association has organised another Bag 2 School fundraiser!

        How to get involved:

        1.  Bag up any unwanted clothing, footwear and soft toys.
        2. Drop them to school on the 15th/16th of April!

        Every kilo collected will raise money for our school!

         

        The BCNS Spring Newsletter (22/03/2024)

          Dear families, 

          Please find attached our BCNS Spring Newsletter! Our pupils put lots of hard work went into this newsletter to showcase the wonderful learning and activities that are happening here at Brannoxtown CNS! 

          Page 1: Spotlight on the Junior Room + Important Dates

          Page 2: Spotlight on 1st & 2nd Class

          Page 3: Spotlight on 3rd & 4th Class

          Page 4: Spotlight on 5th & 6th Class + 6th Class Graduation Save the Date

          Page 5 & 6: Spotlight on Sports at Brannoxtown CNS

          Page 7: Spotlight on Parents’ Association

          Page 8: Spotlight on our School Garden + the 2024/2025 School Calendar

          We wish you all the most wonderful spring break and we look forward to welcoming you back from our final term of this school year!

          BCNS-News-2024-03

          Warm wishes, 

          The Staff at Brannoxtown CNS

           

          Spring Break (20/03/2024)

            Dear parents, 

            This is a reminder that this Friday the 22nd will be a half-day to kickstart our two week spring break. Children who travel by bus will finish at 11:50 and all other children finish at 12 noon. We return to school on Monday the 8th of April!

            Friday will also be a ‘Civvies Day’ –  children can wear their own clothes to school!

            Warm wishes, 

            Deirdre

            County Photos (12/03/2024)

              Dear Parents,

              For those of you who ordered school photographs from County Photos, the children have brought them home with them today.

              Kind regards,

               Liz

               

              Seachtain na Gaeilge & Lá Glas (07/03/2024)

                Dear Parents,

                Next week is Seachtain na Gaeilge (SNAG)/Irish Week with lots of activities planned for children, across the school. We will be hosting a seanfhocail art work competition, Gaeilgeoir an Lae, céilí mór in our yard and a Tráth na gCeist!

                Friday will see us celebrate our Lá Glas/Green Day which will be the theme for the Parent Associations next fundraiser – check out the poster below! We hope to see 40 shades of green (and more!) in place of the uniform.

                On Monday, 18th, school is closed for St. Patrick’s Day bank holiday!

                See you all next week for lots of spórt ‘is spraoi!

                 

                Bus Éireann School Transport Application Process for 2024-2025 School Year (07/03/2024)

                  Dear parents,

                  For Families wishing to apply for the Bus Éireann School Transport from Naas to Brannoxtown, Applications are now being accepted for the School Year 2024-2025.  The closing date for on time applications is Friday, 26th April 2024.  

                  The link to the Bus Éireann portal is https://schooltransport.buseireann.ie/Account/Login

                  Kind regards,

                  Liz

                  Reminder: School Closure - Friday 8th of March (06/03/2024)

                    Dear parents,

                    This is a reminder that this Friday, the 8th of March, our school will be closed as it will be in use as a polling station for the referendum on that date. 

                    Kind regards,

                    Deirdre

                    Easter Camp (29/02/2024)

                      Dear parents,

                      Please see the attached leaflet for details of Sinéad’s Easter Camp that will run from 25th-29th March.

                      Regards,

                      Liz

                      BCNS Outdoor Classroom (26/02/2024)
                        Dear parents, 

                        We are delighted to share the news that the local Brannockstown Community Group, in conjunction with their Tidy Towns Committee, have generously purchased and donated bamboos, willows, compost and wildflower seeds to our school to support the development of our Brannoxtown CNS Outdoor Classroom. 

                        We wish to extend an invitation to parents and residents who would like to join us for a planting morning this Saturday the 2nd of March between 10:00am – 12:30pm.  

                        We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Brannockstown Community Group and to Suzanne Dowling for the work they have done to make this happen. We are so excited to create a special, outdoor learning space for our pupils and we are delighted to build positive relationships with the local community. 

                        Warm wishes, 

                        Deirdre. 

                         

                        Archways - Free webinars to Parents/Guardians (22/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        Please see attached document from Archways, a national organisation who are working in collaboration with local and national agencies. Archway are offering free webinars to parents. 

                        ARCHWAYS FREE Webinars for Parents-Guardians – Spring 2024

                        Regards,

                         

                        Liz

                         

                        Secondary School Places - Presentation Boarding School (21/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents of 6th Class girls,

                        Please see attached flyer from Presentation All-Girls Boarding School, Thurles in relation to enrolment for September 2024.

                        Regards,

                        Liz

                         

                         

                        County Photos (13/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        County Photos have extended their online ordering date for free school delivery to 14th February 20024.  

                        Kind regards,

                         

                        Liz

                        Friendship Week and Pancake Tuesday (12/02/2024)

                        Dear parents, 

                        Valentine’s Day gives us the perfect opportunity to focus on showing care and kindness to ourselves and to others. With that in mind, we have a week of homework that comes with a loving twist. Click the link below to see a table of homework options to choose from. Each day, choose a minimum of two activities to do (ideally from two different columns):

                        Friendship Week (padlet.com)

                        Tomorrow, we are excited to learn how to make a baked version of pancakes to share together. Your children are invited to bring a topping of their choice to enjoy their pancake with. Please remember that Nutella and other nut-based toppings are not permitted. 

                        Warm wishes and Happy Monday!

                        BCNS Staff. 

                        PT Meetings (07/02/2024)

                        Dear parents, 

                        This is a reminder that to facilitate Parent Teacher Meetings on today, Wednesday the 7th and tomorrow, Thursday the 8th of February, school will finish at 14:15. 

                        Set Down cannot be used as a parking area between 13:30 – 14:30 but can be used from 14:30 onwards.   We ask that parents take care not to block residents’ entrances or the exit out of the Set Down area. 

                        Finally, to respect the meeting schedules, parents are asked to knock on the classroom door at your allocated time. 

                        Kind regards,

                        Deirdre. 

                         

                        School landline (07/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        Our school phone is not working at the moment.  Please contact your child’s/children’s class teacher via Aladdin Connect.  For all other queries please contact the school office via Aladdin Connect or brannoxtowncns@kwetb.ie.

                        Kind regards,

                        Liz

                        Referendum March 8th 2024 (06/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents, 

                        The school has been  requisitioned by the state for the forthcoming Referendum and will be fully closed on Friday, March 8th 2024.

                        Apologies for any inconvenience.

                        Regards,

                        Liz

                        County Photo orders (06/02/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        This is a gentle reminder that County Photos  will be collecting your photo order on Wednesday, 7th February.  All orders to returned to the school by 2:30pm, today. Alternatively, you can place your order online by using your  Access Code and School Code, this is on each child’s proof card.    To avail of free delivery of your photo order to the school please place your order online before tomorrow, 7th February.  The online portal is shop.countyphotos.ie

                         

                        Kind regards,

                         

                        Liz

                        Parent Teacher Meeting Reminder (31/01/2024)

                        Dear parents,

                        This is your reminder to book your Parent Teacher Meeting here on Aladdin!

                        Access to the booking page will close this Friday the 2nd of February. If the remaining times do not suit your schedule, we ask that you make contact with your child’s class teacher to arrange an alternative meeting time.

                        We also wish to remind you that school will finish 15 minutes early at 2:15pm on Wednesday the 7th and Thursday the 8th of February to facilitate Parent Teacher Meetings.

                        Finally, attached is a copy of the parent form that went home with every child last Friday.

                        1.MidYear-PTM-ParentForm-2024

                        Kind regards,

                        Deirdre

                        Credit Union School Quiz (30/01/2024)

                        A huge congratulations to our two Brannoxtown Community National School quiz teams who represented our school in the First Round of the Credit Union School Quiz. Our u13 team made up of Harry Dunleavy, Kitty Keating, Mackenna Lynch and Sebastian Stenson came so close, scoring only two points off the winning team!  Our u11 team, made up of Isaac Flynn,  Aryan Mehmood, Luke O’Brien and Samuel Timbo took home first place and go through to the next round! Well done, we’re so proud of them all! A final big thank you to Múinteoir Aoife & Múinteoir Eoin for the time they gave to support and prep our quiz teams! 

                        Cross and Passion College CAT assessments (30/01/2024)

                        The Cross and Passion College CAT assessments for enrolment September 2024 will be taking place on Saturday, 9th March between 9am and 11:30am.  Cross and Passion will be contacting all parents by email over the coming weeks with the information you will need. 

                         

                         

                        Oide’s ‘Formative Assessment Using Digital Portfolios’ initiative (29/01/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        We are delighted to share with you that Brannoxtown CNS was 1 of 24 schools across Ireland selected to participate in Oide’s ‘Formative Assessment Using Digital Portfolios’ initiative. Oide facilitators will deliver training to BCNS teachers who will then roll the initiative out at school level. Digital portfolios are “student-owned dynamic digital workspaces wherein students can capture their learning and their ideas, access their collections of work, reflect on their learning, share it, set goals, seek feedback and showcase their learning and achievements” (NCCA 2013).

                        Our school will be using Seesaw (http://seesaw.me), a secure online journal where students can document and reflect on what they are learning in class. Your child will be able to add the things we work on (including photos, videos, worksheets, drawings and voice recordings) to their Seesaw journal and we can share them privately with you and other family members to view and comment on throughout the school year.

                        In order for your child to use Seesaw, the app needs your child’s name in order to be able to associate work like their photos, videos or voice recordings with their account. Seesaw only uses this information to provide the service and doesn’t advertise in Seesaw, create profiles of students, or share or sell your child’s personal information or journal content. You can read more about their strong privacy promises here: https://web.seesaw.me/privacy. Under an EU law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in order for your child to use Seesaw, the school must get your consent. For more information on GDPR, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rights-citizens.

                        I hope that your child will enjoy using Seesaw to document and share their learning this year. Please sign below and return this permission slip so that your child can use Seesaw.

                         

                        Kind Regards, 

                         

                        Deirdre Murphy, Principal 

                         

                         

                        County Photos (24/01/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        Children will be brining home their school photo proof cards today.   Your can place your order online by using your  Access Code and School Code, this is on each child’s proof card.  Alternatively, please return your orders  by Tuesday, 6th February as County Photos will be collecting them on  Wednesday, 7th February.

                         

                        Kind regards,

                         

                        Liz

                         

                        Parent Teacher Meetings (19/01/2024)

                        Dear Parents,

                        We have parent teacher meetings organized to take place soon. If you log on to Connect you can check out what date they will be available for you to book your slot(s). Just click on the new Parent Teacher Meeting option on your home page in the App, or log on to Connect via any device to book your meeting(s)

                         

                        Click here to view a quick guide

                         

                        Please note that there is one slot per student so only one parent can book a slot for each student.

                        We look forward to meeting with you.

                         

                        Parent Teacher Meetings: 7th & 8th of February 2024 (18th January 2024)

                        Dear parents, 

                        This year’s Parent-Teacher Meetings will be held on Wednesday the 7th and Thursday the 8th of February.

                        To facilitate these meetings, the school day will end 15 minutes early at 14:15 on the 7th and 8th of February. 

                        Next week, invitations to book a meeting slot will be sent out via Aladdin. 

                        On Monday, the 22nd of January, parents with more than one child in the school will receive a link to book their Parent Teacher Meeting slot. 

                        On Tuesday, the 23rd of January, all parents will receive the link to book their Parent Teacher Meeting slot. 

                         

                        Kind regards,

                         

                        Deirdre. 

                        Midterm Camp (11th January 2024)

                        Dear parents,

                        Please see the attached leaflet for details of Sinéad’s midterm camp that she will run on Thursday, the 15th of February.