Our End of Year Mass will be held on Tuesday 24th June in St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church at 10am.

Everyone welcome.

Our next Cash For Clobber collection is on Wednesday 11th June.

Please bring your bags of unwanted textiles to school 8:30am - 9:15am on Wednesday and pass 'over the wall' to staff at the front of the school.  Remember to observe social distancing.

What can you put in the bag??

• All types of clothing (even with holes!)
• Bags and shoes (please tie shoes together with laces)
• Hats and belts
• Towels and curtains
• Bed linen (sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers)

** Remember all items must be clean.** 

Please help us recycle and raise funds for our school.

Many thanks for your continued support.

SUMMER FAIR this evening, 6-7.30pm in the school grounds. There is no entry fee but donations are most welcome.

We are looking forward to an evening of family fun and have the following complimentary activities to entertain the children... Assault Course, Wiggle Cars, Sumo Suits, Football Darts, Casey’s Creatures, Giant Jenga, Connect 4, Face Painting, Nail Painting and more!

NI Fire Service are visiting us with the fire engine and the School Car park will be closed to accommodate them.

REFRESHMENTS
BBQ….  Burgers on sale the BBQ at £2 each

FIDELA COFFEE ROASTERS  

Coffee £2.50, Flat white/latte/cappucino £3, Tea £2 (all proceeds to Summer Fair)

TUCK SHOP

 Crisps 50p, drinks  50p

WIN A CHOCOLATE BAR - 20p a go    LUCKY DIP  - 50p a go

We have some super toys and books on our Pre-loved Stall as well as lots of pre-loved uniform.

RAFFLE  Super prizes in our raffle. Tickets cost £1 per strip, 6 strips for £5. These are available to buy at the Fair or from THE SHOP on SchoolMoney. from tomorrow. The draw will take place in school on Thursday 19th June.

We would really appreciate it if you could bring change if possible to help things run smoothly.

We are looking forward to a fun filled St. Colum’s family event.  

Applicatiins for Free School Means and Uniform Allowance open on Monday 9th June via EA Connect.

If you are in receipt of one of the following, you will need to upload a Proof of Benefit letter when applying for Free School Meals and Uniform Allowance for the 2025/26 academic year:

➡️ Income Support
➡️ Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
➡️ Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
➡️ Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit

To be ready for when applications open on the EA Connect portal next week, you can request a Proof of Benefit letter now, by clicking here - https://ow.ly/bW8I50W2oaA

⏰ It will take at least five days to be sent to you.

If you receive Universal Credit, you do not need the Proof of Benefit Letter. 

However, you will need to upload evidence of your Universal Credit entitlement when you apply.

👉 More information on eligibility and supporting documentation can be found at https://ow.ly/JnoQ50W2oaB

👀 Check out some of the super prizes in our PTA Summer Raffle.

Tickets cost £1 per strip, 6 strips for £5 and are available at the summer fair and on SchoolMoney until noon on Wednesday 18th June.

Draw will take place in school on Thursday 19th June.

Good luck everyone.😀

Our Eco-committee have been busy over the past few weeks creating an artwork for the #OpenYOurMind Campaign, a unique collaboration between Portstewart based mental health charity HUMMINGBIRD CAUSEWAY and The R&A, organisers of THE OPEN 2025 at Royal Portrush.

Their artwork is entitled Open Your Eyes to the Light and focuses on our beautiful beach, Portstewart Strand as an amazing place to get out and get active for all ages and abilities and take part in all kinds of activities like walking, swimming, running, football, walking etc, helping our physical and our mental health.

They have created their piece as a cube balanced one of its vertices. Made from recycled materials, the bottom of the cube represents the darkness - with torn up eggbox rocks and the steps to the light depicted by the beach, Portstewart Golf Course and Mussenden Temple in the distance.

We are now at the voting stage! The top 18 schools will have their artwork exhibited at The Open in July and the school that tops the “Leaderboard” will win 2 x Adult tickets for the final day of The Open 2025 @ Royal Portrush. 

Please vote for St. Colum's artwork at... https://hummingbirdcauseway.charitywize.com/12208/competitions/openyourmind-campaign/1/st-colums-ps/24/   Each vote costs £2 donation towards Hummingbird Causeway.

Please share with family and friends.

Many thanks for your support.

We plan to hold Sports Day next Tuesday 20th May. Pupils come to school at usual time. Parents are welcome to join us from 9.15am. Children should wear sports gear and suitable footwear.

Break hatch is on as usual, please order from THE SHOP on SchoolMoney. Our Fruit Stall will be closed for the day.

Sports Day Lunch will be chicken goujons and chips, juice and ice lolly. Please book via SchoolMoney to inform our catering. Any issues with SchoolMoney please contact the office.

We are hoping for some sunshine so make sure your children are prepared. Apply appropriate sunscreen before they come to school and make sure they bring a hat to protect them from the sun. They will also need their water bottle which can be filled up in school.

Tea and coffee available mid-morning for parents, please bring your own reuseable coffee cup if you can. 

Parents are welcome to take their children home after their class has finished all the events – just inform the class teacher.

Looking forward to a super day!

SAVE THE DATE!

Our SUMMER FAIR is on THURSDAY 5TH , 6-7.30PM in the school grounds.

Looking forward to an evening of fun for all the family.

POST PRIMARY ADMISSIONS UPDATE

If you are awaiting the outcome of your child’s Post Primary application, you will receive notification this Saturday, 10 May.

If you applied online or provided an email address on your paper application, you will receive an email from EA.

Paper applicants who did not provide an email address, will receive a letter to their home address.

Parents who have a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs awaiting placement will be updated by their SEN link officer or school when a placement has been secured. This process may take a little longer as we work to find the best placement for your child’s needs.

For further information, please visit: https://ow.ly/jBK950VKjJb

#EAadmissions

It's a bank holiday weekend. No school on Monday 5th May.  Enjoy the long weekend. See you all on Tuesday 6th May.