Welcome Back!
Welcome back to our pupils and staff and we hope that everyone has a great school year. A special welcome to our new junior infants and our new members of staff.
Child Protection
A review of the Child Safeguarding statement was undertaken by the Board of Management at their meeting of May20th, 2024.
Healthcraft
Check out the latest info on our exciting Healthcraft project with Ms Mc Daid’s 4th class under the Activities and Awards tab or just click here to go to the page.
Sportshall 2024
Well done to our fantastic boys and girls from 3rd and 4th class who competed so well in the Sportshall competition in the Aura Leisure Centre, Letterkenny, on Thursday, April 25th. Special thanks to the coaching from Mrs Mc Clafferty and Mrs Mc Macken.
Seachtain na Gaeilge highlights
Well done to Ms Mc Garvey for organising a fantastic Seachtain na Gaeilge. The boys and girls sang songs and recited poems and thanks to the teachers for their excellent preparation. Here’s a video of the 4th classes performing Texas Hold ’em as Gaeilge.
Measles information
If you wish to find out more information about measles, please read the document in the downloads section on the left side.
Fís award
Scoil Cholmcille recently received the “best drama” award in the Helix theatre in Dublin for their fantastic video. Well done to Mr Mc Gowan, Mr Heneghan and Mrs Daly and a special congrats to the pupils who came up with the story and planned the entire video.
Vex Robotics
Huge congratulations to Mr Breslin’s 5th class as they secured victory in the Vex Robotics competition ion Letterkenny ATU. They will now travel to Cork for the next level of the competition.
School Enrolment
School Closures
The school closures for 2023-2024 have been uploaded to the school closures page under the Parents tab.
T
Spar FAI Primary 5-a-side County Champions 2023
Well done boys!
“Thrilling” experience in our new sports hall
Ms Mc Nulty’ s 4th/5th classes had a lovely treat before the mid term as they were the first class to see inside our new sports hall. But as soon as they walked in, a strange thing happened. Ms Mc Nulty put a spell on Mr Crossan and the children, and they fell into a deep sleep. The only thing that can wake them from this sleep is music. Watch the video below to see what happens.
Guitar lessons
There have been some queries about when guitar lessons are restarting. When the Covid restrictions are relaxed to a point where we can have groups of children from different classes in the same room, they will restart. Mr Crossan will speak to classes from 3rd class-6th class when these restrictions are eased. In the meantime, there are lessons under the Activities and Awards tab if anyone wishes to practise at home
Graduation
We were all very sad to say goodbye to our two wonderful sixth classes. The children had a wonderful graduation ceremony where they each received their graduation scrolls and photographs. We listened to some lovely memories shared by the pupils from their time in our school and celebrated with special graduation cakes. This is the very first time in the school’s history that girls have graduated from Scoil Cholmcille.
The graduates were then clapped and cheered by the younger members of Scoil Cholmcille as we wished them all every success for their futures.
First Confessions
Well done to Ms. Mc Daid’s and Ms. Ferry’s classes on making their First Confessions on Friday, June 11th.
Aladdin Connect
Scoil Cholmcille is now using Aladdin Connect as the main means of communication with parents. You will have received a text from Mr. Cannon with the details on how to download it and register. You will receive an update to your phone when Mr. Cannon or a teacher has sent a message to you. You can also write a note explaining your child’s absence on the app as well. If you are having any issues with the app, please contact the school on 0749122772.
Child Safeguarding Statement
The Board of Management has completed its annual review of Child Protection including the Child Safeguarding Statement (see downloads section on the left) and Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment on May 24th.
Board of Management Agreed Report
The new agreed report from the BOM is available for download in the downloads section on the left side of this page.
Covid Information
If you need any advice/information about covid related guidelines, please read the documents listed below.
Letter to Parents returning pupils on 1 March
Return to school PupilDeclarationForm
If a Pupil is confirmed positive
When children should not come to school
Board of Management report February
The BOM report for February is now available in the download section on the left side of the page
Board of Management report for January
The BOM report for January has now been uploaded to the downloads section on the left side of this page.
Virtual Carol Service
Moving to old school building
Today our second, third and fourth class pupils together with their teachers, SNAs and Support teachers moved to the “Old School” as part of the building extension works.
This “old school” building opened in 1898 and has been a place of education and learning for the boys and girls of Letterkenny ever since! It’s great to be back in this newly refurbished, newly painted, rewired historical building!
Saint Colmcille Anniversary
Evan Daly, a pupil of Scoil Cholmcille Letterkenny, lights a candle in the Cathedral of St. Eunan and Columba on December 7th to mark a year long celebration across Donegal and Derry commemorating the life and legacy of Saint Colmcille/Columba.
Halloween in Skull Cholmcille!
News update from Scoil Cholmcille!
NewsBulletinNo1 from Joe Crossan on Vimeo.
The turning of the sod
Former Minister for Education, Joe Mc Hugh, came to the school to “turn the sod” and officially start the building project. We are very grateful to him for all of his hard work in ensuring Scoil Cholmcille was granted its long awaited extension. Special thanks to the former staff members and Mayor of Letterkenny, Donal Coyle, who were also in attendance.
Building Project 2020
In the midst of a pandemic, it is refreshing to hear good news and finally we have some! The diggers have arrived at Scoil Cholmcille. Dorrian Construction are in charge of the project and their first job will be our new multi-purpose hall.
6th class graduation
Over the past two days, Mrs.Kavanagh and Mrs. Dunleavy, Mr. Cannon and various staff members have been meeting with the 6th class pupils in our front yard to present them with certificates and a gift pack to mark their graduation from Scoil Cholmcille. It was a shame that we could not give the boys a traditional send off but we wanted to mark the occasion. The photos will be available on the 6th class blog and on the school Facebook page. Special thanks to the parents who came in with the pupils and we wish them all the best on their new journey in September.
More photos on 6th class page.
Construction in art
Well done to Paulius and TJ in sixth class for creating wonderful night skylines in art. We are all very impressed!
Haikus in 6th class
The 6th class pupils have been writing haikus. The idea is to have a three-line verse with 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second and 5 in the last. Have a look at Igor Szymanowicz’ haiku.
Admissions Policy
The Minister of Education enacted the Education(Admissions to Schools) Act 2018 on 1st February 2020 requiring Boards of Management to draft two new policy documents, an Admissions Notice and an Admissions Policy by 30th April. These are now completed in draft form for parent consultation. If you would like to submit a query, clarification or amendment for the Board’s consideration, please email padraig.cannon@scoilcolmcillelk.ie before Wednesday 29th April, 12 noon.
Thank you and stay safe,
Mr. Cannon, Principal.
Please click on the links below to open the documents.
Covid-19 poem
This poem, “Ireland locked down”, was written by Jack Friel-Curran in Ms. Campbell’s 4th class. I think you’ll agree it is absolutely fantastic!
Solar System projects
Mr. Cannon said we needed more space in the hall and his wish came true. Have a look at these projects from our 3rd classes. Well done to Mrs. Carr and Mrs. O’Connor.
First Confession
On Wednesday the 4th of March Ms Mc Daid’s 2nd Class were super-excited to make their Sacrament of First Confession. Fr Kemmy, Ms McDaid and Ms Daly were so proud of the boys and girls. History was made on the day with our first ever girl making her First Confession with Scoil Cholmcille.
Sports Hall News
Feis 2020
Mrs. Mulrain brought some pupils over to Loreto Convent to say poems or sing songs in Irish. Well done to all who took part. Maith sibh!
World Book Day 2020
Fastest Feet
Mrs. Mc Clafferty organised the heats for the “Fastest Feet”competition. This entailed a 30m timed run and as a result the following boys will receive an invitation to the Finn Valley event.
2009/10
1. Brendan N
2. Adam R
3. Adam Cetlawa
4. Temple
2011/2012 ( from 3rd up)
1. Kurt
2. Michael John
3. Cayden C
6th class project
Mrs. Kavanagh’s class have been doing projects about the International Space Station. Her display is out of this world.
Class blogs
Remember to check out your child’s class blogs. You will see some of the fantastic work going on in our classrooms.
Making St. Brigid’s Crosses
Mr. Mc Gowan’s 4th class were busy making St. Brigid’s crosses.
Board of Management report
The January B.O.M. report has been uploaded to our downloads section.
Facebook and Video launch!
Scoil Cholmcille have launched a new Facebook page. Please be sure to check it out and give us a like. We also launched our new promotional video on Friday, Jan. 17th and it has been very well received. It is currently being shown before films in Century Cinemas until Wednesday, Jan. 22nd. Special thanks to all who attended our launch, those who sponsored the food, provided seating, Charlie Collins for his MC duties and Cathal Curran for the fantastic work on the Facebook page and powerpoint presentation. Well done to Mr. Kavanagh and Mr. Mc Gowan for organising the whole event. Thanks to our SNA’s for all the help in organising the hall. Have a look at our video below.
Board of Management Report
The B.O.M. report for November has been uploaded. You can access it in our downloads section o the left side of this page.
10 @ 10
The children and staff braved the cold for some early morning exercises in the front yard. Mr. Kavanagh and Mrs. Mc Clafferty called out the movements and everyone joined in. Have a look at the clips below.
Carol Service
The annual Carol Service was a resounding success again this year. Special thanks to Mrs. Donaghy and Mrs. Daly for their trojan work with the choir this year. Ms. Keys did a wonderful job in coordinating the whole event and thanks also to the S.N.A.’s for the help with the costumes. Have a look at some of the highlights below. Thanks to all the parents and family members who came attended as well.
Click on the links below to watch the clips.
Photo Montage Carol Service 2019
Hosanna Rock
The 5th classes have been rehearsing “Hosanna Rock” in the hall. Mrs. Maguire and Ms. Collins have certainly been preparing them very well.
Tesco nominated charity
Scoil Cholmcille is up as a nominated charity for fund raising in Tesco. Please remember to collect those blue tokens after you buy your groceries. Don’t forget, “every little helps”!
4th class Christmas Play
Well done to Mr. Mc Gowan and Ms. Campbell for their wonderful production of “Scrooged”. It was a great performance and special thanks to Ms. Ferry and Mr. Crossan for helping out with the music. Special thanks to the staff and pupils of Little Angels Special School for their participation in the production. A special mention for Oisín from Little Angels for his wonderful rendition of “Fairytale of New York” at the end.
Gold Stars
The boys and girls received their certificates for 3 gold stars today. Well done everyone!
Christmas is coming!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Scoil Cholmcille. Preparations are underway for Christmas plays and our Carol Service. Santa’s robin has been spotted in the school grounds!
Pantomime
Scoil Cholmcille have been given the last night of the pantomime on January 25th, January 2020. Any money raised from ticket sales goes towards school funds. Information on ticket prices is available in the school.
Board of Management report for October
The latest Board of Management report for October has been included in our downloads section on the left side of this page.
Building plan for Scoil Cholmcille
Halloween in Scoil Cholmcille
Halloween Disco 2019
Indoor Gaelic Football
Soccer News
Scoil Cholmcille’s boys recorded a 3-0 victory over Kilmacrenan N.S. in the second round of the Letterkenny Cup at the Aura Leisure Centre today. A fantastic hat-trick by the in-form striker, Stephen Hegarty, was enough to secure all three points. 
Fundraising for Donegal Hospice
Well done to all the pupils and staff who raised €562 for Donegal Hospice on Friday, Sept. 20th.
Minister’s Visit
On Friday, September 27th, we had a very special day in Scoil Cholmcille. We were honoured to have the Minister for Education, Joe Mc Hugh, visit us with some very exciting news. He announced that the plans for our new extension have now gone to tender which is the last stage of the application process. Mr. Mc Hugh was treated to some beautiful music courtesy of our choir led by Mrs. Daly and Mrs. Donaghy. Mr. Mc Gowan had a small group performing two songs, one in English and one in Irish. Two pupils read a short history of Scoil Cholmcille and two senior infant pupils performed two Irish poems. The Minister recognised and applauded how we have fostered togetherness and inclusion in the school before giving us his good news. Below are some youtube clips and photos from a memorable day in our school.
This is dedicated to Joe Schmidt, sorry, Joe Mc Hugh…
Fun in the autumn sun
School Closures 2019-2020
The school closures for this school year have now been uploaded. You can find them under the parents tab. As always, there may be unexpected closures due to bad weather and these will be communicated via the website, Facebook page and text.
Trip to Rathmullan beach
Mr. Mc Gowan took his 4th class to Rathmullan beach for a Marine Explorers Workshop. This was organised by “Leave no Trace” and facilitated by Aengus Kennedy of Nature North West. The baby oysters pictured will be grown for a year and then sold to a restaurant. Thanks to Ms. O’Sullivan for organising this lovely trip.
Highlights from September 2018- June 2019
Board of Management Report June 2019
The BOM report for June 2019 can be accessed in the downloads area on the left side of this page.
Science Award
Congratulations to all the pupils in the school on achieving the Discovery Primary Science plaque for excellence in STEM.
Farewell to 6th classes
We bade farewell to our 6th classes on Friday, June 21st and we wish them every success in their new schools and
beyond.
May the road that you now take
Be free from sadness and tears
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
And be ready to conquer your fears
Table Tennis
Well done to Bartek in 6th class who became our 6th class table tennis champion for 2019. Hard luck to Shane Doherty, the gallant runner-up. It was a great final and teachers and pupils were on the edges of their seats. We were visited by Leon Martins de Lima, a former student, who was part of a table tennis team which reached the All-Ireland final in the Community Games recently. The team came 3rd which was a fantastic achievement.
Gold Stars Presentation
Mini Zoo visit
Isak 9 cubes in 2nd class
Mrs. Carr’s class were having great fun with the Isak 9 cubes. They are used to help with Maths.
Read more books!
A colourful poster outside Ms. Collins’ room encouraging us to read more books. What a lovely sentiment!
Soccer News
Scoil Cholmcille boys were runners up in the large schools section in the recent Spar 5-a-side competition.
Coffee Morning/Bake Sale
We had a fantastic coffee morning and we are so grateful to all those who called in for a cuppa and a chat. Special thanks to our sponsors for the spot prizes and thanks to Ms. O’Sullivan, Mrs. Mulrain and the S.N.A.’s for all of their hard work in setting up the hall for this lovely occasion.
4th class school tour
Mr. Kavanagh and Mr. Mc Gowan took the 4th classes all the way to Dublin where they had a tour of Croke Park and Dáil Éireann. From the looks of this video, they had a beautiful day! Click on the link below to watch some highlights.
Marble Hill Beach Clean-Up
Ms O’Sullivan and her Green Schools Team did a clean up on Marble Hill Beach.
Active Week
Some highlights From our very successful Active Week.
Guitar Lessons update
Mr. Crossan has uploaded YouTube tutorials on the guitar lessons page. You can find this page under “Activities and Awards”.
Walk on Wednesday
Well done to all the pupils who walked to school this morning. Thanks to Ms. O’Sullivan for coordinating this initiative.
Blog updates
Don’t forget to check out the fantastic work being done by the teachers and pupils on the class blogs.
Skipping School?
Mr. Mc Gowan’s class have been getting into the spirit of Active Week.
Young Pioneers
Well done to our new Young Pioneers from Mrs. Kavanagh’s 6th class. They have made a special promise not to drink alcohol until 18 years of age.
Green flag
Well done to Ms. O’Sullivan and the Green Schools Committee on winning our 10th green flag.
Local Politicians Visit
Some of our local politicians visited us for a question and answer session followed by a mock election. They were hit with some hard questions and had to respond with some good answers to keep the pupils satisfied. Well done to Mr. Mc Gowan and Mr. Kavanagh for organising the event and special thanks to the politicians who gave up their time to come into the school.
Green Schools News
Scoil Cholmcille was recently awarded its 10th Green Flag. Well done to Ms. O’Sullivan for her tireless work along with the Green Schools Committee.
Walk on Wednesday
Scoil Cholmcille will be participating in the National Walk to School on Wednesday Campaign next Wednesday , May 15th. We will meet at the cross in the Cathedral Car Park and walk accompanied by Aengus Kennedy to the school. We started our WOW campaign last Wednesday May 1st and have seen numbers increase this week. We are hoping for a big turn out next Wednesday and would encourage pupils to walk all or part of the way to school each day both for fitness and environmental reasons. It would also alleviate congestion at the school gate at drop off and pick up times.
Soccer news
Hard luck to our 5-a-side soccer team who were runners-up in the FAI Spar 5-a-side competition.
Board of Management Report April 2019
The April report from the Board of Management is available in the downloads section on the left side of the page.
Easter Draw 2019
We had our annual Easter Draw and what an effort everyone made this year. We raised €7250 and this will be spent on valuable resources for the pupils. Thanks to all the pupils who sold tickets, those who bought them, our generous sponsors and to Donegal Printing for covering the printing of the tickets.
Gaelic Football Blitz
Well done to our team who won their four matches at the blitz. Thanks to our dedicated coaches, Mr. Mc Gowan and Mr. Kavanagh.
Letterkenny & District League – Blitz 1
Results
S.C 2-5 Magherabeg 1-3
S.C 2-6 Stramore 1-5
S.C 3- 4 Educate Together 1-2
Cumann na mBunscol – first round first leg
S. C 2-4 Gaelscoil 2-3
Second blitz day In Letterkenny & District League takes place on May 2nd .
Child Safeguarding Statement and Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment
A review of the Child Safeguarding Statement has been undertaken by the Board of Management on April 2nd, 2019. This review and the Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment can be downloaded using the links in our downloads section to the left of this page.
Aldi rugby competition update
WHAT WE CAN WIN!
- 2 primary schools will win €50,000 each
- €2,500 voucher for sports and training equipment to a school in each province
- A training session with Paul O’ Connell, Aldi Play Rugby Brand Ambassador, and a set of new jerseys and an Aldi Play Rugby Kit
- Every school that enters with a fully completed poster (300 stickers) will get an Aldi Play Rugby Kit bag, 4 rugby balls and a set of Aldi Play Rugby water bottles for their school.
We are now on our 7th poster!!Wednesday is the last day for stickers as posters are being sent on Friday. Mrs. Mc Macken and Mrs. Ferry are currently promoting this competition in the school. The prizes are fantastic so PLEASE send in those stickers!!
St. Patrick’s Concert
Mrs. Mulrain organised a wonderful day’s activities and all the classes sang songs, said poems and performed short dramas in Irish. Well done to the teachers and pupils who provided us with some fantastic entertainment! Special thanks to the guitar students who practised songs at home and performed so well during the concert.
Launch of Easter Draw 2019
Mr. Cannon officially launched our annual Easter Draw for 2019. The prizes are fantastic and many thanks to our sponsors (names will be uploaded shortly). Tickets are €2 each or a book of 6 will cost you €10. These funds are very important for our school so please encourage the boys and girls to get selling!
Blog updates
Don’t forget to check out the class blogs to see what’s happening in the classrooms. Mrs. O’Connor’s 3rd class and Mr. Mc Gowan’s 4th class have been very busy.
Debating news
The third round of the Letterkenny Primary School Debate League took place yesterday where Scoil Cholmcille faced a strong challenge from Woodland NS. We proposed the motion, As a nation we are not doing enough for the homeless. Both sides were well researched and provided the audience with an entertaining and fact filled afternoon. Scoil Cholmcille were successful in proposing the motion.
Bricks 4 Kidz
Mrs. O’Connor’s class have been busy building dragsters with lego. They had a great time working in pairs, following instructions and racing their cars. Check out the 3rd class blog for some photos.
Fastest Feet
Congratulations to all the boys who participated in the Fastest Feet Challenge in Finn Valley on Feb. 26th. Brendan won the u-10 section so well done to him and all the boys who ran like the wind and had great fun!
Digital footprint
Ms. Collins’ 5th class did some fantastic work know around Social Media. Check out this eye-catching display.
Mid Term
Hope our pupils, staff and parents have a lovely mid-term. Scoil Cholmcille will reopen next Monday, Feb. 25th at 9:20 a.m.
Some highlights from our very successful Friendship Week
Football Kit
Special thanks to Damian Daly (Kernan’s Spar) and Gabriel Duffy (Top Oil), for sponsoring our new Gaelic kit which was unveiled on February 12th. The beautiful teal/grey kit designed by O’Neills was chosen to complement our new school uniform. We are delighted with it! Thank you Damien and Gabriel.
The 6th classes made their Confirmation on Saturday and they were a credit to the school. Special thanks to their teachers, Mrs. Dunleavy and Mrs. Kavanagh, for their excellent preparation and also to Mrs. Daly and Mrs. Donaghy for their fantastic work with our choir.
Senior Infants
Check out the senior infant blog as they have been so busy writing letters to their friends and doing gymnastics.
Open Day 2019
Sincere thanks to the parents who visited our school on Saturday, Jan. 19th, for our open day. It was a lovely occasion. Thanks to the staff members who helped to organise the various activities and to those who attended on the day.
Board of Management Report
Click on this link to view the report from the Board of Management.
Carol Service
Our annual Carol Service took place on Wednesday, Dec. 19th at 1:00 p.m. in St. Eunan’s Cathedral. It was a beautiful occasion and it showcased the musical talent of our choir directed by Mrs. Donaghy and Mrs. Daly. It began with a lovely performance by our infant classes who were in no way daunted by the big occasion. This was followed by a selection of carols and pupils from various classes told us about the story of Jesus’ birth. Special thanks to Ms. Keys for organising the service and to all the S.N.A.’s and teachers who helped out with costumes. Thanks to all of you who attended today and hope you enjoy the photos and clips below.
Click on the links below to watch some clips from the Carol Service.
Choir at Letterkenny Shopping Centre
Below are some photos and a video clip from our choir’s performance in Letterkenny Shopping Centre.
Choir Newsflash!
Scoil Cholmcille choir have won the Highland Radio/Letterkenny Shopping Centre Christmas choir competition. They will be performing in Letterkenny Shopping Centre on Sunday, November 25th at 2:00 p.m. when Santa arrives. Well done to the boys and of course to our two musical directors, Mrs. Donaghy and Mrs. Daly. Have a listen to their entry below.
Using our new tablets
Mrs. Carr’s class were using our new Samsung tablets. Ms. Keys was using them with her EAL group to practise their English.
New entrants 2018
September 3rd, 2018 was a historic day in Scoil Cholmcille. Today we welcomed girls into the school for the first time and it was a fantastic day for both pupils and staff. We now have girls in both junior infant classes and some spread throughout the school in the other classes. We wish all of our pupils all the best in the coming school year. We also extend a special welcome to our new parents and we hope your children have a wonderful time in Scoil Cholmcille!
Guitar concert
Mr. Crossan and his guitar students put on a short concert for parents and pupils. Ms. Mc Nulty’s class helped out with the singing.
Table Tennis finals
We held our annual table tennis tournament and as usual, it provided lots of excitement. Thanks to Paddy Delap for his fantastic coaching and to Ms. Janice Daly for organising the matches and recording the results.
Results were as follows:
4th class: Eimantas Butvilas (1st), T.J. McMorrow (2nd) & Liam Duff (3rd)
5th class: Adam Patton (1st), Darragh Timoney (2nd) & Nosa Smith (3rd)
6th class: Marc Casey (1st), Kyle Conaghan (2nd) & Rehan Ananth (3rd)
History in Scoil Cholmcille
This year marks the end of an era as we move from being an all boys school to co-ed in September 201