Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing Christmas filled with joy, love and happiness. As we begin a new year and embrace a fresh start, we reflect on how to make the most of 2026 and look forward with excitement to the term ahead. As always, we encourage our children to live by our HEART rules, with a particular focus on Respect and what this means within our school community.
Below are some key dates for our P4 and P7 children as they continue their special sacramental journey.
-First Confession: Thursday 12th March at 7.00pm in the Church of the Assumption, Tullyallen.
-Confirmation: Thursday 26th March at 5.00pm in the Church of the Assumption, Tullyallen.
-First Holy Communion: Saturday 9th May at 11.00am in the Church of the Assumption, Tullyallen.
Catholic Schools Week begins on 19th January, with this year’s theme “Normal Lives Called to Holiness.”
EA Admissions Online Portal (eani.org.uk):
Primary Admissions open on 7th January 2026 at 12 noon for pupils wishing to join P1 in St. Mary’s in September 2026. Please help us spread the word about our wonderful school and all it has to offer.
Post-Primary Admissions open on 27th January 2026. Over the coming weeks, P7 pupils will receive visits from various post-primary schools to support them as they consider the next stage of their education.
As discussed at the Parent Teacher Meetings, the P1 school day will now finish at 1.45pm, allowing pupils to be collected at the same time as the P2 class.
Swimming lessons will begin on Friday 9th January, continuing on 16th, 23rd and 30th January and 6th February for our P7 pupils.
As part of the Extended Schools Programme, P7 pupils will attend St. Ciaran’s College for Art, Coding and Technology on 6th, 13th, 20th and 22nd January, from 3.45pm–4.45pm.
Later in January the Love for Life Programme will continue for our P6 and P7 pupils. This programme supports pupils’ emotional wellbeing by helping them understand change as they grow and develop, building resilience, confidence and healthy emotional relationships.
Every fortnight, the Library Van will visit the school for pupils in P3–P7, helping to inspire a love of reading while strengthening vocabulary, concentration, creativity and imagination.
As we look forward to the months ahead, we place our school community in God’s care, remaining committed to making each day meaningful and ensuring that, 'Every Pupil Matters and Every Moment Counts.'
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Helen Lavery
