Straffan National School Blog

Dear Parents and Guardians, As the year draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we have shared at Scoil Bhríde, Straffan throughout 2025. Together, we have celebrated many successes, supported one another through challenges, and continued to nurture a school community rooted in kindness, learning, and growth. The lead-up to the holidays has been as busy and joyful as ever. Our Junior Infant Nativity plays brought great delight to the school community, as did the wonderful 2nd Class production of Jungle Quest . Our Carol Services were truly magical, and the recent visit from Santa was filled with excitement, song, and festive spirit. The school choir provided beautiful music, supported by our parent and renowned musician, Derek O’Connor, creating a memorable occasion for all. As a result, everyone is now very ready for a well-earned break. To have a look at this wonderful occasion yesterday, please click on this link. With the Christmas...

Children at Straffan National School were delighted to support Kildare Disability Week/International Day of Person’s with Disabilities, by completing a Poster Awareness Campaign and flying our Purple Flag.    It was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness in our school community and to further support our FRESH approach in school. The children focused on the theme of ‘Respect’, and this was evident in the posters that the children completed.   Nathaniel Sitek from Ms. Fagan’s 4 th  Class was the overall winner and his poster can be seen below. Well done to all of the children and to the Student Council for organising a fantastic initiative in our school. 

On Thursday the 11 th of December The Student Council from Straffan National School and Rathcoffey were invited by Deputy Aidan Farrelly for a visit to Dáil Éireann. They were given a fantastic tour of Dáil Éireann and The Seanad, gaining a first-hand look at how laws are debated and decisions are made at national level. The trip offered students a deeper understanding of democracy in action and the importance of civic engagement. They had a question and answer session with Deputy Farrelly, where the students posed some excellent questions. The visit was both educational and inspiring, highlighting the importance of civic engagement and active citizenship. The students said it was a really great experience and they had lots of fun.

  On the 12 th December Junuior Infants 2025 worked very hard to present the story of Christmas with a modern twist in the   ‘Nativity 2025 – The Influencers Edit’, and their teachers Ms. O’Reilly and Ms. Flynn along with their class SNA’s Caroline and Oliesa could not have been more proud of the budding actors’ efforts. Junior Infants A – Ms. O’ Reilly Cast list: Angel # 1: Iseult Mc Loughlin; Angel # 2: Laura O’Connor; Angel # 3: Eileen O’Connor; Angel # 4: Lola Breen Donegan; Angel # 5:Theo Donovan Byrne; Angel # 6: Muireann O’Sullivan; Angel Gabriel: Blaise Donovan; Mary: Callie Conliffe; Joseph: Eugene Mc Cormack; Influencer # 1: Georgina Scott; Influencer # 2: Saffie Liggett; Influencer # 3: Áine Rose. Freeley ; Innkeeper: Conor O’Mahony; Shepherd: Oscar McCarthy ; Sheep # 1:Levi Kinsella; Sheep # 2:Artem Prokopenko; King #1:Dáire Farrell; King #2: Adam Murphy; King #3: Christian McGroarty (Artem missing from photo)   Juni...

Scoil Bhríde Primary School in Straffan has once again demonstrated the true meaning of community spirit and kindness with an outstanding food drive in support of Main Street Food Bank in Naas. Running from the 8th to the 12th of December, the initiative spearheaded by parent Susan Maher, proved to be an overwhelming success, resulting in one of the largest donations the food bank has received to date.   Throughout the week, the school community came together with a shared purpose: to help those in need during the busy and often challenging winter period. Pupils, parents, teachers, and staff all played their part, donating generously and encouraging one another to think about the importance of helping others. Boxes of food quickly filled the school hall, reflecting not only generosity but also the strong values instilled in the children of Scoil Bhríde.   The food drive received special recognition with visits from Minister James Lawless TD and Senator Aubrey McCarthy, both of...

In December 4 th  Class led our school assembly. Our theme was Empathy and we read a story to the school called “The Heart of Christmas”. The story described how a girl was surrounded by presents from family but she showed empathy to her lonely neighbour by giving him a card that said “you are loved.” Christmas is a special time for family and friends to show love and care for each other; but we also spoke about how we can show care and love for others at all times of the year by our words and actions also. Our assembly song was “I’ll Stand by You” and this emphasised the importance of knowing that there is always someone you know who will stand by you, show you that they care and help out when they can. We also showcased our budding musical skills by playing a song on the recorder for the school. 

  We were absolutely delighted and extremely grateful to recently receive a cheque donation of €2,050 for our school from The Steam Museum , the Guinness Family, and the Barista Bike Café following the Summer BBQ held in June. The presentation took place recently in the Barista Bike Café with Mrs. Guinness, (Steam Museum), Mrs Colleran, (Principal) Agata and Robert Patynski (Barista Bike Café) This generous donation will help us build a bank of playground equipment, providing the children with a greater range of resources for yard breaks in line with our Bí Cinéalta Action Plan 2025 . Thank you so much for this wonderful contribution.