The Euro & St. Olaf's
In order to facilitate the introduction of the euro into school life we would ask that all transactions with the school be conducted in euro only. Your co-operation would be greatly appreciated.
Enrolment of New Pupils.
Applications for the enrolment of new pupils in St. Olaf's for Sept. 2002 and onwards are currently being taken at the Office. We would encourage anybody who has not applied, to do so as soon as possible as the demand for places has increased dramatically in recent weeks. It is possible that this year we may only be in a position to take a maximum of 30 pupils and a waiting list may have to be implemented this year (according to the conditions of our school Enrolment Policy).

Operation Christmas Child
Once again the children from St. Olaf's showed the true Christmas spirit in the magnificent response to the now annual shoebox appeal for children in troubled parts of the world. Over 350 boxes were handed over - more than one per child in the school! Many thanks children for your generosity.

Some Dates for your Diary
First Communion:
· Meeting for parents: Feb. 7th at 8 pm in St. Olaf's hall.
· First Confession, March 5th at 7.3o pm at Balally church.
· First Communion, April 27th at 10.00 am.
Confirmation:
· Meeting for parents: Feb. 12th at 8 pm in Queen of Angels hall.
· Ceremony of Commitment, April 14th at 10.00 am Mass in Balally church
· Service of Light: May 14th at 7.45pm
· Confirmation: May 22nd at 11.00 am.
Staff changes
There have been a number of changes in personnel at St. Olaf's with the retirement of Mrs. Griffin over the Christmas holiday period and Ms. Gibbons' decision to return to college. We wish them both all the best for the future and extend a warm welcome to Ms. O'Brien and Ms. Forde who have joined our staff.

Christmas Card Competition Winners
Congratulations to all who participated in the recent Parents' Association Christmas Card Competition and in particular to our 4 prize-winners;
· John McCarthy - Senior Infants
· Yvonne Corcoran - Rang 2
· Emily Martin - Rang 4
· Eleanor Jones-McAuley - Rang 5
Well done to everyone who participated.
Parents' Voluntary Contribution.
A sincere thanks to all families who have returned their Voluntary contributions. To date, more than 60% have paid and we encourage those who may have forgotten to send in their contribution as soon as possible.
The school has been extensively refurbished and all the classrooms, toilets and corridors have recently been re-floored. We have also replaced all our school furniture and redecorated all the children's toilets over the summer holiday period.
There are still some other improvements necessary and, with your support, we will try to ensure that our school environment is well
maintained and pleasant for our pupils

.Hallelujah Concert
A school choir from 5th & 6th classes has been busy rehearsing a large and varied repertoire of songs for a performance in the Point Theatre which took place on Sunday, 9th December.They were joined by choirs from over 100 other schools to sing for joy in the largest choir in Ireland. Mr. Hughes deserves great credit for all the time & energy he has put into this concert.
Credit Union Poster Competition.
Congratulations to Jennifer Fahy, Lorcan Gray and Lucy O'Hara who were winners in the recent Credit Union Poster Competition.

Lost Property
Once again may we appeal to parents to ensure that coats, jumpers, tracksuit tops etc. are clearly labelled with your child's name.! Have you lost anything recently? Please check at our Lost Property box and please label your property clearly.

Third Class Hurling.
Our third class hurlers have completed their mini league against neighbouring schools in Sandyford, Wedgewood, Kilternan and Oatlands. The scheme was a resounding success and the standard of hurling from children so young was superb. The finals were held on Wednesday, December 12th in Naomh Olaf GAA Hall to whom we are all indebted for the use of their superb facilities.
Congrats to everyone involved, particularly Andy Gibbons, who gives so much of his time and energy to all the local schools. Go mba fada buan thú Andy.

Iomáint / Camogie 2002
Training has already begun for next season's hurling & camogie competitions and it's now time to root out the hurleys and the helmets etc. from their Autumn & Winter storage. Hurley exchanges and / or trade-ins can be arranged with Mr. Murphy.

Siopa
School socks and shorts are currently available from the Oifig at subsidised rates:
Socks & @ Shorts €6.50 each
Sliotars @ €4
Hurleys from €5 euro
It only remains to wish each and every one of you every blessing for the New Year.

St.Olaf's can now be contacted via e-mail at the following address:

stolafsns.ias@eircom.net