A brilliant new website developed  by the Department of Education and Skills as part of the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011 — 2020. It's packed full of ideas that will help children learn every day!

As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. Your home is a place where lots of learning is happening every day. Your most important job when it comes to your child’s learning is to show interest and get involved. You make a difference every day when you talk to and listen to your child.  This is what helps your child the most.

This website highlights the way people of all ages learn as part of their everyday lives and especially the positive things that children learn at home from their families.

By speaking and listening to your child, by talking and reading to him or her, by pointing out words and notices at home or out and about, you have introduced your child to the world of language – spoken and written.

Through playing with your child, he or she learns new words, and learns to think and to talk about his or her thoughts or feelings. For example, pretending to be a nurse or doctor, a shopkeeper or looking at and talking about picture books, all help your child to speak, to listen, to read or to write. When your child starts school, you continue to have a key role in helping him or her.

This website is for the parents of children aged 0 – 12 years, from birth to the end of primary school. To keep the website easy, when we use the word ‘parent’, we mean to include parents, guardians, family members and childminders. The website is about how you and your family can enjoy learning together. It is designed to support parents with fun activities and tips according to their child’s age. And each age group has lots of ideas for helping children with talking, playing, reading, writing and using numbers.

Since your child was born you have been teaching him or her to learn about the world. We hope that you enjoy the tips, activities and links provided by this website and we would welcome your feedback so that we can keep making improvements that help you, help your kid learn.

The Co. Sligo Easons Spelling Bee Final took place in Scoil Ursula on Wednesday  the 20th of February with 20 schools represented. It was an exciting event, which went down to the final difficult round and ended in victory for Conall O Dwyer from St. Lassara's NS, Ballinacarrow. Congratulations to him and good luck in the Connacht Final. Congratulations also to our own representative Juan Lyons from 5th Class who narrowly failed to force a tie-breaker in that tense last round by one letter. No doubt he'll be back to challenge again for the school title next year!!

Scoil Ursula will have the honour of welcoming GAA President, Liam O' Neill, to the school when he visits Sligo this coming Thursday. He is coming to support the work that is going on to promote the development of Gaelic Games among young people. He will launch this year's Coaching Scheme which begins in the school next week and which has proved an outstanding success over the past number of years.  Liam's beginnings in GAA administration began with Cumann na mBunscol in his native County Laois many years ago and, as a Primary School Principal, he has a keen interest in developing the best possible programmes at primary school level with the emphasis on skills development and enjoyment rather than competition. We are honoured to be among only two Primary Schools that the President will visit on his tour of County Sligo. He is due to arrive at the school at 1:40 and will be met by delegates from the school as well as our local clubs, St. Mary's Football Club and  Naomh Eoin Hurling Club. 
We are having our Annual Jersey Day to coincide with his visit. We are asking our pupils to wear in a GAA jersey and contribute €1 to defray some of the cost of the Coaching Scheme. Thank you for your support!!

The School's National Children's Choir, who performed in the National Concert Hall in 2011 were reunited to sing at the wedding of their director's daughter. Deputy Principal, Mrs Corcoran  conducted the choir once more along with a few extra Scoil Ursula choristers as her daughter, Sarah, married her fiancé, Seamus, in the Cathedral on Saturday. We wish them both health & happiness into the future.

Some of our Senior Infants and their parents took part in a very enjoyable and worthwhile play session today. The aim of this programme is to teach parents the importance of play in their children's development and how to use play as a means to develop better relationships with their children. Thanks to Esther Mooney and Theresa Kilgannon from Súgradh le Chéile for facilitating the session.

Our Annual Pancake Tuesday took place in the Cookery Room today. A big thank you to the Parents' Association for organising this popular event in the Scoil Ursula Calendar. See the chocolatey faces of our Junior Infants enjoying their first Pancake Tuesday below.

Congratulations to Juan who won the Scoil Ursula Spelling Bee Final today. Well done to all the finalists who performed so well during the competition. We wish Juan all the best in the Sligo final in Scoil Ursula on Wednesday February 20th at 12:00.