What an amazing evening we had last night hosting our first outdoor Christmas Carol Service for Derrychrin Primary School. Christmas is always a special time of year for our families, to treasure the joy and happiness of our wonderful children. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, we were again unable to host our annual Christmas Show in school but we were determined to celebrate this special time of year with our school community.
In association with our PTA 'Friends of Derrychrin', we wanted to make it a special night for everyone connected to the Derrychrin School Community and the Parish of Ballinderry, celebrating the meaning of Christmas and enjoying the Christmas spirit.
The children in all classes were absolutely fantastic in their performances and as a school community, we are extremely proud of each and every child. They were brilliant in their practices and what a show they produced last night!
A lot of gratitude and appreciation must go to all the hard working, caring and dedicated teaching staff and non-teaching staff in preparing the children with their wonderful singing, and the children in the tin whistle and guitar group. A special word of thanks to Miss Hughes and Mrs McGuckin for their additional planning and preparation of the Carol Service. Thank you also to Donal Canavan, our Music tutor who prepared our Musicians superbly and continues to share his expertise with the children on a weekly basis.
Massive thank you to our school secretary Gemma and to Deirdre for looking after the ticket sales, raffle tickets and donations.
I would like to thank our wonderful PTA ‘Friends of Derrychrin’ who are always so helpful and supportive towards the school and who assisted in many roles last night like they have done so on many previous occasions.
A huge thank you to Ballinderry Shamrocks GAC for providing the use of their facilities and their new Community Hub. Special mention to Killian Conlan, Martin McKinless and Kevin ‘Moss’ McGuckin for their support and assistance along with many other club members who assisted with various duties on the night. We are extremely grateful for their support. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the club and community on the completion of their new Community Hub. It is a wonderful facility that will cater for the children of Derrychrin and the people of Ballinderry for many years to come.
Thank you to Sean McGeary for providing the use of the lorry which looked superb on the night displayed with many lights and decorations. It also allowed for the children to perform on a raised platform for everyone to view.
Thank you to Michael Glackin who provided the sound and lights in testing weather conditions. It also meant anyone who remained in their cars were able to listen to the performances in the safety and comfort of their cars using the selected radio channel via the radio transmitter.
Special thanks to John O’Neill as always for taking photos on the night and capturing so many cherished memories.
Thank you to Gran's Cafe who ensured that tea, coffee and hot chocolate was available for everyone.
A massive thank you to all the following local businesses and individuals for their generous donations for our Christmas Draw and their continuous support to the school.
James Conway- J.C. Plastering
Patrick Conway- Conway Haulage
Martin Mc Kinless- Use of Lorry.
Colm Mullan- Bathe N.I.
Brian & Claire Mc Kinless- Crossroad Fuels
Pat Crozier- Rosewood Bespoke Furniture
Joe & Clodagh Mc Kinless- Crossroad Tyres
Cathal Forbes- Forbes Spar Ardboe
Loretta Daly- Daly Kindness
Shauneen Mc Elroy- Sweet Hampers
Roisin Talbot- Learning Hub
Brian & Dolores Muldoon- Bridie’s Chippy
John Wilson- Crafted Crib
Alice Coyle – Crib Figures
It was a wonderful end to the night when 'Singing Santa' arrived to sing some Christmas songs and to draw the winning tickets for the top three raffle prizes. Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets. We are totally overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of everyone. All money raised will go towards new resources for the school. Congratulations to all the prize winners.
From our Carol Service last night, everyone in attendance will have experienced a real family atmosphere to Derrychrin PS and what school life is really like in our wonderful school. Along with the learning that takes place in the school setting, the children also get the opportunity to showcase their many talents and increase their confidence and self-esteem.
We hope that everyone had a great night and we are already looking forward to next year!
Many thanks
Ciaran McElroy
Principal
