We had Breakfast Together on Friday. Many thanks to all the parent volunteers.
Throughout the month of September the children in our school settle back into school-life and their new classes. One of the most significant parts of the Learn Together curriculum at this time of year is developing a Class Charter. This is a list of rights and responsibilities devised by the children with the help and guidance of their teacher. One of the four strands underpinning the ethos of Educate Together schools is ‘Child-Centeredness’. This means that children in our school are involved in decisions by which they will be affected, where appropriate.
Wednesday 28th September: [Postponed] Trip for 6th class to Avondale Forest Park.
Wednesday 28th September: Team games/football coaching for 4th & 6th classes with Mikael Allain. For 4 more Wednesdays. Wear runners.
Thursday 29th September: ‘OpenClassroom’ event. 8.50-9.30am: Aideen & Deirdre’s classes. 1pm-1.30pm: Junior and Senior Infants. 1.30pm-2pm: 1st and 2nd classes. 2pm-2.30pm: 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th classes. You are invited to spend some (more) time with your child’s class. This is a short, informal event for available parents &guardians.
Thursday 29th September: PE/field hockey for 3rd class with Gillian Bailey, Irish Hockey Association. For 5 more Thursdays. Runners, shin guards & gum shields must be worn.
Friday 30th September: PE/rugby for 5th class, with Tommy Martin, Leinster Rugby. For 4 more Fridays. Wear runners.
Friday 30th September: Last chance! Return the optional Pupil Personal Accident Insurance form, along with payment, by today.
Sunday 2nd October: Parent Teacher Association Sponsored Walk, Courtown Woods. Meet in main car park – near the swimming pool – at 1.45pm. All proceeds will go towards S.E.S.E. (science) equipment for our pupils. All children remain under the care of their parents or guardians throughout this event. Return any sponsorship monies to the school next week. Thank you very much for your support.
Tuesday 4th October: Trip for Junior Infants to Courtown Woods. Parent helpers needed – please speak with Chloe or Cathy.
Tuesday 4th October (3rd & 4th classes) and Tuesday 11th October (5th & 6th classes 🙂 Gorey Credit Union quiz nights for local schools. 7pm sharp, Amber Springs Hotel. A number of the children in our older classes will participate in the events. All children remain under the care of their parents or guardians throughout this event.
Thursday 6th October, 1pm-1.25pm: Parents and Guardians of the new Junior Infants are invited to attend a short information meeting with Cathy and Chloe (daily routine in the infant classroom, lunches, clothing & footwear, homework.) The Junior Infants will be supervised by other staff during this meeting.
Friday, 7th October: ‘Breakfast Together’ event in aid of the ‘Childline’ charity. Parent helpers will be needed.
Monday 17th October: A small group from our 4th class will travel to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Dublin to participate in workshops associated with the Forum on School Patronage.
Saturday 10th December: Hallelujah concert, RDS, Dublin. For 2nd and 3rd classes.
Welcome to all new and returning students and their parents/guardians. We hope you had a great summer and look forward to seeing you at the varied and numerous events which will be held throughout the year.
PTA Coffee Mornings for all parents/guardians will continue to be held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month.
This year our annual sponsored walk to Courtown Woods is planned for Sunday 2nd October. Last year we raised a staggering €4251.50 which went towards the purchase of special educational equipment. Monies raised this year will go towards science equipment for use in the school classrooms.
We will need some parent helpers on the day – some to lead the way and others to man the juice station at the end – anyone who is interested please let us know!
There a number of additional sporting activities being provided to children during school hours this term (Rugby/Football/Hockey) as well as Irish Dancing after school. As a result, no PTA after school activities will be offered this term.
In Term 2 the after school activities that will be offered include Hip Hop Dancing, Drama and Arts & Crafts. This year parents will not be asked to supervise these classes, additional supervision will be provided by the school.
Discussions regarding the ever popular school disco are already under way! Date yet to be confirmed but watch this space! These have been very successful and enjoyable evenings in the past. Many parent helpers will be needed to run tuck shop, juice station, supervise hall etc.
The School’s PTA plays a key role in offering parents opportunities to be involved in the school, as well as fundraising and supporting the school in many other ways.
Last year the PTA funded the School Soccer Jerseys, Equipment for the Special Educational Classes for Children with Autism, Bus to the Hallelujah Concert, Sports Day Medals and Ice Creams, the End of Year Event for 6th Class, Theatre Performance, and we have recently purchased a large amount of maths equipment for use in the classrooms. Events hosted by the PTA included the Summer Fair, School Disco, and Book Fair. In addition our regular activities and support also include Parent Coffee Mornings, After School Activities, and the Parent Library.
As you know, one of the four core principles of an Educate Together School is that it is democratically run, with ‘active participation by parents in the daily life of the school’.
There are a host of opportunities for parents to become more involved in the school. For example; volunteering in classrooms, fundraising, organizing social events, participation at events, policy-making and serving on school bodies like the Board of Management or the Parent-Teacher Association.
PTA Members are elected at our annual AGM, which is to be held in the coming weeks, and there are a number of spaces available for interested parents/guardians. Membership entails a commitment of one evening meeting per month during term time (limited to 1 ½ hours max). In addition we also need many volunteer helpers to help facilitate our numerous events and activities.
We appreciate that many parents feel unable to commit to formal membership however there are a whole range of things planned in the future that parents can get involved in. The more parents we have who are willing to give even half an hour here and there the more things we can offer! There will be sign up sheets for you to give your contact details at the class coffee mornings if you are interested in doing so, or alternatively text 0876763897 with your name and child’s class.
Remember! Parental involvement is a key feature of our school and has real benefits for the children, their parents and the wider school community in general.
In primary schools, recruitment usually takes place during June. However, this year most recruitment will not happen until August. The change is related to new controls in operation at the Department of Finance and the Department of Education & Skills. Therefore, as yet, we can’t let all of the children know the name of their teacher for September. Please check the school website during the summer for updates.
We bid a fond farewell to Fergal Twomey, who has worked at our school for the past three years as a Resource Teacher and Special Class Teacher. We wish him every success on his travels. He will be missed!
(The school is not in a position to answer queries re: orders, delivery, etc. Please contact the Publisher directly.) Thanks.
Senior Infants have just finished their Paired Reading project! They were presented with certificates. Many thanks to all the parent volunteers.
New Jerseys: These had their first outings last week – well done to all the boys and girls who competed in the GAA ‘mini-sevens’ football events.
The children voted on various options – and Daniel’s eye-catching design came out on top! When it came to ‘backing a worthy cause,’ Safia’s proposal to support Amnesty International garnered most support, (and Amnesty gave permission for the use of their logo.) Thanks also to Dave (parent) for designing the crest! This purchase of 20 jerseys was fully-funded by our Parent-Teacher Association.
Playground activities for 1st –6th classes The current choices are: outdoor chalk, football, basketball, ‘Mega Connect-4,’ ‘Cannonball Drop,’ hockey (Unihoc,) quoits (ring throwing) and, of course, free-play! Many thanks to Fergus for organising the rota.