Welcome back to everyone and we hope you had a great summer break. We are looking forward to working with you all again this year.

A special welcome to Junior Infants and their parents to the school. They are Zoe Carolan, Tom Donohoe, Henry Dunne, Mia Dunne, Susan Howe, Allie Jameson, Arthur Kavanagh, Caitríona Kavanagh, Zarah Manley, Reuben Montgomery-Quinn, Olivia Moody, Noah Morrissey, Nathan O’Connor, John O’Dwyer, Ellen Peterson, Faye Reilly,
Darragh Timmons and Freddie Witter.

We also extend a warm welcome to the children who have joined us in other classes. They are Annabell O’Rourke in Senior Infants, Charlotte Rossi in 1st Class, also Carla Serrano Pastor in 6th Class, Irene Serrano Pastor in 1st Class and Luis Serrano Pastor in Senior Infants. A warm welcome back to Joey Pallas.

Staff September, 2019

5th & 6th Class: Mrs. Imelda Burke
4th & 5th Class: Mrs. Maude O’ Doherty, Deputy Principal
3rd & 4th Class: Ms. Aisling Gibney
1st & 2nd Class: Ms. Lisa Heffernan & Ms. Sarah-Jane Montgomery
Senior Infants & 1st Class: Ms. Mary Doyle
Junior Infants & Senior Infants: Ms. Ursula Walsh
Special Education Needs Teacher: Ms. Eileen Byrne, Principal
Special Education Needs Teacher: Ms. Úna Gallinagh
Special Education Needs Teacher: Ms Marianne Nicholson (Part-time)

Staff:

Aisling Gibney has been appointed a permanent member of staff. We need 143 children on roll on the 30th September 2019 in order to keep this post for the next school year 2020/2021. At present we have 142 children on roll.

Information Booklet:

All families have a copy of the information booklet. Please keep it in a safe place and refer to it if you have questions about any aspect of school life. If you need anything clarified please ring the office. Ann, the school secretary, may be able to help you or you may set up a meeting with the class teacher, at a time that suits you both.

Sometimes a return call from a teacher, when she is available, can sort out many issues. Your courtesy is appreciated at all times, when speaking to any member of staff. Please do not delay teachers from class, with queries, in the morning as they are responsible for all the children in the room. Ring Ann and she can pass on a message.

Parental Involvement:

We encourage parents to get involved throughout the year. We value the whole school working together for the betterment of the school and ultimately, the children. Some activities with which parents have helped in the past – field trips, school tours, walks to the beach, sports events away from school, some maintenance (carpenters, electricians, landscapers etc.), arts and crafts (knitting and embroidery), giving talks to children on a parent’s work, music, setting up stages, preparation for Holy Communion, projects on science and local history, making bird boxes and putting them up, gardening and fundraising. All parents helping in the school must be Garda vetted.

Please ensure we have an up to date email address as we send correspondence by email. There will be newsletters throughout the year which will give you an insight into school life in all classes.

Reminders:

School Drop-Off:

Please do not leave children in the yard before 8.50 am. Always accompany children to the door if for some reason they are being dropped after 8.50 am.

Absence Notes:

When your child is absent from school, please send in a note on their return to school. All notes must be dated and have a reason for absence.

Labels on Coats/Sweatshirts:

There are always a number of coats and sweatshirts left in the school at the end of the school year. Please ensure all coats and sweatshirts are name-tagged, so as to avoid this happening in the future.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations)

Under GDPR guidelines, schools have to get consent notes for all school related
outings and activities.

Harvest Day

We had an enjoyable harvest day on Wednesday 11th September. We dug potatoes, onions, beetroot and scallions. Our runner beans were too big to eat but the children loved examining the seeds. We harvested a big bag of Kelvedon Wonder peas to use as seed next year.

We potted up 12 strawberry plants on runners from old plants. We got pumpkins and these are ripening some off on classroom windowsills for Halloween.

Our sunflowers are still flowering and we will leave them as food for the birds over winter. We will harvest our carrots in a few weeks to eat alongside our sausages on sausage Friday. We will also cut back our wildflower area to maximise next year’s growth. Thanks to all parents who helped in any way. Without your support such a
productive garden wouldn’t be possible.

Sausage Friday:

Sausage Friday has been a great success for the past two and half years. Monies raised from Sausage Friday have paid for school jerseys, sports equipment and the new slide. Sausages are cooked in D. Stores and groups of parents then prepare and distribute them to children in each of the classes. The cost per sausage roll is €2. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, sausage roll for lunch on the last Friday of every month and no planning and preparing lunches for the parents on that day!

New Slide:

Our new slide was installed in August ready to go for our 2019/2020 school year. Many thanks to all the parents who made this replacement possible by participating in ‘Sausage Friday’. Money raised from Sausage Friday funded the slide and its installation which cost €3302.85. A special thanks to the parents who gave their time to co-ordinate and make such a success of Sausage Friday. Thanks also to D Stores for cooking the sausages. We hope to continue upgrading the play area with the continued co-operation and participation of parents in fundraising events.

Upcoming Events

Secondary Principal School Visits:

On Tuesday 24th September Mr. Ward, Principal of St. Mary’s College and Mr. Somers, Principal of CBS College, Arklow will visit the school to talk to 5th and 6th classes and invite them to their open days.

Hunger Heroes:

Noeleen Doyle from Concern Worldwide will visit the school on Thursday 26th September and talk to children in 3rd – 6th classes about the Hunger Heroes Project.

Lego Workshops:

Lego Workshops will take place in school on Wednesday 16th October for all classes.

Parent / Teacher Meetings:

Parent / Teacher meetings will be held on Thursday, 21st November after school hours from 4-10pm. Individual timetables will be given out before this date.

For information on upcoming school holidays, please see the School Calendar.

Thank you for your support and we look meeting you throughout the school year!