Hi everyone,
I hope you are all well. There have some difficulties with our website but we are back up in action now so I have lots of news to include in this week’s bulletin.
Clothing Collection
The clothing collection that was organised by our very dedicated PTA has ended now. The bags of clothing have all been collected. We sent almost 2 tonnes of clothes to be recycled! That is fantastic and thank you to everyone who was involved. It is a great initiative and a great excuse for a good clear out!
Zeeko Talks
Zeeko who provide talks for Internet Safety Awareness visited the school this month. They spoke with children from 3rd class to 6th class. They also spoke with the teachers after school and there was a talk for parents that evening. The children appeared to get a lot from the information sessions with one child saying that ‘it was brilliant!’ I was disappointed as there was a very low turnout at the parent talk. The feedback from those who attended was very positive. This is a hugely important area when it comes to child safety and I would encourage everyone to check out the Zeeko website for top tips, strategies and ideas on how to promote safe Internet use. They provided us with a mentor programme whereby 5th and 6th classes will help younger students to become safety aware when using the Internet.
6th Class Transfer Talk
There is a talk for all 6th class parents in the school on Monday @10:30. This talk will be delivered by the National Parents Council (NPC) and will focus on the very important topic of transferring to secondary school. If you can attend the talk please meet outside of Lesley’s at 10:20 and Sinéad, our home school liaison teacher will show you to where the talk is being held.
On this note, all 6th class children should have a confirmed place in a secondary school at this stage. If anyone’s child does not have a place yet in secondary school can you please contact Sinéad (HSCL) as soon as possible.
Building Update
The builders have finished the initial stages of their preparatory works. They are holding an information session for principals and chair persons of the board of management on the 11th of June to provide a schedule for the summer works. I will keep you updated once I receive this information. I hope to be give an indication as to when the scaffolding might be ready for removal, it is looking unlikely that it will be removed by the end of the summer but I continue to outline the impact it is having on our yard space.
Car Park
I must now mention a few things regarding the new car-parking arrangements. I am very pleased to say that the majority of feedback from parents has been very positive with most citing how much calmer it is in the mornings once you reach the school. The morning drop-off system is working far more efficiently than I had even hoped and I would like to thank everyone who has cooperated so well with our new system. As you are aware, returning to the previous system whereby cars parked in our basketball course is not an option. We have sectioned off a small area at the top of the court for parents of children with additional needs. This means the remainder of the court is still available at all times during the day should it be needed for fire assembly. Of course it is not a perfect system and will continue to be tweaked and refined over the coming months. Suggestions that do not involve an increase in car volume are always welcome.
We have had some very helpful suggestions over the last few weeks and we will endeavour to have some of these adjustments in place in the new school year. Most of these involve additional input and support from voluntary parents when available but we will look at this more over the holidays.
The afternoon system, whereby only permit holders are allowed enter the school grounds is beginning to work very well now that we have had some time to get used to it. Please do not park at the gate where the caretaker stands in the afternoon. This is an extremely busy section of road and it only takes one or two cars to slow down the whole system. It is also very unsafe with the volume of children passing. If your child is unwell and you have been contacted to collect them early you can drive up and park outside Lesley’s office for the few minutes it takes to collect your child. Please close the gates behind you.
Bicycle Helmets
It is great to see so many families walking, cycling, and scooting to school. This is excellent for our Green Schools reputation! I notice only a small handful of children wearing helmets each day. I would encourage everyone to wear their helmets when out and about on their bikes and scooters. Even though a lot of the traffic has been removed from the school premises the areas around us are very busy and we want the children to all be as safe as possible.
Athletics
48 students from across the school attended athletics in Corkagh Park yesterday and it seems to have been a hugely successful day with loads of smiles and loads of medals present on their return.
Junior Infant Open Evening
A lovely addition to our calendar each year, the Junior Infant Open Evening will take place on Thursday the 23rd May @ 18:00. It is open to all new Junior Infant children and their parents who will be joining our school in September. We cannot wait to meet all of our new students and I know it is a very exciting time for them as they get to meet their new teachers. In assembly today we voted on the new class names and these will be revealed on the night.