MISSION STATEMENT:
We endeavour to create a caring, Catholic and child-centred environment, promoting tolerance, co-operation, courtesy and respect, catering for children of all abilities and backgrounds.
We aim to provide a broad and diverse education both curricular and extra-curricular, which develops the child’s self-confidence, happiness and security through the work of a united team of staff, management and parents.
Dear Parents,
There was a fantastic response to the annual food appeal made by the local conference of St. Vincent de Paul just before Christmas. A letter of acknowledgement was received thanking the boys and their parents/guardians for their kindness and outlining the huge difference your generosity made to families in the local community who are struggling.
Well done to all the classes who staged Christmas Plays. It was fabulous to see so many boys getting the opportunity to perform on stage. Our thanks also to the teachers for their hard work
in preparing the boys for their performances. We also thank the boys’ families who attended in very large numbers.
Apologies for the lack of heating from mid-morning last Monday week. Fortunately, the engineers were on site very early on Tuesday morning and heating was restored. Every reasonable effort is made to maintain the heating system. Unfortunately, there are occasions, outside of our control, when it may fail unexpectedly, like any other heating system. Since the new heating system was installed in 2005 we have only had 3 heating “blips” – 2 of them in the current school year but, hopefully, we are now in the clear again.
Staff Car Park
Thank you for your compliance with the text sent last week reminding parents/guardians not to enter the car park off Woodley Road. So far this week we have had only 2 cases where people
ignored the text and the signs on the piers. With the layout of the lower car park it is possible for children to reach the school using the footpaths without the necessity of going through the actual
parking area. Extreme care is also required in the Church Car Park with the high volume of traffic there. As far as possible, children walking to school from the Churchview Road side should use the
footpaths and avoid walking through the car park. Drivers need to be extra careful, particularly when reversing, as children can easily walk behind a moving car without seeing any danger.
School Security
The safety and security of the school building and its occupants is extremely important at all times. As soon as the last classes have entered the building, all inner entrance doors are closed. Entry/egress after this time is by the main door at the office. Please ensure that the inner door is closed after you when leaving. If you need to visit the school during the day, there is an intercom
system inside the main door so the secretary can identify who is visiting. We appeal to parents and children who may be in the building not to grant entry to people calling, for security reasons.
Sympathy
On behalf of our school community we extend our sincerest sympathy to the Dalton family, in particular to Fionn (Mrs. Sheehan’s class) and Oisín (Ms. Collin’s class) whose Mum Pamela passed away on Christmas morning. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aici. We will keep the Dalton family all in our thoughts and prayers in the months ahead.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Cadogan
Principal
Dear Parents,
As per the holiday schedule the school will close for the Christmas break on Friday, December 19th at 12 noon and reopen on January 5th 2015 at 9.00 a.m.
Christmas Fair
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who helped to ensure that yet again another very successful Christmas Fair was held. The Fair is a fantastic community event without which much of the additional resources and equipment we have would not be in our school. Final figures will issue after Christmas when they are to hand. Once again our sincerest thanks to all our dedicated, hardworking helpers, everyone who attended the Fair, people and businesses who very generously donated items/prizes and those who supported the Fair in any way. The winners of the raffle are as follows:-
School Raffle Luxury Raffle
1st prize – Aidan Dunne – Seller Josh Camacho Emer Mc Keever
2nd prize – Sam Byrne – Seller Finn Byrne Maria Barrett
3rd prize – Ella Byrne – Seller Finn Byrne Angela Boylan
4th prize – Vanessa Greenwood – Justin Lowry – Seller Annabel Greenwood P.J. Mears
5th prize – Rong Ji – Seller John Ding Redmond O’Leary
Congratulations to the prizewinners.
Parent Teacher Meetings
Parent teacher meetings were held recently and were very well attended. At this stage all parents have been seen. It is important that recommendations made at these meetings are followed through.
Follow up meetings will be arranged where necessary at a future date.
Board of Management Update
The Board of Management has met on a monthly basis since September. There has also been one meeting of the Joint Boards. The following policies have been reviewed and updated.
(i) Child Protection
(ii) The Enrolment and Participation Policy
(iii) Social, Personal and Health Education
(iv) Music
Work carried out under the Summer Works Scheme is almost complete and the lack of flooding during heavy rain is a great relief. School security and parking in the Staff Car Park are issues to be tackled in the New Year.
Garda vetting of all new volunteers has been carried out and we thank the volunteers for their cooperation in this matter.
Guided reading has continued in 2nd class this term and will be in action in the first classes in the new term. In-class numeracy was trialled in 3rd class and worked extremely well. It is now operating in 1st class.
Arising from the School Self-evaluation process specific work is continuing on Oral Language, Comprehension and Writing in all classes. An evaluation of Maths will be undertaken in the New Year with a focus on Problem Solving. Ongoing work on policy review will take place.
The Board extends its thanks to all the parents who have paid this year’s Voluntary Contribution to date. While we realise the time of year, we recognise that the end of the tax year also looms. If there are people who are in a position to pay by the end of December who paid the 2013/2014 contribution during 2014, then it would bring the combined payment made in 2014 to €250, thereby entitling the school to a tax rebate on your contribution. If you are in a position to assist, it would be a tremendous help.
Adventure Playground
Sincere thanks to everyone for their ongoing support for this venture. When staff commenced fundraising for the refurbishment of the adventure playground it seemed that it would take a long time to see the fruition of all the fundraising from different events. The fantastic news is that we are now ready to roll out Phase 1 which should see construction work commence at the end of January, weather permitting. The playground can be added to in time and will prove to be a fantastic amenity for all the children. A special thanks to the steering committee for their ongoing efforts and to everyone who has contributed to the success of the fundraising to date. Your assistance is greatly appreciated and recognised.
Attendance
Attendance to date is at 97.2%. Congratulations to the 171 boys who have full attendance so far this year. 40 pupils have missed in excess of 5 days. Notwithstanding that there has been a bug doing the rounds and in some cases there have been exceptional reasons for some absences, we trust that those who have been absent frequently will improve their attendance next term. Good attendance is essential if children are to make progress. A written note of explanation is always required when an absence has occurred.
Parish Carol Service
Congratulations to the boys in the School Choir who performed excellently at the Parish Carol Service on Sunday night. As always, they were by far the best.!!! Thank you to Mrs. de Barra, Mr. Clancy and Ms. Ryan for all their work with the choir.
St Vincent de Paul annual food appeal
The annual St. Vincent de Paul food collection will be collected tomorrow Thursday. We thank people who have already sent in food items which will be distributed as food hampers in the local community.
Mr. Charlie Mc Govern R.I.P.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Mr. Mc Govern’s family on his recent passing. Mr. Mc Govern worked as a substitute teacher in our school for many years. An absolute gentleman he was loved by pupils and staff alike. Leaba í measc na naomh go raibh aige.
Christmas Presents for Staff
As Christmas approaches in the current financial climate, we are well aware, as a staff, of the pressures that many families may be under. While we recognise the generosity and gratitude of parents to staff members, presents are unnecessary while there are so many people in need.
Shoebox Appeal
Congratulations to the boys on their generosity in sending their shoeboxes. A total of 250 boxes were supplied which is a fantastic number and no doubt will make so many other children very happy this Christmas. Well done to all.
Finally, we take this opportunity of thanking everyone for their ongoing support of the school and wishing you and your family a happy, peaceful and enjoyable Christmas.
Guímid Nollaig faoi shéan agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir.
Beir bua is beannacht.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Cadogan
26th November 2014
Dear Parents,
Congratulations to Rónán Kelly, (Mrs. Allen’s Junior Infants class) who has been selected as a prizewinner in the annual Dublin Fire Brigade Fire Safety Art Competition 2014. Rónán has been invited to the Mansion House to collect his prize and his work will feature in the Dublin Fire Brigade Calendar 2015.
Sponsored Walk
Our sincere thanks to everyone who supported the Sponsored Walk. To date €7,365 has been collected. We would appreciate if any outstanding sponsorship money could be handed in as soon as possible so that receipts can issue.
Using EduBills with older computers
WorldNet, who authorise all online payments for the school, have advised that required updates mean users of certain older systems will no longer be able to connect to them.
In particular this will affect anyone using Windows XP in any Internet Explorer or Safari browser. While Chrome and Firefox should still work, it is recommended to upgrade operating system as Microsoft withdrew support for Windows XP in April this year. Users of very old Android phones may also be affected.
These updates are intended to maintain the highest levels of security for debit/credit card data. If you find you are affected, we would suggest you use a newer computer to make your payment.
The school keeps no card data as this information is entered via the WorldNet payment page.
Recycling
Our thanks to everyone who supported the last recycling venture. We expect to make in excess of €500 from this which is greatly appreciated.
The school has recently signed up to a project organised by WEEE Ireland, called WEEEPledge. We are collecting batteries and old mobile phones for recycling. Each box we fill earns us points and the more points we accumulate the better chance we have of winning some valuable prizes for our school. It also helps to raise much needed funds for the Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice. Please send any used batteries or old mobile phones into the school. Mr. Geoghegan will be collecting.
Christmas Fair
Helpers are essential on the day and we make a special plea to parents who are new to the school to become involved in the Fair. Volunteer slips issued earlier in the week and we would appreciate if you could return completed slips to us so that helpers can be assigned to the various stalls. Santa in particular, is in urgent need of elves to help him on the day.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Cadogan
