Present:
Yvonne Garrigan, Sinead Watson, Kate Kelly, Tara Crawford, Deirdre Flanagan, Toni Walsh, Oona Frawley, Sophia Cussen, Donal Lenehan, Isobel O’Duffy, Rob Greene, Emanuela Carvisiglia, Sinead Tyner, Vanessa Shipman, Magda Joyce
Apologies: Janice Fitzsimons
1. Review of Brendan’s retirement
Brendan’s retirement was held last Friday 27th May, and was a wonderful afternoon. Brendan was presented with a cake and a beautiful drawing made by Sian Griffin, on behalf of the PTA. The PTA also presented Carmel with a bouquet of flowers.
2. Sports Day
Sports Day for Junior, Senior & 1st Classes is starting at Finlay Park at 9am, all children from these classes should be dropped directly to Finlay Park (not the school) at 8.50am. They will be met there by teachers. Any children that arrive to school on the school bus will be escorted over by a staff member.
Children from 2nd – 4th Classes will walk to and from Finlay Park during their school day. Their sports activities will take place from 11am – 1pm.
3rd and 4th Classes will attend swimming as usual and will be collected from there.
Children from 5th & 6th Classes will have their activities at Finlay Park at 1 – 2.30pm and will need to be collected from Finlay Park directly. They will not be walked back to school for collection.
Parent helpers are requested to help out on the day. If you are able to help, just show up on the day whenever you can.
3. My Marine House Postcards
A sample of all the submissions of My Marine House Postcards are on display in the foyer of Marine House. Samples of the postcards have now been sent home with an order form. The closing date for the first print run is Friday 3 June. Selection packs are available to buy and will be available at the Summer Fair. Orders for a second print run will be taken at the Summer Fair.
A full set of the postcards will be given to Brendan, and a second set will be brought with us to the new building.
4. PTA props/packing up Marine House
In preparation for the move to the new school, volunteers will be sought to help sort through the various costumes, equipment etc. that the PTA has stored in store rooms in Marine House. The date for this is yet to be decided.
5. Parent contact sheets
Parent reps are asked to send out an up to date parent contact sheet before the end of term. Please check with Fran to see if any new children have joined the class, and update the contact list accordingly. Yvonne will email the current lists to parent reps.
6. New PTA committee 2016-2018
The current PTA Committee members are nearing the end of their two years. Deirdre Flanagan has offered to stay on as Secretary for a second year. If anybody is interested in taking up the role of Chairperson or Vice Chairperson on the Committee please contact [email protected]. Current Committee members are happy to provide details of duties and level of involvement required for each role. New Committee members will take up their roles after the AGM in early October 2016.
7. Parents and Guardians Facebook page
A lengthy discussion took place regarding the Facebook page. The key points are as follows:
-The video that was posted was deemed by the BOM to be defamatory and puts the school into a potential legal situation.
-There is an official complaints procedure in the school that should be used in all cases of complaint. The complaints procedure will be published in the newsletter.
-The Facebook page needs to make it clear that it is not an official school page. A name change will be discussed, as well as the possibility of amending the page settings.
-Anyone posting anything to the Facebook page is asked to consider all sides of the story and think seriously of the impact before posting to the page.
A lengthy discussion ensued about the anti-bullying policy and possible strategies for assisting supervision in the yard.
8. Summer Fair
The meeting ran over time, so it wasn’t possible to discuss the Summer Fair, but here are the details:
Marine House Final Summer Fair
Sunday, 12 June 2016 1pm-4 pm
Set out below is the outline for the event. We don’t want anybody to have to slave away for the afternoon as we want everybody to have the opportunity to relax and enjoy the day. So, if you can help for just 30 mins on the activities specified please contact your parent class rep or email [email protected] and specify if you have a preference for a time slot. Please provide a contact mobile phone number. A schedule of helpers will be forwarded on Friday, 10th June. It’s going to be a great day! Spread the word to anybody who has ever had a connection with WETNS at Marine House to come on down for our Final Summer Fair!
Music
Musical performances from current and past pupils & parents. If any pupils or parents or groups of pupils and/or parents current or past would like to perform a few tunes on the day please contact our co‑ordinator Magda Joyce on 087 288 5605 or your parent class rep. If pupils are performing unaccompanied by an adult parents will need to provide Magda with written consent.
Food
Street Feast – Everyone brings a plate of something sweet or savoury, laid out in a help yourself buffet. Please label your dish to say what it is (if it’s not obvious) and if it contains any known allergens, e.g. gluten, dairy, nuts, etc. We have a few volunteers to keep the table stocked throughout the afternoon.
Refreshments
Barista Coffee provided by Ric Murawski with his festival coffee car. Soft drinks for children provided by PTA. Children’s drinks will be served at the Street Feast table.
Childrens Activities
Bouncy castles – 2 supervisors needed. Maybe one for the Dads? It is vital we have adequate supervision to avoid injury and to ensure every child who wishes gets a turn.
Hook a Duck & Bubble Fun – 2 supervisors needed
Penalty Shots – 1-2 adults or teenagers to run the penalty shot competition.
Treasure Hunt – 1-2 volunteers (possibly older children or teenagers) to lay out and hand out the clue sheets.
Create a Keepsake (paint a fridge magnet/keyring) – 1-2 parents or teenagers to assist the children in painting pottery disks and attaching magnets and/or keyrings.
Facepainting – 2 parents or teenagers at a time to do some simple facepainting.
My Marine House Postcards
Original postcards will be on display and selection packs for sale.
Raffle
We’re asking parents and family & friends to donate a small handcrafted or gift item or voucher for prizes. Tickets will be sold on the day and winners contacted by text. 1-2 parents/teenagers at a time needed to sell tickets and run the raffle table on the day.
Craft Stalls
We are inviting parents and external crafters to take a table at the Fair. There is no charge for the table but possibly donate a small gift for the raffle. Contact Yvonne (details at top of the page) if you or family/friends would like to take a table. Please contact by Friday, 10th June so we can allocate adequate space for you.
Family Photos
Dave Cavanagh from Cavanagh Photography will be available on the day to take family photos.
Message book for Brendan
If anybody would like to send a handwritten message to Brendan on his retirement (you can include a photo if you wish) please leave in a sealed envelope with Fran in the office marked for attention of Yvonne or give directly to Yvonne on the day of the Fair. Alternatively you can drop your message in to Tara in Wings Angel Shop on Main Street, Wicklow (beside Boys 2 Men barbers). We will compile all messages and photos into an album to present to Brendan later in the afternoon at the Fair.
Setup & Take down
We need 4-5 helpers from 11 am – 12.30 pm to help set up the gazebo for the stage area and set out the tables and signage for the Fair. We need 4-5 helpers afterwards between 4pm – 5pm to help clean up and put everything back.
9. Any Other Business
- New school website – The new website is under construction and all material from the current website will be archived. It is proposed that the new website will be more interactive and pupils, staff and parents will be encouraged to contribute weekly blogs.
- School policies – Sinead requested that new or amended school policies be included as an agenda item at PTA meetings into the future and this was agreed.
- Parking at new school – A transport plan will need to be drawn up for parking and access arrangements at new school.
- Open evening at new school – It was agreed with Sinead and Rob that an open day/evening would be beneficial for the whole school community once it is completed.