Dear Parents/Guardians, 06th April 2017
Paper copies of the newsletter are available beside the new noticeboards in the main Foyer.
REMINDER: School will close tomorrow Friday 7th April at 12.30 and will remain closed for the Easter holidays up to and including Friday 21st April. All school buses have been informed.
Important Notice: to help alleviate the car park tomorrow with school finishing at 12.30 for all classes, the 3 main buses, Ashford, Rathdrum and Brittas Bay Routes will leave school with children at 12.15pm. Please be at the bus stop extra early to collect your child allowing for this earlier time
Purple Day this Friday, April 7th
For the past two weeks, children have been enjoying Friendship Fortnight, where classes have been engaged in lessons to explore and enhance friendship. As part of our fortnights work, different classes have had the opportunity to broadcast on our very own internal radio station, Friendship FM! We have listened to poems and stories based on the theme of friendship and enjoyed reminiscing about our wonderful friends, Brendan and Laura, in a piece written by former staff member, Aoife, and 6th class teacher, Eamonn. One of our neighbours happened to be home and overheard one of our broadcasts and sent us a lovely email to congratulate the children on their work! Well done boys and girls! Please see the email below.
The fortnights programme of work will culminate in a themed assembly for children and staff this Friday, April 7th. We will also hold Purple Day on this day. Purple Day remains a very important day in the school calendar. It is a day of both celebration and remembrance – an opportunity to remember friends past and present.
Children and staff are invited to wear something purple for the day and to bring a €2 donation for the Wicklow Hospice Foundation.
“Hello!
I’m a resident across the road from your school. I just had to contact you to let you and your pupils know how fabulous your friendship fm is! What a great initiative!
The broadcasters are so articulate, confident, full of expression and easy to listen to. And of course, the messages they are promoting are great. I particularly enjoyed listening to the important message about our buckets last week. So true…
Anyway, keep it up. Tá sibh go hiontach! We could all do with remembering how to be good friends to one another….even us grown ups living across the road! Hopefully your bucket will be a bit fuller after receiving this email. 😉Mine certainly will be! 😃
Yours in neighbourly friendship”
Positive Behaviour policy As you know we have been reviewing the Positive Behaviour policy. Thank you very much to all of you who took the time to reply to the questionnaire. This was part of a process in which everyone in the school community was involved. Pupils from Junior Infants to Second class spoke about positive behaviour with their teachers and pupils from 3rd to 6th class completed a questionnaire. Staff also completed a questionnaire and the policy was discussed at staff meetings. Following this consultation, the Board of Management have prepared a draft document which can be accessed here (https://wicklowetns.com/2017/03/29/1021/). If you have any further feedback, please let us know by the 14th of April. The revised policy will be ratified at the next meeting of the Board.
Mobility Subcommittee
The mobility subcommittee (comprising Janice Doyle, Jerry O’Neill, Margarita Nowicka, Jenny Dunne, Yvonne Garrigan, Michael Martin & teacher Rory Connolly) had its first meeting two weeks ago. The aim of the group is to manage, and ultimately to reduce traffic on and off-site around the school, and to promote more pupils and staff to walk/scoot or cycle to school.
Issues discussed included current set-down and pick-up procedures; ongoing talks with Wicklow County Council re traffic calming, traffic lights, barriers; outcomes of the recent Health & Safety review; and the possibility of a nearby public carpark.
Over the last couple of weeks teacher Rory Connolly volunteered to supervise the entrance to the staff parking area to ensure safe and proper use of the staff carpark.We are planning to analyse traffic volumes passing through the school gates over the coming weeks and we will continue to work with the council on road traffic issues on the Hawkstown and Rocky Roads.Sincere thanks to all parents/guardians for your ongoing support and especially for your patience while we are striving to reduce traffic congestion and to promote healthy and sustainable modes of transit to our school.”
Events and Projects We would appeal to all parents to channel suggestions for events and projects through the elected Parent Association Committee or the relevant sub-committee.
Suggestions from pupils are channelled through the Student Council and those from the Staff are communicated during Staff Meetings.
By following these channels of communication and organisation, the Board, the Principal and the relevant Staff efficiently fulfil their responsibility of ensuring that the events selected are safe, insured, not running contrary to any current contracts and enhance either the delivery of the curriculum or the development of the school community.
Every event consumes Board or staff liaison time. Many events take place during curriculum time. For these reasons, there must be a limit to the number of events and projects which can be run during any school year. And there is always the following year.
Please continue to come up with wonderful ideas and please be understanding of the responsibilities and priorities listed above.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Term 1 of our extra-curricular activities programme will finish today Thursday 6th April for all classes. Term 2 will begin on Monday 24th April (the day the school reopens after our Easter holidays) and will run until Thursday 22rd June.
If you have not already registered or reregistered, you child/children for term 2 please contact me today at [email protected] as a final list of term 2 participants will be sent to all facilitators tomorrow.
We have a small number of places available in science (2.30), Irish dancing (1.30), arts & crafts (1.30), athletics (2.30), playball (1.30 & 2.30), yoga (1.30 and 2.30), chess (2.30) and soccer (2.30). If you would like to register, please let me know today. Receipts not yet collected will be sent home in schoolbags tomorrow.
If you have dropped in registration forms to the office over the last few days, we would appreciate if you could send in payment as soon as possible. You can pay your term 2 registration fees by cash, cheque or directly into our extra-curricular activities bank account as detailed below:
Cash – where possible please have exact amount.
Cheque – please make cheques payable to Wicklow Educate Together NS
Directly into the bank – IBAN IE34AIBK93361905417550 BIC – AIBKIE2D
Please include your Family Name when making this payment.
Shamwari Arts Easter Arts & Crafts Camp – 4 Day Camp €85.00 & €10.00 discount for 2nd child *Creative crafting *Felting *Printmaking *Sculpture*Mixed Media *Collage *Plus lots more fun activities! Our fun & imaginative arts programme is designed to nurture, inspire & stimulate children’s imagination. At Shamwari Arts we encourage each child to tap into their creative-self in a warm, friendly & stimulating environment.
Date: Mon. 10th – Thurs. 13th April
Time: 10.00am – 2.00pm
Venue: Wicklow Educate Together NS
For bookings contact Siobhan 087 799 1221 or Shanon 087 973 7739
email [email protected] Facebook Shamwari arts www.shamwariarts.com Book now, limited places, Garda Vetted.
Swimming at Coral Leisure Immediately after the Easter holidays both 2nd and 4rd classes will begin their swimming term. We continue to walk to the pool and parents are asked to collect their children at 2.40 promptly from the pool. It is very important that every child participates in swimming lessons. There may be children who are unable to swim because of medical difficulties. Parents of these children should contact the Principal immediately. On swimming days please make sure that your child has their swimming togs, hat and towel coming to school and dresses in clothes that are easy to manage. T-shirts, long/denim type shorts are not allowed in the pool.
Please remember no hat – no swim!
Both 2ND classes Thursdays from 27th April – 29th June 2pm – 2.40 pm
Both 4th classes Wednesdays (26 April-28 June) 11am – 11.40am
Bus Escort Required Bus escort required to accompany children with special needs to and from school (Arklow Route). Rate of pay €12.47 per hour.
Please apply in writing to: The Chairperson, [email protected] or Wicklow Educate Together NS, Hawkstown Road, Wicklow Town.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 19th April
North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School are planning a transition afternoon for students who will attend First Year in our school next September. This event will facilitate the smooth transition from primary to secondary school and will be particularly beneficial to those students who may feel a little anxious about the move. We are planning a range of activities to help familiarise them with their new surroundings. We will be communicating this to parents/guardians/carers of all new students to strongly encourage attendance. The event will take place on Thursday 18th May at 3.30pm.
Chasing Felix EP Launch
Damien, who has been a teacher with us for 8 years, fronts Chasing Felix, a new indie/electronic outfit based in Dublin. Following months of touring and recording, the band will be launching thier debut EP “reOrder // reProgress” on April 20th in Whelan’s in Dublin and they’d love your support. If you can’t make it on the night, their EP will be available on Spotify, AppleMusic, iTunes and on all other pnline music outlets from that date too. For more info see: www.facebook.com/ChasingFelix
Zeeko Internet Workshop The Zeeko workshop took place last Friday 31st March for 2nd -6th class pupils. The workshop will cover cyberbullying, inappropriate content, social media, digital stranger danger and data privacy. If there is enough parental interest a parent workshop can be arranged for the summer term. Information gathered through the survey completed by the children last week will be fed back to parents at the workshop. Please sign the expression of interest sheet at Fran’s office. Please send in €1 to your child’s class teacher to help cover the cost of the workshop.
Garda Vetting Any parent who is helping out in the school, and who has not already been Garda Vetted for our school, is invited to apply for this now. The process is quite simple. Please collect a form from Fran at the school office. Please complete the form in blue pen and bring it to the school office with photo ID (Passport or driving licence) and proof of address (a utility bill).
School Transport Applications 2017/2018 Bus Éireann’s on-line application system for school transport is now open for the 2017/2018 school year. The closing date is Friday 28th April 2017. Apply on-line www.buseireann.ie
July Programme
July programme, an educational programme that provides funding for an extended school year for children with a severe or profound general learning disability or children with autism. The scheme operates in two ways, home based provision and school based provision. This year Wicklow Educate Together is not providing July Provision but the school will remain open to facilitate the teachers who are participating in the home based programme. The application forms will be available from the Department of Education shortly. Please visit http://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/July-Provision for more details. Please contact Denise Delaney at [email protected] if you would like help in locating a tutor for this year’s programme.
Parent Requests (a) Volunteers requested to crochet octopus (patterns provided) as part of a project called Preemie Ireland. Also donations of cotton yarn very much appreciated. If you are interested in helping out please contact Simona at [email protected]
(b) I work full time and will not be able to collect my daughter (2nd class) from the swimming pool next term and her after school unfortunately are unable to collect her from there either. I am wondering if there is a parent collecting their 2nd class child from the swimming pool would they be able to collect my daughter too and drop her to Little Harvard, Rathnew. They can contact me on directly at 0872228723 Thanks Laura
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PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PIECE We are hoping to have a parent coffee morning on Friday 28th April, details will be confirmed early the first week back.
We are currently finalising the calendar of PA events from event suggestions received from the whole school community. The calendar will be uploaded to the Parent area of the website the second week of next term.We are working on the Parent Area of the school website at the moment and minutes of PA Committee meetings are being uploaded here.
This week Wicklow Educate Together became members of the National Parents Council. As members of the NPC we received the following invitation to the National Conference, which will hopefully provide a good opportunity to learn more about what is happening nationally with regards to primary school education:
The NPC Conference will be taking place on Saturday the 10th of June 2017 in the National College of Ireland, Dublin 1.
We hope to see you and other parents from your child’s school on the day; all parents and those interested in primary school education are welcome to attend.
Further details will follow shortly.
“From the Heart” Arts Night A number of parents from our school are running an Arts Night entitled ‘From the Heart’ and this will take place on Friday April 7th at 8pm in Wicklow Sailing Club. See below from the organisers for further information.
Our school community includes so many wonderfully talented musicians, singers, artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers, quilters… you name it, our school has it! To celebrate that talent, we are holding another arts night.
So if you like to sing in the shower, recite along the river, paint in the park, or if you know of new members of our school community who might be interested in performing or showing their work, please spread the word! At our last event, we had performances by singers, musicians, poets, writers, a whole band comprised of parents from the school, and also showed the work of several artists and filmmakers.
As with the first two From the Heart nights, there will be a five euro cover charge at the door, with all funds going to the school; we’ll also hold a raffle again, so if anyone would like to donate any prizes please let us know! We hope that you’ll all join us for a night of art and entertainment, whether as audience members or participants on what is a lovely night out for parents and guardians of the school community. Best wishes,
Oona (086.8366.247) and Vanessa (086.898.255)