Dear School Community, 10th October 2018
IMPORTANT ADVANCE NOTICES:
Parent Teacher Meetings – Parent teacher meetings will take place on Thursday 22nd November and Thursday 29th November. Further information to follow.
Parent Teacher Association Committee invites all parents to meet on Thursday 18th October at 8-9pm in the school hall.
Yoga – reminder there will be no yoga class on Monday 22nd October.
Halloween dress up & Bakesale – Friday 26th October.
Mid-term – Monday 29th October to Friday 2nd November inclusive.
End of year concert on 19th December. Further details to follow.
Educate Together Ethical Education Conference 2018 – Changing our ways, Changing our world.
Friday 23rd – Saturday 24th November 2018, Science Gallery Dublin, The Alex, Dublin. Tickets on sale at www.educatetogether.ie
WETNS Makers Craft and Gift Fair – Sunday 25th November.
Sundries Fees Now Due – we would ask that any families who have not paid the 2018/2019 sundries fees please do so immediately. Individual contact will be made next week for any unpaid balances.
Meeting with Class Teachers – Please note, parents wishing to meet with their child’s class teacher need to schedule a meeting by emailing [email protected] or contacting the school office.
Reading in the Junior Classes – Junior classes are currently working to coordinate a plan that will see every child have their reading heard every day. Needless to say, this will require lots of bodies to help out! 😊 If you have half an hour to spare at drop off each morning, or indeed any morning, and would like to volunteer, please contact Eileen on [email protected]. All volunteers will need Garda clearance prior to commencing reading with the children.
Parking – Please remember when parking to be respectful of our neighbours. Please do not block access to their homes. We have had several complaints from people living near our school who confirmed their private access to their homes are constantly being blocked by people dropping children to and from our school, preventing them from leaving their homes. The staff car park is for staff parking only.
Aftercare Opening Hours Extension – thank you to all of the parents who contacted us over the last few weeks to confirm that although they did not complete the expression of interest forms, they are interested in utilising an aftercare facility here at the school. We are currently reviewing the possibility of extending our aftercare opening hours so please watch the newsletter for further information.
Aftercare Job Vacancy – Wicklow Educate Together N.S. – We are currently recruiting for an enthusiastic person to join our aftercare team here at the school. Initial working hours will be 12.45pm – 2.45pm Monday to Friday on a shift rota with a view to increasing those hours to 6pm daily in the coming months. Qualifications and experience in childcare required. If you are interested in applying, please send your CV to [email protected] by Friday 19th October 2018.
Extra-Curricular Term 1
COLLECTION TIMES – A reminder to all parents/guardians, if you are late collecting your Junior/Senior Infants from their extra-curricular activity 2.20PM or aftercare 2.30PM you are causing delays for our staff bringing children to the school buses and collecting 1st class children to bring them to their activities. Please be on time!
Extra-Curricular Term 1 Fees – if you have booked your child into an extra-curricular activity and have not paid the term 1 fees, please ensure they are paid this week to hold your place in this class.
Please see below update on class availability. If you would like to register, please email the form to [email protected] or call to the school office.
| IRISH DANCING (JUNIOR & SENIOR INFANTS 1.30PM CLASS) | FULL |
| IRISH DANCING (1st – 6th CLASS 2.30PM) | LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE |
| YOGA – (SENIOR INFANTS & NOW OPEN TO JUNIOR INFANTS) | FULL |
| ATHLETICS (SENIOR INFANTS ONLY) | FULL |
| ATHLETICS (1ST – 6TH CLASS) | FULL |
| BASKETBALL – 2ND – 6TH CLASS | LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE |
| CHESS (2ND – 6TH CLASS) | PLACES AVAILABLE |
| ALAN & MAEVE’S COOKERY (3RD – 6TH CLASS) | FULL |
| ARTS & CRAFTS (1ST – 6TH CLASS) | FULL |
| SOCCER (3RD – 6TH CLASS) | FULL |
| SALLY’S SEWING CLUB (2ND – 6TH CLASS) | FULL |
| ANYONE 4 SCIENCE (SENIOR INFANTS) | FULL |
| ANYONE 4 SCIENCE (1ST – 6TH CLASS) | WAITING LIST |
Aftercare 1.30pm – 2.30pm Monday to Friday Junior & Senior Infants – Our new aftercare facility for Junior and Senior Infants is now open and available Monday to Friday from 1.30pm to 2. 30pm.The cost for the hour each day is €5.00. Registration forms are available in the main foyer. Please remember to give your child an extra snack to eat during aftercare!
Homework Club – 2.30pm – 3.30pm Monday to Thursday 1st – 6th Class – Homework club is available Monday to Thursday each week from 2.30 to 3.30pm at a cost of €5.00 per child per day. If you would like your child to attend homework club on specific days each week or on an ad hoc basis you must complete a homework club registration form available in the main foyer or by contacting [email protected] for a soft copy on email. Please note we require 24-hour notice to book an ad hoc place.
Possibility of a new school bus run from Seapoint Area of Wicklow Town – If you live more than 3.2km from our school and are living in the Seapoint/Seacrest/Southern Dunbur Areas of Wicklow Town – are you interested in applying for your child to use a new school bus that could potentially service this route.
We know that a number of parents have expressed an interest in a school bus, but in order for Bus Eireann to sanction this new bus service, there needs to be a minimum of ten children using the bus. So, if you are interested, you need to apply directly to www.buseireann/schooltransport.ie
This service costs €100. Those with a medical card do not have to pay. If the service does not go ahead, or you are deemed ineligible, you will get refunded the €100. Please do this as soon as possible, because the process of getting a new bus route sanctioned can take a while.
GAA Tournament – On October 3rd the WETNS girls GAA football team went to the GAA tournament in Bray Emmet’s GAA Club against lots of different schools. We had the chance to play five games against five different schools. We drew 3, won 1 and lost 1. It was really fun and everyone got to go in every position on the pitch. If you weren’t playing you were a sub. Subs got to encourage the team and practice GAA skills. We were all so happy to get the chance to do this tournament and hope to encourage more girls to give GAA a go and not just GAA but every sport. Faye 4th class.
Rugbytots – Rugbytots weekly play sessions on a Saturday morning enable boys and girls aged 2-5 years old develop their social and physical skills in a fun, positive environment. Our classes are action packed with races, obstacle courses, skills practice such as throwing, catching and of course kicking. We are delighted to offer a 10% discount to families in the school, use promo code WETNS10.Enrol or find out more at www.rugbytots.ie or text us on 0838185726 to organise a FREE trial class
PARENTS ASSOCIATION UPDATE
Thank you to everyone who baked, bought and joined us for coffee at our recent bakesale. A total of €185.00 was raised for our school.
School Calendar – Please check school bags for order forms! The school calendar was the most important fundraiser of 2017/2018 raising €2200 for our school. Funds raised from the sale of this year’s calendar will go to meet some of the shortfall between Department of Education funding for our school and the actual cost of running the school. Please support your child’s school by purchasing a school calendar/calendars.
GDPR Consent Forms – Please check schoolbags! It is important that you return these forms completed if you wish the PTA to stay in touch with you or if you would like to volunteer in your child’s school.
PTA meeting for all parents Thursday 18th October – The Parent Teacher Association Committee invites all parents to meet on Thursday 18th October at 8-9pm sharp in the school hall. The purpose of this meeting is to share ideas about PTA events and initiatives while focusing on what we the parents can do to help the school. This will be your opportunity to meet the current committee and let us know, what you can do to help us, to help our school. You can also find out how to join the 2019/2020 PTA committee.
WETNS Makers Craft and Gift Fair November 25th – Last year’s fair was a great success and we would like to build on this success and earn some valuable funds for our school. WETNS needs your help to make this years fair a success!
Calling all crafters, makers, bakers and entrepreneurs!!! Stalls at the Makers Fair are €30 please contact [email protected] to reserve your stall. If you are a crafter but don’t have enough produce to make a stall please consider donating some items to the parent craft stall for sale with all proceeds going to WETNS.
If you or your workplace would like to donate a raffle prize please let us know at [email protected] .
For our crafty children, there won’t be a charge for children’s stalls, but we would like interested children to make some craft and sell it in our children’s craft room with all profits going to help their school.
We will be having a pocket money toy and book store again this year so please take the opportunity to gather up your old toys and children’s books that have some life left in them and we will collect them in the coming weeks. Likewise, we will be having a second-hand bookstore for all ages so if you need to make room on your shelf for 2019 books please bring in some of your old books for sale at the fair. We will also be having a lucky dip bottle stall so if you have a bottle of any variety from Fizzy Pop to Wine to Perfume and everything in between we’ll accept all donations.
On the day we will need cakes, buns, traybakes, breads, mince pies etc for our cake sale and refreshments area.
Halloween Bakesale Friday 26th October – There will be baking homework for Junior Infants to 2nd Class inclusive on Thursday 25th October. It is vital that all baking is NUT FREE and STRAWBERRY FREE to protect those with severe allergies to these ingredients. If any baking is particularly suitable for any particular dietary requirements please label it clearly. Please label all containers with your childs name and class and they will be returned to them during the day. This year to aid waste reduction, cakes will be sold in classroom and children will put their purchases in their lunchboxes. The cost of the bakesale is €2 per child.
4th “From the Heart’ Arts Night – Wicklow Sailing Club – Join us Friday 9th November 8pm in Wicklow Sailing Club for our 4th ‘From the Heart’ Arts Night. We have such a creative community here at WETNS: so, if you write poetry, play the piccolo, sing or dance up a storm or do anything from taking photos to playing spoons, please let Vanessa or Oona know if you’d like to get involved. This is an informal, friendly night of performance, not a ‘professional’ one: if you’d like to be involved please do get in touch. And if you don’t fancy getting up in front of people, come down to the Sailing Club and support your friends, have a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and enjoy the talent of our school community’s grown-ups, with surprise performances by those who’ve been hiding their talents! Entry is 5 euro and all funds raised will go towards our school. If you have a talent to share, a raffle prize to donate, or would like more information, please contact Oona 086.8366.247 or Vanessa 086.898.2559
Please keep an eye on the parent page of the website for information on upcoming events.
https://wicklowetns.com/category/pta-news/
Please keep up to date with information from Wicklow Educate Together NS which is available through weekly newsletter, texts to parents, school wide notices, notes in bags, homework diaries & school website wicklowetns.com. Wicklow Educate Together N.S. is not on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media. For any queries, questions or feedback please approach your child’s class teacher in the first instance or the school office Fran or Lisa (0404 62786) email [email protected] Please contact Sinead school principal for any further clarification or information on [email protected] Please note that we will only promote school sanctioned events or those that benefit a registered charity in our newsletter.
We would like to remind all parents/guardians that our enrolment policy is on a first come first served basis and would ask that you complete pre- enrolment forms for all younger siblings as early as possible. Our pre- enrolment form is available on our school website https://wicklowetns.com/
Please click on the Pre-Enrol tab and complete the Enrol Now form and submit.