Dear School Community, 12th September 2018
IMPORTANT ADVANCE NOTICES:
Junior Infants – From next Monday 17th September both Junior Infants classes will finish at 1.30pm daily.
Class Welcome Meetings – All meetings will be held in your child’s classroom, commencing at 9am sharp and should end by 9.30am. Remaining meeting dates below.
1st Classes Thursday 13th September
Junior Infant Classes Friday 14th September
6th Classes Monday 17th September
2nd Classes Wednesday 19th September
National Parents Council Parent Courses – National Parents Council course being held in school “Helping your child build healthy friendships and relationships” over three nights 17th and 24 of September and 1st Oct. See detailed note below.
Forest School Alan’s 4th Class – Friday 21st Sept through to Friday 26th October.
Sundries Fees Now Due. – Our online payment link was sent to those who have not yet paid the 2018/2019 sundries fees. Please ensure this payment is made online or at the school office. The sundries payment is also utilised to purchase insurance cover. This insurance provides 24-hour cover for minor incidents and injuries that may occur and are not covered by any other insurances you may have. Details are available from Lisa at the school office.
If you are paying the sundries by cash or cheque, please include the exact amount in an envelope with the consent form and return it to Fran or Lisa at the school office.
Book Rental – 2,224 text books have been distributed to our pupils in the last 2 weeks, at less than 1/3 of the price of new books. This is a great saving for all our parents. Book Rental also covers graded reading books to all of our 412 pupils throughout the school year.
Parent volunteers have contributed about 45 hours since 28th August, to help to catalogue and distribute these books. On behalf of the school community, I would like to say a huge thank you. We have all benefitted from your generosity. Paula Ryan
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.
Scooters & Bikes – reminder that there are no scooters or bikes permitted inside the school building at any time, please utilise the bike shelter at the front of the school.
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.
New Home for Our School Furniture! – With the recent refurbishment of the school, we have a large amount of school chairs and tables suitable for children from Junior Infants to 6th class. Do you know of anyone who may be interested in purchasing them or alternatively are you looking for a desk and chair(s) for use at home? We are hoping to find new homes for this furniture and would be happy to rehome them for a donation to the school. (€8.00 per table & €3.00 per chair). Please contact [email protected] if you would like more information. See photos attached.
Aftercare – Junior and 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 note our 2-hour slot this week for Junior Infants (12.30 – 2.30pm is fully booked).
Reminder that if you would like to book your child in for an ad hoc day we require 24-hour notice.
If your child is booked in for aftercare and you will not require this service, please ensure you cancel 24 hours beforehand as last-minute cancellations are preventing other families from getting a place. From Monday 17th September, no shows without cancellation will be charged the €5.00 fee.
If you would like your child to attend aftercare on specific days each week or on an ad hoc basis please complete an aftercare registration form available in the main foyer or contact [email protected] for a soft copy on email.
Homework Club
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. Please note, that due to a high level of interest, it has been decided that 1st class children can attend homework club from Monday 17th September onwards. 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.
Important Note: Our homework club finishes at 3.30pm daily. Please ensure children are picked up promptly at 3.30pm as they are not permitted to wait unsupervised in the school grounds for pick up at a later time.
If your child is booked in for homework club and you will not require this service, please ensure you cancel 24 hours beforehand as last-minute cancellations are preventing other families from getting a place. From Monday 17th September, no shows without cancellation will be charged the €5.00 fee.
Extra-Curricular Activities Programme – our extra-curricular activities programme will return for a new term at the start of October with a registration day at the end of September. A detailed list of activities, days, times and term fees will be sent out by email next week once classes have been finalised with all instructors.
Contact details If your contact details have changed i.e. mobile number, telephone number, address, minder etc please amend them on the parent portal system for our approval. It is essential that we have emergency contact details for all children in the school.
Medical details If your child’s medical information has changed a new medical form must be completed, forms are available from the school office. If you require school staff to administer medication to your child throughout the school day an indemnity form must be completed annually, also available from the school office. The onus is on parents / guardians to check that medication held in school is in date.
Lost Property This School Year – Please note that all year long we are inundated with lost property, so much so that each summer, we bag up 4-5 black sacks of unclaimed clothes and send them to charity. This year, we will no longer hold onto lost property – at 1pm each day, when messages, aftercare and homework club lists are sent up to all classes, we will also send up any jackets etc that are found on the school premises that day. Any unclaimed clothes still left at the end of each term, will be given to charity at that point. It would be a great help if you could please ensure your child’s name is on their jacket as well as you talking to your child about their responsibility for minding their own belongings and the inconvenience caused to others when they leave them behind. Thank you
Religious Education Classes – St Patrick’s Parish offers religious education classes to catholic children who attend non-Catholic schools. This is a 2-year programme outside of school hours in the De La Salle Pastoral Centre. Letter available at the school office with full information.
PARENTS ASSOCIATION UPDATE
Parent Volunteers for Athletics Competitions – WETNS has a strong track record of participation & success in Wicklow School athletics competitions. To enable more children to take part, a group of parents are needed to help supervise at the races which are usually held in Avondale or Greystones during school hours. Students from 3rd to 6th classes participate in these events.
Teachers will organise & co-ordinate each event from within school, a pool of parents is just needed to help on a rotational basis on the day. The races are always great fun & children enjoy it that little bit more when a parent is there to help & cheer them all on! Please email the PTA if you can volunteer in any way!
Parent Training Course Spaces Available!!! – Spaces left on the National Parents Council Parent training course Supporting your child to build healthy friendships and relationships to run over three nights 17th, 24th and 1st October commencing at 7.30pm each night. Places must be booked by Friday 14th by emailing [email protected]
Delivered over three two and half hour sessions, this module helps parents have a better knowledge of Relationships and Sexuality education so that they can talk to their children and foster their children’s self-esteem and decision-making skills in this important area of their lives. The sessions mirror the curriculum taught in schools. Some of the topics covered in the training are:
Expectations and understanding of RSE for children
Speaking and listening – communication skills
Self Esteem – a time for parents to reflect on their own self-esteem and how this might influence the way in which they relate to their children
Childhood experiences – how we as parents learned about RSE
The media and ourselves
The process of change – physical and psychological changes at puberty
The language to use – parents explore the complexities of language in regard to sexuality
Parents and School – RSE programme in schools – familiarising parents with the RSE programme.
http://www.npc.ie/training-page.aspx?contentid=54
Parents of Children in 3rd to 6th class! – PTA will be hosting an outdoor gear swop shop in the coming weeks to help kit out this year’s 3rd and 4th Class forest school participants. If you have any waterproof coats, waterproof trousers or boots at home that have some life left in them please bring them into school. There will be a drop box in the lobby for all donations. Please ensure boots are in pairs and tied together and labelled with size. Please ensure any clothes are clean. Further details of the swop event to follow.
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.