This weeks newsletter

Dear School Community,

7^th June 2017

Paper copies of the newsletter are available beside the new noticeboards in the main foyer.

Email Test for School Reports – Our school reports will be sent by email this year and so it is imperative that we have correct email addresses for each of our families. If you have changed your email address, please contact us immediately. When you receive the email copy of this week’s newsletter we would also ask that you click on the link at the bottom of this newsletter “Please help your school by clicking here to confirm receipt”.

Board of Management – Vacancy for Male Parent Nominee – We have three male parents nominated for Parents’ Nominee. Please check schoolbags today for ballot forms and further information about each nominee.

Final Reminder – ZEEKO Safety On Line Seminar for Parents – WETNS has organised a safety on line seminar for parents tonight Wed 7^th June from 7-8pm. All welcome! This will take place in Room G20 (opposite the main hall). The seminar will cost the school €250 so we are asking for parents to give €5 towards the cost of this or whatever they can afford. The seminar will present the findings from an earlier survey carried out with 2^nd-6^th class pupils.

Extra-Curricular Activities – Please see below finish dates for each of this terms extra-curricular activities:

Science, Yoga, Soccer, Guitar Monday 19^th June

Playball Tuesday 20^th June

Athletics Wednesday 21^st June

Paula’s Library Club (Wednesday) Wednesday 21^st June

Arts & Crafts, Irish Dancing Thursday 22^nd June

Paula’s Library Club (Thursday) Thursday 22^nd June

Aftercare Thursday 29^th June

Reminder – Homework Club and Chess finished last Thursday 1^st June.

Graduation 2017 – 6^th Class graduation will take place on Thursday 29^th June in the school hall at 12 noon.

Book Rental & Sundry Payments 2017-2018 are now due, please keep as separate payments, online payments option is now live. An email request was sent to all families so you can avail of our new E Payments online system. If you are paying in cash at the school office, where possible, please bring exact change. Any outstanding payments for Book Rental & Sundries for 2016/2017 must be paid immediately to the school office. Many thanks

Garden – The garden committee will be running a stand as part of this year’s PA led Family Active Day, June 10^th. We are currently seeking volunteers to help out with this stall on the day. If you have an hour free to help, please contact the committee via our email [email protected]

Percent for Art Committee Update – WE HAVE A BRIEF!!! – The Percent for Art Committee met on Monday, 29th May to finalise our Brief. We are inviting interested artists to attend an Open Day on Saturday, 24th June from 1PM – 3PM. If you or someone you know is interested in attending the Open Day they should RSVP to [email protected]. Final day for submission on this first stage of the commissioning process is Friday, 29th September.

The full brief will be posted on the school website ASAP or you can find it here view news article | News | Public Art

Percent 4 Art Monster Art Box. – Our Art Monster is sitting in the foyer and is looking forward to being fed all your wonderful art ideas. Remember the Percent for Art committee will be publishing a brief to the art community over the coming weeks and want your input as to what you would like to see in terms of art around our school premises. This will act as inspiration for their submissions! Please submit your ideas asap to our hungry Art Monster!

Brendan’s Memorial Ideas – Brendan O’Connor was a very dear friend of our school community and a man who embraced the spirit of Wicklow Educate Together. We wish to mark his valuable contribution to our school and invite the school community to submit their thoughts/suggestions/ideas around how they would envision that happening. Please leave your suggestions in the box in the main foyer by Friday 16^th June.

Active Month We will be celebrating everything Active in WETNS throughout the month of June. Sports Day will take place here at the school on Thursday 15th June. We will again take part in the Bike to School event. There will be many other in- school activities planned as well as school tours. All pupils will be encouraged to keep active and there will be no homework apart from reading homework throughout the month. Sports day class times are as follows:

Junior and Senior Infants 9.00-9.40

1st & 2nd classes 9.50-10.30

3rd & 4th classes 11.00-12.30

5th & 6th classes 1.00-2.30

W.O.W. (Walk/wheel on Wednesdays) – We are very excited to announce that W.O.W. (Walk/wheel on Wednesdays) is starting on Wednesday the 7th of June! We want as many children to walk to school on the day. There are lots of great reasons for this. Firstly, travelling by car causes lots of pollution, it also uses lots of resources and causes traffic problems too. By walking to school, you can stay fit and healthy and be wide awake for school! Children and parents don’t travel as part of a formal walk to school scheme like a walking bus, they walk their own route & at their own time.

Don’t worry if you can’t walk on the day, there are lots of other ways to travel that are good for you and for the environment! You can scoot, cycle, use the school bus, car pool or “park ‘n’ stride”. If you do have to come to school by car, try stopping a little bit further from the school than usual and walk the rest of the way. The class that scores the most points for coming to school by walking, scooting or cycling, car-pooling, “park ‘n’ stride” or by bus, will win the ‘Golden Boot’ Award! The winning class will be announced at assembly every Friday!

Be safe, be seen! Please wear hi-vis vests if you have them. So, get those walking shoes on and we will see you all bright and early on Wednesday June 7^th!

Bike to school day – Wednesday 14^th June will be our bike to school day this year. Currently we are looking into which meeting points will be the best for our new location. We are also looking for volunteers to escort the cyclists safely to school on that day. Please contact Sue Martin on 087 6700869 or [email protected] if you would like to help. Please note bicycles only on the escorted cycles as roller skates, skateboards, scooters are unsuitable modes of transport on a public road.

Volunteers urgently required!! – Would you like to save time & your nerves on the school run?? A group of our caring 6^th class students have volunteered to wait at the drop-off zone to help our children make their way from the car to the rear of the school. They will help the child from the car and escort them right around to the back, where school staff take responsibility for them.

We are looking for parent volunteers to supervise at set-down and to help 6^th class pupils usher children to their line. This is a potentially wonderful service that would help to relieve congestion and get parents back on the road to work, home or on to another drop-off! As part of a recent WETNS school traffic audit, it was shown that on average, drop-off takes less than 1 minute from entering the gates to exiting. Would it make life easier to have someone help your child from the car & into the school? Do you have a spare 10 minutes in the morning? We need you! We can’t make this happen without your help! Contact Janice or Jenny on: [email protected] (0868703827) or [email protected](0863854411)

WETNS Teddy Bears’ Picnic – Our annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic for the Sept 2017 incoming junior infants will take place on Saturday 26^th August in Kilmacurragh from 11 – 1pm. (Please note time change!). All are welcome to join us on the day. Don’t forget your teddy!

https://wicklowetns.com/2017/05/22/teddy-bears-picnic-colouring-sheet/

Parent Request – Dear parents/teachers, I am setting up my own play therapy practice in September 2017 and would really appreciate any donations of toys for the practice if you are no longer using them. Toys include 0-16 years such as figurines, dolls, soft toys, bricks, Lego and blocks, board games, puzzles, skipping ropes, and art and crafts that may have never been finished with. All toys should be clean and in working condition. If you would like to donate any toys please contact me directly to organise collection on 086 243 1342. Many thanks Jamie Boyce.

Lost Property – We have a large amount of Lost Property here at the school and would really like to return all the coats, jackets, hoodies, cardigans, t-shirts, hats and gloves to their owners before we close for the Summer break. The children have worked hard over the last few days sorting all the lost property and returning any labelled items to their owners. All remaining unlabelled items are now on individual hangers in the main foyer. One rail for smaller items and one for larger. Please click on the link below to see 3 short videos of all the individual items in lost property. They can be collected in the main foyer. Any unclaimed lost property will be given to charity at the beginning of the summer so please check rails as soon as possible!

https://wicklowetns.com/2017/05/22/lost-and-found-22052017/

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PIECE

Family Active Day Saturday June 10^th – We are all looking forward to a great family day here at the school on Saturday 10^th June. We have a lovely new school building but much work is needed to improve the teaching garden space. The aim is to develop the teaching garden to allow the children to get truly hands on, growing plants, flowers and vegetables with enough space for a whole class to have time in the garden together. The development of the teaching garden will provide a significant enhancement to your child’s outdoor school experience. All funds raised from Family Active Day will benefit improvements to the teaching garden. On the day, each family will take part in a scavenger hunt! This will include the opportunity to take part in:

– a family obstacle course,

– dance a jig at the ceili,

– try your hand at camogie/hurling,

– shoot some hoops on the basketball court,

– chill out at the family yoga session,

– create a unique family portrait,

– build a spaghetti and marshmallow tower

– create a garden design in the garden corner

Please join in the fun on Saturday June 10th! Show your support by coming along with your trainers on, volunteering on the day or bringing some baked goods for the tea stand!

Please ensure that both children and adults are wearing appropriate footwear and clothing for the activities above. If you would like to bring your own yoga mat, please do so or they will be provided by Maxine. Feel free to bring your own drinks or snacks, however on the day there will be treats and sandwiches available at the tea stand and there will also be fruit for sale. If you would like to help out, please bring some baked goodies or sandwiches for sale at the tea stand.

The Ceili will run from 2-3.30pm and Yoga will take place between 3.30 and 5pm. All other activities will run throughout the afternoon. Entry will be €5 per adult. Children will be free. The maximum Family charge will be €10. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All families who attend will be entered in a raffle on the day to win family prizes such as a family pass to Squirrel Scramble, Adult and child try sailing lesson, Family tour of Turlough Hill, Hanging driftwood ornament.

Wednesday June 14th is Bike to school
We have two meeting points for our cyclists.
1. Meeting in the car park of the Grand Hotel. This route will continue up the Marlton Road and take the turn for Marlton Desmense/Marlton Hall and cut through Marlton Hall then onto Hawstown Road.
2. Broomhall Business Park, Rathnew This route will be a straight run up to the school.
We will be meeting at 8am at both points. We are looking for at least two parent escorts for the Rathnew leg so please contact Sue if you can help. Also, if your child is intending on cycling that day, please text or email Sue so we have the correct numbers. Sue Martin on 087 6700869 or [email protected]. Please note bicycles only on the escorted cycles as roller skates, skateboards, scooters are unsuitable modes of transport on a public road.

Parenting Information Resource – Barnardos offers a range of free ebooks on parenting topics. The following is a link to their EBOOK – PARENTING POSITIVELY – COPING WITH BULLYING – FOR CHILDREN https://shop.barnardos.ie/home/38-parenting-positively-coping-with-bullying-for-children.html

To contact the Parent’s Association please email [email protected]

School Tours

CLASS	LOCATION	Date	Time Leaving School	Time Returning	Cost Per Child
				To School
Kate – Jun Infs	Kia Ora Farm	Wed	9.15am	1pm	€ 12.00
		21^st June
Eileen – Jun Infs	Kia Ora Farm	Wed	9.15am	1pm	€ 12.00
		21^st June
Paul – Sen Infs	Tick Tock	Fri	9am	1.15pm	€ 14.00
	Activity Farm	16^th June
Brian & Caoimhe	Festine Lente	Tue	9am	2.15pm	€ 21.00
1^st Classes		20^th June
Sally & Leanne	Clara Lara	Fri	9am	2.15pm	€ 26.00
2^nd Classes		23^rd June
Alison x 35	Squirrel Scramble	Mon	9.30am	2.15pm	€ 25.00
3^rd Class		19^th June
Adele & Janet	Fort Lucan	Thu	9am	2.15pm	€ 26.00
4^th Classes		08^th June
Edele & Eamonn	World of Adventure	Fri	9.30am	2.20pm	€ 36.00
6^th Classes	Courtown+Archery	16^th June

This weeks newsletter

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