Dear Parents/Guardians, 04 May 2017

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

The School Garden The school Garden Committee has been very busy over the past number of weeks putting together planting schemes for classes to use next year. Currently we are looking at putting together the ground plan for the garden and would love to see some of your thoughts around what you would like to see there. With this in mind, we have drawn up a simple design template and invite all interested students/parents/staff to complete it and return to the garden post box located in the school foyer. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to use all the lovely designs submitted; however, all of the plans will form a folder of ‘Garden Ideas’, which we may use for further development of the garden in the future. Blank templates will be distributed to the children and will be available in the school foyer from May 8th. The closing date for submissions in May 26th. We look forward to working with all everyone to create an inspiring and educational space that the children will love using. If you wish to get in touch with us at all, please email us at [email protected]

Rock Climbing Awesome Walls are running a school’s rock-climbing event on Thursday 18th May. This event will take place in Dublin and costs €20 per child and would be an all-day event. There are a number of children from our school interested in taking part so if your child would like to help form a team, please email [email protected] with your child’s name and class as well as your contact details or drop in a note with your details to the school office.

Wicklow Tennis Club
Wicklow Tennis Club in association with Hopkins Toymaster of Wicklow Town, will once again run a tennis competition for local schools at primary level this year. This event will take place over two afternoons on Friday 12th May and Friday 19th May.
Friday 12th May will be for novice players + non-members
Friday 19th May will be for team’s competent players + members.
Schools can enter up to 2 teams (4 players) on each of the days and teams should be accompanied by minimum one adult per team. Players should preferably be from 4th to 6th class. If you are interested in taking part, please fill out the entry form at Fran’s office.

Invite from Gael Scoil Wicklow Town
I am from the parent’s association Gael Scoil Wicklow town. We are hosting a fun afternoon on Friday 5th of May outside the Grand Hotel from 1.30 to 4.30. Included will be Face painting, East Coast FM road caster, Puppet show, Free SMOOCH ice cream, Cooking demonstration from Alan fishman. We would like to invite all families from Wicklow Educate Together to join us for some fun.

Percent for Art Committee
The Percent for Art Committee has been diligently working on a Brief where artists can make submissions with ideas of their vision for Art that represents the vitality that is WETNS. Christine and Eileen worked with teachers and students to facilitate a mind-mapping exercise whereby posters were created in each class with words that expressed what WETNS meant to students and staff. Additionally, Christine is working on an Art Box to receive submissions from students and the school community with ‘What can you imagine in the school’. Both of these exercises will hopefully provide inspiration to artists for their submissions. We are keeping an archive of all these works. We are hoping to have the Brief ready for roll-out by the end of May.

Swimming at Coral Leisure
This week 2nd and 4rd classes start their swimming term. We continue to walk to the pool and parents are asked to collect their 2nd class children at 2.40 promptly from the pool after picking up siblings from school at 2.30 on Thursday’s. 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

Extra-Curricular Activity Programme. Term 2 of our extra-curricular activities programme will run until Thursday 22rd June. Please note Chess will finish on Thursday 1st June. We have a small number of places available in 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 for any of these classes, please contact me as soon as possible [email protected].
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.

Homework Club As we begin our last term of the school year, we would like to advise parents/guardians that our Homework Club will finish on Thursday 1st of June. If you have any queries in relation to this, please contact me at [email protected] From September 2017 onwards, the Homework Club will form part of the Extra Curricular Activities programme. A detailed note will be sent out to all those currently attending in the next few weeks.

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.

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).

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PIECE
Lions Club Table Quiz
There will be a further Lions Club Table Quiz on Wednesday May 10th from 8.30pm in the Grand Hotel, tables €40.00. We need at least one table from WETNS but the more the merrier!

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.

Thank you to everyone who attended our coffee morning on Friday 28th April. There will be two more coffee mornings before the end of the school year on Friday 26th May and Friday 23rd of June. Dates for your diaries!

To contact the Parents Association please use the email address [email protected] alternatively please use the suggestion box in the main lobby.