Mid-Year Review of the School Plan

At the join meeting between the Board of Management and the Parent-Teacher Association, the School Plan was reviewed.  This report can be found at the end of this newsletter.

 

Mid-Term Break

The school will be closed for two days for the mid-term break on Thursday, 15th and Friday 16th February.  Afterschool @ KETNS will be running a camp.  Please speak to Wioleta about booking a place.

 

Next PTA Meeting

The next Parent-Teacher Association meeting will take place on Wednesday, 31st January at 19.00 in the school.  All are welcome!

 

Siblings

A reminder to all families to ensure you have pre-enrolled younger siblings as soon as possible.  This can be done on the school website.  If you are in doubt as to whether you have pre-enrolled a younger sibling, please send an email to Matt or Claudia.

 

Senior Infants sorting 3-D shapes

Pottery Workshop

A pottery workshop for all the children in the school, with ceramic artist Tatiana Dobos, will take place during the last week in January.  Many thanks to the PTA for supporting this experience.

 

Teddy Bears’ Hospital

The Junior and Senior Infants visited the Teddy Bears’ Hospital on Thursday.  They had a great day, and all the teddies received great care from the doctors and nurses.  Many thanks to the University Sláinte Society for organising this event.

School Plan Mid-Year Review – December 2017

Curriculum Plans

Three curriculum plans are being drafted this academic year.  Two were already set out for this year (Learn Together and ICT), it has been decided to prioritise the drafting of a Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) plan.  These will be drafted by staff and ratified by the Board of Management before June 2018.

 

Policies

The following policies have been reviewed by the Board of Management since the drafting of the School Plan: Health and Safety, Child Protection and Garda Vetting and the Code of Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy.

New policies have been drafted and ratified by the Board of Management including Retention, Equality of Access and Participation and Dignity in the Workplace.

Before the end of the academic year, the following policies will be drafted and ratified: Assessment, Homework, Class Allocation, Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices and New Staff Induction.

 

Goal 1: To nurture the pupils by developing infrastructure including buildings, technology, and communication structures.

Buildings

We have received confirmation that we will relocating to the current Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh building just off the Cappagh Road.  We have completed an inspection of the building and intend to liaise with the Department regarding works that should be completed before we occupy the building.  It is difficult to give a timeframe on when we will relocate.  It is likely we will relocate before the end of the academic year.  We also are awaiting a reply to confirm whether the Department considers this to be our permanent accommodation or whether it will be viewed as a temporary home.  Before the end of the year, it would be good to establish a Buildings Committee, as specified in the School Plan, to oversee the relocation of the school and any buildings works.  This should ideally include members of both the PTA and Board of Management.  When we are settled into the new school building, we can assess how best to begin to establish a library as well as develop the outdoor spaces, as explained in the School Plan.

Technology

Because we have confirmation that we will be relocating soon, we are exploring the possibilities for ICT spending.  All the interactive boards will be moving with us.  The plan is to purchase a set of laptops (30) and a charging trolley to be used by the different classes.  Research has been completed, and for budgetary reasons as well as thinking of the environment, we are considering purchasing refurbished computers.  The ICT plan is being drafted and should be ready for consideration by the Board of Management in the Spring.

Communication Structures

The private Facebook page for parents is active.  The website has been given extra security.  We will look at using it as a portal for enrichment opportunities for the children in the school.  Towards the end of the academic year, plans will be made to establish the Student Council.  Elections will take place for the first time in Autumn 2017.

 

Goal 2: To create a school community which takes an active role in the wider community by creating opportunities for pupils, parents and the community to interact.

The end-of-term gatherings are continuing and provide an excellent way to build our community.  Plans for the Spring Fair will begin in January.  It may take place at our new location.  The provision of classes for adults will be pursued when we have completed the relocation.  The first priority will be the establishment of Irish classes for parents.

We have made links with GAA clubs and have established a GAA afterschool club.  We hope to expand the offerings of afterschool clubs once we have more space and a hall.  It would be great for the PTA to survey parents about which clubs would interest families.  Also, the PTA continues to support visiting teachers to the school.  Mícheál Curtin presented Irish drama lessons.  Tatiana Dobos will be coming in the new year to do a pottery workshop with all the children.  At least one other experience will be provided by the PTA before the end of the academic year.

Áine will be the lead teacher for our Green Flag programme.  The first step for securing our first flag will be the establishment of a Committee and the completion of an audit.  The focus will be on waste management in our new school location.

 

Goal 3: To create an atmosphere where pupils, staff, parents and the community feel safe, respected and valued and which develops a love of learning.

The PTA has arranged for sessions on anti-bullying and safe ICT use.  These will take place in 2018.  In addition to beginning the process towards achieving the Green Flag, it has been decided to prioritise working towards the Active School Flag.  Vivienne is the lead teacher for this project.  We will also start work towards the Gaelbhratach (Irish language flag) before the end of the academic year.

 

Goal 4: To support the patron body in setting up a secondary school to enable pupils to complete their education in the ethos of Educate Together.

The Galway Educate Together Second-Level Campaign continues to gather support and hopes that the Department will make an announcement regarding the opening of a new secondary school in the area.  If a secondary school is approved for Galway, it will be important to gather support quickly from parents.  If you haven’t already, you can complete an expression of interest and follow the campaign at www.get2ls.org.