Mid-Term Break

The school will be closed for mid-term break Monday, 28th October to Friday, 1st November inclusive. We will have a normal dismissal this Friday. School will reopen on Monday, 4th November. Afterschool @ KETNS is running a four-day camp.

Friday Dress-Up Day

Children are invited to wear fancy dress on Friday (25th October). Children should wear their costumes to school. We’d ask that nothing resembling a weapon be brought to school. We’ll have a special collection for Temple Street Hospital that day. We will have a special Halloween Disco that day and lots of other fun.

Aladdin Connect

Thank you to the parents who have registered for Aladdin Connect. You can use a mobile phone or a computer to register and access messages and information. If you haven’t already registered, you will receive a second invitation by email. If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email.

Change of Board of Management A reminder that parents may be nominated by other parents or themselves to stand for election for the parent nominee positions for the new Board of Management. This can be done by completing an online form: https://forms.gle/1a6s1CUDNGRkD5i56. The closing date for nominations has been extended to Wednesday, 22nd October. An election will follow after this nomination period, if required. Please speak to Matt if you have any questions.

Parent-Teacher Association

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) will meet again on Wednesday, 23rd October at 19.00 to select officers for the year, to begin planning events and to discuss the Child Safeguarding Statement and Code of Behaviour. (Both policies are attached to this email.) As some parents find it difficult to meet in the evenings, parents are invited to come to meet with the PTA members tomorrow morning (Monday, 21st October at 8.50).

Maths Survey

As part of our school’s self-evaluation process, we’re inviting parents complete an online survey to help us improve the teaching of maths in the school. The link for the survey is https://forms.gle/roveBmWtUj9PinZg6

Space Week

Many of the classes marked Space Week with special lessons the week before last.

Children making Space Aliens

Maths Week

This past week was Maths Week. In addition to lots of enjoyable and fun activities in the classrooms, each class paired up with another class to complete a fun maths trail around the school.

Knocknacarra Educate Together NS – Board of Management Meeting – 7th October 2019, 20.00

Present: Louise Shields (chairperson and patron nominee), Maggie Hall (patron nominee), Paul Adams (community nominee), Elaine Keane (community nominee), Waqas Khawaja (male parent nominee), Lynn Morgans (female parent nominee nominee), Áine Ní Chuinneagáin (teacher nominee) and Matt Wallen (principal and secretary)

Louise chaired the meeting.

June Minutes

The minutes from June were agreed.

Principal’s Report

Enrolment

  • There are currently 159 pupils enrolled in six classes.  

Staffing

  • Our developing post has been approved based on the numbers enrolled.

Curriculum Development

  • The staff will meet to discuss the draft SESE curriculum plan in November.
  • The staff has decided to focus School Self-Evaluation on maths.  Surveys for parents, staff and children will be completed in the next few weeks.  

Building

  • The Department approved the Emergency Works grant application for the replacement of the exterior doors. 
  • A leak in the heating system was discovered when the boiler was serviced, and repair work is going to be arranged. 
  • The hall floor was repaired and some tiles replaced in the ceiling of the hall.
  • New storage has been fitted in to the PE store.
  • The summer saw a lot of anti-social behaviour.  Matt met with the gardaí who increased patrols and looked at camera footage.  Things appear to have improved.

Misc. Events/Information

  • We hosted a great Culture Night event as a celebration of our work as a Creative School.  Many thanks to the staff and parents who helped set it up. 
  • We have applied for a second year as a Creative School.
  • New afterschool clubs are taking place in a variety of areas: dance, superhero training, chess, drama, soccer and arts and crafts.
  • Classes have all visited the woods at least once, and third class is completing a weekly forest-school visit.
  • Fourth class will begin a new programme called Roots of Empathy, a 27-week session on social and emotional skills as well as child development involving the visit of a baby nine times.
  • Fourth class visited Bushfield Care Centre, a nursing home they visited last year, to meet the residents, share music and share stories.
  • Children in Senior Infants, 1st Class and 4th Class will be seeing performances in Baboró.  2nd and 3rd Classes will be attending a play at the Town Hall Theatre in December.
  • All the student committees have met.  They will meet again once more before new committees are chosen.
  • We have officially applied for the Active Flag.
  • We are finalising our Green Schools application and will submit this in November.

Financial Report

  • A new budget has been prepared.  A discussion on spending priorities led to the suggestion that we should speak to the children about their priorities.
  • We will submit a request for a reduction in electricity capacity to reduce costs. 
  • Accounts will be finalised for 2018-2019 and sent for certification to the accountant by the end of October.

Building Report including Emergency Works Applications

  • The consultant has been appointed for replacement of the doors.
  • Three prefabs were removed.  We will need to prepare the remaining prefab for use by the afterschool and as a support teaching space.
  • The vents were replaced on the outside of the building.
  • Exterior light bulbs need to be replaced.
  • The works to remedy the heating will go forward as quickly as possible.
  • It would be nice to get a sign on the building.  Planning permission may be required.
  • The purchase of goals and new basketball hoops is still under discussion.
  • We’ll look into the possibility of a zebra crossing at the pedestrian entrance.

PTA Report

The PTA met and a list of committee members for the new year was compiled.

Mobile Phone and Electronic Devices Policy Review

The revised policy was reviewed and ratified.

New Board Preparations

There will be an election process for the teacher nominee and the parent nominees.