05.12.13
The parents opinions on what factors should be taken into account when
deciding our policy on clothes worn by the children during the school day.
The same school clothes worn by all the children in school eliminates the
arguments and time wasted deciding every morning what children wear.
(which is especially difficult for dads!)
It's important to have "work" clothes and "leisure" clothes. When you wear the
clothes it helps to remind you what you are supposed to be doing at the time.
The same school clothes worn by all are a symbol of commitment and
discipline.
Children wearing the same school clothes contribute to team spirit and
equality for all children.
The same school clothes should be worn every day except PE days.
Maybe the children could wear their own individual tracksuits on PE days as a
treat.
Children can wear their own coats and hats to express their individuality.
Nobody stands out (as inferior or superior) when the children all wear the
same clothes in school.
There is no "Brand Pressure" when all the children wear the same clothes at
school.
Generic school clothes could be used (Dunnes/M&S are much cheaper) - it's
not necessary to choose clothes supplied by the school or exclusively
appointed shops.
Children have to all wear the same clothes in secondary school so they should
get used to it in primary school.
All the children should have to wear the same clothes in school. It should be
compulsory, not optional.
A badge could be sold in the school for €2 and ironed on or sewn on to generi
school clothes.
Girls should have the option of pants or skirt.
A tie should be optional
Soft polo type shirts are a good idea.
It's easy to keep track of children during a school outing if they are all wearing
the same clothes.
There should be a summer version of school clothes too eg shorts and T-shirt
Children should wear black shoes.
There should be a tracksuit alternative.
School clothes should be suitable for activities in school.
There should be no blazer.
Some people think that our school isn't a real school because the children
don't all wear the same clothes.
When pupils wear the same school clothes, it makes them look like proper
pupils, clean, organised and they have a sense of belonging.
The teachers opinions on what factors should be
taken into account when deciding our policy on
clothes worn by the children during the school day.
The clothes worn by children during school time or outside school time is a
matter for their parents.
The final decision should be regulated by everyone out of respect for the
choice of the majority.
The final decision should be adhered to by everyone even if it isn't their
personal choice.
The clothes that children wear in school should be suitable for purpose.
Blazers, stiff collared shirts, ties and creased trousers look very impressive
but they simply are not suitable for how children learn in modern primary
schools.
The clothes worn in school should be comfortable, warm, flexible, easy to
open/close and versatile.
The clothes worn in school should be easily opened/closed for toileting
purposes.
The clothes worn in school should be suitable for the running, hopping,
chasing and skipping games that the children play in the playground.
The clothes worn in school shouldn't distract other children.
Because of the Revised curriculum that we use in our school, the children are
moving around a lot more in the classroom than children did years ago.
Restrictive clothes or footwear (shirts, ties and heavy shoes) are not suitable
in this regard.
Criticism, arguments and fashion parades are avoided especially amomg girls
in older classes if all the children wear the same clothes in school.
To be consistent with the EDUCATE TOGETHER ethos, the final decision
should be "optional" to facilitate everyone's valid preferences.
Purely from a teacher's educational and learning perspective, a tracksuit is the
most suitable type of clothing for primary school children.
Having an "optional" element to the policy eliminates all divisive possibilities
and makes it self-regulating.
On an organisational level, it could generate much needed funds for the
school and could be operated by the Parents committee - a great opportunity
for the parents to be involved in school
If the decision included an "optional" element it would also have to include a
caviat of "appropriate clothes"
17.11.13
Last week was packed with variety for the children's learning. New sounds and morning acivities, visiting the shopping centre
in the Aistear Room, visits from parent cuiditheoiri, making a fruit salad as part of the Food Dudes Initiative, copying
Kandinski's art, our first Whole-School assembly and a Book fair on Thursday and Friday!
Phew, we did a lot in one week!
For those parents who were unable to attend the last Parent Information Evening, a bulleted summary of our 2 topics is given
below.
1. SPHE. Social, Personal and Health Education
- a curricular area learned by the children.
MYSELF
Self-awareness, developing self-confidence, making decisions, taking care of my body, food and nutrition, as I grow I change,
New life, feelings and emotions, safety.
MYSELF AND OTHERS
My family, my friends and other people, relating to others
MYSELF & THE WIDER WORLD
Developing Citizenship, my school community, living in the local community, environmental care, media education.
We use various teaching methods, programmes and resources to teach SPHE in our school.
The Walk Tall programme builds the children's confidence sufficiently to say "no" to harmful drugs when they are older.
The STAY SAFE programme teaches the children to be safe when on the road, with water, fire electricity etc.
The RSE programme nurtures the children's knowledge of relationships sufficiently to be content and cherished team
members, family members, neighbours, spouses and colleagues.
Each of the above programmes have a dedicated website and have sections especially for parents/guardians who may like to
inform themselves more about the content of the particualr programme. The children may bring home a phoocopy related to
the topic that has been discussed in class. These photocopies have short instructions at the bottom of the page to indicate
how the parents might discuss the topic with their child.
A big word of thanks to Theresa, one of our SNA's who visited all the classes last week and made fruit salads with the
children. Theresa will do one cooking lesson per term this year with all the classes. If any chefs result in the future we'll know
where it all started!
We had a wonderful whole-school assembly last Friday morning. All 141 pupils and 8 teachers gathered in the hall to celebrate
being together. We recited our school promise, sang about Miss Polly's Dolly, did some clapping rhythms, sang a fab song
about keeping off the grass, did some primary movements, senior infants performed an action song and we ended up with the
"Goodbye" song.
Our school Bookfair was a marvellous success. It was so nice to see parents/guardians and the children browsing through the
books and discussing the pros and cons before making their decision as to which one they would buy. Our school is given
commission (in books) based on the number of books sold and we estimate that we should get approximately €500 worth of
books for the library trolley in each class. Thank you to all concerned.
More snippets next week,
Fergal
20.09.13
The weekend weather forecast is for sunshine so I
hope that it comes to pass. Best of luck to both
Dublin and Mayo in the All-Ireland football final in
Croke Park on Sunday. We had a small cheering
practice during assembly on Friday morning and a
lot of Dublin flags were on the agenda for this
week's art lesson!
As mentioned before, on Monday 4th of November
our school name changes to "Hansfield ETNS".
Nothing apart from the school name changes.
Our two Senior Infant classes are now equipped
with "Smart" interactive whiteboards and
visualisers. Joe's class has an interactive data
projector and a visualiser, Julie's class has a
visualiser and a data projector while Niamh and
Fergal's class have a super large wall-mounted TV
monitor. All classes have an all-in-one PC with
wireless mouse/keyboard and access to the internet.
No school on the day of the referendum as the state
take over the entire campus and for Health & Safety
reasons can't have children where there is moving
traffic. It's important to vote if you are entitled to and
independent information booklets have been sent to
every household in the country explaining the "pros
and cons" of the 2 referendums.
We are really excited about embarking on the
"FOOD DUDES" initiative beginning on Monday
September 30th for 16 days. Research has shown
that if children taste something 3 times they will
develop a long-term taste for it. The children will be
given the opportunity to sample each different fruit
and vegetables 3 times during the 16 days and will
be given a small prize every day they eat the two
samples. The Irish food Board (Bord Bia) will
provide the food and the prizes. Once the sampling
part of the initiative has ended, the children will
receive a small plastic container to bring their
favourite fruit and vegetable from home to school
for snack time.
Parents of Catholic children presently in our 1st
Class are invited to meet the parish organiser of
Faith classes on this Wednesday @ 2:15pm for 10
minutes. Meet in Fergal's Office.
Our annual information meetings for parents of new
children to the school (mostly Junior Infants but
some in Seniors and 1st Class also) will take place
on Thursday 3rd October @ 7pm and Thursday 7th
November @ 7pm in the hall. It is important to
attend and familiarise yourself with our approach to
learning so that you can reinforce at home and
participate in your child's learning in a fun way!
We now have in excess of 135 pupils (270
parents/guardians) and would like to follow through
on a promise made in our first year to make a
decision on the subject of a school uniform. This is
an important topic to many parents and we hope
that every parent/guardian will participate
by voting their preference.
The days that each class have PE lessons have
been posted on the windows in the front of the
school. The children really enjoy these classes and
it would be great if parents could ensure suitable
footwear and clothes are worn on those days. thank
you all so much.
Homework plays an important role in the learning
process. Just like the Food Dudes theory, we are
informed by research that if children reinforce what
they have been taught in school within 4 hours the
chances of internalising the learning is greatly
increased. Junior Infants won't be getting formal
homework until week 14 approx but in the meantime
parents can practice with their children the
essential skills of "matching" "putting things in
sets" colouring accurately, cutting with scissors on
straight, curved and zig-zag lines and most
important of all reading books with your child.
On Friday next we will be having our first wholeschool assembly in the hall. It will be the first time
all the children and teachers will sit down and learn
together and we're really looking forward to it.
More snippets next week.
a great week everyone!
Fergal
06.09.13
A big "WELCOME BACK" to all our 135 children, their parents/guardians, our 8 teachers,
Theresa our SNA, Bernie our secretary, Hazel our cleaner and all the other brilliant people from
the wider community who help us out during the school year.
It certainly was a super summer wasn't it?? We haven't seen so much sun in a good number of
years. I hope that everyone took full advantage of the glorious sunshine that was well due to
us all following the particularly harsh winter.
It's lovely to hear the children's stories about the variety of places around the world that they
visited during the summer months. The grannies and grandads are probably worn out at this
stage from looking after their "bundles of joy" during the holidays and are now heaving a sigh
of relief while recovering in their rocking chairs worldwide!!
A special word of welcome to the most important people in our school; our 63 new junior
Infants who have all settled in and are now well used to the school routine. They are slowly
building up their time in school and will be staying this week until 12 noon every day. It will be
a big change for them as the real work will begin and will probably be quite tired at the end of
the day.
We have a first class also this year (and a "man teacher" Joe) who finish each day at 2:10pm
which represents a significant change from their previous two years in school. The academic
element to their learning begins in earnest this year and parents can expect exhausted
students (but full of knowledge)arriving home for a few weeks yet.
I was asked recently to clarify at what stage would children be allowed to go home on their
own after school daily. Children should be collected at "home time" by an adult until the end of
second class. Beginning in 3rd class, with written parental permission and a "buddy" to
accompany them, the children will be permitted to go home from school without being
collected by an adult.
Contact details for the Catholic Parish Administrator (Clinton) are posted on the parents'
Notice Board. Parents of Catholic students in first class who wish that their child be prepared
to receive the sacrament of communion at the end of second class should contact Clinton. An
short information meeting with clinton about the process will be held in the Fergal's office on
Wednesday 25th September @ 2:15pm.
Our new permanent building should be ready for us to move into during the summer holidays
2014. As it will be located in Hansfield, we have decided to change our school's name before
we move there to:
HANSFIELD EDUCATE TOGETHER N.S
Apart from our website address and school name, nothing else will change. Our crest, phone
numbers, enrolement records and personnel will all remain the same. If you have already
applied for a place for your child in our school, it is not necessary to reapply when we change
our name.
There are many children (and teachers) cycling or "flickering" their way to school this year
now that we have a brand new cycle lane linking all the estates in the area to the schools.
Remember to lock your bicycle securely to the railings as the campus is open all day and our
school can't take responsibilty for theft. A cool cycling helmet and a luminous jacket or a
"Sam Brown" belt are a great idea too!!
The wonderful parent "Cuiditheoiri" will be back in action again this year and hopefully will
begin their participation in the children's learning this week. Julie will coordinate parents and
classes. Once the routines have been established, we will ask new parents to join in following
their training session.
Our Parents' Evening Meetings will resume again soon. We plan to cover topics such as the
Learn Together Programme, Aistear, Jolly phonics, Ready, Set, Go maths, PTA, Student
council, new building etc
If there is anything that you are unsure about (as a parent of a child in our school) Please use
any of our communication links to get an answer to your query. Bernie/Fergal/Julie will be very
happy to help.
E-mail: bwetns@gmail.com
Landline: 8232406
Mobile: 085-8722323
Your child's blue notebook
Drop into the school
Best of luck everyone for an exciting year ahead.
Fergal
28.06.13
We have come to the end of our second year in Blanchardstown West and what a year it has been! Everyone has been so
busy making sure that the children do their very best learning. Parent Cuiditheoiri have been in our classrooms helping the
children with their reading and their maths and a myriad of other jobs that need to be carried out in infant classes. We really
appreciate their help and they have made so many little friends in all the classes which is lvely to see.
And next year we have our very first First Class. This really is a big step to take and the children will be exhausted for a few
weeks until they get accoustomed to the quantity of work and the long day from 8:30 to 2:10. But you know, Lisa has them
well prepared and we are all proud of what they have learned in Senior Infants.
This is the time of year to say thanks to everyone. We'll begin with all the teachers, Martina, Jacqui, Theresa, Julie, Aisling,
Ursula, Mary and Lisa. The amount of work involved in a new school takes up a lot of time and the teachers in our school have
been extraordinarily resourceful and generous with their time and always so cheerful. Go raibh maith agaibh.
A big "thank you" to Bernie from all the children, parents and teachers. Bernie keeps everyone happy helping them out doing
lots of really important jobs every day.
Our Board of Management work away in the background guiding the school strategically and we are very appreciative of their
time that they give voluntarily.
Séanna keeps us safe at the entrance to the school every morning and evening and keeps us all guessing what hat he's going
to be wearing. We like to help Séanna by parking safely and respecting the great job he does.
And finally, we all have to thank our children for making life so "interesting" while helping them along their path to life-long
learning. We had a story-teller in school on Wednesday and he wsa so enthralled with them all. He commented on how
imaginative and "spirited" they were!
And finally . . . . .
finally, finally TEN quick points to finish up with . . . .
1. Great to see children coming to school on bikes but they will unfortuately have to be securely locked next year.
2. Because we have been allocated fewer teachers than expected we have to bring the 3 present Junior infant classes into 2
Senior Infant classes. This means completely new class groupings. We have to think of the whole class dynamics when
deciding into which class children are placed. Children won't know who their teacher will be next year until they return to
school in August.
3. Homework folders that weren't brouhgt into shool on the last day of term should be retained safely for next year.
4. We have a magnet photo of Grandma and Grandpa Tarr since the grandparents day. Talk to Bernie if it's yours.
5. We also have a child's medical record booklet with no name. if it belongs to your child, talk to Bernie.
6. If you would like to know more about the content of what your childis doing in the core subjects in school, you can read
information (in many languages) and watch video clips onwww.ncca.ie Click on "Parents" across the top of the screen and
explore all the information about your child's class level.
7. Don't forget the most valuable resource of all . . our public library in Blanchardstown Shopping centre. It is the largest
library in Ireland and is packed with resources that your child will love. It's a "Learning Playground" and It is the most
wonderful place to bring children to visit.
And it's free !!!
8. There are a number of playgrounds, parks, museums and art galleries in Dublin that children would love to visit. They are all
FREE and have an education officer to guide children around the facility. The summer holidays present a perfect time for the
whole family to visit these places.
9. Hansfield train station (near our new school) is opening today and will connect you to all these places. Hansfield to Dublin
City takes 25 minutes.
10. Our school's name is going to change to Hansfield ETNS in October next as this is the name of the area our permanent
building will be located.
Wherever the holidays take you, whether it's around Ireland or abroad I wish you all a peaceful, relaxing and mostly SAFE
holiday time. Hopefully we'll see you all back here in Blanchardstown West ETNS on Thursday 29th August.
Fergal
05.06.13
Multiple apologies to everyone for the lack of updates in our website
recently. The gremlins were at work and did a right good job on our
blog. Everything should be retrieved at this stage and we should be
able to carry on our merry way until the end of the school year which
is fast approaching.
This blog and our home page will be updated during the summer holidays as news becomes available which may not be as
regular as weekly.
Our big concern this week is that we get all the Resource Money in to the school. €150 per child. Our suppliers, who would
have traditionally given schools some credit, require cash on delivery now as their suppliers expect the same. If you have
difficulty paying the Resource monet in one payment please call into the school and speak with Fergal about arrangements
that can be made in such circumstances. We would like to have all the supplies organised for each classroom as soon as
possible and thank you for your cooperation in this regard.
Our sports day is on this Friday coming (7th June) as the weather forecast is suitable for that day. The only thing that will be
different on the sports day in comparison to any other day will be that the children will be spending a lot of it outdoors and the
clothes they wear should be suitable for running races and other physical activities. We intend to have "stations" and then
running races with the audience cheering. Parents are most welcome to attend.
The children's end of year repots will be posted to each family home next week
10th -14th June. Please keep these documents in a safe place.
Our term 3 fund-raiser has 3 parts.
1. Framed children's art
2. DVD of class photos
3. Raffle for super prizes
Each child in the school will have one work of art framed and displayed in the school hall on Friday 21st June.
Parents can come along to see their child's framed picture and can buy it for €7 if they wish.
We will also have a DVD of each class' photos during the year for sale at €5.
Anyone purchasing both the framed picture and the DVD can get the two for €10. We also have fantastic prizes for our
raffle with tickets selling @ €1 each.
Our 3rd fire drill was a great success on Wednesdy morning with all children and staff out of the building in under minutes.
Well done everyone!!
More news next week,
Now to see if this will publish!!!
Fergal
04.13
Now I don't want to put the mockers on the weather but hasn't it been great for
the last few days? Everyone has a spring in their step and delighted with the
chance to wear their sunglasses and summer clothes.
Bernie and her mum Bernice took advantage of the great weather during the
weekend and washed all the windows on the outside of the school, put up a
dozen hanging baskets and planted some beautiful summer bedding plants.
The grass at the road side of the school was cut so we're looking really
"summery".
Our Senior Infant class painted fantastic pictures of sunflowers Van Gogh
style last week and recited a great rendition of Noah's Arc during assembly.
And to make it 3 in a row thay won the trophy again for being the best class for
lining up in the playground. Well done to all the boys and girls in Senior
Infants.
All the children have planted cress seeds and are watching their progress
daily.
In the latest edition of the Blanchardstown Gazette there is a small article
about our new location and the secondary school that will be with us in the
same campus in Hansfield.
Enrolment day for new students will take place on this Thursday in the school
hall from
2pm to 4pm and from 7pm to 9pm. Letters of offer have been sent out to all
parents of new students. We hope to have approximately 160 students and 9
teachers next September.
Following our enrolment day, we will have a short Open day on Thursday 23rd
May when the new chidren get a chance to meet teachers and their future
classmates in the school. It also gives the school a chance to talk to parents
and give some information about the school and how to make sure that the
children will be ready for school in September.
I came across a very useful website for parents of children in primary school
recently - maybe you will check it out when you get a
chance. www.helpmykidlearn.ie
Our means of communication with parents and visa versa is through the little
notebooks that each child has in his/her folder. PLEASE check this notebook
on a daily basis and if you do write a message to the teacher please keep it
brief, date it and leave the notebook open so that the teacher knows there's a
note to read. Many thanks.
It would be great if there was a parent with a ladder suitable to clean the fascia
board and gutters. They only require a wipe with a damp cloth and would
brighten up the building no end. Talk to Fergal, Julie or Bernie if you can help.
Thanks.
We will be closing for a week's holiday starting on next Friday 3rd May @
1:10pm. The school opens again on Monday 13th May @ 8:30am
More snippets next week,
Fergal
21.04.13
Oh! At last, I think that we might be getting weather that we could call spring or even summer.
It certainly has been a long winter and as long as the heat we have presently remains, the buds and leaves will pop out and
make a welcome appearance.
Whether it's hot or cold, our children's exciting learning continues. There is always something to be learned whatever the
situation and we took full advantage of the Garden Centre's proximity to our school to visit and discover the wonderful array
and variety of plants and accessories.
The theme in our play-based learning this month is "The Garden Centre" and what better way to discover what goes on there
than to visit. Staff in the Garden Centre were super and facilitated us in every way they could. The children broke up into 3
groups and toured the centre learning about plants, flowers, ornaments, furniture and tools. Naturally, Len who is famous for
hiding appeared in the Garden centre much to the delight of the children. Our parent cuiditheoiri were out in force and we
appreciated their help so much throughout the trip.
After a quick picnic we went off in our double Decker bus and crossed the railway lines to Beech park playground. The
children saw cows in the fields and loved watching the train hurtling past and waved to the man opening the gates at the level
crossing. Just as we left the playground, the rain came down and everyone made a mad dash back to the bus.
Last week was also the week when FROGS came to our school! They were imported from County Wicklow so we're not sure
how they'll take to living in Dublin. Many thanks to Jacqui for bringing the spawn and their pond water to the school and we
watch them every day in the tank as they grow from spawn into tadpoles to froglets and finally into adult frogs. Naturally they
will be returned to their place of their birth before they hop into classrooms and become difficult to catch!! ribbit, ribbit.
We also had a visitor last week from the Department of Education - An Cigire (The Inspector). She complimented our school
on how happy the children were and how busy everyone was teaching and learning. Well "Dunne" to everyone!!
Offer letters for places in Junior Infants for September 2013 will be sent out within the next week followed by invitations to
attend formal enrolment. We should have three small classes of Junior Infants again next year. We are really happy about this
because the children get a great start to their education and are happier and more confident as a result. Please reply to offer
letters as soon as you can. Thanks.
We are calculating at the moment how much each expense has cost us during the year so as to ascertain how much
"Resource Money" will be for next year. From calculations so far, it looks like there will be a charge of €150 per child. This
includes the textbooks, pencils, copies, excursions, ET fee, 24/7 insurance, art materials, photocopying etc.
The whole debate about school uniforms will take place again soon as we decided last year to wait another year before asking
the parental body once more. Hone your opinions and views for the debate!!
Just to remind everyone that our school will change its name next October/November to Hansfield ETNS. This change has no
effect on the students/Parents/teachers apart from our headed notepaper, the sign outside our door and remembering to
answer the phone with the correct name!! Obviously, the reason for the change is linked directly to where our new school will
be located. Our beautiful school logo of the world surrounded by multi cultural children holding hands will not change.
Written School Reports will issue mid June this year. We ask parents to purchase a folder to keep these documents safely.
More snippets next week,
Fergal
If your telephone number or address changes please inform Bernie in the
office as soon as you can.
More snippets next week,
Fergal
Happy holidays greetings everyone!
I hope that wherever you are during our spring break that you will share a wonderful time with your family.
Our end of term activity/fund raiser was really a marvellous success last Friday. It was obvious that a lot of happy family time
was spent at home creating hats for the children from recycled materials. The children were so proud as they showed their
hats to their friends and explained to each other how they made them and who helped at home. We obviously have very
artistic parents & brothers/sisters because the hats were out of this world.
As the day wasn't kind to us weather-wise we decided to opt for the indoor version of the event! Each class took their turn and
paraded around to the other classes to show off their creations. Our percussion instruments added to the marchers intrigue.
Recycled materials used included shredded plastic bags, scrunched up tissue paper, bubble wrap, a newspaper, paper plates,
an upside down bucket, milk cartons, cereal boxes, ribbons, bottle tops, yoghurt tubs and of course every child's favourite glitter! Some photos of the hats are displyed in the ramp inside the front door for all to see.
After a feast of hot cross buns with butter and honey(traditional Easter fare) we went to the hall for school assembly. We sang
songs, learned a new nursery rhyme and had 4 really exciting raffles. Naturally we were disappointed if we didn't win one of
the prizes but we learned that we have to be brave and be happy for those who won the raffle!!!
A big THANK YOU to all the parents who collected sponsor money for our Mad Hatters' Walk. Bernie counted the money
collected and the total was a little over €1,000. We are so thankful to you all and rest assured the money will be spent very
wisely for the benefit of all the children.
We also had a raffle for the sponsors and Fergal will send Dragos' parents the winners' prize which was kindly donated by the
Gibson Hotel (near the O2 venue).
Come on parents! a big brave smile for the winners!!!
We are still looking for some "arty" helpers to colour some cartoon pictures for our mini playground called "Tir na nOg". The
pictures have been outlined in pencil and just need to be "coloured in". text/phone Fergal on 085-8722323 if you would like to
help. Any day @ 8:30 am.
And for those parents who would like to help the teachers out in the classroom, please text/phone Fergal on 085-8722323. You
don't need any experience at all, just a willing heart and a big smile! 8:30 to 10am any day.
The children in Junior Infants have started their second book called "Len likes to Hide". It is very important that parents listen
to their child reading and discuss the picture on the facing page every evening. "Sight" vocab and sound cards should also be
checked every day. It should take no more than 10 minutes daily - a very small amount of time really to give your child the
best opportunity.
While Teachers would ideally like to listen to every child's reading, sight vocab and sounds every day there simply isn't
enough time to do so!
Your child depends on someone in your house to help them along and encourage them.
More updates in 2 week's time,
Fergal
14.04.13
Hi everyone!
It's been at least 2 weeks since I posted an update as we had been on spring
holidays. I hope that you all enjoyed the time off and managed to get an
opportunity to go on some fun family outings. There are many places that
families can visit in the greater Dublin area that are either free of charge or just
have a nominal charge. Many are educational and fun too! Try our good friend
"Google" for a list of such venues.
Congratulations to the winners of our Raffle in conjunction with the "Mad
Hatters' Walk". The winners were the parents of a little boy in Junior Infants,
Dragos. Their prize is Bed and breakfast for 2 in The Gibson hotel in Dublin.
Every card that was returned on the day of the Walk was put into a hat and one
pulled out. A number on that card was chosen and whoever had sponsored
that number was the winner. Sincere thanks to everyone who supported our
first fund-raising event.
We celebrated "HOLI" the Hindu festival of colour last week and the children
had SOOOO much fun. They were shown photos in books and videos found on
the internet to see how people celebrate by throwing bags of coloured powder
at each other. We then did a scaled down version by drawing a very large face
and coloured it using our fingers and different stripes of paint. I'm sure that
the children would have preferred to do the real thing but told the teachers that
their parents would not be pleased if they went home like the Hindus after
HOLI !!!
Len (a character from the children's reader) is proving to be a tricky little chap.
He likes to hide and every day he appears in a different place in the school. His
sister Jen, likes to play tricks and goodness knows what she is going to do
when the children read about her!!!!
If you have a child for Junior Infants this September (2013) please ask Bernie,
our morning receptionist/Secretary for an APPLICATION FORM as soon as you
can as we are coming near the end of our list. We will be offering places by
letter at the beginning of May. Remember, our policy is
"First Come, First Served".
It doesn't matter if you already have a child in our school; every child has to be
applied for separately.
Our CUIDITHEOIRI (In-Class parents helpers) started their second series of
sessions last Monday. It's such a fantastic help to all the teachers having the
parents in the classes listening to the children’s reading, lining their Aistear
copies, helping with maths games and the many other activities that they
engage in.
We are still collecting used batteries and mobile phones. If you have any lying
about at home, we can use them in school.
School begins @ 8:30am and ends at 13:10pm daily. Every child likes to line
up with his/her friends in the mornings and also likes to see your face waiting
for them at "home time".
If you have written a note to teacher in your child's notebook, please leave it
open so that teacher knows to read it. it is almost impossible for the teachers
to check EVERY folder EVERY day. Many thanks.
If you know even at this early stage in the school year that your child will be
attending a different school next year (for whatever reason) please inform
Fergal or Bernie in the office as soon as you can. Obviously we will not
mention this fact to your child as you will not wish to distress them
unnecessarily,
Our current theme in Aistear (Structured Play) is "The Garden Centre" and we
hope to consolidate and bring realism to the children's play by bringing them
to our local Garden centre in Clonee this Wednesday. Parents don't have to
any different preparation for this trip as it will take place during school hours.
17.03.13
Lá Fhéile Phádraig shona do gach éinne sa scoil seo againne.
Happy festival weekend to everyone. I hope that you get an opportunity to experience some of the wonderful events on offer
in Dublin city and the outlying towns and villages.
We had a great surprise on Friday morning in school when we discovered a very colourful festival weekend display in the
main ramp. A big "Thank you" to the secret display artist!!
We are all looking forward to our "Mad Hatters' Fun Walk" on Friday morning next.
The phrase "mad as a March Hare" and "The Mad hatter's Tea party" in the book Alice In Wonderland have given us the theme
for our fun event to mark end of term and our fund-raising event.
We are going to make our "Mad Hats" from recycled materials that we find at home - cardboard, plastic bottles, feathers,
lollipop sticks etc. Our secret photographer will be out and about "snapping" all the wonderful creations and a colourful
display will record the best efforts.
If possible try to bring the sponsorship money into school during the week before the event as we are on Spring Break for two
weeks following the walk.
The photos that parents ordered were delivered to the school last Friday and will be distributed during the week.
We have a great opportunity for any artistic parents to help out in our school. Six large cartoon characters are being painted
on marine plywood at the moment to be located inTir na nÓg, our mini playground. Text Fergal on 085-8722323 if you would
like to help out.
Our Spring Break will begin @ noon following the Madhatters' Fun Walk. School reopens @ 8:30am on Monday April 8th.
We received good news from the Department of Education recently regarding our permanent building in Hansfield. All
planning permission and other legal requirements have been granted/satisfied allowing our building to go ahead according to
plan. Diggers will move on to the site in Hansfield this July and our Board of Management should be handed the keys one year
later.
Finally, this is a most unusual request to have to request. Parents, when you are "dropping off" in the mornings or "picking
up" in the afternoons please do not leave your babies in your cars with the engine running. It's VERY dangerous!
Until next week,
Fergal
06.03.13
The boys and girls have decorated a beautiful SPRING WALLin the ramp inside
the main door. It is filled with symmetrical butterflies, caterpillars, daffodils
with yellow trumpets, lovely lambs with white fleece and all set on a fantastic
background of green hills and blue skies that the Senior Infants painted to
begin the gigantic mural. Come in and have a look, you won't be disappointed!
If you are a parent with an artistic flair, we would be delighted if you could help
us. The children in all the classes have had an election and voted for their
favourite cartoon characters. We are now going to paint these characters onto
thick planks of wood ( 1M X 1.5M) and attach them to the railings in Tir na nÓG
(our small playground at the back of the school). We will also be looking for an
expert to attach the pictures securely to the railings as soon as they have been
completed.
Thursday (7th of March) is World Book Day. All the classes will be marking the
occasion by engaging in DEAR time, teacher reading a book for the children or
listening to a CD book with a wonderful tale. We are hoping to receive a book
token for every child in our school that can be redeemed in any bookshop for a
specified book or as part payment towards any other book. Maybe you could
bring your child to visit the library to celebrate World Book Day or read a book
with them at bedtime to give imagination to their dreams!!
And let's not forget all the mums in our school this Sunday (10th March) as
Mothers' Day is celebrated throughout the world. Our mums work tirelessly
throughout their lives to take care of their children (and it doesn't stop when
the children grow up!!) and next Sunday is a great opportunity to show our
appreciation. Mums love squeezy hugs, so make sure that you give her one to
remember!!!
Our enrolments for Junior Infants in September 2013 is almost at 100 at the
moment. If you have a child for this class, please fill in an application form as
soon as you can because all three classes will be filled soon. Download the
form from this website or call into the school for a hard copy if you prefer.
The sample photos that were taken recently have all been returned at this
stage and have been sent to the company with the correct money. We were not
given a date for their return but we will text everyone when we know.
To begin saving money to buy so many things that we will need when we move
into our new school in Hansfield, we are organising a "Mad Hatters' sponsored
Walk on Friday 22nd March. We would love to have parents helping us on the
day and joining in with the fun too! Get your children to make a "MAD HAT"
from recycled materials that will stay on their heads as we do our sponsored
walk. We will be handing out sponsorship cards to the children closer to the
day and hope that each child can get 10 sponsors.
A big "THANK YOU" to Bernie for planting so many brightly-coloured and
pretty flowers around the school and for getting Hyacinth bulbs for every
classroom. The blossoms and their fragrance have been so spectacular!
Spring has certainly arrived when the "daffs" start poping their heads up
following the long and cold winter that we have endured.
Our school is going to change its name towards the end of 2013 to "Hansfield
Educate Together NS". This is the name of the area in which our new building
will be located and also the name of the secondary school beside us and
indeed the train station beside the two schools, so it makes logical sense to
have all three buildings with the same name. Isn’t it true??
This week I will fix a photo in the Parents' Notice Board of what our new
building will look like in September 2014. Exciting isn't it?
More news next week,
Fergal
17.02.13
I hope that everyone had a marvellous mid-term break and that you feel refreshed after all the exciting activities you were
involved in during the break!
Hopefully the weather will be kind to us this Wednesday when we make a second attampt to go on our educational excursion
to discover the services in our community. We have been focussing on the Post Office, The Restaurant and the Medical
Centre in our Aistear Room for the past few months and so we are off to discover other services in the village.
From a parents' point of view, the day will be no different to any other. You can give your child the same lunch, drop off and
pck up at the same times s you normally do. PLEASE parents, take some time to talk to your child about the trip and what they
saw.
Our Pancake Tuesday went off a treat! All the children had an opportunity to mix the flour, eggs and milk to make a "batter" ,
"toss" the pancakes and most importantly, eat a pancake drizzled with maple syrup. A special word of thanks goes to Chef
Theresa who worked very hard to ensure everyone knew how to make pancakes (pancóga as gaeilge) and had enough to eat.
We also had a four-legged visitor last week who went around to each class and helped Fiona from The Dogs' Trust to explain
to everyone how best we should care for pet dogs in our homes. Both the children and the dog were on their best behaviour!
Many thanks to Fiona for her very interesting presentation and also to Mary who coordinated the visit.
Our BIG news this week is that all the Junior Infants will be starting to read their first ever "reader book". they have been
practising their "sight words" for the last few weeks and now they are ready to put them together and make them into small
sentences in the books.
WE NEED YOUR HELP PARENTS FOR THIS BIG AND IMPORTANT JOB!
First, have a nice little chat about what is happening in the picture and then read the words with your child, then listen to your
child reading on his/her own and finally sign your name inside the front cover to say that you've done all this !!!
It's like magic! When you do this parents, with your child EVERY day they will make rapid progress with their reading, a skill
that they'll have for the rest of their lives. You'll be amazed how quickly that they will learn and you will have been part of it!
How amazing is that ????
Many thanks to you all.
Finally, a short reminder to you all about any spare mobile phones that you might have at home. We're collecting them in the
school so that we can get a defibrilator. Just pop them in your child's folder and "Teacher" will put it in the collection box.
More news next week,
Fergal
10.02.13
We have a lot of celebrations this week in school. It's the Chinese
New Year (year of the snake), Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday,
Valentine's Day and of course a mini break from school on Thursday
and Friday.
Good news for BWETNS! Broadband was installed in our building last
week. We are now going to arrange for wireless access and hopefully
in the not too distant future also install hardware to enhance the
children’s learning by having access to the wealth of on-line
resources.
Parents PLEASE respect the parking arrangements our school is part
of in the three school campus. I do understand that walking in the rain
from the Spar Centre to the school and back isn't ideal. Between the
three schools in the campus however, there are over 1,000 children
and clearly it just isn't possible to facilitate every parent parking
outside the front gate at the same time. If you feel the need to
apologise to Seanna (the caretaker for Mary, Mother of Hope Schools)
for your less than exemplary behaviour last week, please do so !!!
Our school will be closed on Thursday and Friday of this week for
mid-term break.
Our planned educational excursion last week had to be postponed
due to the poor weather. We will make another attempt on Wednesday
February 20th.
Plans for our new school building in Hansfield are on schedule. All
the necessary planning permission has been granted on time and
building is due to commence during July 2013. The school will be
ready for us to occupy eleven months subsequent to this. It is such
an exciting time for our school and I hope that everyone, teachers,
parents, Board of Management and children all get involved to make it
our own happy and busy learning centre.
It is essential for parents to go over sounds, numbers and sight
words with Junior infants EVERY day. We will be starting the
children's first reader book after the mid-term break and once we
begin, we will be progressing at a fairly lively pace through the first
book, then on to the second and third books in quick succession.
The Chinese New Year has been celebrated in Dublin as a public
festival for a good number of years now and despite the rain during
the weekend, celebrations went ahead as usual. This New Year will be
the year of the snake and not very popular among the Chinese by all
accounts, so much so that they avoid having children on this year as
it isn't the luckiest of years!
The Chinese prepare for the celebrations by cleaning their homes,
tying up any "loose ends" that they may have in their lives, purchase
a new set of clothes and prepare good luck charms to share with
friends.
One of our Chinese students (Sin Wang Deng) has travelled to China
with her parents to join in the celebrations with her extended family
and friends. Children get red envelopes (with money inside) from their
parents during the celebrations.
Gung Hay fat choy!
Shrove Tuesday or "Mardi Gras" as it can also be called is a Christian
celebration. It is the last day before a six week period of abstinence
(Lent) before Easter Sunday. Traditionally, any fancy/sweet foods in
the house were all used up on this day in pancakes. A thin batter mix
(flour, eggs and water) is fried in a pan (pancakes) and the sweet or
fancy food rolled up inside. Yum, yum, Is maith liom! Theresa is going
to make pancakes with every class on Tuesday in the teachers'
Room.
The Dogs' Trust is also visiting our school on Tuesday to explain to
the children how to look after their pets.
Thanks to Mary for organising this visit - ruff, ruff !!
Wednesday is the first day of "Lent" for Christians and they draw a
cross on their foreheads with ashes to remind them of how their
leader died and their destiny in the soil. The ashes paste is made from
burned palm leaves (from Palm Sunday) mixed with Chrism (perfume
and balsam oil). Everyone chooses to refrain from a treat during Lent.
Children usually give up sweets or make a special effort to help at
home during lent.
Thursday brings us Valentine's Day thought by some as no more than
a commercial boost for card, chocolate and flower shops. The
romantics however will say that it's an opportunity to tell the people
close to you that you love them. Take your pick!!!
No school on Thursday or Friday this week remember!
I think that's enough news for one week !!!!
Enjoy all the celebrations
Fergal
03.02.13
Happy Spring everyone!
There's always a big debate as to when Spring actually begins. Met
Eireann base their date on the months and the weather, astronomers
look to space for the answer and gardeners watch nature for new life
begining. In any case for us in school, winter is coming to an end and
we can look forward to longer, brighter days when nature wakes from
its winter sleep and "springs" into life once more. And more to the
point we can go to the playground and play !!!
All the classes are keeping a keen eye on theirhyacinths which Bernie
got for us some weeks ago. We are discovering what 3 things the
plants need to make sure that they blossom and we can experience
their wondrful fragrance. Why not plant with your child/ren at home
too? It's a great way to introduce growing and caring and so
interesting to see the wonder of nature in action.
All the children and teachers are off on a bus trip this Thursday 7th
February. We hope to have a double decker so that we are all
together. On the bus we're going to sing all the songs we learned in
school this year. Our trip is an educational excursion to see all the
different shops/businesses in Blanchardstown village and in the
shopping centre - a visit to our local community in essence. We plan
to walk through the shopping centre, have a picnic (please let the
weather be ok!!!) and visit the playground. Everything remains the
same on that day; Lunches, Drop off and pick up times. Rain coats
essential. If parents are available to assist, it would be great. Talk to
Fergal. Leaving @ 9:15am and returning @ 1:00pm
Our in-class parent helpers are beginning their career this week! They
will be known as "cuiditheoiri" which is the Irish for "helpers". They
will be asssisting the teachers in a variety of ways; listening to sight
vocab, Jolly Phonics sounds, art classes, Maths for fun stations and
Aistear planning. The initiative is sure to be a great success. Thanks
to Julie for all the preparatory work she has undertaken - incredible!
It was Theresa's birthday last week so if you see her around the
school make sure to wish her all the best for the next 21 years !!!
If you wish to help your child learn his/her sounds but are unsure
about the sounds that the letters make in english simply google "Jolly
phonics sounds" and you can learn the jingle, actions and the
sounds. This would be a great activity to do with your child in the
evening time. children love to show mum and dad all they know!!!
Don't forget the old mobile phones that you aren't using any more. We
can get a dfibrilator for our school if we can fill the box in the foyer
with phones.
Speaking of the foyer, we have installed a small flat screen monitor
there with a slide show of the childrenlearning in school. It's lovely to
see the variety of ways the children learn and how hapy they all are.
Thanks to Mary for the monitor and for putting together the slides.
The children in junior infants have all made 3D snowmen out of
recycling Actimel bottles. If you know of something nice the children
could make by recycling containers please tell one of the teachers
and we can begin collecting. We have boxes in the teachers' Room for
recycleable materials.
More news next week,
Fergal
27.01.13
It was lovely to welcome a new boy into junior Infants
this week. We hope that Josh will be very happy in our
school and make lots of new friends.
Our Introduction to being a parent"Cuiditheoir" last
Wednesday morning was a great success. The parents
who attended have confirmed the mornings that they are
available to help the teachers in the classrooms and we
will be starting the initiative next week.
If you were unable to attend and would like to add
your name to the list please speak with Fergal or
Julie.
Parent/Teacher meetings take place this week with
time slots before school time, after school time and
one evening slot. Teachers have sent home sheets
with provisional time slots. If these times don't suit
parents can suggest other times that may be more
suitable. in any case, it is really important that all
parents meet with their child's class teacher in the
coming days to discuss the learning progress being
made.
We are looking for some artistic parentsto depict
characters from fairy tales/nursery rhymes on large
plywood sheets. These murals will be bolted on to
the railings at the end of the building and decorate
our mini playground called "Tir na nÓg". If you
would like to get involved please talk to Fergal.
Aistear during February will focus on"THE HEALTH
CENTRE". If parents are visiting their local health
centre, it would be great if you could talk with your
child/ren about the people there, what they do, the
things that are associated with the location, what
people say there and when you return home try to
recreate the Health Centre by drawing pictures,
talking about what you did there or maybe even
building it using junk materials.
The children are making such a great effort keeping
their promise to their school friends about making
healthy choices, especially during snack time. They
are eating a variety of different fruits, sandwiches
and vegetables and drinking milk, water and juices.
These snacks in conjunction with aerobic exercise
allow their learning to be optimised during school
hours.
Homework is assigned daily (except Fridays) to all
classes. Please participate in your child's homework
as it validates and reinforces the learning organised
in school. Any questions, just ask teacher!
Parents who would like to set up a parents' Faith
Formation Group could express this interest to
Fergal or Julie. We will formally visit this initiative in
the third term of this academic year.
More News next week,
Fergal
20.01.13
A big "welcome" to our new teacher
Aisling
who will help out in our school every Wednesday by teaching small groups of children for
practice in speaking, playing, holding their pencils correctly or learning new words in english.
Aisling is a lovely teacher and is shared between BWETNS, Castaheany ETNS and
St.Benedicts NS in Ongar.
We have recently installed a landline in our temporary building in order to facilitate a
broadband connection. The landline number is
01-8238406.
Our morning receptionist Bernie can receive calls on this number and also on our new mobile
number which is
085 8722323.
As soon as you receive a text from the new mobile you might add it to your contacts as the
school's number. Thanks.
Many parents have expressed an interest in participating in the learning process in school. We
will have a meeting on
Wednesday morning
of this week at 8:30am
to outline how this will be a great success for parents, teachers and children. We'll meet in the
staffroom at 8:30 and the meeting should take only a short time.
Our annual Parent/Teacher meetings
will take place on
Wednesday 28th ,
Thursday 29th
and Friday 30th of January.
This is a great opportunity for parents to have a quick chat (10 minutes max) with the teachers
to find out how the children's learning is progressing. Details will be sent home this week
regarding times.
We have recently introduced a nice small playground at the end of the school for between 8
and 10 children at each breaktime. The line leaders from each class go to
"Tir na nÓg"
to try to get the basketball into the net,
swing the hips with hoola hoops and try to learn how to skip with skipping ropes. Theresa our
SNA is the BOSS in this fun play area.
We are looking for some artistic parents to paint scenes from fairy tales or nursery rhymes on
large wooden plywood sheets for this area.
(Talk to Fergal if you're interested)
The National forum for
2nd level Educate Together Schools
is taking place on Saturday 26th January in the Hilton Hotel, Kilmainham. Registration is at
9:45am. All parents of children attending Educate Together school are welcome to attend.
At the end of each month (beginning at the end of January) we will be contacting parents of
those children who are regularly late for school informing them of
the total tuition time lost
as a result. It is something that we feel very strongly about and want to encourage both
attendance and punctuality.
Children in junior Infants will be getting
small items of homework
from this week on. Although each class follows exactly the same lessons, homework content
may vary depending how quickly each class gets through work during the day. Parents, please
take the time to chat with your child while doing the homework. Remember that the blue
notebook in your child's folder is your line of communication with school.
We all make a promise in our school to
help each other make healthy choices.
It's difficult to keep this promise when your child is eating biscuits, chocolate bars, crisps or
drinking fizzy drinks at lunch time. Your child wants to keep their promise to everyone so
please help them to do this. Thank you all so much.
At "Drop Off" time
on wet days
,
please bring the children to the hall. At "Pick Up" time, the ramp should be open so that you
can wait in relative comfort.
We are in
the restaurant
this month for our AISTEAR focus and any chat you can have with your child about what goes
on in a restaurant or make a pretend dining room for the "waiter" to show you all he/she
knows would be great.
During the sharp, cold weather that is forecast for this week our building's water supply may
freeze. If we can't provide water and /or heat, we will have to close the school until such time
as we have both to provide. The school will open despite adverse weather conditions if we
have heat and/or water.
In poor weather conditions it is up to each parent to decide if they can
get their child safely to the school gates.
The school personnel take responsibility from there on.
If the school has to close,
the days have to be "paid back"
using days in our break in March.
More bits 'n bobs next week.
Take care everyone and keep warm!
Fergal
31.12.12
Last day of the year and I hope that everyone is
having a great winter holiday so far. We don't have
any special traditions in Ireland really for this day
apart from families gathering together at midnight
and holding hands while singing the words of "Auld
Lang Syne" written by the Scottish poet Robert
Burns. "
Spaniards have a tradition of eating one grape at
each gong of the midnight bell toll.
Whatever your own tradition, may the final day of
2012 be a happy one for your family and may 2013
bring many joys and dreams come true for everyone
associated with BWETNS.
Speaking of our school's name, we hope to have it
changed by June 2013 well in advance of our move
to Ongar and the opening of our permanent
building. In addition we hope to develop a unique
school logo related to the Ongar area or our
school's focus. Because the secondary school
beside us will be called "Hansfield" we feel that it
would be too confusing to call ourselves the same
name. We were thinking about "Ongar" or an Irish
derivation of a local name place or geographical
feature. All suggestions welcome!
We will be in our new building in September
2014.The secondary school will be occupying the
third floor until their building is ready.
The restaurant is our Aistear theme during the
month of January and if you have any "props" that
will make the room more authentic they would be
most welcome.
We are also collecting old mobile phones in school
so that we can get a defribilator. This machine is
essential where large groups of young people are
gathered to minimise the risk of sudden death due
to cardiac emergencies. The collection box is
located at the top of the ramp.
Have you decided on your New Year's Resolution
yet? You might consider focusing on your child's
school needs as your resolution for 2013 and see
the enormous difference it makes. Being at school
@ 8:25am, ready to collect at 1:05pm and setting
aside 5 minutes every evening to practice
sounds/reading at home. See how you get on!
Thanks.
Everyone will be delighted to hear that Martina had a
baby boy just before the holidays. Mum, Dad and
son are all doing well! Congratulations to Martina's
family from everyone in BWETNS.
More news next week.
Fergal
17.12.12
2012 has been a wonderful year for our young
school. During 2012 we have grown from one class
to four, have added more fantastic teachers to our
team, have gained more willing parent helpers and
have lots more great students to be really proud of.
Our school has been guided in a very practical and
commonsense fashion by our Board of Management
who work behind the scenes as a group and deserve
a lot of thanks and appreciation for their expertise.
We will be having short "Winter Celebration"
Assemblies on Friday next (21st) and all parents are
cordially invited. As our "hall" isn't large enough to
hold all the children and their parents we will have 2
sessions.
The idea behind the "celebration" is that we have a
lot of things to celebrate at this time of year
(holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, solstice) and we
should all celebrate together; teachers, parents and
pupils.
Our winter holidays will begin after the assemblies
on Friday and we return to school for the second
term on Monday January 7th 2013.
Following some staff members doing a First Aid
course we were encouraged to collect used mobile
phones in exchange for a defibrillator for our
school. This piece of equipment is literally a life
saver and to have one in our school would be a
source of great comfort to everyone.
At this time of year with telephone upgrades being
availed of and new phones being bought as gifts, it
seems like the perfect time to collect the old mobile
phones. We have a collection box located at the top
of the ramp where all the phones will be gratefully
accepted.
Our AISTEAR room will be changing its focus from
the post office to THE RESTAURANT after the winter
break. If you have any props that you think might be
of use we would be delighted with them. Just tell
teacher what you have and we can arrange a time to
take them from you.
I realise that the finances in every family are
stretched at the moment but you might consider
buying some books for your children during the
holidays. If this isn't possible maybe you could go
to the Blanchardstown library on a family outing and
go to the kiddies section there. It's free and it's great
fun too!
Just another quick reminder regarding gifts for
teachers at holiday time - A word of thanks or a card
is greatly appreciated.
We had a very successful Parents' information
meeting last week when we explained how the
maths programme we follow in our school is
approached - "Ready, Set, Go" - and how parents
can help so easily to support our work in school. We
all had great fun and eventhough it was a
particularly cold evening there was a large turnout.
Thanks to Lisa for providing the bright and cheerful
venue and all the preparation earlier that day.
Only 20 lines left in our "Giant Teddy" raffle. We
hope to "scratch the winner" on the day of the
assemblies so if you want to be in with a chance of
adding a new member to your family who would be
maintenance free send your €2 in the sound folders
to teacher!
Hope to see you all at our assemblies on Friday
morning.
Fergal
10.12.12
Hi everyone!
Our mid-winter break is fast approaching and the children are busy preparing for our "winter
celebration" assembly which all the parents are most welcome to attend on the last day of this
term. The children will sing some songs about Christmas and Hanukkah, their Jolly Phonics
sounds and some other action songs.
Our first fire drill was a great success. All the pupils in our school were evacuated from the
building and acounted for in less than five minutes. It might be a good idea for everyone to
devise a fire plan for your home and involve your children in making the plan.
As you can imagine it is really cold for the children and teachers at the moment when we go
out to the playground. Eventhough it is cold it is also very important for us all to get fresh air
as it helps us to learn. Please make sure that your child has a nice warm coat (if possible with
a hood) and that they are able to put it on and take it off independently. If you would like to get
gloves, mittens are a great idea, easy on-easy off.
Our Junior Infants are now coming close to finishing all their single letter sounds and it is vital
that they practice them every day at home. It takes less than five minutes so please try to fit it
into your daily timetable at home. Once we begin blending our sounds there won't be a lot of
time to go back on work already completed.
We have about twenty lines remaining in our Teddy Bear Raffle. If you would like a chance to
win the Teddy Bear for the blind you can put €2 in your child's sound folder and teacher will
write the name on one of the lines. Thank you.
We will be organising a meeting in January for all those parents who would like to help out in
the classrooms. Keep an eye on this section of the website and the parents' Notice Board.
A short reminder that gifts for teachers at this time of the year are not necessary or expected.
Say something nice on a card or simply say "Thank You" when you see the teacher.
Teachers love "Thank yous"
The teachers will be meeting with the parents of all the children towards the end of January to
report formally to you on your child's progress in school. Times option sheets will be sent
home closer to the day in an affort to facilitate all of the parents' busy lives.
If you are thinking about buying something nice for your child this holiday time, please
consider a book and maybe let your child choose his/her book to buy. Another option is
to visit the library in the shopping centre where there is a wonderful selection of books to
borrow.
We now have seven teachers and a special needs assistant in our schooland all the children
will benefit greatly from the very comprehensive allocation of assistance that we have
planned. When children's learning needs are catered for they are happier and love coming to
school. We hope that with the extra help that we now have and with parents also helping out,
we will have the happiest school in Ireland!
Don't forget the small birds during the cold weather. When the ground is hard they find it
difficult to forrage and rely on us humans to leave scraps out for them. Each class in our
school has a bird feeder filled with nuts and suet to look after our feathered friends.
More news next week.
Fergal
30.11.12
Last day of November today!
Boy, it's been a cold month, hasn't it?
I hope that the month of December won't be as cold but I'm afraid the
weather forecasters don't have great news for us on that front!
The whole issue of which months match which seasons has been
further complicated by the meteorological Station informing us that
they decide the "winter" months by temperature! For what it's worth,
our traditional Irish "Winter" months areNovember, December and
January.
On a more practical note, please ensure that the children are well
wrapped up in the mornings coming to school especially on a Monday
morning as the school hasn't been heated during the weekend.
Our "Aistear" theme for the month of December is"The Post
Office" (Oifig an Phoist) and so if you are going there to post letters or
to get postal orders or to pay bills, it would be a great idea to bring
your child with you and use the opportunity to talk about what people
do in a Post Office.
We have more than half of our lines sold for The Big Teddy raffle in
aid of the Council for the Blind. €2 gets your name on a line and a one
in seventy chance of winning the Teddy.
We are having the first of our termly Fire Drills this week. The children
will discover how important it is to remain calm and walk in an orderly
fashion to their assembly point. The chance of a fire breaking out in a
primary school while the children are in class is minimal. The whole
idea is that because most fires happen in the home the children will
encourage families to put a plan in place.
We tell the children the day and time of this drill. During the next term
we will tell the children the day but not the time and in the final term
the children will know the week but neither the day nor time.
Parents, please sign and date all notes that the teachers write in your
child's blue notebook to show that you have read the notes.
Notebooks should be checked every evening. Thanks.
Photos of grandparents that were kindly sent to school for our display
have been sent home last week or this week. Please check folders for
your photos.
Our WINTER CELEBRATIONS ASSEMBLY will take place in our hall
on the day of the holidays. Parents are invited to join with the children
and teachers to celebrate the children's learning, Christmas and
Hanukkah. As we have 4 classes this year we are going to do two
"shifts". Julie's and Jacqui's classes and parents will go first followed
by Lisa's and Fergal's classes. More details closer to the day.
As you are all probably aware at this stage, we are due to move into
our permanent building in ongar in September 2014. The name that
we have for our school at the moment is one we chose as we didn't
know where we would eventually be located. Now that we know it's
going to be in the Barnwell estate in Hansfield, Ongar we want to
change our school's name. What do you think that it should be? If you
have an idea, please email it to bwetns@gmail.com
Remember, if it's raining when the children arrive at school in the
mornings at 8:30, you should go to the hall and line up there so that
you don't get wet.
If the children are late any day, they have to buzz at the main door
because the classroom doors are closed to keep in the heat. There's
no need to buzz lots of times. Poor Bernie only has two legs and if
she is already bringing late children to their classrooms she can't
open the door at the same time! Please Be Patient. I'm sure that you
agree that Bernie is not to blame for your tardiness! Thank you and a
smile is a better plan.
It's nice to be nice!
More bits 'n bobs next week,
Fergal
23.11.12
Dia dhaoibh go léir
(hi everyone)
Following a very comprehensive recruitment process last week, our Board of
Management have appointed three new staff members.
1. An English Language Support teacher.
2. A teacher for Martina's class while she
is out on maternity leave.
3. A Special Needs Assistant.
Our school community welcomes Mary, Jacqui and Theresa and hope that
they will have a great time guiding our children's learning and that they will
make lots of friends here.
A big "Thank You" to Deirdre who did a great job looking after the children in
Martina's class while she was ill for some time.
The weather forecast people tell us that next week is going to be really cold so
the children and teachers should wrap up well coming into school and make
sure to have suitably warm coats for the playground.
Parents, please make sure that the children can open and close their coats and
shoes independently.
The National Council for the Blind of Ireland have asked us to raffle a giant
Teddy bear to raise funds for their great work. There are 70 lines to be sold
and when a hidden number is scratched away the number of the winning line
will be revealed.
Lines cost €2 each which you can put in your child's little sound folder for a
chance to win the GIANT TEDDY.
The raffle will take place as soon as the 70 lines have been sold. Best of luck
everyone.
We hope that the large group of parents who came to our Aistear information
evening last Thursday enjoyed Julie and Lisa's super presentation. Thanks
girls!
We believe in the invaluable contribution of play in our children's learning and
how valuable it is when parents continue the process at home.
And it's fun too!
Our next port of call will be to the Post Office so if you have an opportunity to
bring your children there, ask them what they see and get them to converse
with the postmaster/postmistress.
We are flagging the whole topic of presents for teachersearly this year to
make sure that our message is heard. Teachers DO NOT EXPECT gifts at the
end of the first term. Of course it is always lovely when your efforts are
acknowledged and we are certainly not adverse to this.
Gifts however, place needless pressure on parents at this time of the year
when they have other things to be worrying about. The only things that we
accept are words of appreciation and home made cards. Please join us
in our wishes at this early stage in our school's life to make it easy for
years to come.
Final word this week goes to our Jolly Phonics sounds. Our children do two
sounds every week. These should be practised at home every day and it would
be great if parents could ask the children if they know any words that begin
with the same sound as the sound you are looking at.
The next stage is to begin blending the sounds and then we begin with small
word attacking skills. The children really do have to know the initial sounds
very solidly to progress through subsequent step comfortably.
PLEASE parents practice the sounds EVERY evening at home. If the children
repeat information within hours of hearing it, they have a significantly better
chance of recalling in the longterm.
More Bits 'n Bobs next week
Slán.
Fergal
13.11.12
Happy Divali to one and all!
We have many children in our school who will be
celebrating the festival of Divali - festival of light
with their families and friends for the next 5 days. it
celebrates the victory of light over darkness or good
over evil.
Hindus, buddhists and sikhs among others all use
this particular time to celebrate apart of their own
particular faith system. The time of the year is
governed by the lunar cycle - different to our
Gregorian calendar. For this reason, Divali occurs
on different dates each year.
Fireworks, food, rangoli patterns and mendi on
people's hands feature among the traditions.
I can recommend a great explanation video clip on
Divaldi found on Youtube made by The National
Geographic Society. And isn't lovely to see Dublin
City Council organising a Divali celebration for all
those from India living in Ireland.
Our Aistear Room is now fully set up and running
and the children love the many visits they make
there each week. Our theme at the moment is the
shopping centre and not surprisingly the fast food
outlets are a firm favourite. Shopping in clothes
shops and constructing new stores are also
popular!
The National Council for the Blind of Ireland have
asked us to raffle a giant Teddy bear to raise funds
for their great work. There are 70 lines to be sold
and when a hidden number is scratched away the
number of the winning line will be revealed. Lines
cost €2 each. You can write their nameput €2 in your
child's sound folder and we'll write their name on
the
WIN A TEDDY CARD.
Our school has been allocated an extra teacher who
will begin in December. Many teachers have applied
for this position and the successful candidate will
begin soon. We hope that this teacher will assist
Ursula in giving specific help to our students for
whom English is a second language and also to
those who have some small learning difficulties. The
successful candidate will get a great welcome in our
school when he/she arrives I'm sure. In addition to
this, Martina will be going out on maternity leave
from next Monday and we have invited teachers to
apply for this position also, so we should have 2
new faces in our school by the beginning of
December. We wish Martina the very best in her
happy times ahead and hope that she will bring
junior into visit the children when they're both well
enough to do so.
An appeal to parents: Please do not to send your
child to school in hill-walking boots. The children
are not able to walk in this type of footwear nor are
they able to keep the laces knotted securely and
regularly trip as a result.
Some classes have a small toy animal that travels to
the homes of different children in turn and
participates in family life there for an evening or a
weekend. The toy is accompanied by a camera and a
diary. The idea is that the toy becomes part of the
family and is photographed doing the things that the
family does. A small picture is drawn in the diary of
one of the activities with the child's name and date
written beside it. All 3 items are returned to the
school the following day and the whole class view
the photos on the computer and look at the picture
drawn in the diary. 5 photos are sufficient and one
big coloured picture drawn in the diary. The children
really feel proud when reporting back to their
classmates about the activities they engaged in.
Thanks to parents/older siblings for checking the
sounds with the junior infant children every evening.
It will make such a huge difference when they begin
to blend and eventually read.
More snippets next weekend,
Fergal
Samhain shona dhaoibh!
Happy Halloween to you!
The Irish word for November (Samhain) is the same as the word we use for
Halloween. Dating back to the time of the pagan Ireland, the feast of Samhain
was a major celebration in the celtic calendar.
The Christian calendar has this time of year also set aside to commemorate
the spirit of those who had died - All Souls Day. Thus all the ghosts, skeletons,
magic and witches theme of Halloween. Maybe it isn't such a coincidence that
both earmarked that particular time of year as a celebration; Mother nature
after all makes significant changes at this time.
Whether coincidence or not we have inherited a "mish mash" of the celtic and
Christian traditions and in my opinion why our present day commemoration is
so widely misunderstood. Added to the cocktail of course are other influential
countries' interpretation of our tradition, resulting in the commercial flurry that
we have but with very little understanding.
Google "Halloween" and see what you can discover about this time of year!
The children's referendum will take place on Saturday 10th November. If you can vote it is
important that you do vote and find out as much as you can beforehand in the little booklets
delivered to every household or go on-line to www.childrensreferendum.ie
Many thanks to two Muslim mums parents (Sali and Fardana) , who kindly
gave of their time to explain about Eid Ul-Adha to all the classes. They went to
a lot of trouble putting together a chart with photos of all the essential
elements of the feast and also had a small traditional treat for each of the
children.
EID MUBARAK
Thanks also to the dads who, at very short notice cleaned up some rubbish in
our campus and filled a skip in extra quicktime. Much appreciated.
The healthy lunches the children bring to school are super! Try to make sure
that the snack containers can be easily opened by the children. Your child
should also be able to open and close coats, shoes and school bags
independently.
Classes begin in BWETNS at 8:30am. The children should be waiting outside their classroom
@ 8:25am. Children become very upset if they are late because they miss out on reception
time and then teachers have to repeat everything for late-comers. School is practice for adult
living where punctuality shows consideration for others and isn't really an option.
A special word of thanks to all the "collectors" who are waiting for the
classroom doors to open @ 1:10pm. As you can understand, it takes the
children quite some time to get ready for home because they have lots of
"jobs" to do beforehand. If the door doesn't open at exactly 1:10pm this is
invariably the reason.
If you provide a service that may be useful to other parents in the school, you
can request that a small card be placed on the noticeboard at the front of the
school.
Please return any clothes your child's teacher provides in the event of a toilet
"accident". Underwear can be kept but I'm sure that you understand that we
need trousers and tops returned washed and dried. Thanks.
More news in 2 weeks time,
Happy halloween!!!!!
Fergal