Dhoon School, Maughold, Isle of Man
Department of Education and Children
Rheynn Ynsee as Paitchyn
Headteacher
Maxim J Kelly
Dhoon Primary School
Maughold
Isle of Man, IM7 1HA
Direct Dial No:
Website:
Email:
(01624) 861227
www.sch.im/groups/dhoonschool
enquiries@dhoon.sch.im
NEWSLETTER (7) FRIDAY 6th MARCH 2015
Message from Mr Kelly
Dear parents,
Teachers and practitioners from all of the Department of Education and Children’s schools and
educational institutions across the Island (primary, secondary and the Isle of Man College) have
been collaborating to produce an agreed shared vision for education in the Isle of Man. It is
intended that the vision will provide all those working in education in the Isle of Man with a clear
articulation of the intended direction, enabling schools to work purposefully towards its
implementation. The shared vision statement for education in the Isle of Man is as follows:
“On the Isle of Man we have a clear, shared vision for the whole of education. We believe that every
student has the potential to achieve. Our collective vision and strategic plans keep us moving forward
towards a world-class education system for all and allow us to be proactive rather than reactive in our
approach. Distributed leadership is common as there is a sense of ownership for all.
We ensure a diversity of opportunity that meets the needs of all learners. There is skilled collaboration
within and between all schools and the College together with high quality support services. The
Department of Education and Children invests in training for leadership and learning and we help create a
strong political will to fully resource education properly.
As shared learning spaces, our premises are used to facilitate and support lifelong learning in collaboration
with local businesses and the wider community. Our education system is underpinned by the Essentials for
Learning Framework and everyone fully understands and is engaged in the approach.
We have a commitment to excellent professional development and training. We network, collaborate, have
teacher exchange programmes and invest in outstanding learning opportunities for all staff groups. We
maintain high expectations for all staff and students, and systematically monitor and review where we are
and how much progress we are making. Everything we do is learner-centred, creating the best outcomes
for students of all ages.
We believe that education is about more than just ‘school’ or ‘the College’. Such places are merely
buildings; education is about engaging the whole community in learning.”
This shared vision complements Dhoon School’s individual vision statement which reads:
“Dhoon School is a creative, innovative and dynamic learning community, built upon traditional values and
strong community links; where everyone is encouraged, empowered and inspired to be happy and
successful, to seek improvement and to strive for excellence.”
Best wishes
1
Important dates
13th March – Red Nose Day (details below)
w/c 16th March – Year Six Cycling Proficiency lessons (details below)
19th March – Primary School Cross-Country Championships 2015
23rd March – Parents Information Meeting for Year Six Trip to Shropshire (details below)
27th March – School closes for the Easter Holiday at end of the school day
27th March – Shennaghys Jiu Celtic Mucis Festival at Bunscoill Rumsaa
14th April – School reopens following the Easter Holiday (please note that this is a Tuesday.)
14th April – Parents evening (details below)
15th April - Parents evening (details below)
16th April – Dhoon School Annual “Welly Walk” (details below)
Dhoon School Annual “Welly Walk”
We will do our annual Welly Walk in the first week back after Easter, on the morning of Thursday
16th April. Hopefully April will still be early enough in the year for the need for some wellies as we
march along our traditional route. Sponsorship forms will be sent home in the week before the
Easter Holidays so everyone can have two weeks to drum up some support. As has come to be
the case for fundraising, the Welly Walk will be a joint appeal, with half the proceeds raised
going to charity and half the proceeds going towards the School Fund which is used to provide
additional resources and extra-curricular opportunities to enhance the learning experiences of all
of our pupils at Dhoon School. As true believers in giving the pupils a genuine say, the school
council will be selecting the charity that they’d like the Welly Walk to support. Details of the
charity of their choosing, along with further organizational details about the walk, will accompany
the forthcoming sponsorship form.
Y6 Cycling Proficiency Lessons
Cycling proficiency lessons for the children in Year 6 will be taking place every morning, starting
Monday 16th March and lasting until Friday 20th March. In order to participate, parental permission is
required along with a commitment from parents that their child is provided with a bike in roadworthy
condition. Information to assist parents in checking the suitability and roadworthiness of their child’s
bike is being sent home with the Year 6s today, and the accompanying parental permission form
needs to be signed and returned to school as soon as possible. Failure to complete and return the
form will mean that your child will be unable to receive the cycling proficiency lessons.
On Monday 16th March, Year 6 children will be asked to bring their bicycles with them to school in
the morning. They should be taken through the gate at the top of the car-park and wheeled onto the
back playground and rested against the outside sports-hall wall. Bicycles are to remain at school for
the duration of the week and will be securely stored inside the sports-hall overnight. Parents are to
collect the bicycles from the back of the sports-hall on Friday 20th March, after school. Please note
that bicycles should not be ridden across our car-park or on our playground.
Parents Evenings
Formal parents evenings are due to be held in the first week back after the Easter Holiday. The main
parents evening will be held on Tuesday 14th April (4pm – 7pm). As I’m sure you can appreciate,
after all afternoon in the classroom, the teachers will require a short break and an opportunity to
prepare for the Parents’ Evening; as such, once the children have been dismissed at the end of the
2
school day, the doors for the school will be closed, re-opening for the Parents’ Evening at 4pm.
Doors will be locked again from 6.50pm onwards.
On Wednesday 15th April, there will be a shorter parents evening (4pm – 5.30pm) to meet with any
parents who were unable to attend on the Tuesday. Again, once the children have been dismissed at
the end of the school day, the doors for the school will be closed, re-opening for the Parents’ Evening
at 4pm. Doors will be locked again from 5.20pm onwards.
From this coming Monday (9th March 2015) up until Wednesday 25th March, there will be
appointment sheets on display in the Main Entrance Area. Parents will be able to sign up to an
appointment with the teachers they would like to see. Any parents who have not made an
appointment by Wednesday 25th March will be contacted by telephone and offered free slots.
Obviously if you do not sign up for an appointment for a time of your choosing, the slots offered to
you by telephone may not be as convenient to you. Our expectation is that every child will be
represented by a parent at one of the two evenings, and we encourage you to sign up for an
appointment as soon as possible.
Mrs Baker, the Headteacher of Ramsey Grammar School, will be based in school during the Tuesday
Parents Evening from 5pm. She will be available for “drop-in” appointments (with no prior booking
necessary) in the “Lighthouse Library” and will be happy to meet with any Year Six parents who wish
to introduce themselves and/or ask any questions about the move from Dhoon School to Ramsey
Grammar School in September.
Red Nose / School Fund Joint Fundraiser
On Friday 13th March we are holding a low-key joint fundraising event. Comic Relief are staging a
“Red Nose Day” to raise money to transform the lives of millions of people, both in the UK and across
Africa. We have agreed to support this charity event this year, and pupils will be allowed to wear their
Red Nose for the day. Red Noses will be on sale in school from Monday 9th March, and each one
comes in a small bag which when opened will reveal a different Red Nose character! Will you get
“Snout Dracula,” “Snortel,” “Stripey,” “Karate Konk,” “Astrosnort,” “Supernose,” “Nosebot,” “Snorbit”
or “Snotty Professor?!” In addition, on the same day, we will let children wear non-uniform to help
fundraise for the Dhoon School Fund so that we can enhance our curricular and extra-curricular
provision. Children may wish to wear their own choice of clothes, or try to dress up as their Red Nose
character! To take part, children can bring in £2 from Monday 9th March, with £1 buying them a Red
Nose for the Comic Relief appeal, and £1 allowing them to wear non-uniform for the school fund. All
monies raised will be split equally between Comic Relief and Dhoon School.
Parents Information Meeting for Year Six Trip to Shropshire
On Monday 23rd March there will be a meeting for parents about the Year 6 trip to Culmington Manor
in Shropshire. At this meeting we will explain the details and itinerary for the trip, issue a kit-list, talk
through medical matters, and answer any questions that you may have.
There will be some paperwork for parents to complete as well, and the attendance of a parent for all
children registered on this trip is strongly encouraged. The children are welcome to come along, too.
Trainee Teacher
Miss Candy, a trainee teacher from Edge Hill University, has started a ten week placement with us.
Miss Candy will be working in Class 2, and her teaching is being supported and reviewed by Mrs Udy,
an Associate Tutor of Edge Hill University, and Mrs Shimmin in her capacity as trainee mentor. I’m
sure the whole school community will make Miss Candy feel very welcome during her time with us.
**** ENDS ****
3