Reminder – No school Thursday 3rd October 2019
Thursday 3rd October – School Closed for Teacher Training on the New Primary Language Curriculum.
Launch of School Lotto
The Parents Association are delighted to announce the launch of the weekly lotto. This is an exciting and new venture for the school and is aimed at raising funds for specific projects in supporting the education of children, both now and for years to come.
CLG An Tearmainn
Termon Minors & the Senior girls who won the County Final visit Scoil Naomh Fiachra
Pass pupils include: Kevin McGettigan, Mark Toye, Lorcan Callaghan, Oisin Forde and Orla Corry.
Retirement Function for Mrs Doreen Kennedy
Welcome back to school
It is great to welcome all the children back to school looking so well-rested and refreshed after their summer break and ready for the year ahead. We especially welcome our 56 new Junior Infants and all the other new pupils who have started in our school this year. We hope they will spend many happy days, months and years in Scoil Naomh Fiachra.
Retirement Function for Mrs Doreen Kennedy
Our Deputy Principal, Mrs Doreen Kennedy has been a member of staff in our school for the last 39 years. She retires at the end of this month and will be greatly missed by all of us here in Scoil Naomh Fiachra. During those 39 years Mrs Kennedy has seen great change in our school and has made a huge contribution to the education of generations of pupils from the locality. We wish her all the best as she begins a new phase in her life!
The Parents’ Association and Board of Management invite all past and current parents, guardians, past pupils and members of the school community to a function to celebrate Mrs Kennedy’s retirement. Her long association with the school as a teacher, as Deputy Principal, as a parent of 5 children who attended the school and as a former member of the Board of Management will be acknowledged in the Radisson Hotel on Saturday 21st September at 8.00p.m. Please join us for what promises to be a night of celebration!
Junior Infant Parents
The parents/guardians of the Junior Infant children are invited to attend an information meeting with the Junior Infant teachers on Wednesday 2nd October at 7.00p.m. At this meeting your child’s teacher will outline school routines and what your child will learn during his/her first year at school. Parents/guardians will have the opportunity to speak with the class teacher if they so wish. Following this meeting parents/guardians are asked to go to the school hall for a short meeting with the Principal Teacher, Mr Kilcoyne.
This meeting will finish at 7.50pm with a cup of tea in the school hall which will be provided by our Parents’ Association.
School Information Evening
Our annual information evening is currently being organised. We expect it will be held in early October. A member of the Parents’ Association, a member of the Board of Management and the Principal Teacher will briefly address the meeting. Information about the school will be outlined.
Our Parents’ Association Committee will organise a Guest Speaker to address parents at this meeting. Further details will be posted on our website nearer the date and a reminder text will be sent to all parents and guardians. One parent from each family is expected to attend.
Staff changes
A full staff list can be viewed at www.illistrin.town.ie. Any staff changes during the year will be posted to this list on our website.
Active Homework
As part of being an Active School, teachers will no longer give written homework to pupils on Thursdays. Instead pupils are asked to take part in some physical activity every Thursday after school. Oral homework e.g. reading and spellings will continue to be given on Thursdays.
Uniform
Full uniform must be worn every day. Pupils who are not wearing full uniform may be placed on detention during break time. P.E tracksuit should be worn on P.E. days. If your child has lunchtime training or is attending a sporting event during the school day, s/he must wear the school P.E. tracksuit.
Going Home Early
Children may only go home early if they have a medical appointment. Please let the teacher know in advance by writing a note in your child’s homework diary or a written letter to your child’s teacher. When you are collecting your child please avoid our busy break times at 11.00 and 12.30. Please go directly to the secretary’s office, “sign out” your child and wait there until the school secretary arranges for your child to leave class and meets with you at the secretary’s office. For child protection reasons visitors to the school are not allowed to go directly to classrooms.
Our Early Collection of Pupils Policy can be viewed under the Policies and Enrolment tab of our website.
Child Safeguarding Statement
The Board of Management of Scoil Naomh Fiachra has approved our Child Safeguarding Statement. The statement can be viewed under the Policies and Enrolment tab on our website and a hard copy can be viewed in the school office. The Board of Management has appointed Mr Luke Kilcoyne as the Designated Liaison Person and Mrs Doreen Kennedy as the Deputy Designated Liaison Person for Child Protection matters.
Pupil Personal Accident Insurance
Allianz have been providing Pupil Personal Accident Insurance to schools in Ireland since the mid 1980’s. Pupil Personal Accident Insurance is a benefits policy and covers Medical and Dental expenses following an accident. All pupils enrolled in our school are covered by this policy for any accident taking place in school or out of school. The cost is included in school book fees. Full details can be accessed via this link: https://www.allianz.ie/schools/pupil-personal-accident/cover
Book Fees
Thank you to all parents who have paid book fees for this year. If you have not yet paid the fees, please arrange payment as soon as possible.
Contact numbers and addresses
It is vital that we have your contact number and address at all times in case of an emergency involving your child. If there is any change at any time in your contact details, please inform the school secretary immediately. You can email any change to our secretary at illistrin@eircom.net Instead of writing to parents we use our “text a parent” service. If you have not received any of our texts, please contact our secretary.
Communion and Confirmation
2nd class pupils who are making their First Holy Communion will celebrate the sacrament at 11a.m. on Saturday 9th May 2020 in the Cathedral, Letterkenny. Candidates for Confirmation from 6th class will celebrate the sacrament on Thursday, 30th January 2020 at 5.00p.m.
Car park
Please read the information sheet regarding the safe use of our school car park which is posted on our website under the parents info tab and can be read in your child’s homework diary. Please make anyone who is dropping or collecting your child/ren aware of the arrangements for the safe use of the car park. In the interests of pupil safety please be patient and careful when using the car park and please do not block the road between the school car park and the garage.
Administration of Medication
Staff members cannot administer medication to children without authorisation from the Board of Management of the school. This includes inhalers. Obviously, it is preferable that medical practitioners would arrange times for medication so that they don’t coincide with school time. However, if this is not possible and you require your child to be administered emergency medication in school please contact the Principal Teacher for a copy of the procedures which must be followed.
Closures
A list of closures for the school year 2019.2020 was posted to our website in May on the calendar page under the parents’ info tab. We will leave the list on the website throughout the year. In addition to the closures circulated to parents before the summer holidays the school will also close for teacher training on the new Primary Language Curriculum on Thursday 3rd October 2020.
School Timetable, Attendance and Punctuality
Thank to everyone for their cooperation with our new school timetable. Pupils should be ready to join their class line when the bell rings at 9.00a.m. This helps to ensure a smooth start to the school day.
School opens to receive pupils at 8.40a.m. No arrangement exists for the supervision of children who arrive at school whether by bus, or otherwise, before 8.40 a.m. and therefore no responsibility is accepted by the school for pupils before that time. Pupils may be taken into their classrooms or the school hall (if it is available) on very wet mornings from 8.40a.m.
The school day finishes at 1.40 p.m. for infants and 2.40 p.m. for all other pupils. 1st class are walked to the school gates at 2.35p.m. to help ease congestion at 2.40p.m. The school accepts no responsibility for pupils after these times and it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to arrange the safe collection of their children at these times.
Regular attendance is vital to your child’s progress at school. Children should only be absent from school when they are ill. Please supply a written note to your child’s class teacher for each absence. I am legally obliged to report any pupil who is absent for 20 days or more in any school year to TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency. An Education Welfare Officer may contact a parent if such a report must be made.
Calls to the secretary’s office
Please let your child know every day who will collect him/her after school and whether or not he/she is going home by bus or car. Children can become anxious if there is an unscheduled change to collection arrangements. Keeping to the same routine is in everyone’s best interests. Please always notify the class teacher, by written note, if there is any change in collection arrangements. We can not guarantee that the school phone will always be answered during the school day and phone calls to the secretary’s office should be kept to a minimum. If you require a letter confirming your child’s attendance at this school please allow 2 days advance notice to the school secretary. You can email your request to illistrin@eircom.net
Swimming
Pupils from 3rd class are availing of swimming lessons in Aura Leisure Centre during the 1st term. Ms Ferry’s, Ms Devlin’s and Ms Molloy’s classes have started their weekly lessons. 4th classes will start later in the year.
Cross Country Athletics
We were delighted to see so many pupils from senior classes attend trials on our running track for our Cross- Country Athletics Team. Well done to our Cross-Country Team members who participated in the Annual Cross-Country Schools’ Competition at O’Donnell Park on 13th September. They trained hard during lunch breaks and ran brilliantly. We are very proud of them. Check out the photos of team members on our website.
Gaelic Football Coaching
Mr Jim Clarke, Gaelic Football coach, is back with us again this year. Jim has started his coaching with 6th classes on Thursdays. During the year most classes will get the opportunity to avail of Jim’s coaching. We are grateful to St Eunan’s GAA club for providing this coaching free of charge to our pupils.
We also welcome Nathan McElwaine from Termon GAA club who is coaching various classes on Fridays. Our pupils are really enjoying his coaching sessions and we thank Termon GAA club for this free coaching for our pupils.
School Book Fair
Our Annual School Book Fair will take place from 13th – 20th November. A great selection of books will be available and a catalogue and price list will be sent home a week prior to the Book Fair. Pupils will get the opportunity to browse (and buy if they wish) during school time and parents can visit on the evening of the 13th November.
Healthy Lunches
I wish to remind you that children should only bring healthy options to eat and drink for lunch. Our Healthy Eating Policy can be read on our website. Items such as fizzy drinks, biscuits, doughnuts and fruit winders are not allowed due to their high sugar content. Milk, water, fruit, breads and yoghurts are considered healthy options.
Allergies
Some children in the school have severe allergic reactions to peanuts/nuts. This allergic reaction can occur through ingestion of peanut/nut products, cross contamination and breathing peanuts/nuts in the air.
Since this condition can be very serious, we have declared the school a nut free zone we are asking for your help in minimising the risk to these children by:
- Avoiding giving children peanuts or any nuts in school lunches
- Avoiding giving peanut butter sandwiches, other spreads containing nuts such as Nutella and snacks/bars containing nuts or labelled “may contain nut traces” in school lunches
- Asking children not to share their lunches.
It is important that all parents carry out the suggested measures and reduce the risk of an allergic reaction to these children.
We also have a pupil who has an allergy to kiwis. Please continue to place fruit in your child’s lunch box but please avoid kiwis for lunch.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
We look forward to your help and co-operation throughout the year ahead. Parent-Teacher meetings will be held on Thursday 24th October from 3.00p.m. to 8.30p.m. At this meeting your child’s teacher/s will let you know how your child is progressing in his/her class. However, if at any stage there is anything you wish to discuss with myself, or any of the teachers, or if you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress in school please do not hesitate to contact the school secretary to arrange an appointment.
Letterkenny Cross Country Championships
Well done to all the children who participated in the Letterkenny Cross Country Championships which was held in O Donnell Park on Friday 13th September. The children showed great determination and strength as they made it through the muck and wet grass. It was a great achievement to run and complete the race as it was very tough. A special mention goes to Sophie McLaughlin who won an Individual gold medal in the girls Under-11 race. The boys and girls Under-9 team and the boys Under-11 team won Team bronze medals. The first two teams in each race and the first 10 individual children qualified for the next round which will be held in Buncrana. Well done to all involved.
Talk and Workshop on Dyslexia
School Reopens
School reopens on Monday, 2nd September 2019 at the NEW TIME of 9.00a.m. and CLOSES at the NEW TIME of 1.40p.m. for Junior & Senior Infants and 2.40p.m. for 1st – 6th Classes.
On the first day our new Junior Infants will come to school for a shorter day: 9.30a.m. to 12.15p.m. From Tuesday 3rd September our Junior Infants will start at 9.00a.m. and finish at 1.40p.m.
Dates
Please see the calendar for new dates added:
Thursday 3rd October – School Closed for Teacher Training on the New Primary Language Curriculum.
Thursday 24th October – Parent Teacher Meetings
Thursday 30th January 2019 – Confirmation at 5pm
Saturday 9th May 2020 – Holy Communion at 11a.m in St Eunan’s cathedral.
Staff Changes
2nd Class Ms K. Dunne (currently on leave – being replaced by Ms E. Gormley).
School Closures: September 2019 – June 2020
September 2nd (Monday) School opens for all pupils after the Summer break.
Thursday 3rd October – School Closed for Teacher Training on the New Primary Language Curriculum.
October Mid-Term Break Closing on Friday 25th October at the usual times.
Reopen on Monday 4th November.
Christmas Holidays Closing on Friday 20th December fora half day.
Reopen Monday 6th January 2020.
February Midterm Closed Thursday 20th & Friday 21st February 2020.
St Patrick’s Day Closed Monday 16th March and Tuesday 17th March 2020.
Easter Holidays Closing Friday 3rd April 2020 for a half day.
Reopen Monday 20th April 2020.
May Bank Holiday Closed Monday 4th May 2020.
June Bank Holiday Closed Friday 29th May 2020 & Monday 1st June 2020.
Summer Holidays Closing Friday 26th June 2020 for a half day.
This list of school holidays is also available under the parents’ info/calendar tab.
Please note that the Department of Education may close the school for other training days for teachers. As soon as we are informed of any additional school closures, we will notify all parents/guardians.
