Newsletters Archived

Infant Children
Infant children (Junior & Senior Infants) should not be left unsupervised in the yard in the morning.  Parents/Guardians should remain with their child/children until they are passed over to the care of their teacher at 8.30am.  Under no circumstances should Infant children be dropped at the school gate to enter school grounds alone unless they are accompanied by an older sibling.

Inclement Weather
On wet mornings, please time your children’s arrival at school to 8.20am at the earliest, as children are not permitted on school grounds until the main gates are opened.  Please do not enter the grounds via the Staff Car Park.  Children (1st class and upwards) can be dropped at the main gate as per the following procedure.

Safety Notice re Dropping Off/Collecting

Please note the following important safety points:

• People may stop momentarily adjacent to the Bus parking area to drop off/collect their children. 
• Please move as far up as possible on that stretch (to the gate past the pedestrian entrance) so that six or seven cars can drop off/collect at the same time. 
• For their safety, children should be dropped off /collected only on the school side of the road. 
• Please do not stop on the main roundabout. 
• Please also note that parents are not permitted to park in the Staff Car Park when dropping or collecting children.  If you are returning to the school to drop off forgotten lunches, schoolbags, etc., we would ask that you park in the bus stop area and enter via the Pedestrian Gate. (Please close gates after you leave)
• Please inform your child to go to reception if he/she is in any doubt about collection arrangements or attendance at an after school activity, if their collector is late or if there is nobody to meet him/her at the designated meeting point.

Thank you for your cooperation.

ACCORD Relationship Programme for 5th & 6th Class
A talk for Parents of 5th and 6th Class children will take place next Wednesday 12 February at 8.00pm in the Tigers Room. Please enter via the Diswellstown (Tigers) door.  Accord Facilitators will attend the school to speak to the children on 24 February (5th Class) and 25 February (6th Class).  Parent Consent Forms have been distributed to the children this week.  Please note forms MUST be returned to the class teacher on or before Thursday 13 February whether or not you are giving consent for your child to attend. An email copy of the consent form has also been sent to all parents for your convenience.

Audio Books
The school is starting to build up a selection of Audio Books. We currently have some of the Harry Potter collection of stories. If your child (4th/5th/6th class) would be interested in this, we ask that you, the parent/guardian, send a note or email requesting same. Please note discs will be given one at a time.

“Knock-out Trials” for School Santry Team – Cumann na mBunscol Athletics Championships 
Trials are still on-going for this year’s school team. We now have a shortlist for each age category. The children who have made it onto the shortlists will be informed over the next week. Final selection will be made from these lists. It should be noted that selection is based on a number of points – athletic ability, team spirit, sportsmanship, general behaviour etc. The remainder of the “Knock-out Trials” will be held after school. Those who make it onto the shortlists must attend if they want to be considered for the team. Those selected for the team must be available for the championships held at Morton Stadium, Santry, the last week in May and/or first week in June. Please watch Newsletters following the Mid-Term Break for the schedule of After-School Trials.

Parents Association News

Blazers for Communion
The parents association would like to sincerely thank all parents who participated in the survey.  The majority voted not to go forward with the blazers.
If parents have any comments, please do not hesitate to forward them to the Parents Association via email.

Reminders

Dogs in School Yard
Following concerns raised by some parents, we would ask that you discourage any child from petting your dog. Under no circumstances should dogs be brought onto school grounds nor should they be tied up and left unattended.

Reminder re dismounting bicycles, etc.
In the interest of everyone’s safety, all cyclists (pupils, parents, staff & siblings) must dismount from their bicycles at the school entrance gates.  For safety reasons, we would ask that you do not allow your children to use bicycles, scooters, rollerblades or Heelys on school grounds.

Dropping in lunches, bags, homework etc.
As there are approximately 740 children in the school, it is essential that, if you are dropping in any of your child’s forgotten belongings e.g. lunches, bags, homework, football gear, etc., that they are clearly marked with your child’s name and their class teacher.

Extra Curricular Activities

Badminton
New term starts this week.  There are spaces available on Wednesday and Friday sessions.

Spanish for Children
Calling all 5th & 6th class SPNS pupils interested in doing Spanish in Secondary School! Special Intense 12 week course, starting week beginning 24th February. Also starting, a brand new term for Pre­schoolers (3+). Books & CDs supplied. Limited places, don’t miss out! For details, please Email marygalvin@upcmail.ie, phone 087 267 4809, visit www.spanishclasses4children.com ASAP, please, so materials can be ordered to arrive in time for start date. Gracias, Mary

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Parking
The Gardaí and local residents have recently approached the school regarding the issue of dangerous and illegal parking.  We appreciate that lack of parking space is a major problem for all parents.  However, cars must be parked in a safe, legal and considerate manner.

Unfortunately, a number of parents continue to park and block access to/from driveways, and park dangerously close to junctions and entrances to estates.  This is both highly inconsiderate towards the residents of these estates and is, in fact, illegal.

There are also a number of parents who stop at the roundabout on the main road which is also a dangerous and illegal practice.  It is also an unnecessary practice as we have a safe procedure in place for dropping children off at the main entrance of the school.

The following are extracts from the Rules of the Road:

1. A vehicle may not park on double yellow lines in any circumstances.
2. A vehicle may not be parked within 5m of a junction.
3. Vehicles may not be parked near: a bend, the brow of a hill, a humped back bridge, a continuous white line, where it would obstruct a sign, at an entrance, at a bus stop or opposite another vehicle on a narrow road.

The Board of Management will have no hesitation in supporting local residents who choose to report drivers who park illegally or trespass on their property. The Board will also support those parents who choose to report instances of dangerous parking/driving that may put the lives of their children at risk. 

There is ample parking available at Spar car park which is a short distance from the school. Cars must be parked properly in the car park.  Under no circumstances should a car obstruct one of their patrons or interfere with delivery truck access.