Newsletters Archived
February Newsletter 2019Mid-Term Break
The school will be closed from 18 - 22 February inclusive for Mid-Term Break. The school will reopen on Monday 25 February.
Please note that the school will be closed to children on Friday 15 February to facilitate an In-Service Training day for Teachers as per Department of Education & Skills instructions.
Internet Safety Day
Safer Internet Day (SID) is an EU wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people.
The Theme for Safer Internet Day is “Together for a Better Internet”.
In order to celebrate Safer Internet Day (Feb 5th) The Student Council is running a Poster Competition this week to promote safe use of the internet. We are encouraging 1st to 6th class children to think about how to be safe when using any device which can access the internet- beginning with asking permission to use that device.
The closing date for Poster entries is Friday 8th February. All children who submit a poster (A4/A3) to their class teacher will be entered in a draw for Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet which was kindly donated to the school by a parent who would like to support the initiative.
We also have a number of ‘Safer Internet Day’ wrist bands which will be raffled in each class.
Please take a look at www.webwise.ie for lots of advice and information about ways to be safe on the internet.
NPC Talk on Transition from Primary to Post Primary
A National Parents Council Talk on Transition from Primary to Post-Primary will take place in the school foyer next Monday 11th February at 8PM. Hosted by your Parents’ Association and open to all (particularly 4th - 6th class). Looking forward to seeing as many of you there as can make it
Mandala Stones - Mr. Heneghan's 4th Class
Written by Cillian Breen and Seán Rogers
Mandala stones are flat, circular stones that are painted with many colours and designs. They help with healing, making yourself happy and protection.
You can find circular stones at the seaside, hobby shop or a garden centre!
These stones make you feel mentally happy.
Mandala stones will be on sale next week:
- €5 each or two for €9!
-100% of proceeds go to Darkness into Light for Pieta House.
Thank you for reading!
Peace Proms
“It was a lot of fun. The music was wonderful and the soloists were amazing. Thank you to the conductor Greg Beardsell for all his help and the the Cross Border Orchestra and the Peace Proms team. We would like to thank all the staff that came with us and a big thank you to Mrs. Corcoran for being supportive and teaching us all the songs and actions. We really enjoyed performing together.”
Written by choir members: Bea, Róisín, Sophie, Katie, Lauren, Conor, Yohannes, Ryan, Anna and Milo.
Community Credit Union Schools Quiz
“On Monday night (4th of February) two teams from St. Patrick's (Under 13's & Under 11's) attended the Community Credit Union Schools Quiz in the Carlton Hotel in Tyrrelstown. There was a large crowd and 45 schools were taking part in two age groups. It was quite tough but both teams did very well. On the Under 13's team was Eoghan Bredin, Doireann Rennick, Daniel Brady & Oran O'Connell. On the Under 11's team was Ailbhe Morgan, Lucy Brady, Noah Beausang & William Fennessy. The Under 11's team came second place out of around 25 schools. Sadly, only first place goes through to the regionals. We would like to thank Ms. Ryan, Ms. Campbell, Mr. King and Eimear for all their help in setting up the teams and supporting us. It was a great experience for all of us!”
By Lucy Brady, Ailbhe Morgan, William Fennessy & Noah Beausang - (Mr. Heneghan's 4th Class)
Ballet Ireland
Our first class pupils are participating in a programme of workshops in collaboration with Ballet Ireland’s outreach programme for National Schools. The final sessions are on Wednesday 06 March in the school hall. Parents of pupils in first class are welcome to attend. We cannot accommodate school going siblings. Entry and exit is via the Diswellstown Door only.
Ms. Quinn’s Class 9.30am-10.15am.
Ms. Mullen’s Class 10.30am-11.15am.
Ms. Walsh’s Class 11.15am-12.00noon.
Belvedere College
The closing date for applications for entry to First Year September 2020 is 31 March 2019. Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be processed. For more information, see www.belvederecollege.ie or contact the college at 8586600.
Leaving School Early
The teacher should be notified in advance if possible, should a child need to be collected early. Pupils who leave before the end of the school day, must be signed out at Reception by a parent/guardian.
If you need to collect your child during the school day, please do not do so during break times (10.20-10.30am and 12.00-12.30pm) as the children are in the school yard at this time. If an emergency situation arises, please ring the office before break time and we will arrange to have your child at Reception for collection. However, please note Reception is closed from 12.00-12.30pm daily. If someone else is collecting your child, please remember to advise him/her of reception closure time. Your cooperation in this matter would be very much appreciated.
Sick Children at School
We are still dealing with the Norovirus Winter Vomiting Bug in the school with 2-6 sick children being sent home each day.
Please do not send sick children to school for the following reasons:
- Children are unable to cope with the demands of school when they are unwell.
- Infection spreads rapidly in the confinement of the classroom.
- There is no indoor supervision for sick children during breaktimes.
Letters of Attendance
We would ask that if you require Letters of Attendance for Child Benefit/Travel/Visa purposes for your child/children, that you give the office as much advance notice as possible. Please EMAIL your request to info@stpatricksns.ie stating the purpose of the letter. If it is for travel/visa request purposes, please advise date of departure so that the letter can be dated within a week of travel.
Upcoming Events
15 February – In-Service Language Curriculum Training for Teachers (School Closed)
18-22 February inclusive – Mid Term Break
06 March – Final Ballet Sessions (see note)
18 March – St Patrick’s Day
02 April – Confirmation Ceremony
15 – 26 April inclusive – Easter Break
06 May – May Bank Holiday
03 June – June Bank Holiday
28 June – School Closes for Summer Break
Upcoming Sporting Events & News
Selection of children for school events and appropriate parental interaction
Many thanks to all of our parents for your continued support of our school teams. We greatly appreciate your help with supervision, jersey care, side-line encouragement, etc. The school is indebted to our teachers who train and run the teams in a voluntary capacity. The school ethos is to promote ‘Sport for All’. However, some events are competitive and for these, children need to be selected. We always endeavour to be as fair as possible when picking children to represent the school.
IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PARENTS TO TAKE ISSUE WITH TEACHERS REGARDING THE SELECTION PROCESS.
While there will always be differing opinions in this regard, it is the prerogative of the management team to make the final decision. We look forward to another great year for St Patrick’s on the sporting field.
12 March 2019 (Porterstown Pk., D15) Race Day Registration: 10.30am (1st Race 11am)
Finals Day (All Schools) SEE DATE CHANGE 10 April 2019 (Morton Stadium) Race Day Registration: 10am (1st Race 10.30am)
Reminders
Punctuality
As part our Statement Strategy for School Attendance, we promote punctuality and ask for your support. The 20 minutes between 08.30am and 08.50am is a very important time in the school day. This is when the younger children have activity time or structured play. It is a time when the teacher corrects homework, hears children’s reading or shares school news with children. About 93% of children are in the line by 08.30am. With your help, we could raise this percentage even higher.
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, particularly if the arrival is after the classes have gone in.
Meeting with Teachers
All questions/queries re school should be directed initially to the class teacher. Please contact the school secretary to make an appointment. (For safety reasons it is not possible for class teachers to meet with parents without an appointment as supervision arrangements have to be put in place. For the same safety reasons, teachers cannot take or make phone calls during class time). Parents of Infant children may be able to have a quick informal word with the class teacher when collecting their child at home time.
Extra-Curricular Activities
If your child takes part in a number of Extra-Curricular activities, it might be useful to write the activities into his/her school journal on the appropriate days. This will help him/her remember the activity and, if there is any confusion, the teacher can help by checking the journal.
Information regarding extra-curricular activities can be found on the website www.stpatricksns.ie on the Extra Curricular Activities tab and under archived newsletters.
Diswellstown Community & Recreation Centre and Local Community Activities
Teens, Pre-Teens and Screens
This talk is free to all and takes place in Blanchardstown Library on 25 February from 6.30pm-7.30pm. It will explore Cyber Bullying, online gaming and social media to include Snapchat and Instagram and examine the large role social media now plays in everyday lives.
Porterstown ParkRun
What is it? - A Free Weekly 5km Timed Run. When is it? - Every Saturday at 9:30am
What does it cost? - Nothing - it's free! But please register before your 1st run.
Do I need to be a Runner? - ParkRun is for ALL abilities (walk, jog or run)
This is a free community event so please lend your support.
Website: www.parkrun.ie
Email: porterstownoffice@parkrun.com
Parks Tennis Spring Programme
Registration for Parks Tennis Spring Programme takes place on Saturday 09 February in Riverwood Estate and Hartstown Community School and on Wednesday 12 February for Laurel Lodge Community Centre. For more details see www.parkstennis.com.