Newsletters Archived

September Newsletter 2019

Most parent queries can be answered by accessing www.stpatricksns.ie or by viewing our Newsletters which are regularly emailed to each family and are also on our website. Please make our website your first “port of call”.

The Reception/Administration Office hours are 8.30am to 3.10pm. It would be much appreciated if telephone calls to the school were made only in emergency situations, and ONLY AFTER 9.00AM.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: THE OFFICE CLOSES FOR LUNCH FROM 12.15-12.45PM DAILY.

There is no need to telephone the school if your child is sick, unless the illness is contagious. Parents should acknowledge their child’s absence from school on their return, in writing, for Junior & Senior Infant classes or on the ABSENCE SLIP in your child’s Homework Journal for 1^st- 6^th Classes.

Castleknock Community College – Current 6^th Class

Please note that the closing date for First Year Student Applications for September 2020 is 4PM ON FRIDAY 06 SEPTEMBER.

Edmund Rice College

Edmund Rice College welcomes parents and students to our Open Evening in Mill Road, Blanchardstown. This will take place on Thursday 12th September, 2019 from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. The closing date for the academic year 2020/2021 is 27th September, 2019. Application forms will be available on the night or can be downloaded from our school website at www.edmundricecollegedublin.ie.

Medical updates

If you have any medical updates regarding your child please email info@stpatricksns.ie for the attention of Ms. Threadgold and this information will be passed onto relevant teachers and updated on Aladdin.

HSE Vaccination Forms and Hearing & Vision Testing for Junior Infants

HSE Vaccination Forms and Hearing & Vision Testing forms have been delivered to the school for incoming Junior Infants. If you did not collect the forms on Monday, please collect one from the office ASAP. Please complete and return to the CLASS TEACHER on/before Friday 06 September. Please sign whether you are or are not giving your consent. We have not been given dates for the Vaccinations or Hearing & Vision Testing. Rest assured that we will confirm the dates to all parents as soon as they are received. This may not be until the New Year.

Infant Children (Junior & Senior Infants)

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 handed over to the care of their teacher at 8.30am. Under no circumstances should Infant children be dropped at the school gate to enter the school grounds alone.

Health & Safety

We would ask that you discourage children from walking along the low wall outside the main school entrance.

Entry/Exit School Grounds

There are two pedestrian entrances/exits to the school grounds, one beside the Beeches estate and one at the main entrance side of the building. Under no circumstances should children ever enter or exit the school via the staff car park entrance. Your full cooperation in this matter would be appreciated.

Homework Club

Homework Club takes place Monday to Thursday from 2.10-3.10pm and will commence on Monday 09 September. It is suitable for First to Sixth Class children.

Sessions take place in Ms. Mc Tague's classroom (Red 7) on Mondays and Wednesdays and

Ms. Mc Cormack’s classroom (Red 2) on Tuesday and Thursdays.

Please ask your child to collect a form from Ms. McCormack/Ms Mc Tague and bring it, together with payment (€4 per session/per day), on the first day he/she attends homework club.

School Wildlife Garden

Our school wildlife garden is blooming! A big thanks to the dedicated parent and pupil volunteers who helped our caretakers Brendan and Tom maintain the garden over the summer holidays. Watch out for our new signage designed by our pupils which will be up in the garden soon. For all new to St.Patrick's or for those who would like a little reminder as to what our garden is all about, please visit our school website Wildlife-Garden-Parent-info.pdf

Head Bumps

It is school policy to inform parents if their child has a head bump of any kind during the school day. If the teacher feels that the child does not need to be collected following the head bump, you will receive a text message for your information. You may of course decided to come to the school/send someone to the school to check on the child. If the head bump is deemed to be more serious, you will receive a telephone call from the office asking you to arrange collection of your child.

Parent “Helping Hands”

We are once again looking for Parent Helping Hands. We need parents to:

Help out in Junior Infants and Senior Infants for Maths Stations;
Help out at Literacy Lift-off/Guided Reading stations;
Help out in Junior infants for Fine Motor Stations;
Accompany children to and from the church;
Accompany children on school tours;
Accompany children to sporting events.

How do I get involved?

All Parent Helping Hands need to be Garda Vetted through the school. You need to bring in proof of address and a photo ID (Passport/Drivers licence) to the school and fill in an Application Form at the office. We send the information to the Patron’s Office. They will then email you an e-form which you must return ASAP otherwise the form may expire and you will need to begin the process all over again. When the ‘Vetting’ comes through, you will be informed by the Patron’s Office and the Declaration will also be sent to the school.

HSE Documents/Permission Slips/Order Forms etc.

Throughout the school year, various Permission and Consent forms are sent home with the children, for example:

Junior Infant Immunisation Consent Forms
Hearing & Vision Testing Consent
Permission Slip to share data (child’s name only) with Parents Association **
School Photograph Permission Slips
School Photograph Order Forms
Christmas Card Order Forms
School Calendar Order Forms
Art Competition submissions
Choir Permission Slips
School Tour Permission Slips
Dental Permission Slips (2^nd/4^th/6^th)
Permission Slips for attendance at various Sporting Activities
ACCORD Consent Forms to attendance at RSE talks for 4^th Class (girls only), 5^th Class and 6^th Class

As there are currently 541 families and over 810 students is St Patrick’s N.S., it is now even more important that all forms are fully completed and returned to your child’s class teacher by the requested date. We must adhere strictly to deadline dates.

Registration for the Sacraments of First Penance, First Holy Communion & Confirmation during 2020.

There will be two open evenings at St Mochta’s Parish Pastoral Centre on Monday and Tuesday 9^th and 10^th September 2019 between 6pm and 8pm for you to register your child to receive the sacraments.

Parents and child(ren) should attend on one registration evening with their completed form which will be distributed through your child’s class soon.

Your child should be a baptised Roman Catholic to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. To receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, your child should be baptised and have received the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion.

Registration Forms will ONLY be accepted with your child’s Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate. Late

Registrations will NOT be accepted.

Should you require clarification or more information please contact Fr Paul or Mary Greene at St Mochta’s Church.

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 also illegal.

There are also a number of parents who stop at the roundabout on the main road which is a dangerous and illegal practice. This is unnecessary 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:

A vehicle may not park on double yellow lines in any circumstances.
A vehicle may not be parked within 5m of a junction.
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 to An Garda Síochana. 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.

Upcoming Events

09-10 September – First Communion & Confirmation Registration 6-8pm St Mochta’s Parish Centre

28 October to 01 November inclusive - Mid Term Break

23 December to 03 January inclusive – Christmas Break

17-21 February inclusive – Mid Term Break

16-17 March – St Patrick’s Day Break

06 – 17 April inclusive – Easter Break

04 May – May Bank Holiday

01 June – June Bank Holiday

30 June – School Closes for Summer Break

Upcoming Sporting Events & News

PE Timetable

We are currently working on the PE Timetable. We have several coaches coming into the school throughout the year to work with different year groups so the timetable will change as the year goes on.

The teachers will let you know your child/children’s PE days shortly.

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.

Swimming Lessons – 3^rd Class

Swimming lessons will take place this year for 3rd classes in Coolmine Swimming Pool. The classes will run for 6 weeks commencing Wednesday 18th September.

More details to follow soon.

Reminders

Contagious Illness

Whilst there is no need to telephone the school if your child is sick, we would greatly appreciate if you would

the school who are at increased risk of contracting these illnesses. Parents should acknowledge their child’s absence from school due to minor illnesses on their return, in writing, in the child’s School Journal.

Contact Details

It is essential that we have the correct address and contact details (e.g. home telephone, parents’ mobile numbers and email addresses) for your child on our database. If any of your details have changed over the summer, please complete a Change of Address/Contact Details Form as soon as possible.

Healthy Lunch Policy

We operate a Healthy Lunch Policy in the school. Fizzy drinks, crisps, popcorn or sweets are not permitted. Please help us maintain the health of our children by following the guidelines which are available to view at www.stpatricksns.ie.

Dropping in lunches, bags, homework etc.

It is essential that all your child’s belongings e.g. lunches, bags, homework, etc., are clearly marked with your child’s name and THE NAME OF HIS/HER class teacher, especially if you are dropping in items during the school day.

Labelling/Lost Property

The chances of returning lost property are greatly increased if all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please ensure jumpers, PE sweatshirts, coats, lunchboxes, beakers, etc, are labelled with your child’s name. Order forms for www.mynametags.ie are available from reception.

Hand Towels

New foam soap dispensers have been fitted in all WCs. Please ensure that every child brings a small hand towel/facecloth to dry his/her hands after using the WC. This should be kept in a school bag pocket and changed regularly.

Staff Car Park

As our staff numbers have increased again this year, space in the car park is very limited. Parents are not permitted to park in the car park at any time during the school day. The only exception is dropping or collecting disabled or injured children. We would be grateful if you could also inform anyone who may be collecting your child/children on your behalf of this procedure If you are returning to the school to drop off forgotten lunches, schoolbags, etc. during the school day, please park in the bus stop area and enter via the Pedestrian Gate. (Please close gates after you leave). Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Reminder re dismounting bicycles, etc

In the interest of everyone’s safety, all cyclists (pupils, staff, parents & siblings) should dismount from their bicycles at the main gates of the school. For safety reasons, we would ask that you do not allow your children to use scooters or rollerblades on school grounds. Please also ensure that your bicycle/scooter/flicker is securely locked.

Diswellstown Community & Recreation Centre Activities and Local Community Activities

Drama Hub

Drama Hub (speech and drama classes) will commence on Saturday 21st September for 4 - 13 year olds in St. Patrick's National School. For further details contact Clodagh on ph:086 3736056 or visit our website at www.dramahub.ie.

Castleknock Hurling & Football Club Family Fun Day.

The big day has finally arrived!

Our Annual Family Fun day & Official Opening of our new clubhouse by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar takes place Saturday 7th September.

Make sure you are there on this historic day for the club!

#CastleknockAbú

#níneartgocurlechéile #clubisfamily

Castleknock Celtic

Castleknock Celtic Children’s Soccer Academy for Boys/Girls Aged 4-7 years takes place on Saturdays at 10am. Learn all the basic skills of the beautiful game. 15 week term. Just come along to Porterstown Park Clubhouse. New Players Welcome

Garda Open Day

Blanchardstown Garda Station, Saturday 14 September 2pm-5pm. Sensory Hour 1-2pm.

ASU/Mounted Unit/Civil Defence/Scenes of Crime/Drugs Unit/Community Policing/Traffic/Public Order/Dog Unit. All members of the public are welcome.

Courageous Kids

Courageous Kids will be running their Hear Me Roar Programme in the Castleknock Community Centre, Castleknock for 8-10 yr olds beginning on Sunday 8th September 11.15-12.45pm. This 4 week programme builds your child's confidence and courage while teaching them about the emotion of fear. Strategies include interactive games and fear-busting challenges, public speaking challenges, blindfold taste testing and more. To book or for more info visit www.courageouskids.ie

Judo Classes for boys/girls 4+

Sunday Morning 11.00-12.30pm in Stewarts Sports Centre in Palmerston. Classes start this Sunday September 1st and here's the location map goo.gl/maps/swd9cbv2XPtJtwep9

Extra Curricular Activities

A separate email was sent to all parents on 30 August with details of all available Extra Curricular Activities and contact details where available.