Parents Association Committee 2014 – 2015

The new P.A. committee have numerous suggestions and ideas to help us achieve our principal aim: to bring the pupils, parents, staff and Board of Management together. If you have any ideas to help us further this aim “ please contact your class rep. or any of this years P.A. committee”.

 

Name	Class
Andy Kirk (Treasurer)	6th class
Barbara Brownrigg	5th
Sarah Kearney	4th
Hazel Southam (Secretary)	3rd
Sarah Murphy	2nd
Joyce Hawkins	1st & Parent Nominee on BOM
Emma Roulston	Senior Infants
Nicola Peilow	Junior Infants
Steve Blunt	Chairperson
Richard Bramley	Parent Nominee on BOM

 

Dear Parents,

This years AGM of the Parent Association will take place on Tuesday 23rd of September at 7.45pm. We hope to have a large attendance on the night where we set the wheels in motion for another terrific year supporting our children’s school.
Details of the efforts and endeavours made by the parents over the last school year will be discussed, what lies ahead this school year. We have lots of really good news to share and we’ll have a chat afterwards over tea/coffee. Look forward to seeing you all on the night
Ken Roche Chairperson

Readiness for School – A Checklist

 

There are some tasks which, if your child were able to carry out by the time they start school, would be of great benefit to him/her and would be valuable time-savers in the classroom.

Can your child do the following?

• ·       Put on coat
• ·       Tie shoelaces (If not, buy slip-on or velcro-fastened shoes)
• ·       Open and close schoolbag
• ·       Open and close pencil case
• ·       Put on/take off own jumper/coat
• ·       Do up/undo own belt/trousers
• ·       Wash and dry hands
• ·       Open and close drink/lunchbox, pour drink/insert straw in drink carton
• ·       Wipe up spills
• ·       Blow his/her nose
• ·       Tidy up toys/books
• ·       Say own name, address and telephone number
• ·       Complete a given task (picture/jig-saw etc)
• ·       Carry out simple instructions (e.g. “Put the book back on the shelf please”)
• ·       Listen to a story and remember it
• ·       Sit quietly and concentrate on a puzzle/game
• ·       Speak in full sentences
• ·       Hold a crayon/pencil
• ·       Sharpen a pencil
• ·       Use a rubber
• ·       Colour in a picture
• ·       Cut with a scissors
• ·       Bounce, throw, kick and catch a ball
• ·       Say simple nursery rhymes
• ·       Open a book and place it correct way up in front of himself/herself

 

Junior & Senior Infants – “Do’s and Don’ts” 

DO

• ·       Encourage your child to pack his/her own pencil case/school bag and to tidy up properly after doing homework.  (Junior Infants will start doing homework in November).
• ·       Get your child to take out one pencil at a time when colouring/writing and not have several all over the table.
• ·       Put names on all pencil and rubbers etc.
• ·       Provide a bag big enough to carry the biggest book, but not too big for your child to manage.
• ·       Try to get your child to bed at a reasonable time – 7.30 is an appropriate time for a Junior Infant.
• ·       Try to adhere to our Healthy Lunch policy.  (More info on this in September).

“Treat Day” is Friday when one “junk food” treat is allowed.

 

DON’T

• ·       Allow novelty pencil cases/rubbers/sharpeners to school.  They cause unnecessary distraction.  A simple zipper type or box type is the most suitable.
• ·       Allow your child to bring toy guns/knives etc to school.  They will be confiscated.

Things to know

 

Friday is Treat Day – we operate a healthy lunch policy and allow one treat on Friday – (no chewing gum or lollipops).

 

Collection – At Friday’s assembly we encourage children to bring a small amount of money (it can be a few cent).  We keep track of the amount collected and nominate a charity every term, i.e. WSPCA, Crumlin Children’s Hospital etc.  Sometimes if a guest speaker for a charity comes to the school the money is given to that charity.

 

Savings Club – On Friday’s children may bring in their savings and join our Savings Club which is run through the Post Office.

 

Library Day – Every Friday, unless otherwise informed, infants change their library book.  Library Day is on a Monday if they have been out of school the previous Friday.Pupil of the Week – Certificate and sticker presented to one Infant most Fridays. .

 

Team Colours – Each child is assigned a team (blue, green, red or yellow) when they start in St. Iberius.  They stay on that team until they leave.

 

Points are awarded to pupils for a variety of reasons – good behaviour, good homework, helpfulness, kindness to a fellow pupil etc.  Each month the points are added up and we see which team is in the lead.  The team with the most points at the end of term (Christmas, Easter and Summer) get a small prize.

 

Pupils wear their team colours on sports day.  The teams also run a relay race on the day.  Junior Relay – Infants, 1^st & 2^nd and Senior Relay 3^rd to 6^th.

 

The day of the holidays – Christmas, Easter and in June the children may wear their team colour to school (a top/hair band/cap – whatever you have handy!).