Newsletter from your Parents Association – February 2017
Dear Parents,
Belated Happy New Year to you all! Firstly a big thank you to the parents who have volunteered to join the Parents Association this year, without their input and assistance we could not continue and their support is really appreciated. We are delighted to announce that we have lots planned for 2017, with the main event being the Summer Fete which is to be held on Sunday, the 28th of May (more details below). We thought you might like a roundup of what has happened so far this year and also a heads-up on some of the activities taking place over the next few months. We would also love your feedback on these and any other initiatives you think we should consider.
In order to fund various projects & initiatives that benefit the school and your children, we are also seeking to collect your €5 Family Contribution to the Parents’ Association. A slip is included at the end of this newsletter which can facilitate the payment of same and we heartily thank you in advance for your contribution.
BRIEF ROUND UP ON A GREAT YEAR PAST
How we allocated the voluntary contributions collected last year – Last year the PA collected €1,480 from the families in the school. This money was used as follows:
- To purchase equipment for the senior and junior yards, including some wall-mounted games, benches, goal posts etc. These are in the process of being delivered and will undoubtedly get plenty of use by the children.
- To part fund the Zeeko Internet Safety talks that took place before Christmas, the sessions with the children and following sessions with the teachers and parents were very informative and well received. We believe that this is an important topic and a concern to us all and therefore envisage that this is an event we would run with again in another year or two.
- To part fund a new Buddy Bench Scheme for the junior and senior infants’ classes, this initiative which was launched just before the midterm break. Previous schemes have proven very successful in assisting the children to both cope with and have fun in the busy school yard.
Christmas Cards – The PA organised the Christmas card initiative in late 2016, this generated much excitement amongst the children and there was a great response from you the parents, in terms or orders totalling just over €4,750, with c€1,130 retained for the school in commission.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Healthy Lunches - We extend our thanks to the Healthy School Committee for their recent excellent email on Healthy packed lunch ideas (included in last school information sheet). It can be difficult to keep thinking of new healthy ideas for lunchboxes. If you have healthy recipes you are willing to share, please leave them into the school office and we will organise to share them in the future.
Nits Nits Nits *** Special €5 Offer for Nitty Gritty comb ***– unfortunately these little critters visit our children’s hair from time to time and as you know, it is important to keep their hair checked on a regular basis. Over the past year in particular, the Parents Association has discussed prevention and treatment methods and one product keeps coming back as highly recommended from parents. It’s the Nitty Gritty Comb, which has an innovative design and has advantages over conventional chemical treatments. A single Nitty Gritty Comb usually retails for circa €15 in Ireland, however the PA has been in contact with the Company and by making a group order we could reduce the unit price. We also plan to further subsidise the cost of the comb so that it would be available to you for €5 each. If you are interested in availing of this offer, please sign and return the slip at the end of this newsletter attaching €5 by Friday 10 March so we can order the combs and return them to you as quickly as possible. We believe that this is a worthwhile initiative as we know the inconvenience an invasion of nits can bring.
***SUMMER FETE***
The Summer Fete, which is held every two years, has been confirmed for Sunday, the 28th of May 2017. This event is always greatly enjoyed by all who attend and has historically been a fantastic and very important fundraiser for the school. For those of you who are new to the school, it is a great community day for families to have fun together. The success of the Fete relies on lots of help from the parents across the school. If you have any time to help out on the day or have any ideas for stalls or fun activities that you or we might use, please do not hesitate to contact us by email to rebecca1walsh@gmail.com . We look forward to hearing from you! We will provide further details on how you can get involved in the next newsletter.
COST SAVING INITIATIVES
School Gift Policy – As you may be aware, in the past few years the P.A. has suggested to parents that when hosting a birthday party they ask that any gifts given would be limited to €5. This suggestion is now the norm in junior classes and perhaps the senior half of the school might like to consider following suit in order to help other parents with the escalating costs of birthday parties.
Other Cost Saving Measures – Do you have any ideas on how to save money for parents.... related to school, home, lunch boxes, books, uniforms? If so, let us know and we will raise them for discussion.
FAMILY SUPPORT/GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING
Junior Infants Induction Day – The School recently sent out offer letters to the new junior infants and before we know it, we will be welcoming the incoming group of Junior Infants and their parents to the school. This can be an anxious time for new parents to the school and the Parents Association will provide refreshments for parents and be available to assist them with any queries they might have. We will also run a 2nd hand uniform sale, to ease the cost associated with starting school. If you have items of uniform or tracksuits that you no longer use/need we would be very grateful if you would consider donating them to the school for this purpose
Mobile phone numbers – does your child know your mobile phone number, a surprisingly high number of children don’t know their parents’ phone numbers. Generally it would be a good idea if they did so that in the event they find themselves separated from you that they have a means to contact you.
School drop-offs and pick-ups – we all know how busy the school car park and outside the school generally can be in the morning and afternoons. The area around the school can be very congested for 10-15 minutes around these times. In light of some recent incidents at these times, can we please ask you to be mindful of where you park and particularly to not block other parents’ cars or hem our neighbours inside the gates of their houses.
BOOK FAIR
The Annual Book Fair will be held from 6-8 March…this is a hugely popular event with the children.
COMMUNICATION UPDATES
We will send you another update in the coming quarter…if you have some free time or could help out on occasion, or have views on any issues, we’d love to hear from you!
Contact Details of the PA and Suggestion Box – A list of the members of the Parent’s Association, along with the contact details for each class representative is available on the notice board outside Mr. Delaney’s classroom. A Suggestion Box is also located in the school reception. We would encourage you to use either method to contact us and pass on your comments, queries and suggestions.
The Officials for this year are as follows:
James Dunne, Chairperson Rebecca Walsh, Secretary Patrick Ryan, Treasurer
We thank you for reading the above and we look forward to your views and input over the coming weeks and months.
St. Canice’s Parents Association.
Please detach, sign and return below slips with your annual €5 pa family contribution and also one-off nitty gritty comb offer, if interested.
NITTY GRITTY COMB OFFER
¨ Yes, I would like to purchase a Nitty Gritty Comb and now enclose €5 in payment for same.
Parents Name: _________________________________
Child’s Name: _________________________________ Child’s Class: _________________________________
Child’s Teacher: _________________________________
VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION - ST. CANICE’S PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Please Tick Box, as appropriate:
¨ €5 Annual Family Contribution to fund planned Parents’ Association Activities
¨ Voluntary Contribution to fund planned Parents’ Association Activities
Parents Name: _________________________ Children’s Name(s)/Class(s): _________________________________
Please return this to either your teacher, to Kay in the office or into the Parents Association box in the school reception