Senior Infants art
Junior Infants art
Excitement is growing as we come closer to midterm break. The school building is being overtaken by all manner of ghosts, bats, witches and pumpkins. Class collections of leaves and fruits are imparting a warm autumn glow to the many art displays. Poems and songs of a spooky nature can be seen and heard throughout the school.
Autumnal colours
Pumpkin poem
Last week, Senior Infants and 2nd class went on a trip to the Botanic Gardens on Tree Day. They explored the many sculptures on display with artist Liz, including dragon’s eggs! Senior Infants had a ducks’ walk through the gardens in the rain and had great fun splashing through puddles. Both classes enjoyed being art detectives and investigating in the rainforest conservatory.
Art detectives
2nd class huddle in a hut in the rainforest
Parent-Teacher meetings are scheduled for Wed 14 Nov 8.30-11.00 3rd – 6th; Thurs 15 Nov 8.30- 11.00 Jun Inf – 2nd; Thurs 15 Nov 2.10 – 4.30 all classes.
All parents/guardians should get an appointment letter today in their children’s bags. Please complete asap and return to class teacher. We hope one month’s notice gives everyone time to make arrangements for these days.
Atheist/Humanist Group
DSP NS Parents/guardians:
Are you an Atheist / Humanist? Is your child an Atheist / Humanist? Are you interested in meeting other parents/guardians to discuss raising children in a non-theistic home?
An Evening for Atheist / Humanist parents in DSP NS:
Time and date to be confirmed after midterm break
discussions to include:-
-DSPNS & the Atheist / Humanist child
-recognizing a community of Atheist / Humanist families in DSP.
please join us, or contact rachael prendergast spollen on 087 7865862 or rachaelprendergast@me.com
Board of Management Update
BOM AGM next Wednesday night 8pm
School Communication
Communication is one of those things in all aspects of life that can continually be improved. We all have a part to play in making school communication as good as it can be. The website is being used more and more as a reinforcing tool for communication, with the weekly newsletters and school policies available as well as showing off the creativity of the children’s artwork and any school news. The website will also be used in the case of severe weather to inform parents of any decisions about school closure – this information may be available on the website before a text message is able to be sent out!
We all like to feel appreciated! So perhaps when your child has a great day or is really enjoying a particular project or activity in class – you might consider saying a quick ‘thanks’ or ‘great idea do this topic, they’re loving it’ to the teacher. We are very lucky in DSP to have teachers with a huge range of skills that they bring to their classes and it’s nice to let them know that we appreciate that!
What to do if things are not going well!
We all want everything to go well, but in school, as with life in general, sometimes things don’t run as smoothly as we’d like! When something is happening that is causing concern, we need to work together to improve it. As with most organisations, there is a procedure for dealing with issues that may occur in school life:
Step 1: Talk to and work with the Teacher
- Request an appointment with the class teacher to have a chat about your concerns. Supervision of the class can then be arranged to facilitate the teacher to be available to talk to you.
- Following the meeting, allow the teacher a little time to investigate / observe / put a plan into place. Arrange communication with the teacher to discuss the results of any actions taken.
- If things have not been resolved, please return to the teacher to discuss it further, perhaps a different approach is needed. Allow time to observe the results of actions taken and communicate them to the teacher.
Step 2: Talk to and work with the Principal
- If you feel that repeated communications with the teacher have not resolved the issue, bring the matter to the Principal, where you can work as a team to address it.
- Again, allow the Principal time to put a plan into place and communication any results you observe. Return to the Principal if it is still not resolved and allow time for another approach.
Step 3: Communication with the Board of Management
- If you feel that repeated communications with the Teacher and Principal have not resolved the issue, please talk or write to the Chairperson of the Board of Management. This should only be done if the previous steps have been completed. Teachers and the Principal have a wealth of knowledge and experience in dealing with issues that arise in school and approaches that they recommended should be tried before taking the matter further.
Parking
The relationship that we have with our neighbours is important us. Part of the ethos of our school is learning together to live together, which we are all responsible for modelling – parents & families, teachers and students alike. One of the ways we can live together harmoniously is being conscious of where and how we park our cars when dropping and collecting children to school. Please try to remember the following points when parking:
- Please do not park in the turning circle at the top of the road (at the gates to the school yard)
- Please do not block any vacant teacher car spaces in the morning. At collection time, if you are blocking teacher parking, keep an eye on whether someone needs to leave urgently and needs your car to be moved.
- Please do not park outside the houses closest to the school, where traffic cones are frequently placed.
- When parking your car outside a neighbouring house, please ensure that there is enough room for them to manoeuvre their own car in or out of their driveway (if there is a car parked both sides of their house and one opposite, it is practically impossible)
- Consider parking a little further away from the school and walking the last part of the journey e.g. further down into Hillcourt Road, across the main road near Sallynoggin church or on the other side of Sallyglen Park in Glenageary Park
- Consider cycling or walking to school on some days
- If you do happen to encounter a distressed neighbour regarding parking, please try to remember in your response, to model how we are ‘learning together to live together’ for your children and the other children that may be in earshot!!
Volunteers Needed
Severe Weather:
You may remember two winters ago when we were hit with two bad snow storms. Many schools had to close their doors and then make up the days, either at the end of the year or by starting back early in the new school year. We were very fortunate to have wonderful parent volunteers to join our Severe Weather Policy team and had to close for fewer days than most schools. The main reason for a school not being able to open is the health and safety element of the ice and snow on the paths into the school. Last year, volunteer parents came to the school in the evening time for an hour and other volunteers came early in the morning to clear the paths and make them safe.
If you feel you could be part of a team of volunteers, please give your name to Gillian Hudson, our wonderful school secretary.
School Garden
Our school garden, although small, provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about nature. It is in need of some tender loving care at the moment and we are fortunate to have an experienced and willing parent, Declan Farragher, to guide proceedings and lead small groups of volunteers that we can bring together. Further information will follow on specific days and times that help is needed, but again if you are interested in helping out, please give your name in to the Secretary’s office.
Hallowe'en costumes
Halloween disco organised by PTA next Friday 26th October 3.00 – 4.30pm. There is no supervision available between 2.10 and 3.00pm so please make arrangements for children to go home or to a friend’s house before returning for the disco. The PTA will issue a letter with more details next Monday.
In former Celtic times, Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter). At Samhain the division between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass through. Check the Newgrange website for more details: Samhain (Samain) – The Celtic roots of Halloween
