3rd October 2012

Dear Parents,
As the weather is so unpredictable we would ask that all children wear a coat/jacket to school every day. The Gaelic football season is underway with both Junior and Senior teams involved. We thank the teachers who give so generously of their personal time in the interests of the children.

Student Council
We congratulate the following boys who have been elected to the Student Council for 2012/2013.

6th Class:
Andrew Angulo, Brendan Dunne, Nathan Aspinall, Lennon McGuirk

5th Class:
Séan McGrane, Tom Wallace, Séan Walsh, Leon Hill

4th Class:
Liam Doorley, Eoin Murtagh, Alex Bishop, Daniel Wallace

3rd Class:
Fionnán Kelly, Christian Dunne, Brian Connolly, Ben Nolan

To date there have been 2 very successful meetings of the Student Council where some very worthwhile ideas were put forward and discussed.

School Attendance
School attendance, generally, has been very good for September with an average 98% attendance level. 341 boys have had full attendance since we arrived back in school. Overall class attendance levels of 99% have been achieved by Mrs. Allen’s class, Mrs. Fitzsimon’s, Mrs. Goodalls’s and Ms. Behan’s. Well done to all concerned and we hope that high attendance levels prevail.

Sponsored Walk
Our sincere thanks to everyone who took part in and supported our annual Sponsored Walk. We greatly appreciate the effort everyone has made. We would ask the boys to collect sponsorship money as soon as possible and return it with the sponsorship card. Please ensure that each card has the child’s name on it. Receipts will issue in due course.

Dates for Sacraments
The following dates have been agreed for First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation.

Times will be confirmed later.

Emergency Contact details
Forms outstanding since June were re-issued last week. It is essential that you check the details, update the form if necessary and return same to the School Secretary. If addresses or, phone numbers change during the year please let the School Secretary know as we need to be able to contact you in case of emergency.

Lost Property
There is a certain amount of lost property – jackets, coats, jumpers in the school. We will put this on display in the school hall on Monday and Tuesday next after which we will give any unclaimed items to charity. Ideally, items of clothing should have the child’s name on it to facilitate its return to the owner if lost.

Standardised Testing
Testing was traditionally carried out in October but now under Department of Education and Skills circular it is carried out in May each year. Testing, particularly in first class, was a good “safety net” and helped identify pupils who may have needed additional assistance. With this in mind we will administer tests to first class children in the near future. We will also be administering a Standardised Spelling test to all pupils from 1st class to 6th.

Homework Policy
As part of the School Self Evaluation process engaged in with parents last year issues regarding homework surfaced. The homework policy is under review and we will be seeking parental input in the near future.

School Garden
At this stage most of the vegetables have been harvested. The boys in the Gardening Club were busy recently making Vegetable Soup and Potato and Leek Soup under Annamaria’s watchful eye. Both soups tasted extremely nice.

Tomatoes, Celery and Corn on the Cob are still growing. Over the next few weeks Gairdín an Dá Scór (40 year Garden) will have more bulbs added and this will further enhance the area at the front of the school.

CoderDojo – learning creatively by programming– volunteers needed
CoderDojo is a movement orientated around running free not-forprofit coding clubs and regular sessions for young people (aged 6 – 17 approx). Volunteers are an essential part of these sessions. Sandra is working to get CoderDojo Dun Laoghaire off the ground soon and is looking for people to assist. If you have coding skills, or would like to be involved in some other way, please call 087 164 7200, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or contact @CoderDojoDL via Twitter.

More information on www.coderdojo.com . Thank you.

Request for mini-digger
If there is any parent who has access to a mini-digger we would appreciate if you would contact the school office. A digger is required for the next stage of our gardening project and our usual supplier no longer has diggers available.

Beir beannacht agus buíochas.
Le meas.

Neil Cadogan.