SCHOOL NEWS in Brief…..

26th February 2015

From the principal’s office

Head lice and nits continue to be a problem in various classes in the school. Please contact your local pharmacy for the appropriate remedy. The health food shop in the Swan Centre also have some homeopathic remedies. It has been suggested that tying back hair might help; using tea tree products can also be helpful – the most important thing is to regularly fine comb and check the heads at home – not the most pleasant or easiest of tasks, but well worth doing!

Thanks to the rang 4 parents who have been helping with reading in Irish in the class this term. As we approach Seachtain na Gaeilge we would encourage everyone to use the cupla focail and to ask your child about what they are learning in Irish in school. Children are also learning and revising their set dancing in preparation for the ceili. More details nearer the time!

The annual write a book project is underway in the classes – the individual teachers will be in touch if there are things you can help with. It is important to note that it is the child’s work that we are interested in – while we really welcome your involvement at home in supporting the child, in making suggestions and helping with typing, it is their story and their spelling and their sentences…

From the RMDS PA:

Don't Judge a Book By The Cover!

World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5th March. The RMDS PA are delighted to be involved this year again, and we will hold the Children's Book Swap in the Yard on the morning of the 5th from 08h30 - 09h00. We will have a large box (or boxes) in position on the bench opposite Senior Infants room so that children can bring in the books they are swopping from Monday 2nd March. Children are also very welcome (and encouraged!) to bring in additional books on the morning of Thursday 5th. There will be 3 book swap categories on the day: 5-8 year olds, 8-12 year olds, Early Teens. We would ask that no books aimed at children younger than 4/5 years of age are brought to the swap.

On the morning of the event, many of the books will be pre-wrapped in paper so that the children will be encouraged to "Not Judge a Book By its Cover"!!!! The PA will also be there in numbers offering tea/coffee and cookies to the parents and children participating in the book swap!

See you all then!

From the RMDS Green Schools Committee:

Frugal Flushing

Toilet flushing is the single highest use of water in the average home, so it also presents a prime opportunity for water conservation. With the average person flushing five times a day, toilets make up about 31% of overall household water consumption.

There are lots of ways to conserve toilet water use, from habit changes and mechanical adjustments to replacement of old toilets with new, more water-efficient models.

In a home with older toilets, an average flush uses about 13.6 litres, and the daily use is 71.2 litres per person per day. In a home with ultra-low-flow (ULF) toilets, with an average flush volume of 6 litres, the daily use is 34.4 litres per person per day. A family of four using an older toilet will use approximately 98.4 m3 per year in toilet flushes, while a family with a ULF toilet will use approximately 41.6 m3 per year in toilet flushes, achieving a savings of 56.7 m3 per year.

Here’s a project! Calculate how many times each classroom toilet is flushed on an average day. Count how many toilets there are in the school to get an idea of how many flushes we make in a week.

Some people say that there is no need to flush the toilet every time we make a pee. There’s a saying: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down!” What do you think? If we don’t flush the toilet after every pee, how much water could we save, both at home and at school?

Fascinating water fact!

The Earth is a closed system, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today. So the water that you drink today could have been drunk by a dinosaur millions of years ago!

Battery Drive

Thank you to all who helped us with our battery drive over the Christmas period, it was a huge success. Santa is very good for giving the children lots of gifts that use batteries, but all of those batteries need to be recycled and it is great for the children to have somewhere to deposit the used batteries.

The volume of batteries collected in January was 2.7 tons, in our region and the best month for collections so far.

Well done to all from the WEEE Pledge team and the Green School Committee. Batteries can be placed on an ongoing basis in the WEEE Box outside the office !