RMDS
School News in Brief….
30th September 2022
As we reach the end of September we can reflect on a very busy month but one with so many positives. If you feel this is worthy of a celebration the PA may have just the event for you.
We had our final class meetings this week and the level of engagement of parents has been incredible. Thank you all for giving of your time to meet the teachers and find out a bit more about the plans for the year ahead. For those of you who weren’t able to make it, emails have been sent with the content of the meeting. If you haven’t received it just contact the class teacher.
We had very close to full attendance for the class photos on Thursday and we look forward to seeing them soon.
The full extracurricular activities are underway and the hum of busyness around the school as children learn such a wide variety of skills is lovely to hear. Thanks to Anne Fitzpatrick Gourlay from the Board of Management for her help in getting everything set up.
The RMDS band got underway this week and if the rest of the sessions go as well as the first we may have to consider going on tour.
Today children from Rang a Dó and Rang a Trí set off to The Hugh Lane Gallery as some of our children are featuring in the exhibition ‘What we love about the great outdoors’ We are so lucky that we can just hop on a luas and have some many things on our doorstep. If you are ever feeling worried about a mess in your house go to the Hugh Lane Gallery and check out Francis Bacon’s studio. You will leave feeling much better about yourself.
Next week sees the start of Forest School for Rang a Trí, keep an eye out for a train of excited children making their way to the Iveagh Gardens for what is always one of the highlights of the year.
The admissions window for school places for the 2023/24 school year will open on Monday, 3rd October 2022 and close on Friday 28th October, 2022. If there are siblings in the school due to start in September 2023, please make sure to fill out an Admissions Form for them if they are not already on our waiting list prior to February 2020. Please refer to our Admissions Policy if you have any questions or our Enrolment Secretary, Barbara will be able to help you.
We are very much a community school and since our first day as a school we have always been mindful of our neighbours. We have received a request from some of the residents that we reduce the noise level as we wait for the school gates to open. I look forward to your cooperation with this matter.
Please check the RMDS Calendar on our website for all dates of upcoming events.
Have a lovely weekend
Paul
Welcome back to our whole school community for the new year ahead.
We would also like to welcome Lorraine Murphy as the new chair of the Board of Management, and David Frame as the new Treasurer of the Board of Management. Elections will be held shortly for a new female representative to the Board of Management, and more information on that will follow very shortly.
The focus of RMDS this academic year will be on wellness, knowing how that impacts on every child's holistic experience in school. This is especially important after the impact of the last few years.
We are also delighted to inform you that our school has been successful in our application for a Creative Schools Grant. The purpose of Creative Schools is to support schools to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Participating schools take part in a guided journey over two years to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to each school, and begin to implement it. Key supports offered by this award include expert support and advice from a Creative Associate assigned to each school, and a €4,000 grant towards activities and projects arising.
We look forward to the year ahead!
It's Pub Quiz time! The PA's annual parents' table quiz will be in The Hill on Wed Oct 19th at 8pm. Tables of 4 are €30 and tickets are available on rmdsevents.com. Max 20 tables so get your tickets early. Prize money is a donation to your kids' classroom, so nominate your class and win prizes for your classroom so this is an opportunity to be a hero in your child's eyes! The Parents' Association also needs raffle prizes and volunteers for the quiz. If you are a personal trainer, artist, restauranteur or have access to any suitable prizes, we would really appreciate your contribution. Finally, if you have time to spare on the 19th, we are also looking for volunteers for the event itself, collecting and correcting answer sheets etc. For more info, contact pa@rmds.com
Lorraine & Gráinne
PA Co-Chairs
Green Schools Tips - Limiting your Central Heating Use
The official 2022/2023 Fuel Season started 26th September and runs for 28 weeks, until mid April. Due to rocketing fuel costs, there is an acute requirement to reduce the level of central-heating at home over this period.
Firstly, switch energy provider if possible to ensure that you're on the cheapest plan. Check www.bonkers.ie www.switcher.ie or www.powertoswitch.ie
Alternatives to being at Home
Being at home during the day poses a challenge to keeping warm on a budget. Especially if it involves working from a desk. With your movement limited, you feel the cold more acutely. If you have a company office, it may be cheaper to just head in and avail of their heating.
If the commute or hassle isn't worth it, team up and work together with a nearby friend, family member or work colleague if you have the space for one another. So you take it in turns to work at each other's home-offices and save on heating two separate places. Or you could both work from a single home-office instead and split the bills.
A library, cafe, club etc. provides a warm place to work from, if you don't have to take calls.
Choose the Warmest Room
If feasible, try to ensure that you stay in the naturally warmest room by checking with a digital room-thermometer. They cost about €10. It could be a smaller, south-facing room with no open chimney flue or other source of drafts. Because fridges, freezers and cookers emit heat, it may well be the kitchen.
Insulating Yourself
Remember that we are nearly always warmer than our environment and are constantly losing heat to it. So insulate and keep that heat within yourself!
By monitoring the room temperature, you can figure out whether it's the room that's cold, you yourself or both. Layer up your clothing and accept that you may have to dress for inside like you normally would do for outside! Gilets/Body Warmers/Puffas are great as they keep your core warm but your arms free. Hoodies might not work if you have to take Zoom calls but are good otherwise. Same for fingerless gloves.
Warming Yourself
Drinking plenty of hot drinks is an efficient way of keeping warm. And hot food, like soup. You can improve on the trusty hot water bottle now that electric throws, electric cushions and even electric boots are available. They're in relatively short supply, so if you're interested, order now. An electric throw is probably the most versatile and costs about €70. Energy output is around 150W, so it would cost only around 5 cents an hour to run.
Warming the Room
If you need to heat the room itself, try to limit turning on the central heating by using an electric heater to warm just the room you're in. Or a stove or fire with a slow burning fuel. Use your digital room thermometer to monitor the temperature.
In terms of energy consumption, an electric heater will have an output of between 1,000W and 2,000W, costing between 34 cents to 68 cents an hour to run. So a big step up from an electric throw.
Next Week: Managing your Central Heating
Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, Ranelagh Road, Dublin 6, D06 Y658
Telephone/Fax: (01) 4961722 ● E-mail: secretary@rmds.ie
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Roll No. 19928Q ● Principal: Rosemarie Stynes
