SCHOOL NEWS in Brief…..

 7^th January 2016

 From the Principal’s desk:

 Welcome back and a happy and healthy 2016 to you all.    Our sympathy to Therese Coogan (teacher of junior infants), whose father passed on Christmas Eve.  We also extend our sympathies to those of you who have experienced bereavement in your wider family circle over the past few weeks. You are all in our thoughts.

Extra curricular activities start on Monday 11^th. Further information below – especially about swimming and gymnastics!

As usual, this term we will be teaching the Stay Safe Child Protection and Anti-bullying programme in Senior Infants, Rang 1, Rang 3 and Rang 5. All parents will have received information on the Stay Safe programme when you enrolled your child – please call to the office if you would like another copy of the parent booklet. Information can also be found online at www.staysafe.ie and on www.webwise.ie.

To support this programme, the Parents Association has organized a talk on safety on the internet on Tuesday evening, 19th January. IT expert Emmet Kelly will give a talk on Internet Security in the home. Tickets will be available at the gate from Wednesday 13th January. Other events organized by the PA this term include the Cinema Night and the annual book swop and coffee morning…details to follow in the next few weeks.

The Green School project continues this term with a focus on water.  We hope to apply for our Green Flag this term.  Seachtain na Gaeilge will take place in March and this year will culminate with Proclamation Day on 15^th March. This is part of the 1916 commemoration. More on this later.

We are also due to have the synthetic grass area in the yard refurbished in the next few weeks. Soundproofing on the secretary’s office was completed over the Christmas holidays.

Offers of places for next September are in the post – so if you have a sibling due to start and do not hear from us, drop in to the office next week. If you are deferring a place, please let us know asap so that we can offer the place to the next person on the list.

As always, please share with us any ideas you have for these or any other activities!

Below are a few reminders for the term….

 Punctuality

I expect everyone to be on time for school - that means being at the gate by 8.30am.  Children who arrive in class after 8.40am will be marked late.

 Dogs

Lots of you bring your dogs to drop and collect at the school. Dogs must be on leads at all times and in control of an adult. No dogs may be brought in to the school yard. I need all dog owners to make sure dogs are kept outside the yellow zigzag lines at the back gate. If you are leaving dogs on leads while you come in to the school, please tie them well away from the school gate preferably on the railings opposite the school. Parents also need to ensure that young children know how to pet strange animals correctly. It gets very busy at collection time in particular and dogs can become frightened by too much attention.

 Good manners

The New Year is always a good time to remind ourselves of good manners and kindness towards each other. This includes greetings, taking turns and being patient. We encourage older children to let those younger than them go ahead of them. Looking at people and giving them full attention when they are speaking to you is another way of showing respect to each other. We are practicing these things in school, so any help from home as well would be great.

 Remember we are in a residential area. There are families with young babies and also older people living in the houses behind the school. Please respect their property and wait quietly at the gate in the morning, leave quietly and promptly in the afternoon, do not climb on their steps and don’t block the pavement.

Absence

All absences from school must be accounted for. Please ring the school or email the office (secretary@rmds.ie) on the first morning of absence.  For absences longer than one day, please send a note or an email, so that we have a written record.  There are blank notes in the homework journal that can also be used for this purpose.

Mobile phones

A reminder about our policy on phones:  It is preferable that children do not bring mobile phones to school. If they need to bring them, then they should be switched off at the gate and put at the bottom of the schoolbag until children have left the yard in the afternoon. Children will be given one reminder to comply, after which phones will be confiscated and parents must collect them from the teacher/office. In general, expensive electronic devices should be left at home, please.

Joan Whelan

RMDS term dates 2016

School will reopen on Thursday 1^st September 2016.

Other school events and dates are available on the calendar on the school website (www.rmds.ie)

Extra Curricular Programme

 Welcome back to the Spring term of extracurricular activities. Classes begin on the week of Monday 11^th January for an 8 week term (excluding the week of 15^th February), concluding on the week of 7^th March.

Gymnastics: Padraic Mulholland will take over the gymnastics classes this term as Olympian Gymnastics have stopped their schools programme.

Swimming: In order to ensure we have sufficient teachers for the swim, please let us know by return email if your child will be taking part this term – that way we can let the pool know in advance so they will have sufficient teachers available.  The price of swimming has increased to ensure that there are smaller tuition groups for lessons.

Swimming cheques and forms should be brought directly to the pool on the first session – any left in the office will be returned to the children. Please put your cheque or cash in an envelope with your child's name and RMDS Swimming on the front. Children need to be at the pool and ready to start the lesson by 3pm.

RC religion classes continue as advised directly by the teachers.

Below is the programme for this term.  Enrolment forms are also included. Enrolment is on a first come, first served basis. Children who were enrolled in the first term are given priority for this term.

Please return booking forms tomorrow – cheques can be given directly to the teachers next week.

• Envelopes should be deposited in the box outside the office/at the gate this afternoon or in the morning
• Please use a separate form and envelope for each application
• Extra application forms are available beside the box or you can write out the required information on a sheet.

Please note:

• Children should be collected from the front door of the school (Ranelagh Road) for activities which take place in the school.  For activities which begin later in the afternoon, children should be dropped to the front door. Collect at the Mountpleasant LTC or Herbert Park otherwise.
• Please collect your child promptly.
• To ensure that all children enjoy these classes, we expect the same standards of  behaviour as we would in school.  All children are expected to act with respect and kindness to their peers and teachers.  Children who are not able to do this will not be allowed to take part and monies paid will be refunded.
• Extra curricular teachers will contact you if classes are cancelled for any reason.
• Cancelled classes will be made up at the end or monies refunded if that is not possible.
• Contact the extracurricular teacher in the first instance regarding any issues or difficulties that arise.  If that does not sort out the problem, please contact the principal.
• Classes will only go ahead if there are sufficient numbers enrolled

Extra Curricular Application Form – Spring 2016

Name of extracurricular class: ______________

Name of child:  __________________ Rang _____

My child was enrolled in the first term:  yes / no (please circle)

I enclose a cheque / I will pay the teacher directly (please circle)

Signed: _____________________ (parent /guardian)

Mobile: ________________

I wish to avail of financial support: yes / no (please circle) 

Extra Curricular Application Form - Spring 2016

Name of extracurricular class: ______________

Name of child:  __________________ Rang _____

My child was enrolled in the first term: yes / no (please circle)

I enclose a cheque / I will pay the teacher directly (please circle)

Signed: _____________________ (parent /guardian)

Mobile: ________________

I wish to avail of financial support: yes / no (please circle) 

Spring term 11^th January to 11^th March 2016

 RMDS School Age Childcare

Information from Caroline Percival on 085-1156506 or email childcare@rmds.ie.

 Don’t forget to keep an eye on the school website, www.rmds.ie