Parent’s Association Committee Members 2024/2025

Contact email paslanens@gmail.com

• Bridget Kerrigan (Chairperson)
• Alex Ledward (Secretary)
• Leah Cooney (Treasurer)
• Denise Cassidy (PRO)
• Sarah-Jane Lynch (Board of Management 2023-2027 mother’s nominee)
• Richie Carolan (Board of Management 2023-2027 father’s nominee)
• Marie Carolan
• Dev Cudail
• Rachel Carolan
• Alex Ledward
• Soren Jensen
• Maggie Greene
• Tania Rueda Finnegan
• Deirdre Stafford
• Ruth McKeever
• Corina Gomez Ball
• Agnes Matczynska
• Eamonn Flanagan

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Parents' Association Principal Update Beginning of September 2024

• Thanks
  • Welcome back
  • Thanks to PA for coffee morning and book rental committee for all organising in advance of this school year
  School Life
  • New staff – Tim Dineen 1^st/ 2^nd, Leah Kells (SET), Abi Greene (SET), Niamh O’Connor (3^rd).
  • Assembly on Tuesday with pupils. Discussion on yard, uniform, attendance, preventative measures relating to head lice, mobile phones and role modeling problem solving in relational difficulties with others.
  • Routines back up and running – yard, entry and exit from school, contact details for teachers, medical forms etc.
  • Letter 2 gone home as well as after school activities.
  • Improving attendance will be a big focus this year as figures have dropped over the last number of years.
  • Child protection. Parental feedback on child safeguarding arrangements.
  Curriculum
  • Embedding the Maths curriculum will be our big curricular focus this year.
  • We continue to focus on music as part of our school self-evaluation focus.
  • There will be a speaker at our assembly at the end of the month on road safety.
  • GAA coaching – 6^th class and both 4^th classes this half term.
  • GAA – 4^th-6^th class Cumann na mBunscol league and 2^nd to 4^th lunch time league.
  • Meta grant digital equipment rolled out in junior and senior classes on a pilot basis.
  • We were unsuccessful with our application to the DE for a physical education grant.
  Summer Works
  • New high speed broadband installed in the school.
  • Exterior of the school has been painted.
  • Painting of rooms indoors.
  • Power washing of gutters, soffit and fascia etc.
  • Storage and shelving put in outdoor shed for play materials.
  • Principal’s office swapped with SET room so more space for teaching and learning.
  • Doors inserted between staff room and resource room to create extra teaching space.
  • Assessments carried out as part of Pathfinder Retrofit programme.

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Parents' Association Update Beginning October 2024

• Thanks to the outgoing PA committee and I look forward to working with the new committee.

Curriculum Activities

• A discussion on preventative measures relating to head lice and also anti-bullying preventative role modeling on relational difficulties with other children took place at assembly this month. We also had a guest speaker on road safety from Meath County Council.
• All classes from 1^st to 6th will participate in swimming lessons in November and December of this year.
• School participating in GLOBE air quality project again this month in association with the EPA. We will be measuring Nitrogen Dioxide levels outside the school.
• Hen rota set up and pupils trained up for the next month. Eggs being sold again.
• The GAA leagues for boys and girls have ended. We are now coaching 60 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th class boys and girls. Thanks to the 6^th class “aspiring coaches!” who are helping out.
• Lorna Murphy and Ruth Collins will attend a conference shortly to mark the end of the Erasmus outdoor learning and risky play study. We will also get a copy of the research about its impact in our school in the near future. The research will be shared with the school community.
• Following a request at the last PA meeting, contact details for parents who consented to have their details shared with others at each class level were forwarded to parents this week.
• Staff received training for first aid after school recently.
• We have been accepted into a Creative School project for this school year and will shortly discuss our project aims.
• Attendance levels are up for the first month of school compared to the same period last year. It will continue to be a focus this term.

Policy Ratification

• Our child Safeguarding Statement for 2024-2025 has been published on our website.
• There will be a new anti-bullying policy created, including a child friendly version during this year and ratified for the 2025-2026 school year. Staff will be receiving a half day for training in this area later in the year.

Future Plans

• I am investigating a number of projects in relation to PA funding and hope to report back at the next PA meeting.
• The survey on the school uniform options for 2025-2026 was published in the letter home this week, as well as consent for the nasal flu vaccine and Board of Management priorities for this school year. We have received 89 school uniform survey responses to date.

‍Parents' Association Update November 2024

Thanks

1. A big thank you to the PA members for decorating the hall and organising the parties for each class level on the day of the mid-term break

Curriculum

• Various models of in-class support including team-teaching/station teaching for literacy and numeracy are in place in all classrooms. Plans are also in place to ensure that class levels that are in different rooms (1^st/1^st & 2^nd/ 2^nd/ 3^rd and 4^th classes) have opportunities to mix together as class groupings.
• Swimming has begun for 6 week term for pupils and all has gone well so far this week.
• Ongoing GAA coaching now for junior and senior infants for a 6 week period.
• This year, we are implementing a new anti-bullying policy called Bí Cineálta (Be Kind). There will be consultation with pupils, parents, staff, local community and the board of management in drawing up our new procedures. Staff will receive a half day for training later in the year in preparation for the new policy.
• We are also creating a Wellbeing Framework in our school. It will document the schemes and interventions that are ongoing to support the wellbeing of pupils. We will be discussing the framework with pupils in 5^th and 6^th classes in the coming weeks to get their feedback and suggestions as part of the framework.
• We are in year two of our School Self-Evaluation process (SSE). This is where we choose an area for improvement in our school. We have focussed on the area of music. This year we will be creating assessment templates for pupils and teachers, as well as implementing a new music scheme in all classes and purchasing music equipment.
• We have a space dome a STEAM workshop taking place next week as part of Science week for all classes.

School Life

• PT meetings are upcoming and Sharon has sent links to all parents to book slots for meetings.

• A number of pupils won prizes in the Credit Union art competition recently.

• Our October assembly was hosted by 6^th class at the end of October.
• We have three student teachers in our school currently.
• Our school choir will be participating in the local Slane Christmas event on Friday the 27^th of November.
• We will be sending junior boys’ and girls’ teams to the Meath cross country running competition in Fairyhouse Racecourse later this month.
• The nasal flu vaccine and junior infant immunisation programmes were administered in school recently.
• The vision and hearing screening will take place for senior infant pupils in early December.
• Parents in 6^th class will receive communication in relation to the dental screening scheme this month.
• Admissions for the coming school year are open from now until the end of January. We will be communicating with all local early childhood providers next week.

Future Plans

• Sensory room
• Reading material at all class levels
• Outdoor play structure

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Parents' Association Update December 2024

Thank You

• In advance for the Christmas Cake Sale which takes place tomorrow in the school hall.
• Congrats also on The Meath Chronicle article on keeping children smartphone free.

Curriculum

• We have had quite an amount of media interest regarding adventurous play in the school after an article was published in The Irish Times. There have been subsequent letters to The Irish Times as well as a segment on Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show.
• Plans are in place for whole class interventions in the New Year to support teaching and learning.
• Reading recovery project in senior infants continuing.
• School Self-Evaluation focus on wellbeing and the curriculum. Priority continues to be music. Targets for the year will be published in January.
• Summary data regarding anti-bullying feedback from students is attached

School Life

• We have been awarded a grant of €2,500 towards our hen business by the Department of Education Environment for Sustainable Development section.
• Mass in St. Patrick’s Church next Monday at 11am
• Vision and hearing screening took place this week and all went well. The service will follow up with parents directly.
• Christmas play date and times have been forwarded to parents/ guardians.
• Quizzes with senior classes are taking place weekly.
• We expect to hear in January 2025 if we are successful or not in being shortlisted for the school building retrofit project.
• Having received feedback from the students regarding their wellbeing in the school, an outdoor play structure remains their top choice for future plans. I am currently engaging with four companies regarding options. 
• We will be communicating with the community re the admission process after Christmas

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Parents’ Association Update Beginning of January 2025

Curriculum

• Students have been engaging in quizzes for a number of weeks in advance of the Credit Union quiz, which takes place at the end of the month in Rathkenny.
• The Stay Safe programme will be taught in all classes during January and February as part of the Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum.
• Soccer lessons take place this month for a four week block for junior infants to 2^ndclass. Thanks to Slane Wanderers for the coaching.
• GAA coaching continues this half-term with coaching for 3^rd and 5^thclasses

School Life

• Applications for admission are open until the 7^th of February for junior infants next year.
• An assembly took place on Tuesday to prepare for the current term.
• As part of Catholic Schools’ Week, Grandparent’s Day will take place on Friday the31^st of January
• I have received four quotations for a senior play structure and hope to meet students to discuss the proposals this month.
• We should know shortly if the school will be included in the short list for the Department of Education’s school building retrofit programme. If successful, the creation of a new sensory room will be deferred until the beginning of the2025-2026 school year.

Principal’sReport to P.A. Beginning February 2025

Parents/Guardians

Sincere thanks to the Parents’ Association for hosting refreshments in the school for Grandparent's Day.

Students

Enrolments – 237 currently enrolled. We expect to lose a mainstream teacher for the next school year as our student numbers have fallen from 257 to 237 since last year.

The admission process for 2025-2026 is currently ongoing. The closing date is Friday the 7^th of February.

Curriculum Activities

School Self-Evaluation 3year process – our plan for year two of three is now in place. All of the process is available on the Information section of the school’s website www.slanens.ie

Teachers continue to implement the new mathematics curriculum. All classes have now incorporated the new maths curriculum in their planning notes.

The new curriculum will also see the introduction of five new subjects in the next few years. I will update the Board on this once they have been announced.

We have to create a new anti-bullying policy Bí Cinéalta. Consultation has taken place with students(see summary data attached), and will take place with staff and parents this term. We will also have a half day closure late in term two to prepare our new policy for ratification by the Board.

Professional development for staff this term includes fire prevention, anti-bullying procedures in the school, and restorative practice techniques to help resolve relational issues between students.

Eight teams take part in the Credit Union quiz in Rathkenny Hall at the end of January. Sincere thanks to all the teachers who put the work into planning the quiz season in school for all pupils since November, especially Ms. Gerrard who co-ordinated it.

Soccer lessons finished this week for jun. infants to 2^nd class. Thanks to Slane Wanderers for the coaching.

GAA lessons continue this term also. Thanks to Slane GFC for the coaching.

A Relationship and Sexuality Education workshop for 6^th class students takes place this month.

GAA and 5 a side soccer coaching continues for pupils from 2^nd to 6^th classes.

Workshops on online safety and device use have been provisionally booked for early in term three.

Other School Life Matters

Our new school website has been launched. Many thanks to Cormac and Bridget Kerrigan of BAMMED!A for all their expertise and work bringing this project to fruition.

Catholic Schools Week took place at the end of January including the making of St. Brigid's crosses and a huge crowd at Grandparent's Day, which was a great occasion in the school.

Mrs. Connor and Mrs. Haigney’s 2nd class hosted the January assembly recently.

A discussion also took place at assembly this month in relation to strategies for pupils dealing with disagreements and conflict.

We have progressed to stage 2 of the REPowerEU pathfinder retrofit programme, which is detail design and tendering. We will find out shortly if we progress to stage 3 (tendering). We expect an announcement to be imminent.

Separately, we have been granted funding for the Department of Education Solar Panels for Schools scheme and companies are tendering for the work. The closing date is Friday the 14^th of February.

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Parents’ Association Update March 2025

Parents/Guardians

Thanks also to the parents who are made themselves available to assist with swimming lessons and with BOWOW on Wednesdays. BOWOW was a greatsuccess on its first two days.

Thanks also to those who could attend the visit of Minister for Education, Helen McEntee

Curriculum Activities

Seachtain na Gaeilge takes place next week of 10th -14th March with events taking place on each day of the week, including lá glas agus céilí mór on Friday 14^th of March.

Séan Flanagan has applied for a school grant to purchase digital technology from Meta for €4,000 and we havejust been informed that our grant application has been successful. Sean will be purchasing additional Lego kits for use by pupils in the school with the grant.

Next year, our school is mandated to have a new anti-bullying policy, called Bí Cineálta, in place. We have surveyed pupils for their opinions on the culture of or school and how incidents of bullying behaviour are handled. We now hope to do the same with parents this month. Then, on Friday the 28^th of March, we will have a school closure at 12pm so the staff can come together in the afternoon to consider the findings and put a new policy in place.

First confession takes place on Wednesday the 12^th of March at 7pm in St. Patrick’s Church, Slane.

Cycle training takes for 5^thclass pupils begins this week for six weeks.

Other School Life Matters

As a result of our pupil numbers falling, we will have ten mainstream classes next year instead of eleven.

As a result, we now have a vacant classroom, which will be repurposed to become an autism class for primary school children. The class will open in September 2025.

We are still awaiting an announcement regarding the school building retrofit project.

Mr. Dineen’s 1^st and 2^nd class hosted the February assembly last week.

Pupils took part last week in the Sing Out Loud musical event in the TLT Theatre in Drogheda. It was a great occasion and many thanks to Mr. Fagan, Mrs. Carey and parents for transport to and from the event, as well as attending the concert.  Boys and girls took part in the GAA mini sevens last week. The teams performed very well and were both unlucky not to get to the county finals. Boys’ 5 a side soccer also took place this week. Lunchtime GAA and 5 a side soccer coaching continues for pupils from 2^nd to 4^thclasses

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