Parents' Association Committee Members 2025/2026
Contact email paslanens@gmail.com
Parents’ Association Update Beginning October 2025
Thanks
Thanks for inviting me to the AGM. Thank you also to the outgoing PA committee and I look forward to working with the new committee, as well as Soren in his role as father nominee on the Parents’ Association.
School Life
New staff – Tara Mahon and Sinéad McNeely (Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), Leesa Flynn & Claire O’Callaghan (Bus Escorts), Catherine Kennedy English as an Additional Language(EAL) Teacher and Paddy Kennedy Special Education Teacher (SET) from Stackallen N.S.
Early September assembly on Tuesday with pupils. Discussion on new works in the school, yard, uniform, attendance, preventative measures relating to head lice, mobile phones, role modelling problem solving in relational difficulties with others, as part of our Bí Cineálta anti-bullying policy and staying safe as part of our Child Safeguarding Statement.
Letter 3 has gone home as well as after school activities.
Improving attendance will continue to be a big focus this year. Our school attendance in 2024-2025improved from 90.9% to 92.2%. We hope to increase this again this year as part of our attendance strategy.
Child protection. Parental feedback on child safeguarding arrangements.
Curriculum
In September some staff participated in the launch of the Erasmus outdoor learning and risky play project website. This was the culmination of three years of work as part of it. A big thank you to Ruth Collins and Lorna Murphy, who led the project in our school.
GAA boys’ and girls’ gaelic football competitions continue this term against other school. Thanks to Lorna Gerrard, Gearóid O’Connor, Tim Dineen and Tom Ó Braonáin for all their coaching this term.
We are in year three of our School Self-Evaluation process (SSE) and continue to focus on the area of music. This year we will be implementing assessment templates for pupils and teachers, as well as continued implementing a new music scheme in all classes.
We hope to have a school band up and running this year, thanks to music teacher Gerry Kelly
Our school is participating in the GLOBE air quality project for the third year running this year.
Some pupils attended Slane library last week to launch Meath Library autumn events.
Parents’ Association Update November 2025
Thanks
1. A big thank you to the PA members for decorating the hall and organising the Halloween parties for each class level on the day of the mid-term break
Curriculum
· Next year we will begin to embed five new curriculum subject areas. They will be rolled out one by one. They are:
1. Arts Education (music, art & drama)
2. Modern Foreign Languages
3. Science Technology and Engineering
4. Social and Environmental Education (geography and history)
5. Wellbeing (Social and Personal Health Education and Physical Education)
We have already implemented Languages & Maths. Further information on the curriculum rollout is available on our website www.slanens.ie/useful-information/publications. Teachers will have further information about the new curriculum at parent teacher meetings.
· A summary of the Erasmus+ outdoor learning and risky play study that took place as part of our implementation of the project has been published. It has collated data from the views of parents, children and staff and is available on our school website www.slanens.ie/useful-information/publicationsI will also be forwarding the summary to all parents in the coming weeks. Schools from Meath, Kildare and Dublin continue to visit us to see the results of the project here with a view to implementing it in their own schools.
· Swimming has begun for six week term for pupils and all has gone well so far this week.
· We are in year three 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 implementing assessment templates for pupils and teachers, as well as embedding a new music scheme in all classes. Music equipment has been purchased to support the scheme.
School Life
· The Department of Education has issued a consultation process on the future of primary education in Ireland. They are looking for feedback from existing parents, school staff, and board of management members. I will forward the details to parents to access the survey shortly.
· PT meetings are upcoming and Sharon will send links to all parents to book slots for meetings early next week.
· Our October assembly was hosted by 6th class at the end of October.
· We have three student teachers in our school currently.
· The nasal flu vaccine and junior infant immunisation programmes were administered in school recently.
· 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 shortly.
Building Works
1. Windows and doors have now been installed at the front of the school. Follow up -
2. New marmoleum flooring has been laid in the autism room, as well as new fixed dividers between individual workstations.
3. Fixed sliding storage has now been installed in rooms 5, 9, 10, 11& 12. Follow up -
4. Outdoors works have been completed, including removal of willow structures and fruit trees near hen house, refilling of soil in polytunnel and raised beds, sand in sandpit, repair of sand lid netting, the creation of a dead hedge in the field to separate the woodland area from the pitch and the cleaning of all drains and gulleys in the school yards. Follow up:
5. Car park works have begun in advance of the opening of the local community centre. Kerbing was completed in the week gone by. Follow up:
