Thank You
Dear Mums, Dads, Pupils and Staff,

It was just wonderful to meet so many of you at our Parents’ Information evening last Thursday. I know the effort that it takes to come out to a meeting in the evening so I very much appreciate the fact that so many Mums and Dads came along. I would also like to acknowledge the staff of the school who gave their time to plan and deliver the meetings. It really does make a difference to the children’s learning when they know that their school and their homes are communicating and working together.
I hope that you found the meetings informative and that you also had an opportunity to chat to some of the organisations who were here about the services they provide.
On page 2 of this newsletter, you will find a very short feedback form. I would appreciate it very much if you would take a few minutes to fill it in and return it to the school. Your thoughts will help us to reflect on the information that we are providing and to think about how we can it make it more relevant to you as parents/guardians.

Yours sincerely,

_______________________
C. O’Reilly – Principal

Feedback Form
Parent Information Evening

I found the Parent Information evening helpful because:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It would make the meeting more helpful to me as a parent if:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would prefer an afternoon meeting (3.15-4.15p.m.)
I would prefer an evening meeting (7-8p.m.)

Reminder
Swimming lessons for 2nd and 3rd classes will begin on Monday 5th November. Your child has already brought home a note about the lessons. The school’s Parents’ Association is paying the cost of transport for the children. Please forward the money for the lessons to your child’s teacher before the Hallowe’en Break. As always, if any parent/guardian wishes to make an arrangement with the school to pay for the lessons over a number of weeks, please feel free to contact Miss O’Reilly in absolute confidence.
St. Dominic’s Credit Union
St. Dominic’s Credit Union visits the school every second Thursday. When your child joins the Credit Union at school, they receive a free gift and a little deposit into their account to get them started. New members are always welcome. If your child is interested in becoming a member, please give the school office a call and we will get the information you need back to you.
Well done to all our regular savers. The next collection date is Thursday 11th October.

Every Schoolday Counts
Well done to Mr. Dooley’s Second Class who had the best attendance during the month of September with a fantastic attendance rate of 97.38%. They were closely followed by our Junior Infants and in third spot was Sixth Class. Well done girls and keep up the great work!.

Practical Tips to Reduce the Weight of My Schoolbag
1. How many pencil cases do I need?
2. Do I need every book every night?
3. Can I bring home some of the sheets from my folder instead of the whole folder?
4. Am I letting my work build up, or can I do a little every night so that my bag isn’t overfilled?
I should remember to
1. Carry my schoolbag on both shoulders.
2. Make sure my schoolbag is sitting in the right place on my back. It’s called a backpack not a bottompack!
3. Put my schoolbag on a desk/table, and slip my arms in.
4. Leave my schoolbag down if I am standing in one place
5. Fasten the waist strap if there is one on my schoolbag

Team Hope – Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2018
This year we would like to make a special effort to help children for whom Christmas is just like any other day of the year. Many live in difficult situations and a shoebox can bring happiness and joy at this time of year. Your kindness will bring laughter and excitement to a child who may never have received a gift.
If you would like to put a shoe box together for a child there will be leaflets available from the school office next week explaining how to put your box together so that the items you put inside will be of most benefit to the child who receives it. The last date that boxes can be accepted at the school is Friday November 9th 2018. For more information about the Shoe Box Appeal go to www.teamhope.ie

Positive Ageing Week Visit
On Monday 1st October we visited the residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor for Positive Ageing week. While there, we found out some interesting things about them, as they did with us. We learned a little about their past lives. One man used to slaughter pigs in Clover meats; another lived on a farm and made their own puddings and gave it to their neighbours; and there was also a hotel manager!

Rose showed us around the building and we saw the beautiful Mary Altar made by one of the residents

In the end, it was a great experience for the class as well as the residents, and we hope to see them again in the future.

Dates for Calendar
1st National Day China, Hong Kong
Independence Day, Nigeria
9th Navaratri
16th Week of Prayer for World Peace
22nd Mission Week begins
26th Presidential Election – School closed
29th Mid-term Break begins
31st Hallowe’en