Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope this finds you well as we head into Autumn. Our news this week is as follows

• St. Tola’s Parents’ Association will hold their first meeting of the current school year here in the school next Monday 2^nd Oct at 7.30p.m. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend. The meetings are quite informal and the committee would welcome new parents/guardians to help them out. 
• Pupils from 1^st-6^th classes are representing the school in the East Clare Cross Country competition today in Lee’s Road. We wish them well. Thank you to Ms O’ Neill, Ms Cleary, Ms Clancy and Aoife for accompanying them.
• 6^th class had a visit from an author yesterday. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, from Ennis Book Club visited first thing yesterday morning. She had a Q & A with the class about the life and work of an author. She then read an extract from her own book ‘The Shark and the Scar’. The pupils remarked that the stormy weather outside added to the atmosphere of the read aloud. Sarah will return next month for a dedicated writing workshop with the 6^th class pupils.
• 3^rd and 4^th classes will take part in a football blitz along with pupils from the other Shannon primary schools tomorrow (weather permitting) in Wolfe Tones GAA club. The pupils will play a number of matches in a 7 a side format. We hope the pupils enjoy this fun sporting experience.
• Can we please ask that parents/guardians parking outside our Aoibhneas classroom (prefab) leave room for the bus to gain safe access to the classroom. The pupils using this classroom have mobility challenges and need to have safe access. The bus is on a timetable and has pickups in other schools and cannot be delayed. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.
• Can you please make sure your child has a coat coming to school. If the weather is dry we go outside for breaktimes. It is a good idea to put your child’s name on their coat so they do not get mislaid.
• Please see attached flyer re online Internet Safety talk for parents on Tuesday 3^rd October.
• At the meeting of the Board of Management on Tuesday last the Board formally adopted the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post -Primary Schools (revised 2023). The Board also reviewed and updated the Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment. This is displayed in the main entrance hall of the school beside the office. It will also be available to view on the school website www.tolasns.com

Kind regards,

Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you are keeping well despite the poor weather conditions we have had at times this week. Our news this week is as follows

• We have been celebrating International Dot day in some classes this week. This is based on a story called The Dot by Peter Reynolds. This book dares us make a mark and see where it will take you. First Class have produced beautiful pictures all starting with making a mark. Well done First Class!
• Can you please make sure your child has a coat coming to school in the morning. The weather is quite unpredictable at present and some pupils were wet through when they arrived at school the other morning.
• The Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post primary schools (revised 2023) were published by the Department of Education at the end of August. The Board of Management will be reviewing and updating our Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment. If any parent has a comment or query in relation to this matter please contact the school office. Our current Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment is available on our website at www.tolasns.com and we will let you know when the updated document has been approved by the Board of Management and uploaded to the website.
• Pupils from 1^st to 6^th classes have been taking part in training and selection for the East Clare Cross Country competition taking place next week. There has been great enthusiasm for the training and I understand that the team selection will be made this week. Thank you to Ms O’ Neill and Ms Cleary who have given up their lunchtimes to train the boys and girls.
• Well done to 6^th class who preformed a haka for us at Cruinniu last Friday as Gaeilge. They put on a performance that rivalled even the mighty All Blacks!!!   Keep up the great work 6^th class.
• Juniors have been working hard on learning their sounds. While I was in the classroom the other day they sang many of the rhymes that they have learnt to help them remember their sounds. This is vital work the pupils will need to get started on decoding words and learning to read!
• Can you please make sure that your child has sufficient drinks to last them through the day.  It is not possible to refill drinks bottles in school as it is disruptive to teaching and learning. We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Kind regards, Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you are keeping well and enjoying the amazing weather this week. Our news is as follows

• Our car park is very busy in the mornings and the evenings. We would ask that parents/guardians enter and leave the car park very slowly. Please be aware that there may be pupils walking through the car park so the utmost care is needed. We also have two disabled car park spaces which must be kept free for pupils who require them.  If there are no parking spaces the Gardai have informed us that parents/guardians may park on the footpath beside the school as long as you do not cause an obstruction for our neighbours. Please be aware that staff also use the car park so we ask that you do not block up the car park spaces so they can get into work on time. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter as we all want to ensure that our pupils are safe.   It is wonderful to see so many pupils walking to school at present which reduces the pressure on the car park.
• Please see a flyer attached in relation to Designer Minds Steam club that some pupils may be interested in.
• GAA training started back for our pupils from Juniors to 3^rd class. We are fortunate in that Wolfe Tones GAA club provide a trained coach called Caimin to come in and work with schools here in Shannon. We have training on Wednesdays and as he works with the Junior end of the school the emphasis is on fun games to build confidence in fundamental movement skills.
• At the start of a school year I would like to remind everyone of the importance of establishing good attendance habits from the start of the year.  If your child needs to miss a day please provide a reason for your child’s absence – you can do this via the Aladdin app or by contacting the school office. If your child has a temperature or is vomiting etc they need to be kept at home. We would ask that you schedule family holidays as much as possible during school holiday times. If you do take family holidays during the school year we will not be in a position to provide work for your child during this time. If your child misses 20 days or more during a school year we are legally obliged under the Education Welfare Act to report these absences and the reasons provided by you to the Education Welfare Service which is part of TUSLA. 20 days absence equates to four school weeks which is almost half a term. This can have a significant impact on a child’s learning and attainment. If you have concerns in relation to your child’s attendance please come and talk to us.
• We are delighted that all our school books, workbooks, copies etc are covered by the Department of Education this school year. We do have to ask that parents/guardians would pay for the following items pupil insurance, art & craft materials and photocopying. The cost is €40 for eldest child, €35 for the second child and €30 for the third child. Thank you to all who have paid to date. Payment can be made through Aladdin Connect or in the office.
• I got to work with both 1^st classes yesterday and I was so impressed. They were excellent at sharing with the class. We listened to a story and did some work on it afterwards. I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful pictures created and there even some amazing sentences too. Well done 1^st class.
• Junior Infants are settling in well. Today I popped in and they were busy matching and colouring. They were very proud of their work. Keep it up Juniors!

Kind regards, Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, School Principal