Newsletter Thursday 13/10/22
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Non-Uniform Day Fundraiser - Pupil Walkathon with Blue Heroes Aoife Mc Quillan is a senior infant pupil in our school. In the picture above, she is smiling happily with her little sister Orlagh. Both girls and their parents have been through an extremely challenging journey since their births. Their parents would like to give something back to the charities who have kindly supported them along a difficult path. Tomorrow, on Friday Oct. 14th we would like to donate our non-uniform day collection proceeds to the Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Coombe Hospital Neonatal Unit (NICU) via Aoife’s parents, who have been undertaking substantial fundraising for these charities. Your child can wear blue, yellow/gold or purple to represent the various entities. Wear blue for blue heroes. Wear purple for babies born prematurely. Wear gold/yellow for childhood cancer awareness. Aoife’s parents have also kindly donated some fabulous spot prizes which will be raffled off amongst pupils, parents and staff. The Blue Heroes will visit on that date and all pupils will undertake a walkathon around the school grounds with Aoife dressed in her blue hero uniform. Aoife is currently doing very well and is a true superhero. We ask that families kindly send in €3 per child on the day as per our normal non-uniform day, however if you feel you wish to donate an alternative amount, that is very much welcome too. Many thanks for supporting this worthy cause.
Clothing Collection fundraiser A clothing bank has been installed inside the yard gates beside the bins. We welcome all kinds of unneeded clothes (clean and wearable), shoes (in pairs), hats, scarves, bags, belts, bed linen, towels and curtains. Please note that pillows and duvets cannot be re-used and therefore cannot be placed in the bank. You can drop bags of clothing into the bank in the morning and afternoon when dropping or picking your child/children up from school. If you are doing a clear out of your wardrobes, we would be delighted to take any unwanted clothing off your hands. All money raised will go towards buying resources for the pupils of St. Thomas’ JNS. Many thanks for your support.
Admissions 2023/2024 Junior Infant enrolment for 2023/2024 will open on Monday the 7th November 2022. The Expression of Interest form will be available on our website from this date.
Hall Rental: We are renting our halls to organisations who may wish to use them. If any group wishes to avail of our halls after school or at weekends, please email carolinecarabini@yahoo.co.uk.
Car parking in the School Car Park and on the Church Grounds: We ask that users of the car park are very careful when driving to ensure the safety of all pupils and users of the car park. Any vehicle that does not have a permit who park in the School Car Park or on the Church Grounds at school drop-off times (8.30 - 9.15am) and pick-up times (1.15 - 3.00pm) will be clamped by APCOA. The fine to have the clamp removed is €120. Please note that the school will not be in a position to negotiate on your behalf with APCOA for a waiver on clamping release fees. Click here for more information on parking permits.
Bike Racks It is great to see members of our school community using our bike racks. Please be mindful of other users of our bike racks and their property.
Parents Association Meeting The next PA meeting will be in the school at 8pm on Tuesday 18th October. All welcome.
Lucan Girl Guides (CGI) meet at St Thomas school every Monday evening from 6pm to 7.30pm. Our Brigin section are looking for new girl members between the ages of 6 to 10 to join the group. For further information contact Eileen on 087 9188874 or Pamela on 086 8417781.
Archways is a national organisation working in collaboration with local and national agencies. It researches, develops, and promotes evidence-based programmes for children, young people, parents and the professionals that support them. Archways are inviting parents and guardians to attend a free live webinar “Understanding Anxiety & Supporting my Child”, taking place on Thursday, the 10th of November 2022. This 90 minute webinar will take place twice on this date, in the morning from 11am – 12.30pm, and in the evening from 7pm – 8.30pm, so if you are interested in attending, you can register for the time that suits you best.
To book a place at the morning webinar taking place from 11 am to 12.30 pm, please click here.
To book a place at the evening webinar taking place from 7 pm – 8.30 pm, please click here.
The webinar aims to help parents and guardians of children from birth to 18 years to:
- Understand the difference between worry, stress and anxiety
- Develop an understanding of how worry, stress and anxiety can affect children and young people
- Develop tools and strategies to support children and young people
- Better understand factors which affect and influence children’s development
- Explore self-care tools and strategies
This will be hosted via Zoom webinar, and a link to access the webinar will be emailed to attendees in advance of the date. This webinar is kindly funded by basis point.
Kind regards,
Teresa Moynihan
Principal