Gaelscoil Chill Dara

Aisling Uí Laoghaire
086 3848178
045 528918
aisling.olaoghaire@yahoo.co.uk


Aisling Nic Uidhir
087 798 8691
aislinglawton@gmail.com


Alan O’Conaill
086 8534201
aoconn@eircom.net


Conor Ó Mathúna
086 4030104
cgmahony@gmail.com


Adrian O’Murchú
087 2855787
adrian.omurchu@ireland.com


Sandra Nic Liam
086 3803231
sandrajsexton@eircom.net


Mairín Uí Chathaláin
087 9541311


Jacinta McHugh
086 8893774
jaywmh@hotmail.com


Mairéad Ní Ghormain
rep muinteoirí

Declan Rasmussen
087 6900761
045 486018
declanras@oceanfree.net


Tracey Uí Scolaí
086 8289389
claneadult@gmail.com

Many thanks for their sponsorship of the Spraoi to the following:

Willie Barry of RobeDesign who made the Swing Boats
Tony Donohoe's Engraving Centre ( www.tonydonohoe.ie) who gave us the medals
Dunbyrne Stud who leant us 2 ponies and staff ( www.dunbyrnestud.com)
Kildare Farm Foods who gave us the ice cream ( www.kildarefarmfoods.com)

List of prizes and Donators– Crannchur 2010

Window cleaning and carpet cleaning vouchers Cathal Keogh
Le Creuset casserole dish Debbie Devine
Shoe Voucher (Febucci) Deirdre
Usac restaurant voucher Kieran Ward
Kloset boutique voucher Linda Francis
K Bowl Voucher K Bowl
Hair Voucher Sheila Murray
Bottle of Wine Margatet Young
Tupperware Siobhan and Aoife
Coffee, mugs and cookies hamper Caroline Kelly
Golf balls
Silken Thomas vouchers x 2
Burberry Perfume Ita
Bayliss and Harding soaps
La Tavola d’oro restaurant voucher
Bottle of wine Frances Doyle
Fun Factory vouchers 6 x €10 Fun Factory
Wall clock
Dove Cream set
Lullymore voucher Lullymore Heritage Park
Mini golf family pass

HSE SCHOOL DENTAL SCHEME

The School Dental Scheme is a public dental scheme operated by the HSE. All services received through the scheme are free. It is in operation for 2nd, 4th and 6th class pupils. 6th class is now the last opportunity to avail of the scheme as it has been suspended for Secondary School 2nd years. Gaelscoil pupils are seen through the Newbridge Dental Clinic.
Newbridge is currently writing to the parents/guardians of Gaelscoil 6 class children for appointments to be screened. If your child is in 6th class and you have not yet heard from the Dental Service, please contact them with your details at 44 61 41. The Dental Service will be contacting parents/guardians of 4th class children in May. They do not yet have a date for 2nd class children. If they are unable to see the current 2nd class group before the end of this school year (25 June 2010) they will advise the school, so that parents can make their own arrangements.

Under the scheme, children in 2nd, 4th and 6th class are seen by a HSE dentist. If the Dentist thinks a child needs further attention (fillings, sealings, extractions, etc.), the child will be referred on for services under the Scheme. There is no charge for any of these services.Orthodontic screening is done in 6th class. As long as a child is screened and referred on for orthodontic services before their 16th birthday, even if the appointment date they get is after their 16th birthday, there is no charge for the consultant, braces, retainers, etc. There is no charge for extractions at any age. There will be a charge for fillings and cleanings after a child's 16th birthday.
Should you wish to avail of the Dental Scheme, it is essential that you give the School your current address and contact details. The Dental Service in Newbridge asks the School for the address lists for all 2nd, 4th and 6th class pupils. The Dental Service then writes directly to the parent/guardian to set up an appointment to be screened.

IRISH LANGUAGE MATERIALS

Some parents have been asking about where to find books, CDs etc. in Irish. Coiste members and other parents have found materials on the following:

www.futafata.com which has books, read-a-long CDs, rhymes for children, teenagers and parents.

www.leabharpower.com has a list of many Irish language books and shops which stock them (although their list of shops in Kildare is a bit out of date.)

www.BooksUnlimited.ie is having a sale on Irish books in the month of April.

NEWBRIDGE SCHOOLS GROUP

Introduction Our parents’ association is part of the Newbridge Schools Group, which recently had meetings in Dáil Éireann to discussissues affecting children and parents.The Dept of Education was for thanked for acknowledging the needs of the town and the provision of several building projects in the Newbridge area. The point was made that now that we have the physical resources, it is going to be very important to ensure the human resources required at an appropriate level.

Class size Deirdre McDonnell from the Department of Education stated that the new programme for government looked at Bands of student numbers,that schools with bigger class sizes would stand to gain more in the additional staffing allocation that was agreed in the new programme for government (150 extra teachers). She also stated that 600 extra teachers at primary level are being put in to the system in September 2010. Deirdre stated that priority is being given to class size, to ensure that class sizes won’t be getting any bigger.

Book Grants Many parents are experiencing difficulty in the current economic situation paying for book rental charges, photocopying etc.Deirdre said that the government has committed an additional €2.8 Million to primary schools to fund books. Deirdre said the government is anxious that the book rental scheme should continue as it is the most cost effective way of providing books to children in schools and it was agreed that it is a good system. The mechanism by which the money will be distributed has yet to be decided. It could be through increased capitation, principal’s discretionary funds or on the school enrolment numbers. Also, commitment to maintain capitation grants has been given in the new programme for government. The Dept is looking at many ways of getting value for money. They are considering buying electricity supply in bulk for Primary schools. Deirdre also explained that the rules for sourcing other materials (such as IT) have been adjusted more recently to allow schools to find local suppliers if the company they award the contract to comes in at a cheaper price, as long as it provides all of the features in the Department's original tender. The framework is available on the NCTE website.
Inclusive education The lack of choice for secondary schools based on feeder school rights or religion was raised by the group. Non-parish schools have to wait until feeder schools are provided for, before being considered for a place in Parish secondary schools.Deirdre acknowledged that there are difficulties within many areas with increasing enrolment numbers and reduced capacity available. With advanced IT analysis systems in place (GIS), it is possible for the DoE to identify areas where increased numbers of places are going to be required. They have prioritised 40 areas where over the next 4-5 years, growth is significant and either new schools or extensions to schools will be built in those areas. Deirdre did not know the exact location of these 40 schools but assumes that Kildare will have a number of developments.The Dept is looking at the ways in which enrolment to schools operates in general. However, it is a very difficult issue and there are many things to be considered, i.e. constitutional, the Education Act, and the fact that many schools are not owned by the State.

SNAs (Special Needs Assistants) The Group made the point that the criteria for assessing children for SNA is too narrow, and does not take account of behavioural problems. Deirdre explained there are two reviews ongoing at present.
1. To see if the criteria are being applied as intended – this is nearing completion.
2. To see if the overall system is working – to be completed towards the end of the year.
Deirdre suggested that parents should make recommendations in relation to what we feel should be included in the system in relation to the review which is ongoing (review of the system as a whole).

CHRISTMAS BOOK FAIR
The annual book fair and Christmas event took place from 10–15 Dec and was a great success. €5,300 worth of books were sold (the school receives two thirds of that amount in books for the Library). We have discussed the event with Seán and we agreed to try to get even better value for parents next year (ideas welcome). The event culminated in the Tree Lighting on 17 Dec, hot chocolate was served and the children played fantastic music. Thanks for supporting the raffle, which earned over €700. On that note, a special thank you to those who donated items for the hamper and helped out on the night.

SURVEY
We received 99 replies to our parent survey. From 263 families this is an excellent response and is statistically viable. We have completed a short summary of the findings, which is attached. In general, parents were very positive, and showed particular interest in extra-curricular activities for the children, such as sport and music. For space reasons we are not including the supplementary comments, although these have been recorded and will be used to help us prepare an honest and constructive brief for staff and the Board of Management in the near future. Following that meeting, we will again keep you informed on the outcome and any resulting initiatives.

WHOLE SCHOOL EVALUATION

As part of the recent Whole School Evaluation, Coiste members met with the evaluators on 26 Jan. The evaluators explained that the WSE looks at school management, school planning and the quality of School Education, all together as a package. They asked about the work that we do, our communications with the school and other parents, what we thought was best about GSCD and what could be improved.

They were very thorough and asked follow-up questions to see how processes worked in real terms. They recommended that we give parents in general prior notice of Coiste meeting dates so that if you have an item that you would like discussed on agenda you would have an opportunity to raise it with us. They asked about our input into school policies, and their distribution. For our part we briefed them on the activities of the Coiste, our survey, and the other ways in which the Coiste works in partnership with Seán, the staff and the Board of Management.




BULLETIN BOARD
Well done for donating your copper coins - we had considered that a “brown money” collection might be feasible as a once per term event provided that it was seen by those giving as an opportunity to do some good and get rid of a little nuisance. Given the situation in Haiti and the children’s desire to help, we discussed with Seán and agreed to donate the proceeds to UNICEF’s Haiti appeal. It all came to a total of just under €350.
Thanks also to everyone who purchased School Calendars.from this year's sale was €913.
For information, our council is affiliated to the National Parents Council (NPC).
Volunteers needed: Participation from parents is always very welcome (and needed). It’s also a great way to meet other parents and learn about what's going on at the school. We are looking for help with the following events…
Seachtain na Gaeilge - week of 12 March.
Garda Band - 15 March.
School BBQ/Fair - Mid-June.
Annual School Raffle - Mid June.
Golf Classic - TBD.
If you are available and would like to help, please contact Aisling Uí Laoghaire at 086 384 8178 or Aisling Nic Uidhir at coiste123@gmail.com.
The Parents Trad Group play in O’Rourke’s, Newbridge on the first Thursday of every month, from 9pm. They’re very good, and admission is free. Try it once, and you’ll be back!
The Coiste are offering to help with reviewing and updating the parental aspects of the new parent handbook for next year’s next arrivals. All suggestions welcome!
is a useful website for parents that has information on learning resources, homeworkcamps, second hand books, etc.


NEXT COISTE MEETING
Our next Committee meeting takes place on this Wed 10th Feb at 8pm. If there is anything you would like raised at the meeting, please let a committee member know or send an email to us at the new Coiste address coiste123@gmail.com. In case you missed the contact sheet on our last newsletter, contact details and photos of the current coiste are posted on the parents section of the school website.

Many thanks to :


Centra
O'Reilly's Pharmacy
Dunnes Stores
Tesco

For donating prizes for the table quiz.