Dear Parents,
“Ní neart go cur le chéile” is an Irish saying which means there is no strength without unity. We’ve always acknowledged the wisdom of this saying in Emo but never has it seemed so apt. Everyone is pulling together, children, parents, teachers, SNA’s and support staff. Yes, it is going to be different but the things that are the most important remain the same.
School Culture
During the 2018/2019 school year our staff worked with a team from the Kildare and Leighlin diocese and Jonathan Tiernan, Alliance for Catholic Education in Ireland. We developed a school culture framework, underpinned with five root beliefs and corresponding values.
The value you will hear the most about this term is RESPECT. The root belief that we will be exploring with the children is as follows:
“A safe and caring environment fosters kindness, love and respect.”
Attendance
The roll call is taken every morning in school. Once a child has been marked absent for a day, parents can instantly submit a reason for this absence to the school on Aladdin Connect. This will reduce the need for notes coming into the school and cut down on the time required to check absences.
Football Leagues
The pupils in fourth, fifth and sixth class are looking forward to football leagues which will commence on Tuesday next. Children need to wear gum shields, boots etc
Our programme of extra physical activity for all classes has recommenced and is going really well and our teachers are very happy with how the children have responded.
Overpayment of School Insurance
There are two options for insurance for your child, a 24-hour insurance cover (€9) and a school hours’ insurance cover (€6). If you have not paid for insurance for your child and wish to do so you need to untick the box that you don’t wish to pay. Some families have overpaid their school insurance and paid both of the insurances by mistake. Bernadette will refund that to you and we are told that it will take a number of days for the refund to appear in your account.
We will adjust this payment next year to make it clearer for parents.
Homework
Next Tuesday 15th we will commence homework with the children. We will be prioritising reading and maths and there will be no written work for the moment. Our supplementary reading scheme will commence. Your child will receive a pack per week and they will start reading where they left off in March.
People often ask us how they can help us to improve their child’s language and comprehension. The following advice comes directly from our school improvement plan:
As a parent you can help us by:
- Setting up a specific family reading area in the home. This sends children a dual message that reading is an important value in this family and that everyone in this family, no matter their age, reads.
- Increase the reading for pleasure time.
- Read aloud and think aloud. While you are reading to your child, think out loud about the images you see or the questions that may arise. That means explaining the ideas, pictures, questions, and connections that go through your mind as you read a passage.
- Keep the reading material interesting, varied and relevant.
Digital Technology
Our computer classes will re-commence on Thursday 17th September. These classes will be for children in first to sixth classes. The classes will be provided by Riomhaire Tech who are a local company. They provide the hardware and teaching hours to upskill pupils in computer skills. Pupils will cover such areas as word, excel and PowerPoint. They will also do some coding. We are very grateful to our Parent’s Association who support these classes.
Our timetable for the use of our iPads will be agreed on Monday and our teachers are looking forward to integrating their use into the teaching of the curriculum. We have 16 iPads. Once again, their purchase was supported by the Parents Association and we are committed to working towards having an iPad for each child in the class over time.
Medical and Contact Details
Please ensure that the school has necessary medical information in respect of your child. Our school secretary, Bernadette is updating this at the moment. You can e-mail her at secretary@emons.ie.
H.S.E. Advice regarding Covid 19
The H.S.E. continues to update their advice to parents. Please see document below.
Kind regards,
Cyril Duggan
Príomhoide
