Newsletter 13.11.2024 - Canal Way Educate Together National School, Dublin 8

Message from Dermot

Welcome to this week’s newsletter which brings you a few important updates from our school. First, a heartfelt thank you for your support and kind messages, during our recent Whole School Evaluation (WSE). We will keep you updated on the outcome of this.

In this issue, you’ll also find some wonderful poetry created by our students, news about our very own Canal Way Fleet Street, and we have a school closure coming up. We have an event from our Parents Association. Friendship is our core value, and next week, is Anti-Bullying Week with activities to promote kindness, respect, and inclusion.

Le meas,

Dermot.

School Closed November 29th- Elections:

Please note that our school will be closed on Friday, November 29th, to facilitate the General Election. Our school serves as a polling station for all elections and referendums.

Parents Association – Winter Family Quiz

The PAC is delighted to announce the 2024 Winter Family Quiz will take place on Sunday 1st December at 5pm, ONLINE on Zoom.

We would like to encourage all families to take part as this is one of our most important fundraising events of the year, and it is a lot of fun for kids and adults! There are great prizes up for grabs for the quiz winners and also for the raffle.

Tickets cost €10 per household and raffle tickets cost €2. You can purchase tickets here: BUY TICKETS.

If you can’t attend, you can still make a donation on that link. Funds raised will help the school purchase maths supplies and carry out upgrades in the yard.

Help Us Make Our Voices Heard – Critical Issues Facing Our Schools and City

As we approach election at the end of the month, politicians will be knocking on doors asking for votes. We’re asking all parents to pull together and demand action on issues that are impacting our children’s education, and the well-being of our city.

Key issues we ned to address:

Teacher Supply Crisis: Dublin’s schools are struggling with teacher shortages, affecting our children’s education.
Housing Crisis: Teachers & essential workers can’t afford to live in Dublin, making recruitment and retention a continuous challenge.
Cost of Living: Teachers and essential workers need better wages to keep working in the city.
City Allowance: A city allowance is needed to ensure essential services like teaching and healthcare can be sustained in Dublin.

To make it easy for you to voice these concerns, we’ve created a simple flyer that you can print out and stick to your door for when politicians come by in the coming weeks.

Click on the image to down load the flyer.

Our children’s future depends on action now.

Parent Teacher Meetings

We would like to thank everyone who attended their scheduled meeting this week. If you were unable to attend, please contact the school/teacher to arrange an alternative meeting time next week.

Poetry in Conor’s 4th Class

Conor’s 4th Class have been reading Fox by Margaret Wild. The students made predictions about the story based on the illustrations and explored the different perspectives of characters.

After this, the students explored the poem This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams and wrote apology poems from the perspective of different characters in Fox. Their poems were all fantastic! Check out a selection:

This is Just to Say
I have left you
all alone
in the desert
To suffer

And which
it hurts
because you
wanted to spend more
time with Dog

Forgive me
I just did
it to teach
you a lesson

(Fox apologising to Magpie)
By Sofia

This is Just to Say
I have left you
in the desert

And which might
have made you die

Forgive me
I was jealous
of your friendship
I hope you can
forgive me

(Fox apologising to Magpie)
By Ava

This is Just to Say
I have
betrayed you

And which
you are probably
mad about

Forgive me
I just wanted
to know how
it was
to fly again

(Magpie apologising to Dog)
By Cormac

Pedestrian Crossing on James’s Walk

Tom, our Traffic Warden, has brought a serious safety concern to our attention regarding the new layout at the crossing. With the new one-way system and two-lane cycle path, cyclists are not consistently stopping, and some children and adults are stepping onto the bike lane, assuming it is safe. Bikes are travelling at speed down that lane.

Please remind your children that, while Tom is there to assist, they must stay vigilant and aware while crossing the road. We are reinforcing this message at school, and Tom will be visiting our assembly next week to speak with the students directly about road safety.

Thank you for your support in keeping everyone safe.

Hot Lunches in Mid-December.

We’re delighted to tell you that hot lunches will be starting at our school in early December. Final date to be confirmed

The Lunch Bag has been selected as our lunch provider. They align with our school’s commitment to healthy, ethical, and environmentally friendly food. To accommodate this new service, you will have seen that we have had a container/unit installed in the school yard. This space will house the necessary equipment, including ovens and a sorting bay.

To answer your many questions, we will be hosting a parents information evening on December 5th, 2024. The Lunch Bag will be there to provide detailed information on how to order lunches online, daily menus, and any other concerns you may have. Please hold your questions until the information evening.

A big thank you to our Board of Management, especially the parent representatives Jenny, Paul and also teacher Jan, who supported me with this piece of work. We formed a subcommittee to research and tender for this project, and to visit other schools to evaluate the provider. It was great to have their input into this initiative.

Battle of the Student Newsletters.

The press is heating up down here on Basin Lane, with two student newsletters now in publication: Canal Way Times and Canal Way Kids News. There’s fierce competition for the latest stories and information, with editors and journalists working hard – they are full of energy.

On behalf of myself as school principal and the staff, it’s so inspirational to see them at work. I’m reminded of the great changemakers who started their careers by establishing, writing, and editing school newsletters and magazines: legends like Caitlin Moran, Oprah Winfrey, Louis Theroux and the wonderful Shane MacGowan, to name but a few. We are among greatness!

Please click on the image for the latest edition of Canal Way Kids News No. 4.

One Day Together € 1335

Our Halloween dress-up day on October 25th was a great success. We had a hilarious assembly, where children showed off their costumes. Together, we raised an impressive €1,335 for Educate Together’s National Fundraising Day.