NEWSLETTTER 19.09.2025

CWETNS

MESSAGE FROM DERMOT

It has been a great start to the year here at Canal Way. Our Junior Infants are all getting on wonderfully, wobbling around and bringing smiles to our school. They joined us for their first assembly two weeks ago and are settling in great.

We have been playing matches, harvesting fruit and veg from the garden, and making new friends. We have been singing ‘We are Family’ at Assembly and we are all feeling the love, and our core value is ‘Belonging’.

Enjoy your weekend,
Dermot

Attendance

All absences must be recorded on Aladdin, even if you have told the school. Children not present by 10AM will be marked absent. If they arrive after 10AM, you can log the reason on Aladdin.

Please Note: It is school policy to contact families of children with unexplained absences or high levels of absenteeism. We are also mandated to report high levels of absenteism to TUSLA, Child Protection Agency.

Please contact the school if you need support with attendance and/or punctuality. We are here to help.

Punctuality

School grounds open at 08:20 AM
Children admitted to school building at 08:30AM
Teaching starts at 8:45 AM

Being ontime, helps children settle, catch key instructions, and connect with their friends. Arriving late can be unsettling. If you are late, please be patient. We will open the door as soon as we can. Holding the buzzer will not speed us up.

School Calendar Update

Please note that we have updated our school calendar with two additional school closures. Click on image for updated calendar, and it is ont he home page as always.

October 24th – School is a Polling station for Presidential Elections.
December 5th – School closed for Dept of Edcuaiton Staff Training.

Next School Closure, Midterm Break, 27th & 31st October.

Helpful Reminders for this Term:

Entry Doors – Junior and Senior Infants

Junior Infants should enter the school building using the doors on the left-hand side
Senior Infants should use the doors on the right-hand side
Please keep the yellow box outside the Junior Infant door clear. This helps children enter safely and ensures adults don’t block the doorway

Lost Property – Please Check

We have a growing collection of lost property, located just inside the Junior Infant door. If your child is missing anything, feel free to pop in and check

Top tip:

Please label your child’s clothing, with even initials help.
A laundry pen is a quick fix and available in Easons
Name on tag = item returned

Garden Gate – Exit Only

The Garden Gate is for exit only at all times
Please use the designated entry doors and help us keep this gate clear for safe exits

Yard Safety Reminders:

No scooting or cycling in the school yard
No dogs allowed in the yard (even on leads)

We appreciate your support in keeping the school environment safe and welcoming for everyone. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and support

thankyou

Thank You from Eavan & Pat

We just want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the wider school community for all the support you showed us during our recent strike.

The pledges you signed, the emails you sent, and the time so many of you spent standing with us on the picket line made a real difference. We also deeply appreciate the understanding and patience you showed to school management in their support for us.

We are optimistic that the upcoming talks at the WRC will go well and we are delighted to be back in school, doing the jobs we love.

Eavan & Pat

Start of Sport Season & A Big Thankyou.

A massive thank you to our dedicated staff members who are leading our school sports teams this year. Giving up their personal time to coach students and bring them to matches does not go unnoticed. We deeply appreciate this effort, and we know our school community does too. Special thanks to Simon, Ronan, Emma, Jenny, Chloe, Luke, Ciara Bell for making it all happen.

Below is an update on our recent football activity—thank you to everyone involved, and to our families for their continued support.

Cumann na mBunscol Football Season Underway

We have had an active start to the year with our football teams. Our 4th, 5th and 6th class students have been representing the school in the Cumann na mBunscol GAA competition. Canal Way is proud of our young footballers and would like to thank all families for their support. More matches are coming up next week for our Boys Senior team, our Girls team, and our Boys Junior team.

First Match: 4th and 5th Class Boys

This week, our 4th and 5th class boys team travelled to Rathcoole to play their first ever match against Scoil Chrónáin. The boys fought hard, but Scoil Chrónáin proved too strong this time. Oisín showed incredible skill by saving a powerful penalty, keeping his team in the game for a while. Although disappointed with the loss, the boys were proud of their performance and Oisín’s heroic save.

On to the next match ;o)

Special Education

A permission request and the following message has been sent to our whole school community to seek consent for your child to be involved in activities both inside and outside the classroom, with our support team. Please respond to the following permission request through the Aladdin App.

We continue to implement the new model for Educational Support in our school, as set out in the NCSE guidelines. Our Special Education Teachers work with our class teachers to identify how best to allocate resources, following the principle that pupils with the greatest level of need have access to the greatest levels of support. This support may be offered in the following areas: English as an additional language, literacy and numeracy, social and emotional needs, sensory needs, language and communication skills, gross and fine motor skills, challenges arising from specific learning difficulty, gardening and environmental projects.

Our staffing allocation for this year is 5 fulltime Special Education Teachers and 2 English as Additional Language Teachers supporting children across 16 mainstream classes.

We support children in our school in the following ways:

Classroom based support- For All
Small group support- For Some
Individual support – For a Few

It is common practice in our school to involve ALL children in group work at varying times for a broad range of educational activities both in and outside the classroom. Please respond to this permission request through your Aladdin App.

rite of passage

Interest in Communion & Confirmation Preparation

Some parents in Ellie’s 2nd Class are hoping to organise Holy Communion preparation and would love to connect with any families in the other 2nd Class who may also be interested. There is also a possibility of arranging Confirmation preparation for 6th Class, depending on interest. If you’d like to get involved or learn more, please reach out directly to Michelle Tavey at [email protected]. Once there’s a group, arrangements can be discussed and coordinated.

Michelle is hoping that Sam in St Thérèse will be running classes again this year.

allianz

24/7 Accident Insurance Cover for your Child.

A reminder that the school has arranged 24/7 accident insurance for your child. While we hope you won’t need it, if any accident-related costs arise, you’re covered. There are all the necessary forms and info docs on our Publications Page on our website. Please contact Dermot for any support you may need.

Though claims are few, this coverage is invaluable when needed. Please keep this in mind.

Attendance and Punctuality – A Gentle Reminder

We appreciate continued efforts of all our families in ensuring children attend school regularly. We also need to address an ongoing issue—punctuality.

Morning queues at the door after 8:45 AM have become a daily sight. This not only disrupts their own learning but also affects the entire class. A punctual start means they don’t miss out on key instructions, social opportunities and it helps them be prepared for the day.

Absence Reminder:
Even if you have already informed the school, all absences must be recorded through Aladdin. This ensures our records are accurate and up to date.

Thanks.