September 2004 Volume 9:1
St. Olaf's Newsletter
Fáilte ar ais to everybody particularly our new Junior Infants.
'The Keegans and The O'Malleys' as they are affectionately called have
settled in marvellously as have all our pupils and staff as we look
forward to the coming school year. We also extend a warm welcome to
Ms Quinlan & Ms Cullen who joined our Staff this September. Ms Mulvihill
has moved to Limerick and we wish her well in her future teaching career.
May we also take this opportunity to remind you that official school
uniform or tracksuit only may be worn to school with no exceptions.
Host families required.
We will once again be hosting a number of Spanish students in St. Olaf's
for the coming school term. The number of students we host depends entirely
on the availability of host families in the surrounding area. Consequently
we are appealing to you to consider taking a Spanish student for aprrox.
10 - 12 weeks Anyone interested should contact Rockbrook International
at 4936692. Competitive rates apply!.
School Grounds
Major renovations have taken place over the Summer months with a new
wall & railings to the side & rear of the school, new tarmac
in parts of the playground and a complete overhaul of our electrical
system. We acknowledge the support of the Parish Finance Committee who
covered the full cost of the wall & railings and part of the remaining
costs.
We still require fencing to the back of the school grounds where the
line of trees border the Infant playground areas. This will be completed
before the end of September.
All of these improvements were deemed essential by the Board of Management
on the grounds of the Health & Safety of our pupils, parents &
staff. Unfortunately, funding for the entire scope of works was not
forthcoming from Dept. of Ed, Dunlaoighre Rathdown CC, or the Parish.
Consequently, we find ourselves with a shortfall of over €25,000
which will have to be met from school funds.
Security
In order to protect our pupils and to improve the general security of
the school, the BOM intend to close the gate at the Beeches except at
the following times:
· Gate will be opened at 8.40am each school morning and will
be closed at 9.10am.
· Gate will be opened again at 1.15pm and will be closed at 3.00pm.
· The main vehicular entrance to the front of the school will
also be closed 30 minutes after school closes.
School Closures
The list of school closures has been distributed
to all families in the school and should be kept safely for future reference.
Check your child's schoolbag if you haven't received your copy. The
list may also be viewed on the school website.
Parents' Association AGM
The AGM will be held in the school hall on Tuesday 5th October at 8
pm.
School Hours
We would like to remind everybody that our school is open to receive
pupils from 8.50 a.m. each morning and we would earnestly urge parents
to make sure that children are not left at the school before this time.
This request is purely in the children's own interest as the school
cannot be responsible for their supervision until after the official
school opening time.
This is particularly important on wet mornings as the school doors will
not be opened until 8.50 a.m. irrespective of weather conditions.
Classes will end at 1.30 pm for Infants and 2.30 pm for all other classes.
Lost Property
We are once again faced with an ever mounting pile of tracksuit tops,
jumpers, coats, hats etc. etc. which, apparently, belong to nobody!
May we please remind everybody to clearly label uniforms, schoolbooks,
tracksuits etc. to avoid this confusion.
Internet
We also provide notice of upcoming events and items of possible interest
to parents via e-mail. This service is only provided to those of you
who have provided us with an e-mail address on the emergency contact
forms which were distributed earlier.
If you would like to be added to our list please contact the school
at the following address:
stolafsns.ias@eircom.net
Our website address is: http://homepage.eircom.net/~olaf
Extra-Curricular
Activities
Extra-curricular activities have resumed in earnest and cater for most
interests and age groups.
Speech & Drama classes
with Ciara O' Byrne will take place on Mondays & Tuesdays during
the school day for all classes .
Chess teams have been entered in the Dublin Primary Schools' League
where we hope to build on last year's success when we qualified once
again for the All-Ireland finals. Chess Club will meet on Mondays after
school.
Irish dancing is taught on
Wednesday afternoons and Ballet classes are held on Fridays. These are
open to all age groups.
Recorder & Violin Classes
take place on Mondays & Tuesdays after school with Ms. O'Malley
& Ms. Molloy.
French classes will also be
offered in the very near future with Ms Ní Chathláin.
Notes will be sent home with the relevant information.
Hallelujah Choir will also
meet on Tuesday afternoons
Sport
The Gaelic Football season has also resumed and once again this year
St. Olaf's have entered three teams in Cumann na mBunscol competitions.
