Newsletter 1 - School website

Newsletter 1 – September 2018

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school for a new school year. A special welcome to our two new Junior Infants, Ciara Cosgrove and Maeve Gibbons who started school this September.  We wish our outgoing sixth class, Oliver Barret, Dylan Murphy, Oisin Whelan, Daithi Owens, Rebecca Flood, Mary Martyn, Martha Burke, Donna Mooney and Caoimhe Cosgrove all the best as they begin first year in Secondary School. Sincere thanks to them and their parents for the beautiful picnic table they gifted Gortjordan N.S in June. A special thanks to Geraldine Rodgers for having the school spotless and shining on our return to school. Thanks to William Rodgers who recently fixed the playhouse and slide in the school playground. Thanks also to the Imelda Burke and family who helped keep our vegetables hydrated during our pleasant warm summer.

School Board of Management
Thank You to Pat Burke, father of Martha Burke for his contribution to the school as he served as the father nominee on the School Board of Management. This also means that a new father nominee needs to be elected from the parent body to serve on the Board for the remaining Board term. A separate letter regarding this has been sent home.
The Board of Management is as follows:
Chairperson: Amanda Coleman
Treasurer: Cyril Hyland
Secretary/Principal: Erica Gibbons
Teacher Nominee: Elaine Hession
Community Nominees: William Rodgers and Ann O’ Brien
Mothers Nominee: Eleanoir Cazabon Regan
Fathers Nominee: to be elected

School Calendar for the Year
October 2018 mid-term break: closed from Monday 29th October 2018 to Friday 2nd November 2018 inclusive. Schools reopen 5th November.
Christmas 2018: We get the Christmas Holidays on Friday 21st December 2018. Schools are closed from December 24th to January 4th inclusive. Schools will re-open on Monday 7th January 2019.
February 2019 mid-term break: closed on Thursday 21st February 2019 and Friday 22nd February 2019
Easter Break 2019: school will be closed from April 15th to April 26th inclusive. Schools re-open April 29th.
Last Day of School: June 26th. School closed from June 27th 2019.

Swimming
Swimming will take place at Tuam Swimming Pool every Thursday for all classes at a cost of €10 per pupil per week. This is also being subsidised with school funds.

Children’s Arts Festival
We will be taking the children from Junior Infants to Sixth Class to see Black Beauty in the Town Hall Theatre on Friday October 19th.

School absences
In the event that your child is home from school for any reason please send a note verifying why they weren’t at school. This to facilitate online data entry for school absences as reasons are requested for absences.

School Book Bills
School book rental bills will be issued in the coming fortnight. We would be grateful if they could be paid as promptly as possible.

School/Parent Communication
Text a Parent will be used to briefly inform parents of any relevant extra information that isn’t in newsletters. Keep an eye out on our web page. This will be updated from time to time. www.gortjordanns.com
To assist in the smooth running of the school and to ensure adequate supervision of children we would ask that if you wish to speak about any matter regarding your child that you would phone the teacher in question in advance to arrange a suitable time to meet and discuss such matters. Parent teacher meetings will be held in November.

Parents Association
A representative from the Parents Association of Ireland will visit the school on the evening of October 10th. A time has yet to be verified. The representative will explain what and how a parents association works to support a school in collaboration with the school. It is hoped that a parents association will be elected on the night also. More details to follows.

GAA Five Star School
Gortjordan has been selected as one of the schools in Mayo to take part in The Gaa Five Star Centre School Programme. This programme encourages children to engage in physical activity, ball skills, mini games, kicking skills and fun games. The staff will be trained up in the coming weeks and It will be implemented in the school by the teachers as well as visiting coaches throughout the year. As we are part of this programme we will have visiting coaches from Mayo Gaa attending the school particularly for the hurling element of the programme.

Gaa Coaching
Majella Forde will attend the school every Friday afternoon for football for the children from Second Class upwards.

School Insurance and Opening and Closing Times.
Our School Insurers Allianz have requested that we issue the following circular to all parents regarding the schools opening and closing times.

CIRCULAR
“The school will open to receive pupils at the hour of 9.00a.m. No responsibility is accepted for pupils arriving before that time. Classes will commence each day at 9.10 a.m. No pupils should arrive later than 9.10 a.m.
Classes will end each day at 2:50 p.m.. (1:50 pm for junior classes). Parents who wish to have their children escorted home should make their own arrangements to have them met at the school gate and the person to escort them should be at the school not later than 2:50pm (1:50pm for junior classes) as the school cannot accept responsibility for looking after the children after that time.” (Allianz).
School opens to all children at 9am. From 9am to 9:10am children get to their classrooms. Teaching begins at 9:10am. School finishes at 1:50pm for infants, 2:50pm for all other pupils.

Regards
Erica Gibbons