Hi Everyone,
The New Year has started very well for us here in Firhouse Educate Together as the children returned from the holidays with a real sense of ease and belonging in our new school building as indeed we on staff did too.

This week our Parent-Teacher Meetings are taking place and I'd like to thank all of you who helped to move furniture, boxes and rubbish around the building today as you came and went from your parent-teacher meetings. That's the kind of spirit that makes a great school community. So, if you're coming in for a meeting tomorrow be prepared to give a hand if you have a few minutes to spare. We really want to get our school into ship shape.

Next Tuesday politicians will meet with the Staff, PGTA Committee and parents regarding the high percentage of children in our school with Special Educational Needs. 

Also if you are free tomorrow evening, Wednesday 17th January, up to 8.30pm, or Saturday 20th January 10am to 12 noon please call in to the school and help us to sort PCs, move furniture, fix furniture, hang noticeboards etc. 

Today we also started our 'Volunteer Sign Up Drive' where we have a table, in yard in the morning and in reception after that, with 7 different school initiatives we'd like you to volunteer to help with:

1. Coffee Morning for Politicians on Tuesday 23rd January 10am -11am in the school P.E.Hall. We need people to speak to politicians, to take visitors on a tour of the school, to set-up and serve tea/coffee and to clean up afterwards. If you are free to do any one of these things on Tuesday morning please sign your name on the page or let your child's class teacher know.
2. Green School Committee: we need two parents to join this year's committee. You would need to be able to attend meetings twice a term during the school day to motivate and encourage the children with recycling, reducing water and energy usage etc. Our teacher Jen co-ordinates our Green School initiative and we're aiming for our 2nd Green School Flag.
3. Forest School Committee: we need parents to get involved with furthering our Forest School programme. You would need to be able to give a couple of hours to gardening and other outdoor activities during the school day throughout the year. If, you can only join us once a month or so that would be great. If Grandparents are interested please encourage them to join us and share their love of gardening with the children. Our teacher Rachael co-ordinates the Forest School initiative. 
4. Active School Committee: we need parents to get involved with developing sports in our school and planning sporting events. You would need to be able to attend meetings twice a term during the school day to motivate and encourage the children to plan Active School ventures. Our teacher Conor co-ordinates the Active School initiative. 
5. Learn Together Committee: we need two parents to form a Learn Together Committee with two teachers and two pupils from each class to further develop the programme in our school. Our teacher Lynne co-ordinates the Learn Together Programme.
6. Student Council Committee: we need two parents to join this year's committee. You would need to be able to attend meetings twice a term during the school day to motivate and encourage the children on the Student Council. Our teacher Sarah co-ordinates our Student Council. 
7. Library Committee: Sinéad (former Principal of Griffith Barracks MDNS) will lead the setting up of our school library on Fridays (start date to be confirmed). Initially, there will be a lot of books to catalogue and scan into the system and there will be the setting up of a library room while we wait to move into our Curved Library downstairs. After that there will be much to do getting the children used to a proper library in our school where we will have sections for books in English, in Irish and in many other languages. 

There will be more opportunities for the Arts, SESE (Social Environmental and Scientific Education), the Book Fair from November 6th to 9th 2018 and  in-class activities coming up later in the year but in the meantime please consider helping with any of the above that you can.
Roots of Empathy: this programme is continuing with 1st Class as the children eagerly await baby Axle's next visit tomorrow. Many thanks to our Special Needs Assistant Geraldine who co-ordinates this programme and to Bernadette for volunteering and being so committed to bringing Axle along and engaging fully with the children. 
Swimming: 1st Class enjoyed their first school swimming lesson last Thursday and we are looking forward to going agin this week. We only left one bag on the bus and we were a little late getting out to the yard at collection time.... so if we are running late this week we will have the children go home from the front door of the school at reception as soon as they have collected their school bags. If we are on time it will be collection from the yard as usual. We would also like to have two parents, from 1st Class, join us each week for the swimming between 12 noon and 14.05. Please let Eamonn know if you can join us.

Photographs: please let your child's class teacher know if you haven't received a class or group photo you ordered from Vincent McNamara.

Clothes Collection: this fundraiser collection continues daily at the school until January 25th. If there's no-one in reception to let you in (our Secretary, Lisa, works from 8.30 to 12.30) please leave bags in the reception lobby or phone me on 087 330 1332. Many thanks to those of you who have very kindly donated already.

Lost Property: the lovely clothes in our school's lost property container in reception are overflowing. If your child has lost clothing please check the Lost Property. Please also put your child's name on their clothes. If there's no-one in reception to let you in (our Secretary, Lisa, works from 8.30 to 12.30) please phone me on 087 330 1332.

Internet: we are still without internet in our school building. The saga is long and the amount of time it has taken chasing after Schools Broadband, Eir, Viatel etc is outrageous but there is light in sight and we should have temporary Wifi working within the next two weeks. Please note we continue to be unable to print / use internet for teaching/learning/roll books/ email etc unless we have data available on our personal phones and these are then dependent on accessing a signal which is very poor in the school. Thank you for your understanding as we struggle on with this. 

ICT: When our Wifi is up and running we'll share with you all the ICT news we have as we've signed up for two exciting initiatives involving Camara, Google and five other E.T. Schools. Our teacher Conor will co-ordinate the projects and our teachers Eamonn, Sarah and Lynne are also involved.

After-School Classes: Drama, Irish Dancing and Ballet are in full swing with Stage School and ArtZone about to start.                                                                                                                                               

CFFC (Catholic Faith Formation Classes) will start on Wednesday 24th January once we have enough children signed up. Please phone me if you wish your child to take part and prepare for First Communion. 

Suggestion Box: our Suggestion Box in reception is feeling very much neglected as it has been empty for months! Our school has had a Suggestion Box ever since our first year in Tymon Bawn Community Centre and it has been very helpful for generating new ideas over the past four years. So if you have any ideas or suggestions for new initiatives or how we can improve anything in our school please drop a note into our Suggestion Box. 

Reminder: School will be closed on Friday 13th April 2018 as Department of Education and Skills holds Language Curriculum Training for our Teachers.

I'm looking forward to chatting with many of you tomorrow as you call in for Parent-Teacher Meetings and or to help with furniture moving etc tomorrow evening or Saturday morning. I'm also looking forward to discussing with politicians, our difficulty, as an inclusive school, meeting the needs of our pupils simply because the class sizes are too large to give children with additional needs an equal opportunity. Most of all, I'm looking forward to your help with this and with all of the above.

​Very best wishes and sincere thanks for all that you do everyday for our school in so many ways.
Collette
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Hello Everyone,
It is so lovely to be in our new school building and the best part is each class has a classroom and we have a special classroom for Aistear .... and we have our own School Hall for P.E. and so many other activities. This week the PGTA are holding the Book Fair in our new hall. The children are also enjoying the extra yard space and the gardens. 

We are awaiting connection to the internet by Schools Broadband and ask for your understanding as this means we have no internet access as yet and emails are backing up. We are also figuring out the most secure system for children getting into and out of school so please bear with us as we make changes as we go.

However, we are very happy to have such a fantastic building with a beautiful courtyard in the centre around which our sixteen classrooms and Special Needs Unit are wrapped. If you haven't been in to visit yet, give me a call on 087 330 1332 and I'll organise something. Or better still make a date to attend the PGTA (Parents' Guardians' Teachers' Association) AGM on November 28th in the school hall at 8pm. 

We are also very pleased to welcome Gaelscoil na Giúise to our new building too as they wait for their own to be completed.

On Saturday 18th November between 2pm and 3.30pm if you would like to volunteer to do some sorting and cleaning in the school I would very much like your help. Please text me if you're available and would like to help.

On November 28th all classes are looking forward to visiting the Synagogue during school hours. Collection of children will be at the normal times. 

That's all for now and I look forward to seeing you all on the 28th November for the PGTA AGM at 8pm as well as around the school in the meantime.

Very best regards,
Collette

Subject: More sad news.....Hi Everyone,
Well, I must say this week has been stormy from Hurricane Ophelia to our disappointment at not moving into our new school building this weekend. Then, this afternoon we received news that our appeal to keep two teachers has been refused on the grounds that our appeal did not warrant the allocation of an additional post under Circular 0017/2017. The letter also states that the Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
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The number of pupils who were enrolled in our school on 30th September 2017 did not meet the required 177 or 182 to keep one or two teachers respectively. Therefore we have to let two teachers go at the end of next week. 
This will result in us splitting our Infant Classes as follows:

• 1 Junior Infant Class with 30 children
• 1 Split Junior / Senior Infant Class with 27 children 
• 1 Senior Infant Class with 32 children including

The other classes will remain as they are. While the teachers of the Infant Classes will work together and have all Senior Infants only  / all Junior Infants only  together for certain lessons we will have to change the base classes to have the above numbers. Next week we will decide the new classes based on criteria of age, ability, social skills, friendships, special educational needs and as soon as we have drawn up the new classes we will talk with all parents concerned. 

In the meantime, I have spoken with our Chairperson Francis Fullen and we will be asking for your help to highlight our need for another teacher. 

Regarding moving to our new school building we hope to have news on Monday as to when the new date will be. Much of our furniture/resources is stored in removal company's container and we're operating with very limited supplies. Depending on weather forecast we may take children out for a day walking along the Dodder. 

I must say our staff have been fantastic this week with packing and teaching and keeping spirits high throughout and not letting the hits get them down at all. Mind you the refusal to our appeal was devastating for everyone today.

Have a good weekend everyone and I hope to have some good news on Monday/Tuesday re moving into new building and I'll definitely have some news on how you can help us to highlight our need for another teacher.
 
I just know next week is going to be a better one for our school! 

Very best regards,
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse Educate Together N.S.  Telephone: 087 330 1332

Hello Everyone,
With all our resources packed today in anticipation of receiving keys to our new building tomorrow we were all very excited. 
However, it is with great disappointment I'm writing to you all this evening as the handover of keys has been postponed.
Unfortunately, there is currently no further information from the Department of Education and Skills on when the new date for handover of keys will be. We are hoping to hear more tomorrow and I will let you know as soon as we receive any news. In the meantime, we've cancelled all other deliveries etc. 
Thank you to those of you who volunteered to help on Sunday morning and I hope you'll be able to do so when we eventually get access to the building.
So, chins up! Let's show our strength and....... keep calm and carry on doing what we do best..... smiling and making each day a really, really good day.
Have a very relaxing evening.
Very best regards,
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse ETNS  Tel. 087 330 1332

Subject: Re-opening tomorrow with Move It Morning 8.20am

Hi Everyone,
We're looking forward to seeing you all back at school tomorrow and we'll be starting with a Move It Morning at 8.20am in the school yard.
We're very hopeful the next three days will be our last three days in our current prefabs and I'll let you know as soon as we receive the final confirmation. We will then advise on plans for children lining up in the new school yard on Monday 23rd and we'll invite all of you parents in on that first day to see your children's classrooms and have a guided tour of the building. It's such an exciting time for our whole school community and again I'd like to thank all of you who helped to get this new building for our school by campaigning in the early days and fundraising ever since. 
Very best regards,
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse Educate Together N.S. Telephone: 087 330 1332

Subject: Closed again Tuesday 17th October 2017

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Our school will be closed again tomorrow Tuesday 17th October 2017 as per directive from Department of Education and Skills detailed in press release below.
Unfortunately, we will miss our school visit to the Synagogue tomorrow but we will rearrange it as soon as possible. 
I look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday at 8.20am for 'Move It Morning'.
Meantime I hope you are all safe and well sheltered from the hurricane.
Take care.
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse ETNS  Tel. 087 330 1332

Subject: School Closed Tomorrow 16th OctoberHello Everyone,
I've just spoken to our Chairperson, Francis Fullen who has directed our school to close tomorrow in line with Department of Education and Skills advice to schools to close on a Status Red Alert weather warning.
Firhouse Educate Together N.S. will be CLOSED tomorrow, Monday 16th October 2017.
We expect to re-open on Tuesday.
Please contact anyone you know and share this news on social media.
Many thanks,
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse ETNS. Tel 087 330 1332

Subject: Change of date for moving 
Hi Everyone,Our date for moving into our new school building has been changed. Keys are now due to be handed over on Friday 20th October and only after that can the removal company start moving our furniture etc into the building. 
This means the removal company will be working on Saturday too as they need to also move the Gaelscoil into the building and for Health and Safety reasons they cannot have parents in the building on those days.
When I have re-organised the changing of dates for all deliveries / installations/services/connections I will make arrangements for parents who may wish to volunteer to clean in the new building between 11.00 and 13.00 on Sunday 22nd October. I will send another email with details.
Children will now start in the new building on Monday 24th October.
All in all, we're delighted here that the date is still within the coming week.
Very best regards,
Collette
Collette Dunne: Principal: Firhouse Educate Together N.S. Telephone: 01 4061010  /  087 330 1332