Dangan NS - Parent Newsletter

Important Dates this term

• 13th Nov - Show & Tell for All Classes
• 14th Nov - Go Blue for World Diabetes Day & Bucket Collection for Diabetes Ireland
• 17th November (Monday) - Staff Child Protection Training (School Closed)
• 24th - 27th November - Parent Teacher Meetings (Senior Infants, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th Classes)
• 24th November - Book Fair
• 11th December - Peace Proms Rehearsal in Dublin (12:30-2 pm - 3rd-5th Class)
• Christmas Plays - Monday Afternoon 15th Dec (Mrs. Prendergast's, Ms Forde's, Ms Walsh's & Ms Payne's Classes)
• Christmas Plays - Tuesday 16th December between 9am & 2:40pm (1st - 6th Class)
• Christmas Holidays - Friday 19th December @ 12pm

Tuesday 18th November - 8pm at the School

Parent Teacher Meetings will take place for the following Classes...

Senior Infants, 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th Class.

Please book in a slot to meet with your child's teacher via the Aladdin App. In order for the meetings to run smoothly, I would kindly ask that you please arrive on time for your meeting. The meetings will be ten minutes long and it is important that this is strictly adhered to.

Please Note: Parent Teacher Meetings for Junior Infants and 4th Class will take place in the new year.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to our school from Monday 24th - Wednesday 26th November.

There will be a selection of books on display in the school hall and teachers will bring their classes to have a look at some books they may wish to purchase.

The Book Fair is completely optional and should you wish to purchase a book, you will be able to do so via Aladdin. Closer to these dates, we will send out a link with a selection of the books we expect to have and their prices.

This week we’re celebrating Anti-Bullying Week with the theme of “Belonging.” Pupils are taking part in activities that promote inclusion, kindness, and understanding — from exploring what it means to belong, to celebrating diversity on Lots of Socks Day today in Dangan. This special day highlights Down Syndrome Awareness, encouraging everyone to wear bright, mismatched socks to show that being different is something to be proud of.

A quick reminder:
📚 Thursday – Show & Tell: Children are invited to bring in or talk about something that represents them — for example, a favourite book, toy, photo, or hobby. This is a lovely opportunity for pupils to share what makes them unique.

💙 Friday – Go Blue for World Diabetes Day: Pupils are invited to wear something blue in recognition of World Diabetes Day. As part of the day, children will also be learning about Type 1 diabetes and what it means to live with the condition, helping to build understanding and empathy. This ties in with our Anti-Bullying Week theme of “Belonging,” as we continue to promote inclusion, kindness, and awareness within our school community. Donation buckets will be available at the front of the school for anyone who would like to contribute a few euro to Diabetes Ireland, a national charity supporting people living with diabetes. 💙

Over the months of November and December, we will be focusing on the core values of Empathy & Kindness to Others. We hope that by focusing on these values, we can help to create a positive and inclusive school environment, enhancing students' overall well-being. Importantly, raising the children's awareness and understanding of empathy can help to prevent bullying and conflict by encouraging understanding and tolerance among each other. We would encourage you to speak at home with your child about these values and praise them when they demonstrate empathy and kindness to others.

Our school is currently reviewing and updating our Attendance Strategy as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting regular attendance for all pupils. We aim to encourage every child to attend school consistently and to help families in promoting positive attendance habits. This work aligns with Tusla’s national attendance campaign, which highlights the importance of being in school every day.

New data published by Tusla Education Support Services (TESS) shows that one in five children in primary and post-primary school are missing a month or more of their school year. The 2023/24 report indicates that while non-attendance is decreasing it is still significantly greater than pre-pandemic levels.

TESS and the Department of Education and Youth have launched a national multimedia campaign to highlight this nationwide issue and create awareness about the importance of attending school. The campaign reinforces the message that when a child can go to school they should go to school, helping to reduce absenteeism in schools in Ireland. A new support page has been developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and is available for parents and schools at www.gov.ie/schoolattendance with helpful guidance on many issues affecting school attendance. If parents are concerned about their child’s attendance at school, please click on the link above for support and guidance.

How Parents Can Help Make

Every School Day Count: (Advice from Tusla)

• Establish a good routine in the mornings and evenings so your child is prepared for the school day ahead.
• Make sure your child goes to school regularly and follows the school rules.
• Ensure your child arrives at school on time – not late.
• Arrange dental and medical appointments outside school hours when possible.
• Always inform the school if your child is absent due to illness – this should be followed up with a written note when your child returns to school.
• Take truancy seriously – if your child is not attending school as you expect they may be putting themselves at risk – Who are they with? What are they doing?
• Take family holidays outside term time.
• Talk to your child about school and take an interest in their school work (including homework).
• Attend parent evenings and school events.
• Praise and reward your child’s achievements at school.
• Always support school staff in their efforts to control difficult or challenging behaviour.
• Discuss any problems or difficulties with the school – staff are there to help and will be supportive.

We’d like to remind all parents and children to take extra care at school opening and closing times.

Please remind your child to always wait for the pedestrian green light and to look left and right before crossing. While the road ramps are helping to slow down traffic, there are still ongoing concerns about careless drivers.

It’s so important that children never become complacent and always remain alert. We also ask parents who are dropping off or collecting to continue exercising extreme caution and patience to help keep everyone safe.

Thank you for your continued cooperation in keeping our school community safe.

Our girls’ and boys 3rd and 4th class football teams got their Peadar Lehane Tournament off to a brilliant start with a well-deserved win over Kildalkey. Every player gave an outstanding performance, competing for every ball and showing great skill, determination, and teamwork throughout both match.

The teams represented the school with pride, energy, and excellent sportsmanship.

Many thanks to all of the parents for travelling down to support the kids on the day. Next up for both teams is Boardsmill NS on Friday in Summerhill GAA. All participating kids are asked to bring in €2 to cover the cost of the referee and we will also be asking parents to give students a lift to and from Summerhill GAA on the day. Details to follow.

Well done to the boys that took part in the hurling Mini 7s in Kiltale GAA on Wednesday last. The boys gave it their all and displayed some great skills and effort throughout their games against Coole NS, Moynalvey and Kiltale. Best wishes to the girls who take part in their Mini 7s blitz tomorrow (Wednesday in Ratoath).

We’re delighted to share that Meath GAA will be facilitating coaching sessions for our Junior Classes, starting tomorrow and continuing every Wednesday for the next six weeks. The children are sure to have a fantastic time learning and developing their GAA skills with Coach Philomena.

Cross Country try outs have been taking place in school. Well done to everyone that took part and tried their best. The students that qualified will take part in the Cross Country competition on Wednesday 19th November in Fairyhouse. Further details to follow.

Many thanks to all the parents for their continued support in washing jerseys, providing lifts to matches and for bringing in money to contribute towards the cost of referees. We had a very sporty and busy term one and the continued help from parents has allowed us to reduce the cost of these activities while minimising the disruption to teaching time.

We are delighted to share that our much-loved Christmas Plays will take place on the following dates:

• Monday, 15th December – Mrs. Prendergast’s, Ms. Forde’s, Ms. Walsh’s & Ms. Payne's classes will take to the stage.

• Tuesday, 16th December – Our 1st Class to 6th Class students will perform their festive plays.

This event is always a highlight of our school year, and the children are already bursting with excitement to perform for you! We’ll share the full schedule, including the times for each class performance, closer to the date. Please note the plays take place in the school hall throughout the school day.

Follow-Up Notice – Dangan Church Mass Servers

Thank you to all who have already returned the Mass Server forms. We will be in touch soon with details about the training session, which will take place in the church during school time later in November.

If you have not yet returned the form but your child would like to get involved, there is still time! Please return the completed form or contact the school office to collect a new one (ask Sharon).

We look forward to welcoming new Mass Servers to Dangan Church.