Paradise Place ETNS Newsletter

News this week - 14 June 2024

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Paradise Place Ceremony

Thank you to all of the families who joined us for our special ceremony to mark our change in patronage with Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohue on Tuesday. We were so delighted to see so many of you there.

It was such a gorgeous afternoon - the children were wonderful! They listened so carefully, sang so beautifully and Gabi and Asanda, from our Student Council, spoke so eloquently. Lots of children represented our children's teams and spoke to our guests in the Hall about their work, our infants waved their beautiful flags as they arrived, and some of our 4th Class children welcomed visitors and showed them to their seats. We were very, very proud of each and every one of them.

There were many guests who joined us - Senator Marie Sherlock, Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, former staff of the school, members of the Board of Management, Fr Paul from Berkeley Road Parish, representatives from the Dublin Diocese, the General Secretary of the Irish National Teacher's Organisation (INTO), the Executive Dean of DCU's Insititute of Education, the CPSMA, the New Communities Partnership, School Completion Programme, Trinity College, Grangegorman ABC Programme, Educate Together board members, staff and supporters and principals from other local schools.

The event also had some media coverage and our thanks to the families who spoke so positively about our school and the change of patronage to the journalists.

I have been inundated with positive feedback from all of our guests about how wonderful the children were and how proud we should all be of them. I want to thank all of our staff - who supported the preparation and running of the visit so brilliantly - these events do not happen without a huge team effort, and lots of that effort can feel unseen - so thank you to everyone who contributed.

Sports Day Highlights

Last week, we had our Sports Day. The children in 2nd to 6th Class headed off to the Grangegorman Campus of TU Dublin for a special day of fun, sporting activities. Have a look at the video highlights to get a flavour of the day.

Thanks to all the parents/carers/siblings who joined us for the fun and especially to those who took part in the parent's race and the tug-of-war with the teachers! I'm delighted to let you know that the parents took the crown for this year - but be warned - the teachers are already preparing for next year!

Huge thanks to our adult Active Team, led by James O'Shea, who coordinated the whole day so brilliantly. And our thanks to Falcon Green, who sponsored the medals for our race winners.

Visits, visits and more visits!

Lots of classes have been out and about over the last few weeks.

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Both 3rd Classes visited our Community Gardaí in the Bridewell Station and got to have a try of some of their vehicles!

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Ms Murphy's Senior Infants and 1st Class went to Dublin Zoo to learn all about animals from around the world.

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Ms Kane's 3rd Class visited Dublinia to learn more about the Vikings and life in Medieval Ireland.

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And 2nd Class and Ms Kane's 3rd Class also visited the Botanic Gardens!

Term Dates 2024-2025

Here are the term dates for the next academic year, starting back on Monday, 2nd September. Please pay careful attention to these dates and if you are planning holidays or family events, use the dates we are already scheduled to be on holiday as much as possible, so that the children do not miss too much learning. Thank you.

End of Year Reports - coming soon!

My apologies - there is a small delay to issuing our end-of-year reports this year. This week has been so busy, and while your children's teachers have very diligently completed the reports, I have to read each one before they can be issued, and I am still working my way through them. I hope to have them ready to send to you on Aladdin early next week. Thank you for your patience.

A reminder too that it is important to be positive with your child about their report. Most children don't need to know their scores in the tests. Pay attention to what their teacher is saying about them as a learner and as a member of their class - that's the most important part - are they kind to their friends, do they try their best, do they help others? These sections of the report are the parts you should share with your child. Take time to celebrate their achievements this year - they have worked hard and done very well and we are proud of them all.

Date for Your Diary - International Food Fair - Friday 21st

Join us next Friday and bring a dish! This is always one of the highlights of our year - we can't wait to see you all there.

Street Art Workshop - FREE!

Dublin City Council are inviting local families to take part in a workshop on Dominick Street on 22nd June. You just have to drop in between 2.00 and 5.00 to the Dominick Hall Community Centre.