Dear NPC Members,

Now is the time to Have your say! in the future of NPC.

We are developing our new Strategic plan for the years 2023-2027 and believe that a wide consultation on the new strategic plan is central to both the development of a relevant plan and its successful implementation.

We really want to hear from our members, therefore to have your say please click this link
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NPC_Strategic_Plan_2023-2027_Consultation_with_members

Thank you in advance for helping to ensure that the future direction of NPC will make a real difference to parents in supporting the educational lives of their children in primary school!

Your children might also like to share their views with us, we have created a survey specifically for children, please click this link for the children’s survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Your_parents_and_you_in_primary_school_2022

Kind regards
Michelle Davern 
NPC Administrative Officer

As the school year comes to a close, the PA would like to acknowledge the exceptional kindness and support to our children from all staff within the school environment. This year has again been one of unusual circumstances and we want to express our sincere gratitude to Noreen and staff for the ‘normal day to day’ as well as all the additional effort required this year in maintaining the school schedule and keeping our children safe and supported.

On your behalf this week, lunch will be delivered to all staff, as an end of year ‘Thank You’ from all the parents/guardians of our school community. In addition, there is a visit from the Barista Bus arranged for next week. We remind you that this is in place of parents/guardians buying individual gifts for staff members and ensures that all school staff receive a gift equally. This is funded by the PA annual voluntary contributions. The staff are most appreciative and warmly thank the parents for these generous and thoughtful gifts.

We would also like to especially acknowledge Tim as he removes his ‘handyman badge’ and retires from KNS this summer. He has been an essential member of the staff in KNS since the school opened and will be missed by pupils, staff and parents. We would like to wish him all the best of health and happiness in his retirement years ahead.

The PA have had a busy year and were pleased to be able to proceed with many of our important activities which included the following highlights

 

• Welcome for Junior Infant parents,

• First Holy Communion & Confirmation class party treats

• 2022 School Calendar

• Multiple charity collections – you raised nearly €3k for Goal, Temple Street, Galway sick kids, Irish Cancer society and UNICEF. Thank you for your generosity.

• Virtual Santa with Chocolate treats for students

• Gifts for staff – Christmas gifts, new babies and weddings

• Transition to secondary school talk

• Train Station Gym – exercise day for all students

• Drumadore – Drumming workshop over 2 days for all students

• End of year ice cream treat for all students

 

We sincerely thank each of you for your time and efforts in getting involved in and supporting the PA activities and events throughout the year. We sincerely thank all our volunteers who helped out with the PA activities during the year and especially acknowledge all those who volunteered throughout the year in our ‘Drop and Go’ initiative. While we like to also promote the ‘Park N Stride’ initiative, we know this ‘Drop and Go’ service has been invaluable to a lot of families and has proven very useful to most of us on a wet day. We aim to continue with this service next year and welcome any volunteers to come and join us for what is a really enjoyable morning even if it rains!!

For the families of 6th Class students, we congratulate you on reaching this important milestone and wish you the very best for the graduation next week and your upcoming move onto Secondary school. For returning families, we look forward to seeing you again in the 2022/2023 school year.

On a personal note, I wish to acknowledge the incredible efforts from the PA Committee this year, each of whom are so generous with their time, ideas and passion to build and enhance the wonderful school community partnership. Thanks to Brid, Helen, Laura, Moneena, Ben, Almu, Esther, Christie, Maria and Jacqui. We expect the PA activities to return to ‘normal’ next year and would like to ensure activities such

as book week, grandparents day, and hopefully a family fun day will be scheduled. As a result, we would really welcome some more parents to consider getting involved. We will hold our AGM at the beginning of the next school year, welcoming new committee members. Please do remember there are many ways to get involved.

On behalf of the PA Committee, I hope you have a really enjoyable summer break. If you have any queries or suggestions or wish to volunteer for 2022/203, please contact the PA at parents@knocknacarrans.ie

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Roisin Burke

 

Chairperson, KNS Parents Association

 

 

Happy Christmas to you all. It has been a busy month for the Parents’ Association.

On your behalf, each Christmas, we deliver gifts to each staff member as a ‘Thank You’ from all our parents and guardians. This year the staff received some vouchers for some local restaurants. I remind you that this is in place of parents buying individual gifts for staff members. The staff are most appreciative and warmly thank the parents and guardians for this kind gesture.

Similar to last year, in recognition of the extraordinary efforts from the staff this term to ensuring our children’s experiences continued without interruption, the PA also arranged a coffee and a treat from the Barista Bus visit last Friday. This provided a wonderful opportunity for staff to briefly meet up with colleagues they had missed all term. Thankfully the weather was agreeable too!

Once again, gifts were presented to our wonderful traffic warden and school cleaners.

The school grounds have again been decorated with festive cheer by our volunteers.

Santa arrived virtually on Friday with special messages to Junior classes, to great excitement. Mrs Claus arrived in person to deliver chocolates for all the children

For those who ordered the new 2022 KNS Calendars, they will be sent home in children’s schoolbags this week. We hope you enjoy seeing your children with their classes. Don’t worry if you missed the purchase link. We still have some remaining calendars, and you can order them at this link .

As a thank you to our Drop and Go volunteers, the Board of Management arranged for them to have a coffee and a treat at the Barista Bus last Friday also. This kind gesture gave these parents a chance to meet and was really appreciated by the volunteers. There will be another opportunity for parents to take part in the ‘Drop and Go’ volunteering in the next term. I will send an update in January.

Thank you once again to our Parents Association and to all our volunteers. Their assistance and dedication is greatly appreciated by all of the school community.

I would also like to call out a special thanks to the following people from the school community who have used their own businesses to support us with activities in the past few months: – Brian Harding Photography, Gary Dunne (Síol Eco Paper), Kevin Mullan (Clybaun Stores), John & Maria Rix (Clearbookings) and David Fitzpatrick (BóTown)

As we close the term, I will take this opportunity, on behalf of all KNS Parents and Guardians, to thank Noreen and all the staff for their extraordinary efforts again this term, in continuing challenging circumstances, and wish them and their families a Happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

On behalf of the PA Committee, I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

Roisin Burke

Chairperson, KNS Parents’ Association