ALTINURE MONTHLY



ALTINURE NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 – OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS____________________

IN/AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Sport

Derry County Board: Gaelic training on Monday afternoons Year 5 (1 – 2pm) and Yr 6 (2-3pm)

Hurling on Friday afternoons – 1-3pm - Yr 4 & Yr 7

Swimming

Swimming programme - Year 7 pupils –Tuesday morning

EA Violin Tuition

Mrs Rowena Small – Wednesday morning – Yr 5, 6 & 7

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Monday - Gaelic

Year 4 - 3 – 4 pm – Cost £1.00

Tuesday - Martial Arts

Tuesdays – Yr 5-7 3-4 pm. Cost £2 per child (Waiting list).

All Martial Arts money must be paid monthly in advance.

Wednesday - Echo Echo Dance Class - Yr 5 – 3-4pm. Cost £2 per child.

Thursday - Shooting Starz Gymnastics - Year 2 – 2-3 pm.

Year 3 – 3 - 4.pm. Begins Thursday 10th Oct. Cost £2.

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FLU VACCINATION

Year 1-7 pupils will receive the flu vaccination on Monday 21st October from 9.20am. This vaccine is given to pupils as a nasal spray. Forms must be returned if you wish your child to receive this vaccination.

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MATHS WEEK

We have planned a school Maths Week beginning on Mon 14th October to coincide with Maths Week Ireland. Pupils will have fun engaging in problem-solving activities and investigative tasks and will use resources such as Game 24 and the Isak 9 cubes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PTA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

A Parents Association AGM will take place on Wednesday 16th October at 8pm in the school staffroom. All welcome.

HALLOWE’EN FANCY DRESS

On Friday 25th October (half-day), pupils are allowed to wear their Hallowe’en costumes. Pupils that want to dress up should bring in 50p which will go towards school funds.

LAFAYETTE PHOTOS

The school photographer will visit on Friday 18th Oct from 9.30am. Pupils can get individual or family photographs and younger siblings are also welcome. Lafayette Photos have asked that individual pictures are only taken if requested by a parent. Please let your child know if this is necessary. Class photos will also be taken that day.

SCHOOL WEBSITE

Please remember to view our website regularly at altinure.co.uk The calendar, newsletters and policies should be particularly useful to parents. A website app for mobile phones can also be downloaded.

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ECO-SCHOOLS

Our Eco-Council are currently undertaking a review of how environmentally friendly we are as a school in preparation for the renewal of our Green Flag Award. We appeal to parents to provide healthy lunches and to promote recycling practices both at home and at school. We have noticed that more children are bringing crisps to school. We remind you that crisps are not a healthy snack due to their high salt and fat content. Fruit is available daily at reception at a cost of £4 per month.

ATTENDANCE

In accordance with Department legislation, pupils’ attendance is recorded by teachers for both the morning and afternoon sessions and different codes are used according to reasons for absence. Please inform the Secretary or class teacher by phone or by letter so that the reason for absence can be recorded to ensure records are correct.

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OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOE BOX APPEAL

Any parent, relative or community member who wishes to support the Shoebox Appeal should leave their shoeboxes in the school reception by mid-November. The charity asks for a donation of £5.00 per box to cover shipping costs and this can be put in the envelope with the leaflet or paid online. Pupils will bring home leaflets detailing what each shoebox should contain. These shoeboxes should make less fortunate children very happy this Christmas. We appreciate your support for this worthwhile cause.

CROSS_COUNTRY EVENT

Miss Doyle will accompany our cross-country team to Thornhill College on Friday 11th October for the first heat of the Athletics NI Cross-Country League. 20 pupils from Yr 5, 6 and 7 will compete. We wish them the best of luck!

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YEAR 1/2 DROP OFF AND COLLECTION

Parents may no longer enter the school via the side door to drop off or collect the Yr 1/2 pupils. This is a rule that must be enforced in all schools for Child Protection reasons. Please say goodbye to your child at the external door/fence and allow them to enter the building with their peers. Pupils can be collected at the fence at 2pm (or at reception in poor weather conditions.) Many thanks for your co-operation.

YEAR 2/3 ASSEMBLY

Year 2/3 assembly will take place on Friday 15th November at 9.30am. All welcome.

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EA VIOLIN TUITION

Mrs Small will teach violin to some Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils on Wednesday mornings. (Pupils are offered this service following Music Testing conducted by Mrs Small when pupils are in Year 4). Violin tuition costs £120 per year. One instalment of £60 is due in October and the additional payment of £60 will be due in February.

DEMOCRACY WEEK Year 7 pupils will visit the Guildhall on Monday 14th October as part of Democracy Week to learn about Citizenship. Transport and lunch will be provided free of charge.

SKILLS TEST Year 7 boys will complete the GAA Skills test for Miss Doyle in the week beginning 21st October. The top 4 boys will then be entered into the North Derry Heat on 6th November. We wish them luck!

HEADLICE There have been reports of head lice in some classes. Please remember to fine comb your child’s hair weekly to check for lice and only treat hair if head lice have been found. It is very important that long hair is kept neatly tied back. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

BUSES Three bus companies currently operate in the morning and at 3pm: Castle Coaches, P Dunne Bus Hire and Eglinton Travel. These buses are organised directly by the Education Authority. The bus companies have informed the school that only children on the EA list who are entitled to transport will be allowed to travel. There are also very few empty seats on these services. To apply for transport, visit the EA website. Children are not entitled to transport if they live within 2 miles of the school and there is no entitlement to transport to a childminder’s address. If you have any queries, please telephone the bus company or EA directly.

CHARITIES

Cancer Focus will visit our school on Wednesday 23rd October to deliver workshops to all classes. Themes will include keeping fit, eating well, staying safe in the sun and understanding the dangers of smoking. All families also received a donation envelope from the NSPCC following the safeguarding workshops that were delivered on 19th September. All donations will be welcomed by this charity.

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SCHOOL CLOSURES

The School will close at 12 noon on Friday 25th October (Parental Interviews from 1 p.m. to 3.30p.m. approx). Pupils will have dinner early that day. Pupils are off for their Hallowe’en break from Mon 28th Oct to Fri 1st Nov. Pupils will return to school on Mon 4th Nov.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

The First Holy Communion for Year 4 will take place on Saturday 30th May at 11am. In preparation for First Communion, the Year 4 pupils will use a class book called ‘Celebrate.’ The cost of this book is £3.50.

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SACRAMENTAL MEETINGS

A meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 11th Nov in St Joseph’s Church, Fincairn for parents of Year 4 and Year 7 pupils who will receive the sacraments of Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation this year. There will also be a Mass of Commitment and Light for Year 7 pupils and their families on Wednesday 20th November at 7.30pm in preparation for Confirmation. It is important that parents attend these meetings.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation will take place on Wednesday 25th March at 5pm in St. Joseph’s Church, Fincairn.

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MASS

Year 4, 5, 6 & 7 pupils will take turns to attend Mass on a Tuesday morning at 10am. Please remember your coats!

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ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES POLICY

We remind you that school staff will only

administer emergency medication within school hours ie Epi-pens and insulin. Parents are asked to administer painkillers and antibiotics before or after school. Please ensure that you provide an epipen or extra inhaler to be kept in school and ensure that this medication is replaced if out of date. Storage of any medication in schoolbags is not permitted for Health and Safety reasons. Pupils are asked to self-administer essential medication in school (eg taking an inhaler etc..) and parents must sign an Administration of Medication permission slip on an annual basis. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

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SHARED EDUCATION

Our Shared Education project with Cumber Claudy PS will begin on Wednesday 9th October for Yr 5 and Yr 6 pupils. It will focus on STEM while promoting friendships and shared understanding. Pupils are already very excited about the programme. If your Yr 5 or 6 child has an appointment on a Wednesday morning, check with reception to see if they need to be collected in/returned to Cumber Claudy Primary School.

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BIRTHDAYS

Year 1

Cassi Burke

Year 2

Charlie McNickle

Year 3

Cillian McGonigle

Year 4

Aideen Mullan

Dara McCloskey

Year 5

Tierna Cartin

Year 6

Jake McGillion

Sean O’Neill

Grace O’Donovan

Caiden Dallas

Year 7

Owen O’Neill

Maebh Coyle

Donal Mullan

Olivia Crossan

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NUT ALLERGY

There are a number of children in the school with a nut allergy. We would remind parents of the seriousness of this condition. Under no circumstances should nuts or foods containing nuts, including coconut and Nutella spread, be brought into the school by any child. Kiwi fruit can also cause allergies, so we would ask you not to send any kiwi fruit in pupils’ lunchboxes.

PARENTS’ MEETINGS

Parent-Teacher Meetings will be held on the week beginning Monday 21st October. There will be a half day on Fri 25th Oct to facilitate these meetings. School will close at 12 noon and 3 o’clock bus companies will operate at this time. If your child gets the 2 o’clock bus, please arrange for them to be collected that day.

A letter will be sent out shortly giving you a time for your appointment with your child’s teacher. If this day or time is not suitable, please contact the school to reschedule.

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ADORATION

Year 4, 5, 6 and 7 pupils will participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Monday of every month. Adoration began on Monday 7th October. We thank Fr O’Connell, Fr. McGavigan and all members of the Adoration team, particularly Karen, Laura and Cora, for making this possible. Please ensure that pupils are dressed appropriately for the weather on these days.

IRISH

Mrs G McKenna has resumed her Irish lessons with all classes. She will teach Year 1, 2, 3 & 4 in their separate class groups on a Tuesday morning and Year 5, 6 and 7 on a Tuesday afternoon. These lessons will take place on a fortnightly basis. We thank her for her invaluable support.

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