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Antrim Primary School |
31 Station Road, Antrim, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland BT41 4AB |
Circulars |
Tuesday 2nd March 2010 Open Night - Tuesday 9th March (any time between 6.30 pm and 8.00 pm) Open Night is an opportunity for our pupils to show parents their school work which hasn't been taken home. It is not a parent-teacher consultation but we welcome you to visit the classroom. Work in children's books and folders is personal to each family but please view all the displays in the classroom and the corridors. The children may also take the opportunity to demonstrate some of the practical work they do eg computers and interactive white boards. Please also pay a visit to our library. Please assist us by completing visits promptly at or before 8.00 pm. During Open Night the P.T.A. will be selling tickets for a fund raising draw. Prizes will be drawn the next day in school. Music Evening - Tuesday 16th March 7.30 pm Our P6/P7 choir, orchestra and recorder group will be performing for parents and friends on Tuesday evening, 16th March. All parents are very welcome to attend. All our P1 - P7 pupils will be treated to a full dress rehearsal on the Tuesday morning and should not attend the evening performance. End Of Term School will finish at 12 noon on Thursday 25th March (more details later). Dates for Your Diary (more details to follow in due course) School Open Night Tues 9th March Music Evening Tues 16th March P5 Easter Assembly Wed 24th March Re-Constitution of Board of Governors The Governors for 2010-2014 are now in place and had their first meeting last week. We are grateful for their voluntary service to the development of Antrim Primary School. Ven Dr S McBride (Chairperson), Mr S Porter (Vice-Chairperson), Mr A Watson, Mr G Savage, Mrs P Lewis, Mr N Simpson, Mrs L Smyth, Mrs J Gillespie and Dr M Cross. Parking Outside School The PSNI has asked me to remind parents that parking on the zigzag lines outside school is strictly prohibited as it causes a great danger to pedestrians at school arrival/departure times. Officers inform me that they intend to monitor parking on a regular basis and will issue fixed penalty tickets for parking on the zigzag lines or parking on the double yellow lines on the Tesco side of Station Road. Please assist our Crossing Patrolman by avoiding these areas. Thank you. Save The Children Last week we presented a cheque to Save The Children for £849.43, the proceeds of our Christmas Events. Their representative, Mrs McClelland, was very grateful. This organisation, like many others, is striving to support the people of Haiti at this time of great need. L Patterson Policy for Emergency School Closure There have been occasions when schools have been unable to operate due to circumstances beyond their control e.g. flooding, heating breakdown, extreme weather conditions. It is advisable for parents to again be aware of the measures to be taken if we found ourselves in such a situation prior to school opening for the day. If notice is possible, we will alert local radio and television stations at the earliest moment. Hopefully they would broadcast the information, but this cannot be guaranteed. First thing (8.30 am), or earlier if possible, a notice will be placed at the front gate to inform parents who transport their children to school. Children who arrive at school on their own or by bus will be supervised by staff until parents can be contacted and the necessary arrangements made. INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS There have been several serious accidents in Northern Ireland caused by jewellery catching on items of clothing etc during play or PE and we have been advised that all items of jewellery must be removed prior to PE lessons. Advice to parents - where necessary ear piercing should take place in the summer holidays to permit removal from September. It would, of course, be much safer for your child if all jewellery was left at home during the school day. Earrings, if worn in class, should be of the stud type only. Please also note that pupils should not wear loose items of clothing which would cause injury if caught on apparatus. For PE lessons we feel that from P3 upwards a white polo shirt with shorts (any colour) and gym shoes would be most appropriate. Bridge Orphans Ethiopia Many, many thanks to all our families who supported our chosen charity 'Bridge Orphans of Ethiopia'. At today's Harvest Assembly we presented a cheque for the tremendous total of £4,200. Every penny will be used to benefit these very needy children. Our Primary 6 classes made it a very special occasion with their excellent Assembly for P1-P7 and later in the morning for their parents and friends. Cash for Clobber In partnership with the Council and the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children, Cookstown Textile Recyclers is once again running the 'Cash For Clobber' scheme. For each bin liner sized bag of unwanted clothes and textiles the school collects, CTR will pay £1 to the school and will also donate 25p to the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children. Bedlinen and curtains are also acceptable. Please send bags to school from Monday 9th November to Friday 13th November (morning). These will be collected by CTR on Friday afternoon Swine Flu Update As we indicated in September circulars we are monitoring pupil absences due to flu-like symptoms:- our thanks to parents who are ringing school when pupils are off ill. In recent days we have had a noticeable increase in pupil absences. Since doctors are testing for swine flu only where other medical conditions are present it will not be possible to identify all cases of swine flu. Since only a relatively small number of parents have received confirmation of swine flu from their GP's, it is not possible to give accurate figures for swine flu cases in school. Fortunately, many of the pupils are recovering quickly and are back in school within a few days. Advice from the medical authorities remains as before - "If children become unwell it is important that they stay at home. If the illness is mild and there are no underlying risk factors then it can often be managed like a normal flu by staying in bed and taking over the counter preparations. However, those with underlying conditions and with more serious illness should stay at home and telephone their GP or GP out of hours service" One possible issue we must consider in the coming months is the effect on staffing levels if a number of our teachers are ill at any one time. We will endeavour to find substitute teachers but there may be instances where classes may have to be combined for short periods if substitutes are not available. Thank you for your continued support - we will continue to keep you informed through school circulars. SPECIAL CHARITY 2009/10 - BRIDGE ORPHANS ETHIOPIA This term we ask for your support in helping a group of orphaned children in Ethiopia. A representative from the Charity visited Assembly last week to tell the pupils and staff about the difficulties facing these children. We will be asking the children to learn a poem or song (different for each year group) and ask friends and family to sponsor them. Sponsor sheets will be sent home on Wednesday and we hope to present a cheque to Bridge Orphans at our Harvest Thanksgiving Assembly on 27th October. Every penny raised goes directly to supporting these children as the volunteer charity workers do not deduct any expenses. PTA COMMITTEE ELECTED FOR 2009/10 During last week's Annual General Meeting the following parents were elected onto the PTA Committee for this year:- Mrs V Adams, Mrs A Creighton, Dr A and Dr M Cross, Mr S Elliott, Mrs G Francis, Dr I Erskine, Mr S Hamilton, Mrs N Monahan, Mrs G Montgomery, Mrs H Murdock, Mrs S Porter, Mrs K Watt and Mrs S Whann. We wish committee members the very best and thank them for their support to our school. ROAD SAFETY POSTER COMPETITION WINNERS Congratulations to the following pupils who won prizes - Joely Andrews, Rohit Christian, Stephen Gammon and Holly Kane. EMPLOYMENT - TEMPORARY POSITIONS IN SCHOOL From time to time we require temporary cover for lunchtime supervisory posts or kitchen staff due to illness etc. If you are interested in adding your name to our register, please contact the office. For kitchen employment please contact the Cook on 02894 462052. Swine Flu - Update on Vaccination Programme The Department of Health has again written to schools and I quote:- "A department decision has been taken not to include all school age children in the initial stages of the vaccination programme. As a result we will not be progressing as planned with the programme in schools prior to Christmas. Some children with high risk clinical conditions will be offered the vaccine through their GP Practice between October and December 2009." We will keep parents up to date with information when we receive it. School Recycling - Clothes Bank Clothes bank has now been placed in school to encourage the recycling of clothes which will in turn benefit charity. Please leave any unwanted clothes in the foyer and we will place them in the Clothes Bank. Thank you. Contact/Health Information In order to ensure we have the most up to date information re contacts etc. for each child we would ask you please to complete the attached slip and return it to the class teacher as soon as possible. It is vital that we have contact numbers and up to date health information. Please inform us immediately of any changes during the School Year. School Milk Payment can be made for the year or per month. Free School Meals Forms are available in the School Office. If you feel you may be entitled please make application as soon as possible. Child Protection Procedures Our prospectus and information letters to parents give details re many aspects of our school's approaches to child protection. Detailed policies are in place for Child Protection, Positive Behaviour, The Internet, Anti-Bullying, Pastoral Care, Health Education etc. and are available to parents on request. If a parent should have a concern about the safety of any child this can be brought to the attention of the Class Teacher and to the Principal, Mr Patterson, who is the designated teacher for Child Protection. Alternatively an approach may be made to the deputy designated teacher, Mrs McGlaughlin. If parents are still concerned they can talk/write to the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Ven. Dr S McBride. At any time parents can talk to Social Services or the Police. Should we in school have any concerns about a child we have an obligation by law to speak with Social Services. Photographs of Pupils (still and video) From time to time our pupils have photographs taken for local newspapers and/or our web site e.g. concerts, fairs, achievements, sports. We respect the right of parents for children not to be photographed. If this is your wish please write this at the bottom of the information sheet. Please note that we cannot be responsible for photographs taken by other parents at special school events e.g. sports days, concerts etc. Attendance at school (Morning awareness) Many parents ring school or call at the Office to inform us of children's absences. Please continue to alert us on the first day of absence. Our phone is 'manned' from 8.30 am each morning (94428226). Class teachers will be informed accordingly. School Attendance The attendance target set for schools by NEELB is 96%. Please continue to ensure your child attends school unless when ill or in exceptional circumstances. This School year we will again issue certificates to all pupils whose attendance is on or above 96% at the end of June. This will credit pupils who have had full attendance and also those who have missed only short periods. In line with new DENI Guidelines we will be recording unauthorised family holidays, lateness in mornings and afternoon absences. Please help by taking holidays during school closures and ensuring pupils arrive in school promptly in the mornings. We have to record attendance for both morning and afternoon as separate sessions. Road Safety We again remind drivers and pedestrians of the need for extreme caution at the front of the school and in the playground at home times. Please drive very slowly and cross with care. Please use our Patrolman at all times. Vehicle Entrance Gates In the interests of staff and pupil safety and security the two vehicle entrance gates will be controlled from our office and school kitchen. The 'top' entrance at the kitchen area will be closed to all non-essential vehicles throughout the day. Please continue to use the bottom entrance for child collection at 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm. L Patterson Antrim PS Website - www.antrimps.org.uk Our website has recently been updated by Mr Magrath and contains lots of new material, please visit. Mrs Monahan, our PTA Secretary, has also added a special PTA link to keep you informed of all PTA activities. Crossing Patrol at Front of School - Please continue to ensure that children are collected at the front of the school at hometime. Anyone crossing the road towards Tescos car park should avail of the services of the crossing patrol. Please do NOT use the kitchen entrance to drop off children or to pick them up at hometime in cars. The bottom playground entrance should be used by car drivers and taxis at these times instead. Allergies We have a number of children with serious allergies - nuts and latex have to be avoided at all times. Please do not send to school any food items containing nuts or traces of nuts (e.g. peanut butter). Please do not send balloons to school. Thank you for your help in keeping these pupils safe. L. Patterson (Principal) |
The NEW SEAT BELT LAWS.... an explanation Children less than 3 years old must always be carried in a baby or child seat appropriate to their weight:- · up to 13kg (2st 1lb) - a rear-facing baby seatı; · 9kg to 18kg (1st 6lb - 2st 12lb) - a forward-facing child seat. (ıNote: it is now illegal to use a rear-facing baby seat in a front seat protected by an airbag). Children aged 3 to 11 and under 135cm (4ft 5ins) must, with a few exceptions2, use a booster seat or booster cushion3 appropriate to their weight:- · 9kg to 18kg (1st 6lb - 2st 12lb) - a forward-facing child seat; · 15kg to 25kg (2st 5lb - 3st 13lb) - a booster seat; · 22kg (3st 6lb) or over - a booster cushion, or modern booster seat designed for larger children. (2Note: if a car has 3 seatbelts in the back and two occupied child seats or boosters prevent a 3rd being fitted, a child aged 3 or over may travel using an adult belt. However, it would often be safer for the child to travel with a child seat or booster in the front seat; and in taxis, if appropriate child seats or booster seats are not available, children may travel in the back - those 3 or over must use the adult seat belt, the under 3s should not) (3Note: a booster seat is like a booster cushion, except it has a back, and may have protection for a child's head in the case of a side impact). Children aged 12 or 13, or over 135cm tall4 must use an adult seatbelt. (4Note: the Department of Environment recommends that children should continue using booster cushions or booster seats until they are 150cm (4ft 11in)). Children 14 and over are responsible for wearing their own seatbelt. Children under 14, the driver of the car is responsible. |