Autumnfest

It's hard to believe we're already coming up to mid-term break; the weather is so mild and the two months have flown by. I hope your child(ren) have settled into school by now and are enjoying themselves. For those of you new to the school, one of the big events of the year in Carlow Educate Together is Autumnfest where we invite everyone in to celebrate the first term and learn all about the various festivals that happen in Autumn. Our Parents' Association are decorating the hall with lots of fun activities to help children learn about Hallowe'en, Samhain, Simchat Torah, Diwali and many other festivals. Children (and adults) are encouraged to come to school in fancy dress if they wish, or perhaps if Hallowe'en isn't celebrated in your house, you can bring in something from your own tradition to help us learn more about that. Have a chat to Jenny, our Parents' Association chairperson if there's anything you'd like to do to help.

Autumnfest

A big thank you to Jenny and the team for organising this year's Autumnfest. All families are welcome to come to the day tomorrow and we look forward to having great fun. A big thanks to a parent in the school who donated a prize she won - a blow-up obstacle course!

Water Bottles

All children have now received a reusable water bottle. This is to reduce waste as we were collectively throwing out over 200 empty plastic bottles everyday! This scheme is part of our Erasmus+ project, where we are looking to improve the quality of food provision in schools.

Mid Term Break

Mid Term Break will take place next week from Monday to Friday and school will be closed.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Parent Teacher Meetings will take place from Friday 17th to Thursday 23rd November. Teachers will be available on the following days:

• Gillian (17th, 20th, 21st)
• Margaret, Emer/Sinéad, Teresa, Vicky, Laura, Cliona and Erin (21st, 22nd)
• Gary, Roisin, John (21st, 22nd and 23rd)

You will need to book your appointment online here: https://carlowetns.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ Bookings will open at 9am on 30th October. When filling in the form, you will need to type in the name of your child (as on his/her enrollment form) and the full name of his/her class, i.e. 6th class rather than 6th.

Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club is open for all children from 8:30am Monday to Friday. Come and join Clare and some 6th class helpers for a slice of toast, juice and a chat before starting the day. There's no need to sign up - simply show up in the morning,

Cake Fridays and Knitting Club

Join the Parents’ Group for their weekly Cake Fridays and Knitting Club in the Parent Room after drop off.

Homework Club

The homework club is running well with nearly 20 pupils taking part. To sign up, contact the office and we will give you a call.

Attendance and Lateness

We are monitoring attendance carefully this year.

Attendance per month is

September: 93% | October: 93.%

Overall: 93% | Target: 95%

Please ensure that your child is in school on time. The school opens at 8:30am for breakfast club and 8:35am for morning supervision. Classes start at 8:50am and all children must be in school by then. There are a number of children coming to school after 9am and classes are well underway by then. Our attendance team will be in touch to talk to families of children where this is proving to be a persistent issue.

Second Level Campaign

Please register your interest if you’d like Carlow to have a second level Educate Together school. https://secure.jotformpro.com/form/52224353965962. The group also has a Facebook Page, which we’d recommend you to join.

Volunteer

We’re always thrilled to have parents and families volunteering in the school. We had over 150 parents in school last year and we’d love to see more of you.

Nut Allergy

We have three pupils and a staff member in our school with nut allergies. It is vital that no nuts ever come into our school. We cannot police every lunchbox so we are relying on you to cooperate with our nut ban.

Upcoming Dates For Your Diary

November

• 13th-17th: STEAM Week
• 17th-23rd: Parent Teacher Meetings

Social Media

You can find us on various social media platforms:

YouTube – Search for Carlow Educate Together

Facebook – http://facebook/com/carlowetns

Twitter – http://twitter.com/carlowetns