The Parent/Teacher Association of St. Peter’s National School promotes a structure through which parents/guardians of the students can work with and contribute positively to the life and vitality of the school community.

We assist the Principal and teachers in organising events throughout the year to enhance the sense of community and the learning environment and experience for the pupils.

We also organise fund raising activities for specified projects.  We funded Nutrition and E-Safety talks for parents and musical instruments.

Past events include the Christmas Craft Fair and Raffle, Book Fair, Beach Walk, Art Sale and parents’ social evenings, Halloween party, new parents coffee morning and school Sports Day.

All parents/guardians are automatically members of the P.T.A; any parent/guardian can apply to be a member of the PTA Committee at the Annual General Meeting each September.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please email us at PTA@stpetersnsdrogheda.com

Dear Parents,

We at National Parents Council (www.npc.ie) hope that you are having a great summer! We are mailing you today to inform you regarding some great news for parents and children alike from the Department of Education! The Primary Curriculum Framework was launched by the Minister on 9 March 2023.

This Framework is for all primary and special schools and will guide teachers and school leaders in their work to enhance learning, teaching and assessment for all children through the new curriculum.

Watch the video regarding this here: https://youtu.be/kK5GvhzngCM

Parents and guardians play a key role in their child’s education. The new curriculum for primary and special schools promotes a partnership approach which will encourage increased communication between schools and parents. This aims to keep parents and guardians informed of their child’s progress in school and the school informed of the child’s learning at home. For more information on the New Primary Curriculum, please visit: https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/027ad-primary-curriculum-framework/#

Parents and guardians have already influenced the content of the new curriculum and will continue to do so as more public consultations take place on the areas and subjects of the new curriculum in 2024. These consultations will be widely advertised by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)- https://ncca.ie/en/updates-and-events/consultations/

We have attached a leaflet with more information on the framework along with this mail for your reference. 

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Warm regards,
National Parents Council

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We would like to hear what you think about video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.  How safe are they for our children? Do we need more guidelines or policies that would ensure our children can view and upload videos safely?  Can we be sure that our children and young people won’t be harmed or influenced in a negative way?

Ireland has recently appointed a Commission for Online Safety (Coimisiún na Meán) and they are developing a set of rules that video-sharing platforms and video content creators will need to abide by and have asked us what type of rules or regulations we think parents would want.  We would very much like to hear your views on this and help the Commission develop policies that are workable for families in Ireland. 

The survey will be open from today and will close at midnight next Wednesday, 30^th August.  You can access it here.  

We are also very keen to hear the voices of our children and young people, and we also have a survey just for them.  You can take a look at the survey here and if you are happy with the content and the questions it asks, we would be grateful if you might encourage them to participate.  

Again, this survey will be open from today and will close at midnight next Wednesday, 30^th August.  You can access the children’s survey here. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this important survey!

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NPC is on Facebook & Instagram 

Dear NPC Delegate

The notice for the Board nominations went originally on the 27th of April, but for those of you who became registered members since this date and also for those of you who may have missed this email, please see the notice below and the documents attached.

National Parents Council Primary (NPC) wants to see an Ireland where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential

Could you or another parent in your school be the person to help make this happen? If you want to make sure NPC is working in the right direction, is providing support for parents and children, now is your opportunity to get involved.

If you are interested in education and supporting the vital role that parents play in their children’s learning, we are looking for parents of children attending primary or post primary school to help lead our organisation.

Under the NPC Articles of Association every NPC Member Association is entitled, if they wish, to nominate one parent of a child in their school to go forward for election each year to the NPC Board of Directors.

This notice is being sent to you as the NPC Delegate and includes a description of the responsibilities and duties of an NPC Board member and the following three forms:

1. Nomination Form

This must include the Nominees details and their consent to be nominated.
 

2. Evidence of Support Form

This form must show that the nominee has support for their nomination from at least 75% of the elected Parents’ Association Committee. Please note consent is required, from the committee members approving, to share their email and/or telephone number with NPC and we will follow up with them to verify approval, to ensure fair procedure.
 

3. Biography Form

This form will be presented to all of the NPC Member Associations to provide information as to why a member should vote for a particular nominee. (Nominee may include a head-shot photograph for inclusion if they wish).
The 3 forms attached are in word format to allow editing, however the Parents’ Association Committee if nominating a candidate to go forward for the NPC Board elections must, if using email, return the 3 forms to NPC in PDF format (please contact the office for assistance if necessary).

All forms should be emailed to the NPC Company Secretary  at  alynch@npc.ie  with Board Nomination in the subject box, not later than the 9^th of June 2023. If returning the forms by post please mark Private & Confidential and send to The Company Secretary, National Parents Council, 12 Marlborough Court, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 XP86.

On receipt of the Parents’ Association’s nomination, the NPC Board Governance Committee will assess all nominations and  determine  whether  all  3  forms  are  completed  in  full and submitted correctly. Only nominations that have been submitted correctly will be put forward for the election process. The NPC Board Governance Committee’s decision is final in this matter.

Where the number of persons nominated is less than or equal to the number of vacancies on the Board, those nominated shall be deemed to be elected to the office of Director by the Member Associations and they shall be taken, for all purposes, to have been elected on the date of the next Annual General Meeting.

Should the number of nominations be greater than the number of vacancies, to facilitate the large number of Parents’ Association members voting and ensure transparency and accuracy in the voting system, NPC have engaged a company to manage an e-voting process.

Following the nomination process, NPC will forward the biographies of all verified nominations to the e-voting company to activate the voting process. Please note that only the biography will be issued to the company, all personal contact details will be kept by NPC and will not be shared with any third party.

All members will be informed of the voting system with clear instructions on how to take part when the election occurs.

Please get involved. NPC has developed this system of Board member elections to ensure that all members can become involved in an active way in the organisation. Whether it is putting forward a nominee or voting in the election; your participation matters.

If you have any questions or difficulties with the requirements please do not hesitate to contact Michelle via email to mdavern@npc.ie

Kind regards

Áine Lynch
CEO

Hello Parents,

‘While the internet undoubtedly presents fantastic opportunities for children, it is equally clear that there are valid concerns about children spending too much time online, accessing inappropriate content, and communicating with people with intent to harm or exploit them. As parents our natural desire is to keep our children safe.’

Keeping this in mind, National Parents Council is providing a series of free Internet Safety Information Sessions specifically designed for parents of primary school children! Each virtual session aims to give you information and skills to be able to engage in your children’s online lives. It covers the benefits and risks of the internet and provides hints and tips for parents, helping children be effective, responsible, and safer Internet users.

Register now for free: NPC Internet Safety Information session for Parents – Virtual April 2023 Survey (surveymonkey.com)

When: Sessions will be taking place online via Zoom from the 24^th to 28^th of April 2023. Schedules are listed below:

10am and 7:30pm: 24^th, 25^th, 26^th and 27^th of April 2023

10am: Friday the 28^th of April 2023

At the end of the session, parents will also be provided with a specially designed template to enable them to work with their children to form an agreement for internet usage.

To register, just fill in a simple form right here: NPC Internet Safety Information session for Parents – Virtual April 2023 Survey (surveymonkey.com)

For more information on the Internet Safety sessions, please visit https://www.npc.ie/training-and-resources/training-we-offer/internet-safety-in-your-school.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Michelle Davern 

NPC Administrative Officer 

Dear Parents, 
 
I hope you are keeping well and gearing up for a much-awaited St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  We are reaching out to you to inform you about the free online sessions we will be running starting next week on the 20th  of March. More details are provided below!
 
To register your spot, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Anti_Bullying_March-2023

This is a free online training programme designed by National Parents Council Primary (NPC) to enable you to support your children with any concerns that you might have regarding bullying and to also inform you about the Anti-bullying Procedures in schools.

Bullying is, unfortunately, a negative aspect of some children’s lives and can be a worry for many parents. Learning ways to deal with and cope with bullying situations is a key life skill that we all can develop. You will want to attend this if:

·      You would like to learn more about preventing or addressing bullying behaviour.
·      You are worried about your child being bullied or bullying others, this session might be useful for you.
·      You want tips on how to support your child in dealing with bullying situations.
·      You want information on the anti-bullying procedures in schools and discussion on different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying

Where and When: Sessions will be taking place online via Zoom in the morning (10am) and evening (7.30pm) from Monday the 20th to Thursday the 23rd of March, with an additional morning session (10am) on Friday the 24th of March. 

If you would be interested in attending (virtually) one of these online sessions, please register your details here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Anti_Bullying_March-2023
 
These sessions are open to all parents of children in Primary School. Please forward the details to other parents. 

Please note these sessions will be interactive allowing parents to participate and hence places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

Michelle Davern 

NPC Administrative Officer 

Dear Parents,

Greetings from the National Parents Council Primary. We are contacting you regarding the EPSEN Act.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (pdf), also known as the EPSEN Act, provides for the education of children aged under 18 years with special educational needs. The Act focuses on children’s education but there are references to further and adult education. While the EPSEN Act was passed in 2004 parts of this Act have never been put into practice.

The EPSEN Act is now being reviewed and as part of that review, the National Parents Council would like to hear your views regarding same! We will then make a submission on your behalf to the Department of Education so that your voice is represented in the discussion around this crucial Act!

To better understand your views, the National Parents Council has prepared a survey as well as organised two online parent consultation events on the 27^th of February; one at 10:30am and the other at 7.30pm.

Please participate in both the survey and online consultation if you can do so, as your views are important, and we want to ensure that your voice is heard!

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TheEPSENActReview

Online Parent Consultation Registration Link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EPSENActConsultations

A huge thank you to our fantastic PTA for organising a clothes collection, which happened last week. Thank you to everyone who donated to it.

Christmas Fair 2022

Saturday was an incredibly special today for all the school community as our annual Christmas Fair returned to the Church Hall. A huge thank you to our terrific parents who baked, crafted, organised stalls, sold raffle tickets and prepared food. Everyone had a brilliant time. A massive well done to our students who performed a number of Christmas songs and carols on the day. Thank you also to Gráinne, Ms. Williams and Eleanor for accompanying the choir on piano and on violin. 

Congratulations to all our raffle winners. If you haven’t done so already, please contact the school to collect your prize. Please see below for a list of the winners!

St. Peter’s Christmas Fair, Raffle Prize Winners

1^st Prize – Ian Curran

2^nd Prize – Lily Klimand

3^rd Prize – Deirdre O’Kane

4^th Prize – Elaine Grennan

5^th Prize – Olivia Rose Smith

6^th Prize – Rory Prendiville

7^th Prize – Andrea McArdle

8^th Prize – Rachel Ní Fhearaigh

9^th Prize – Jane Gillan

10^th Prize – Gill McCullough

11^th Prize – Joe Buckley

12^th Prize – Roger Stanley

13^th Prize – Paul Cunningham

14^th Prize – Jan Lyons

15^th Prize – Sam Hampshire

16^th Prize – Joboy Kuriakose

17^th Prize – Rory Prendiville

18^th Prize – Tess Sarsfield

19^th Prize – Terry Mathews

20^th Prize – Arthur Hampshire

21^st Prize – Joan Huber

The P.T.A. would like to thank all who sponsored prizes this year including:

Verde Media, Scholars Townhouse, Quintessential Wine, You’re Gorgeous Hair, The Sound Shop, Inside Out Restaurant, Angel Hair, Dimensional Reality, Slane Whiskey, Allcare Pharmacy, Pure Pharmacy, Omniplex Cinema, Sunday’s Gate, Hickey’s Pharmacy, Sarsfield’s Pub, and Winters Farm.

Dear Parents,

Another week, another batch of interactive sessions designed by National Parents Council Primary just for you!  This time, the sessions are based around the Part 3 and the final part of the Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) Series.

You can read more about the sessions below. Please note that these sessions are completely online, and you will have to register prior to the event date for the link to the session. The registration link are provided under the session information below.

 An interactive session on ‘Making Big Talk Many Small Talks’ (24^th – 28^th October,2022)

Following on from Part 1 and Part 2 of our RSE three-part programme where we looked at how we can support children to make and sustain healthy relationships and friendships, now in part 3 we look at how to make the big talk many small talks and use those skills to build our relationships and support conversations with our children.

The RSE series comprises of three sessions including:

1. ‘Supporting your Child to build Healthy Friendships and Relationships’
2. Active Listening Skills
3. ‘Making the Big Talk many Small Talks’

This is a free online interactive programme designed by National Parents Council Primary (NPC) to enable you to support your children to make and sustain healthy relationships and friendships.

Would you like to know how best to support your child to build healthy friendships and relationships?

 All adults and children struggle with friendships at some point in their lives, would you like to learn more about supporting your child to make and sustain healthy friendships?

If your answer to the above questions were yes then, this session is for you. In this session you will learn:  

• At how we can support children to make and sustain healthy relationships and friendships, and good communication skills
• To look at how we can make the big talk many small talks
• To work in partnership your child’s school in supporting the Social Personal Health Education curriculum.

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Where and When: Sessions will be taking place online via Zoom in the morning (10 AM) and evening (7: 30 pm) from Monday the 24^th to Thursday the 27^th of October, with an additional morning session (10 AM) on Friday the 28^th  of  October. 

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If you would be interested in attending (virtually) one of these online sessions, please register your details here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RSEWeek3

These sessions are open to all parents of children in Primary School. Please forward the details to other parents. 

Please note these sessions will be interactive allowing parents to participate and hence places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

This programme is delivered by National Parents Council Primary and funded by the Sexual Health Crisis Pregnancy Programme.

Kind regards,
David Perkins
NPC Administration

School Garden Project

We’d like to say a massive thank you to our brilliant P.T.A for planting in our new garden space. The space looks so much brighter with all the lovely flowers and plants!