Walshestown National School

Introduction
St. Paul's National School (Scoil Naomh Phol) is situated in Walshestown, Grangebellew, which is part of the parish of Clogherhead. There are approximately 104 pupils and it is a mixed school for girls and boys. There are currently 4 class teachers, including the Principal. There is a Learning Support teacher currently allocated 4 days per week at Walshestown N.S. and one day at Philipstown N.S. and a Resource Teacher currently allocated 7.5 hours per week. There is one full time Special Needs Assitant. The school receives a Secretary / Caretaker grant from the Department of Education and Science from which it employs a part-time Secretary and a cleaner together with a retained maintenance contractor.

The site area consists of approximately 0.5 hectares. There are four classrooms, a general purpose hall, a Learning Support room, a Resource room, a computer room, a library, a staff room, an office and several small storage rooms.

There has been a school in operation in Walshestown since 1904. The school building moved to it's current site in 1965.Major renovations and extra rooms were added in 2005 and 2009.

History:
From 1904 to 1985 St. Paul's was a two teacher school. In those years pupils were taught by many dedicated teachers including Mr. P.J. Ward, Mr. Gerard Kelly and Mrs. Maureen Carey. 1960 was a momentous year for the school as it marked the arrival of Mrs. Chris Sharkey who went on to spend 42 years teaching the children of Walshestown. 1988 Saw the arrival of the current principal, Mr.Declan Breathnach. Of the current staff, Mr. Griffin first came in 1994, Mrs. Halpin in 2001, Ms. Molloy in 2002, Ms. Sherman in 2003 and Mrs. Connaughton in 2005.


Mr. Declan Breathnach: 5 & 6 Classes (Principal)
Jim Griffin: 3 & 4 Classes (Deputy Principal)
Annette Connaughton Junior & Senior Infants
Edel Sherman: 1 & 2 Classes
Nora Molloy: : Learning Support Teacher (Post of Responsibility)
Caroline Halpin: Resource Teacher and Secretarial Work.
Margaret Stewart: Special Needs Assistant

Curriculum:
St. Paul's teaches the Revised New Primary School Curriculum which was introduced in 1999. Subjects taught are Languages (English and Irish); Mathematics; Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (History, Geography and Science); Social, Personal and Health Education; Physical Education and Arts Education (Visual Arts, Music and Drama)

Opening & Closing Times
School opens at 9.20 a.m. for all children. No responsibility is accepted for pupils being on the school premises before 9.20 a.m.are two breaks during the day. Morning break is from 11.00 to 11.10 a.m. Lunch break is from 12.45 p.m. to 1.15 p.m. it is the policy of the school that the children are given approximately 10 minutes before each break to use the toilet, wash their hands and eat. Younger children may be given more time.finishes for the Infants classes at 2 p.m. Children must be collected by a parent or by a person identified by the parents as a suitable escort. There is no facility for children in Infants classes to remain in the school past 2 p.m.finishes at 3 p.m. for all classes from First to Sixth. Children should be collected at the school gate. Parents may permit older children to walk to cars by themselves or to walk or cycle home. No responsibility is accepted for pupils being on the school premises after 3 p.m.should not park in the yellow box immediately outside the school at any time.

Board of Management
The Board of Management, which is accountable to the Archbishop of the Diocese of Armagh, has ultimate responsibility for the school.
Current membership of the board of Management is:
Chairperson: Rev. Paul Clayton-Lea
Secretary: Mr. Declan Breathnach (Principal)

Treasurer: Mrs.Miriam McCabe (Community Representative)

Representatives: Ms. Caroline Downey, Mr David kirwanRep
Ms. Caroline McBride, Mr. Eamon Victor, Mr. Jim Griffin

Parents Association
The school has a Parents Association which is affiliated to the National Parents Council.

Current members of the Parents Association are:
Margo Burke Sharon Victory Isobel Murphy Yvonne Leech
Paula Leech Yvonne McGrane Susan Parry Mary Marry
Mary Murphy Julie Kirwan


Uniform
We are reminding parents that children must wear the correct uniform to school. The uniform is available from The Children's Shop, West St. Drogheda.
School tracksuit top with crest, white Polo shirt and plain navy tracksuit bottoms (the same colour as tracksuit top) with no logos, designs or stripes, etc.
For boys, v-necked navy jumper, navy trousers, white shirt and red tie.
For girls, navy skirt or pinafore, navy cardigan or jumper, white shirt and red tie.
All children must have black plimsoll shoes for wearing inside the school building.
These are available from Shoe Zone, Marks & Spencers.
Velcro fastening outdoor shoes as children need to change shoes independently.

Eating Policy
Through these guidelines, St Paul's National School,aims to help all those involved in our school community in developing positive and responsible attitudes to eating and to appreciate the contribution that good food makes to health.

Parents should ensure that children have a healthy breakfast to help them learn and concentrate better in school.

Some of the healthy snacks that this school encourages for break time include fruit, vegetables sticks, yoghurt, fromage frais, crackers and / or cheese.
Chewy / sticky bars, cereal bars and sweets are not advisable at any time. Healthier choice of drinks are plain (tap) water and milk. Pure unsweetened juices or well diluted sugar free squashes may be included.
Sweetened fruit juices, fruit drinks, squashes, fizzy drinks (including diet drinks and sparkling water) should be avoided due to their sugar and /or acid content as these are also harmful to teeth.
Cans, glasses, chewing gum, crisps, popcorn and peanuts are not permitted. Foods which have wrappers should be kept to a minimum and disposed of properly to reduce litter and protect our school environment.
Nutrition and healthy eating will be included as part of the school curriculum.
All pupils are encouraged to avail of the school filtered water scheme.
The 'Healthy Eating Guidelines' will be reviewed on an annual basis and the policy will be framed and displayed in a prominent position in the school

Issues

The Health Service Executive (H.S.E.) carry out free hearing, eyesight and dental checks through the schools. They always send home a consent form asking parents/guardians whether or not they wish to avail of this service. All forms should be returned signed whether or not your child is availing of this service. Checks are done on a schedule which is designed to ensure that all children are offered each service at least once during their primary school years. Hearing and eyesight tests are held in the school and are preliminary in nature. If the nurse conducting the tests suspects a problem, they will then send a letter home regarding the need for more detailed investigation. Dental checks are conducted in the H.S.E. clinic in Drogheda.
Children should not be sent to school if they are unwell. It is better to err on the side of caution as a warm classroom full of children will invariably make the condition worse and any infection will spread easily to others.

Head lice can be a problem from time to time in the school and it is very difficult to eradicate unless all parents / guardians tackle it equally. Please take time to inspect your children's head weekly. If you do discover a problem please inform us so that we can raise the issue generally with all parents/guardians and inform class teachers so they can be especially vigilant.

Credit Union
Clogherhead Credit Union visits the school once a week usually every Tuesday. Children are encouraged to avail of this service to encourage the development of savings habit.

The Board has developed and documented policies in the following areas

Child Protectionof BehaviourBullyingand SafetyUse of Information and Communication TechnologyAbuse
The provision of appropriate resources for the education of all pupils.
Learning supportwith Specific Learning Disabilities and Special Needs
Assessmentinvolvement

Other policies and procedures will be developed in the future in order of priority as determined by the Board.policies are on the school website or are available from the school if requested.

School Calendar 2011 -2012

Re-opens: Wednesday August 31Break :
Halloween Monday October 31 to Friday November 4 inclusive
Vacation: Friday Christmas December 23 to Friday January 6 inclusive
February Break: Thursday February 16 and Friday February 17
Patrick's Day: Monday March 19
Easter Vacation: Monday April 2 to Friday April 13 inclusive
Public Holiday: Monday May 7
Public Holiday: Monday June 4
Last Day of School: Friday June 22