Dear Parents/ Guardians,
It is my pleasure to welcome you all back to a new academic year at METNS. I hope that you enjoyed the wonderful summer and that the children are looking forward to the year ahead in their new classes.
I especially welcome our new Junior Infants and other children and families who are coming to METNS for the first time. We hope that you will be very happy here at METNS and that you feel a part of our community very quickly. I encourage you to become involved in many areas of school life, particularly the cultural and social life of the school; there will be many opportunities to make new friends, help out and become a part of our vibrant community here at METNS.
Thank you to the PTA for organising a very successful Teddy Bear’s Picnic for the incoming Junior Infants on Saturday last.
Ethos/ Learn Together curriculum
We are committed to our educate together ethos at METNS, and respect is a central part of that ethos. Respect for ourselves, each other and our environment. We are mindful of the way we treat one another, but also on being aware of our world and the need to protect our environment. We will continue to prioritize wellbeing and mindfulness, which we believe are important factors in peoples’ overall health and happiness.
To begin the year, our value of the month for September is ‘positivity’.
Some new Initiatives at METNS
‘The Arts’ play a huge part in the education of our children here at METNS and we have a strong musical and artistic history going back twenty years. We are delighted to announce this year that we have been successful in our applications for two grants for creative programmes.
- Creative Schools Programme – an exciting art initiative sponsored by The Arts Council.
- Music Generation- a series of workshops on music performance. This programme is made possible to schools through funding from the Music Generation national programme in partnership with the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Music Education Partnership (MEP).
We are also introducing a new musical programme throughout the school called ‘Dabbledoo’, and we hope to put on a musical concert during the year.
There are exciting new plans for ECA including table tennis and as always we have a wide and varied PE/ Sports programme planned for the pupils.
We have five new smart TVs which are going into the Infant classrooms. These have the latest interactive technology. I would like to thank the BoM for investing in these.
General Information, Policies, Procedures and Regulations
Anti- Bullying
We are an anti- bullying school and we take this very seriously. We have a preventative programme and policy in place with many strategies which are currently used, including restorative practice. We also use restorative methods for dealing with friendship issues in the school.
E-Safety
At METNS, we are committed to ensuring that our students use interactive technology and electronic communication in a considered and responsible manner. We provide programmes for pupils from 3rd – 6th and presentations/workshops for parents/guardians, staff and senior pupils. We would urge you to discuss the Acceptable Usage Policy available on our website with your children and ensure that you set clear expectations in terms of the use of social media. It is recommended that children under thirteen should be monitored by an adult at all times when using any form of social media and that all technology is kept out of the childrens’ bedrooms. Please read our mobile phone policy on our website; pupils are not permitted to use mobile phones on the school premises.
Policies and Procedures
Please refer to the school website for all current information on school policies, procedures and regulations.
It is really important to read the following policies:
- Child Protection
- Data Protection
- Health and Safety
- I would be grateful if parents/guardians would adhere to the regulations applicable to motorists and cyclists entering and dropping off on the campus grounds. I would hope that we would be mindful of the impact of traffic on our IADT neighbours and appreciative of the need for courtesy and consideration. I also highlight the safety of our children.
- Positive Behaviour/ Anti- Bullying
- Parental Involvement
- Communication
- Healthy Eating
- Homework
- Use of mobile phones/ devices
There are many more that you will find useful. The website address is www.metns.ie.
Lost property
We encourage all pupils to appreciate, respect and care for the school environment. In addition I would be delighted to see pupils taking care of their possessions and making every effort to reduce the amount of lost property left in school. I urge parents /guardians to ensure that all clothing and property is named and that the children take responsibility for them. A weekly check in our lost property area (back porch) would help reduce the amount of clothing not claimed each term.
School Maintenance
As always, a significant amount of work has been completed during the summer holidays. The projects undertaken include:
- Repaving of the granite slabs at front of entrance.
- Garden watering
- Roof repair tendering process was completed and this repair work will take place in the coming weeks
- Cleaning and repairs across the whole school site
- Pre -building stage process for extension is ongoing.
- IADT have repaired the fence alongside the pedestrian entrance. They would appreciate it if parents/guardians would not let children climb over it.
Thank you to all staff, parents/guardians and pupils who helped with aspects of the school maintenance over the holidays, including feeding our fish!
Contact Details
All school information is sent to parents/guardians by text or email unless a hard copy is essential. Information is also on website. If contact details for parents/guardians change, we would ask that you notify us (in writing) promptly of any changes to your contact information including postal address, email address and phone numbers.
If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at office@metns.ie or 012303696. I hope that all the children are refreshed and ready for school. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all and I hope that you have a happy and positive year ahead.
Le gach dea-mhéin,
Rosario Kealy, Principal
