Agreed Reports

Board of Management Meeting (13/02/24) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Gary Crowley

Apologies: Christy Fitzpatrick

  • We will have a number of TY placements over the next few months: Robin Dunlea, Amie Leahy, Ríona Hickey and Lucia Madrid Diaz.
  • SSE continuing with a focus on writing genre- Procedural for term 2
  • As a staff, we are in the process of drafting our new School Self-Evaluation plan, with a focus on Wellbeing.
  • Conor Padden and Jack Leahy provided very enjoyable GAA sessions across all class levels during January.
  • Cybersafe kids came to talk about internet safety from 3rd to 6th Class recently. Eddie Crockett (Community Garda) visited Junior Infants to 2nd Class.
  • Special Education teachers have been completing their reviews with parents over the last number of weeks.
  • Our Christmas shows were widely celebrated by pupils, staff, parents and the community.
  • Children in a number of classes have been on a range of outings (e.g. Santa’s grotto, Shrek the musical, Matilda, soccer blitz, 3rd and 4th Class GAA blitzes).
  • 4th Class girls finished 3rd in the camogie indoor county finals recently.
  • We will run a Wellbeing Week on the last week before the Easter break.
  • On Saturday, March 9th, our school choir will perform in SETU as part of the Peace Proms.
  • On Wednesday, March 20th, 3rd and 4th Class will perform at Cór Fhéile in City Hall.
  • We had a visit from Margaret and Nancy (Glendonagh) today and they did some baking and played board games.
  • Annemarie O’Callaghan coordinated Scór na bPáistí in the school hall on Tuesday, January 30th and there was a massive turn out. Onwards to the East Cork competition now.
  • 6th Class are heading to Dublin to collect their Fis Film Festival award next week, February 21st.
  • The Confirmation commitment ceremony took place on Saturday, March 3rd for 6th Class.
  • Our Communion class continues with their preparation through the Do This in Memory programme.
  • As part of Catholic Schools Week, we welcomed grandparents in for Grandparents’ Day over the last few weeks. Fr. Barry provided a lovely prayer service too.
  • Across the school, we have introduced new crosses and a range of Catholic verses on plaques in classrooms and hallways.
  • The Parents’ Association will coordinate two movie nights and an easter egg hunt over the coming weeks.
  • Our container will be completed the weekend of February 24th with the installation of the new panel. It has become our PE equipment room.
  • We have cleared out a room at the back of the hall to create another learning space and organised our Maths equipment.
  • A number of teachers and SNAs are meeting next week to develop a sensory corridor space in the hallway.

Board of Management Meeting (04/12/23) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Christy Fitzpatrick and Gary Crowley

  • We have had a number of transition year and SNA placements in school over the last few weeks. In addition, we will have two teachers completing school placements in the second term.
  • The Child Protection procedures were formally adopted at our meeting. Our Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment were ratified too.
  • SSE has continued with a focus on Recount writing in term 1.
  • Teachers attended Maths curriculum training on November 29th. We are developing a collaborative approach to CPD in school with a focus on the introduction of this curriculum.
  • Swimming has just finished for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Class.
  • We have applied for a STEM and Arts Learning grant and are looking to purchase a number of lego resources.
  • We coordinated a visit from two NCSE advisors (Niamh Gleeson and Mark O’Sullivan) on November 24th to give the whole staff support on providing inclusive education for children with autism.
  • Oonagh Foley also called from the NCSE to discuss target setting and planning with Special Ed Teachers. 
  • Our Christmas shows, matinee and evening performances, will be held on Thursday, December 14th.
  • Parent Teacher Meetings were held in October.
  • The Parents’ Association are finishing knitting with 3rd to 6th Class this week. The Parents’ Association also purchased the tree at the front of the school and have supported a number of upcoming trips for children and a visit from a magician. 
  • The Halloween fundraisers to support members of our school community whose homes were damaged by flooding raised €2,714.50.
  • The container has been developed over the last number of months, including a new roof, flooring and the installation of shelving. The plan is to purchase a front in the new year. 
  • Some plumbing and electrical works have been completed over the last number of weeks.
  • Dan D2K installed a new sound system in the hall recently.
  • 2nd to 6th Class will go to mass on Friday, December 8th at 11 am.
  • Our non-uniform day on Friday, December 22nd, will be supporting the Hope Foundation this year as past pupil Juliette McCarthy is heading for India with her school.
  • Our school will close for the holidays at 12 pm on Friday, December 22nd.

Board of Management Meeting (12/10/23) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick

Apologies: Aidan McCarthy

  • Our admission process for incoming Junior Infants (2024/25) opened on October 2nd and will close on October 25th.
  • The In-School Management roles and responsibilities have been discussed and shared with staff .
  • As a staff, we discussed our Digital Learning Plan at a recent Croke Park session and we will review this across the year, given recent technology updates.
  • Across this school year, we will review our Anti-Bullying and Child Safeguarding Statement
  • The Primary Maths Curriculum roll out begins this year and there will be a move towards implementation across the next number of years.
  • Say Yes to Languages has started in 6th Class with Ms. O’Sullivan and the focus is on Spanish.
  • Swimming has started for 1st and 6th class in Youghal for 4 weeks.
  • We will have an exceptional closure to support all staff, following on from the opening of our autism classes on Friday, November 24th.
  • The Marymount coffee morning was a great success and the children are still counting the donations.
  • Parent Teacher Meeting dates have been arranged for this week, Tuesday and Thursday, October 17th and 19th.
  • The PA is running knitting classes in 3rd to 6th Class on Wednesday afternoons after the Midterm Break for four weeks.
  • The finishing of work on the temporary accommodation continues.
  • Holy Communion and Confirmation dates have been confirmed, May 10th and May 16th. A Do This in Memory meeting was held on Monday night and this process starts on Saturday, October 21st.
  • We have a reindeer on our stage that will be painted over the coming weeks and ready for the Christmas festival in Midleton.
  • The Christmas show returns on Thursday, December 14th.

Board of Management Meeting (08/06/23) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick

Apologies: Aidan McCarthy

  • The Junior Infant induction for incoming children took place on Tuesday, June 6th.
  • A number of policies were reviewed and ratified: Anti-Bullying Policy, Assessment Policy and EPV Day Policy. The Board of Management also completed its annual anti-bullying review.
  • Junior Infants and Senior Infants have started swimming for 3 weeks in Aura Youghal.
  • A summary of the work of the In-School Management Team was presented to the Board of Management.
  • Standardised testing has been completed over the last few weeks.
  • Following on from ICT visits to other schools and discussions within the staff and the Board of Management, it has been decided that a significant investment in updating our ICT will be completed over the summer holidays. This will include upgrading the wifi and purchasing chromebooks, ipads and trolleys for charging and transporting.
  • Check-in meetings between Special Ed Teachers and Classroom Teachers are being coordinated over the coming weeks.
  • Our Student Council has organised a few special events for the final weeks, including a no school bag day and a water fight. More information to follow.

Board of Management Meeting (11/05/23) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick

Apologies: Aidan McCarthy

  • The Junior Infant induction for incoming children will take place on Tuesday, June 6th.
  • In line with circular 44/19, Mrs. Doyle will act up in the Assistant Principal II role and Ms. McCarthy will act up in the Deputy Principal role for the duration of Mrs. Bolster’s leave
  • A number of policies will be reviewed and ratified over the coming weeks, including our Anti-Bullying Policy and Assessment Policy
  • A new gymnastics plan has been developed and is currently being rolled out across the school.
  • Junior Infants and Senior Infants will start swimming at the start of June for 3 weeks in Aura Youghal.
  • Standardised testing will be completed over the next few weeks.
  • Ber Cotter facilitated training for staff in First Aid on March 22nd. This was a very practical and helpful session.
  • We had our Spring Clean on Wednesday, March 29th where children cleaned up parts of the village and around the school grounds.
  • The 6th Class Junior Entrepreneur Programme is almost complete. They are currently producing lots of soap and there will be a showcase in a number of weeks, Friday May 26th.

Board of Management Meeting (09/02/23) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming,  Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick

Apologies: Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy and Aidan McCarthy

  • We recently purchased new levelled readers for the junior end of the school.
  • Barnardos are coming to give online safety talks to 3rd to 6th Class this month. These sessions are on Tuesday, February 21st.
  • School Self-Evaluation is continuing with a focus on writing genres- Explanation for Term 2.
  • We had a Primary Language Curriculum staff professional learning half-day on Friday, January 27th. We explored inclusion and the Primary Language Curriculum.
  • The ICT team members have agreed to visit other schools and investigate their digital technology practices, before proposing potential purchasing of new resources.
  • Marion Flanagan (PDST) completed two Croke Park sessions on Restorative Practice in our school in January and we will work towards continuing to implement these principles in our school from day to day.
  • New temporary accommodation should be installed before Easter. In addition, the green area will be developed to ensure more yard space.
  • Confirmation will take place in Sacred Heart Church (Mogeely) on Wednesday, March 15th with Castlemartyr NS. Rev. Bishop William Crean will celebrate the mass.
  • Sciath na Scol training has started for boys and girls.
  • Girls and boys in 6th Class are training for an upcoming soccer tournament.
  • Girls and boys in 4th Class participated in indoor camogie/hurling blitzes over the last number of weeks. The boys reached the County Final and finished as runners-up to Ballygowan NS.
  • Engineering in a Box is ongoing in 5th Class with Jack Kearney (Hegarty Construction).
  • The Junior Entrepreneur Programme is underway in 6th Class.
  • The Cycle Right Programme is almost finished in 6th Class. The children will go out on the road shortly.
  • Artist in residence, Julie Forrester, continues to visit 3rd Class.
  • Mass in appreciation of Grandparents was a great success.
  • Our school choir is participating in the Cork International Choral Festival on Wednesday, April 26th in City Hall.

 Board of Management Meeting (05/12/22) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Nuala Hennessy, Aidan Mc Carthy and Joan Rigney
Apologies: Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick
  • The Critical Incident Policy was reviewed and ratified. This will be posted on the website.
  • We had a Primary Language Curriculum professional development half-day on Friday, November 11th. The focus of this session was on Critical Literacy.
  • An ICT meeting will be held in the school this week to discuss ICT developments and the potential updating of technology.
  • The final block of swimming (3rd and 5th Class) finishes before Christmas.
  • Gaelic football sessions across all of the classes, coordinated by Colm Herlihy, finished last week. Thank you to Colm and all of the coaches.
  • The Do This in Memory programme has started in 2nd Class as the children prepare for their Holy Communion.
  • A Confirmation date has been set for Wednesday, March 15th. The pupils of 6th Class had their commitment ceremony last weekend.
  • The children in 6th Class and Jake Rodgers (1st Class) will head to the Helix in early 2023 to receive a national award at the Fís Film Festival. The children were supported by Mr. Murphy and Ms. O’Sullivan in the production of the music video.
  • The oak tree project proved a great success and approximately 110 oak trees have headed off to good Dungourney homes.
  • Art pieces arrived last week as part of a partnership with Cork County Library services. These have been installed temporarily in the hallway.
  • A range of Christmas activities will be organised in school over the coming weeks, including movies in the hall, a jumper art exhibition, a Christmas door competition and our Christmas Assembly.

Board of Management Meeting (11/10/22) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy, Joan Rigney and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • The admission process for the school year 2023/24 will begin on Monday, October 17th and finish on Friday, November 11th. Details will be available on the school website.
  • The School Self-Evaluation process includes a focus on the narrative writing genre in term one.
  • Our outdoor learning space has continued to develop with the purchase of picnic benches for out the back of the hall.
  • The Sciath na Scol football came to an end with victories over Castlelyons NS this week. Unfortunately, the teams did not make the finals this year, but it was a great campaign and the boys and girls should be very proud of themselves.
  • Parent Teacher Meetings will be held in the school next week on October 18th and 20th.
  • Two successful fire drills have been completed recently.
  • Our Healthy Eating Policy was ratified and will be published on the website.
  • Out Child Safeguarding Statement was ratified and will be published on the website.
  • Works over the last number of weeks and months have included development of footpaths, installation of new fencing, cleaning of external areas, upgrading of CCTV system and internal electrics and plumbing maintenance. In addition, a full fire system review was completed in the final term of 2021/22.
  • A range of pupil and staff furniture will be delivered over the coming weeks.
  • Accommodation (Temporary and Permanent)- It is hoped that the temporary accommodation will arrive in February and the Special Education Team will be able to move out of the hall and into this new space. The tendering process has also started for the permanent Special Education build. However, it has been advised that the completion of this building process is likely to take approximately five years.
  • A Holy Communion date has been set for Saturday, May 6th. 
  • Green and gold days were coordinated in advance of the county final and one more will be held on Friday to celebrate a mighty win in Páirc uí Chaoimh when a number of the Intermediate team members will visit the school.

 

Board of Management Meeting (31/05/22) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Joan Rigney

Apologies: Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • The Junior Infant induction day was held on Tuesday, May 31st at 3.15 pm.
  • School reports are currently being completed and once reviewed will be sent out to parents on June 17th.
  • The plan is to purchase some gymnastics equipment and develop a 4-6 week plan across classrooms for the school year 2022/23.
  • The development of our autism class has proceeded with support from the whole school. Teachers and SNAs have been given the opportunity to visit local schools over the last number of weeks.
  • Check-in meetings between Special Education teachers and classroom teachers will be coordinated next week.
  • Sciath na Scol boys and girls both reached the finals in Páirc Uí Rinn. There are blitzes coming up for 4th, 5th and 6th Class in hurling, camogie and gaelic football. 3rd/4th boys recently participated in a hurling blitz in Midleton CBS.
  • Knitting has started from 3rd to 6th Class with a number of parents.
  • The Parents’ Association have allocated funding for a number of items towards the end of this year: ice-cream, subsidising hoodies for 6th class, a few bus trips etc.
  • The CCTV camera installation on the astro facility is almost completed.
  • Our fire system was assessed by Colm Quinn recently and we meet all of the required regulations.
  • Cork City Sports finals held on Friday, June 3rd.
  • Scór na bPáistí- County Final for ballad group and solo singing on Saturday, June 11th
  • Holy Communion was held on May 7th and Confirmation on May 20th and thank you to everyone involved, including teachers, SNAs, and Colette.
  • Belonging and Sports Weeks coming before the end of the school year.
  • The children in 3rd Class recently went on a trip to San Marcos in Midleton to learn about the pizza making process, to make their own pizzas… and eat pizzas.
  • The 6th Class Junior Entrepreneur Programme is almost complete and there will be a showcase in a number of weeks.
  • 6th Class graduation will be held on Friday, June 17th at 11 am.
  • School closes on Friday, June 24th and reopens on Wednesday, August 31st.

Board of Management Meeting (22/03/22) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Joan Rigney

Apologies: Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • School Self-Evaluation focus for the final term- Report Writing
  • Digital Learning Framework focus for the final term-  Puppet Pals app
  • The school’s Wellbeing Framework process has started.
  • Contact has been made with Anne Marie Moylan about further CPD for staff in Restorative Practice, with a specific focus on restorative questions.
  • Following on from Dragons’ Den in the school hall, 6th Class are now working on the production and promotion of their product. More details to follow.
  • Outcome of our SNA Exceptional Circumstances review by the NCSE- The school’s SNA allocation has increased from 1.83 to 2.83.
  • Sciath na Scol games for boys and girls start this week. The other schools on our side of the draw are Rathcormac NS, Aghada NS, Kilcredan NS and Bunscoil Mhuire (Youghal).
  • Storytime- The short story writing competition coordinated by the PA was a great success and the overall winner was a girl in 2nd Class (Róisín Cremin).
  • The resurfacing work (e.g. footpaths) will be completed over the Easter break.
  • Scór na bPáistí is back and the school will host a preliminary round in the hall on the evening of Tuesday, April 6th.
  • A non-uniform day (organised with past-pupil Lucy O’Gorman at the start of the school year) will be held on the last day of this term, Friday, April 8th in aid of Médicins sans Frontiéres. Lucy will visit the school on March 28th to provide information for the children.
  • The Sacrament of Reconciliation was held on March 15th in Clonmult Church and thank you to Ms. O’Sullivan for all of the preparation with the children.
  • Kindness Week was a great success and Respect Week will be coordinated in the school for the last week before the Easter Holidays. This is part of an ongoing process of ensuring that our school values become a central part of school life.

Board of Management Meeting (20/01/22 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane and Christy Fitzpatrick Apologies: Aidan McCarthy and Joan Rigney

  • Anti-Bullying Policy and Code of Behaviour have been reviewed by staff and sent to Parents’ Association for review. These will be reviewed and ratified by the Board of Management.
  • Staff received input from Anne Marie Moylan on Restorative Practice last week and this is something that we will now explore further as a whole school.
  • School tours are being booked across classes in the hope that we will be able to go in June.
  • 6th Class have started the Junior Entrepreneur and Cycle Right programmes.
  • 5th Class will be receiving 10 week engineer support through the Engineering-in-a-Box Programme.
  • A Healthy Eating Policy review has started with a survey for the staff to complete.
  • The Parents’ Association have organised Storytime, a short story writing competition for all the children.
  • The external works out the back of the school are finished and work on the front is planned for over the coming months.
  • The updating of yard markings will hopefully take place in April.
  • CCTV is being installed on the astroturf pitch for safety and also monitoring the key lockbox.
  • Community Garda (Eddie Crockett) will visit all classes on Tuesday, January 24th.
  • Catholic Schools Week and Science Week are being run in the school from Monday, January 24th onwards.
  • We will have a values update over the next week or so. The plan is to run a Kindness week on the last week before the midterm.

Board of Management Meeting (14/12/21 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane  and Christy Fitzpatrick Apologies: Aidan McCarthy

  • The admissions window for 2021/22 school year opened on October 18th and closed on November 12th. Any further enrolment requests should be sent into the school via the website or school office. 
  • Our Anti-Bullying Policy and Code of Behaviour have been reviewed by staff recently. These will be shared with the Board of Management and Parents’ Association for review before formal ratification by the Board of Management.
  • A School Improvement Board has been developed and displayed in the staffroom.
  • The School Self-Evaluation genre for term 2 is procedural writing.
  • The app highlighted in our Digital Learning Plan is Book Creator for January and February.
  • A staff development day took place on December 10th and the focus was on assessment practices.
  • 3rd to 6th Class teachers met to coordinate a Gaeilge plan to ensure progression and prioritisation recently.
  • Following on from discussions with all of the classes from Junior Infants to 6th Class, a school values (Kindness, Respect and Belonging) document has been drafted. 
  • 6th Class will participate in the Cycle Right programme (5 weeks) from January onwards.
  • The external works are almost finished at the back of the school (e.g. ramp to school pitch).
  • Two new interactive panels have been installed in 1st and 2nd Class.
  • Storm Barra- school was closed on December 7th and 8th, but thankfully there was no damage.
  • An outdoor tap has been installed for use in and around the school garden.
  • The plan is to look at freshening up and introducing new yard markings in the new year.
  • We have undertaken a number of fire drills over the last number of months.
  • There are lots of festive activities on the timetable between now and December 22nd: door competition, movies in the hall, non-uniform day, Glendonagh carol visit, Zoom read alouds and assembly etc.
  • Lord Mayor of Cork (Colm Kelleher) visited 6th Class via Zoom last week.

Board of Management Meeting (27/09/21 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • Admissions Policy and notice- In line with our Admissions Policy, an admission window for Junior Infants 2022/23 will run from October 18th to November 12th. Details will be posted on the website.
  • In the absence of Mrs. Bolster,  Sarah McCarthy has taken up the role of acting Deputy Principal and Martha Doyle has taken on the role of acting Assistant Principal II.
  • Our school will receive extra support through the Covid Learning and Support Scheme Programme (CLASS). As a result, we will have access to an extra teacher for 2.5 days per week from October 11th.
  • Our Anti-Bullying and Code of Behaviour policies will be reviewed during this school year.
  • The School Self-Evaluation process is continuing with a focus on recount writing this term across the classes.
  • We are continuing to explore the potential of outdoor learning and a number of canopies have been purchased for installation in the garden area. We will also put a whiteboard up in this space.
  • A letter was sent out to Dungourney GAA, Kiltha Óg and Camogie coaches on 14/09/21 via Orla Kelleher highlighting the process for booking/using the astro turf facility from October onwards.
  • Jack Leahy and Ben Nyhan visited our school on September 15th and it was a great success. We would like to thank Jack and Ben for engaging with the children in such a positive way and for spending lots of time autographing all sorts for all of the classes afterwards.
  • Mr. Healy and Ms. McCarthy coordinated a Guess the Sweets for Marymount last week and they raised approximately €1300 (donations still arriving) for this worthy cause.
  • The Parents’ Association are meeting on Monday, October 4th to discuss plans for the 2021/22 school year.
  • The Confirmation and Holy Communion ceremonies took place on September 15th and September 25th respectively. The Board of Management would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone involved, including Fr. Barry, Mr. Healy, Ms. O Sullivan, Ms. Fleming, Ms. Sheehan and Ms. McCarthy for the music.

Board of Management Meeting (20/05/21 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy,Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • A number of policies are under review ahead of the 2021/22 school year: Administration of Medication Policy, Assistive Technology Contract and SNA Policy.
  • A school values survey has been sent out to the school community and the findings from these surveys will be discussed at an upcoming staff meeting.
  • Parent Teacher Meetings have been completed since the Easter break in 4th to 6th Class.
  • Standardised testing will finish in the school on May 28th and school reports will be sent out on June 18th.
  • Three themed weeks are being coordinated to finish off this school year: Nature, Creativity and Sport. We are hosting a flag design competition for each week.
  • The Special Education Team is currently reviewing the continuum and support models as we look towards the 2021/22 school year.
  • The Acceptable Use Policy was sent out to parents.
  • Communication was received from Bishop Crean. As a result, Confirmation and Holy Communion have been postponed. 
  • A grant has been approved to resurface the walkways at the front of the school and also the path up to the school field. It is hoped that the work will be completed over the summer months.
  • The Daily Mile, coordinated by Ms. Barry, is ongoing.
  • The school calendar for 2021/22 was sent out and we return to school on Thursday, August 26th.

 

Board of Management Meeting (26/03/21 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy,Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick

  • The following policies/documents have been ratified and will be published online shortly:
    – Acceptable Use Policy
    – Digital Learning Plan
  • A number of board members attended training, hosted by the CPSMA, Board as a Corporate Entity, on March 22nd via Zoom. This webinar covered a number of key areas, including grants, fundraising and roles and responsibilities.
  • Parent Teacher Meetings (1st to 3rd Class) took place over the last few weeks. The 4th to 6th Class meetings will be organised when we return after Easter.
  • A number of teachers met with Gerard Farrelly of the PDST Health and Wellbeing team (Friday, March 12th) to guide us on best practice in relation to Stay Safe and Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in our school. Stay Safe and key elements of RSE will be completed with classes after Easter and parents have been notified.
  • Cathy Horgan coordinated Internet Safety talks with Ger Brick on March 15th for the classes from 4th to 6th and parents too (over 40 in attendance). Further correspondence went out to parents following this with links to the presentation, our own internet safety guidelines and information about free safety talks over Easter. In addition, our Parents’ Association supported an Easter Egg Hunt this week and it proved a very enjoyable activity for all involved. Finally, the Parents’ Association have also provided funding for a number of school projects over the last few months (e.g. school garden and book shortfall).
  • The astro turf pitch should be completed for the final term and a new basketball ring has been installed.
  • Fittest Family was run across the school for the four weeks up until March 13th by a team of coaches: Ms. Barry, Mr. Healy, Ms. Coakley, Mr. Mc Carthy and Mr. Murphy. This proved a fun event for everyone involved.
  • The school ran two World Book Days over the last number of weeks. Ms. J. O’Sullivan coordinated a whole school read aloud at the beginning of March that included stories from lots of staff members. In addition, we had our dress up on March 25th and Ms. McCarthy organised a book quiz for the children in 3rd to 6th.
  • School will reopen after the break on Monday, April 12th.

Board of Management Meeting (02/02/21 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Present: Fr. Barry O’ Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy, Nuala Hennessy, Christy Fitzpatrick and Joan Rigney

  • Our Acceptable Use Policy was reviewed and edited by Mrs. Bolster, Ms. McCarthy, Ms. C. O’Sullivan and the rest of the staff recently. It has now been sent to the Parents’ Association for feedback before being ratified by the Board of Management.
  • A library service is up and running and books are being made available to parents/children during the school closure. In addition, a daily activity is being posted on the website for the children.
  • We had our first remote Zoom Assembly last week and we had a very high level of interaction. We will now run this fortnightly with the next one on Friday, February 12th.
  • Mr. Murphy, Ms. Fleming and Mr. McCarthy will review the school’s Digital Learning Plan over the coming weeks.
  • Cathy Horgan and the Parents’ Association have coordinated Internet Safety talks with Ger Brick for March 15th. More details to follow.
  • A Holy Communion and Confirmation letter was received from the Diocesan Office recently and the key details are below:
  • All celebrations be deferred until the months of May and June, at the earliest.
  • Both 1st Communion and Confirmation will be celebrated by the priest(s) of the parish
  • Due to the unavoidable difficulty in planning, it is strongly recommended that parents should defer the purchase of new ‘outfits’ for their child until they know the likely date of the celebration.
  • All celebrations will be arranged in the light of the prevailing Public Health Guidelines

Board of Management Meeting (14/12/20 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Present: Fr. Barry O’ Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy, Nuala Hennessy, Christy Fitzpatrick

  • The school had a Covid and Child Safeguarding Inspection on Monday, November 23rd. The report highlighted that the Department of Education was satisfied with all of the policies and procedures in place in the school to maintain the safety and welfare of pupils and staff.
  • In-school professional/personal development for staff has been facilitated by Ms. Jean O’Sullivan over the last number of weeks, using a coaching approach and the JESS model. We would like to thank her for her support. The plan is to start exploring JESS for Children in a number of classes in terms two and three. 
  • It is hoped that another basketball ring, across from the current one, will be installed in January.
  • Some flooring will be replaced in the 6th Class room in January by Mark Kidney.
  • A number of ICT improvements have been made across the school over the last few months: purchase of webcams, repair of laptops and desktops, servicing of the internet in a number of rooms and the installation of an interactive screen in Junior Infants.
  • A Songs for Glendonagh CD has been sent to Glendonagh Nursing Home and a link has been shared with parents.
  • The filming of the Christmas shows took place on the week of the 7th of December and the links will be shared shortly.
  • A non-uniform day will be held in the school on Monday, December 21st and the money will be donated to a worthy cause.
  • 4th class raised €2,375 for Cork Simon Community with a virtual 10k walk/cycle. We’d like to thank Sharon Walsh, Anne Marie O’Callaghan and Ms. Sheehan for supporting this.
  • The school garden is taking shape, led by Mr. Healy and Jack Roche. We’d like to thank Dave Roche for his work on this project too. The Parents’ Association are also committing to funding the flower and vegetable plots and the sensory elements. 

Board of Management Meeting (19/10/20 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Members Present: Fr. Barry O’Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy,Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Nuala Hennessy, Angela Loughnane, Aidan McCarthy and Christy Fitzpatrick 

  • Our Admission Policy and Admission Notice were published on the website recently and applications for the school year 2021/22 are now being accepted. 
  • The following policies have been ratified and published online: Child Protection Risk Assessment, Intimate Care Policy  and Critical Incident Policy 
  • School Calendar- The school calendar will be coordinated by Ailish and Zane over the coming weeks and available in the school in the lead up to Christmas. 
  • Go Red for Marymount raised €1824 and more events to support this worthy cause are planned for upcoming terms.
  • New furniture (i.e. tables and chairs) arrived from ABAL following on from a grant application and is being put into the classrooms that require any upgrading.
  • We are hoping to install another basketball ring over the coming weeks and months. A number of parents have kindly volunteered to support this process.
  • Holy Communion took place on September 26th. Thanks to everyone for their support during the build up and on the day. The ceremonies were recorded and shared online on September 30th for those who were unable to attend.
  • Alan Nolan (author and illustrator) visited virtually on Monday, October 5th courtesy of the Cork County Library Service (2nd to 5th class). Pupils and teachers were delighted with his presentation. 
  • Halloween Dress Up day takes place on Friday, September 21st and treats will be kindly supported by the Parents’ Association. 
  • A number of classes are currently writing letters, stories and poems and drawing pictures for Glendonagh Nursing Home in an effort to bring some joy to the residents at this difficult time. This was inspired by a request from Cathal Halloran in 2nd Class.
  • Healthy food demos can be accessed on the website under News and Events and a subsection called, ‘What about the lamb sauce?’ It is the plan that these will be added to by 6th Class pupils over the coming weeks.

Board of Management Meeting (10/09/20 via Zoom) Agreed Report

Present: Fr. Barry O’ Flynn, Duncan Mc Carthy, Emma Fleming, Joan Rigney, Angela Loughnane, Nuala Hennessy, Christy Fitzpatrick

  • Our annual Marymount coffee morning was due to be held on September 24th. However, unfortunately, it has been postponed due to current restrictions. Mr. Healy and his class are researching alternative approaches to making money for this worthy cause.

  • Our Risk Assessment to accompany our reopening plan has been reviewed and signed by staff and signed off by Fr. Barry.

  • We are delighted with the number of families who have signed up for Aladdin. This will be our main mode of communication over the coming weeks and months.

  • A wheelchair accessible toilet and a ramp have been installed in the school over the last few weeks.

  • Our main entrance and secretary’s office have now been moved to the back of the hall. A buzzer and intercom system have both been installed to ensure direct contact with this office or the principal’s office upon arrival.

  • A Critical Incident Management Team has been established to support the school in the event of a critical incident. The staff who have volunteered will meet to finalise a plan and roles on September 29th.

  • First Holy Communion will take place in St. Peter’s Church on September 26th. It will be run over two sessions (i.e. boys at 10 am and girls at 11.30 am). Ms. Fleming is currently revising the prayers and thanks to Ms. O’Sullivan for all her preparation before the school closure.