Our Board of Management
The Board of Management is committed to upholding the Educate Together ethos of the school and bases all decisions on the core principles of being child-centred, co-educational, equality-based and democratically run.
Board of Management Meeting
August 26th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on August 26th 2021.
The Board ratified the Covid Response Plan.
The Board ratified the Covid Response Plan.
Board of Management Meeting
July 6th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on July 6th 2021. Six Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board agreed to provide resilience training for staff at the beginning of the 2021/2022 school year.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board went through the Treasurer's Report. The Board wishes to thank the treasurer for their continued work and efforts.
The Board discussed both staff and parent sentiment.
The Board has a vacancy for Patron nominee and will be looking for candidates to take up the position.
Pupils
We finished the school year with 434 pupils enrolled across 17 mainstream and 2 special classes. Projected enrolment for September 2021 is 418 pupils across 17 mainstream and 2 special classes. As reflected in our Annual Admissions Notice, published September 2020, this reflects a change in capacity for each mainstream class from 27 in the 2020/21 school year to 25 for the 2021/22 school year, which will benefit every pupil. Attendance for the month of June was 87.1%, an improvement on the last June for which attendance was recorded (2019).
Average attendance for the 2020/21 school year was 88%, which is our lowest annual attendance since the 2012/13 school year. This is understandable given extensive absences due to Covid.
147 pupils recorded absences of 20 days or more this school year. This is more than double the highest number ever previously recorded for our school, which was 65 in the 2015/16 school year. Again, this is understandable given extensive absences due to Covid.
Enrolment:
The Board is happy to report offers of places for the following classes. Places have been offered according to the school’s admissions policy.
Staffing:
We are pleased to announce the following appointments for our school:
The Board is pleased to see staff allocation for the 2021/22 school year.
The Board thanks Eldon Hilliard for his work as Acting Assistant Principal Grade II this year. Eldon joined the following team this year, due to absences by Jenna Boland and Aisling McNamara, permanent members of the In-School Leadership Team:
Health & Safety:
The Board reviewed the emergency evacuation practice record for the 2020/21 school year and commends teachers and pupils for their efficiency and care on this.
Parents:
The Board of Management thanks the Parents Association for their work this year in supporting and advocating for our community. The Board is very pleased to see the recipe book published, following great engagement with Creative Fortnight, a joint venture between staff and parents.
The Board was pleased to see great parental engagement in the Restorative Practice training session provided for parents and with the social media posts that followed it.
School Support Plus:
The Board is very pleased with the support offered by our NEPS psychologist this school year. The Board commends the engagement of teachers and parents with this service also, in support of children with additional needs.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board agreed to provide resilience training for staff at the beginning of the 2021/2022 school year.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board went through the Treasurer's Report. The Board wishes to thank the treasurer for their continued work and efforts.
The Board discussed both staff and parent sentiment.
The Board has a vacancy for Patron nominee and will be looking for candidates to take up the position.
Pupils
We finished the school year with 434 pupils enrolled across 17 mainstream and 2 special classes. Projected enrolment for September 2021 is 418 pupils across 17 mainstream and 2 special classes. As reflected in our Annual Admissions Notice, published September 2020, this reflects a change in capacity for each mainstream class from 27 in the 2020/21 school year to 25 for the 2021/22 school year, which will benefit every pupil. Attendance for the month of June was 87.1%, an improvement on the last June for which attendance was recorded (2019).
Average attendance for the 2020/21 school year was 88%, which is our lowest annual attendance since the 2012/13 school year. This is understandable given extensive absences due to Covid.
147 pupils recorded absences of 20 days or more this school year. This is more than double the highest number ever previously recorded for our school, which was 65 in the 2015/16 school year. Again, this is understandable given extensive absences due to Covid.
Enrolment:
The Board is happy to report offers of places for the following classes. Places have been offered according to the school’s admissions policy.
- Early Intervention Autism Class
- Primary-age Autism Class
- Junior Infants
- 1st Class
- 6th Class
Staffing:
We are pleased to announce the following appointments for our school:
- Ruth McEvoy, teacher
- Emma Gillis, teacher
- Aoife Tarrant, teacher
- Olya Khimchenko, teacher
- Damaris Isip, teacher
- Romy Martin, moving from full-time ANA and part-time administrator to full-time administrator
- Denise Mahon, bus escort for Orla’s class and Jenna’s class
- Dorothy Donnelly, bus escort for Claire’s class
The Board is pleased to see staff allocation for the 2021/22 school year.
The Board thanks Eldon Hilliard for his work as Acting Assistant Principal Grade II this year. Eldon joined the following team this year, due to absences by Jenna Boland and Aisling McNamara, permanent members of the In-School Leadership Team:
- Caitriona Hand, Principal
- Anita Collings, Deputy Principal
- Aoife Blood, Assistant Principal Grade I
- Claire Healy, Assistant Principal Grade II
- Orla Traynor, Assistant Principal Grade II
Health & Safety:
The Board reviewed the emergency evacuation practice record for the 2020/21 school year and commends teachers and pupils for their efficiency and care on this.
Parents:
The Board of Management thanks the Parents Association for their work this year in supporting and advocating for our community. The Board is very pleased to see the recipe book published, following great engagement with Creative Fortnight, a joint venture between staff and parents.
The Board was pleased to see great parental engagement in the Restorative Practice training session provided for parents and with the social media posts that followed it.
School Support Plus:
The Board is very pleased with the support offered by our NEPS psychologist this school year. The Board commends the engagement of teachers and parents with this service also, in support of children with additional needs.
Board of Management Meeting
July 5th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on the morning of July 5th 2021. Five Board members attended.
The Board met in person, as per Department of Education and Skills guidelines, to discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report.
The Board met in person, as per Department of Education and Skills guidelines, to discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
June 1st 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on June 1st 2021. Six Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous minutes were ratified
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board ratified the Intimate Care Policy.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Board discussed plans for reviewing the Strategy Plan.
Pupils:
There are currently 436 pupils enrolled in our school. Attendance for the month of April was 87.7%.
Attendance for the month of May was 90.9%. Other than February, when we had only the autism classes in the building, this is the highest attendance for our school so far this school year.
We were very pleased to welcome our incoming Junior Infant pupils for brief visits on 31st May and 1st June.
Enrolment
The Board is relieved to know that all children in Category 5 for enrolment into Junior Infants have been offered places in our school. This means that all siblings who will turn 4 before June have been offered places. The Board recognises how difficult the last 4 months have been for families waiting for these places. This was, unfortunately, outside of the control of anyone at the school.
Numbers on waiting lists for September 2021 are currently as follows:
The Board of Management encourages families seeking school places to apply to other schools in the area. We understand that the following schools may have places available:
Curriculum
Summer Provision for autism classes will run from 1st to 14th July.
School tours for all classes have been arranged - on the campus. Many thanks to the three families who donated places on the school tours for families who are experiencing financial difficulty.
Sports days for each year group will run later in the month.
Professional development
Our First Aid Response team will have their training and accreditation updated over the coming weeks.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous minutes were ratified
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board ratified the Intimate Care Policy.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Board discussed plans for reviewing the Strategy Plan.
Pupils:
There are currently 436 pupils enrolled in our school. Attendance for the month of April was 87.7%.
Attendance for the month of May was 90.9%. Other than February, when we had only the autism classes in the building, this is the highest attendance for our school so far this school year.
We were very pleased to welcome our incoming Junior Infant pupils for brief visits on 31st May and 1st June.
Enrolment
The Board is relieved to know that all children in Category 5 for enrolment into Junior Infants have been offered places in our school. This means that all siblings who will turn 4 before June have been offered places. The Board recognises how difficult the last 4 months have been for families waiting for these places. This was, unfortunately, outside of the control of anyone at the school.
Numbers on waiting lists for September 2021 are currently as follows:
- Early intervention class 11
- Autism class 43
- Junior Infants 60
- Senior Infants15
- 1st class 16
- 2nd class 20
- 3rd class 13
- 4th class 15
- 5th class 5
- 6th class 8
The Board of Management encourages families seeking school places to apply to other schools in the area. We understand that the following schools may have places available:
- Rathcoole ETNS (Junior and Senior Infants and Autism class)
- Scoil Aoife CNS
- Gaelscoil Lir (Junior Infants)
Curriculum
Summer Provision for autism classes will run from 1st to 14th July.
School tours for all classes have been arranged - on the campus. Many thanks to the three families who donated places on the school tours for families who are experiencing financial difficulty.
Sports days for each year group will run later in the month.
Professional development
Our First Aid Response team will have their training and accreditation updated over the coming weeks.
Board of Management Meeting
May 10th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on May 10th 2021. Seven Board members attended.
There were no non-confidential items on the agenda.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protections Oversight Report.
There were no non-confidential items on the agenda.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protections Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
April 28th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on evening of April 28th 2021. Seven Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous minutes were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board approved the proposal that for 2022-2025, 5th class will be included in the swimming programme. This hopes to reduce the loss experienced by these groups as a result of the pandemic.
The Board ratified the Admissions Policy, subject to the approval of the patron.
Summer Provision and camps are expected to go ahead during the first two weeks of July.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Child Protection Oversight Report was discussed earlier today, as mentioned below.
The Board discussed this year's school tours and acknowledged the impact that the pandemic will have on them.
The Board discussed Anti-Bullying, staff and parent sentiment, and an admission appeal.
Policy planning is expected to take place this year and next year.
Pupils:
There are currently 438 pupils enrolled in our school. These children are in 17 mainstream and 2 autism classes.
Attendance for the month of March was 82.5%. This is a significant drop from the same month last year and represents our poorest attendance ever for the month of March. This is understandable, given the circumstances of Covid, providing a number of reasons for absence.
Attendance for the month of April so far is 87.3%, our lowest attendance for April since 2013. Again, this is understandable given the circumstances of Covid.
Curriculum:
Class websites continue to be updated with links included in school newsletters.
Restorative Practice training and practice for staff members continues. We now begin our formal lessons for children on RP - each class will complete 4 lessons before the summer break. For the 2021/22 school year, senior classes will cover further RP lessons instead of Weaving Wellbeing. Junior classes will continue with Weaving Wellbeing.
Teachers and students recently reviewed school assembly and are trying a new way of running virtual assemblies.
The school has recently taken delivery of a whole-class set of iPads. This will allow us to continue to roll out the Lexia reading programme without impacting on our digital learning plan.
The school has recently taken delivery of new PE equipment, adding to the set each class has at their own disposal during Covid times.
Multi-language posters have recently arrived and are being mounted around the school. These give the names of different rooms and curriculum subjects in multiple languages.
Staffing:
We are very pleased to welcome Debbie Robinson to our staff. Debbie is working as an ANA in Claire’s class.
We are pleased to continue our SET cluster arrangement with our friends in Scoil Chronáin and we are delighted to join new SET clusters with Rathcoole ETNS and with St Finian’s NS for the 2021/22 school year. There won’t actually be any teacher moving between Citywest ETNS and these schools due to local arrangements agreed between principals but these clusters are a great way of keeping schools in the community connected and supporting each other.
A number of staff members availed of First Aid training provided by the school. Staff members have also availed of training in relation to Autism and the Learn Together curriculum.
Parental Involvement:
The Parents Association hosted a virtual coffee morning on 13th April.
A Restorative Practice webinar for parents will be provided in May.
Buildings:
The school is in the final stages of taking over the building from the architect. All snags have been taken care of and we are thrilled with the quality of our building and with the service provided by ABM over the last year as hand-over progressed.
An Arts Committee has recently been established to proceed with the Percent for Art scheme.
Community:
Our school continues to build on relationships outside of our own school with many such as CSCNS, leadership clusters, special class clusters, local secondary schools, local pre-schools, NEPS psychologists and more.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous minutes were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board approved the proposal that for 2022-2025, 5th class will be included in the swimming programme. This hopes to reduce the loss experienced by these groups as a result of the pandemic.
The Board ratified the Admissions Policy, subject to the approval of the patron.
Summer Provision and camps are expected to go ahead during the first two weeks of July.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Child Protection Oversight Report was discussed earlier today, as mentioned below.
The Board discussed this year's school tours and acknowledged the impact that the pandemic will have on them.
The Board discussed Anti-Bullying, staff and parent sentiment, and an admission appeal.
Policy planning is expected to take place this year and next year.
Pupils:
There are currently 438 pupils enrolled in our school. These children are in 17 mainstream and 2 autism classes.
Attendance for the month of March was 82.5%. This is a significant drop from the same month last year and represents our poorest attendance ever for the month of March. This is understandable, given the circumstances of Covid, providing a number of reasons for absence.
Attendance for the month of April so far is 87.3%, our lowest attendance for April since 2013. Again, this is understandable given the circumstances of Covid.
Curriculum:
Class websites continue to be updated with links included in school newsletters.
Restorative Practice training and practice for staff members continues. We now begin our formal lessons for children on RP - each class will complete 4 lessons before the summer break. For the 2021/22 school year, senior classes will cover further RP lessons instead of Weaving Wellbeing. Junior classes will continue with Weaving Wellbeing.
Teachers and students recently reviewed school assembly and are trying a new way of running virtual assemblies.
The school has recently taken delivery of a whole-class set of iPads. This will allow us to continue to roll out the Lexia reading programme without impacting on our digital learning plan.
The school has recently taken delivery of new PE equipment, adding to the set each class has at their own disposal during Covid times.
Multi-language posters have recently arrived and are being mounted around the school. These give the names of different rooms and curriculum subjects in multiple languages.
Staffing:
We are very pleased to welcome Debbie Robinson to our staff. Debbie is working as an ANA in Claire’s class.
We are pleased to continue our SET cluster arrangement with our friends in Scoil Chronáin and we are delighted to join new SET clusters with Rathcoole ETNS and with St Finian’s NS for the 2021/22 school year. There won’t actually be any teacher moving between Citywest ETNS and these schools due to local arrangements agreed between principals but these clusters are a great way of keeping schools in the community connected and supporting each other.
A number of staff members availed of First Aid training provided by the school. Staff members have also availed of training in relation to Autism and the Learn Together curriculum.
Parental Involvement:
The Parents Association hosted a virtual coffee morning on 13th April.
A Restorative Practice webinar for parents will be provided in May.
Buildings:
The school is in the final stages of taking over the building from the architect. All snags have been taken care of and we are thrilled with the quality of our building and with the service provided by ABM over the last year as hand-over progressed.
An Arts Committee has recently been established to proceed with the Percent for Art scheme.
Community:
Our school continues to build on relationships outside of our own school with many such as CSCNS, leadership clusters, special class clusters, local secondary schools, local pre-schools, NEPS psychologists and more.
Board of Management Meeting
April 28th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on the morning of April 28th 2021. Five Board members attended.
The Board met in person, as per Department of Education and Skills guidelines, to discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report. The Board read and accepted the relevant reports.
The Board met in person, as per Department of Education and Skills guidelines, to discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report. The Board read and accepted the relevant reports.
Board of Management Meeting
March 18th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on March 18th 2021. Six Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board approved the calendar for the next academic year (2021/2022).
The Board ratified the Substance Use Policy.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
Attendance in February was 92.6%. This is based only on the classes for children with Autism.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protections Oversight Report.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board approved the calendar for the next academic year (2021/2022).
The Board ratified the Substance Use Policy.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
Attendance in February was 92.6%. This is based only on the classes for children with Autism.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protections Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
March 11th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on March 11th 2021. Seven Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board ratified the COVID-19 Response Plan for the reopening of Senior Classes on March 15th 2021. The Board looks forward to welcoming these children back to the building.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board ratified the COVID-19 Response Plan for the reopening of Senior Classes on March 15th 2021. The Board looks forward to welcoming these children back to the building.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
March 4th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met on March 4th 2021. Seven Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board met to review an enrollment application.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board met to review an enrollment application.
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
February 26th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met again on February 26th 2021. Seven Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board met this morning to review the COVID-19 Reponse Plan for the reopening of Junior Classes from March 1st. The Board is happy to ratify this plan and looks forward to welcoming the children back to the building.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board welcomed Paul, our newest member, to the meeting. We are delighted to have Paul on board and look forward to working with him!
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board met this morning to review the COVID-19 Reponse Plan for the reopening of Junior Classes from March 1st. The Board is happy to ratify this plan and looks forward to welcoming the children back to the building.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board welcomed Paul, our newest member, to the meeting. We are delighted to have Paul on board and look forward to working with him!
Board of Management Meeting
February 24th 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met again on February 24th 2021. Five Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board met to consider plans for reopening the school from March 1st. The Board agreed that reopening will go ahead and agreed on communications to be sent to parents.
The Board will meet again later in the week to ratify the Covid-19 Response Plan ahead of the reopening.
The Board acknowledged the following:
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board met to consider plans for reopening the school from March 1st. The Board agreed that reopening will go ahead and agreed on communications to be sent to parents.
The Board will meet again later in the week to ratify the Covid-19 Response Plan ahead of the reopening.
The Board acknowledged the following:
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
Board of Management Meeting
February 2021
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in February 2021. Seven Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board acknowledged the following:
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
The Board accepted Paul’s resignation. The Board wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Paul for his commitment and dedication during his time on the Board. We wish Paul every success in his new venture!
The Board has begun the process of finding a new Board member.
The Board is happy for Stephen and Sarah to sign off on last year’s accounts. The Board has started to review the budget for the next school year. The Board wishes to acknowledge Sarah’s hard-work and dedication in preparing the relevant documents. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board approved the Response Plan for the partial reopening of the school on February 22nd 2021.
The Board reviewed an enrollment application, discussed the enrolment process and numbers for the forthcoming school year.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Substance Use Policy, Protected Disclosures Policy and Code of Behaviour were presented at this meeting. The Board hopes to ratify them at the next meeting.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board acknowledged the following:
As the meeting took place online, the Board acknowledged that, in line with DES recommendations, there would be no Child Protection Oversight Report.
The Board accepted Paul’s resignation. The Board wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Paul for his commitment and dedication during his time on the Board. We wish Paul every success in his new venture!
The Board has begun the process of finding a new Board member.
The Board is happy for Stephen and Sarah to sign off on last year’s accounts. The Board has started to review the budget for the next school year. The Board wishes to acknowledge Sarah’s hard-work and dedication in preparing the relevant documents. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board approved the Response Plan for the partial reopening of the school on February 22nd 2021.
The Board reviewed an enrollment application, discussed the enrolment process and numbers for the forthcoming school year.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Substance Use Policy, Protected Disclosures Policy and Code of Behaviour were presented at this meeting. The Board hopes to ratify them at the next meeting.
Board of Management Meeting
December 2020
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in December 2020. Seven out of eight Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Attendance in November last year was 94.3%. It has decreased this year to 88.4%.
Child Protection and Anti-Bullying reviews took place this month.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The school's first ever Creative Fortnight will be launching on December 7th.
The Board completed Part 1 of Restorative Practice training for Boards of Management. The Board looks forward to working with the whole school community in creating a restorative school.
COVID-19 is presenting an ongoing challenge to the school. The Board sends their appreciation to the Senior School Management team for navigating this unprecedented situation so well. Thank you, all!
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Attendance in November last year was 94.3%. It has decreased this year to 88.4%.
Child Protection and Anti-Bullying reviews took place this month.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The school's first ever Creative Fortnight will be launching on December 7th.
The Board completed Part 1 of Restorative Practice training for Boards of Management. The Board looks forward to working with the whole school community in creating a restorative school.
COVID-19 is presenting an ongoing challenge to the school. The Board sends their appreciation to the Senior School Management team for navigating this unprecedented situation so well. Thank you, all!
Board of Management Meeting
October 2020
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in October 2020. Six out of eight Board members attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board ratified the revision of the Data Protection Policy and Privacy Statement. Revision of the more detailed and final section of the policy will take place over the coming month and will be ratified at the next meeting.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Enrolment is currently at 442 pupils.
Attendance in September was 90.3%- the lowest ever attendance for this month at our school.
Google Classroom will be introduced from 3rd-6th class.
Lexia reading programme will be introduced for 1st and 2nd class.
The accounts have been send to the Auditors. The Board wishes to express sincere gratitude to Sarah for preparing the relevant notes. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board discussed and acknowledged the school's expenditure for COVID-19.
The Board acknowledged the publication of the Department of Education's "Guidance on Remote Learning for Sept-Dec 2020" on October 8th 2020. The Board agrees that this publication outlines unreasonable changes to the terms and conditions for teachers. With that, the Board is concerned for the school leadership team at this time and recognises the outrageous and unreasonable demands that have been placed on them in recent weeks.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Board wishes to acknowledge and thank parents/guardians for their wonderful support during this unprecedented half term. Thank you for your efforts and your hard work in keeping our community safe.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
The Board ratified the revision of the Data Protection Policy and Privacy Statement. Revision of the more detailed and final section of the policy will take place over the coming month and will be ratified at the next meeting.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Enrolment is currently at 442 pupils.
Attendance in September was 90.3%- the lowest ever attendance for this month at our school.
Google Classroom will be introduced from 3rd-6th class.
Lexia reading programme will be introduced for 1st and 2nd class.
The accounts have been send to the Auditors. The Board wishes to express sincere gratitude to Sarah for preparing the relevant notes. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board discussed and acknowledged the school's expenditure for COVID-19.
The Board acknowledged the publication of the Department of Education's "Guidance on Remote Learning for Sept-Dec 2020" on October 8th 2020. The Board agrees that this publication outlines unreasonable changes to the terms and conditions for teachers. With that, the Board is concerned for the school leadership team at this time and recognises the outrageous and unreasonable demands that have been placed on them in recent weeks.
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
The Board wishes to acknowledge and thank parents/guardians for their wonderful support during this unprecedented half term. Thank you for your efforts and your hard work in keeping our community safe.
Board of Management Meeting
September 2020
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in September 2020. All eight members of the Board attended.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
As this was a virtual meeting, the Board did not discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report. The Board agrees to discuss this at future meetings.
The admissions notice will be published this week.
The Board will fund the cost of flu vaccines for all staff members.
The Board will now commence the annual review of the Child Protection and Anti-Bullying Policies.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
Enrolment is currently 439 pupils. It is projected that new pupils will join by the end of the month.
Attendance in August was 67.2%. Our community agreed to do a staggered start to the school year.
Sarah has begun to prepare the relevant notes for the auditors. The Board wishes to acknowledge Sarah’s hard-work and dedication to her role as Treasurer. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board wishes to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of the Covid Committee over recent weeks. Thank you!
The Board discussed the value and importance of an Anti-Racism Policy and hope to begin to develop this policy over the coming months.
The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private or confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting began with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos.
Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
The Board made the following decisions:
As this was a virtual meeting, the Board did not discuss the Child Protection Oversight Report. The Board agrees to discuss this at future meetings.
The admissions notice will be published this week.
The Board will fund the cost of flu vaccines for all staff members.
The Board will now commence the annual review of the Child Protection and Anti-Bullying Policies.
The Board acknowledged the following:
The Board discussed staff and parent sentiment.
Enrolment is currently 439 pupils. It is projected that new pupils will join by the end of the month.
Attendance in August was 67.2%. Our community agreed to do a staggered start to the school year.
Sarah has begun to prepare the relevant notes for the auditors. The Board wishes to acknowledge Sarah’s hard-work and dedication to her role as Treasurer. Thank you, Sarah!
The Board wishes to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of the Covid Committee over recent weeks. Thank you!
The Board discussed the value and importance of an Anti-Racism Policy and hope to begin to develop this policy over the coming months.
Board of Management Meeting January 2019
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in January 2019. Five of the six members of the Board attended. The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private nor confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting started with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos. Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
A proposal from the Parent’s Association to hold a monthly coffee morning rather than a termly one, and to alter the day on which it happens so as to make it more accessible to as many members of the school community as possible, was upheld by the Board.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Current enrolment is 372.
Attendance for December was 91.4% (up from 89% last year) - the highest December attendance ever for our school
The Student Council will be organising a football blitz during yard breaks.
The Student Council will continue to lead skipping zone.
The Student Council are looking at organising a fundraiser.
Two teachers attended training with Badminton Ireland and a coach will come to our school to train those teachers further so that they can then train other teachers on staff.
A parental survey on the use of personal devices will be distributed shortly, with a view to affirming or reviewing our policy.
The results of the standardised test results from the standardising study have returned and we are now in the process of informing parents of their child(ren)’s results.
Various CPD taking place in the school was acknowledged and continues to be supported by the Board.
Staff intend to consult with parents of children in some senior classes shortly with a view to developing a procedure or policy around travelling to and attending sports matches the school team is involved in.
Parent-teacher meetings will take place on 12th and 13th February and the school will close 15 minutes early on both of those dates.
A current financial statement was presented and details will be made available on the website shortly. The report will be presented at the next Parent’s Association meeting.
A Child Protection Oversight Report was made
An Anti-bullying report was made
The annual Child Protection Policy review and Anti-bullying Policy review were conducted. Action plans have been developed in response to both reviews.
The school’s new buildings were discussed along with security arrangements for the new campus and shared campus.
The school looks forward to engaging with the Per Cent for Art Scheme in conjunction with our new school build, and looks forward to sharing more information as it becomes available.
The Educate Together GMM, at which the school will have representation, was discussed in relation to possible motions to be put forward.
The meeting started with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos. Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
A proposal from the Parent’s Association to hold a monthly coffee morning rather than a termly one, and to alter the day on which it happens so as to make it more accessible to as many members of the school community as possible, was upheld by the Board.
The Board acknowledged the following:
Current enrolment is 372.
Attendance for December was 91.4% (up from 89% last year) - the highest December attendance ever for our school
The Student Council will be organising a football blitz during yard breaks.
The Student Council will continue to lead skipping zone.
The Student Council are looking at organising a fundraiser.
Two teachers attended training with Badminton Ireland and a coach will come to our school to train those teachers further so that they can then train other teachers on staff.
A parental survey on the use of personal devices will be distributed shortly, with a view to affirming or reviewing our policy.
The results of the standardised test results from the standardising study have returned and we are now in the process of informing parents of their child(ren)’s results.
Various CPD taking place in the school was acknowledged and continues to be supported by the Board.
Staff intend to consult with parents of children in some senior classes shortly with a view to developing a procedure or policy around travelling to and attending sports matches the school team is involved in.
Parent-teacher meetings will take place on 12th and 13th February and the school will close 15 minutes early on both of those dates.
A current financial statement was presented and details will be made available on the website shortly. The report will be presented at the next Parent’s Association meeting.
A Child Protection Oversight Report was made
An Anti-bullying report was made
The annual Child Protection Policy review and Anti-bullying Policy review were conducted. Action plans have been developed in response to both reviews.
The school’s new buildings were discussed along with security arrangements for the new campus and shared campus.
The school looks forward to engaging with the Per Cent for Art Scheme in conjunction with our new school build, and looks forward to sharing more information as it becomes available.
The Educate Together GMM, at which the school will have representation, was discussed in relation to possible motions to be put forward.
Board of Management Meeting December 2018
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in December 2018. Five of the six members of the Board attended. The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private nor confidential) of this meeting.
The meeting started with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos. Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
Our very first 6th Class will go on a residential school tour to Carlingford Adventure Centre later in the year. The school will pay the cost of the deposit for the tour.
Enrolment for places in Junior Infants starting September 2019 is to proceed with places offered from 1st February. As per the enrolment policy transition plan, 50% of places are to be offered via the old policy (first-come-first-served) and 50% of places are to be offered via the new policy (prioritising siblings and older children).
Citywest ETNS enrolment policy is amended, as per instruction from Educate Together, to include the following: "Due to the planned commencement of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018, Citywest Educate Together National School will not accept pre-enrolment application forms for September 2024. A new Admission Policy will be approved with an annual admissions process for this intake group"
The Board acknowledged the following:
Current enrolment is 375.
The financial reports for the previous school year (2017/18) have been completed by the auditors. The PA will be provided with a copy. The reports will be made available for viewing at the school office. It may not be removed, copied or photographed.
Anti-bullying was discussed.
A child protection oversight report was made.
New school jerseys have arrived emblazoned with our new school crest.
New car park permits are in the process of being issued.
Attendance statistics for Term 1 so far:
SAP Ireland have just this week informed us of our success with a grant application. The grant is for the purchase of laptops in order to increase the number of laptops per class.
An information evening for prospective parents will take place on Thursday 24th January.
As for the last two years, three Spanish student teachers currently studying in ITT will join our school for the second school term.
Teachers have reviewed the Weaving Wellbeing programme and will use it again in future years.
Olwen Carey visited the school with the Brendan Martin cup, which the Dublin ladies team won as All-Ireland GAA Champions.
Teachers will focus on the area of work presentation, including handwriting, for School Self-Evaluation this year. The evaluation will lead to a 3-year School Improvement Plan, to be implemented September 2019 to June 2022.
Transition from Microsoft to G-Suite took place, as part of a sponsorship programme we are involved in with Google, which paid most of the cost of the chromebooks. The remainder of the cost of the chromebooks came from the digital cluster funding.
Staff members continue to engage with various CPD opportunities - listed here
Three winter concerts are to take place on Friday 21st December. Each show will include some Irish Sign Language. Teachers continue to provide GAA training for children in middle classes during lunch breaks.
Parents held an afternoon arts and crafts workshop for families in the school.
Our school featured in the School Around the Corner feature in The Echo in late October.
The leave of absence policy was amended.
The Board wish to thank all staff for their work this year and wish them the best for the festive season.
The meeting started with mindfulness practice and a statement of ethos. Minutes of the previous meeting were ratified.
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
Our very first 6th Class will go on a residential school tour to Carlingford Adventure Centre later in the year. The school will pay the cost of the deposit for the tour.
Enrolment for places in Junior Infants starting September 2019 is to proceed with places offered from 1st February. As per the enrolment policy transition plan, 50% of places are to be offered via the old policy (first-come-first-served) and 50% of places are to be offered via the new policy (prioritising siblings and older children).
Citywest ETNS enrolment policy is amended, as per instruction from Educate Together, to include the following: "Due to the planned commencement of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018, Citywest Educate Together National School will not accept pre-enrolment application forms for September 2024. A new Admission Policy will be approved with an annual admissions process for this intake group"
The Board acknowledged the following:
Current enrolment is 375.
The financial reports for the previous school year (2017/18) have been completed by the auditors. The PA will be provided with a copy. The reports will be made available for viewing at the school office. It may not be removed, copied or photographed.
Anti-bullying was discussed.
A child protection oversight report was made.
New school jerseys have arrived emblazoned with our new school crest.
New car park permits are in the process of being issued.
Attendance statistics for Term 1 so far:
- September 94.2% (up from 94.1% last year)
- October 94.9% (up from 93.8% last year) - highest attendance month ever for our school
- November 91.8 (down from 93.2% last year)
SAP Ireland have just this week informed us of our success with a grant application. The grant is for the purchase of laptops in order to increase the number of laptops per class.
An information evening for prospective parents will take place on Thursday 24th January.
As for the last two years, three Spanish student teachers currently studying in ITT will join our school for the second school term.
Teachers have reviewed the Weaving Wellbeing programme and will use it again in future years.
Olwen Carey visited the school with the Brendan Martin cup, which the Dublin ladies team won as All-Ireland GAA Champions.
Teachers will focus on the area of work presentation, including handwriting, for School Self-Evaluation this year. The evaluation will lead to a 3-year School Improvement Plan, to be implemented September 2019 to June 2022.
Transition from Microsoft to G-Suite took place, as part of a sponsorship programme we are involved in with Google, which paid most of the cost of the chromebooks. The remainder of the cost of the chromebooks came from the digital cluster funding.
Staff members continue to engage with various CPD opportunities - listed here
Three winter concerts are to take place on Friday 21st December. Each show will include some Irish Sign Language. Teachers continue to provide GAA training for children in middle classes during lunch breaks.
Parents held an afternoon arts and crafts workshop for families in the school.
Our school featured in the School Around the Corner feature in The Echo in late October.
The leave of absence policy was amended.
The Board wish to thank all staff for their work this year and wish them the best for the festive season.
Board of Management Meeting September 2018
The Board of Management of Citywest ETNS met in September 2018. Five of the six members of the Board attended. The following is the agreed report (items that are neither private nor confidential) of this meeting.
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
The Board acknowledged the following:
At this Board of Management meeting, the Board made the following decisions:
- Stephen Young is confirmed as moving from the Community Nominee role to the Patron Nominee role
- Two vacant Community Nominee posts on the Board to be advertised to parents via website and newsletter, via local newsletters and via an online forum.
- Volunteer parents to be sought to join the Strategy Planning group and meetings to proceed once they have been secured.
The Board acknowledged the following:
- Enrolment is currently 382 pupils.
- Teachers on staff have decided to engage with Droichead for inducting new teachers.
- Teachers on staff are working with a digital cluster of Educate Together schools to create a comprehensive online resource of Learn Together ethical education lesson plans. As part of this programme, the Department of Education provided an ICT grant to the school, which was used to purchase a class set of Chromebooks and set up our first ever Computer Room.
- Teachers will teach lessons in relation to online safety in all classes in January.
- Attendance in August was 89.6%.
- Whole-school assemblies are taking place weekly and include Golden book nominations in relation to school values, Cleanest Class certificates, learning Irish Sign Language, celebrating the learning of poems and songs in Gaeilge, learning fundamental movement skills and singing the school song which this year is Reach for the Stars.
- Children in 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes visit the mobile library on a monthly basis. Children in other classes receive boxes of books from the library.
- GAA teams are playing in the league for the first time.
- Cricket coaching is taking place on a weekly basis.
- Bridges of Understanding reading programme has been purchased and is being implemented throughout the school.
- Weaving Well-being mental health programme has been purchased and is being implemented in classes 2nd to 6th.
- An Occupational Therapy room is in the process of being installed in the school.
- Teachers will attend Maths and Science training alongside teachers of St. Finian's NS in Newcastle.
- School Self-Evaluation will begin again this year, following the lifting of the union's stance against it.
- This year's event calendar will include:
- One Day Together food fair in October
- Scholastic Book Fair in November
- Winter concert in December
- STEM Week in January
- Seachtain na Gaeilge in March
- Autism Awareness Week in April
- Active Schools Week, Sports Day and 6th Class Graduation in June
- Classroom visits for parents took place in early September.
- Parent Information Evening to take place this week.
- Parents Association Coffee Morning to take place this week.
- Our Junior Infants featured in The Echo.