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Democracy in Action

25/11/2023

 
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This year, the Student Council has led the student body in having their say in relation to the types of fun days and events that we have in the school. In previous years, we have had various types of themed days and events - themed around a number of activities and curricular areas, such as Maths Week, STEM Week, World Book Day, Seachtain na Gaeilge, Friendship Week, etc.

When the Student Council asked the children at the senior end of the school (3rd-6th classes) for ideas, they gathered dozens of fun, wonderful, creative ideas. They then shortlisted those ideas and took them to the children at the junior end of the school (Junior Infants - 2nd classes), and had those children vote for their favourite ideas from within that list.

This democratic process made it clear that children across the school love Movie Days and Pyjama Days. Since these do not need to be centrally organised, the Student Council decided to simply communicate that to class teachers, and ask them to organise one of each of these days this year, at their own discretion.

There was also overwhelming support for three additional themed days. These events have now been shared with the staff, who will get working in the background to bring the ideas to fruition. We think you'll agree that they certainly sound exciting! We have also listed the provisional dates for these events:

Art Day - 27 February
Rainbow Colour Run - 17 April
Water Fight - 17 May

These themed days will join the annual staple events of Sports Day(s), 6th Class Graduation, and 2022/23's new addition: Citywest Summer Games - all of which take place in June.
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Keep your eye on our calendar page for any updates to activities in the school!

The Campaign Heats Up

28/2/2016

 
Last Thursday, the 12 candidates in the Student Council election had an opportunity to canvas the electorate. They came around in groups of 4 - there are 4 candidates from each of the class levels, First to Third Class.
We were all very interested in their campaign promises. Here are just some of the things they had to offer:

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Cornell:
a happy and friendly school
buy toys for yard

Simon:
tuck shop

Bella:
5 more minutes on yard
classes in the sun in June
2 school trips per year

Elyssa:
spare change bucket
fun reading time

Noah: 
GAA for all on Mondays and Fridays

Nikita:
Science every week

Amy:
Movie every Tuesday before homework

Adam:
Computer science (coding)
Sports teams for the school
School trips

Jessie:
Crazy clothes day
Pen pals from St. Mary's NS

Elada: 
longer yard (30 minutes)
gymnastics and football teams for the school
buddy reading

Iva:
School Talent show 
Bring Your Parent to School Day - to learn about their jobs
Visits from Scoil Niamh or St. Mary's

Éabha:
No empty promises
Looking out for the needs of the school
*Please note that as candidates have not produced manifestos, this may be an incomplete listing of their commitments! If you are a Student Council candidate and you have a correction to your position, please complete the below form!

    I am a S.C. candidate and have a correction about my policies

Submit
After the candidates left, we talked about the promises they had made. We considered whether the candidates will really be able to deliver on all of the things they promised. We will have to wait and see!
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Meanwhile, posters have been going up around the school and we are all looking forward to polling day this Tuesday!

Going to the Ballots!

22/2/2016

 
PictureA copy of the ballot paper in our first Student Council election, in 2014.
Perfect timing this week, as canvassing for the Student Council elections heats up, in the shadow of the final days of #GE16 - the Irish General Election. 
Candidates have been selected to stand for election from First, Second and Third Classes.
Campaign posters will be going up around the school in the coming days and each candidate will have a chance to address the electorate on Thursday to let them know what they can promise if they are successfully elected to the new Student Council.
Votes will be cast next Tuesday, with an expected announcement of the new cabinet later in the week.

Read more about the history of our Student Council elections here.
School will be closed this Friday, as our building is used as a polling station for the General Election. The Student Council elections are an excellent way to help the children understand the democratic process and begin to take more notice of politics on a larger scale.

A Clean Sweep!

12/5/2015

 
The Student Council has been really busy in the past month or so. They've been having regular meetings and have even been around to talk to the children in all of the classes. 
Most recently, they visited the classes to tell us all about the new bin on the yard. 
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We all agree that it is really important not to litter anywhere, especially at school. We want the school to look great, and we are also aware that litter can be really bad for birds and other wild animals.
We're looking forward to hearing about the Student Council's next project!

Sports Day

19/6/2014

 
We took LOTS of photos on Sports Day - see if you can spot any of your friends!

Our First Student Council

4/6/2014

 
Citywest ETNS are delighted to announce the election of our very first Student Council, following requests from First Class for the formation of a council, and subsequent campaigning by a number of First Class students.
Every student and member of staff was involved in this democratic process, in which an Election Committee worked with Caitríona to lay the groundwork for Election procedures to be adhered to in elections in the coming years. 
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The Election Committee explain the procedure for the nomination of candidates and the subsequent campaign.
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We all learned lots about the logistics of staging an election and have accumulated minutes of meetings, registration documents, etc. which will inform the planning of further elections in coming years at our school.
In total, there were six candidates for the council. Each of them prepared and gave speeches to each of the classes in the school, as well as making eye-catching posters and hanging them around the school.
In order to ensure that even the youngest children in school would be able to participate in the vote, each of the candidates chose a symbol which was listed alongside their name on the ballot papers. This meant that children who may struggle to read all the names could look for the symbol that was worn by their preferred candidate.
Ultimately, six children were elected to the Student Council, and they look forward to working closely with Caitríona to help to make our school  a better place for students and staff alike.

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Photos from HPUPhotogStudent, rexboggs5, Hernan PiƱera, Julia Koefender