Pobalscoil Iosolde

Ms Ann Marie O'Brien
Home School Coordinator

email: aobhomeschool@hotmail.com
mobile phone: 087 2727521

As Home School Coordinator, my work involves promoting partnership between parents, teachers, students and the community. The purpose of this partnership is to enable young people to achieve and succeed in school. Throughout the school year I support parents in the education of their children, offering helpful advice, information on community services, opportunities to attend courses in the school and local community and, at times, to contribute to the educational experience of students in the classroom as reading tutors and visiting speakers. Parents are invited to attend school meetings and to have their voices heard at the Parent Teacher Association and at Local Committee meetings.

As parents are the first teachers and have an important influence on their children's attitudes and behaviour, I encourage parents to stay involved and interested in their children's lives and learning. Building healthy home school relationships based on trust, open communication and a shared interest in the development and education of young people offers real hope that our students will achieve and succeed in school.

2011-2012

Healthy Eating - September 2011
Healthy Lunchboxes read more...
Fuel Your Body - for the teenage sports person read more...
Parents’ Courses
Parents are currently attending free courses in Computers (FETAC accredited) and Arts & Crafts in the school. As well as learning new skills, the courses offer a great way to meet others in a relaxed setting.
Drug Prevention Course
Following on from the successful hosting of a Drug Prevention course in the school for each of the past three years, it is planned to run another 6 week course for parents beginning on Thursday, 10 November 2011 from 9.45am – 12noon. An experienced tutor from the national organisation, Community Awareness of Drugs, will deliver the course and provide all materials. The course will give parents up-to-date information on drugs and their effects as well as helping parents to develop ways to talk to their children about the risks of drug taking and about how to handle themselves in challenging social situations. National certificates will be presented at the end of the course.
Parents in Education
An excellent Parents in Education certificate course begins in St. Bernadette’s N.S., Quarryvale, Clondalkin on Monday 3 October. The course is organised by the Home School Community Liaison Coordinators of the area and is open to parents living in the Clondalkin, Lucan and Palmerstown areas. The tutor Mary Crosbie is a member of the National Parents Council. During the course parents learn how schools are run and how they can help their child’s learning (parent involvement in a child’s education can improve the child’s chances of success). Surprise treats are built into the course with a graduation and meal at the end.This very informative and practical course for parents of Primary and Second-level school students comes highly recommended by previous parent participants from Pobalscoil Iosolde. Any parent with an interest in attending this course should contact the Home School Coordinator.
First Year Coffee Mornings
A series of coffee mornings/meetings were held in the Sports Hall in September to welcome all our new First Year parents. There was a great turn out by parents who received useful information about a wide range of school based activities for their children and practical advice on how to stay involved with their children’s learning. Parents met the Home School Coordinator, theYear Head, Tutors, Chaplain and student ‘Buddies’ and had the opportunity to ask questions and sign up for courses.
Parent Practical Sessions
This autumn First Year parents are attending four practical sessions presented by the Home School Coordinator on how to help their children with English, Maths, Irish and Study. The sessions build on parents’ existing knowledge and skills and give them the necessary know-how and confidence to support their child’s learning at a significant time of transition from primary to post-primary school.
Pobalscoil Iosolde Local Committee
Healthy Eating – 2011/2012
The school’s Local Committee which meets every two months is addressing the issue of healthy eating in the current school year, promoting awareness of the importance of healthy eating for mental and physical well-being among members of the school community. If our students feel good and have good health and energy they will be in a better position to concentrate, learn and enjoy life. The emphasis again this year will be on education and development with the support of the wider community. The school will have its first Healthy Eating Week commencing January 30 2012. A range of educational initiatives are planned. The Committee will work with community representatives, teaching staff and the student council to promote the value of healthy eating during the year.
Samaritans Talks for Transition Years
As a Local Committee inspired initiative from 2010 designed to promote Mental Health Awareness among students, volunteers from the Samaritans visited the school to facilitate interactive sessions with Transition Year students on the subject of coping with negative feelings and the importance of talking and staying connected to others when life becomes difficult.
Peer Education Programme
For the third year running, all Transition Year students are participating in a Peer Education Drugs Awareness and Leadership Skills programme. This highly successful programme – another Local Committee inspired initiative from 2009 - is being facilitated by Peer Educators from Ballyfermot Youth Service during the year. All students will have the opportunity to show leadership by hosting a Drugs Awareness session with First Year classes under the supervision of the Peer Educators during the programme, applying their learning to a real life situation.
Reading Week and Librarian Visit
The school held its third annual Reading Week for all First Year and Second Year students during English classes from September 19. The aim of this important week is to promote reading for pleasure and develop the imagination. Junior students had the opportunity to read a selection of high quality fiction purchased specially for the week. The response of students was extremely positive as evidenced from their enthusiastic comments about the reading material and the book covers and reviews created by them. Ballyfermot Librarian Vincent McManus visited the school before Reading Week and spoke to the students about the service provided by public libraries and the types of resources available free of charge to them. Many students took out library membership inspired by the talk and Reading Week. This year for the first time, Transition Years were involved in Reading Week. The students enjoyed the experience and it will certainly be of great benefit to them in developing their written expression in the senior cycle.
Book Club
Following the success of last year’s lunchtime Book Club, junior students are once again attending a Book Club held at lunchtime once a week. This autumn, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by award-winning author John Boyne is being read and discussed by Book Club members.
Anti-Bullying Awareness Week
Each year the school has an Anti-Bullying Awareness Week, the aim of which is to help all students identify types of bullying, its effects and ways to effectively deal with bullying. This year the week was held from September 12to 19,2011 with classes in SPHE, R.E., English and Business. All students were made aware of the support available to them in the school from staff should they experience difficulties. During the week, students were invited to enter a competition on the theme of bullying. The standard was extremely high with all entries now on display in the main corridor of the school as a colourful reminder of the importance of respect for all.

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