HSCL

Home School Community Liaison 

We are privileged in Saint Fintan's Boys School to have a Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) co-ordinator. Gina Reidy is our  HSCL co-ordinator at Saint Fintan's.

The aim of the HSCL scheme is to promote partnership and cooperation between home, school and the community, to make sure that every child participates fully in the education system.

The HSCL scheme recognises parents as the primary educators of their children. We welcome the involvement of parents in all aspects of school life. The HSCL coordinator is there to support and empower you, the parent, and assist you in your role as parents and educators. 

The way in which the HSCL co-ordinator can offer you support is by informing you of educational and financial supports in place in the school. You will see Gina on the school yard, you can call to our Parents Room, or may have her visit you in your home. Our Parents' Room provides a warm and welcoming haven, where you can meet other parents for a coffee, and also learn new skills in dealing with parenting issues and education.

Classes are organised regularly for parents. Classes which have been held in HFSS include:

• Cookery
• Maths for Fun
• Gardening
• Computers
• Storysacks
• Craft Classes

Gina (our HSCL teacher) is available Monday to Friday between 9.20 a.m. and 3 p.m., if you are interested in joining a course or have any concerns on 086-0452437

Dear parents,                                                                                            3rd of October 2018

 

Just a quick note to let you know of upcoming courses that will run in our schools that will be available free of charge.  Each of these courses will run for four weeks.  You are welcome to sign up for as many courses as you like. These courses are for family members and for friends of the school.  If you would like to sign up or know someone who would like to join us contact me on 086-0452437

 

Mountmellick lace: This course will be held in the boys school from 10-11.30am on a Tuesday.  This is a lovely course to get to know how to do a local craft and to make a personalised gift for you or a loved one.

Trampolining: This course will be held in the girls school from 10-10.45 on a Thursday morning.

Maths class: If you would like to help your child with their maths homework then this is the class for you.  A start date and venue willl be confirmed.

Christmas cookery: A four week cookery demonstration course to learn some simple Christmas recipes.  Again I will confirm a date and a venue closer to the time.

 

Dear Parent,

Welcome back after the Easter holidays.  We have had a great first two terms with a variety of courses running in both schools for parents and children.  We were very fortunate to be able to run a fitness class, operation transformation, cookery course, computer lessons, pyrography class, English for fun, CAPER/Bed time reading club, make up application and Small engines course for dads and lads.

We have an even busier term coming up ahead. 

In class activities/ Adult Education:

• Maths for fun,
• Science/Lego for fun,
• Knitting,
• Drama workshops,
• What to expect from 1^st year maths
• A cyber bullying evening
• Outdoor activities programme and a
• Transfer initiative for our sixth class pupils who will be heading to the secondary school in the upcoming months.

We have a great tradition in our schools of including parents in their child’s learning.  Many different in class activities will take place this term.  Keep a look out for the letter and don’t be afraid to get involved!

Attendance:

Every day counts!

Being on time is extremely important.  If a child misses 10 minutes of school each morning, that’s almost 1 hour of school a week!

Give your child enough time to get ready for school in the morning.  Pack school bag, have homework ready, and lay out uniforms the night before.

 

I.T. tips to help your child’s learning:

www.helpmykidlearn.ie is a lovely website that is appropriate for all age groups, it goes through lots of ideas and suggestions to help with your child’s English development through games, songs, comprehensions and writing tasks.

We have a great range of classes taking place at the moment in our schools:

 

Monday: Pyrography in the girls school 10-12

Tuesday: Operation transformation; walking group

Wednesday: Make up application classes in the boys school 9.30-10.30

Thursday: Cookery with your child in the convent home ec room 10am-12pm

Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the men's shed; dad and lads course 7pm-9pm this is a small engines course

After midterm we wil start maths for fun in the first and second class classroom on a friday morning from 9.30 am to 10.15

 

If you would like to get involved in any of the above courses please let me know, we are alway looking for new parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to join us!

Courses are running well, we have pyrography on a monday in the girl's school, we are making Christmas decorations out of wood and burning images and messages into them usin a pyrography pen.

We are getting fit and healthy with exercise classes with Regina on a Wednesday in the boys school at 10am and we are on our last week of our IT course in the library this Thursday.

Our oral language initiative in the infant room is starting this week, every Tuesday in the girls school and Friday in the boys school volunteer parents are coming in to work with the infants using Educational Lego, puppets and Big books.  Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered or are taking part in the courses.  We are always looking for new people to join us so don't be shy!!

There will be a letter sent home soon looking for ideas of courses to run in the new year so let me know what you would like to do!

Thanks,

Gina

We hope your son is settling in well into our school.  As part of my role I am looking at the area of developing literacy and numeracy in our school.  Regarding this, we will be setting up a new initiative for five weeks initially, in the infant classroom.

 

We will be asking for parental volunteers to come in once a week to work with a small number of children to read a book, look at pictures to develop oral language and to point out little words and sounds to develop phonics and word recognition.  There will also be an opportunity for your son to borrow a book from me for a week to bring home to read at your own leisure.  I will be borrowing the books from the library, so it is important that books are brought back, or they will have have to be replaced.

 

If you would like to get involved in this worthwhile initiative, please contact me on 086 0452437 or fill in the slip provided and I will contact you in relation to getting Garda vetting complete.

 

Boys School:

Friday mornings:

9.20-9.30- parents will meet me and there will be a quick run through of the book and different activities that can be done with the children.

9.30-9.50- parents will work with groups of thre of three or four children on one book.

9.50-10.10- we will help the chidlren to pick out a suitable book to bring homele book to bring home and read for the week.

Our exercises classes started last Wednesday and it was a great success, for any one that would like to join us it will be run on a Wednesday in the boys school from 10 until 10.45am

 

There is an IT course starting this Thursday the 26th of October in the library in Mountrath.  It will show you how to access Microsoft workd and online sites.  It is a five week course from 11am to 1pm

 

I am currently waiting on a starting date for a Christmas Arts and crafts course to start on a Tuesday in the girls school.  A tutor will show you lots of fun ideas for yourself and you will get the opportunity to create Christmas decorations to bring home.  

 

If you are interested in any of these courses please contact me on 086-0452437 or drop into the school for a chat.

 

Thanks,

Gina

Parental Involvment is paramount to the ethos of Saint Fintan's BNS.  We respect the role of parents as primary educators and work tirelessly to give parents a sense of ownership and involvment in their child's education.  We promote the active participation of parents in the child's school life and operate an open door policy where parents are always welcome.  Teachers, staff, parents and children of Saint Fintan's Boys school thrive on an atmosphere of cooperation, support and unity.

 

In Saint Fintan's Boys school we have been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to set up a Home School Communtiy Liasion Officer (HSCL) in our school.  As part of this role we will be running a number of initiatives to provide parents with opportunities to become active agents of change in their child's learning on a day to day basis.  You will be kept informed of these new initiatives as they are set up through letters, this website and through text messaging.  Should you wish to contact me in relation to supports for you or your child please contact me on 086 0452437.  This number will be in use during school hours.

 

Thank you,

Looking forward to working with you,

Gina Reidy

HSCL