NEWSLETTER APRIL 2017
Dear Parents
Another action-packed term has flown by. Some of the highlights have been:
- A very successful Parent Evening on the ‘Three R’s in Montessori and The Good Shepherd’ which was interactive, informative and a good opportunity to meet new and future parents and to reacquaint with some Montessori principles!
- A big thank you is due to Sarah and the Playground Committee for all their hard work. The pirate ship is being thoroughly enjoyed and there is another great surprise to come. Further grass consultation has taken place and our gardener Andrew will be working closely with our consultant to help us create the best grassy are possible. Our Scots Pine trees though invaluable as part of the Forest Area are thirsty trees and their roots are far flung. This creates an added challenge. Rigorous attention and a big dose of TLC will hopefully have the pitch in a much improved condition for the new school year.
- In the academic field the classes are bursting at the seams with sprouts and bulbs. The children are learning in detail about the Fundamental Needs of plants as well as many other things.
- The AIJS (Association of Independent Junior Schools) competition awarded Specially Commended awards to Apolline and Fionn for their wonderful poetry (see below) – congratulations to both. The 6-9 Class entered a fabulous story to Imaginosity (see below) – it truly deserves to be in print. Our lawyers will negotiate with the highest bidder once word gets out. No doubt the 6-9 Class will organise a major outing with the proceeds.
- We received an email from An Taisce informing us we had been awarded a Green Flag! We are waiting to hear about the flag awarding ceremony in May. We plan to have a celebration in school to honour this great achievement. Thank you Ann for all your assistance in this venture.
- First Holy Communion time is in the air and the Senior Class have started their practice sessions. Thank you for ensuring that Sunday, 7th May 11am is kept free for the Senior Classes to attend. This is particularly important for last year’s communicants, in the spirit of giving back to the community that they are part of.
- After visiting the DSPCA The Senior Classes held a Bake sale in aid of sponsoring some animals there and raised over €400. On the same day a raffle was held to raise
funds for a former pupil, Leah’s, Transition Year trip to India – please see her impressions attached.
- As far as staff continued education is concerned we must thank the Board of The Children’s House for their ongoing support. We have benefitted from team building sessions and staff have continued to gain qualifications:
- Our lunchtime supervisor with many distinctions will go into her 2nd year of Early Childhood training.
- One of our 3-6 Directresses has received her Diploma in Special and Inclusive Education.
- Four staff have now received training from the Dyslexia association of Ireland.
- Our 6-9 Directress went to observe a London 6-9 Class and also did a workshop on Dyslexia at the AMI Training Institute in London
- I was very lucky to observe and examine 30 future Montessori teachers in Chennai, India which is always like a full on refresher.
- Thanks to AATI headed by our Deputy Principal for bringing Susan Stephenson to Ireland. She will be speaking in UCD on Thursday, 6th April ‘Education for the Future’ and she will be hosting a workshop at The Children’s House on Monday, 10th
THE JOY OF LEARNING is what our school is all about for the big people and the small!
Thank you all for your hard work.
Enjoy your Easter – Happy Holidays!
Micaela Kuh
THE RIVER BY FIONN
The river goes out to sea
It gurgles along happily
The waterfall goes splash!
And we make a dash
To go swimming and feel free.
PUDDLES BY APOLLINE
Rain drops fall delicately from the sky
They fall in puddles and make more bubbles
No matter where it goes, no matter where it flows
Puddles puddles puddles puddles
Where ever I go
Puddles puddles puddles puddles
I’ll always love them so.
PARENTS’ EVENING OCTOBER 8TH, 2015
Here are some of the items that were presented at the Parents’ Evening on October 8th:
From our Chairman:
A Brief History of The Children’s House
The Children’s House, Thornhill, on Lower Kilmacud Road was established in 1952 by Veronica Ryan, who had started a class in her home with six pupils two years earlier. She trained as a Montessori teacher at Sion Hill in Blackrock, Dublin
SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015
Dear Parents
As we approach the end of our second term it is a good time to observe and reflect upon the great progress the children have made thus far this year. With Spring in the air and Easter on its way everybody’s spirits are joyful.
This term the 9-12 class went to the Royal Botanical Gardens and Glasnevin Cemetery. The 6-9 class attended The Cat in The Hat at The Pavilion Theatre. These outings were informative, inspiring and greatly enjoyed by all.
Dear Parents,
Time has flown and the Summer holidays have come round yet again. We have had a
very productive and action packed last term.
I missed the first week back as I was examining for AMI (Association Montessori
Internationale) in Thailand. All of the 70 people I examined had done their 6-12
training and had also qualified as National School teachers. It was wonderful to see
AMI being incorporated into the Thai National School system and therefore widely
accepted and available to many children.
Dear school community: We are posting the inspection report below for reassurance and information!
Subject: ECCE/CETS/CCS On-Site Compliance Visit 2011/12Ref: 11DR0228 3226A
Anne Cuffe Fitzgerald
The Children’s House Montessori School Thornhill
Lower Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin
11th September 2012
RE: On-site Compliance Visit 2011/12
Free Pre-School year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) ProgrammeDear Anne Cuffe FitzgeraldAs you will be aware, each service participating in one or more of the above programmes is subject to an on-site visit to ensure that the conditions of the programmes are being complied was detailed in your grant funding agreement(s). Pobal is contracted by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) to undertake this compliance function.
In advance of advising you on the final outcome of your compliance visit, DCYA as the funding body are informed in the first instance. The report issued to DCYA is based on a batch of visits conducted over a three-month period, following an internal review process on all visit reports. The latter process can take up to two months after quarter end, given the large volume of visit reports to be completed and reviewed. Pobal is now in a position to advise you, following the process as outlined above, of the outcome of the visit undertaken on 19/06/12. Based on compliance checks relating to the programmes you are participating in, the outcome of the compliance visit was as follows:
· Free Pre-School year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE):
Compliant.