All parents of St Francis NS are members of the Parent’s Association.

Regular monthly meetings are held in the school and parents are notified in advance via the school Facebook Page and via Aladdin message.

What is a Parent’s Association?

The Parent’s Association forms an integral part of our school community and a dedicated committee works hard throughout the year on tasks including:

  • Maintaining communication with all parents via the school Facebook Page.
  • Organising information/social events for new parents to the school.
  • Organising welcome events for new pupils to the school.
  • Arranging talks on topics of interest to parents, e.g. guest speaker on parenting/discipline etc.
  • Preparing school handbooks/calendars.
  • Providing support/organisational input to major school events, e.g. Inter-cultural Day, Healthy Eating Day, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, etc.
  • Channeling parents views on school policy issues to the school Principal and Board of Management.
  • Helping to organise and supervise extracurricular activities.
  • Organising Fund Raising Events for the school.

Each parent of a child enrolled in the school is automatically a member of the Parents Association and the active participation of a large number of parents is necessary to maintain the level of parental support our school so desperately needs.

Meetings are held monthly and notification will be sent to parents via the Facebook page, Aladdin message and on the parents Class WhatsApp groups.   All are welcome to attend.

For further information please contact:

PA Email address:  pastfrancisnsblackrock@gmail.com

Chairperson: Elise Kierans (087 773 9542)

Secretary:  Niamh Boland (087 203 1277)*

Treasurers: Anna-Marie Bell (086 368 7180), Andrea Kealy (086 403 1278), Nithya Narendran (089 984 8912)

PRO:  Gladys Osagie (089 497 4316)

The above officers were elected at the PA Annual General Meeting on 10/10/2024  (*secretary appointed November 2024)

 

The PA also has a class rep system with a Parent Representative in each class acting as a liaison between the PA and the parents.  These Class reps look after the WhatsApp Group for each class, which is a chat group exclusively for parents in the class to discuss any class related issues.

If you are not a member of your child’s class group, please message your relevant class rep.

The reps for this year (2024/2025) are:

6th Class:  Paula McGuinness-Smith (087 459 0335)

5th Class A:  Joanne Connolly (086 416 1420)

5th Class B:  Rachel Walsh (087 660 2976)

4th Class A:  Sharon Durnin (086 105 0719)

4th Class B:  Meadhbh Moore (087 283 8348)

3rd Class A:  Jean Bailey (087 634 2037)

3rd Class B:  Louise Colgan (086 805 6128)

2nd Class A:  Caroline Dillon (087 973 7346)

2nd Class B:  Emma Lynn (083 966 3444)

1st Class A:  Kirsty McCrea (086 203 5160)

1st Class B:  Elise Kierans (087 773 9542)

Senior Infants A:  Shannon Dodsworth (089 492 8131)

Senior Infants B:  Andrea Kealy (086 403 1278)

Junior Infants A: Seamus Ward: (085 717 3006)

Junior Infants B: Alanna Kelly: (083 026 5489)

Síológa A & B:  Karen Gallagher (086 884 4468)

Where does our fundraising money go?

Just some of the items that the Parent Association funded in recent times:

  • Yoga sessions (cost split 50/50 with school) for pupils
  • Defibrillator for school
  • €5000 donation for ICT equipment (tablets and chromebooks)
  • New PE equipment and goal posts/nets for the outside pitch
  • Internet Safety Training for all classes.
  • Internet Safety Talk for parents.
  • Mindfulness for 6th class – preparation for moving up to Secondary School.
  • Purchase of more pupil chromebooks and tablets in classrooms
  • € 1,500 donated towards the purchase of STEM resources throughout the school.
  • € 4,500 raised from Scholastic Book Fair which will entitle the school to book vouchers in the coming year.
  • Reception Party in school for families of pupils making their First Holy Communion and souvenir photo for all pupils.
  • Easter Egg Hunt for Infant classes.