Zion Parish Primary School

How the school is managed
The Board of Management is the statutory body which has charge of the school. It is accountable to the Department of Education and Science for ensuring that the school is run in accordance with the Department’s Rules for National Schools, and to the Patron for ensuring that the ethos of the school is observed.
It is comprised of:
Chairperson: Appointed by the Patron, the Archbishop of Dublin
Principal
Patron’s Representative
Staff Representative
Parents’ Representatives
Co-Opted Members: local community representatives
An Annual Report is issued which keeps you informed about happenings and developments in the school.
The following information is issued to you for your assistance and guidance. Please discuss appropriate sections with your children and keep it carefully in a permanent file.
* Where the word parent is used in the document it is taken to mean parent or guardian

THE SCHOOL DAY
Opening Hours: The official opening time for the school is 8.20am. Children are expected to remain with their parents if arriving before this time. From this time onwards there will be teacher supervision in place.

Assembly: The whole school community meets together for a short assembly with a hymn and prayers each morning and parents are always welcome to join us. Children are expected to be punctual for school at 8.20am, and assembly at 08.40am. Between 8.20am and 8.40am children in every classroom have a very specific routine for getting ready for the school day. It involves, very specific learning activities, amongst other things: hanging up of coats, taking out books, handing up homework, taking down homework, corrections, reading and listening to reading, and free play. If children arrive late they become unsettled because they are trying to catch up. They have an unsettling effect on others, who are in on time. Generally this leads to disturbance, which can continue in the classroom throughout the day. Therefore we recommend that children arrive at 8.20am.

COMMUNICATION
Communication: The Board of Management supports the view that good communication and effective co-operation between Board of Management, parents and teachers is fundamental to the development of a happy and effective learning environment. To this end a variety of communication links are used:
• An induction meeting is held for all parents with children starting or joining the school each year and school policy, aims, curriculum and organization are explained. Each family is provided with an Information Folder as they join the school and this is added to each time the child moves classroom i.e. every second year.
• At the beginning of the school year teachers will circulate information sheets where classroom routines, homework schedules etc. will be explained.
• A pre-reading meeting is arranged for parents of Senior Infants, usually in September.
• Individual meetings are arranged with the Learning Support teacher where deemed helpful.
• Parents are encouraged to keep in regular contact with class teachers. Small communications should be conveyed through the Homework Journals or in the morning. Should you need to discuss matters at greater length, an appointment should be arranged in advance at a mutually suitable time using the appointment slips found outside classrooms

• Communications from the school will usually be in the form of email. Please make sure that the office has your correct email address. From time to time there may be paper notes in the schoolbag.

• Newsletters: Messages and notices will usually be sent by email. For extra curricular activities and emergencies text message, where appropriate, will also be used. .Newsletters and Circulars to keep you up to date on various activities and other short notes are given out as required.

Parental Contribution to the School Experience
Parents contribute to and support the ethos of the school in the following practical ways.

• The school has an active Parents Association (ZPA) established and authorised by the Board of Management (BoM) to promote and further in any way possible the welfare of the school and its pupils, and to foster social and other activities among members of the Association. The ZPA supports the school through various educational, fund raising and social activities, and from time to time is invited to be involved in policy review working groups. For more information, see the full ZPA constitution.
• The ZPA coordinates all of the after school activities (chess, swimming, tennis, hockey, football, singing, drawing, French). These activities provide a key strand of learning and development outside of school hours. Skills are developed and friendships are enhanced. Without supervision help from parents of all the children who are involved in these activities, they would be impossible to run. There is a robust system for ensuring the right people deal with any issues during extra-curricular supervision (see ECA Policy attached).
• The ZPA fundraise for the school through activities - social events, pizza day, Great Ireland run, etc. These funds are used to subsidise school trips (thus lowering the cost to families) as well as for repairs to the school, technical equipment, sports kits and in-school activities.
• The ZPA is the only body authorised by the Board of Management to fundraise for the school. A system allowing all parents to submit ideas is in place to ensure transparency and inclusiveness, and the Board of Management decides how funds raised are used.
• Parents are part of the governance of the school. There are two parents’ nominees on the Board of Management, and the ZPA is established and authorised by the Board to promote and further in any way possible the welfare of the school and its pupils, and to foster social and other activities among members of the Association. The ZPA supports the school through various educational, fund raising and social activities, and from time to time the Committee is invited to be involved in policy review working groups.
• All parents are invited to do playground supervision. It enhances the relationship between ‘school’ and ‘home’ and is an important practical support to the teachers. All the children love to see their parents during their favourite part of the school day.
• Voluntary donations from parents and school fundraisers make up a substantial proportion of the school running costs. Department contributions to the school have fallen from roughly 60% to closer to 40% of running costs in recent times. Parental contributions fund the increasing shortfall.

Parental Values in School

Learning-centred environment
• We, the Parents of Zion Parish Primary School, are committed to our childrens’ learning. We understand that 80% of ‘the difference in how well children do at school is dependent on what happens outside the school gates.’
• Children and learning are at the heart of all that we do in the context of the school.
• We believe that the school is a creative place and that creativity is central to learning.
• We support the teachers in setting up the best learning environment for our children where creativity and imagination are at the core. We support independent learning, the promotion of resilience, caring for others and the protection of the planet we live in.

Partnership and Participation
• Zion School is stronger when parents work together and in partnership with the teachers.
• We understand that we are encouraged, included and are involved in decision-making at the school.
• We value the openness and friendly atmosphere in the school and acknowledge the key role played by teachers in this.

Openness and Understanding
• We embrace the school practice to ‘Be Kind and Gentle’ and to stand strong in the face of conflict or difficulty.
• We will endeavour act in a spirit of openness and work every day to preserve the very special ethos of Zion School.
• We recognise the pressures that teachers and other parents are under. We respect each other and engage in clean communications.
• We have an important responsibility to model high standards of behaviour, both in our interaction with the children and with each other, as our example has an important influence on everyone’s children.
• We acknowledge that conflict is a part of human interaction, and it is how we deal with it that defines what kind of school community we have.