MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2014
Date: 15th October 2014
Time: 8-9.30pm
Venue: School Hall
Minutes: Taken by Orla Briscoe on behalf of Pat Ambrose
Attendees: There were approx. 45 people in attendance at the meeting.
Gilly Taylor (Chairperson of PA) opened the meeting and thanked all those who attended.
Sr. Mary delivered the opening prayer.
Key Message from Gilly
· To acknowledge all the support and to thank everyone who was involved in organising events and to everyone who supported the activities throughout the year. It was a really great year, with lots of fabulous activities and events that took place during the year. A big thank you to all the Committee members, Sub Committees, Teachers, Non Committee members and everyone who contributed in making it all happen.
Minutes of 2013 AGM
The Minutes of the 2013 AGM were proposed by Gilly Taylor and seconded by Claire Cramer.
CHAIRPERSONS ADDRESS
Gilly gave a comprehensive address which covered the following topics:
The structure and role of the Parents Association of which every parent is automatically a member of. The Committee itself now has 37 members.
Fun events for the Children throughout the year
o Halloween Disco 3rd to 6th class – (great fun for all the girls, who put so much effort into their costumes on the night). Thanks to Hazel McDonald who organised the Disco last year. This year’s Disco will take place on Wednesday 22ndOctober in the school Hall.
o Christmas Visit from Santa – Magical experience, children get to meet Santa and receive a gift – Thanks to Stillorgan Shopping Centre for their support in allowing Santa come to visit our school. Thanks to Caroline Kennedy and Lorraine Monaghan for organising the event.
o Scavenger Hunt in Marley Park. With thanks to Ron Davies and Mary Kerins McCullagh. There was a great turnout this year with 62 teams participating in the event.
o Sports Day was another great success this year. Thanks to Aisling Regan and her team of parent volunteers as well as Sr. Mary, Ms Coyne, Ms Douglas and all the other Teachers who put tremendous effort into making this an extra special day for everyone. Teddy’s Ice cream van was a lovely surprise to end the day.
o Communion & Graduation parties for 2nd and 6th class girls – Thanks to Nuala Brennan and Claire Ryan and their team of helpers for their fabulous party organised for the girls. There are some lovely photos of the decorated hall on the school website. Thanks to Mary Kerins McCullagh and her team of helpers for a truly memorable graduation party.
Extra Curricular activities and after-school facilities
· Library: 1st to 6th class have use of this facility. Thanks to Nuala Brennan and Christine Donegan for the major overhaul of the Library this year. New layout and upgrading of the facility has made it a really lovely place for the girls to visit. Parents who would like to volunteer to help on Library day for their daughter’s class can fill their name in on the Rota which is on the Parents Noticeboard near the Front Door.
· Football Club: Well done to the St Raphaelas Gaelic Football Team who got to the Quarter Finals this year. Thanks to Laura Crowley for ongoing support and encouragement to the girls.
· Basketball: Thanks to P.J. Reidy for running this afterschool activity on Mondays.
· Swimming on Fridays for 2nd to 6th Class. A special thanks to Nuala Brennan and her helpers for the seamless transition to Bluepool in Monkstown following the closure of Glenalbyn Swimming pool. Swimming only costs €130 per year and includes a prize winning gala and treat day.
· Credit Union: Thanks to Lorraine O’Toole and Claire Cramer who operate the Credit Union facility every Friday in the school.
Fun for the Parents
· A Bowling night was organised this year for the Parent’s Social Evening and it was a huge success with a great turnout. Teams, including a Teacher’s team competed and great fun was had by everyone. Thanks to Orla Walsh, Lorraine Monaghan, Mary Kerins McCullough and Yvonne O Mahony for a tremendous evening.
· Junior Infant Parent Social evening was held in the Mill House Pub for parents of the new Junior Infant classes. Many thanks to Fiona Rowley, Caroline Kennedy and Helen Walsh for a very successful evening.
Fundraising
· ‘Mega Mix’ became ‘Mega Bounce’ this year and it was a great success. The children bounced on Space Hoppers to raise money on their sponsorship cards. Thanks to all the parents and children for their support, which raised €7800 for the school.
· Cake and Craft Fair (December 2013) –It was a very enjoyable social event for parents & children and there was a lovely Christmas atmosphere. Thanks to Niamh Masterson and Clare Cramer for organising the event and a very special thank you to the Teachers who put in tremendous effort in helping the children make their decorations for sale. This year included a coffee dock, Reindeer food and a Book sale. The event raised over €4,000.
· Personalised Christmas Cards: Thanks to Jill Ahern who organises and coordinates the orders for the children’s very own Christmas Cards. This raises over €1,000 every year for the school.
· Clothing Collection: Thanks to Fiona O Connell who organises this event each term where parents can donate unwanted clothing which is then recycled. This scheme has generated over €2000 to date.
· Coin collection: Thanks to Miriam Leavy and Hazel McDonald who manage these collections of spare coins. All monies raised are going towards the purchase of the set of Tablets and Storage/Charging Trolley for the school.
· Corporate Donations: Thanks to Stillorgan Credit Union, Davy Stockbrokers, and the Emerald Cultural Institute who have donated €1300 towards the Tablets and Trolley
· Charity Fund raising –
o The Easter raffle organised by Claire Joyce and Yvonne O Mahony raised €790 for the Women’s Refuge in Rathmines
o Julia Costello Memorial Fund – The raffle at the Parent’s Bowling Night, organised by Ena Maguire and Orla Briscoe raised €602 which goes directly to build new classrooms in Burundi in Julia’s memory.
Parent’s Support
· Parent talk series: information evenings for parents, organised by Morganna Pearse and Fergus McCormack have taken place e.g. Internet safety, organised by Morganna Pearse for parents, a Parenting talk given by John Lonergon, Style Savvy presentation by Laura Jordon and a Literacy talk. There is usually one talk per terms and ideas on subjects or speakers are very welcome.
· Uniform Sales – Sale of Secondhand uniforms has been very successful and it has been requested to run it twice a year. Dates (possibly January and June) to be confirmed. Thanks to Aisling Pinkney who manages this event.
· Parent’s Business Directory – to promote parent’s businesses to each other. Cost to be included in directory is €10 per year. Managed by Hazel McDonald.
Special Projects
· The carpark initiative was the main focus over the last year and carpark safety will continue to be monitored and developed in the coming year. There is a lot of new signage in place and a charter which is signed by both parents and children committing to adhere to the rules of the carpark. Presentations from the RSA were made and prizes for the children’s colouring competition were given. The campaign has resulted in major improvements but there is still a way to go. Gilly asked all present at the meeting to continue to emphasise the importance of safety in the carpark.
· New school Playground. The final phase of the playground markings has been completed. Gilly expressed gratitude on behalf of the parents to Sr Mary, Rory Burke and the Board of Management for the continuous development and improvement of the school accommodation and facilities.
· Joey’s retirement: Joey the Caretaker retired after 11 years service. There was a beautiful presentation including cards that the children had made themselves and Joey gave a lovely speech.
Communication
The Parent Association communicates with all parents via (a) the monthly newsletter by email (make sure your details are up to date with Jill in the office) (b) the school website, (c) text messaging (d) notices posted at the school (e) Class Representatives.
PRINCIPALS ADDRESS
Sr. Mary opened her speech on behalf of all the staff to say how much they valued the support they received from all parents in the school.
Sr. Mary gave a comprehensive address on the following;
· School Self Evaluation – Process began 3 years ago. Aim of the Evaluation is to celebrate successes, identify areas for improvement, report on actions/successes and set targets. The school is focused on Literacy ie. Extending vocabulary, instilling the love of writing, identifying ‘wow’(new) words and understanding their meaning. This year the focus continues on Literacy and the writing process. ICT is already a valuable teaching tool for teachers. This year it is intended to explore ICT as a learning tool for children. It is hoped that the school will take delivery of its first set of 32 Tablets next Easter.
· It is hoped to set up a Student Council which will develop the children’s sense of justice and encourage them to strive for success and take on challenges, whilst dealing with mistakes in a positive way.
· Being ambitious and raising standards is an aim of Sr. Mary’s; we need to help our children move out of the comfort zone without fear.
· Sr. Mary welcomed all parent’s involvement and participation in the school and thanked Gilly on behalf of the school for her 3 years dedicated service and commitment in her role as Chairperson of the Parents Association.
· A presentation to Gilly was made by Hazel McDonald.
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT ADDRESS
Rory Burke outlined the role of the Board of Management in running the school and outlined the following points:
· The Whole School Evaluation report was very positive and the Inspectors were very impressed with the school. Rory expressed thanks on behalf of the Board of Management to everyone including parents, students, teachers and everyone who is involved in the success of the school. It is intended to continue to build on this success and continue to develop the positive learning environment that is present the school.
· Some details of the School Income and Expenditure Account were outlined.
· The Board wished to express their gratitude to all parents who have already submitted the voluntary contribution, as without it we would have been unable to maintain and kit out our school to the high standards that we have become accustomed. For any parent who wishes to make their contribution please contact Jill Aherne (School Secretary) or Sr. Mary.
· Board of management thanked Sr. Mary, Staff & Parents Association.
· A special thanks from the board of management went to Jill O Brien who is stepping down as the Mother Representative on the Board. It was noted that Jill did tremendous work on behalf of the parents of the school.
· Thanks to Ron Davies for his work to date and the Board look forward to continuing this work going forward.
· Rory gave a special thanks to Gilly who is stepping down as Chairperson of the Parent’s Association for all her support and hard work during her tenure.
· Ron Davies, parent representative on the Board of Management kindly collated a high level analysis of the School Test Scores, from 1st to 6th class, showing that in both Micra –T and Sigma –T tests, on average the girls from St. Raphaela’s Primary school percentile increases 10% during their time in the school.
· Ron confirmed that the push on improving the level of Maths in the school 2 years ago has paid off with the positive results showing in the data analysis of 2013/14. It is hoped that efforts in the area of Literacy will have a similar outcome in future results.
MOTHER REPRESENTATIVE TO BOARD OF MANAGEMENT NOMINATIONS
Fiona Rowley was nominated by Gilly Taylor. As there were no other nominations Fiona Rowley was deemed elected as the Mother Representative to the Board of Management.
PA TREASURERS REPORT
Hazel McDonald gave the report with a comprehensive breakdown of the Balance sheet. The P&L account 2013/14 is attached at end of these minutes.
FORMATION OF THE NEW COMMITTEE
Gilly gave a special thank you to the outgoing members of the committee and provided the updated list of Parent representatives for this year. The officer positions are as follows:
Chairperson: Caroline Kennedy, Vice Chairperson: Orla Briscoe, Treasurer: Hazel McDonald. There is a vacancy for Secretary so Gilly invited anyone interested in the position to contact the committee.
· Gilly outlined the role of the class rep and named the class representative volunteers by class – (2 per class) - Please see below
· Gilly then closed off the meeting by extending thanks to everyone for their support and invited everyone to stay on for refreshments and a chat.
END
Attachments:
Income and Expenditure accounts 2013/14
Class Representatives 2014/15