Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in St Colmcille's PS

• STRIKE ACTION: Tuesday 21st February - 9.00am to 12.00 noon

  Mon 20 Feb 2023

  Dear parents 

  After receiving a strong mandate for industrial action in furtherance of the current pay dispute, teachers have been instructed to take strike action on the morning of Tuesday 21^st February 2023. 

   

  As a result of this industrial action:

  • Teaching staff will only be available for work from 12pm onwards.
  • Children should not attend school until 12.00 noon.                        (A specific code will be used to record children's absence due to the strike without affecting their overall attendance.)
  • School buses won't be available to transport children to school on Tuesday but will resume the homeward journeys in the afternoon.
  • School meals will be provided for children who have booked a dinner on the Schoolmoney app. 
  • We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this industrial action.

   

  Kind regards

  Peter Cush

  Principal

  

• How does social media and excessive screen time affect children?

  Mon 06 Feb 2023

  Dear parents

  A meeting has been arranged for KS2 parents regarding Internet safety in the school on Tuesday 8th February at 7.00pm delivered by Cons> Rachel Harkness.  This is increasingly a relevant topic for children and parents and we encourage you to attend. In addition to the problems associated with Internet Safety, please see the information below about the effects of Social Media and excessive screen time on children's development.

   

  Kind regards

  Peter Cush

   

  How does social media affects children?

  Most social media apps require users to be at least 13 years old. But in a recent poll, parents shared that 50% of children 10 to 12 years old and 33% of children 7 to 9 years old use social media apps.

   

  If your child is currently on social media or if they’ve been asking to join, it’s important to talk to them about what social media is, what rules you have for it and how it doesn’t always show an accurate picture of someone’s life.

   

  Impact on children

  While experts are just beginning to understand social media’s impact on children, one study shows that children younger than 11 years old who use Instagram and Snapchat are more likely to have problematic digital behaviours like having online-only friends and visiting sites parents would disapprove of, as well as a greater chance of taking part in online harassment.

   

  That same study says limiting how much time a child spends on social media may reduce some of the negative effects of using social media at such an age.

   

  In addition to problematic digital behaviours, there may be changes in children’s daily behaviour at home like:

  • Increased irritability.
  • Increased anxiety.
  • Lack of self-esteem.

  If children are being asked to get off social media and do their homework, then parents might see increased periods of irritability or frustration directed towards parents, they’re being asked to do something they don’t want to do and stop doing something they enjoy.”

   

  Screen time and children

  "Screen time" is a term used for activities done in front of a screen, such as watching TV, working on a computer, or playing video games. Screen time is sedentary activity, meaning you are being physically inactive while sitting down. Very little energy is used during screen time.

   

  Many children spend about 3 hours a day watching TV. Added together, all types of screen time can total 5 to 7 hours a day. Too much screen time can:

  • Make it hard for your child to sleep at night
  • Raise your child's risk for attention problems, anxiety, and depression
  • Raise your child's risk for gaining too much weight

   

  Screen time increases your child's risk for becoming overweight because:

  • Sitting and watching a screen is time that is not spent being physically active.
  • TV commercials and other screen ads can lead to unhealthy food choices. Most of the time, the foods in ads that are aimed at kids are high in sugar, salt, or fats.
  • Children eat more when they are watching TV, especially if they see ads for food.

  Computers can help kids with their schoolwork. But surfing the internet, spending too much time on Facebook, or watching YouTube videos is considered unhealthy screen time.

   

  What is all this screen time doing to kids’ brains?

  Early data from a landmark National Institutes of Health (NIH) study that began in 2018 indicates that children who spent more than two hours a day on screen-time activities scored lower on language and thinking tests, and some children with more than seven hours a day of screen time experienced thinning of the brain’s cortex, the area of the brain related to critical thinking and reasoning.

   

  “We’re not sure what this data means yet, but what we can hypothesize is that screens could inhibit certain aspects of a child’s development by narrowing their focus of interest and limiting their other means of exploration and learning,”

   

  “If young children spend most of their time engaging with an iPad, smartphone, or the television, all of which are highly entertaining, it can be hard to get them engaged in non-electronic activities, such as playing with toys to foster imagination and creativity, exploring outdoors, and playing with other children to develop appropriate social skills. Interacting almost exclusively with screens would be like working out only your arm muscles and nothing else. You would have really strong arm muscles, but at the expense of overall fitness.”

   

  We know that children have easy access to screens, now more than ever. But how do screens affect early childhood development?
  For young children, especially those under the age of 3, development is happening rapidly. Young children learn by exploring their environment and watching the adults in their lives and then imitating them. Excessive screen time may inhibit a child’s ability to observe and experience the typical everyday activities they need to engage with in order to learn about the world, leading to a kind of “tunnel vision,” which can be detrimental to overall development.

   

  When children are walking with a parent or being pushed in a stroller, they are often playing on a smartphone or a tablet and not paying attention to anything else around them. They will not learn about the world around them if all they’re doing is looking at a smartphone. This will not just affect their ability to learn new things, but also how they interact with others and how language develops.

   

  How does screen time impact a child’s ability to learn?
  Studies have shown that children under 2 learn less from a video than when learning from another person, and it appears that although children will watch the TV screen by 6 months, understanding the content does not generally occur until after age 2. It’s not that they won’t be captivated by what’s on the screen, but they’re not learning from it.

   

  Language development expands rapidly between 1½ to 3 years of age, and studies have shown that children learn language best when engaging and interacting with adults who are talking and playing with them. There is also some evidence that children who watch a lot of television during the early elementary school years perform less well on reading tests and may show deficits in attention.

   

  “There is also some evidence that children who watch a lot of television during the early school years perform less well on reading tests and may show deficits in attention.”

  — Dr. Jennifer Cross

  How does screen time affects language and communication?
  Research shows that talking with children in a reciprocal dialogue is extremely important for language development and social interaction. It’s that back-and-forth “conversation,” sharing facial expressions and reacting to the other person — in real life, rather than “passive” listening or one-way interaction with a screen — that improves language and communication skills in young children.

  

• St Brigid's Day

  Wed 01 Feb 2023

  It was lovely to have grandparents of children in R6 & P6 in the school on St Brigid's Day to assist with Cross making. The pupils presented a short history of St Brigid and sang a beautiful song in her honour. The grandparents enjoyed the tea, coffee and scones and the chat with the children. 

  

• Presentations Christmas 2022

  Mon 09 Jan 2023

  Creggan community Association

  Mrs Joanne Hughes from Creggan Committee Association presented a cheque for £200 to the school to help feed Vulnerable children. Also in the picture, Mrs donnelly and pupils from the Creggan community. We appreciate this kind gesture. 

   

  Minnie Vinnies & Friends of St Colmcille's

  A special thanks to everyone who helped ensure that the Coffee morning organised by Friends of St Colmcille's in aid of St Vincent de Paul and school funds was such a tremendous success. Between this event and the Sponsored Vigil, we presented with a cheque for £5,000 to Marie Donavan and Mary Coyle from SVP. Mr Conal Keenan represented the school's Board of Governors.

   

  Afternoon Club

  The Minnie Vinnies presented gifts to members of the Thursday Afternoon Club before Christmas.

   

  Food Parcels for Omagh 

  Thanks to everyone who donated food for the hampers which were presented to the Life Triumphant Church in Omagh which is coordinating the project in the area. In the photograph with Pastor McElhinney are some children from the Minnie Vinnies group and Mrs Donnelly.

  

• Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Dinner

  Fri 16 Dec 2022

  We are holding our annual Christmas Jumper Day on Tuesday 20th December. We ask children to bring £1.00 with them and the proceeds will go to the Simon Community.

   

  We will also be having our Christmas Dinner on Tuesday cost £2.60.

  See Menu below and on Wednesday 21st Dec. the Catering staff are organising a Christmas Party Box option - cost £2.60.

  

• Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain- Irish Medium Parents' Survey

  Wed 07 Dec 2022

   

   

   

  A Thuismitheoir,

  Is grúpa é Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain faoi threoir thuismitheoirí, a cuireadh ar bun chun féidearthacht sholáthair iar-bhunscolaíochta lán-Ghaeilge i dTír Eoghain a phlé.  Mar chuid den staidéar féidearthachta tá fáilte roimh thuairimí tuismitheoirí a bhfuil a bpáistí ag freastal ar an Ghaeloideachas cheana féin.

  Iarrtar oraibh ceistneoir gairid a líonadh sa dóigh is go mbeidh tuigbheáil againn ar bhur dtuairimí agus roghanna:

   Tá nasc chuig an tsuirbhé le fáil anseo:

  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aMQuOXhnR40R9JlaZJlwU6VpAnnIVhbZKAVZBM1FMNE/edit

  Brúigh CTRL & clic ar an nasc chun é a oscailt ar an ríomhaire.

  Thar ceann Ghaeloideachas Thír Eoghain, mholfainn daoibh bhur smaointe a nochtú linn sa dóigh is go bhféadfaimis pleanáil chuí a dhéanamh agus scoth an Ghaeloideachais inbhuanaithe a chur ar fáil in Iarthar Thír Eoghain. Is tús í seo ar an tréimhse chomhairliúcháin agus beidh deiseanna amach anseo le páirt a ghlacadh inti.

   

  Le dea-ghuí

  Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain

  Dear Parent

  Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain is a parent-led group established to examine the feasibility of post primary Irish-Medium Education provision in Tyrone.  As part of the feasibility study process, we are keen to listen to the views of parents of children currently accessing primary school education through the medium of the Irish language.

  To help us understand your views and preferences please complete the following short questionnaire by clicking on the link below:

   

  The link to the survey can be found here:

  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aMQuOXhnR40R9JlaZJlwU6VpAnnIVhbZKAVZBM1FMNE/edit:

   

   Hit CTRL & click on the link to open it on a computer.

  On behalf of Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain I would like to encourage you to share your thinking with us so that we can plan for and deliver a sustainable and high quality Irish-Medium post primary education option  in West Tyrone.This is the beginning of the consultation phase and there will be more opportunities to engage in the time ahead.

   

  Yours sincerely

  Gaeloideachas Thír Eoghain

  

• Do I need to keep my child off school?

  Wed 07 Dec 2022

  It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they're unwell. The Public Health Agency has provided government guidelines that outline when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

   

  

• Group A Streptococcus Bacteria

  Wed 07 Dec 2022

  Group A streptococcus bacteria usually cause a mild infection producing sore throats or scarlet fever that can be easily treated with antibiotics. In very rare circumstances, these bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness – called invasive Group A strep (iGAS).

   

  As well as an increase in notifications of scarlet fever, which is above the levels we usually see at this time of year, the PHA is also aware of a higher number of cases of iGAS being reported across the UK.

   

  While iGAS is still uncommon, it is important that parents are on the lookout for symptoms of illnesses caused by group A streptococcus bacteria and seek medical advice so that their child can be treated appropriately and to help prevent the infection becoming serious.

   

  What to do if you suspect your child has scarlet fever

   

  Scarlet fever mainly affects children under 10, but people of any age can get it. In the early stages, symptoms include a sore throat, headache, and fever, along with a fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel. On darker skin, the rash can be more difficult to detect visually but will have a sandpapery feel.

   

  The PHA is asking parents to contact their GP if they suspect their child has scarlet fever, because early treatment with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.

   

  Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA, said: “Scarlet fever usually clears up after about a week, but anyone who thinks they or a child may have it should contact a GP for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

   

  “To limit the spread of scarlet fever it is also important to practise good hygiene by washing hands with warm water and soap, not sharing drinking glasses or utensils, and covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. People should also stay away from nursery, school or work for 24 hours after taking the first dose of antibiotics.”

   

  Don’t put off seeking help if your child continues to get worse

   

  There can be a range of causes of sore throats, colds and coughs. These should resolve without medical intervention. However, children can on occasion develop an infection and that can make them more unwell.

   

  The PHA is also urging parents to seek help if their child is very unwell or seems to be getting worse – even if they have started treatment. Parents should contact their GP if they feel:

   

  • their child is getting worse;
  • their child is feeding or eating much less than normal;
  • their child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration;
  • their baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38°C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39°C or higher;
  • their baby feels hotter than usual when they touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty;
  • their child is very tired or irritable.

   

  Call 999 or go to the Emergency Department if:

   

  • your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs;
  • there are pauses when your child breathes;
  • your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue;
  • your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake.

   

  Dr McClean continued: “The PHA has issued an urgent message to all primary and secondary care healthcare providers alerting them to increases in group A streptococcal infection. Acting quickly if you suspect anyone has this infection could make a difference to the outcomes.”

  For further information on scarlet fever, visit www.pha.site/ScarletFever

   

  Rises in recent cases of invasive group A streptococcus across the UK may be due in part to more social mixing, which may also result in other illnesses circulating at the same time. The PHA would therefore urge everyone eligible for the free flu vaccine to get it at the earliest opportunity. In particular we would urge parents of all pre-school children aged two years and over and those aged 6 months to 2 years who are in risk groups to avail of the free flu vaccine.

   

  Find out who is eligible for the winter vaccines and where to get vaccinated see www.nidirect.gov.uk/wintervaccines

• Minnie Vinnies - 12 hour vigil on 25th November

  Sat 19 Nov 2022

  The "Minnie Vinnies" are holding a 12 hour vigil from 9.00am to 9.00pm, outside in the school grounds on Friday 25th November to raise money for SVP. With the PTA support, they are also having a Coffee morning on Sat. 26th Nov. - 10.00am - 1.00pm. We appreciate your support.

  

• STRANGER DANGER

  Fri 18 Nov 2022

  Dear parents

  Cons. Joanne Creighton, Neighbourhood Policing Team has just confirmed that a pupil in the school was recently approached by an unknown adult in a car in suspicious circumstances, while walking on a local country road with friends. 

   

  As there had been a similar incident in recent months, we advise that parents discuss the following points with their children.

   

  Children should NEVER:

  • agree to meet a stranger. Do not go anywhere or do anything, with someone that you aren't comfortable with.
  • take sweets or presents from someone you don't know.
  • get into a car or vehicle belonging to someone you don't know.
  • give your personal details to a stranger.

   

  Children should ALWAYS

  • tell your parents or a responsible adult where you are going and who you are with.
  • arrange a time to be back- stick to it!
  • look out for each other when you are playing with your friends.
  • make sure you know the contact details of your parents, or a responsible adult that you can contact in an emergency.

   

  Cons. Creighton will present a talk to children within the next few weeks to reinforce this important message.

   

  If you would like to discuss any aspect of Stranger Danger, please feel free to contact me.

  Kind regards

   

  Peter Cush

  Principal