Parents often admire how easily their children can use the Internet – but aren’t quite sure of what they are doing or seeing. These talks will look at how children use the internet and will give a practical demonstration of the technologies and the websites young people are using. Parents will be introduced to strategies to help their children be responsible, effective and safer Internet users. These sessions will also looks at cyber bullying.

As parents, it is vital to have good, open communication with your child about their internet lives. Like all other aspects of their lives we need to talk to our children about the potential dangers that they may come across online as well as the many benefits they will find.

Parents are also shown how to disable or enable safety mode on their computers. Setting rules and boundaries around children’s Internet usage is an important aspect of keeping them safe on-line.
Venue: ANNER HOTEL, THURLES
Date: Tuesday March 1st
Time: 8pm

Venue: CAHIR HOUSE HOTEL, CAHIR
Date: Wednesday March 2nd
Time: 8pm

Admission is free!! For further information phone 085 1058568.

School contact: fiona.dunford@gmail.com

The training sessions in Tipperary will take place on Wednesday the 25th of November in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh,  and Thursday the 10th of December in the Clonmel Park Hotel, Clonmel.

ALL SESSIONS WILL COMMENCE AT 7.30PM

To attend you must register in advance, please click  Anti Bullying Training to select your preferred venue and date.

All parents are welcome, and admission is free

All parents are welcome. Information below. We hope you and other parents of children in your child’s school can join us on the day.

‘Building Brighter Futures – Partnership for Success’

Speakers included experts in the area of education and parental involvement from Canada and Ireland.

The conference is aimed at supporting parents in becoming involved in their children’s education.

Guest speakers include:

• Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan T.D.
• Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Helping your child succeed at school– what matters most
• Paul Gilligan, Clinical Psychologist and CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services - Parenting and Education; Getting the balance right
• Pam Buchanan, Learning Facilitator - Fun Learning Activities to Try at Home

Places are limited, to secure your attendance you must register in advance click here to register or email your contact details to info@npc.ie or contact 01 8874034

Open to all parents and others interested in primary school education.

Apologies if you have already passed this survey on to your child/children.

If not there is still time: click What is it like to be a child in Ireland? for a link to the survey.

Click here  for further information.

“Transition from Primary to Post Primary”

How can you as a parent best support your child through this transition? Many of the answers will come in this talk which is aimed at parents whose child is in 5th or 6th class or has just moved/is moving from primary to post primary school. The session will explore issues such as: choosing a school for your child, preparing your child for post primary school, school policies, home school communication and much more! In addition there will be an overview of the new Junior Cycle that will be implemented in schools on a phased basis from September 2014.

Venue:       Scoil Mhuire na n-Aingeal (Sisters of Charity School), Clonmel
Date:          Wednesday 28^th January 2015
Time:          7.30pm
Venue:       Clonmore National School, Clonmore, Templemore
Date:          Thursday 29^th January 2015
Time:          7.30pm

Venue:       Annacarthy Room, Ballykisteen Hotel, Limerick Junction
Date:          Wednesday 4^th February 2015
Time:          7.30pm

Admission to all talks is free and all parents of primary school children are welcome!!

For further information phone 085 1058568

National Parents Council Primary (NPC) is committed to hearing children’s voices on issues relating to their experiences and hopes regarding primary education.

Over the last year, during general communication with children in schools the issue of  lunchtime in schools was a recurring topic that they appeared to have strong feelings and a range of experiences about. NPC have therefore developed  a survey to seek further information from children regarding their lunchtime in schools with the aim of representing their voices on this issue when opportunities arise.

With this in mind we would be grateful if you could ask your primary school aged child/children to fill in the following survey by following the link Your Lunchtime in School 

The results of the survey are anonymous and no identifying information is sought from your child whilst responding to the questions.

Please note survey will close on Sunday next 11th January.

Click this link Anti Bullying Training sessions for Parents  to find out more.

This link Anti Bullying Training Venue booking will bring you to the venues list and dates so that you can book online.

Please note these sessions have been developed specifically for a parent audience and they are therefore not suitable for children.

This training is FREE to parents

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have developed Level 2 Learning Programmes (L2LPs) designed for students (usually at junior cert age) who have general learning disabilities in the higher functioning moderate and low functioning mild categories. – See more at: http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Inclusion/Special_Educational_Needs/#sthash.KxzOf0fl.dpufs

The NCCA are now considering the possibility of a National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)  Level 1 programme for students with special educational needs who are unable to access the Level 2 Learning Programmes. They are concerned that some children may leave school without any recognised qualification and so this is the early stages of work to address that.

They would like to include the voice of parents in a background paper they have commissioned in this area. This will obviously not be needed by all children with a special educational need but if you feel your child might be in this category in the future could I ask you to fill in the attached survey and return it to me by email to: coshea@npc.ie or by post to the address below.

Many thanks

Carmel O’Shea

Information/Helpline Officer

Tipperary County Branch AGM 2014

Wednesday, October 15^th

8pm,

Horse & Jockey Hotel, Horse & Jockey

The National Parents Council (Primary) is the nationwide organisation representing parents of children attending early and primary education. The aim of the organisation is to improve and enrich the education of all children and support parents to get involved in their children’s learning at home, in the community and at school.

Áine Lynch, the CEO of National Parents Council (Primary), will be joining us at our AGM to talk about the work of the National Parents Council and how its work helps your child.

Please let all parents in your school know about our meeting and guest speaker. They are all welcome to attend.

Clement Gleeson

Chair of Tipperary Branch of the National Parents Council (Primary)

The meetings are aimed, in particular, at parents of children starting post-primary school in September. They will provide information on

• The changes being introduced in September
• The main features of the junior cycle developments in the coming years
• The new assessment system being introduced

In general, the NCCA presentation will aim to show how junior cycle reform represents a positive change for students, parents and the education system.

The first round of meetings take place in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick in June, the second round in a number of regional centres in September.

WHERE:                                                             WHEN:

Dublin South – The Stillorgan Park Hotel       Tues, 17^th June 2014

Cork – Rochestown Park Hotel                       Tues, 17^th June 2014

Blanchardstown

Limerick - The Strand Hotel                             Weds, 18^th June 2014

TIME:    All sessions from 7.30pm – 9pm

COST:    Free

For more information on the new junior cycle click on this leaflet for parents 

To attend you must register (online registration will be available very shortly), please note once you have registered your place is confirmed, you will not receive a receipt when you register. 

Currently you can register by emailing the following details to info@npc.ie

1.       Forename

2.       Surname

3.       Email Address

4.       Are you a

Parent of a child in primary school?

Parent of a child in post primary school?

5.       Venue you would like to attend (important)

As this is a new initiative, the National Parents Council Primary and Post Primary would like to hear from parents regarding their experience of this consultation process. We would be very grateful if you could take five minutes of your time to complete the following survey School Uniform Survey<https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SchoolsUniformSurvey>

The closing date for this survey is the 19th of May 2014.

Children do better when we work together

If you want your child to have the opportunity to reach their full potential

Then this is the conference for you!

Venue:   National College of Ireland, Mayor Square, Dublin 1

Date:     Saturday, 14^th of June 2014

Time:      11am – 4pm, registration from 10.30am 

Speakers will include experts in the area of education and parental involvement from Ireland and the UK

The conference will be aimed at supporting parents in becoming involved in their children’s education

ADMISSION IS FREE

Places are limited, to secure your attendance you must register in advance

To register please email your name and a contact number to info@npc.ie or phone 01 887 4034

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Guest speakers

§  Mr. Ruairí Quinn T.D. Minister for Education and Skills

§

§  Professor Charles Desforges - ‘The impact of parental engagement on children’s development and achievement’

The report by Charles Desforges (with Alberto Abouchar) for the UK Department for Education and Skills, ‘The impact of parental involvement on pupil achievement’ was critical in influencing public policy on Parental Engagement in England and Wales. Dr Desforges was awarded the OBE in the 2004 New Years Honours List for Services to Education.

He currently conducts an extensive programme of presentations and workshops on the development of teaching and learning, leadership development and parental involvement tailored to the needs of a wide range of audiences including teachers, principals, governors, local authority officers and parents. He also has a programme of evaluations and development and research work.

Emeritus Professor in the University of Exeter, independent researcher and education consultant with special interests in teaching, learning, Parental Engagement and school leadership.

Professor Desforges has published extensively in the field of teaching and learning, and was editor of the British Journal of Educational Psychology for five years.

§  Dr. John Sharry - ‘Positive Parenting and Promoting Learning in the Home’

Based on the practical and positive parenting approach in the Parents Plus Programmes, this talk describes how to motivate children to learn in a positive way that builds on their strengths and which increases their confidence and self-esteem. Practical tips will be provided on how to set up homework routines and on how to promote learning in everyday activities with primary school age children.

Founding Director of the Parents Plus Charity; Co-developer of theParents Plus Programme (evidence-based parenting courses) and the Working Things Out Programme (a multimedia therapeutic resource for young people overcoming mental health problems). Child mental health clinician and solution-focused therapist with over 25 years experience working with families. Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the school of psychology UCD; Clinical Advisor at SilverCloud Health who develop online mental health programmes for services; Director at Solution Talk.

Author of ten books in counselling and mental health including three best selling positive psychology books such as ‘Becoming a Solution Detective’, and ‘Counselling Children Adolescents and Families’ and‘Positive Parenting: Bringing up responsible, well-behaved and happy children‘. Regular contributor to radio and other media, and is a weekly columnist the Irish Times newspaper, writing on the subject of parenting and family life.

§  Partnership Schools Ireland

Following last year’s NPC conference and the very inspiring presentation from Dr. Joyce Epstein from the USA, work has been underway in Ireland to put into practice the partnership approach to schools in Ireland. The National Parents Council Primary and the Irish Primary Principals’ Network have been working together and will present and launch “Partnership Schools Ireland”. Also presenting will be the three pilot schools in Ireland which have been working as partnership schools this school year. Members of the schools’ “Action Teams for Partnership” will illustrate how the work has changed the way things are done in their schools.

                                                                                                            1^st April 2014

The National Parents Council Primary today launches its first Online Training support; “Parenting: Supporting your child to build healthy friendships and relationships” available at www.npc.ie

This is an interactive online session which enables parents to support and further develop their relationship with their child and their child’s relationship with others. Some of the topics covered in the session are:

§  Active listening skills

§  Children sharing their views on talking to parents

§  Parents sharing listening experiences

§  Relationships and Sexuality education at Primary school

§  Relationships and Sexuality education – how it is taught to children with special educational needs

NPC CEO Áine Lynch says “We are delighted to launch our first online training support for parents. This session will give parents a flexible option to access NPC’s training supports, at a time and pace that suits them. This is a new method which NPC has now engaged with to reach parents, which will allow us to bring information to parents who may not be in a position to attend a “live” training session. We hope this session will be the first of many to come.”

You can access this session by going to New online support for Parents

Please click on this link NPC Tipperary County Branch survey<https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Tipperary_Survey> to partake in this survey.

§  parents/carers of children who currently receive support from the VTHVI Service;

§  children who currently receiving support from the VTHVI Service;

§  interested parties.

Please note that the deadline for receipt of completed questionnaires is 20 January 2014

If you have more than one child in primary education please complete a separate survey for each child.

Please click this link to take the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Schoolbookrentalscheme

Please note the closing date for this survey is Thursday 16th January at 1 pm.