The Parents Council are funding a storyteller. Liam Farrell author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf will visit the school on Thursday 12th November. See Live in Costume The All Action "Big Good Wolf Show". Hear what the Three Pigs did to Upset the Wolf for Infants - 4th Class. Especially for 5th and 6th Class Children Talks on how to get started in Creative Writing.

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We An Update from the Parent’s Council…
AGM
This year’s parent’s council AGM was held on Tuesday 6th October.  We were very pleased with the interest shown on the night and would like to extend thanks to all those who attended.  We would also like to give a special mention to new parents with children in junior infants who attended.
On the night, the parent’s council presented Mr. O’Brien with a cheque for the total of €3,500.  There are also plans to pay for the new school yard markings which we hope will add some nice colour to the existing grounds. 
For the upcoming school year Theresa Thompson will again act as chairperson for the group and Claire Long Bergin will remain as treasurer.  Deirdre Ryan was appointed secretary for the group and the position for the public relations officer (POR) remains open.  If anybody is interested in taking up a position but were unable to attend the AGM, please contact Theresa Thompson (086 3384670).  The parent’s council would like to say a special thank you to both Donna Sheeran (outgoing secretary) and Caroline Treacy (outgoing PRO).  Both ladies will remain part of the parent’s council committee but in unnamed positions.  Congratulations to Donna on the recent birth of her baby daughter Lauren!
Tesco Bag Pack
Our annual Tesco bag pack will take place on Friday 23rd October and Saturday 24th October.  Fundraising slots will run from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm on Friday and from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturday.  Each slot will be 2 hrs long and we would be most grateful if people could try to fit a slot into their busy schedules.  This is one of the biggest fund raisers of the school year.  Please contact Theresa Thompson (0863384670) if you are in a position to help out with this important event.
School Calendar
The new Heath school calendar is now on sale for a cost of €5 and is available from the school office during office hours. The school calendar now runs from October to September and includes dates for swimming, communion, confirmation and midterm/holiday breaks.  A big thank you must go to all the sponsors for the calendar.  Without their support the production of the calendar would not have been possible.
No Halloween Disco this Year
The parent’s council have decided to take a break from the Halloween disco this year.  In place of the disco there will be eight hampers available as prizes (one for each class) for best Halloween costume.
Bags to School Clothing/Mobile Phones Collection
This year the parent’s council will hold two clothing (and mobile phone) collections.  This first event will be held during the week ending the 13th November and the second shall be held during the week ending the 8th April 2016.  Both of these dates are after holiday breaks so this will give everybody the opportunity to gather plenty of unwanted clothing and/or mobile phones.  We shall earn €0.45/kg of clothing collected during these events.  On top of this, the bags to school’s collection company shall make a donation of 10% of our total earnings to the Laura Lynn foundation.  This is a great opportunity to support your children’s school and worthy cause.  We would ask you to please spread the word about this collection to your friends and family who may have unwanted clothes and/or phones that they could donate.  Items can be dropped to the school from the Monday of each collection week.  Should anyone be in the position that they have a lot of items and are unable to transfer them directly to the school, please contact Theresa Thompson (0863384670) who will make arrangements for a collection.
Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
The parent’s council in conjunction with the National Parent’s Council (NPC) have arranged to hold a talk on the above subject during the month of December or January.  The exact date will be confirmed soon.  We urge everyone to take the opportunity to attend this course as we feel it will be of great value to parents and guardians.
Reading Month
As November will be reading month this year, we hope to arrange for a storyteller to visit all classes in the school.
Internet Safety for Children
The parent’s council are currently organising a talk for the older children of the school on the subject of internet safety and cyber bullying.  We believe that this is a very important subject in today’s society.  The date for this event has yet to be confirmed but we shall notify everyone as soon as we have confirmation.
Special Thanks
The parent’s council would like to say a special thank you to Mary Browne at the Bank of Ireland in Portlaoise who this year nominated the Heath School for the ‘Give Together’ initiative.  Because of her nomination, the Heath school received a cheque for €1,000 at the end of the last school year.
Finally
As a closing note the parent’s council would like to say a big thank you to Mr. O’Brien for the vision that he has brought to the school over the last 10 years and the achievement of the extended school that the children now have the pleasure of attending.  We know that the vision does not end here and we look forward to seeing and experiencing what has yet to come.
The Parent’s Council

School Calendar is now on Sale from the school office. €5 Each