Home School Community Liaison:  Literacy Initiatives

Storytime Online
For parents of Junior infants and Senior infants
​January 2022

You are invited to participate in STORYTIME ONLINE.
Children are always so excited when their parents are involved in classroom activities.  For this activity, we are asking you to get involved VIRTUALLY!
How does it Work?
  • Participating parents can video record (phone/camera) themselves reading a simple story.
  • After you’ve recorded, send the video via WhatsApp to 0838490219 or email [email protected].  Please put your name and child’s class with the message.
  • Choose your child’s favourite story/ your favourite story or we can give you one from the school library.
  • Try to avoid background noise while you’re recording.
  • Your story will be played in the classroom for the children to listen to and enjoy.
I look forward to hearing from you and I hope you can take part in this exciting project!

Clover Project - Junior Infants
​April 2021

On Thursday 25th March every child in Junior Infant received a pack containing a colouring book, some crayons and two lovely storybooks. These resources make up your child’s CLOVER pack.  The books are supplied to the schools from South Dublin Library, and they are yours to keep!  Using the materials in the pack with your child will help reinforce the work of the school. The pack emphasises the fun element of reading and hopefully it will foster a love of books, which we hope will follow the children throughout their lives. We hope you will read and re-read these books with your child and that you will also find lots of new books to explore in the local library.

The library is closed due to COVID-19, but you can still register to use the library services here - https://lgma.iii.com/selfreg.  

The online library services are available here - https://www.librariesireland.ie/elibrary.

To celebrate the CLOVER project this year we are asking all parents to send in a photograph of you and your child reading the clover books together.  You can email them to hscl@clonburrisns.ie or WhatsApp it to 083-8490219.  Each child who enters will receive a little prize.

We appreciate your continued support and we look forward to seeing all the children having fun reading at home!  In addition, here are some tips on reading with your child at home:

Ten reasons to read to your child
  1. Reading to your child gives him/her the most valuable gift of all, your time!
  2. You are nurturing a lifelong love of reading.
  3. Reading to your child calms him/her down at the end of the day.
  4. You will enjoy the experience yourself.
  5. Reading to your child will give him/her a head start in school.
  6. You are sharing wonderful moments with them.
  7. They will develop an appreciation for good art.
  8. Your children are learning about the world, social skills, moral values and respect.
  9. You are creating precious nostalgic moments for them to treasure.
  10. They will love you for it! 

Here are some book titles that are recommended for reading with your child to help support transition from preschool to primary school.
1.       Starting School by Roderick Hunt & Annemarie Young
2.       Going to School by Grace Jones
3.       Starting School by Janet & Allan Ahlberg ​
4.       Do I have to go to school? A first look at starting school by Pat Thomas
5.       Going to School: Usborne First Experiences by Anne Civardi
6.       Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (deals with separation anxiety)
7.       Tony Goes to School by Valerie Sheehan (for parents and teachers of children who see the world differently)
Picture
Junior Infant Library visits November 2019
​
In November, the Junior Infant children will be brought with their class up to the library for a tour and story time as part of the CLOVER project.

Ms Dempsey's class - Monday 4th November

Ms. Kinlough’s class – Thursday 7th November

Ms. Maher’s class – Tuesday 12th November


Permission slips will be sent home a few days before your child's class are due to go.
Parents are invited to meet their child with his/her class up at Clondalkin library.
We hope to see you there!

Picture

Clover Project - update

The second C.L.O.V.E.R. session for parents of Junior Infant children will be held on Thursday the 24th October at 12:50 pm in the school hall.

A note will be sent home closer to the time with further details.

In the mean time here are some tips on reading with your child at home:

Ten reasons to read to your child
  1. Reading to your child gives him/her the most valuable gift of all, your time!
  2. You are nurturing a lifelong love of reading.
  3. Reading to your child calms him/her down at the end of the day.
  4. You will enjoy the experience yourself.
  5. Reading to your child will give him/her a head start in school.
  6. You are sharing wonderful moments with them.
  7. They will develop an appreciation for good art.
  8. Your children are learning about the world, social skills, moral values and respect.
  9. You are creating precious nostalgic moments for them to treasure.
  10. They will love you for it.
Clover Project
​
The C.L.O.V.E.R. Project will take place for all Junior Infant children in October in the school.  C.L.O.V.E.R. stands for Children Learn On Early Reading.  You will receive a pack containing a colouring book, some crayons and two lovely books. One book will have a literacy focus and the other will have a numeracy focus. These resources make up your child’s CLOVER pack.

The first session will be held on Thursday 3rd October at 12:45 pm in the school hall. 

We would be very grateful if you could return the form with your child to confirm your attendance.  

    Scrabble competition:  Look at the scrabble letter tiles.  Note the score for each letter. Create your highest scoring word but you can only use a maximum of 7 letter tiles.  So 7 letter words are longest possible.  Submit your word & your score in the comment box below to win a prize.  Good luck!

Paired Reading (Senior Infants: Ms.  Creed)
  • Parents visit the classroom to engage in reading for pleasure with their child.
  • Children select a book from library or bring own from home
  • Sessions are usually about 20 minutes
  • Parent and child pairs space out around classroom or hall
Guided Reading (3rd class)
  • 3rd class children are assigned a group
  • Each group reading a novel together and guided by the same parent volunteer each week.
  • Each group pauses during and after reading for questioning, retelling and review. 
C.L.O.V.E.R 'Children Learn On Very Early Reading' (Junior Infants)
  • Project Aim:  to support and encourage parents to play a positive role in the development of their children's literacy skills.
  • ​ Junior Infant parents receive a literacy pack containing a rhyme book, a story book, a colouring book and some crayons.     
  • Project was part funded by the Dormant accounts' fund and the South Dublin County Library.

Feedback from parents has shown, 97% have reported that using the pack had encouraged them to read other books with their children.  50% of parents surveyed are now using the local library.

ONE BOOK PROJECTS - 4th class
Gangsta Granny - 4th Class One Book Project, 2016
​

 Aim:  The project invites classes to engage with the same novel at the same time, and have involvement of parents for fun tasks.  
  • When the book is being discussed at  home and at school, it creates a great buzz and really encourages children and parents to get involved in some fun tasks based on the novel.  

Check out all the work the 4th class created.
JUNIOR INFANTS

Senior Infants - "Barry the Fish with Fingers" - June, 2016

Click here for more photos.
More photos here.