COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
QUESTION NO. 1
QUESTION: Councillor C. Jones
To ask the Manager if the Council are using an up-to-date contact list for all of the schools located in the Lucan/Palmerston areas? And to state what regular contact is made with the schools concerning relevant information, issues or events that the Council organises?
REPLY:
ROADS DEPARTMENT:
There are approximately 130 schools in the County and the lists/details in the Road's Department are updated as changes occur.
The Roads & Traffic Department would have regular contact with 75 schools served by the school warden service.
Relevant Road safety promotions are circulated to the appropriate schools by email.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SECTION:
The Environmental Awareness Section has an up to date list of schools in the County. Over the past year they have been contacted by various means – school visits, email, newsletter, letter or phone about the following:
Primary Schools & Secondary Schools
- Eco Week 2011 (various events free to schools Eco Quiz with Richenda Garland, Dale Treadwell Naturally Wild, Roisin Raven Anti Litter Story telling at Libraries for school children, Eco Unesco – Wild Watchers Nature Studies for Young People, Marvin the Magician Recycling Magic Show, The R Factor – environmental game show, Climate Change song workshops, Grassroots show, Grow Your Own Workshop, Glitter Na Gig Environment Show) events were allocated to schools on a first come first served basis
- Green Schools Assessment (Schools taking part in the programme due for assessment)
- National Spring Clean
- Green Schools Seminar for Teachers
- Some schools requested a talk for pupils on topics of waste, litter, water, energy provided by Environmental Awareness Staff.
- Bulbs not Bonfires
- School Anti Litter & Anti Graffiti Competition
- Anti Litter & Anti Graffiti Awareness Grant
- Local Agenda 21 Environment Partnership Fund
- School Newsletter with information on Environmental Awareness and education supports for schools in the county
- Water Conservation Pack for Schools
- Water Hippos for water conservation in cisterns
- Litter Buster anti-litter awareness mural 2011 - allocated to schools on a first come first served basis
Primary Schools Only
- Garbo Litter/Waste Workshops - allocated to schools on a first come first served basis
- Graffiti Wipeout Workshops - allocated to schools on a first come first served basis
- SEAI Energy Workshops for Primary Schools - allocated to schools on a first come first served basis
COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT:
The Community Services Department have an up-to-date Primary and Secondary Schools database for the County, which is updated on an ongoing basis. Regular contact is made through direct contact with School Principals and/or other relevant Teachers, by phone, via e-mail and flyer/posters etc., to promote and advertise activities, events, competitions, festivals and other relevant issues.
Details of events/activities organised by Community Services Department can be viewed on Community Services Website - http://communityservices.southdublin.ie/
LIBRARY SERVICES:
South Dublin Libraries originally worked from a list of primary and post primary schools supplied by the Department of Education which gave school name, address and contact phone number. Last year this list was revised locally to include contact email addresses. Most of our communication nowadays is by email and we constantly seek to ensure that we are using correct addresses. If emails bounce back to us we follow up by phone and amend our records accordingly.
We endeavour to maintain regular contact with all primary schools, informing them of projects and events we are organising as well as current services offered locally and through the library website. Schools are contacted by their local branch library and by the Children’s Services Team who work across the County with teachers, parents and young readers.
Library staff email events/listings once month to schools and to some individual teachers with an interest in particular areas. In 2011 over 2500 class visits took place across the branch network as classes visited to borrow books and work on projects. Regular contact with Home School Liaison teachers is maintained particularly in relation to specific projects, summer projects, One Book, One School projects and Bed Time Reading clubs for early start children. All branch libraries make direct email contact at the start of each academic year encouraging class visits. Librarians also visit schools on a regular basis to register children and to market the website www.southdublinlibraries.ie.
Ongoing annual targeted events to schools include Children’s Book Festival, Science Week, Seachtain na Gaeilge, Teen Week, Innovation Dublin, Heritage Month, Ruaille Buaille, and Eco Week. In 2010 the library services delivered a project entitled All Join In which saw staff from the libraries visit every primary school in the County over the year to speak with students and demonstrate the services available for young readers.