My Canine Companion

4th November 2024

We are delighted to share with you all that we will be welcoming a very special new member to the school team this November. HFSS, in collaboration with My Canine Companion (MCC), will welcome a school therapy puppy to our school community this month. MCC developed Ireland’s first school therapy dog programme.

Originally piloted in Munster in 2020, the organisation now has 60 school dogs working nationwide, supporting students and staff throughout their school day. HFSS will be one of four secondary schools in County Kildare to be among the first schools in Leinster to be a part of this programme. Research has shown the benefits of therapy dogs in education settings.

MCC schools have reported a significant improvement in areas of wellbeing, mental health, anxiety, absenteeism, staff and student morale since the introduction of an MCC school therapy dog. This will be a working dog and will always be with a trained handler.

https://www.mycaninecompanion.ie/mcc-school-therapy-dog-programme

The school policy and risk assessment is available to read in the pdf documents at the links attached here below:

HFSS Therapy Dog Policy 2024

HFSS Therapy Dog Risk Assessment 2024

Open Evening

Tuesday 10th October 2024

4.00 – 6.30pm

Open Night Flyer 2024

Parents Association

Next Meeting: TBC

At the Holy Family Secondary School

All parents/guardians warmly welcomed

HFSS Parents Association AGM School letter .docx

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is the start of a new school year; therefore, we would like to invite you to the AGM of the Parents Association of the Holy Family Secondary school. The AGM will be followed by a short Parents Association meeting.

As parents and guardians of the students attending the Holy Family Secondary School, you automatically belong to the Parents Association. The Association meets one Monday each month at 7.30pm in the school.

Our role in the school

Review and advice, as required, with the principal and staff on school policies.
Fundraising for the benefit of the school, e.g. Christmas raffle.
Build effective partnership between school and the home.
Maintain communication with the school and keep up to date with school news.
We seek to support and promote the wellbeing of the school, the students and each other.

We are always looking for fresh ideas to bring to our school community and parents are one of our greatest resources. With that in mind we are always looking for new members to join our association. We would encourage you to come and get involved.

We are delighted to be in a position to hold the meeting in the school this year after two years of Zoom meetings. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to be included on a mailing list, you may email hfssparentsassociation@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you.

Caoimhe O’Connor- Chairperson

The Parents Association can be contacted at:

hfssparentsassociation@gmail.com

HFSS School Strategic Development Plan 2021-2026

Summary -School Plan 2021-2026 Presentation

Curriculum

Click on the link here below:

JC SPHE Information for Parents

DCU Fuse Programme

This year 2nd year students will be participating in the FUSE Post-Primary AntiBullying and Online Safety Programme, developed by the Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) at Dublin City
University. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school to partner with the Anti-Bullying Centre, DCU. The Centre hosts the UNESCO Chair on bullying and cyberbullying and the Irish Research Observatory on Cyberbullying, Cyberhate and Online Harassment.

It is designed to support the wider SPHE/RSE/Wellbeing curricula in schools. At the heart of the FUSE
programme is the aim of building capacity in schools themselves to tackle bullying and online safety issues and
to empower children and adolescents to understand their own behaviour, be able to recognise bullying and
online safety risks and be confident in how to report and seek support when they need it.
The FUSE programme consists of four mandatory workshops namely:
1. Bullying and the Importance of Noticing
2. Cyberbullying and the Importance of Noticing
3. Online Safety – Privacy and Sharing Online
4. Online Safety – Cyber Security Awareness

The aim of the programme is to increase the confidence of children in Noticing, Responding and Reporting
bullying and online safety issues. Please see the letter attached.

FUSE DCU post-primary

An an initiative for Anti-Bullying, DCU Anti-Bullying Centre, have made a guide available for parents on the below websites, entitled “Understanding Bullying and Cyberbullying: A Guide on How to Support Your Child”.

Available to download: