Pottery: These classes take place every Wednesday at 10am until 12pm in the art room in New Cross College.  These classes are open to adults only and will run until end of May 2023.

Workshops: Throughout the year different workshops are held for parents/guardians. These can be anything from Parenting Programmes to Wreath Making, Operation Transformation, Crafts, Zero to 5k walk/run, Glass Decorating, Science Week Experiments etc. We are always on the lookout for new ideas and talent that you can share with us and perhaps give a class to other parents on this. These workshops are advertised via text messaging and Facebook. At Christmas time the parents make items from these classes to be sold at the Christmas market in the school.

If interested in any of these classes please contact me on 0851672777. It’s never too late to sign up and everyone is welcome.

Every September and again in January flyers are sent home with the students detailing what classes and courses are on in the school and in other local schools around so remember to check the school bags! Also follow up text messages are sent along with reminders on our Facebook page.

For the last 2 years all the HSCL teachers in the Cabra/ Finglas area have organised a wellness fair for the adults in our community. Keep an eye on school social media for this years dates. On the day there will be over 20 stalls ranging from health checks to information stalls, nail and hand massage, Angel Card readings, hot breakfast stall, Indian head massage stalls, and a toddler area to name but a few.

Every Monday the Principal, Deputy, Year Heads, HSCL teacher, Behaviour for learning teacher, the Guidance Counsellor, Special needs Coordinator and the SCP Coordinator attend this meeting. Any issues or concerns you may have about your son/daughter can be discussed with any of the above members in a confidential manner and if you wish your son/daughter to attend counselling this can be organised also along with other interventions that you feel may help at that time.

Details of these meetings are in the front pages of the school journal. A letter and text message are also sent to parents as a reminder. At present these meetings take place from 4.15pm until 6.45pm. This means you can call to the school any time during these times. When you arrive to the school you sign in and you will then be given a list of the teachers that teach your son/daughter. I am also present to help with any issues or concerns you may have. Young children are welcome to attend with you as there is a colouring table and drinks to keep them busy while you chat to the teachers.

• Remember the journal is a very precious book and I urge you all to check it regularly as this is where teachers will do most communicating with you in the form of notes etc.

During the year there are a number of events held in our school. These events are open to our local primary schools and in conjunction with the HSCL teacher, our librarian Ciaran and the Principal from the primary school we arrange to take some of the primary children in our school bus to join in the fun e.g. Scientific Sue, Dave’s Jungle, Author in residence etc. It’s always a great way to get the children familiar with our school. For the last two years we have had a Primary School Talent show held in December where the children from the primary schools get to show us their wide array of talents on the night.

Every term the Parents Association meet in the Parents Room in New Cross College at 6.30pm. We are always looking for new parents to join up at any time during the year. These meetings are really important in highlighting the shared understanding of the important partnership role parents play in our school and also to form part of the policy making and decisions that take place in the school. 

We engage in a partnership with Business in The Community. This program aims to tackle the retention rates in post primary schools while at the same time fostering a pipeline of talent and equipping our students in skills such as CV preparation and mock interview techniques so as to prepare them for their future in the work place.

On September 13th all the post primary schools in the Finglas area come together to showcase their schools. This showcase takes place in Erins Isle and is attended by the 4^th, 5^th & 6th class parents of the children from all the local primary schools in the Finglas area. The idea behind this event is to empower parents in making choices about the secondary school they would like to send their child to. On the morning itself parents are invited to visit each of the post primary school stands and to ask questions about their schools, the different programmes on offer, the special needs provisions in each of the schools, breakfast & lunch clubs, after school study, fees, transport etc. Each of the post primary stands will have the HSCL teacher along with two students from their schools so there is lots of opportunity given to chat to the teachers and students.

The parents/guardians of the new incoming first years are invited into New Cross College along with their child for an information evening (Time TBC). We all understand how daunting this experience can be especially if this is your first child starting secondary school and so the information evening will alleviate a lot of those fears. An information pack is also given out on that day which includes uniform details, books, school rules and times, subjects etc. It is also a chance to get to meet the Principal, Deputy Principal, Year head, HSCL and other staff members. Details of this date is sent out in a letter and followed up with a phone call to each of the families.