Was out at School Sports this arvo and got back to hear this news?
Anyone know more info on this?
Ms Laffoy leaving ???
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John Spark
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Not happy to hear that news at all. She was one of the reasons we felt confident sending our daughter to the school. Her enthusiasm and no-nonsense approach were a big attraction.
I've heard she was head-hunted but not sure how true that is.
She will be a big loss to the school.
I've heard she was head-hunted but not sure how true that is.
She will be a big loss to the school.
My children came home from school yesterday and we are all gutted that Ms Laffoy is leaving. This is a very sad day for Donabate Community College and Donabate itself. This Lady has done so much for all of the children in her school even when at times, certain parents and people may not have appreciated it. In actual fact , we as parents and members of the community will never know the amount of dedication that this Lady has given to our children in the past 5 years. Her new school are so lucky to get her. I wish her all the best because she so deserves it. We hope that her legacy will continue for a long time to come. Tragic ! 
Cant hide my excitement.
Apparently she's going back to her old school.
Nothing against her personally, just think she's very old fashioned and would love to see a younger open minded person running the school. Fingers crossed.
And, before attacking me, remember that everyone is entitled to their opinions and I'm not the only one delighted with the news.
Apparently she's going back to her old school.
Nothing against her personally, just think she's very old fashioned and would love to see a younger open minded person running the school. Fingers crossed.
And, before attacking me, remember that everyone is entitled to their opinions and I'm not the only one delighted with the news.
I for one would not like your type of Principal and I am seriously considering taking my two out of the school. I have spoken to other parents and they are of a similar mind. I suppose it is all about your standards and Ms. Laffoy's standards must have being too high for some. Beba please leave the sarcasm and mockery out of a discussion about the future of our school.
Thehe's no sarcasm in my post. I just expressed my opinion. If you don't like it it's your problem only. I don't like yours but i don't get all worked up about it. Makes me smile that you wouldn't like an open minded principal,but as i said, everybody is entitled to their opinion.
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Vlad the Impaler
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I think Beba was just expressing an opinion.
Out of interest Beba, what do you mean by more open minded?
More sex education? Less strict dress code? Could mean a lot of things.
Out of interest Beba, what do you mean by more open minded?
More sex education? Less strict dress code? Could mean a lot of things.
Vlad, I'd like a principal capable of inspiring the pupils, that understands that fear has never been a valuable educative method, I'd like to hear laughs coming from the corridors, I'd like to see parents presence allowed in the school, I'd like to see an office that passes on the messages (or the forgotten lunches), I'd like to see debate encouraged rather than punished, I'd like to see a principal that doesn't punish his pupils for taking part in charity events, but rather decide that the school can host such events. I'd like to see a principal that doesn't care about what his pupils look like, but rather encourages them to express their own individuality. This is the kind of school I would like for my kids. Having said so, I'd be more than happy even just to have a principal that allows the kids to take off their sweater when there are 20 degrees in the classroom. So Davemac, yes, I am thinking about the future of my children, and just because my views on the matter are different from yours it doesn't mean my standards are lower than yours. Just different. I find that quite offensive. Maybe you weren't taught tolerance and respect in school?
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John Spark
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Based on your continued use of the word "his" - intentionally or otherwise - I take it you want a man to run the school?
Do you have examples of where debate has been punished?
As for the laughter, my daughter is always smiling going to school and coming home, and her and her friends seem to have no problem laughing in school either.
Do you have examples of where debate has been punished?
As for the laughter, my daughter is always smiling going to school and coming home, and her and her friends seem to have no problem laughing in school either.
Sorry, the constant use of "his" is more due to the fact that English isn't my first language. I've just been told my standards are low or non existent just because I don't agree with someone. I expressed my opinion and made my point and I will leave this conversation before it becomes even more uncivilised.
Fingers crossed the new principal will make everyone happy.
I've just been told my standards are low or non existent just because I don't agree with someone. I expressed my opinion and made my point and I will leave this conversation before it becomes even more uncivilised.Fingers crossed the new principal will make everyone happy.
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Vlad the Impaler
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Well, I don't have kids in the school yet, but I prefer more discipline than less where kids are concerned. Certainly my experience (in a boys school) was that there was always a messer that would take advantage of a bit of freedom - and would in turn disrupt life for the others. Multiply that by several hundred kids and you have a problem.
Try teaching a class sometime and you'll get the picture (I'm not a teacher but I've got some experience in the past).
Jumpers at 20c seems a bit extreme though. Frankly I find it hard to believe a teacher would let kids sit and sweat.
Try teaching a class sometime and you'll get the picture (I'm not a teacher but I've got some experience in the past).
Jumpers at 20c seems a bit extreme though. Frankly I find it hard to believe a teacher would let kids sit and sweat.
What strikes me about beba's vision for the school is that it's not as if we wouldn't love to see a school like that. It's just that it's a utopian vision that won't work because children are not adults, they are still developing physically and mentally and that is why they need parenting, discipline and boundaries. Don't forget that teachers are legally in loco parentis during the school day - they are there to enforce the rules as well as provide an education.
Now, every child should be happy at school. No teacher should be presiding over a hostile environment where the individuality and creativity of children - within reasonable boundaries - is suppressed. And certainly every decent school nowadays tries to find a way of fostering and encouraging the talents and abilities of every single student. Despite that, it is in the nature of a significant number of students to push boundaries to the limit. The problem is that legally schools can get in trouble if they retrospectively try to enforce a rule that wasn't provided for in an existing policy. That's where hairstyles and jewellery can be such a minefield. Thus, the simplest thing is to provide for clear and unfortunately pretty conservative rules that keep one issue clearly to the fore: the primary purpose of a school is to provide a good education. When you start running rings around yourself trying to please everyone and fighting the ensuing fires, you get distracted from that task and very quickly parents who want the best for their children will look towards what they see as a better run school.
One other point. Parents have a place in schools. It is on the Board of Management and through the Parents' Association. They can also contact a teacher at any time. They do not have a place in the day to day running of things any more than a non-executive director should be micro-managing employees. Indeed, it's in everyone's interests that only vetted people have access to children in schools insofar as possible. Parents have a very important voice in deciding the type of school they want but it is for the principal and staff to deliver that on a day to day basis.
Now, every child should be happy at school. No teacher should be presiding over a hostile environment where the individuality and creativity of children - within reasonable boundaries - is suppressed. And certainly every decent school nowadays tries to find a way of fostering and encouraging the talents and abilities of every single student. Despite that, it is in the nature of a significant number of students to push boundaries to the limit. The problem is that legally schools can get in trouble if they retrospectively try to enforce a rule that wasn't provided for in an existing policy. That's where hairstyles and jewellery can be such a minefield. Thus, the simplest thing is to provide for clear and unfortunately pretty conservative rules that keep one issue clearly to the fore: the primary purpose of a school is to provide a good education. When you start running rings around yourself trying to please everyone and fighting the ensuing fires, you get distracted from that task and very quickly parents who want the best for their children will look towards what they see as a better run school.
One other point. Parents have a place in schools. It is on the Board of Management and through the Parents' Association. They can also contact a teacher at any time. They do not have a place in the day to day running of things any more than a non-executive director should be micro-managing employees. Indeed, it's in everyone's interests that only vetted people have access to children in schools insofar as possible. Parents have a very important voice in deciding the type of school they want but it is for the principal and staff to deliver that on a day to day basis.
I'm just hoping that the new principal will be more open to sport in the school. There have been offers of help in funding and of supplies and of coaching but they've all been declined.
I have my fingers crossed this time for a change in that policy.
I hear she's headed back to the school where she was previously Vice Head and I wish her well in her new position.
I have my fingers crossed this time for a change in that policy.
I hear she's headed back to the school where she was previously Vice Head and I wish her well in her new position.
it isn't an utopian vision Estuarine, as there are schools like that out there and they are working just fine. I hate bringing out the ET as an example, because I know many people are still pretty narrow minded about it, but many non ET secondary schools have nowadays embraced a more modern and positive approach to schooling.
Never said discipline isn't important, but there are positive ways to implement discipline.
And, once again, no, children aren't allowed to take their jumpers off.
Having said so, it surprises me how hostile people can be when someone talks about bringing education in to the new millennium.
And to answer about Parent's involvement in the school, I applied to become a PTA member and no one ever even had the decency to get back to me.
Never said discipline isn't important, but there are positive ways to implement discipline.
And, once again, no, children aren't allowed to take their jumpers off.
Having said so, it surprises me how hostile people can be when someone talks about bringing education in to the new millennium.
And to answer about Parent's involvement in the school, I applied to become a PTA member and no one ever even had the decency to get back to me.
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John Spark
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Beba, I asked if you had examples of debate being punished and you said you wouldn't say any more on the subject. Such unfounded claims are a bit dangerous and unhelpful.
I've asked my daughter about the jumpers. Her answer was that they can take their jumpers off anytime, but the girls generally don't as they're worried the blouses might be see-through but the boys take theirs off all the time.
As for sport in the school - I know there was a girls gaelic team. The boys first year soccer team got to a Leinster final this year. The kids came 2nd in this F1 competition in Ireland and are heading to Texas soon to a world competition. Thsre are lots of sports in the school. It is a school - not a sports club.
The day the school turns into an ET school is the day I will take my daughter out of it!! The rules are clearly advertised before anyone sends their child there.
Estuarine, great post!!
I've asked my daughter about the jumpers. Her answer was that they can take their jumpers off anytime, but the girls generally don't as they're worried the blouses might be see-through but the boys take theirs off all the time.
As for sport in the school - I know there was a girls gaelic team. The boys first year soccer team got to a Leinster final this year. The kids came 2nd in this F1 competition in Ireland and are heading to Texas soon to a world competition. Thsre are lots of sports in the school. It is a school - not a sports club.
The day the school turns into an ET school is the day I will take my daughter out of it!! The rules are clearly advertised before anyone sends their child there.
Estuarine, great post!!
I too wish Ms Laffoy all the best, its a pity that she wont see the school complete their first leaving cert year. Is the school perfect....no....but I am overall very happy with it as are our children. I do think that Ms Laffoy has done her best and while we go on about all our children being looked after, she also has a responsibility to her teaching staff. Let me try and tell you a little story about an incident that one of our kids witnessed recently, which frankly sickened me to my stomach.....I will do my best to disguise what happened in case there are younger eyes looking in.....pupil in class says to teacher "Hey X, wanna see my new Ipad...." X looks at pupil and pupil holds up a certain type of Pad with an eye drawn on it......to which most of the class roar laughing at the teacher's embarrassment. So, I for one believe that I much prefer a school which is strict. In the interest of fairness, what Beba says about the jumpers is true, on a number of occasions last year, our kids have come home with bright red faces complaining of feeling sick in the class because it was too hot and they were not allowed to take their jumpers off, I've asked them about this year and they roared laughing at me and said its not been hot enough to need to take them off !!!!
I've three children in the school, one has been there since it opened in the temporary buildings beside DAPSA.
Ms Laffoy has been more than approachable during that time, as have any of the teachers in our experience.
Just asked the children, and they all said that they're allowed to take jumpers off if hot, as long as they ask first.
I wish Ms Laffoy all the best in the future, she has delivered a fine school in my opinion. My children were sad at the announcement of her leaving which takes some doing to affect teenagers!
Ms Laffoy has been more than approachable during that time, as have any of the teachers in our experience.
Just asked the children, and they all said that they're allowed to take jumpers off if hot, as long as they ask first.
I wish Ms Laffoy all the best in the future, she has delivered a fine school in my opinion. My children were sad at the announcement of her leaving which takes some doing to affect teenagers!
I collect my two children most evenings from school, I see a stream of students coming out of the school without their jumpers. My two told me no rule exists and it is common during the day for some kids to remove their jumpers. In relation to sports, I believe it is hard to reach a level where all parents are content. I am very happy with the level of sports in the school. In fact I think there is a bit too much at junior level. In relation to Beba's definition of an ideal Principal, that person has yet to be born. Someone that will constantly agree with her/him. Be at their service 24/7 Lunches! what do you think the teachers are your servants. A school must provide for the majority not a small minority. I wish Ms, Laffoy the best and my only hope is who ever takes over from her will continue on with her culture , commitment and work ethic.
Every parent has a place in a parent-teacher association and the Education Act 1998 provides for that. However, it is normal to elect a committee at the AGM every year. You should be notified when that is taking place.
I agree that it doesn't look great to be volunteering to help with things and not being responded to. Beba, I fully acknowledge that your heart is in the right place with that attitude. However, the thing to do is go along to the next AGM (most schools have them early in the school year) and run for a committee position. At the very least, you can leave your contact details there and knowing parents' associations, they won't be slow in looking for you:)
I agree that it doesn't look great to be volunteering to help with things and not being responded to. Beba, I fully acknowledge that your heart is in the right place with that attitude. However, the thing to do is go along to the next AGM (most schools have them early in the school year) and run for a committee position. At the very least, you can leave your contact details there and knowing parents' associations, they won't be slow in looking for you:)
I know we are kind of going off topic, but its so interesting re the 'Jumper' issue ! I also have 3 children in the school and all 3 say that it is frowned upon to take off your jumpers, they say some teachers are ok about it but others flatly say no, the only real no no apparently is to be in the corridors without it.......and I've decided to visit specsavers next week as I too collect my 3 three days out of five, but I would say I would only see 3/4/5 kids without jumpers.......note to self....ask for a definative answer at next AGM !