Ballintleva N.S. Parents Association

Ballintleva N.S. has an active Parents Association which welcomes all parents to become involved in its activities throughout the school year.  Our Parents’ Association is the structure through which parents in the school work together for the best possible education for their children. The Parents Association works with the Principal, Staff and Board of Management to build effective partnership between the home and school. New parents are particularly welcome to join and it is a great opportunity to meet the parents of other children in the school. 

The Parents Association is affiliated with the National Parents Council Primary (NPC), which is the nation-wide organisation representing parents of children attending early and primary education. NPC is recognised by the Government and the Education Act 1998 as the body representing you as parents. Their aim is to improve and enrich the education of all children and support parents to get involved in their children’s learning at home, in the community and at school.

Some of the activities of the Parents Association include:

IT Advancement courses

Green Flag and school environment

Grandparents Day

Sports promotional activities 

First Holy Communion

Fundraising Events 

Ballintleva N.S. Parents Association

Committee Members

Chairperson: Raymond Gately

Vice Chairperson: Lorraine Garvey

Secretary: Mairead Keogh

Vice Secretary: Elaine Behan

Treasurer: Irene Kelly

Vice Treasurer: Fiona Glennon

Committee Members:   Michael Gately

Jamie Doyle

Síle Dolan

Kevin Egan

Joanne Browne

Mairéad Moore

Martina Tully

Elaine Crosbie

Ballintleva NS

Parent Association

Constitution

27/05/2014

 The Constitution of the Parent Association of “BALLINTLEVA NATIONAL SCHOOL”

The Purpose of the Parent Association

The Purpose of the Parent Association is to provide a structure through which the parents/guardians of children attending Ballintleva National School can work together for the best possible education for their children. The Parent Association will work with the Principal, staff and Board of Management to build effective partnership between home and school.

 Under the Education Act, 1998

Section 26. – (1) The parents of students of a recognised school may establish, and maintain from among their number, a parents’ association for that school and membership of that association shall be open to all parents of students of that school.

(2)A parents’ association shall promote the interests of the students in a school in co-operation with the board, Principal, teachers and students of the school and for that purpose may

(a)advise the Principal or the board on any matter relating to the school and the Principal or board, as the case may be, who shall have regard to any such advice, and

(b)adopt a programme of activities which will promote the involvement of parents, in consultation with the Principal, in the operation of the school.

(4)      (a) A parents’ association shall, following consultation with its members, make rules governing its meetings and the business and conduct of its affairs.

(b)Where a parents’ association is affiliated to a national association of parents, the rules referred to in paragraph (a) shall be in accordance with guidelines issued by that national association of parents with the concurrence of the Minister.

 The Aim of the Parent Association

The aim of the Parent Association is to enable parents to play their part in ensuring provision of the best possible education for their children and that this is achieved through the Association’s programme of activities.

The Parent Association will promote the interests of the students in co-operation with the Board of Management, Principal, teachers and students, in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, 1998.

 The Work of the Parent Association

The Parent Association will undertake a programme of activities which will promote the involvement of parents and which will support pupils, parents and school staff. In planning its activities, the Parent Association  will consult with the school Principal.

 The Membership of the Parent Association

All parents or guardians of children attending Ballintleva National School will be deemed to be members of the Parent Association.

 The Committee of the Parent Association

The members of the Parent Association will elect a committee with a maximum of 13 and a minimum of 7. This committee will have responsibility for representing the parents of Ballintleva National School and managing the activities of the Parents Association. It is recommended that the committee meet monthly.

 Subcommittees

Subcommittees can be set up for particular tasks. The subcommittees should have a minimum of 2 full committee members, and may also co-opt other parents to assist in their work. The subcommittees may not make decisions or disperse funds without the explicit agreement of the main committee: they remain at all times accountable to the main committee. Sub-committees are deemed to be in place until project completion.

 The Election of the Parent Association committee

The members of the committee will be elected each year at the AGM of the Parent Association. Each member will be elected for one year. At the AGM all committee members step down, but they can be re-elected as long as they continue to be eligible to serve, that is as long as they continue to be a parent or guardian of a child in the school.

A minimum of 4 places on the committee are available for new members each year. The committee recommend  that 3 places are made available for outgoing committee members to be on the new committee going forward each year. Parents’ representatives elected to the Board of Management (2) are automatically members of the committee, but will not hold an officer position on the Parent Association committee. No member of the committee will hold the same officer position for more than three consecutive years. Each committee meeting must have a quorum of 33% + 1 of the committee. If a member elected to the committee is missing for more than 3 consecutive meetings then they will be deemed as having resigned and another parent can be co-opted onto the committee.

 The Work of the committee of the Parent Association

The Parent Association committee will endeavour to consult with all parents on issues which are pertinent to the entire parent body. The Parent Association committee may advise the Principal and Board of Management on any matters relating to the school in accordance with the Education Act, 1998, 26,- (2)(a). The committee is the team that will manage the tasks of the association on behalf of the parent body (the members). The committee will consult with the school Principal and Board of Management and Parents when planning the programme of activities for any particular year. The committee will arrange with the Principal and Board of Management a system for ongoing communication. At the annual general meeting (AGM) the committee will report to the parent body (the members) about its work. The committee will manage and account for any funds collected or expended by the Parent Association.

 Finance

The Parent Association committee will finance the activities of the Parent Association through fundraising.  Each committee should ensure that sufficient funds are in the account for the administration/running costs of the committee for the following year.

A Treasurer will be appointed from among the committee members and will be responsible for keeping account of the income and expenditure of the Parent Association finances. The Treasurer will give a statement of income and expenditure at each committee meeting. A written statement of income and expenditure will be given at the AGM and a copy will be forwarded to the Board of Management for their information.

The Parent Association will keep a bank account in its name. Each cheque issued requires two signatures. The Treasurer and at least one other assigned member of the committee must sign all cheques drawn on the account.

 Fundraising for the School

Fundraising for the school by the Parent Association will be done with the prior agreement of the Board of Management. The Parent Association committee will agree with the Board of Management as to the specific purposes for which funds are to be raised by the Parent Association.

 Membership of National Parents Council Primary

The Parent Association will maintain membership of National Parents Council Primary by annual subscription.

 Changing the Constitution

Changes to the constitution can be made at the AGM or, if for an urgent reason, an EGM can be called for that specific purpose. Proposals to change the constitution must be submitted in writing to the Parent Association committee. The Parent Association committee will then circulate these proposals to all parents before the AGM/EGM. All parents of children in the school at the meeting are eligible to vote on the proposals.

Ballintleva N.S.

Parents Association 

Mission Statement

Ballintleva Parents Association work in partnership with the Principal, Board of Management and the whole school community for the betterment of the children in the school.

We support and empower parents to be active in the best interests of their children’s educational lives.