Information Booklet for Parents
We welcome you and your child to our school. We hope that you will have many happy years with us.
This booklet outlines many of our school practices and we ask you to familiarise yourselves with them and discuss them with your child.
This booklet is revised annually and we welcome any suggestions you may have.
School Policies
A sub committee of the Board comprising of teachers and parents are working on school policies. To date the policies completed and adopted by the BOM are
Copies are available from the school office.
The Sibling Aftercare
To facilitate one collection by parents and childminders, the Board of Management sanctions a "Sibling Aftercare" from 1.10 - 2.10 for Junior & Senior Infants who have an older sibling in the school. This does not apply to a minder who is collecting children from different families.
The Board does not become involved in this service unless it conflicts with the smooth running of the school. The Board and staff are not responsible for the safety of children while in the aftercare. However "good school behaviour" and care of school property is expected from children at all times while they are on the school premises and grounds. Information regarding this facility will be displayed on the Parents' Notice Board.
School Campus
The entrance to the school grounds is via the gate on Fitzwilliam Place North, just off the Lower Grangegorman road. Parents can park on the Lower Grangegorman Road at drop off and collection times, but parents and minders are asked not to park in Fitzwilliam Place. The car park on the school grounds is reserved for the use of staff of the school, school buses, and certain other users. The pedestrian walkway for children and accompanying adults is opened at 08.30 each morning. While on the school grounds people are asked not to cycle or scoot beyond the entrance gate.
We are most fortunate in the wonderful new grounds on the campus. We would appreciate your co-operation in encouraging the children to care for and respect them. We ask that they don't run around, climb trees or damage plants and pick flowers.
Children and parents who cycle to school should walk with their bicycle from the enterance gate on the school grounds. Bicycles may be parked at the provided facilities. The school accepts no responsibility for their security. There have been bicycle thefts.
The School Day
The length of the school day is determined by the Department of Education and Science (D.E.S.).
School starts at 8.50 for all children and finishes at 1.10 for Junior and Senior Infants, and at 2.10 for 1st - 6th classes.
Morning Arrival
The front gate and door are opened at 8.30 and children should not arrive before this time. The school cannot accept responsibility for children who arrive earlier. Even if the door is open please wait in the yard.
We ask that your child arrive by 8.45 so that classes can start punctually. It is upsetting for a child to arrive late and disruptive to a class. We request that parents do not accompany children to classes after 8.45. If you arrive after this time please say your "goodbyes" outside the closed classroom door.
Children who arrive late (after 8.50) may be marked absent. Once the D.E.S. roll has been called it cannot be altered.
Parental Involvement
The school welcomes involvement from parents who may have a particular interest or skill that they wish to share with the children during school hours, e.g., sport, drama, art, computers, nature, or give a talk on a particular topic. Interested people should contact the principal.
Transport to School
The D.E.S. provides a bus to transport eligible children to and from school - children living 3.2 km (2 miles) or more from their nearest E.T. school with permanent recognition. This service is co-ordinated by a volunteer usually a parent of a child using the bus. The school staff have no responsibility towards the children using this service. Applications for a place are made through the school office.
Denominational Instruction
Instruction is organised by parents after school hours. The contact names can be displayed on the Parents Notice Board.
Mobile Phones
Children should not bring mobile phones to school unless a parent feels that it is absolutely necessary. Please put this in writing giving your reasons why your child needs to bring a phone to school. All such authorised phones must be switched off between 8.30 & 2.10 while the child is in school and while at after school classes. If a child switches on a phone while in the building or grounds it will be removed from them and returned only to a parent. Permission to have it in school may be withdrawn. We also request that parents switch off their phones while on the school premises. Camera phones are not to be used in the school at any time.
Visitors to the School
All visitors to the school should use the intercom at the entrance to the schoolyard. They should make themselves known to the Principal or Secretary in the school office immediately.
Notice Boards
There are several notice boards in the entrance hall - for School / Board of Management Notices and Parent Notices. Parents wishing to place a notice on the board must contact the Board of Management or Principal. Notices placed without permission are removed.
Home Time
Home time for Junior & Senior Infants is 1.10 and for all other classes 2.10. All children walk with a teacher to the gate for these times.
Parents and guardians may wait on the school grounds to collect children after school. Junior & Senior Infants are always handed over by a teacher to the collecting adult. Please ensure that younger siblings are supervised.
The school cannot accept responsibility for children who are not collected on time. We advise you to discuss with your child what to do in the event of the collecting adult being late, where to wait, safety etc. We recommend that children wait on the school grounds. It may be possible for you to contact another parent who will wait with your child until you arrive. We recommend a "buddy system".
If another adult is collecting your child from the yard please tell them in advance. If your child will be going home on their own please put this in writing to the school.
The School Calendar
The school year for all Primary Schools is 183 days. The D.E.S. in agreement with the Teacher Unions have standardised most of the main breaks for holidays -October mid-term, Christmas, February mid-term and Easter. The agreement allows each school some limited flexibility.
A school calendar will be sent home early in September listing closures for holidays and teacher meetings. There may be further closings for Teacher Inservice and school based Planning Days on the introduction of the Revised Curriculum. You will be informed as soon as the school is notified about these days.
Payment of Money
Requests for money will always be in writing. We request that if paying by cash you send in the exact amount. Payments should always be in a sealed envelope. Please put the child's name, class and indication of what the payment is for on the front of the envelope. There is a locked post-box outside the office and envelopes should be left here, unless it is specified that it is to be paid to the class teacher.
Birthday Invitations
We have learned from experience that it is not a good practice for invitations to be given out on the school premises. It can be a cause of great upset, especially for younger children. In the past parents sometimes asked teachers to give out invitations on their behalf. Even when this is done discreetly children can think it is the teacher who is issuing the invitation.
Care of Books & Materials
We recommend that your child has a strong decent size school bag that will hold their lunch and materials. Bags are similar to lunch boxes. The "novelty" bag while desirable may not always be practical. Children should have a bag that they can carry comfortably on their backs. It is a good walk from the school to the gate and pull along bags on wheels are a danger to other children. It is also difficult to manoeuvre them down the stairs. We are conscious of minimising the weight of children's bags. We operate a book rental scheme, so many of the books needed in the senior classes are left in school. You would be surprised at how many non-essential school items some children carry around in their bags.
We operate a book rental and borrowing scheme for English Readers, History, Geography & Science books. If your child loses or damages a book so that it cannot be used again we require you to buy a replacement book.
The care of all materials, personal and those belonging to the school and others is stressed and encouraged on an ongoing basis. Children will be provided with a plasticbag or wallet to bring home books belonging to the school. Please don't put lunch or drinks into these bags. Your help in encouraging them to care for these books would be greatly appreciated.
Absences
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was set up under the Education Welfare Act 2000. Under the new act parents and guardians must let the school know in writing if their child is absent and why. If your child is absent please send a note on their return to their class teacher. This note should have a date and give the date/s that the child was absent. Please don't write these notes in homework journals as they are kept on file. Please do not phone the office if your child is absent unless they have a contagious illness.
Every school must notify the NEWB if it is concerned about a child's attendance. This will generally happen if a child has missed a total of 20 days in the school year even if those absences are accounted for by letter. If there is a worry that your child is missing out on his/ her education, an Educational Welfare Officer may visit you to discuss the matter.
If your child has to leave school early please notify the class teacher in writing. If you are collecting your child early please inform the class teacher or principal beforehand.
If somebody other than a parent or regular childminder is collecting your child please let the teacher know in writing.
Breaks
There are two breaks during the day, a short break When the children remain in their classroom and eat most of their lunch and a longer play break when, weather permitting they go to the yard. When they return to their class after the outdoor break they can finish any remaining lunch. If the children are unable to go to the yard because of bad weather they are supervised in the school.
Lunches
The school operates a "Healthy Lunch Policy". Children are not to bring fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate and crisps. They may bring some treats on party days. You will be told in advance about these days in writing! Teachers occasionally give sweets to their class as a treat.
There are children in the school with a severe nut Allergy. Children are not to bring any foods containing nut or nut extract.
Dublin City Council supplies milk and sandwiches daily and fruit once a week. Occasionally these lunches don't arrive so children should always bring some lunch and drink.
Homework
Please familiarize yourself with our homework policy. Homework is an important part of your child's work. It serves several purposes:
- consolidation of school work-an opportunity to develop independent work
- enables parents to observe their child in an working situation.
We include the following tips from the Irish National Teachers Organisation's booklet "Your Child in the Primary School".
- Establish a homework routine
- The child should be sitting comfortably at a table
- Homework time should include oral as well as written work.
- If your child is working independently be available to help and show an interest in what is being done.
- Praise your child's efforts at every opportunity.
- If you feel yourself becoming impatient with your child, stop.
- If your child is persistently having problems with homework talk to the class teacher
- Encourage your child to keep their books and copies clean and tidy.
Helping your child with their homework is not the same as doing the homework for them. If your child comes into school with homework done correctly but not understood, this is of no benefit to them. In this case the teacher may be unaware of any difficulties. It is best to write a note in the journal saying they tried their best but could not do the work.
Home - School Communication
A child's happiness and progress in school is enhanced by a positive home school partnership. If you have any concerns relating to your child please discuss them with the class teacher. If you need to meet the teacher please make an appointment so the teacher can arrange with a colleague to supervise the class and meet you without any distractions.
Individual Parent - Teacher Meetings are held in the second term. If you have an important concern please don't wait until then to talk to the teacher. These meetings are very short as a teacher can have up to 30 sets of parents to meet in 21/2 hours. In turn be assured that if a teacher has a concern she/he will contact you. Each year a written report on your child's progress during the previous school year will be sent to you at the end of June. This report if intended for the attention of parents/guardians of the named child.
A weekly information letter is sent out each Thursday. There may occasionally be notes on other days so please check your child's bag regularly. We are aware that notes are not always passed on to parents.
It is important that the school is informed if a child's parents don't reside together. It is assumed that regarding all school communications that the parent with whom the child resides will keep the other parent informed. If this is not the practice please let the Principal know. If there is a custody arrangement regarding your child the school needs to be informed. In the absence of a custody arrangement, both parents will be treated as equal partners as regards the parenting rights and responsibilities. The school cannot be asked to withhold a child from either parent in the absence of a custody arrangement.
A strong lunch box (not a zipped lunch bag) that will fit into a school bag and can be opened easily,is recommended as food lying in school bags can be squashed. It is also more hygienic and less messy if children eat food directly from the box.
The children bring home all uneaten food. This way you will know what your child has eaten. They also bring home all their own rubbish. Disposing of lunch rubbish for so many children is difficult and we do not feel it is fair to ask our school cleaners to carry heavy rubbish bags down so many stairs. We would also have to pay more for rubbish collection
Please give your child lunch and drink containers that they can open themselves and use without spilling. Some of the novelty containers while attractive looking are not very practical.
Children need a school bag that can be carried on their backs, not held in one hand.
Clothing
Our school does not have a school uniform. No special clothing is required. We do advise against children wearing "good clothes", as they cannot play freely or engage in activities like painting if they have to be over careful of their clothes. We expect that children will be dressed in an age appropriate way - no "off the-shoulder" or bikini tops etc. Children should not wear t-shirts or sweatshirts with offensive words or pictures on them.
We recommend footwear with a velcro fastening for children who cannot tie their own laces. Please put a double knot on laces. Children should wear footwear with a good grip. Some "fashion" shoes have slippery soles and higher heels and for safety reasons these are not advisable.
We often take children on outings during the day so please make sure that they bring a coat or jacket to school preferably with a hood. Children may be unable to go on an outing if they don't have suitable outdoor clothing. When buying a coat or jacket for your child check that they can open and close it themselves.
We cannot stress how important it is that names should be written clearly on all clothing and personal belongings especially coats, bags, jumpers, hats, scarves, gloves, lunchboxes, drinks containers. Please ensure that your child can recognise her/his own belongings. By the end of each term we have a large box of lost property that "nobody" owns and we send it to a charity shop.
In the interest of safety jewellery should be kept to a minimum. We don't allow long chains, necklaces, rings, bracelets or long earrings as they can catch in clothing during playtime and cause injury. The school cannot take responsibility for personal property brought to school. Children are not to bring electronic games to school.
Health and Safety
If your child has a particular health condition such as asthma, diabetes, allergy etc please put this in writing to the school and talk to the class teacher. As your child moves through the school you will need to update each teacher.
If your child requires medication the Board of Management needs to be informed. Please talk to the Principal about this.
If your child has an infectious illness please notify the school immediately.
Head lice are a common problem in primary schools. Please check your child's head regularly and if you discover any "little visitors" don't be embarrassed to let the school know. When we are aware of an outbreak we inform parents immediately.
Your child is sharing toilet facilities with other children. Please discuss the importance of personal hygiene, particularly flushing and hand washing, with her/him.