In this newsletter:
Welcome | Dublin Jersey / Blue Day | School Day | Points to remember | Safety First | Lunches | Financial Contributions | Learning Support | Office Administration | HSCL / Parents Room | Parents’ Association Notes | School Calendar

Welcome

I would like to welcome all our families back after the summer holidays. A special warm welcome to the first time families both at Junior Infant level and throughout the school. I am confident that you will be made feel part of our school community very quickly and I urge you to become involved in all school activities. We also have some new members of staff and I would like to warmly welcome them also.

Dublin Jersey / Blue Day

To celebrate Dublin reaching the All-Ireland Football Final this weekend the children may wear their Dublin Jerseys / Blue t-shirts to school tomorrow, Friday. We would ask that each child bring in a contribution of €1 or €2 to help raise funds to purchase new footballs / jerseys / P.E. equipment for the school.

School Day

• School starts at 9.20am and ends at 2pm for Junior and Senior Infants and at 3pm for all other students. All pupils should be on time.
• According to Department of Education Guidelines children arriving after 11am must be marked absent even if a note has been sent to the teacher.
• Only in exceptional circumstances should children be collected early from school. This must be recorded at the office and may be notified to the Department of Education.
• If a child is absent for any reason a note must be sent to the class teacher when the child returns. These notes can be found in Student Journal.

Points to remember

• Please inform us if your child has any medical condition or allergies. If so it is essential that you fill / renew the Medical Needs Form which is available from the office. If you do not renew this form every year staff will not be allowed administer any medical assistance to your child.
• Please label your child’s belongings.
• If you have changed address or telephone number recently, please notify the office of new details.
• All school payments can now be made online. This helps with the accurate recording of monies paid to the school for your child and also reduces the amount of cash coming in to the school therefore reducing the need for daily banking.
• No dogs allowed on the school grounds.
• Smoking is illegal (including e-cigarettes) anywhere within the school boundary, as it is a public building.
• When walking up to the school, please follow the footpath. Please do not take shortcuts across the field or through the church gardens and only use paths provided.
• Anyone cycling to school must wear a helmet, have a lock and walk the bicycle / scooter along the footpath.

Safety First

Safety of the children entering and leaving the school is of the utmost importance and I would urge you to work with us to ensure this.

The SET DOWN area is strictly no parking – it is a drop off area only.

Please do not park in the Disabled Parking Places, a number of parents need these spaces and you must have a permit to park here.

Children should not arrive on the school grounds before 9.10am (unless taking part in pre school activities such as sport. Supervision is not provided before this time.

Lunches

In Holy Rosary School we encourage children to bring a healthy lunch to school.

• Sandwiches, fruit and milk are provided by the school.
• In the interest of safety no glass bottles are allowed.
• In line with our healthy ethos we ask children not to bring in crisps, sweets, chocolate, chocolate spread, biscuits, cereal bars, gum or fizzy drinks.
• Children are allowed to sip on water during the day but not on juices.

Financial Contributions.

In Holy Rosary we have tried to keep our Book Bills as low as possible. As there is a shortfall in Department of Education grants we must however ask for a contribution towards art / photocopying etc. We are grateful for the many contributions which have been made already. However, we would like to remind parents that some contributions are still outstanding. We would ask parents to pay as soon as possible. If you are experiencing difficulty, please come and talk to us.

Learning Support

In line with recent Department of Education guidelines Holy Rosary School will support children with additional learning needs in a number of ways:

• Within the classroom
• In small group settings
• On an individual basis

Occasionally, we will also withdraw children for social games and activities – this will include children with both additional learning needs and none. If you do not give permission for your child to be part of these groups, please inform the class teacher in writing.

As always, if you have any concerns about your child, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with the class teacher.

Office Administration

In relation to letters for Visas, Child Benefit Office etc., the office is extremely busy and it is impossible for Maria to write a letter at short notice, therefore if you require a letter from the school you must give a weeks notice.

Pupil Personal Accident forms will be handed out in the next couple of weeks.

HSCL / Parents Room

• The Parents’ room is open every morning at 9.20am. All are welcome to come in and make a cup of tea / coffee or just a chat. The parents’ room is also open at 2pm.
• Parents of the infant classes may use it to do homework with the Junior and Senior Infants. However we ask that children be supervised at all times and that the room be left in a tidy manner.
• The knitting club meets every Monday at 9.20am in the Parents room.
• The Parent / Toddler Group takes place every Friday at 9.30am in the Parents Room. All are welcome to come in for tea / coffee or a chat with or without a toddler.
• The Parents Book Club will meet next Thursday, September 22nd at 9.30am in the Parents Room. New members will be made very welcome.

Attention all budding gardeners: There was a lot of growth in the school gardens over the summer and they now need attention. We are looking for volunteers to weed, tidy up and inject new life into the flower beds before the official opening of the gardens next month. If you would like to get involved you can contact Kathleen on the number below.

If you need any further information on any of the above please contact Kathleen, HSCL Teacher on 086 027 6666.

Parents’ Association Notes

The next Parents’ Association meeting will be held on the 11th of October in the room beside the church at 8pm. Anyone interested in joining the committee is welcome.

Christmas Fair

The proposed date for the Christmas Fair is Sunday, November the 27th. If anyone is interested in booking a table please contact Áine by email or call her on 087 2780489 after 6pm.

Volunteers

Would you like to meet other parents, have the craic and feel a sense of job well done? Then join our volunteers email list and we will let you know of opportunities to join other parents in helping out while having good fun and chat. Even if you can only do it once or twice you’ll be most welcome. Please email the school and give your name and phone number and we will be in touch.

Facebook

The parents association also have a Facebook page where you will find information on After School Classes etc.
Note: Also there’s more information on the school website about After School Classes. and you can view After School Classes Timetable here.

Clothes Collection

The clothes collection will take place the week of the 3rd of October with the collection itself taking place on Friday the 7th of October. There will be a drop off point each morning that week at the parents room. Please do not bring bags before that week.

Reminder

After school classes demonstration will take place on Tuesday next, 20th September from 7 till 8pm in the school hall.

School Calendar

View the 2016 – 2017 School Calendar here