Important Dates for your Diary
February
Wed 27th Rochestown College Sports Hall (Senior Classes)
Boys Indoor Hurling 3-4pm
Girls Camogie 4-5pm
March
Fri 1st 6th Class Tag Rugby Blitz Carrigaline
Girls South-East Indoor Camogie Riverstick
Mon 4th Boys South-East Indoor Hurling Riverstick
Thurs/Fri 7th+8th Diocesan Advisor Bríd O’Callaghan visiting
Tues 12th Communion Class Reconciliation @ 7pm
Fri 15th P.A. sponsored St. Patricks Dress-Up
Fri 22nd P.A. Easter RaffleTues/Wed 19th + 20th Lismore Mobile Science Workshops Visit
Closing for Easter Holidays
(12.30 for jrs/snrs + siblings & 12.45 for rest of school).
April
Mon 8th Return to school
Swimming starts for 5th/6th classes (also 15th/ 22nd + 29th May)
Tues 9th Middletown Centre for Autism commences their workshops. (Please see paragraph for details)
Tues 11th Staff Meeting (school closing early: 12.30 for jrs/snrs + siblings & 12.45 for rest of school).
Mon 15th 5th/ 6th classes visit C.I.T. (pre-swimming) + Swimming
Thurs 25th P.A. Fashion Show in the Carrigaline Court Hotel
Fri 26th 5th/ 6th classes visit U.C.C.
Mon 29th Lenrec Clothes+ Recycling Collection
May
Mon 6th School closed for Bank Holiday
Tues 7th – 10th School closed for mid-term
Mon 13th 3rd/4th classes swimming (also 20th/27th May + 10th/17th June)
Thurs 16th Maths Standardised Testing (Drumcondra)
Tues 21st English Standardised Testing (Drumcondra)
Wed 22nd Provisional date for Cork City Sports
Standardised Testing for Spelling pencilled in for this date may need to be rescheduled.
May 25th First Holy Communion @ 10.30am
May 30th Information Night for Parents of incoming Junior Infants 2013-2014
June
Mon 3rd School closed for Bank Holiday
Thurs 7th provisional date for High Street Books sale
Wed 12th Junior and Senior Infants School Tour and 5th and 6th Classes School Tour
Thurs 13th 1st and 2nd Classes School Tour
Friday 14th 3rd and 4th Classes School Tour
Thurs 20th P.A. Cake Sale
6th Class Leaving Night
Fri 28th Closing for Summer Holidays
August
Wed 26th Staff return to school
Thurs 29th Pupils return to school
October
Mon 25th School is closed for October mid-term break from Monday 25th to Friday November 1st inclusive.
December
Fri 20th All schools close on Fri 20th December & reopen on Mon Jan 6th 2014
TTTTTTTTTT
January 2014
Mon 6th School reopens after Christmas break
February 2014
March 2014Mon 17th Schools closes from Monday 17th to Friday 21st February (unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen closures e.g. snow. If required the school may reduce the length of the mid-term break by remaining open up to and including Wednesday Feb 19th.
Mon 17th + Tues 18th School is closed on these dates (St. Patricks Day + 1 extra)
April 2014
Fri 11th School closing for Easter holidays. School is closed from Mon 14th to Fri 25th incl. (unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen closures e.g. snow. If required the school may reduce the length of the Easter break by remaining open up to and including Wednesday April 16th.
May 2014
Mon 5th Closed for Bank Holiday
Mon 2nd Closed for Bank HolidayJune 2014
Fri 27th Closing for Summer Holidays
Parking
At Board of Management level, we are working to improve our car parking issues by examining some alternative options. It has been observed that our current situation could immediately be improved upon if everyone did their best to follow the guidelines below. Undoubtedly a minority park across spaces or “abandon” cars while dropping/collecting children to make a quick exit, at the expense of others by blocking exits etc.
When you enter the car-park, please try to park in available spaces rather than parking at exit points, thus impeding the traffic flow of others. Entering the car-park at the point closest to the church can also cause chaos as you are going against most of the cars already there. Please enter via the point closest to front of school and exit via the other.
Like my predecessor, I plead with you not to park across the road from the school. The local Resident’s Group especially ask us not to park on grass verges or across gates. Out of courtesy and goodwill, I urge you to cooperate especially in this regard.
Finally, of course, we remind you all of road safety, especially in not allowing younger children to run ahead on their own to the car or not allowing them unsupervised near roads while parents chat, which can happen on occasion.
Time keeping
Each morning, supervision begins at 8.35am. I would urge that all children are on the premises by 8.45-8.47am. Recently I’ve noticed casualness among some parents with regard to punctuality. Perhaps some are deliberately arriving later to avoid traffic congestion. I’m not referring to one-off situations which we can all experience. It’s important that children arrive in to school on time. In Junior Infants, for example, structured play occurs between 8.50-9am every morning and this is an invaluable part of the school day which aids your child’s social development.
Also, Junior Infants will shortly begin to assemble with the rest of the pupils at 8.50 so I would strongly encourage habitual late-comers to examine their routines. We’d all agree that punctuality is a skill for life, especially at Second Level and the workplace so let’s develop it in their formative years. Although we have changed from Walk & Talk to a Meet & Greet policy this year, the fundamentals remain the same. Supervision begins at 8.35am and everyone is expected to be in attendance at 8.50am when the bell rings.
Birthday Invites
Teachers have asked me to remind you of our policy on the handing out of birthday invitations which states that it must be done outside of school. It can prove upsetting for pupils if they observe most of their peers receive an invite and they none. In an effort to avoid such hurt we ask that invites are distributed discreetly outside of school.
School Activities
Recently, you should have received a breakdown of approximate costs to you between now and the end of the school year. I hope this gives you an opportunity to budget and avoid being hit with a request for a large amount towards the end of the school year. I was guilty of this last year and apologise. Thank you to those who have paid the initial €10 or €12 per child (covering gymnastics + science). The school tours are all arranged and booked but details won’t be released until closer the date to maintain an element of surprise for the children.
Recycling Fundraiser
Thanks to all for supporting our recent P.A. fundraising events. We intend holding another Lenrec Recycling event in late April, Hopefully, by then, we will be throwing out older winter clothes with finer weather on the horizon. They also take shoes, bedding, towels, curtains, belts, handbags, household textiles, stuffed toys, books, mobile phones etc.
Book Rental Scheme
At the moment, we are looking at the feasibility of re-introducing a Book Rental Scheme to the school. We had a comprehensive meeting with High St. Books. Proposals will now be submitted to our next Board of Management meeting which takes place next Monday night.
Middletown Centre for Autism
Some parents will have received notification of presentations which will be given in April and May 2013 in Shanbally by staff from Middletown Centre which is based in Armagh. We would like to remind those parents of the need to book places on the courses.
On-going Work & Renovations
Easter break will be quite a busy time for us in school as we hope to install our final prefab. We are also planning a revamp of our corridors and Halls in the main school building, all to be finalised through our B.O.M
First Holy Communion
Our First Communion Committee is working diligently to ensure everything is in place for our Communion on May 25th at 10.30am. We are devising a list of jobs that need to be tackled, especially in the area of maintenance and cleaning. We will communicate arrangements for these very shortly. Sacrament of Reconciliation is scheduled for Tuesday March 12th at 7pm.
Our blazer fitting has taken place and we are delighted with Sinead Murphy of Laura’s Schoolwear for her professional approach and hard work.
Don’t forget that if you wish to avail of photography firm Christine McCarthy, you may book directly with Christine at 021-4895872. Please note that a class group photograph will be taken on the altar on the day as per tradition. We appreciate all the efforts being made for the Do This in Memory Masses. Well done!
Trocaire
Thank you to Fr. Seán for arranging our Trocaire boxes. These can be returned to the class after the Lenten season.
Staff Meeting
We intend holding a staff meeting on Thursday April 11th to finalise summer report cards, numeracy programmes etc. Classes will finish early, as indicated above, at 12.30 for Junior and Senior Infants (incl. their siblings) and 12.45 for the remainder of the school.
Sincere thanks for your continued support and cooperation.
David Nolan
Principal