September 10th 2018
Dear Parents/Guardians,
You are all welcome back to a new school year and a particular welcome to our new Junior Infants and their families. We also welcome back Ms. Amy O Dwyer to the Staff following her career break, Ms. Slack following the birth of her baby boy Daniel and to Mr Conor Scott, Ms Clare McClean and Ms. Rebecca Sexton who have joined us this year.
Below are some reminders to help us get off to a smooth start for the year ahead.
Absences and Illnesses
When your child is returning to school following absences please inform the school in writing as to the reason for the absence. Otherwise, it will be recorded as ‘unexplained’ in school records. There is no need to contact the school if your child is absent for a single day or two. However for longer absences, please contact the school by telephone.
Absences of more than 20 days in a school year are reported to the National Education Welfare Board, who will investigate the matter further.
In the event of your child contracting a contagious illness it is imperative that you contact the school in order to allow us to inform other parents.
Parents are discouraged from removing children from school for holiday purposes during the school year.
Administration of Medicine:
If prescription medicines need to be administered to your child during school time, you will have to comply with the Board of Management’s Administration of Medicine policy- If you haven’t filled in an Administration of Medicine form previously, or if your child’s prescription has changed since last year, please ask your class teacher for a form as soon as possible or download if from the school’s website www.stattractasjns.ie – medicines cannot be administered until this form is completed.
Beginning of Year Service:
A ‘Beginning of Year Service’ will take place on Friday September 28th at 12:45. All are welcome. If you plan to attend we would like you to take your seats in the hall from 12:30. The Service will be of approximately 40 minutes in duration, and will be finished in time for the Infant Classes to go home at the normal time. We look forward to seeing you there.
First Holy Communion:
First Communion takes place on 11th and 18th May 2019. Parents will be informed at a later date in relation to which date applies to their particular class.
Healthy Eating Habits:
Thank you for complying with our Healthy Eating Policy.
We would like to remind you again not to include nuts or products derived from nuts in school lunches owing to the number of children we have in the school who have severe nut allergies.
Enrolments for September 2019
Please note that the closing date for completed Application Forms is Friday 18th January 2019. Please see the school web site for details of the enrolment policy and the application process.
All parents must be familiar with the current 2019/20 Enrolment Policy and ensure that they complete the application form for 2019/20.
Health and Safety Matters-Car Parks:
For Health and Safety reasons, we are asking parents/child minders who are dropping off/collecting children, not to use the Staff car park on the Broadford Road side of the school. This car park has been designated for Staff use only by the Board of Management. Over the years there have been a number of incidents in which some ‘near misses’ involving small children walking too close to cars that are reversing in and out of spaces. If your child comes to school unaccompanied, please remind them that they must not walk through this particular car park.
It has also been brought to our attention that motorists are driving at speed across the ramps at the zebra crossing between the Meadowbrook Complex and the Senior School. Please exercise extreme caution at this point. This matter was brought to the attention of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co Council last year, who are in the process of addressing the matter.
We would also request that children refrain from cycling and using scooters in the school grounds, as well as climbing on perimeter walls and walking on the flower beds in the patio areas.
Furthermore parents are asked to ensure that the children leave the school grounds promptly after school finishes. It is particularly important that children are not allowed play in the long grass behind the perimeter wall that surrounds the yard. This area does not belong to the school and it can contain sharp objects e.g. broken bottles and stones as well as animal waste.
You may have noticed that a fence has been erected around the garden area adjacent to Broadford Road. This is due to an infestation of Japanese knotweed that has had to be treated. Please discourage the children from playing behind the fence in the morning and afternoons.
Parents are asked to bring this information to the attention of Child Minders/Au Pairs who regularly use the area as a meeting point in the afternoons.
Collecting Children from School
It is the responsibility of parents to inform class teachers of any changes in relation to who collects children from school. If teachers are not informed of changes to collecting arrangement they will not release children from their care, and will instead contact parents for clarification. If you have any reason to collect your child early, please inform the teacher to expect you at an approximate time. Please collect from the front foyer as opposed to the outside classroom doors. Children cannot be collected at break times…instead we are asking you to collect at least 10 minutes before the 10.30 break and the 12.30 break. Children cannot be collected from the yard.
School Newsletters/Notes
Since St Attracta’s JNS is a ‘Green School’ we hope to reduce the amount of paper that we are using in the coming year. Therefore notes, other than those that require a consent form to be filled in, will be dispersed by e mail.
Volunteering during the school year:
We very much appreciate the long tradition of parents volunteering to help out at school events – cake sales, tours, concert nights etc.
In an effort to involve as many parents as possible we would ask you not to ‘promise’ your child that you will be ‘helping out’ with his/her class-please wait for the teachers involved to speak to you first.
Parents intending to do lunch duty or become members of the Parents Association Committee must be Garda Vetted specifically for this school. Please contact the office if you wish to be vetted for the school.
Thank you as always for your continued co-operation, and please do not hesitate to contact your class teacher or myself should you have any concerns in the year ahead.
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