Dear Parents,
Welcome back to another school year. We wish all our students health and happiness in the year ahead. Welcome to our new pupils, especially our Junior Infants joining our school community for the first time. We hope you will have many happy years in Mount Hanover.
The class allocation for this year is as follows:
Infants: Ms. Kate Leddy
1st/2nd: Ms. Brigid O’Donnell
3rd/4th: Ms. Laura McGinty
5th/6th: Ms. Mary Clayton
Special Education Teachers: Ms. Lorraine O’Loughlin and Ms. Julie McMahon
Ms. O’Loughlin is our full time special education teacher and is based in our school. Ms McMahon is our shared special education teacher with Rathkenny NS.
Special Needs Assistant: Mrs. Mary Kennedy
May we draw your attention to the following:
- Uniforms: Children are to wear their school tracksuits on PE days only. If you are unsure of your child’s PE day please contact the class teacher. Full school uniforms must be worn on all other days.
- Class Dojo: The teachers are using “Class Dojo” as a behavioural management and communication tool. We ask that parents respect the app and do not contact the teachers outside of school time and especially not at weekends or during schools holidays. If this is not adhered to we may have to discontinue the use of Class Dojo.
- Healthy Lunches: Please continue to pack a healthy lunch for your child. Fizzy drinks are not allowed in school. A copy of our “Healthy Eating Policy” can be found under the policies tab.
- Nut Free Zone: Scoil Cholmcille is a “Nut Free Zone” as we have a student with a nut allergy. We cannot allow children to bring any nut based products into school or in their packed lunches. We ask that parents avoid giving children peanuts, peanut butter sandwiches, other spreads containing nuts such as Nutella and snacks/bars containing nuts or labelled “may contain nut traces” in school lunches. We also ask children not to share their lunches.
- Parking Arrangements: Priority in the car park is for staff and parents are free to use the excess. Please park with consideration, never block the entrance and always leave the bus bay clear. Children are not permitted to run/play in the school car park to ensure their safety.
- Art & Craft Fees: The Art and Craft fees are now due. The cost is €40 for each student (Senior Infants -6th Class). Book rental fees are also due at a cost of €15 for the children from 3rd-6th class. Many thanks to all those who have already paid the Art and Craft contribution and a small reminder to those who have not to do so at their earliest convenience.
- Garda Vetting: Garda vetting is now mandatory before a person can undertake work with children, including those with access to children who seek employment in parish schools. This mandatory policy also applies to parent volunteers working with children in schools. If you wish to be Garda Vetted please contact Ms. OLoughlin for a Vetting Form.
- Supervision of Pupils: The school will open to receive pupils at the hour of 9.05 a.m. No responsibility is accepted for pupils arriving before that time. Classes will formally commence each day at 9.30 a.m.
Classes will end each day at 1.45 p.m. for the children in the Infant Classes and at 2.45 p.m. for children in 1st – 6th Class. Parents who wish to have their children escorted home should make their own arrangements to have them met at the school gate and the person to escort them should be at the school not later than 2.45 p.m. as the school cannot accept responsibility for looking after the children after that time. - School Attendance: Your child’s attendance at school is very important for their progress. Please remember to send a note to the teacher if your child is absent. These notes are kept in an absentee file in school. It is mandatory to report absences of pupils in excess of 20 days in the year to the Túsla, so we would ask parents to ensure that pupils are absent from school only when it is absolutely necessary. If your child reaches the 20 day cut-off it is important that we have retained written notification for each absence on file.
- Mobile Phones: Mobile phones are not allowed in school. Children have the use of the school phone
in emergencies with permission from their class teacher. - Child Protection: The Department of Education & Skills has recently published Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools. The school is obliged to act in accordance with these guidelines.
Consequently, if there is a matter of concern in relation to child abuse, we are obliged to report this to the HSE. They will assess the case and provide support for the child. Children First Guidelines may be accessed on http://www.childprotection.ie/sites/childprotection.ie/files/Children_First_National_Guidance_2017.pdf - Birthday Invitations: Please note that the school does not provide phone numbers of children in classes for
the purposes of birthday invitations. Neither does it take any responsibility for distributing birthday invitations. Many thanks for your understanding. - Policy Updates: We will be conducting our yearly review of the following policies during the month of September: Anti-Bullying, Discipline and Child Protection. All policies can be viewed under the policy tab on the school website. We ask that parents make themselves familiar with these policies and direct any suggestions/edits to the school email address [email protected].