The School Day

All children line up in their classrooms at the end of the day and will be walked to the gate/bus by a member of staff.

An Rolla (roll call)

The school day begins at 9:20am and the children are required to be in their classrooms. As per our Attendance Policy and in line with the Rules for National Schools, an rolla (roll call) will be called within forty minutes of the commencement of class (i.e. 10am). A child will be marked either present or absent on Aladdin at the time of roll call. If your child arrives late, even in circumstances where you advise the teacher in advance of an appointment, the child will be marked as late and the reason will be recorded on Aladdin, e.g. Late as he/she had a dentist appointment. 

Permission to leave school early

Parents wishing to collect a child during school hours for reasons medical or otherwise should send a short message to the class teacher using the school email outlining the reason and stating the time of the appointment. The child/children should be collected from their classroom. Pupils cannot be released from the classroom to be met at the school gate because teachers have no way of knowing whether the pupil's escort has arrived on time or not.

Illness

Children should not be in school if they are unwell. Children who are ill should stay at home until they are well enough to attend school. If your child has a particular health problem e.g. eyesight, hearing, toilet related problem, asthma etc. please inform the school. In case of infectious illnesses, the school should be notified without delay.

Emergency Contact

If a child suffers a fall or injury or becomes ill in school, parents will be contacted by telephone. It is essential that the school has your home and work numbers, as well as that of a responsible person in the locality chosen by you to act on your behalf in an emergency.

Parent-Teacher Communication

If you wish to meet your child’s teacher, you are asked to make an appointment. An appointment system ensures that teaching is not interrupted and that classes are not left unsupervised. Day-to-day communication with the teacher can be made through the school email, your child’s journal or by ringing the school. Formal parent-teacher meetings will be held in November. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office on 071 9851380 if you need to get a message to your child or his/her teacher urgently.

Lunches

We provide free lunches for all our children as part of the DEIS Hot School Meals Scheme. Each child receives a hot lunch of choice every day. Parents/guardians are given the opportunity to choose a hot lunch for their child from an online menu. Children are also encouraged to bring in a reusable bottle of water and a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit or yoghurt for small break. One small treat is allowed on a Friday only.

Birthday Party Invitations

We kindly ask that party invitations are not distributed in school.  

Parking

Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to park on the school side of the road and up from the school on the Belleek side. Please do not park in the bus area (along the main road in front of the school). Parents can park across the road but they need to walk across and collect their child/ren. We have a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of the children when coming to and leaving the school grounds.

Books

The school will supply all required books for pupils. Children are required to supply their own school bag (big enough to fit an A4 folder) and a pencil case with a pencil, eraser, sharpener and a pack of twistable colours (not colouring pencils or markers). All these items should be clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Curriculum

The school caters for all aspects of the primary curriculum:

• Language - Gaeilge, English.
• Mathematics
• Religious Education
• Social, Environmental and Scientific Education - History, Geography and Science.
• Arts Education - Visual Arts, Music and Drama.
• Physical Education
• Social Personal and Health Education.

Homework

We believe that homework is a valuable tool in the academic development of pupils, and improves home-school links.  All pupils have a homework diary, into which each night's homework is written.  No homework is given at weekends. Allocated time that teachers expect the average child in each class to spend at homework:

• Junior Infants: 10 – 15 minutes
• Senior Infants: 15 – 20 minutes
• First + Second Classes: No more than 30 minutes
• Third + Fourth Classes: 30 – 45 minutes
• Fifth Class: 45 minutes – 1 hour
• Sixth Class: 1 hour – 1 hour 30 minutes (max.)