General Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

Teaching Principal:                                      Jackie Cooper (Infants- 2nd class)
Assistant Teacher:                                        Laura O’Neill (3rd- 6th class)
Support Teacher:                                          Emma McCarthy
SNAs:                                                              Fiona Coady, Paula Delaney
Secretary:                                                       Sandra Whiteford

School opens:                                                8.40am
Children arrive:                                            8.40 – 8.55am
Formal lessons begin:                                 9.00am
Morning break:                                            10.50 – 11.05am
Lunch break:                                                12.30 – 1.00pm
Junior and Senior Infants go home at 1.30pm
School closes:                                              2.40pm. 1st – 6th classes go home.

Healthy eating policy:
We ask that parents/guardians provide a healthy morning snack and a healthy lunch
e.g.. sandwiches, rolls, yoghurt, fruit etc. A small ‘treat’ may be included in Friday’s lunch.
Drinks: water, milk or juice.

NO CLING FILM OR TIN FOIL.
No chewing gum, fizzy drinks or glass containers at any time.

School Phone Number: 057 86 25555/ 089 2492990 (school mobile)
Office hours are 8.30am – 12.30pm, Monday to Thursday. Otherwise, please phone between 8.40am and 9am, during break times or after school should you need to contact us.

Be prepared for school
Infants – 2nd class: All children must bring a pencil-case with 3 HB pencils, rubbers, sharpener and 30cm ruler each day.
3rd – 6th class: All children must have pencil case as above + blue gel/handwriting pen and red/green or 4 colour pen.

School Uniform is to be worn every day
Plain Navy round-neck sweatshirt/ navy cardigan.
White polo shirt
Plain Navy trousers or track-pants. Girls may choose to wear a skirt or pinafore.
(If purchasing trousers please also have one pair of track-pants for P.E. activities and events.)
Own choice of shoes/runners
Wellingtons for winter outdoor wear.

Code of Behaviour
The Code of Behaviour is available on our school website and is included with the new entrants’ registration form. Its acceptance is a condition of registration.

Attendance
• Each child, to whom the School Attendance Act applies (ie. those between 6 and 15 years of age) is obliged by law to attend school every day on which the school is in operation unless there is a reasonable excuse for not attending. It is vitally important that children do so. Infants especially learn new skills and concepts every day.

The Statement of Strategy for School Attendance came in to effect at the start of the 2017/2018 School Year. To summarise:
• Attendance (Roll call) is recorded daily on the Aladdin Office Admin System at 10am. As this is a ‘live’ system, once recorded, attendance cannot be changed.
Therefore, as per TUSLA, arrival at school after 10am must be recorded as non-attendance.
However, should this happen, it is still vital that the pupil attends for the remainder of the day, to keep up with class work.

Absences/Contact procedure
• If a pupil cannot attend school, parents are required to send a text message to 089 2492990 on the FIRST morning of the absence. This takes the place of sending in a ‘note’.
• Parents will be notified by letter when a pupil’s number of days absent reaches 10/15/20 days.
• Pupils who arrive between 9am and 10am will be recorded as ‘Late’. Please ensure to have pupils in school by 8.50am to give them time to prepare for the day ahead.
• Parents are also required to text in advance if a pupil is to be collected early or by a different minder/relative than usual.

Pupil pick-up arrangements
Junior and Senior Infants finish school at 1.30 each day. Parents come to the Junior Room door to collect their infants. Infants must be collected promptly to ensure that afternoon teaching time for 1st & 2nd class is uninterrupted.

Pupils from 1st-6th class are accompanied to the school gate by one of the teachers, where they are met by parents/authorised other. After 5 minutes any remaining pupil(s) accompany the teacher back to the school & parents are asked to come to the door to collect them.
Parents who wish their children to walk home must lodge written permission with the principal and notify her in advance of any changes to such arrangements.

Every September we will ask you to supply the school with names and contact details of childminder/other adults who have your permission to collect your child. Please always inform the teachers in advance by text to the school mobile, of any change in collection routines.

Please note: Where relevant, it is the duty of parents to supply copies of court orders relating to guardianship, access, custody or other such matters. The school is required to retain these on file and can only act accordingly. It is also the duty of parents to provide written legal evidence of any change to such orders. The school cannot act on either NO instruction or a verbal one.

Standardised Testing
Drumcondra (literacy) and Sigma-T (numeracy) tests are used with 1st – 6th class in May/June each year. The MIST and Belfield tests are used before the end of Senior Infants.

Parent-Teacher Meetings
Results / general progress are discussed with parents at formal Parent-Teacher meetings in November each year.
Parents are encouraged to keep in touch with teachers throughout the year and are very welcome to arrange to meet with us at 2.45pm any afternoon, by prior arrangement.

Annual Pupil Reports
Written reports are issued at the end of each school year and include information on attendance, academic progress and behaviour.

School Calendar / Notices
The year’s calendar will be issued to all parents in June. This and any subsequent notices will be given to your child to take home in his/her schoolbag and emailed to parents. Parents of infants may be handed the notices at ‘home time’. Please check schoolbags regularly for notes. We also send text alerts/reminders to parents re notices. The school calendar will also be posted on our school website, www.cosbynationalschool.ie

Pupil Personal Accident Insurance / Local contribution
The Board of Management arranges annually that all pupils have 24-hour personal accident cover in addition to cover while in school under the school’s policy. The B.O.M. writes to each family in September requesting the annual insurance fee of c.€8 per pupil plus a contribution towards general running costs (heating, lighting, cleaning etc). This is standard procedure in National Schools.