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Back to School Acceptance Information - JUNIOR CYCLE

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Year Group Return – August 2024

1st Years will finish school on Friday, August 23^rdat 12.30 pm Normal classes will be held from Monday, August 26^th for 1st Years

3rd & 6th Years will begin with class induction from 09:00-11:00 on Monday, August 26^th. Normal classes will follow after 11.00 am break

2nd & 5th Years will begin with class induction from 09:00-11:00 on Tuesday, August 27^th. Normal classes will follow after 11 am break

4^th Years (Transition Year) will begin with class induction from 09:00-11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 28^th. Normal classes will follow after 11 am break

We greatly appreciate your support in ensuring all students present to school in full school uniform from the start of term.

Uniform

We are delighted to be introducing a new school jacket. The chosen O’Neill’s jacket is lightweight, cosy, warm and well-liked by students. We believe the benefits of improved comfort, consistency in appearance and positive student feedback will enhance the school experience. The jacket can be bought locally in Central Sports and can be personalised. Only the official school jacket will be allowed within the school building.

Items 1 to 4 of the School Uniform are only available from The Family Store, Moore Street and Item 5 is only available from Central Sports, The Square, Kilrush.

1. Crested V-Neck Kingfisher Blue Jumper
2. Grey Trousers for Boys
3. Grey Skirt or Trousers for Girls
4. Light Grey Shirt
5. O’Neill’s Black Crested Jacket (Please note that the sizes run large)

It is advisable to have 2 Grey Trousers or Skirts.

All Junior Cycle students and students who choose PE in Senior Cycle should also have a School Crested Tracksuit for PE, available from The Family Store or Central Sports. Strictly no Hoodies allowed.

Free School Lunch Programme

The school provides a free Lunch Programme, sponsored by the Department of Social Protection. Depending on the budget given we will provide a roll/sandwich & fresh fruit on 4 days. Fresh cooled filtered water dispensers are available in the school - students are advised to bring their own water bottle. The following roll/sandwich choices will be on a first come, first served basis: Ham, Chicken, Salad, Cheese, Egg Mayo, Plain Roll and No Butter Roll.

It is important that you inform the school in writing of any special dietary requirements.

NUT ALLERGY

A number of our students are severely allergic to nuts.

If any of these children eat, come into contact with, or inhale the smell of nuts he/she may go into Anaphylactic Shock and must receive immediate emergency treatment.

This is the most dangerous form of allergic reactions and is life threatening.

Please take the time to explain this to your child and ask him/her to be mindful of the foods he/she consumes in school.

Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2024/2025 School Year

For the 2024/2025 school year all students in Junior Cycle years in the free education system will receive free schoolbooks and certain other resources. These will be in place in September 2024 for your son/daughter. The Government have advised that this is in place for 2024/2025 only and cannot be guaranteed beyond this.

This new scheme is being introduced by Minister for Education, Norma Foley, T.D. It is in recognition of the cost of preparing children and young people for the return to school. The new scheme eliminates the cost to parents/guardians of providing schoolbooks and core classroom resources. The scheme will ensure equity of access, where all children and young people enrolled in Junior Cycle years in Post-Primary schools in the Free Education Scheme can commence the new school year in 2024/2025 with the same schoolbooks and classroom resources as other children and young people in their class.

“Schoolbooks” includes all relevant schoolbooks at Junior Cycle level. It also covers workbooks in use in the school to support teaching and subject learning at Junior Cycle. It also includes necessary additional texts such as novels and plays for English or books of past Junior Cycle examination papers for all subjects.

Funding for the scheme in 2024/2025 is being provided directly to Post Primary schools by the Department of Education. Schools now have responsibility for providing schoolbooks and core classroom resources to all Junior Cycle students at the start of the forthcoming school year.

Students commencing 2nd and 3rd Year already have a significant amount of the schoolbooks and classroom resources required for Junior Cycle. Any additional schoolbooks and core classroom resources required by students in 2nd and 3rd Year will now be covered under the new scheme.

All schoolbooks and core classroom resources provided under the new scheme will remain the property of the school, so that they can be reused in future years (where applicable).

Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to students for the duration of the 2024/2025 school year and must be returned to school at the of the 3 years of Junior Cycle. Please remind your son/daughter to take care of their schoolbooks and classroom resources and keep them in good condition during the period that they are in their possession. It is not permitted to write on schoolbooks.

There may be some additional classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme.

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