Information for Parents
School Hours: Our school hours are as follows:
Infants Classes: 9:30 am to 2:10 pm
First Class – Sixth Class: 9:30 am to 3:10 pm
Classroom doors will be opened at 9:30 am. We ask you to drop your child as close to 9:30 as possible, in order to maintain distancing and minimise interaction among children before the school day commences.
Our school insurance company requests that parents be reminded that children who are left outside the school before that time are not covered by insurance. In the case of any accident, neither the Board of Management nor the teaching staff can be held responsible. For the same reason, children must be collected promptly at the end of the school day. In the interests of child safety, if someone different is collecting your child from school, you must inform the teacher. Parents of children in the Junior and Senior Infants classroom should collect their children at 2.10 pm sharp, please. We ask that late arrivals and early collection of children from school be kept to an absolute minimum and only for medical appointments and exceptional circumstances.
Children should NOT ATTEND school if they are unwell or if any members of their household are unwell with symptoms of COVID-19. If you are in any doubt whether you should send your child to school or not, please err on the side of caution. If any pupil becomes unwell while at school, parents will be contacted to collect the child as soon as possible.
Absences: There is a requirement for the school to report pupils who have accumulated 20 days absences to Túsla. For this purpose, it is essential that you communicate the reason for your child’s absence to the relevant class teacher. Otherwise, the absences will be recorded as ‘Unexplained’. For pupils in 1st – 6th classes, upon the pupil’s return to school after an absence, each and every absence requires written explanation by parent / guardian in the Absence Notes Section at the back of the pupil’s Homework Diary. The categories listed are ‘Illness’, ‘Urgent family reason’, ‘Medical appointment’ and ‘Other – which would cover self isolation, etc’. Each completed Absence Note in the homework diary will be retained by the class teacher and noted on the Aladdin system. The stub of each absence note will be date stamped. For pupils in Junior and Senior Infants, please write a note of explanation in your child’s homework notebook. In line with health guidelines, following your child’s absence from school, please complete the Return to Educational Facility and return to the relevant class teacher, either electronically or in hard copy format.
We have very strict restricted access to our school. Access past the school gate will be for pupils only. If you need to contact the school, you are welcome to email scoilsinneach@gmail.com or phone 044 9357466. Contact with your child’s class teacher will be via a note in your child’s homework diary. You are requested please not to communicate with teachers on their personal phones, at any time.
Mobile Phones: Mobile phones are completely banned in the school. If a pupil has a mobile phone in his/her possession, the phone will be collected by the teacher and his/her parents informed. The phone may be collected by the parent after 3 school days have passed. Parents are reminded to be vigilant in monitoring children’s phone usage and social media behaviour.
Enrolment: Should you wish to apply for a place for your child, please complete and return an application form by post to Colehill National School (St. Sinneach’s N.S.), Colehill, Co. Longford. N39 HK27. ENROLMENT APPLICATION FORM
Care of Goods: Pupils are expected to keep their books, all belongings and desks in perfect condition. Writing on books, pencil cases, desks or any school property is absolutely banned. We encourage children to keep their classrooms and school grounds neat and tidy so that we can all be proud of our school.
Our School Uniform: Our full uniform of light blue shirt, royal blue jumper, grey skirt / pinafore / pants and school tie must be worn each day. Pupils should wear stiff collared shirts; polo shirts are not part of our uniform. Our school tie is a very important part of our uniform. Please put your child’s name on his / her jumper. In colder weather, pupils need a coat each day. Coats must be worn home each evening.
Homework: We believe in a little homework – completed well. Reading, spellings and tables are expected to be revised each evening. We cannot stress the importance of this enough.Children will be expected to complete assigned homework, both written and oral each night. Please keep an eye on your child’s homework diary for any correspondence from the teacher. If a child finds undue difficulty with any aspect of it or if he/she takes much longer than the time suggested below to complete it, parents are advised not to hesitate to discuss the problem with the class teacher. Parents are asked to try to find time to look at their child’s homework daily and to make sure that it has been completed to the best of his/her ability. It is recommended that homework be done in a quiet place where there are no distractions. The following is a guide with regard to the time needed:
Junior Infants: 5 to 10 minutes
Senior Infants: 15 minutes
1st & 2nd class: 20 to 30 minutes
3rd & 4th class: 30 to 45 minutes
5th & 6th class: 40 to 60 minutes
Hygiene: A special effort is made to ensure that a high standard of hygiene exists in the school. Water, liquid soap and electric dryers are provided in the cloakrooms.
High standards of proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, from every member of the school community are expected. Hand washing and sanitising will be very much part of the school day routine. Pupils are expected to use the 70% alcohol sanitiser provided in the school. A hypoallergenic product, ‘Cleanrite Hydrogel Sanitiser’ is provided at each entrance for use by children with sensitive skin. In some cases, pupils may wash their hands instead. Awareness of and respect for personal space is also expected.
Under no circumstances should children loiter or eat food in the toilet areas or cloakrooms.
Health and Welfare: The teachers are required to inform the Túsla if they have any concerns regarding the welfare of any child in their care.
Safety: Every effort is made to ensure that the school is a safe environment for all who attend or work here. In order to maintain a safe environment, children are expected to follow the rules of the school and treat each other well, as per our Code of Behaviour and our Anti-Bullying Policy.
Lunch: Children should bring a packed lunch to sustain energy need for concentration during the school day. A treat may be given on Fridays. A drink, some fruit, bread or a sandwich is most appropriate for the children in the Infant Classes but those in the higher classes will need a little more for the lunch break. Occasionally, our school takes part in the Food Dudes Programme. Please make sure that your child likes what is provided and that it is not still in the school bag at the end of the day. Please ensure that drinks are given in plastic containers with secure lids so that drinks do not spill in the bags and destroy your child’s books. Crisps, sweets or junk foods are not allowed. Chewing gum is not permitted in the school or within the school grounds. In an effort to reduce the amount of waste produced, pupils are asked to take home all food wrappers, plastic bottles etc.
Birthday Party Invitations: To avoid disappointment and upset to children, pupils are NOT allowed to hand out invitations for birthday parties during the school day. Over the years, some children have been left out which caused dreadful anxiety and distress to little children. We ask your co-operation in this matter.
Savings: In our school, we encourage the children to save a little, regularly. The idea is that they will see their small amounts accumulating and will therefore develop good saving habits. This Savings Scheme is generally for small amounts only (between €1 and €5); we are limiting the amount that children save per week to €10.
Chromebooks: Our pupils have access to Chromebooks, which they use in class for a variety of subjects.
Greenschools Programme: For many years, under the guidance of Mrs. Coyle and Mrs. Carrigy, our pupils have been involved in the Green Schools’ Initiative - litter minimisation, conservation of energy, conservation of water, reduction of use of transport, bio-diversity and global citizenship. We continue to educate our pupils on eco-friendly initiatives and encourage them to be passionate and pro-active against global warming in order to preserve our environment for future generations.
Sports: In our school, we encourage pupils to develop their fitness levels and to lead active lives. We encourage our pupils to become involved in a variety of activities – Gaelic football, Soccer, Basketball, Tag Rugby, Rounders, The Mile Challenge, among many more.