A New School Year, A New Address!

As you can see above, we have a new address!  The works required to prepare our soon-to-be new home are nearly complete.  The classrooms are large, we’ll have a great amount of outdoor space and the hall and other facilities are great.  It is indeed an exciting time for our school.

A special welcome to the families who will be joining our school community for the first time!

We will officially be given access our new school home from Monday.  In order to prepare for the new year, we will need to do some cleaning as well as move everything.  Finally, we’ll need to set up the new school.  Because of the amount of work to do, our first day of school this year will be Monday, 3rd September instead of the original date given in the calendar.

you are interested in helping with this transition, there are many ways you can get involved.  Firstly, while our new school has been repainted, we are looking for anyone with painting skills to help repaint some cabinetry in the new school.  Secondly, the staff has worked hard to pack most of the boxes and there is very little left to do, but if anyone is in a position to help pack a few boxes, we will gather in the old school building on Monday, 27th August from 10.00 am onwards.    We need approximately 20 good-quality small boxes if anyone has them to offer.  On Thursday, 30th August we will need some volunteers who would be willing to clean our old premises from 17.30 onwards.  Also, we would welcome volunteers to help with a number of small tasks in the new school on Friday, 31st August from 9.00-16.00.  Please reply to this email if you are interested in assisting with any of these tasks.  Parents are welcome to drop in on Friday with your child to visit the school during those hours.

 

PTA Meeting

On Thursday, 30th August at 19.30, we will have our first Parent-Teacher Association meeting in the new school.  All parents are welcome, especially parents of our newest pupils.  We’ll talk through a few things about the building as well as prepare how we can celebrate our first day in our new school.

 

The First Day of School

The Breakfast Club will be available starting that day from 8.00 onwards and every subsequent school day.  The fee will remain €3 per day and there is no need to book ahead.

 

Weather-permitting, we hope to have a walking bus that morning from the Cappagh Park car park to the school.  The walking bus will set off from Cappagh Park at 8.40.  At 8.50 we’ll officially enter the school for the first time, with special attention given to our new junior infants.

The day will be a full day for children in Senior Infants who will finish at 13.30 and the children in first to third classes who will finish at 14.30.  A reminder that the children in Junior Infants will finish the first week at 12.00.  From the 10th September, they will finish at the usual time of 13.30.

The Afterschool @ KETNS service will be open from 12.00 that day to accommodate new Junior Infants and will finish as usual at 18.00.  Any parents who would like further information about the afterschool service should contact Jenni directly at jennihynes@gmail.com or 087 6243599.

 

Parking

To help ensure a smooth transition and to be good neighbours, we’d ask all parents to be mindful of parking responsibly and not causing any difficulties for our new neighbours.  Please do not enter the estates, An Cimín Mór and Garraí Dhónaill and please do not block any driveways or roads. Ideally, we’d enocurage families to walk or cycle whenever possible. There are bike racks behind the school building for use, though we’d recommend using a lock to secure bikes. Equally, carpooling is a great way to reduce traffic and help the environment.  We hope to have a regular walking bus from Cappagh Park and encourage everyone to participate on our opening day as I’d imagine parents may wish to linger and look around the school.  There are some drop-off areas adjacent to the school, and we will discuss at the PTA meeting a plan for drop-off and collection going forward.  We would kindly ask parents not to enter the school yard with their car and not block the first entrance.  All children and parents should enter the school grounds through the pedestrian entrance (the second gate).  Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

 

Healthy Eating Policy

A friendly reminder that we ask children to bring a healthy lunch to school.  It’s an important part of ensuring they develop good habits as well as have the right energy for learning.  The school’s full policy is available on our website.

 

School Expenses

Many thanks to the parents who have paid the school expenses for the coming year.  If you’re in doubt as to whether you have paid this, please email Claudia, our school secretary, at secretary@ketns.ie.  This money is used to purchase all school books, all pupil stationery, arts and crafts materials, photocopying expenses and the Educate Together annual subscription.  The expenses are €80 for Junior and Senior Infants and €90 for First Class and above.  The easiest way is to make a bank transfer.