We have an excellent hard-working Parents Association who fundraise and help in school planning and development. The Parents Association is affiliated to the National Parents Council (NPC).

They organise talks for Parents on transition to second-level, healthy lunches and anti-bullying. They share expertise and experience with pupils in the form of talks and workshops.

The Parent’s Association is selected at the first general meeting in September and a list of members is circulated soon afterwards.

Most of the children come from the South Dublin/Wicklow area. The Department of Education provides transport for all of the children and a transport grant for those children who have to travel a long distance to access the school bus. The school is not in any way responsible for the school buses but will facilitate parents to apply for a place and will also assist in the selection of embarkation points. Disputes with the bus companies cannot be negotiated through the school.

 A booklet entitled “School Transport for Children with Special Needs” issued by the Department of Education sets out information options. TheDepartment of Education provides the following transport options to and from the school for pupils:

(A)  A travel ticket for Dublin Bus or DART for pupils using public transport.

(B)  Private Coach transport via already established routes (three coaches currently operate from the Rathfarnham, Bray and Arklow directions) Application is made through the school and is organised during your visit to the school to enrol your child.

Children are not allowed to use the school bus to visit friends unless they are already a passenger on that bus.

Healthy Eating Policy

Pupils are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch i.e. fruit, sandwiches, bread rolls, yogurt, etc. No fizzy drinks please. No sweets, chocolate or biscuits are allowed from Monday to Thursday but a small treat is allowed on Fridays. Chewing gum is not allowed at any time. As there are two breaks each day please ensure your child has something for each.  Some of our children have a very early start and we allow all children to have a snack before class in the morning.

Safety

The school has a comprehensive safety policy and as part of this please remind your child to cross safely at the pedestrian crossing at Goggins, Monkstown and at the DART station.

Please take care when dropping and collecting children as the area outside the       school becomes very congested. Children are NOT supervised before 9.00am        and you will be asked to sign a form to state that you are aware of this.       Children who travel to school by bus will be escorted, by the principal, from the    buses to the school yard where they will be collected by their class teacher.

Parents are also advised that children cannot, under any circumstances, be collected from the swimming pool on Fridays. The swimming pool is a very busy area where children have to be supervised at all times and we would not be able to guarantee their safety if they were allowed to be collected.

We have school policies on Health and Safety and First Aid which will be made available on this website

It is essential that we are provided with a selection of telephone numbers   should we need to make contact with you in an emergency.

Long earrings are not allowed in school and any necklaces or pendants must be        worn inside the child’s uniform.

Pupil Personal Accident Insurance is paid for by the Board of Management.

Please ensure that the school has an up-to-date contact number for you at all times.

Security System

An intercom system is in place in the school. Please ring the front door to gain       access.

Medical Conditions

 We provide a form for you to inform us of any medical conditions that you child may have. We can administer essential medication during the school day but will not administer vitamins or occasional medication. Please discuss any needs your child may have with the Principal.

 Parking

There is restricted parking at the school. In the interest of safety please do not park in the lane at the front of the school.  School buses stop here to let children on and off and the staff park here too.

Student Council

We have a student council where each class is represented by two children. This committee meets with the Principal on a regular basis to discuss school matters.  It is a very important part of school management

As part of the ethos of St Oliver Plunkett NS, parent/guardian are encouraged to remain in regular contact with the school. They are encouraged to ring to make an appointment with the class teacher and are especially encouraged to relate any information which may impact on their child’s welfare. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will only be communicated on a need-to-know basis.

Parents/guardians will also be contacted through the Aladdin texting system. Each child is issued with a homework journal, which must be signed by an adult each night upon completion of homework.  The journals are checked every day, so any notes to teacher and (vice versa) may be written here. Parent/guardian communication is central to the success of a placement here.

Parent/guardian/Teacher Meetings

The staff and parent/guardian meetings take place three times a year (October, January & June). The entire staff meet with parent/guardians in September. Various parent/guardian information evenings are held during the year.

Report Card

Each Monday your child will bring home a weekly record card. The aim of this card is to encourage positive choices in behaviour, school work and homework. There are 4 headings which are completed daily by the child’s teacher to highlight the progress or problems in that particular week. The children also have an opportunity to reflect on their own week and record it on the card.

 

Day	Home-work	School work	Behaviour	Comments
Mon – Fri	If homework has been done, if they forgot to do some home work or didn’t do it at all.	If they worked well or were not interested.	Behaved themselves in school and on yard.	Teacher’s comments regarding their behaviour/ progress     Children choose one

 

This card is signed by the class teacher and must be returned signed by the child’s parent/guardians. These cards are retained in the school as a record for each child. It is school philosophy that pupils are helped to make good choices each day. Children earn rewards for positive behaviours, good work and effort.

 

 

Good attendance is especially important in a school such as ours where the programme of work is so intense and the placement so short. The Board of Management reserves the right to terminate placements if attendance is poor.

The school is open from 9.00 a.m. The school will contact parents/guardians in the event of pupils being consistently late. Persistent latecomers are required to report to the office where their time of arrival is recorded. The Principal is obliged, under the Education Welfare Act, to report children who are persistently late to the Education Welfare Board as well as those who are absent for 20 days or more.

 Guidance for Parents regarding attendance

Section [(21) (9)] of the Act states that: “a pupil’s absence can only be authorised by the Principal when the child is involved in activities organised by the school or in which the school is involved”.  The school principal cannot authorise a child’s absence for holidays during school time. This has been a great difficulty for the school in the past and we emphasise to parents and guardians that the placement here is so short, and the programme is so structured and intense, that we would really appreciate if holidays can be taken outside of the school year. The decision to keep children out for holidays rests with the Parents/Guardians and will not be sanctioned by the school. It is, however, essential that parents inform the school of such arrangements.

The reasons for pupils’ absences must be communicated in writing by parents/guardians to the school and will be retained on file. To facilitate this, such communications should not be in the homework diary, but on a separate page or sheet of paper. When the child returns to school s/he should give a written note to the class teacher which contains the name, the dates of absence and the reason for the absence. These notes will form a record which may be inspected by the Education Welfare Officer on a visit to the school.  The school will contact parents when a written explanation for the child’s absence is not received by the school. This contact is almost always by telephone.