Starting School "Mol an óige, agus tiocfaidh sí" Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N. S., Ringaskiddy,

1. Starting School "Mol an óige, agus tiocfaidh sí" Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N. S., Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork. www.ringaskiddyns.ie

2. Failte Romhat Welcome to a new and exciting stage in your child’s life. During this year your child will make new friends and enjoy new experiences. We now, teachers and parents, have the chance to work as partners to ensure that at the end of this school year your child will have a positive attitude towards education based on social and academic confidence.

3. First Day - A Happy One! Please be positive with your child in preparing him / her for school and explain to him / her what will happen ( teacher, other children, break time, sitting down, tidy-up time and 1:30p.m. ). On arrival it is very helpful if you could show your child where to hang his / her coat. After meeting the teacher and some other children and finding a place to sit please leave promptly because your child will pick up your anxiety. Most children, even if initially upset soon become distracted by their surroundings and settle down.

4. Seating : Next September your child can sit wherever he / she would like to in the Junior Infant classroom and after a couple of weeks your child will be given a special place to sit.

5. Starting Time & Home Time : School starts at 8:50a.m. Both Junior and Senior Infants go home at 1:30p.m. However, during the first week and a half of the new school year, the Junior Infants will finish at 12 noon. Parents collect their children at the front gate of the school.

6. Breaks : There are 2 breaks during the day for the infant classes - a short break from 10.45 to 11.00 and a long break from 12:45 to 1:15. We try to ensure that no child feels lonely or left out.

7. Clothes : The tracksuit can be purchased at Laura’s Boutique on the back Douglas Road. Please ensure that all clothes likely to be removed i.e. coats, hats, scarves, gloves, jumpers etc. are clearly labelled with your child’s name, as many children possess similar items. Labels can also be purchased at Laura’s. Laura’s Boutiquewill be coming to the school in June – you will be notified of the date. The tracksuit can be ordered on the day.

8. School Uniform Track suit * blue tracksuit top and bottom * white polo t-shirt with school crest * suitable footwear ( runners )

9. Stationary : Please ensure that your child’s belongings are clearly labelled : * 2 Pencils (3 sided triangular pencils) * a rubber * Colouring pencils/Twistibles

10. Enrolment Day & Book List : An enrolment day for the children will be held in 2014. This date has yet to be confirmed and you will be notified when it has been confirmed. On this day, the children will come into the infant classroom from 11.10a.m. to 12:30p.m. You will receive a booklist by post before this date. A bookshop will be coming to the school and you will receive notification of this date once it has been finalised. All books can be purchased on the day.

11. Curricular Areas : • Peannaireacht • English • Gaeilge • Maths • History • Geography • Science • Drama and Oral Language • Music • SPHE • Art • PE • Alive O

12. Extra Curricular Activities Computers Drama – Christmas Concert Music – Christopher Hennessy School Tour Stretch ‘n Grow Gymnastics Tag Rugby Swimming Football/Hurling/Camogie Soccer Basketball Rounders Green Flag

13. Reading : The Magic Emerald Reading Programme is being followed in the school. This programme introduces the children to reading for themselves for the first time. It introduces the children to initial sounds, sentence structure, reading direction, etc. The Jolly Phonics Programme is currently being followed for the letter sounds. Paired Reading is practiced in the infant classroom. Reading Recovery and Literacy Lift-off Programmes run in Senior Infants.

14. Writing : Your child will be learning to write lower case letters initially so it would be very helpful if you could stick up your child’s name written in this way perhaps on his bedroom door so that he / she can be familiar with it. If this can be practiced in writing, this is even better!

15. Assessment : Your child’s teacher will continually make informal assessments. Every year, in the second term (February), Parent - Teacher meetings take place. These provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. Please do not hesitate to approach the Junior Infant teacher if you are anxious about anything or have any concerns regarding your child’s learning. If you wish to have a more detailed discussion, a convenient time can be arranged in advance.

16. P.E.: The school tracksuit and comfortable footwear should be worn on Thursdays and Fridays in the Junior and Senior Infant years. The infants have the use of a large hall in the Marine college for 1 hour per week.

17. Toys : There is no need for children to bring toys into school and we discourage this practice because of breakages, competition and peer pressure.

18. Healthy Food : We strongly urge you to follow our “healthy lunch box” recommendations as Ringaskiddy N. S. is a healthy eating school. Sweets, biscuits, cereal bars, crisps, chocolate and other unhealthy foods are not allowed in school. On starting school, many children are too distracted to eat a large lunch so we recommend a small nutritious snack, for example two sandwiches, water or milk, a piece of cheese, yogurt or fruit. We discourage juice and encourage water. As children at this age need to drink quite a lot of water the children are allowed to drink water throughout the day. We try to ensure that the children eat a good portion of their lunch, particularly their sandwiches. We do not encourage swapping of lunch items. Please ensure that your child’s lunch box is clearly labelled with your child’s name.

19. Information Bulletins : Please keep an eye on your child’s school-bag as it may contain notes for parents. If you wish, you may receive notes by e-mail. Also all notes are available on our website - www.ringaskiddyns.ie

20. Notes : Notes must be given to the class teacher during any absences. All absences are recorded in school. After a child is absent for 20 days, the National Educational Welfare Board ( N.E.W.B ) will be contacted. You may be contacted by N.E.W.B. personnel in relation to the absences. It is also very important to inform the class teacher if a person unknown to the school is collecting your child.

21. Independence : During the first couple of weeks, it is acceptable to bring your child into the classroom. Once the children have settled into the school environment, independence should be given to the children.

22. Punctuality : All children are likely to be late to school at some time in their school life. However, being persistently late for school is disruptive to the individual and to the work of the class. Therefore, we ask you to be as punctual as possible for the commencement of school in the morning ( 8:50a.m. ) and home time in the afternoon ( 1:30p.m. - infants ).

23. Preparing Your Child for Schoolwork : Good writing is all about muscle and motor control so it will help your child greatly if she / he is practiced at colouring, drawing, painting, manipulating materials such as plasticene, construction work, jigsaws, fastening and opening buttons and zips, opening their own lunch boxes,etc. Noting visual differences is essential to reading and this skill is practiced and encouraged by use of matching games, construction work, jigsaws etc. Reading aloud to your child will cultivate an interest in and love of reading.