General Procedures and Practices
The School Day
School begins at 9.00a.m. for all pupils and finishes at 2.40p.m. for pupils from 1st to 6th class.(1.40p.m. for Infant classes)
Doors of the school open at 9.00a.m except in the case of wet days where children will be allowed inside the building earlier but must not enter until the duty teacher opens the door as insurance cover is only available from 9.00a.m.
Children will line up at the door designated for their class.
Teachers will be in their classrooms at 9.00a.m. to receive the children in the mornings.
School Break Times
Children have two breaks during the day, at 10.50a.m. for 10 minutes and at 12.30p.m. for 30 minutes.
School Calendar
A school calendar is issued to each family in September and also outlines P.E. Days. Sometimes it is necessary to amend this calendar from time to time. Parents/guardians will be notified of any changes.
School begins on the 1st of September. A staff meeting is held on this day. Infants go home at 11.45p.m. All other children go home at 12.00p.m.
School Uniform
Children are required to wear school uniform comprising of wine jumper, cream shirt, grey trousers, grey skirt/pinafore, tie and black shoes. No platform shoes allowed in the interest of health and safety. Uniforms can be purchased from Happy Events in the Blanchardstown Centre.
Tracksuits are worn on P.E. Days along with school polo shirt and can be purchased at Happy Events also. Non-marking runners are also required.No canvas pumps allowed in the interest of health and safety.
Personal Hygiene
Parents/ guardians are asked to check their child's hair regularly for head lice, as it is a common problem in every school.Parents/guardians are asked to inform the teacher immediately if they spot this condition.
Personal hygiene is extremely important. Parents/Guardians are responsible for their child's cleanliness.
Punctuality
Parents are asked to make sure that their child/ren are on time for school each day.
Parents/Guardians are also asked to make sure their child/ren are collected on time, at 2.40p.m.(children from 1st-6th ) each day unless they are allowed to walk home.
Any parent/guardian who may be delayed for exceptional reasons is asked to contact the school and speak with the principal who may make an arrangement to supervise their child.
Early Departure from School
Any parent/guardian who wishes to collect his/her child early from school must first of all go to the office to sign the early departures book. In the case of a guardian, the guardian must have written consent from parents.
If a pupil has been absent from school, a note from the parent guardian must be brought to the teacher on the child's first day back after the absence.
Parent/Teacher Meetings
These take place every year in December and provide an opportunity for parents/guardians to discuss any matters relating to their child/ren's education in school. It is vital that these meetings are attended.
Other Meetings with Teachers
All questions/queries or problems should be directed initially to the class teacher.
Class-based teachers have teaching duties during the day and may not be met first thing in the morning while bringing in classes unless it is to give a very brief message.Parents must meet with teachers by appointment only during school hours. An appointment can be made at the office during office hours 9.00a.m. to 2.30p.m. This will enable us to make arrangements for supervision of the class and for the provision of a room in which to have the meeting.
School Code of Behaviour
At St. Ciaran's School we are proud of the general behaviour of all of our children. In this regard children must follow our Code of Behaviour in the interest of the whole school community. It is a condition for enrolment that parents/guardians of new entrants sign up for the code and make every reasonable effort to ensure that their child/ren comply to it. A meeting is held every year for parents/guardians of pupils starting in Junior infants to explain the code and answer any questions parents/ guardians may have in relation to it. Parents/guardians of other new entrants are met individually by the Principal or Deputy Principal and the code is discussed with them before they sign up to it.
School Journal
The journal is an important means of communication between home and school. This new journal contains lots of interesting information for children and also absence notes which must be used in case of a child being absent for any reason. Pupils must keep these journals clean and presentable and free from graffiti.
Extra Curricular Activities
The school provides extra-curricular activities for the pupils such as Gaelic football and Choir.
Open Days
Christmas performances and open days are also held for each class level. Parents are invited for these performances.
A science open day is held each year.