september 2025
Dates for your Diary:
Monday the 8th of September: Junior Infants finishing school @1.35pm from this day on.
Monday the 29th of September: Board of Management Meeting @ 8pm.
Fáilte Romhat go léir ar ais: Tá fáilte romhaibh ar ais i gcomhair bliain nua. In particular we extend a warm welcome to our new Junior Infants. May they all enjoy a positive experience during their time in Seir Kieran’s N.S..
Car Park and Safety: On arrival in the morning and on departure in the evening, the school is a real hive of activity. We would ask that all motorists take extra care when pulling in and out of car park spaces. Please take note of the following:
All Infants should always be collected at the green school gate and escorted to their cars.
School Hot Meals: As I stated in a previous email to you, we had hoped to have this up and running in September/October. We will not be in a position to roll out this scheme until early 2026. I know there will be confusion out there as there are many schools in the locality already providing this service and if we could do so, we would. In our case and there were many schools like us, who simply could not get a meals supplier before June. We have now been forced to go down the E- tendering route to source a supplier. Schools who were lucky enough to source a supplier before June did not have to go down this route but when their contracts with their suppliers are up, they will also have to go down the E- tendering route. We have been advised that this E tendering route can take up to 14 weeks We will continue to keep you informed of any developments with regard to our efforts on the School Hot Meals Scheme.
Healthy Eating: In our school we have a Healthy Eating Policy. Crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets or junk food of any type are not to be included in your child’s lunch box. You are encouraged to include fruit and vegetable portions in your child’s lunch box. Healthy Eating is in the best interests of all. Please consult with the Healthy Eating Policy which is uploaded under the policies tab on our website
Bí Cineálta Policy: This policy is in place to prevent and address bullying behaviour in our school. From surveys conducted with pupils, parents and teachers in the last school year, it was clear that the overwhelming majority agreed that as a school we do a very good job in this regard. The only thing we ask of you parents is, that if there is any issue which may be causing your child unhappiness, come and speak to the relevant class teacher at the earliest opportunity, don’t be letting issues fester, they simply won’t go away unless they are dealt with. You can contact the office from 9.30am to 1.30pm (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) and a phone appointment can be made with the relevant teacher or if required a face to face meeting can be organised with the relevant teacher.
School Contribution: As I have stated several times previously, you will hear all sorts of wonderful reports in the media about schools not needing to seek financial contributions as school books etc are now being paid for by the department. The reality is though primary schools continue to be grossly underfunded and without the generous volunteerism of people and the financial support we receive through donations and fundraising, schools like ours would simply not function. To give one practical example, we received zero euros again in 2024/25 to pay for caretaking services. So, as you will be aware power washing, hedge cutting, grass cutting etc, etc all cost money. In this context we seek a contribution of €40 per child to help pay some of these costs. The €40 will also go towards paying 24-hour insurance cover for your child. All support we receive is much appreciated.
Junior Infants: Junior Infants will finish at 12noon each day up to and including Friday the 5th of September. From Monday the 8th of September, Junior Infants will go home at 1.35pm.
4th /5th /6th Classes : These children will use the school field when it is anyway dry. These children can bring a spare pair of socks in a plastic bag in their school bags. They are also asked to bring an old pair of runners/shoes or football boots with them to school. In the case of third class, they will be joining 4th, 5th and 6th classes on designated training days for Gaelic football. I will let the children know when these training days will happen and they can bring their football boots in on these days. Also any child who is playing Gaelic football this year will have to bring in a gum shield as they will have to use these in matches. So if your child is in 3rd class up and will be playing football, please get them a gum shield.
The Covering and Labelling of School Books: Most of the school books sent home are covered. All new books have been covered but where from a previous year a book wasn’t covered, we would really appreciate it if you would cover such a book, with a clear plastic cover. It is also important that your child’s books and copies are clearly labelled. A white label with your child’s name and subject should be affixed to the front of all books and copies. It would be very much appreciated if this would all be completed by Friday the 12th of September at the latest. Children can leave books that they do not require for homework in school each evening. We would appreciate it if you would regularly check your children’s bags to ensure that they are not carrying any unnecessary requisites or an accumulation of paper etc. to and from school.
Clothes/requisite labelling: This is a problem every year, where children’s belongings are not labelled. Please label clearly all your child’s belongings, in particular school jumpers. It is very important that anything belonging to your child is clearly labelled or marked so it can be identified as belonging to your child, and returned to your child should he/she mislay it.
Absences: Parents/Guardians are reminded that there is a legal obligation on the principal to record every absence of every child throughout the school year with the added obligation of reporting absences of over 20 days to the National Educational Welfare Board. Parents/guardians of children in 1st - 6th class are asked to fill in the absence slip in the back of their child’s journal. Parents/guardians of children in all remaining classes can simply email the school explaining the absence.
GAA: The boys and girls in the senior classes will participate in Gaelic football blitzs this term. As soon as we have the details, we will let you know.
Supporting Gerardine: As you may be aware, school secretaries and school caretakers are currently engaged in dispute with the department over access to fair pensions. All they are looking for is fair play in that they will have access to the same pension schemes as teachers and SNAs and indeed all other public servants. We all support Gerardine and her colleagues in their quest to be treated fairly and equally. You are all too familiar with the fact that Gerardine is such a vital cog in keeping all operational in this school, so let’s hope this gets sorted. It’s going to result in a backlog of work in the office and indeed it may not be as easy to get in contact with us, but bear with us and hopefully this will pass quickly and the department will come to their senses and give Gerardine and her colleagues what they are entitled to.
Monday the 8th of September: Junior Infants finishing school @1.35pm from this day on.
Monday the 29th of September: Board of Management Meeting @ 8pm.
Fáilte Romhat go léir ar ais: Tá fáilte romhaibh ar ais i gcomhair bliain nua. In particular we extend a warm welcome to our new Junior Infants. May they all enjoy a positive experience during their time in Seir Kieran’s N.S..
Car Park and Safety: On arrival in the morning and on departure in the evening, the school is a real hive of activity. We would ask that all motorists take extra care when pulling in and out of car park spaces. Please take note of the following:
All Infants should always be collected at the green school gate and escorted to their cars.
- If you have children in 1st/2nd/3rd class and they have no older siblings, you should also collect these children at the school gate.
- With the lack of space in the car park in the evening, we operate a staggered leave time in the evening. This year it will operate in two groups. Please see a list attached, to indicate what group you are in for collection. If you are in Group 1, please be in the car park at 2.30pm sharp, so as you can collect and leave promptly, freeing up spaces for the next group. If you are in Group 2, you can then arrive in the car park at 2.35pm sharp to collect your children.
School Hot Meals: As I stated in a previous email to you, we had hoped to have this up and running in September/October. We will not be in a position to roll out this scheme until early 2026. I know there will be confusion out there as there are many schools in the locality already providing this service and if we could do so, we would. In our case and there were many schools like us, who simply could not get a meals supplier before June. We have now been forced to go down the E- tendering route to source a supplier. Schools who were lucky enough to source a supplier before June did not have to go down this route but when their contracts with their suppliers are up, they will also have to go down the E- tendering route. We have been advised that this E tendering route can take up to 14 weeks We will continue to keep you informed of any developments with regard to our efforts on the School Hot Meals Scheme.
Healthy Eating: In our school we have a Healthy Eating Policy. Crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets or junk food of any type are not to be included in your child’s lunch box. You are encouraged to include fruit and vegetable portions in your child’s lunch box. Healthy Eating is in the best interests of all. Please consult with the Healthy Eating Policy which is uploaded under the policies tab on our website
Bí Cineálta Policy: This policy is in place to prevent and address bullying behaviour in our school. From surveys conducted with pupils, parents and teachers in the last school year, it was clear that the overwhelming majority agreed that as a school we do a very good job in this regard. The only thing we ask of you parents is, that if there is any issue which may be causing your child unhappiness, come and speak to the relevant class teacher at the earliest opportunity, don’t be letting issues fester, they simply won’t go away unless they are dealt with. You can contact the office from 9.30am to 1.30pm (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) and a phone appointment can be made with the relevant teacher or if required a face to face meeting can be organised with the relevant teacher.
School Contribution: As I have stated several times previously, you will hear all sorts of wonderful reports in the media about schools not needing to seek financial contributions as school books etc are now being paid for by the department. The reality is though primary schools continue to be grossly underfunded and without the generous volunteerism of people and the financial support we receive through donations and fundraising, schools like ours would simply not function. To give one practical example, we received zero euros again in 2024/25 to pay for caretaking services. So, as you will be aware power washing, hedge cutting, grass cutting etc, etc all cost money. In this context we seek a contribution of €40 per child to help pay some of these costs. The €40 will also go towards paying 24-hour insurance cover for your child. All support we receive is much appreciated.
Junior Infants: Junior Infants will finish at 12noon each day up to and including Friday the 5th of September. From Monday the 8th of September, Junior Infants will go home at 1.35pm.
4th /5th /6th Classes : These children will use the school field when it is anyway dry. These children can bring a spare pair of socks in a plastic bag in their school bags. They are also asked to bring an old pair of runners/shoes or football boots with them to school. In the case of third class, they will be joining 4th, 5th and 6th classes on designated training days for Gaelic football. I will let the children know when these training days will happen and they can bring their football boots in on these days. Also any child who is playing Gaelic football this year will have to bring in a gum shield as they will have to use these in matches. So if your child is in 3rd class up and will be playing football, please get them a gum shield.
The Covering and Labelling of School Books: Most of the school books sent home are covered. All new books have been covered but where from a previous year a book wasn’t covered, we would really appreciate it if you would cover such a book, with a clear plastic cover. It is also important that your child’s books and copies are clearly labelled. A white label with your child’s name and subject should be affixed to the front of all books and copies. It would be very much appreciated if this would all be completed by Friday the 12th of September at the latest. Children can leave books that they do not require for homework in school each evening. We would appreciate it if you would regularly check your children’s bags to ensure that they are not carrying any unnecessary requisites or an accumulation of paper etc. to and from school.
Clothes/requisite labelling: This is a problem every year, where children’s belongings are not labelled. Please label clearly all your child’s belongings, in particular school jumpers. It is very important that anything belonging to your child is clearly labelled or marked so it can be identified as belonging to your child, and returned to your child should he/she mislay it.
Absences: Parents/Guardians are reminded that there is a legal obligation on the principal to record every absence of every child throughout the school year with the added obligation of reporting absences of over 20 days to the National Educational Welfare Board. Parents/guardians of children in 1st - 6th class are asked to fill in the absence slip in the back of their child’s journal. Parents/guardians of children in all remaining classes can simply email the school explaining the absence.
GAA: The boys and girls in the senior classes will participate in Gaelic football blitzs this term. As soon as we have the details, we will let you know.
Supporting Gerardine: As you may be aware, school secretaries and school caretakers are currently engaged in dispute with the department over access to fair pensions. All they are looking for is fair play in that they will have access to the same pension schemes as teachers and SNAs and indeed all other public servants. We all support Gerardine and her colleagues in their quest to be treated fairly and equally. You are all too familiar with the fact that Gerardine is such a vital cog in keeping all operational in this school, so let’s hope this gets sorted. It’s going to result in a backlog of work in the office and indeed it may not be as easy to get in contact with us, but bear with us and hopefully this will pass quickly and the department will come to their senses and give Gerardine and her colleagues what they are entitled to.