A Note for Parents

Parents are the most important influence on their children. The staff of the Four Masters National School are keenly aware of this fact and they work closely with parents to provide the best opportunities for the pupils in the school. Parents  are asked to support their children with their homework and to take an active interest in all school activities eg: Book Fairs, Christmas Concerts, Preparation for the Sacraments etc. Each year, Parent/Teacher meetings take place when parents and teachers discuss childrens' progress in school. If parents have concerns or worries about how their children are getting on it is important to let teachers know as soon as possible.

Parent Association
As a parent/guardian you are an automatic member of our Parent Association.  The Parent Association is run by a committee of eight elected parents / guardians, two elected parent representatives from the Board of Management and the Principal of the school.   The names of all committee members are available from the school office.  The Parent Association meets usually once a month and helps out with the organization and running of various school events e.g. Christmas concert, Healthy Eating seminars, Family  Fun Day etc.  These events provide a means of getting to know new people, while at the same time making a financial contribution to the running costs of the school.

General Information on Starting School in Four Masters National School

First Day
It is important to establish a good routine early.  Check that all items - uniform, bag - are ready for the morning.  Do this in a calm fashion - don't have your child over excited or anxious going to bed.  Give plenty of time in the morning for dressing,  washing and eating a good breakfast.  It is important that your child arrives at school before class starts as children can find it intimidating to walk into a class already in progress.  On the big day, if you are feeling upset, don't show it, leave  your child with the teacher, and tell him/her you will be back at the appropriate time to collect him/her.  If your child is upset, trust the teacher.  The teacher is very experienced and knows how to comfort an anxious child.

On arrival it is very helpful if you can show your child where to hang his/her coat and leave his/her lunch.  After your child meets the teacher and some other children and settles into his/her place, please leave promptly as your child will pick up on  your anxiety.

Most children, even if initially upset soon became distracted by their surroundings and settle down.

If you feel your child is worried about something school related, talk to the teacher.

Home Time
Junior and senior infants go home at two o'clock, please come promptly as your child may fret if he/she thinks they have been forgotten.

School finishes at 12:30 for the first 2 weeks of junior infants. If there are any special collection arrangements please let us know by note.

Clothes
The children wear the standard uniform for four days of the week (navy jumper/cardigan, white shirt, navy trousers/skirt/pinafore/ black/brown shoes).
On P.E. day the children wear navy tracksuit bottoms, navy sweatshirt, white polo shirt and comfortable trainers.
Please ensure that all clothes likely to be removed, i.e. jumpers, coats etc., are clearly labelled with your child's name.  We do not recommend trousers with clasps or belts, which may be difficult to open.  Shoes/trainers with Velcro fasteners are easier  for the children to manage.

Lunch
The school has a healthy eating policy in place - a helathy lunchbox includes a piece of food from the first four shelves of the food pyramid.  Friday is treat day.  On that day one piece of food can be included from the top shelf of the food pyramid.   Fizzy drinks are not allowed.  We encourage the eating of lots of fruit and vegetables.

Breaks
There are two breaks during the day:
11.00am to 11.10am
12.30pm to 1.00 pm
Due to the covid pandemic break times are temporary changed. Breaks are now staggered to ensure the minimum number of children on the yard at the one time.
An area of the playground is reserved especially for Junior Infants.
Additional time for eating lunch is given before break begins.

Health and Safety
If your child develops any contagious illness such as chicken pox or the measles please keep him/her away from school until the period of contagion is over and inform the teacher immediately so other parents can be alerted.

We recommend that you check your child's hair regularly for head lice.

Information
Notes and newsletters will be sent home in your child's lunchbox.

More General Information on the School

Hours of Opening
Junior and Senior Infants ................................ 9.20 am - 2.00 pm
All other classes ............................................. 9.20 - 3.00 pm

Assembly 9.20 - 9.40 am - classes commence at 9.40 am.

Due to the covid pandemic temporary staggered opening and closing times are in place. They are organised alphabetically.

Absence and Sickness
Regular attendance is crucial to your child's progress.  However, children do, from time  to time, get sick.

In accordance with the Educational Welfare Act the school has a duty to report any child who has missed twenty days or more in one academic year.  The Principal has no discretion in this.

Parents/Guardian are now obliged by law to provide a written explanation on their child's absence to the school.

If your child has a particular health problem e.g. eyesight, hearing, toilet related problem, asthma etc. please inform the school.

School Uniform
The colour scheme of the school uniform is as follows.
Boys: Navy trousers, navy jumper, navy tie, white shirt, black/brown shoes.
Girls:Navy skirt/pinafore/trousers, navy jumper, navy tie, white shirt, black/brown shoes.  We strongly encourage the wearing of the school uniform and we ask children to bring in a note to explain why it is not being worn if this happens.

Books
Booklists for each school year are issued the preceding June.

The school will purchase all required books for pupils. These pre-ordered books will be delivered to pupils on the first day of the school year.

The school supplies a lot of textbooks on loan.  The cost of book rental in built in to the overall cost of the booklists.  The books remain the property of the school and must be returned at the end of the school year.  Books on loan which are lost or returned damaged must be paid in full.

Parents can pay for the books electronically on our school administration system. A link will be sent to parents for these payments.

Lunch
The daily lunch period is 12.30 pm - 1.00 pm.  The school has a Healthy Eating Policy.  No crisps or fizzy drinks allowed.  Friday is treat day and on that day children may bring in a chocolate bar.

 

Due to the covid pandemic lunch times have been temporary changed and these times are now staggered.

Curriculum
The school caters for all aspects of the primary curriculum:
Language - Gaeilge, English.
Mathematics
Religious Education (Roman Catholic)
Social, Environmental and Scientific Education - History, Geography and Science.
Arts Education - Visual Arts, Music and Drama.
Physical Education
Social Personal and Health Education.

The curriculum is very informal at Junior Infant Level, becoming more formal as the pupil gets older.

Pupils who received their education to age elevn outside Ireland may be granted an exemption from the study of Irish.  Further details from the principal.

Homework
We believe that homework is a valuable tool in the academic development of pupils, and imporves home-school links.  All pupils from first class upwards have a homework diary, into which each night's homework is written.  No homework is given at weekends.

Annual calendar
The annual calendar, detailing all school openings for the year, is issued at the beginning of each school year.