St Vincent’s Primary School

St Vincent’s Primary School is a Catholic school under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin and the Trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.  It operates under the rules of the DES and follows the revised curriculum.
We, the staff, children, parents and Board of Management are committed to creating a stimulating learning environment in our school.
St Vincent’s has excellent educational and sporting facilities.  These include playing pitches, a full-size gymnasium and a computer room.  
We hope that each child, including those with special needs, may attain their full educational and social potential in a positive and caring atmosphere, giving them confidence for the future.
St Vincent’s promotes equality of access and participation in our school.
The school is managed by a Board of Management comprising of the Chairperson, two parents (elected by the parents), a staff representative (elected by the staff), the Principal and two community representatives (co-opted by the Board of Management).
We are grateful that we have a very active Parents’ Association that works in partnership with the staff and Board of Management.  Some of their activities include fundraising, talks on educational issues, enhancement of the school environment and local concerns.
A full range of academic subjects is covered at St Vincent’s.  These include:
Maths
English
Gaeilge
Religion
S.E.S.E. (History/Geography/Science)
Music
P.E.
Visual Arts
Drama
S.P.H.E., including R.S.E. (parents may withdraw their child by request)



Our school choir provides the music for First Communion, Confirmation and various other musical events.

Some of our best-known past pupils include Ger Brennan, Kenny Cunningham, Dessie Farrell, Jason Sherlock, Ronan Collins, Mick Martin and Pat Fenlon.

School Timetable
The school day begins at 8.50am for pupils in 1st-6th class and 9:00 for our Infant classes.  It finishes at 1.40pm for the infant classes and 2.30pm for the rest of the school.  On days where school closes early – for staff meetings and parent/teacher meetings – parents will be notified well in advance.  There are two formal breaks within the day.  Morning break is at 10.30-10.40am and lunch break is at 12.15-12.45pm.  The pupils will go outside to play during these breaks, weather permitting.

School Calendar
At the start of each school year the Principal, in consultation with the staff and with the sanction of the Board of Management will draw up a school calendar detailing openings and closings, ensuring that the school remains open for the required number of days.  This will be issued annually and in good time to parents/guardians for their information.  Any changes made will be circulated as soon as possible.

Pupils who arrive early and leave late
The school will be open to receive pupils at the hour of 8.50am.  No responsibility is accepted for pupils arriving before that time.  Classes will commence at 8.50am.
Classes will end each day at 2.30pm.  Parents who wish to have their children taken home should make their own arrangements to have them met at the school gate.  The person to escort them should be at the school no later than 2.30pm as the teachers cannot accept responsibility for looking after the children after that time.

Pupil Absences
When a child returns from a day’s absence, he will receive an absentee form.  This form will be filled in by the parents/guardians of the child and returned to the teacher the following school day.  Persistent absences (20 days) will be brought to the attention of the Education Welfare Officer.

Leaving Early
Pupils wishing to leave early should bring in a note.  Children must be collected by an adult.  Parents wishing to take out a pupil early must sign him out in the office and collect a pass to be given to the class teacher.

Staff Meetings
Staff meetings are held regularly and will take place after school as part of the Croke Park 1 Agreement.  Due notice will be given to parents/guardians.

Emergency Closings
Where an emergency closing of the school is necessary, notice will be displayed on the front gates explaining the cause of the closure.

If there is a need to close the school during the school day parents will be contacted.  Parents must ensure that the school has an up to date mobile number for our texting service.

Please ensure that the school is open before leaving your child in.

Homework
We usually give homework every day, except Friday.  Homework can be divided into oral and written work.  In the infant and junior classes, the emphasis would be on the oral.  However, as you go up the school the emphasis will shift to the written.  We give homework that is appropriate to the class at any given level.  This may range from just five minutes in infants, up to one hour in senior classes.  Homework journals must be signed by parents each night to check that work is completed.
In the infants and junior classes the emphasis of responsibility is on the parent.  However, as you go up the levels, the emphasis of responsibility shifts more to the pupil.

Uniform
From September 2019 parents have the choice of their child wearing the school tracksuit every day or uniform and tracksuit (for PE) as it is now. We will be enforcing a strict SCHOOL TRACKSUIT POLICY so it is important if you select this option that your son is in the SCHOOL TRACKSUIT every day.
The school Crest is available for sale from the office at a cost €3 should you wish to purchase you own tracksuit (plain navy)/ jumper (plain grey) and stitch the crest on. You can also buy trousers, shirts etc. in any retail store if you wish or as stated just wear school tracksuit every day.  To avoid confusion, it is important that all items of uniform and jackets be clearly marked with pupil’s name.

The school uniform consists of:
a grey jumper
grey shirt
grey slacks
blue tie with yellow stripes (available to purchase in the office)

The school tracksuit consists of:
plain navy top and bottoms
school crest is optional
no stripes, logos, bands etc. are permitted on the tracksuit

No jewellery is permitted.  A wristwatch is not classed as jewellery.  

Lunch Policy
To encourage healthy eating habits from an early age and to improve the overall nutrition and concentration of our pupils, we promote and implement a “Healthy Lunch Policy” in our school.  Parents are requested to provide a healthy lunch each day for their child. In consideration of children who may have a nut allergy, parents are asked not to include such products in their child’s lunch e.g. peanut butter, Nutella spread etc.

Litter
Pupils should be encouraged to keep own area tidy and use bins where provided.  There is a recycling programme in operation throughout the school.

Mobile Phones Policy
To preserve the rights to privacy and security of all members of our school community we wish to remind parents of our mobile phone policy.

Students are requested not to bring mobile phones with them to school unless it is absolutely necessary for reasons of safety.
Students must turn off phones completely and have them out of sight when they enter the school yard in the morning and not put the phone back on until after school and outside the school yard.
Any phone seen in a student’s possession in the school or yard, before, during or after school will be confiscated and kept in the office.   The phone may be collected by his parents on the following Monday.


Library
Pupils may borrow books from the school but are expected to take care of them and return them in the same condition they were borrowed.  There will be replacement charge for any books that are not returned.

Code of Behaviour
Our code of behaviour has been established in order to provide a safe and secure environment for every child:
Keep unhelpful hands, feet, objects and comments to yourself.
Be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.
Be kind, polite and honest to everyone.
Always do your best and allow others to do the same.
No running within the school building or yard.
Rough and dangerous play is not permitted.
Once children have entered the school premises, they may not leave until the end of the school day unless authorised to do so.
Pupils must move quietly around the school building.

Anti-Bullying
Bullying is repeated aggression – verbal, psychological or physical – conducted by an individual or group against another.  St Vincent’s will not tolerate bullying in any form and would encourage reporting of such.  If you feel your child is being bullied please notify the class teacher.

Safety & Security

The Board of Management aims to provide a healthy and safe environment for all pupils and staff.  The safety statement may be viewed in full, in the school office.

During school hours all doors will be locked.  Access to the school can only be gained through the main hall door by using the intercom. All callers must report to the office before visiting any classrooms.

Fire Drills
All people in the school are made familiar with the fire procedures.  A fire drill is carried out twice a year.

First Aid
There is a First Aid box to deal with any minor injuries available in the office.  No tablets or medication will be given to children in accordance with the Safety and Insurance regulations.  Accidents are to be reported to the Principal and a record kept of any serious injuries sustained, the date and time of the accident, the cause if known, who was supervising and any other relevant details.  In the event of a serious accident or illness, medical attention will be sought and parents or guardians will be contacted using the emergency phone numbers.  Please ensure that these numbers are up-to-date.

Administration of Medicine
If your child requires long-term medication, please apply in writing to the Board of Management.  Unless approved by the Board of Management, children are not allowed medicines in school.


Child Abuse
The staff of St Vincent’s is required by law to report all allegations of child abuse to the Health Board or the Gardai.
Illegal Substances
In the instance of an illegal substance being found on a child, the Gardai will be contacted.


Web Site
The school has a website, www.vincentsprimary.com, which is maintained within the school.  The aim of the website is to develop a home-school link and give the pupils a vehicle for publishing their work.  We comply fully with all Internet recommendations for school websites.  This means that a child’s name can appear alongside their work, but not their photograph.  Absolutely no personal information about any child will appear on the site.  All children are required to return a consent form signed by a parent or guardian at the start of every school year before they may appear on the site.  Parents may withdraw this consent at any time.

School Outings
During the school year, the children may be afforded the opportunity to leave the school premises for educational outings and sporting, musical and cultural events.  Adequate notice of these will be given and parental permission will be required for activities that run outside school hours.

Textbook Supply
St. Vincent’s Primary School is always looking at ways to make things easier for parents, students and teachers alike.  We have introduced a Book Scheme which is quite simple.  Each pupil pays €100 to the school and in return they receive everything they need for the school year in text books and work books.  The fee for Art, Photocopying, Testing, Texting etc. of €60 is also included in this amount. This scheme is extremely successful and we will be continuing with it for this school year. This means you will only have to worry about having school bag, copies and pencils and school uniform for the new school year.

Lost Property
Any lost property should be placed in the lost property area on the lower corridor of the school.  Our school does not accept any responsibility for items lost in school.  

Parent/School/Teacher Communication
Our school encourages positive and cooperative home/school communication through annual parent-teacher meetings, homework journals and end-of-year reports.  In the event of a parent wanting to meet a teacher at other times, the parent/guardian is asked to make an appointment by contacting the school so that adequate supervision can be arranged.

Complaints Procedure
In the event of any parent/guardian having a grievance please make an appointment to meet with the class teacher.  If the issue is not resolved, the matter may be discussed with the Principal.  If still unresolved, the parent/guardian may write to the Board of Management.

Special Needs & Learning Support

In our school we have a variety of teachers who cater for children with learning difficulties and special needs.  All pupils are screened each year to identify any learning difficulties.  If you are concerned about your child’s progress contact the class teacher.