Students from our 3 TY Classes completed their Gaisce Adventure Journey in recent weeks. This is a major highlight of the year and while it certainly is at times, a test of their resolve, it is also a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. This year it involved a 10k kayak from Carrig House to Lickeen, camping overnight and a hike to Glenbeigh through the Windy Gap the following day. Well done to all students and our thanks to the teachers and also our SNA Ms O' Donoghue, who raced through Caragh Lake with Tessa Cronin at high speed on their kayak, who volunteered and gave generously of their free time; without them the trips would not be possible. Our thanks also to Noel O' Leary and all the crew at Irish Adventures who a pleasure to deal with at all times.

Our TY Students will be taking part in the Darkness into Light walk in Rossbeigh tomorrow morning. We will be assembling at the shop by the entrance to the beach 4am sharp. All students, staff & parents of the Intermediate School are welcome to join. Please support a very worthy cause using this link. The money will be used to provide free, accessible support to those people affected by suicide and self-harm.

https://www.darknessintolight.ie/fundraisers/theintermediateschool

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Re: Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2024/25 school year.

For the 2024/25 school year all students in Junior Cycle years in the free education

system will receive free schoolbooks and certain other resources. These will be in

place in September 2024.

This new scheme is being introduced by Minister for Education Norma Foley TD. It is

in recognition of the cost of preparing children and young people for the return to

school. The new scheme eliminates the cost to parents/guardians of providing

schoolbooks and core classroom resources. The scheme will ensure equity of

access, where all children and young people enrolled in Junior Cycle years in post-

primary schools in the Free Education Scheme can commence the new school year

in 2024/25 with the same schoolbooks and classroom resources as other children

and young people in their class.

“Schoolbooks” includes all relevant schoolbooks, including ebooks at Junior Cert

level. It also covers workbooks in use in the school to support teaching and subject

learning at Junior Cycle. It also includes necessary additional texts such as novels

and plays for English or books of past Junior Cycle examination papers for all

subjects. Schools should determine whether it is more cost effective to

print/photocopy examination papers, which are available from the State Examination

Commission’s website or to purchase these.

Funding for the scheme in 2024/25 is being provided directly to post-primary schools

by the Department of Education. Schools now have responsibility for providing

schoolbooks and core classroom resources to all Junior Cycle students at the start of

forthcoming school year.

(Where parents/guardians of second and third year students currently own

their schoolbooks these can be used)

Parents/Guardians of students commencing second and third year will have already

purchased a significant amount of the schoolbooks and classroom resources

Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme Guidance 2024/25

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required for Junior Cycle. Any additional schoolbooks and core classroom resources

required by students in second and third year will now be covered under the new

scheme.

All schoolbooks and core classroom resources provided under the new scheme will

remain the property of the school, so that they can be reused in future years (where

applicable).

Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to students for the duration of the 2024/25

school year and must be returned to school at the end of the school year/at the end

of the 3 years of Junior Cycle.

Please remind your children to take care of their schoolbooks and classroom

resources and keep them in good condition during the period that they are in their

possession. It is not permitted to write on schoolbooks.

There may be some additional classroom resources that are not covered by the

scheme.

Further details (if any) on what items parents/guardians will need to supply for the

return to school in September 2024/pay a fee to the school for will be itemised and

communicated to parents/guardians by the school in due course.

Yours sincerely

Joe O'Dwyer