Dear parents, guardians,

 We are contacting you regarding this morning’s snow.

Current weather forecast is for snow to ease up this morning and rain is forecast from 11.00am onwards with the temperature to increase by 3 degrees over the next 2 hours.

On this basis, we will follow our school timetable as normal and finish today at 12.38pm.

 Very many thanks.

 Kind regards, 

Padraig Conaty, Principal

Dear parents/guardians, 

all after school clubs are cancelled today due to weather.

Kind regards, School Office

Dear parents/guardians,

Just a reminder that on Thursday, 29/02, all lessons finish at 12.39pm due to Staff Training Session. There will be no after-school clubs on that day.

Kind regards, School Office

Reminder - tomorrow,  Thursday, 29/02, all lessons finish at 12.39pm due to Staff Training Session. Please all Food Village orders placed for that day.

Kind regards, School Office

Dear parents/guardians,

HCETSS are delighted to be working with ISPCC in delivering their smart moves programme in first year and as a whole school on the shield anti bullying programme. The ISPCC is offering a series of free webinars over the next few months starting next week with "Don't teach your kids to fear the online world, teach them to navigate it".

Please email Lorraine at lorrainegalvin@hcetss.ie if you require any further information.

Dear parents/guardians,

We are delighted to inform you that after mid-term break, we will be partnering with Terenure Community Support & Integration to offer our Junior Cycle students an opportunity to engage in an exciting new afterschool Technology Club.

This will increase the total number of extra and co-curricular clubs which we offer to 25.

Terenure Community Support & Integration is a local voluntary organisation that provides youth services as well as migrant integration services. 

This club will run for 9 Thursdays from Thursday 22nd February to Thursday 9th May (excluding Thursday 18th April) from 3.15pm – 5.00pm.

The club will be delivered by a qualified external teacher and will be limited to 20 students.

If your child is interested in signing up for this club, please tell them to call into the main office at break time or lunchtime on Monday 19th or Tuesday 20th February to sign an expression of interest form.

If more than 20 students apply, we will conduct a draw and inform those who are successful on Wednesday 21st February.

Kind regards,

Padraig Conaty, Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We trust this letter finds you all well. We are reaching out to update you on various aspects relating to our school.

 School Promo Video

We are delighted to share with you all our school promotional video. We are very fortunate to have such supportive parents as Scott and Emer from Big Red Engine who created this promo video for our school community. It encapsulates so much of what is wonderful about our school. Please access the video via this link.

 School Musical

On Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th and Saturday 25th November, our students performed our first ever school musical - ‘Let’s Hear It for the 80s’. The level of skill, energy, and dedication demonstrated by our students across the three performances was nothing short of awe-inspiring. This event was a significant milestone for us, providing a platform for our students to showcase the diverse range of talents that flourish within our school. Almost 20% of our entire student body were involved in the show. The performances embodied the essence of learning beyond the traditional classroom setting. The teamwork, resilience, commitment, and the willingness to embrace both success and failure—all these elements exemplify the spirit of HCETSS. It was heartening to witness these qualities on display, reaffirming what makes our school truly exceptional. We are particularly grateful to you, our parents and guardians whose fundraising and financial support made this all possible.

 Stand Up Awareness Week

During the week of 27th November, we celebrated Stand Up week in our school. This week, led by Ciara and Aideen and our student council , was a wonderful opportunity for our school community to take a stand against homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. By raising awareness and showing our support, together, we create spaces in our school and beyond where LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, equal and valued. Our students designed a presentation which was delivered to all students during tutor time. We held student poster, infographic and door decorating competitions. Building on recent research that identified the importance of staff support and positive representation of LGBTQ+ issues in the curriculum, teachers also identified positive LGBTQ+ representations in their own classes. The week culminated in our Campus Pride Parade where we joined HXETNS for a Pride March in Harold’s Cross Park. We were delighted to have the first ever Pride Flag leading our parade. Altogether, this student-centred and student led week was a true and powerful reflection of how we enable student participation in our school in an authentic and meaningful way.

 Careers Week

During the week of 11th December, Lorraine led our College Awareness Week. This initiative involved a TY Careers Fair on Wednesday 13th and talks from a wide range of visiting speakers (parents and local residents) on Friday 15th. Over 10% of our parent body gave up their Friday morning to speak to our students. Careers discussed ranged from voiceover work, writing, marketing, innovation, publishing, social inclusion, law, politics, science, Department of Foreign Affairs, interior landscaping, AI, air corps, architecture, I.T, engineering, sustainability, marketing, coaching, compliance, accounting and journalism. We also had a number of parents who discussed pivoting mid-career to other areas of interest. Feedback from students has been hugely positive and the event was a perfect example of how positive partnerships with our parents can practically promote the student experience in our school.

 Access to School

Reminder that all school visitors must report directly to the school office to sign in. If you have pre-arranged to meet with a staff member, you will be collected from the main office.  Please do not access any other parts of our school campus, at any time, without signing in. From a Health and Safety standpoint, it is crucial we know how many adults and children are on site in the event of a campus evacuation.

Please also note that staff are not available for impromptu meetings before or after the school day. If you wish to speak to one of your child’s teachers or class tutor, we recommend you contact the school office to arrange a call back or a meeting in-person. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this matter.

 Students Reflecting on their Learning

As previously communicated this week, on Monday 18th December, all students received copies of their Winter Reports during a reflection session with their tutors. With the help of their tutors, your child reviewed their report and completed Page 50 in their journal. We ask that you speak to your child about what they have filled in for progress reflection, sign and date this page by Friday 22nd December. Tutors will return to these reflections in the new year to support your child with their learning goals for Term 2.

 Study and Exam Coaching Seminar

In January, Tralee Education Centre will host a series of online seminar which will explore how you can support your child to develop positive learning and study habits. Whatever year your child is in, we strongly recommend this seminar for all of our parents. Please register via this link.

 Updated diary

Please see updated Parent Diary, two events have been added, highlighted in yellow.

 Return to School

We re-open on Monday 8th January. Lessons re-commence at 10.43am. Please note that no students should be on site before 10.28am as staff are all in meetings up until then and we do not have classroom or yard supervision.

 Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for all that you do to help our school community thrive and flourish. We wish each of you a peaceful and restful Christmas break.

 Kind regards,

Pádraig Conaty, Principal

Mick Heffernan, Deputy Principal

Dear parents/guardians, 

As some of you had problems with the green gate, I attach a short guide explaining how to unlock the gate.

Step 1.

Locate the touchpad.

Step 2.

Touch the middle of the screen to light up.

Step 3.

Touch the left light.

Kind regards, 

School Office

Dear parents/guardians,

Reminder - the school will be closed on Friday 2nd February. 

Kind regards, School Office

Dear parents/guardians,

On Thursday 25/01 all lessons will finish at 2.12pm to facilitate a staff meeting. There will be no after-school clubs on that day.

Kind regards, School Office