Dear parents/guardians, 

School will close at 12.00 on Friday 14/02 for midterm as per the calendar. After school clubs will run as planned.

Kind regards, School Office

Hello Parents/Guardians;

Please have your completed HSE First Year Immunisation forms brought in to school by Tomorrow, Tuesday the 25th.

Thank you

Dear Parent/Guardian;

Please note the Cartoon Club will run from 12pm through till 1 pm on Friday, 14 February.

Thank you

Dear parents/guardians, 

those who ordered class photos and portraits from Circus Photography can collect the printouts from the school office.

 Thank you and kind regards, 

Aleksandra

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We hope this communication finds you well and that you and your family have had a restful and relaxing Christmas break. We are contacting you with regard to various areas relating to our school.

 Anti-bullying & Bí Cineáltas

Later this term, we will be closed for one day to facilitate training for all school staff on the Department of Education’s new Anti-Bullying Guidelines – Bi Cineáltas. This training will help to prepare us for when these new guidelines come into place for all post primary schools in September 2025. After this training, we will also be in contact with you around how you can be involved with this process. Please see further information below: www.gov.ie/en/publication/52aaf-cinealtas-action-plan-on-bullying/

We will contact you over the coming days with date for this staff training and an updated school calendar.

 Ready to Learn

Reminder that we expect every student to begin every lesson in the same way:

• Students should begin every class having JPIC (Journal, Pen, iPad, Copy) on their desks.
• Their iPads should be face down unless instructed to be used by their teacher.
• Your Turn, Your voice reminds students that they all have the right to be heard when they speak so other students are reminded to always listen when another student is speaking.
• Ensuring a predictable start and routine to every lesson helps students to self-regulate and prepares them for their learning in each subject. As we start a new term, please support your child to ensure that their iPad is charged every night and that they come into school with all the necessary materials.

 Accommodation

Our new school building continues to progress on schedule. In December, all foundations were poured and the construction of the ground floors walls commenced. The walls are made from precast concrete so we will see the structure of the building take shape very quickly over the coming months. We expect that every classroom will be ready for September 2026, with our sports hall, basketball courts, school garden and all landscaping ready for January 2027.

 Attendance & Punctuality

Why is it important to get to school on time? There are a number of reasons why attending school regularly and getting to school on time is so important:

• International and national studies show that positive educational outcomes are directly correlated to attendance and punctuality.
• Getting to school on time enables your child to access their locker, get organised for their day and start the day feeling prepared, regulated and ready to learn.
• Arriving to school on time means that your child has an opportunity to connect with friends, build positive relationships and develop a sense of belonging in their school.
• Being punctual is habit forming and supports students as they move through their teenage years into third level education, world of work etc.
• Schools are legally required to inform Tusla in the case of any student who misses 20 school days in one academic year.

 In order to promote, recognise and reward consistently good attendance and punctuality, we are running a ‘Drive for Five’ student and a base class competition from 7th January to 11th February (5 weeks).

 Student Competition

Every student who arrives to school on time for 26 consecutive days will be entered into a competition for a €100 voucher within their respective year group.

 Base Class Competition

Top 3 base classes across all year groups (14 base classes in total) for attendance & punctuality across the school will get a pizza party before February midterm.

Students who arrive late to school (after 8.20am bell) must sign in at the school office. Late students will also receive a minus point where no explanation is submitted via school app.

Please note that it is not unusual for children to feel uneasy about going to school now and again. However, if your child begins to regularly experience strong feelings such as reluctance about going to school or have difficulty staying in school, it is important to notice this and respond quickly. It is important to give a strong message to your child that even though they are experiencing strong feelings about school attendance they need to go to school.

If you are finding that your child is reluctant to come into school, please contact your child’s tutor via school office. Please also see Department of Education guidance for parents as to how best support your child of they are reluctant to attend school.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/9cda4-wellbeing-information-for-parentsguardians/

 School App

If you child is late or absent from school, please submit a note of explanation via school app. Please do not email or telephone but submit this information via school app only.

Similarly, if your child has a dental/medical appointment etc., please submit a note via app giving them permission to leave school.

 Homework & Student Journals

Completion of homework and study is a valuable way to reinforce and support classroom learning.

Therefore, we ask that every student fills in subject columns for each week and records all assigned homework/study using their journal.

This ensures that your child has a record of assigned work and enables them to take responsibility for their learning.

Tutors will carry out weekly checks to monitor and support and we will also reinforce good use of the journal through our Vs Ware points system.

We would greatly appreciate your support around this expectation. Please speak with your child if homework is not being recorded via their journal.

 Toilets

Reminder that student toilets are to be used before 8.20am, break-time, lunch-time & after school.

We ask that all students keep toilet breaks during class time to a minimum as missed class time impacts on student learning and also a teacher’s ability to teach.

We ask that students do not request to use the toilet at the following times:

• 10.43am – 11.00am (immediately after break)
• 1.14pm – 1.30pm (immediately after lunch-time)

We are very cognizant that for specific medical reasons, some students require regular toilet breaks during the school day. If your child requires such breaks and you have not yet had an opportunity to inform your child’s tutor, please do so via school office, at your earliest convenience.

 HX Park & Surrounds

We ask that all students are mindful of our local neighbours, particularly at the end of the school day as 350 students depart our campus.

Please ask your child to be mindful of vehicular traffic on Grosvenor Lane as they enter and exit the campus.

Our local park is beautifully maintained by Dublin City Council and is a fantastic asset to our local community. We ask that any students who wish to use the park after school do so in small groups and are respectful or other park users. Any students who wish to play football/hurling etc. after school must use an alternative park as ball sports are strictly prohibited in Harold’s Cross Park.

Similarly, we ask that any students who wish to use the Centra on Harold’s Cross Road do so in a respectful way and do not congregate in the shop, causing inconvenience to fellow shoppers. Students must pay in full for any food items they wish to purchase. We ask that students do not congregate behind Centra, in Leinster Park as this has previously impacted on our local residents’ ability to access their cars.

Please remind your child that all relevant school policies such as our Code of Positive Behaviour, Anti-Bullying Policy and Suspension and Expulsion Policy etc. apply to behaviour in our immediate vicinity as well as on school campus.

 Extra-curricular Clubs

As a developing school, we are immensely proud of our extensive extra-curricular programme. We currently offer 9 lunchtime clubs and 15 after school clubs.

If your child has not yet had a chance to get involved in one of these clubs, please encourage them to do so this term. It will greatly enhance their school experience.

Best wishes to you all for 2025 and as always, thank you for your continued support.

It is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Pádraig Conaty, Principal

Mick Heffernan, Deputy Principal

HCETSS are proud to announce that we will be hosting our Talent Show on the 7th of February, 2025!

As you know, our school is simply bursting with talent and it's about time we invited you all in to witness it. A special thanks to our lovely neighbours at Assumption JNS who are allowing us to use their stage and venue yet again after our successful concert "For One Night Only" back in 2023.

It's your chance to see our rising stars before they become regular household names - and who knows, our very own "Ant & Dec" might also make an appearance

All proceeds of this concert will go towards our TY production of High School Musical taking place in March, so OF COURSE it's only fitting that Troy & Gabriella take the stage to give you little sneak peek

Please scan the QR code to book your tickets or follow the link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1215058816629?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please also note that tickets are limited to act fast because when they're gone, they're gone!!

Once again, please invite all your family and friends. We've such a lovely mix of students from 1st - 5th year all taking place and they deserve a full house!

 Kindest regards,

Leonna, Amy & Emily

Dear parents/guardians,

The Amber Flag team are organising a fundraiser for Pieta House as part of our wellbeing week on Friday 31st January. We are asking students to please wear amber (any orange/red/yellow) on Friday 31st January and bring in €2 collected by tutors to support the fantastic work Pieta House does. 

 Thank you for your support!

The Amber Flag team

Dear parents/guardians, 

Art club will be cancelled today, 4th February, due to personal reasons.

Kind regards, 

School Office

Dear parents/guardians, 

Cartoon club will be cancelled this Friday 31st January due to personal reasons.

Kind regards, 

School Office

Dear parents/guardians, 

The school will close at 2.12 pm today due to the staff meeting (as marked in the calendar).

Apologies for the late notification.

Kind regards, School Office