Hello,

I wanted to highlight a fantastic event we are planning for Co Kildare next month as part of National Services Day.

It is a Blue Light Parade and Static Display in Naas Co Kildare on Saturday, 2nd September 2023.

More information on the event is available below. We would love to invite your students and if you could feature it in your newsletter that would be wonderful.

---Information on the Event----

Since 2013, National Services Day has been putting on events that are geared at recognising the important work that our Frontline, Emergency, Essential and Security Services personnel do in keeping us all safe and well. Most importantly, it is an opportunity for our services to thank the public for all their support. In 2018 the then Taoiseach, Mr. Leo Varadkar set out the Government’s commitment by officially designating the first Saturday in September as National Services Day.

For 2023, parades and celebrations are being planned all across the country and this year – for the first time we are bringing the parade to Kildare, Naas. On this day you will see Kildare’s first National Services Day Blue Light Parade and Static Display.

Commencing with a parade coming through the town at 1pm, it will be a spectacle not to be missed as dozens of emergency and essential vehicles pass through the town, down the main street and up to Aras Chill Dara, Kildare County Council Carpark, where we will hold a static display until approximately 5pm. It is an excellent opportunity for the young and old to meet the men and woman of our national services and experience all the exciting equipment and vehicles that they have to offer.

National Services taking part in this event include:

§  An Garda Siochana

§  National Ambulance Service

§  Kildare Fire Service

§  Defence Forces Army & Air Corp

§  Kildare Civil Defence

§  Community First Responders

§  Order of Malta

§  The Irish Red Cross

§  St John’s Ambulance

§  Customs

§  Coast Guard

§  Road Safety Authority

§  The O.N.E.

§  U.N. peace Keepers

§  Vintage Vehicle Display

National Services Day is a day of remembrance and celebration with the aim of a National thank you to the brave frontline workers that keep us safe every day.

It would be fantastic to see the public come out on the 2nd September and show your support for our Frontline, Emergency and Security Services personnel.

Log on the website www.nationalservicesday.ie for the full schedule of events.

Wishing all CPC students receiving Leaving Certificate results today the very best luck!

Results will be issued at 10am through the Candidate Self Service Portal.

In order to access results, students will need their:

Leaving Cert exam number

CSSP password

PPS number

Should students have any questions regarding their portal, the SEC Candidate helpline will be available at 1800 111 135 or 1800 111 136 from 9 am to 5pm. Outside of these hours, queries may be e-mailed to candidateportal@examinations.ie

When students access their CSSP, they will see the grade achieved in each subject and the level at which the exam was taken. They will not see marks, percentages or points.

However, the Viewing of Scripts process is a core part of the SEC’s examination appeals and quality assurance. It allows candidates to see how the marking scheme in each subject has been applied to their scripts and to make an informed decision as to whether or not to make an appeal. Viewing of scripts will be held either in school or online depending on whether the subject/level was marked on paper or online. With the expansion of online marking to the majority of subjects for the 2023 Leaving Certificate, most script viewing will be online through the Candidate Self Service Portal. In relation to manually marked scripts, candidates will be provided with an opportunity to view their marked scripts on Saturday 02 September. Details of how to arrange this will follow in due course.

MsMcDonnell is available to students on Friday and subsequent days over the CAO offer schedule. Should students have any questions in relation to accepting offers, deferring offers, available places etc please do not hesitate to contact her.

Best wishes to all of our students today.

J Leonard

Dear Principal,

Please see an update below in respect of the School Transport Scheme, which contains important information on closing dates and temporary closure of the Bus Éireann Family Portal.

I would be grateful if you could circulate to families who may use school transport for their information.

Information for families regarding School Transport Payment

Process for 2023/24 School Year

Payments/Medical Card Details

Payment/child’s medical card details for all pupils who wish to be considered for the allocation of a ticket for the 2023/24 school year must be submitted before 9 June 2023 On buseireann.ie/schooltransport.  After this date, this will be a late payment and tickets are not guaranteed to eligible pupils. 

Bus Éireann Family Portal Closure

Please note the Bus Éireann family portal will close for all applications and payments for a period of 3 weeks from 9 June 2023 to 30 June 2023 and it will not be possible to make a late application, or make a delayed payment or delayed entry of medical card details until the family portal reopens.

This is necessary so that Bus Éireann can process applications, arrange transport and to assess all applications and determine whether they are eligible or concessionary and to include Temporary Alleviation Measures (TAMS) as soon as possible for the 2023/24 school year. Bus Éireann plans to issue all eligible tickets from July.

Tickets will be issued to eligible students who have applied and paid/entered medical card details on time. After this allocation is complete, where seats are available, concessionary tickets will be issued.

Any application made after 28 April 2023, or any payment/medical card details submitted after 9 June 2023 will be late. Where this happens, eligible students are not guaranteed a ticket.

Bus Éireann has put in place a dedicated customer care call centre and a Contact Form on buseireann.ie/schooltransport to assist families specifically with School Transport queries during the busy summer period. Families that have queries can contact the call centre on: LoCall 0818 919 910. Operating hours are 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Friday

If families have queries relating to transport for children with special educational needs) please contact School Transport Section, Department of Education at:

Email: school_transport@education.gov.ie

Phone: 057 9325469 or 057 9325466

Payments/Medical Cards

It is important to ensure that payments/child’s medical card details are submitted for new applicants and also for pupils who have previously applied/availed of school transport and require a seat on a service for the 23/24 school year.

Children (who are eligible for school transport) with valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge, however their medical card details must be submitted before 9 June 2023.

Families are strongly urged to make sure that they pay/enter child’s medical card details on time. Late applications made after 28th April 2023, or late payment after 9 June 2023 may mean that a ticket is not available.

To make your payment or enter your child's medical card details, go to buseireann.ie/schooltransport by Friday 9 June.

The Annual Charge for School Transport Services for the 2023/24 school year is set out below:

Category of pupil

Annual Charge

Primary Eligible/ Concessionary pupil

€50

Post primary Eligible/ Concessionary pupil

€75

Maximum annual charge for families

€125

Eligibility

Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

• Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.

• Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

• Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process.

• In addition, temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2023/24 school year, pending completion of the school transport scheme review and this means that transport will be provided, where such services are in operation, for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school/ post-primary centre and who apply and pay on time.

Pupils from Ukraine

Pupils from Ukraine who require school transport should not apply on the Bus Éireann family portal but should visit gov.ie/ukraine for details on how to apply. Please note that any pupils from Ukraine who are currently on school transport do not need to re-apply for the 2023/24 school year unless they have changed address or school.

School Transport Section

Department of Education

School_transport@education.gov.ie

Gov.ie/schooltransport

You may have seen the media reports that the State Examinations Commission has announced its intention to issue the 2023 Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examination results to candidates on Friday 25 August. 

The SEC say that the intended Leaving Certificate results day of Friday 25 August is a full week earlier than the 2022 results date. This follows extensive work by the SEC to improve the timeline to the greatest possible degree taking account of all of the factors which feed into the process and ensuring adequate time for extensive checks and balances. 

Well done to Allie McCann who sang her own version of We will meet Again by Vera Lynne while playing her ukelele at the Dublin Launch of The Last Lifeboat, the latest novel by Kilcullen based author Hazel Gaynor.

If you fancy a gripping read during your holidays or in preparation for your book club, look no further than this beautiful story.

Thanks to Brian Byrne for his coverage of Hazel's atmospheric Kilcullen launch in Woodbine Books which you can access at kilcullenbridge.blogspot.com/2023/06/lifeboat-launch-in-good-ship-woodbine.html

It was wonderful to celebrate with our 1st years last week and acknowledge the great work and progress they have made since joing our school community last September. Work has continued this week in the form of study and exams, another important part of the school year. The sunshine is providing a wonderful back drop to the last week of the school term, we hope our 1st year students and their families have a great summer break and return to us refreshed for the adventure of 2nd year.

Please see attached an important letter from HSE colleagues, which I have been asked to bring to the attention of parents, guardians and staff.