Good morning all

As you all know, this week is College Awareness Week and I informed you about the school quiz earlier in the week.  Unfortunatley there was an issue with the link which has now been resolved so you can go ahead now and fill in the quiz.  See the link below.  There will be a draw from all the correct entries and two winner will be chosen, one from Junior Cycle and one from Senior Cycle, with a change to win some College Awareness goodies.  So don’t forget to enter.  The draw will close at 11pm on Sunday 26th November with the winners being announced on Tuesday 28th November.  Best of luck!

College Awareness Quiz - https://forms.office.com/e/tUgFStD9eF

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s)/Student 

ATU Sligo Open Day 

As you are aware, 6th year students are attending ATU Sligo’s Open Day tomorrow.  We will be leaving the school at 9:15am sharp and will leave Sligo at 12:40pm sharp to return to school in time for the busses home.  Therefore students must be at the designated meeting point at 12:30pm. Please ensure that you are fully aware of this, as we will not be in a position to wait for students.  As this is a school outing, normal school rules apply, however students do not need to wear their Uniform.  Throughout the day there will be talks and stands on display around the University.  See the attached link for an outline of the stands that will be on display.  Students will receive more information upon registration in the morning.  https://www.itsligo.ie/open-day-schedule/

Free CAO and Further Pathways Information Evening 

Secondly, next week is College Awareness week and as previously communicated there is a free CAO and further pathways information evening being run in conjunction with the Sligo branch of the IGC in the main Auditorium in ATU Sligo on Wednesday next 22nd November at 7pm.  Myself and Ms Cullinan will both be in attendance.  The link to register and more information is available at  

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cao-other-pathways-tickets-746003375177?aff=oddtdtcreator. You must register in advance to attend this free event.   

In school and as part of College Awareness Week there are a number of activities being organised for students including informal drop-in 'question-and-answer' sessions at lunchtime in the guidance room on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Students are encouraged to drop in for a chat at some stage during these sessions and get the answers to any questions they may have.  

CAO Application and Open Days 

Finally, CAO application is now open.  We have completed the demo application in class and now is the time for students to make the CAO application to avail of the discounted rate.  At this stage all students need to do is insert their personal details and pay for the application.  Course choices can be added at a later stage.  In the coming weeks we will be covering the HEAR and DARE scheme in class.  To aid with college and course choice, I would encourage the ongoing attendance at the college open days which are currently happening.  Ensure that you research the plan for the day in advance so that you can get the information you need.  Upcoming open days include 

• Friday 17th and Saturday 18th November – ATU Sligo 
• Friday 17th and Saturday 18th November – DCU Dublin 
• Saturday 18th November – St Patricks Drumcondra 
• Friday 24th and Saturday 25th November – Maynooth University 

Upcoming date for the diary – HEAR & DARE Application Information Sessions take place this year on Saturday 13thJanuary 2024.  More Information at accesscollege.ie 

As always, should you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch and ask.  

Kind Regards 

Fiona McNamee 

Dear Parent/Guardians,

On the school calendar in your child's journal September 12th is marked as a school closure, this was for whole staff training, this has now been postponed and will take place on the 20th November.

Please not that the school WILL be open on Tuesday 12th of September. The school calendar for this year is now available on our website and the school app.

Apologies for any inconvienced caused.

Kind Regards

Dayna Byrne

Acting Deputy Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have welcomed back our school community this week. We wanted to take this opportunity to update on some items for the school year ahead.

Lockers:

We have provided all students with new lockers this year and they have a new locking system attached to them. All students will have been assigned their lockers by Monday end of day once the student services payment has been made.These lockers will provide students with more space for their books and personal items then our previous lockers, which is a great addition to our school and for our studnets. The new locking system will take time for students to get used to. We will be putting supports in place over the next couple of weeks to help your child navigate this. Please reassure them of this if they are currently struggling a little with the new lock.

Student Services payments:

Please note that when making payments on the school app, it takes 2-3days for it to come through the system and register with us in the school, this may be a reason for delay in a student recieving their locker or journal and once we have approved payment students will receive all services due. Thank you to all parents/guardians who have paid to date.

Timetable:

Our normal school timetable will resume from Monday with all year groups finishing at 3.55pm Monday to Thursday and 1.25pm on Fridays.

Canteen Services:

We are delighted to continue our partnership with Henry's Service Station which will provide an opportunity for students to order/purchase a variety of rolls and drinks. Students/parents will be able to order through the school app and lunches will be delivered to the school. This service is available from Monday 4th september.

We would like to wish you all a lovely weekend.

Dayna Byrne            Maura Cullinan

Acting Principal        Acting Deputy Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are looking forward to our 2nd year students returning to school tomorrow. We would ask that you and your child read over the policies and procedures available on the school website.

Please note:

- Students must present in full correct uniform, if incorrect uniform is worn home will be contacted and a temporary uniform provided if necessary.

- Students are not permitted to use their mobile phone during school unless permitted by a teacher. Airpods/Earpods are not permitted for use in school.

- Students will be provided with changing facilities for PE and need to bring their PE uniform with them on PE day and will be given time to change into PE gear and back into uniform after.

- Students will be provided with new lockers this year with a new system in place, they will be provided with a lock and will not need to provide a lock.

Kind regards,

Dayna Byrne               Maura Cullinan

Acting principal            Acting Deputy Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are looking forward to our 3rd year students returning to school tomorrow. We would ask that you and your child read over the policies and procedures available on the school website.

Please note:

-Students will need to bring with them a set of headphones for CAT testing tomorrow - headphones must not be wireless as our computers are not compatible.

- Students must present in full correct uniform, if incorrect uniform is worn home will be contacted and a temporary uniform provided if necessary.

- Students are not permitted to use their mobile phone during school unless permitted by a teacher. Airpods/Earpods are not permitted for use in school.

- Students will be provided with changing facilities for PE and need to bring their PE uniform with them on PE day and will be given time to change into PE gear and back into uniform after.

- Students will be provided with new lockers this year with a new system in place, they will be provided with a lock and will not need to provide a lock.

Kind regards,

Dayna Byrne               Maura Cullinan

Acting principal            Acting Deputy Principal