Dear parents,
It’s that time of year again! Back to school!
I hope you have all enjoyed some family time during the summer and are looking forward to the new term ahead.
School begins for our new P1 children on Friday 29th August from 10.00-12.00 noon.
All children return on Monday 1st September for a normal full day. The breakfast club is available from 8.10am and the Stay & Play for P1 & P2 children will be available from 2.00-3.00pm. Both clubs will be available from Monday 1st September and are payable on ParentPay.
School uniforms can be collected in school on:
Wednesday: 12.00 – 2.00pm
Thursday 10.00am – 3.00pm
Friday 10.00am – 3.00pm
Please make sure ALL clothing items are clearly labelled. There are a number of coats that were left behind in June, please check and see if any belong to your child, a video was uploaded to Seesaw at the time.
School begins at 9.10am. Please be on time. In the event that you are running late, please walk your child up to school to make sure they have gained access, as the front door is locked. Children in P1/2- the parent should knock on the classroom window to alert a member of staff who will open the door for you.
Children in P3/4 should go directly to the side door of the classroom to gain access.
Please do not ring the buzzer unless absolutely necessary as it rings in the P7 classroom and can be very distracting.
If your child is in the P5 mobile please walk them around to the mobile at the back of school to ensure they have gained access to the room.
New Seesaw codes will be issued in September, when you receive your new code your old one will no longer be operational. Please use Seesaw as a necessary communication tool during the working day. Staff are advised not to respond to messages outside of their contracted working hours.
ParentPay will be operational as usual (hopefully no teething problems) New parents will be issued with log-in details. Our school secretary, Anne, deals with ParentPay and is available to deal with any queries from 2pm Mon, Wed, Thu & Fri and from 9.00-12.00 on Tuesdays. Please ring school (028 86751457) at these times to speak directly with the secretary.
Please ensure that all school meals are booked through the app as this save a tremendous amount of office administration time. If there is an issue with booking, or paying for, a meal please don’t stress, as long as your child tells their teacher they can be included for dinner on that day.
Please inform school of any specific dietary requirements. Parents may need to liaise with the school kitchen regarding dietary needs.
Please update any medication that is needed in school. If your child uses an inhaler please send in a new one to be retained in school. Children should not carry any medication to school unless this has been agreed and school is aware. This includes cough medicines, Calpol, antibiotics….
Please use the school lay-by for drop-off in the morning. Children collected by car at 3pm are collected at the parish hall, unless an arrangement has been made to collect in the school yard.
Please make sure that cars at the hall are parked in two lines- we ask this so that the children can safely walk down the centre and access their car. If the child’s car isn’t there, staff can easily see the child walking back up. Please do NOT drive off until it is safe to do so. Staff stand at the top of the line, to stop cars from driving off too soon. We are keeping all of our pupils safe and really need your co-operation in this matter. Please ensure that everyone who collects your child is aware of this.
Attendance at school is important. The school holidays are posted on the calendar on our school website. Please use the information to plan and organise family outings/breaks.
If your child is absent from school please send a message directly to their teacher on Seesaw. Alternatively, a written note can be provided if preferred.
We look forward to seeing all of the wee eager faces again, we have such a great bunch of children, full of enthusiasm, they are a pleasure to work with.
Thank-you for your continued support
Mrs C McKenna
Click on the image below to be directed to the Speedwell Family Support page. The Speedwell Trust offer 1:1 support as well as famiy support.
Contact details:
Tara: 07717411465 tara@speedwelltrust.com
Kim: 07717410393 kim@speedwelltrust.com
Maryam: maryam@speedwelltrust.com
Download the document below to read "A Quick Guide to the Curriculum"
Return to school: September 2022
Dear parents,
I hope you have all enjoyed the summer break, it always seems to go in so quickly!
Please find attached some relevant details below. Life in St Joseph's will continue as normal. We have not received any new guidance or updates regarding Covid isolation times, or testing guidance, so we will very much have to wait and see what happens. We truly hope this will be a settled year with limited sickness and absences for both pupils and staff. As always, we will endeavour to do the best for all of the children in our care.
If you have any additional queries please email me on cmckenna783@c2kni.net
School uniform: Apologies for the delay in informing you of collection details. Despite our order being place early we are still waiting on a large portion of uniform items. We have been assured these will be with us shortly.
Uniforms can be collected on Tuesday between 10am - 2pm and on Wednesday from 10am - 4pm.
We have always been mindful of the costs of uniforms. The children may continue to wear their own sports clothing for PE activities, if required. PLAIN navy trousers / track bottoms / leggings may also continue to be worn, no sports logo bottoms please. The children may also continue to wear non logo items such as plain pale blue polo shirts and navy jumpers, if desired. Please make sure ALL uniform items are clearly labelled as well as lunch boxes, drinking bottles...
School meals: We will continue with the ParentPay system. It may take a week to get it running smoothly again. As long as the children tell their teacher in the first week we will be able to keep the system updated. Once fully operational, please book ALL meals, paid and free on the system.
Stay & Play: This will operate for children in P1 & P2 who wish to stay in school until 3pm. If your child is going home by bus please make sure we are aware.
Hall collection: We will continue to walk the children down to the hall at 3pm. Please make sure all of the people who collect your child/ren are aware of this. Please also ensure that cars do not drive in through the entrance when we are walking through. Please also do not distract the teacher who is watching to ensure the children are safely collected.
School access: Parents should not enter the school building. The children should enter the school building independently. P1/P2- access through the front door. P3/4- access through the side door. P5/6- children should go around the side of the building and up to the mobile. If it is very wet, or they are running late, please go through the front door, out the back and up to the mobile. P6/7 - access though the side door. Children arriving by car should be dropped off at the lay-by so they can safely walk up the path. Please do not walk though our staff car-park.
Late arrival: If your child arrives late to school please make sure they gain entry to the building / classroom. The front door is very heavy, the younger children may need assistance to open it.
Children arriving by car should be left off at 9am. Working parents may leave children off at the lay-by from 8.45am. The children will then be supervised in the main hall until 9am when they will go to class.
Thank-you.
Our Tyrone visitors were very welcome in St Joseph's
Parents
Our Flower Arranging Experts
Read our report on the Department of Education website: www.deni.gov.uk
O’Dowd opens new ICT unit at St Joseph’s Primary School, Killeenan
Date published: 10 December 2015
Topics:
Schools And Infrastructure Building Schools
Education Minister John O’Dowd has opened a new ICT unit at St Joseph’s Primary School, Killeenan in Cookstown.
An investment of £70,000 from the Department of Education as well as fundraising organised through the Parent Fundraising Group has enabled the construction of additional office space, an ICT unit and a medical room.
The Minister viewed the new facilities at the school and paid tribute to pupils, staff and parents. He said:
“It is always special for me as Education Minister to have the opportunity to attend the opening of any new facilities.
“The new office and ICT area are excellent facilities which will benefit the children during their journey in formal education. I am very pleased that I was able to provide an investment of £70,000 for the school. There are other minor works underway also which will enhance the fabric of the school.
“St Joseph’s Primary School has been delivering good quality education to the young people of Cookstown for many years. These new and upgraded areas in the school will help continue this good work.”