From the Principal’s Desk….
Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing summer! It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces coming through our gates with a great sense of excitement for the year ahead. We are delighted to welcome you all back to RMDS, with a special welcome to our new Junior Infants! We also give a big welcome to Amelia (R3), Beren (R3) and Leila (R5) who are joining us and finally Aron (R5) and Evan (R6) who are rejoining us. We say farewell to Ferdia (R3) and Oliver (R6) and wish them well in their new schools.
Please find below some pictures of our bright and bubbly Junior Infants in their first few days!
Planning for the new school year is well underway and following the first Board of Management meeting of the new school year on Tuesday, 19th September, our further priorities for the year will be outlined.
As always at this time of the year it is important to promote positive behaviour and respect for each other. All the classes will spend time at the beginning of the year exploring these issues as part of the SPHE and the Core Curriculum programme. There will be a particular focus on playing well together, including everyone and reminding each other of our Code of Behaviour and our Anti-Bullying policy. Below are some 'rules' that help keep everyone safe and happy in school. We will be going through them in the classes with the children over the next few weeks and would appreciate if you would talk about them at home with your child/children as well.
The Educate Together homework journal (for children from Rang 1 upwards) contains lots of useful information as well as reminders about our ethos and how we do things here in RMDS.
It is important that all families are signed up to Aladdin Connect, as a useful tool of communication between home and school. If you are having any difficulties in this regard, please let the office know.
Class meeting dates are included in this newsletter. We look forward to meeting you all at these meetings, which we regard as an integral part of the partnership between parents and the school staff. Copies of the mandatory school policies are on the website. Hard copies can be obtained from Mary or Barbara in the office.
RMDS News in Brief will continue to be sent at the end of each week by email. All newsletters are also available on the school website www.rmds.ie so please check regularly.
Please go to the school website (www.rmds.ie) and return classroom requisites and school tours payments via the Easy Payment system asap. Click on the Payments cloud and scroll down to Online Payments. Sincere thanks to those of you who have paid already. Junior Infants have already paid this bill in full. Any queries, contact the office. Voluntary contributions can also be paid in this manner online.
The gate is opened in time for all pupils to be in their classrooms for 8.30 a.m. Please ensure pupils are in their classes punctually each morning so that they can settle in and get organised for the day.
Pupils who arrive into class after 8.40 am will be marked late and will be required to be signed in by parents/guardians at the office.
We must account for all absences. For short absences, a phone call or email on the morning is fine. Otherwise an email or a note should be sent in advance where possible. Absences can also be recorded on Aladdin Connect.
In the interests of everyone’s safety and security, all parents entering the school via the front door during the school day must report to the office first. We would also ask that all parents leave via the back gate following drop off in the morning – please do not use the front door.
All children who are being taken out of school during the day whether leaving early, or just for an appointment need to be signed out at the office by the adult taking them. This ensures that we can account for all pupils at all times.
There are a number of scooters that have been left in the “scooter-park” from last year. If anyone needs to claim one of these please talk to Paul on Monday. They will be “rehomed” at the end of next week if they are not claimed!
Please ensure all bikes are locked – even those inside the school gate. Bikes can also be left safely locked to the racks outside the back gate.
Please take note of our Healthy Eating Policy below.
This is the time of year when headlice can become a plague! Remember anyone can pick up headlice. They are most common amongst young children as they often put heads together during play allowing the lice walk from one head to the next. Headlice do not reflect standards of hygiene. They are just as willing to live in clean or dirty hair. It is important that parents check their children’s hair regularly. This way lice can be found before they have a chance to breed. They can then be treated stopping them being passed round the family…or from family to family! The way to check someone’s head is called “detection combing”. This should be done regularly and in the case of a confirmed infection in one family member, the other members of the household should carry out “detection combing” twice weekly for one week. Please let the school know if you detect a case of headlice so that we can alert parents to check their own child’s hair. Everyone has a part to play!
Upcoming dates for your diary….
The Parents’ Association will host their first coffee morning of the year for all Junior Infant parents next Thursday, 7th September at 8.30am. 
Choir begins next Friday, 8th September at 8.00 a.m. sharp! All are welcome from Rang 2 – Rang 6. If you are interested, you must be willing to give your best effort at all times! You also need to be at the front door of the school at 8.00 a.m. sharp every Friday. The door will be opened once, no exceptions! You can try out for the first four weeks. We are looking forward to seeing lots of old faces back to sing and plenty of new members too!
Class meetings take place from Tuesday, 12th September. Please check out your relevant class details below.
Our Extra-Curricular Activities Programme begins on Monday, 18th September. The timetable and forms will be included in next week’s newsletter.
A copy of our school calendar is attached to the end of this newsletter.
I look forward to working with you all over the coming year. As always, your ideas, suggestions and feedback are always welcome.
Please check the RMDS Calendar on our website for all dates of upcoming events.
Rosemarie
Our Rules for Behaving Well
Drop off: Please wait quietly at the back gate in the morning. The school gate is opened in time for children to be in their classes for 8.30 a.m. No responsibility can be taken for children left before the gate opens.
Collection: Junior (from Monday, 11th September) and Senior Infants are dismissed at 1.10 p.m. and will be handed over to their parents/ minders by the teacher at the school door. Parents/ minders from Rang 1 & Rang 2 are invited into the yard to meet their children as they come through the doors at 2.10 p.m. All other classes are dismissed into the school yard, where they should be met by parents/ minders, punctually, at 2.10 p.m. No responsibility can be taken for children not collected promptly at the normal closing times. If you have arranged for someone else to collect your children please let the office know. We cannot release children without prior knowledge.
Walking: The inside of the school is a walking zone at all times. At drop off and collection times, everyone is asked to WALK in the yard too – no running and no scooting. In particular, toddlers waiting with parents or minders should not be allowed to run around as the yard gets very busy and congested at school closing time.
Climbing: No one should climb on the walls in the yard or up behind the grass area, including toddlers waiting for older siblings, at any time.
Left hand: Please hold the stair rail with your LEFT HAND at all times. Younger siblings should follow the same rule, for safety reasons. Take care and open the swing doors gently – once again using the LEFT HAND RULE – open on the left.
Clothing for School: Children in all classes should wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes all the time, as every day involves some movement and physical activity. Clothes should also be suitable for arts activities. All removable clothing and footwear should be labelled. Clothing with offensive or violent slogans should not be worn to school.
Clothing for PE: In order to take part in PE, children must be wearing suitable clothing and footwear i.e. tracksuit and runners. Rang 1, Rang 3, Rang 4, Rang 5 and Rang 6 go to Mountpleasant Lawn Tennis Club for their main P.E. lesson. We have the use of this facility on condition that the children wear white soled or non-marking runners or light white soled plimsolls. Children should not wear jewellery unless they are able to remove it themselves prior to their PE class. Long hair should be tied back.
Never Leave the School: Children should never leave the school without permission from the teaching staff.
Language: Bad language or derogatory language is not acceptable at any time.
Scooters and Skateboards: Scooters and skateboards should be carried or wheeled to and from the school gates. ‘Parking’ is available at the bottom of the stairwells or designated areas.
Mobile Phones: We prefer that children do not bring mobile phones to school. If they need to have a mobile with them, it should be switched off and placed in the schoolbag before they come into the school yard and not taken out until they leave the school premises in the evening. Children who do not comply will have their phones confiscated. Parents may collect confiscated phones from the teacher or the office.
Road Safety: Jackie, our school warden will see the children safely across the road at The Hill. Parents who wish to accompany their children should park legally, before crossing with the traffic warden. Children on scooters should have lights and helmets. Pedestrians coming from Ranelagh are also reminded that it is safer to stay on the footpath around the front and west (infant gate) sides of the school rather than going up the lane on the east (extension) side.
Safe driving: Please do not drive around the school in the morning or the afternoon. At infant collection times (1.10 p.m.), please do not park on the double yellow lines by the infant gate.
Pets: Dogs may not be brought into the school yard. If you are leaving dogs on leads at the school railings, please leave them outside the yellow zig zag lines at the gate.
Healthy Eating in School We are a nut free school – no peanut butter, nut butter, nutella or actual nuts in the lunchboxes! We have a number of children in RMDS who are severely allergic to nuts.
As part of the SPHE programme, healthy lunches are promoted in the school. That means no crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate or crisps etc. Everyone must have a lunch box to bring home food waste. This has the added advantage of letting parents see what is being eaten and what is left. We ask parents not to send in birthday treats on the day of your child’s birthday. Your child’s birthday will be marked in another way by the class. We are making a big effort to cut down on the sugar intake of the children while in school and in the course of a year birthday treats add up to a lot of sugar. Homebakes can be kept as a treat for home.
Lunch can also be ordered from The Lunch Bag using their app.
Children eat lunch at their desks in the classroom. Pupils are encouraged to sit while eating at a tidy place. This is an important time in the school day, particularly for the infants. It allows children to chat and talk to enjoy food breaks as a social activity. There is no food brought out to the yard.
Drinking water is available in all the classrooms. Children are encouraged to drink water during the day. It is necessary for children to have a bottle which they can refill.
These policies extend to Extra-Curricular Activities and to the RMDS Childcare service. Parent/ Teacher Communication
We will contact you with any concerns we might have regarding your child in school. Equally, we would encourage you to talk to us about your concerns, no matter how small. The class teacher should be the first port of call with any issues. The afternoon is more suitable for formal meetings and appointments can be arranged with Mary/Barbara in the office. If it is difficult for you to visit the school, we can arrange to make phone contact or arrange an online meeting at a suitable time.
The period between 8.30 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. is a useful point of contact for incidental matters and clarification. For more detailed or sensitive discussions, please arrange a meeting with the class teacher through the school office. This means both parties can sit down and discuss issues confidentially and in comfort.
Class Meetings will take place as follows:
JUNIOR INFANTS: Friday, 22nd September @ 8.45am
SENIOR INFANTS: Thursday, 21st September @ 8.45am
RANG 1: Wednesday, 20th September @ 8.45am
RANG 2: Tuesday , 19th September @ 8.45am
RANG 3: Wednesday, 13th September @ 8.45am
RANG 4: Tuesday, 12th September @ 8.45am
RANG 5: Thursday, 14th September @ 8.45am
RANG 6: Friday, 15th September @ 8.45am
All meetings will take place at 8.45 a.m. sharp in the Seomra Spraoi and will be finished by 9.40 a.m. There will be an opportunity for individual questions with the teachers after the meetings. School Support Meeting (SSPs) for parents of children with additional needs will take place before the end of October – SET teachers will contact you directly to make arrangements. Individual parent / teacher meetings will take place during the last two weeks of November.
From the PA….
On behalf of the PA - welcome back and welcome to our wonderful school!
The PA will crank into action over the next few weeks - we'll start with the Junior Infants Parents’ Coffee Morning next Thursday morning
after drop-off (7th September) at 8.40am in the school yard. This involves the PA providing tea and coffee and a chance for the Junior
Infants parents and guardians to get to know one another. It is a lovely start to the school year and a lovely introduction to the school. If bakers (children or adults from any year) would like to provide some goodies (without nuts) please drop them off in the yard on Thursday morning. There will be a full school coffee morning in the coming weeks also.
We still have a few Class Reps to recruit to this year's PA committee. Talk to last year's Class Rep if you're interested in taking or sharing the job - you're likely to get a very favourable response!! We'll have a PA meeting online next Tuesday, 5th September at 8pm. All parents/guardians are invited and welcome with open arms. We organise the PA's activities and talk about (then try to
make a plan...) what we can do to help the school community work better.
The first few weeks are just about settling back in and making plans for the year so the first meeting is great for meeting up and getting an idea of how the PA works over the course of the year. This is all voluntary and we really need and appreciate any level of involvement by parents/guardians. Even if it's just to come along and entertain us. We look forward to the coming year and working with you all to make the school experience as enriching as possible for all the kids.
Gráinne and Lorraine
PA Co-Chairs
RMDS Calendar
October Mid-Term Break: Christmas/Winter Holidays: February Bank Holiday: February Mid-Term Break: St. Patrick’s Day Holiday: Easter/Spring Holidays: May Bank Holiday:
June Bank Holiday:
School closes on Monday, 30th October – Friday, 3rd November (inclusive)
School closes on Friday, 22nd December and reopens on Monday, 8th January School closed on Monday, 5th February
Monday, 12th February – Friday, 16th February (inclusive)
School closed Monday, 18th March
School closes on Friday, 22nd March and reopens on Monday, 8th April* School closed on Monday, 6th May & Tuesday, 7th May
School closed on Monday, 3rd June
School closes for the Summer Holidays on Friday, 28th June at 12 noon.
* Unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures, in which case the school may reduce the length of the Easter/Spring break by remaining open up to and including Wednesday, 27th.
Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, Ranelagh Road, Dublin 6, D06 Y658
Telephone/Fax: (01) 4961722 ● E-mail: secretary@rmds.ie
______________________________ Roll No. 19928Q ● Principal: Rosemarie Stynes
