Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
We hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. We have a number of items that we would like to bring to your attention as the year continues.
Firstly, we would like to express how proud we are of our 3rd year students, many of them have made a great start to this year. We hope as this year proceeds that they will produce work and achieve results that they are proud of. Academic success in secondary school requires several elements to be in place; regular attendance, good punctuality, adherence to school rules, and consistent attention to homework.
Dialann
As you are aware the Dialann is the main form of communication between school and home. Teachers regularly write notes informing you of areas where your son/daughter is excelling or areas where they can improve; any important notices or poor behaviour issues are also recorded here. We ask that you check the Dialann on a daily basis to monitor your son/daughter’s progress in 3rd year. Please initial or sign notes in the comment section to let us know you have received and read them. The pages at the back of the dialann can be used to communicate any absences or any early excuse absences.
Garda Talks
Our local Garda liaison officers will visit our Junior students in the month of October focusing on different aspects of the law and safety. Third year talks will take place on the 16th October with the focus on Coco’s Law, parties and safety at Halloween.
Homework & Revision
Our expectation is that students will spend 2 hours per night on homework and revision. While students continue to cover new material in third year, there is a vast amount of learning from first and second year to revise and it is vital that this revision takes place consistently, right from the beginning of the year.
Supervised Study
Is offered to all 3rd years, it commenced on Monday 11th September and takes place Monday – Thursday (15.40-17.10). If you would like your son/daughter to take part in supervised study this term, please contact me.
Mini-mock Exams
The first formal exams for third years will take place in approximately 7 weeks’ time, beginning 13th November. This sets the bench mark for students to see how successful their consistent effort and revision have been. Mock Exams will take place the week beginning 15th January, 2024.
Progress letters
Over the coming weeks, I will be writing to parents to inform you if your son/daughter is not achieving their full potential. This information is from our exams data system Athena and is based on the results we have collected from your child’s house exams over the last two years.
Future Choices – (Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied and Senior Cycle)
3rd year is a really important year for your son/daughter to focus on what paths are available to them in Senior Cycle. Over the coming weeks students will be informed on subject options and programmes available in Ratoath College.
Over the coming weeks students will engage in Eirquest with our Guidance Counsellors. After completing a variety of aptitude tests students will receive a report detailing areas of strength and suggesting possible careers and future paths based on interests and abilities. Whilst we do not expect every student to know exactly what path they wish to follow at this moment, it is important that you encourage your son/daughter to consider all the options.
In addition there will be an Senior Cycle Information Evening for parents on November 21st here in the school on Senior Cycle and we look forward to seeing you then.
Contacting teachers
Where there is a concern in a particular subject, we ask that you contact the subject teacher first. If your concern is of a pastoral care nature please contact the caomhnóir or if there is a serious concern please contact the Moltóir.
Parent/Student, Teacher Meeting
This will take place on the 22nd February 2024 and we will contact you closer to the time with further information.
Attendance and Punctuality
We would first like to congratulate the majority of the students who have excellent attendance records; this is commendable and a credit to them and to you. If your son/daughter is sick please contact the school and leave a message on my extension before 8:30am or send an email to me on [email protected] or their caomhnóir. Please keep us informed of any planned absences and where a student is unavoidably absent, may we remind you to complete absence notes in the Dialann to be shown to their Caomhnóir on their return to school.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish our 3rd year students all the best for this important year ahead. We have high expectations for them and look forward to continuing to work with you as we support your child through their secondary school journey. Thank you for your continued support. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the 3rd Year team.
Yours sincerely,
Ciara Casey
3rd Year Moltóir
