Dear 6th Year Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

We hope you had an enjoyable summer and that the new academic year has started positively for your son/daughter in Sixth Year. Now that the year is underway, there are a few areas that we would like to bring to your attention as your son/daughter embarks on their final year in Ratoath College.

Dialann

The Dialann is as important in senior cycle as it was at Junior cycle and as you are aware we use the

Dialann as the main form of communication between school and home. Teachers will regularly write notes informing you of areas where your son/daughter is excelling or areas where they need improvement, also of any important notices or discipline issues. It is imperative that you check the Dialann on a daily basis to monitor and keep abreast of your son/daughter’s progress in 6^th year. Please sign notes in the comment section on a daily basis to let us know you have received and read the same.

Work Ethic

We are very pleased and proud of the Leaving Certificate results achieved by the students in Ratoath College to date. On reflection and having spoken with many of our past pupils it is clear that their outstanding success is down to the fact that they were committed to their school work, took ownership of their learning and used the teaching staff, books and resources to their fullest potential.

We have great expectations for the current 6^th years, they have always been hard working and committed to their studies, full of potential and are a fantastic group to deal with. We would ask that you continue to encourage your son/daughter as you have done in the past, instil in them the importance of setting goals and focusing from day one in 6^th year, organising a timetable, which includes time for curricular and extra-curricular work.  The November assessments will allow students an opportunity to experience an exam setting and see the goals they set realised. November Assessments occur from Monday 13^th – Friday 17^th.

Careers

6^th year is a really important year for your son/daughter to focus on what career they would like to follow after they have completed their Leaving Cert. Every 6^th year has access to a Guidance Counsellor with whom they will meet formally throughout the year, but they can also make an appointment to discuss career/course options if needed. Whilst we do not expect every student to know exactly what career they wish to follow at this moment, it is important that you encourage your son/daughter to embark on as much research into careers over the coming weeks to enable them to decide upon a few areas that seem of interest to them. They can then explore these areas with their Guidance Counsellor.

Attendance and Punctuality

We would first like to congratulate the majority of the students who have excellent attendance records to date; this is commendable and a credit to them and to you. It is imperative that every effort is made for students to attend school every day. If your son/daughter is sick please contact the school and leave a message on my extension before 8:25am or send an email to me on [email protected]. Please keep us informed of any planned absences and may we remind you that a written explanation in the Dialann is required when your child returns to school following an absence. Medical and dental appointments should be made for outside school hours. All available data and research show a direct correlation between positive attendance and academic success. Registration is recorded during assembly and any student who does not present will be marked absent on the official register. Students should arrive to school on time and access the building via the 6^th year entrance (Main front door). Students should be in their classrooms prior to registration at 8:40. If a student is late twice in the one week, we will ask them to start their school day at 8.20am.

Contacting staff

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.

Policies

To avoid any misunderstanding, can I ask that you again to become familiar with the School Policies printed in the student Dialann. In particular, I want to bring your attention to the Uniform policy (page 27), Mobile device policy (page 33) and Green Schools Policy (page 42).

Please also note that the school car park is for staff cars only.

Dates for Diary

• 6^th Year CAO/Information Evening – Tuesday, 10^th October 2023, 19.00-20.00
• 6^th Year Mini Mock Examinations- Monday 13^th November – Friday 17^th November
• 6^th Year Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings – Thursday 14^th December 2023, 16.15-18.45

We would like to take this opportunity to wish our 6^th year students all the best for the year ahead as they embark on their final year in Ratoath College. We would also like to thank you for your continued support. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any member of the 6^th Year team.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Mooney

6^th Year Moltóir