We hope this letter finds you well.
As Moltóir to our 6th year students I would like to take this opportunity to praise the students on all their efforts. They are a wonderful group of young adults and we are very proud of them and of all that they have achieved to date.
We have a few areas that we would like to bring to your attention as your son/daughter embarks on their final months in Ratoath College. I want to thank you for your continued support in these important areas.
Registration Portal for State Examinations
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) as part of its digital strategy, introduced a facility to allow Leaving Certificate candidates to confirm their subject and level entry details online (including adding or withdrawing from subjects). The use of the online system, the Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) will continue for the 2024 Leaving Certificate.
The portal is now for candidates to register and activate their account and confirm their subject entries and levels. It will remain open for this purpose until 17.00 on Friday, 2nd February 2024.
It is essential that students register through the Portal as this Portal will provide students with the opportunity to confirm their subject choice and levels and to also allow future access to their results and for the later stages of the process such as the appeals application process.
The candidate portal can be accessed via the State Examinations Commission website or using the button below. A link has also been posted on your son/daughter’s Teams page.
There is helpdesk support available at 1800 111 135 or 1800 111 136 between 09.00 – 17.00, Monday to Friday until Tuesday 2nd February 2024. Outside of these hours you can email [email protected] if you require assistance. Please note, the school has no role in the management of the portal.
Important Dates
With your child is coming to the end of their mock exams, the next phase on their journey towards the Leaving Cert exams in June involves a number of important deadlines for projects, practical exams as well as for CAO and college applications.
CAO & College Application Deadlines
| CAO Closing Date | February 1st at 17.00 |
| CAO Restricted Course Deadline | February 1st at 17.00 |
| Sport Scholarships | Please see individual colleges for their opening and closing dates. |
| PLC Applications | Open now |
Leaving Cert Projects & Practicals
| Art Practical Coursework | Friday 19th April |
| Art Practical Exam (70%) | Thursday 25th April |
| Construction Studies Component Project | Friday 26th April |
| Construction Studies Practical Exam | Wednesday 8th, Thursday 9th & Friday 10th May |
| Exam PE Performance Assessment Project (30%) | Thursday 21st March |
| Engineering Project and Portfolio | Friday 8th March |
| Engineering Practical Exam | Tuesday 30th April & Wednesday 1st May |
| Geography Investigation Report | Friday 26th April |
| History Research Study Report (RSR) | Friday 26th April |
| Music Practical | Window – Monday 8th April to Friday 19th April |
| Oral Exams (Irish, French, Italian & other curricular languages) | Saturday 23rd March to Thursday 28th March (during Easter holidays) |
Supervised Study
Supervised Study is provided after school, Monday to Thursday each week. If your child is interested in joining supervised study, click/tap here for more information. We are not in a position to offer unsupervised study in school.
Uniform
The standard of the regular and PE uniform in 6th year is very good. We are very proud of our uniform and the respect our students have for it. It is important that we maintain these high standards so can you please ensure that your child wears the correct full uniform to school and we each day for the remainder of the year. Our 6th year students are role models to other students in the school and we ask that they continue to maintain these high standards with regards uniform. Students are not permitted to wear non-uniform items of clothing. We ask that students only wear their PE uniform on the days that they have PE. Where a student presents to school without their correct uniform, they may be asked to go home to change.
As we are entering the final few months of the year, we do not expect you to purchase a new PE uniform where individual items have been lost or damaged. Where a student does not have the school PE uniform, we ask that they arrive to school in their regular uniform and change in school for PE.
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 6th 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.
Mock Exam Reports
Mock Exam reports will be available as soon as possible after all exams have returned to the school from being externally marked. This is likely to take a number of weeks. Exams in different subjects are returned at different times so be aware that your son/daughter will be receiving mock exam results with feedback from their teachers in individual subjects in class over the next few weeks.
Supports
We understand that the next few months will be a very challenging and demanding time for your child and there are a range of supports available in school to help them manage this. Should you wish your child to avail of any of these supports, please do not hesitate to contact me.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish our 6th year students all the best as they embark on their final few months 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 6th Year team.
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Mooney
6th Year Moltóir
