Newsletter September 2026
Here we go… Welcome everybody to our first newsletter of the new school year. There is a lot of information so please read carefully. School website We are currently developing a new school website and will be including professional photographs of school life and activities. A professional photographer will be visiting the school next week to take these photographs. If you do not wish for your child’s photograph to be taken, please email us at [email protected]. Once the photographs for the website have been selected, we will contact the parents/guardians of any children featured to obtain confirmation of permission before publication. Calendar: As part of the on-going rollout and enactment of the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum, there will be 5 designated curriculum and training closure days during the course of the 2026/27 school year. We have been notified that our first school closure day is on Wednesday, 9th September for Child Protection Training. We will notify you of further closure dates as soon as they are confirmed. We appreciate school closures are inconvenient for families. Please understand these closures are not optional for schools. PE Tracksuit Days On the days specified below, children may wear their PE tracksuit along with a plain white tshirt. Please note that sports jerseys or other trendy gear is not part of the school uniform. A reminder to label all of your child’s clothes clearly. We already have brand new jumpers without names left around the school. We know every child in the school. Labelled clothes can be returned to their owners within seconds. Class Day 1 Day 2 Junior Infants Tuesday Thursday Senior Infants...Return to School ’26
20th August 2026 Hi everyone, I hope you are all feeling ready and excited for the return to school on Tuesday, 1st September 2026. Pupils Senior Infants to 6th start school at 9am and Junior Infants start at 10am. (more info for Junior Infants) We’ve had a few phone calls and emails over the past week, so I thought it would be helpful to share some of the most frequently asked questions here for your information. Calendar: As part of the on-going rollout and enactment of the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum, there will be 5 designated curriculum and training closure days during the course of the 2026/27 school year. We have been notified that our first school closure day is on Wednesday, 9th September for Child Protection Training. We will notify you of further closure dates as soon as they are confirmed. We appreciate school closures are inconvenient for families. Please understand these closures are not optional for schools. School attendance is very important for your child’s learning and development. Please schedule any family holidays during the official school closures, which are clearly marked in yellow on the calendar. Thank you for your continued support! ( School Calendar 2026/27 ) Uniform: On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all children should wear the grey formal uniform. If the weather allows, some children may prefer to wear plain navy shorts, which is absolutely fine. On Friday, all children can wear their school tracksuit. Your child’s teacher will confirm each class’ designated tracksuit days in due course. If there has been any problem getting the uniform, please don’t worry, we have spares! (...New Entrants September 2026
31st August 2026 Dear Parents, One more sleep! We hope all the children are looking forward to starting school at Ard Rí Community National School tomorrow. We know this is a huge step for our little ones. Please be cool, calm and relaxed. We’ve got you! Here’s the plan: Junior Infants start at 10:00am. Please park in the Rugby Club car park and walk up the avenue with your child. Our team will be at the main gate to welcome you. Darragh will address the gathering and introduce Múinteoir Laura and Múinteoir Rachel. The children will then line up with their teachers and walk into school together.Please note that separation will take place at the main gate. The classroom is simply too small to accommodate 25 children and up to 50 adults. If your child becomes overly upset in the classroom, we will contact you immediately. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. We will take photographs throughout the school day and share these with you digitally. Once the children have gone to class, Darragh will speak with parents again and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions. Parents should return to the school at 12:00pm sharp. Our team will guide you through the simple home-time routine. On Friday at 12:00pm, we will be delighted to welcome you into your child’s classroom so you can see their learning space. We are very excited to welcome your children tomorrow and look forward to beginning this journey together. Kind regards, Darragh and all the team at Ard Rí CNS June 2026 Hello to everyone joining us in September, Each...Active Week 2026
🤸🏻🏀🏃🏻♂️🎾Active and Wellness Week is Here! 🚶🏻⚽🤾🏻♂️🏐 PA Carnival The Ard Rí Carnival on Friday, 5th June will kickstart our Active and Wellness Week activities. Thank you to the Parents Association and volunteers for hosting our annual Carnival with lots of fun activities and games for all classes which will test strategy, throwing and coordination skills. From Monday 8th to Friday 12th June we will be celebrating Active and Wellness Week. There are lots of fun and engaging activities planned to encourage the children to be active, get outdoors, stay healthy and enjoy time with their friends. Written homework has finished for the year. Children will receive alternative, activity-based assignments and we encourage families to fully embrace these fun and healthy challenges. As we’ll be spending more time outside, please remember to: Slop on some sunscreen 🧴, slap on a hat 🧢 and bring plenty of water to stay hydrated 💦. 🌞 🌦️🌥️Be Prepared for the Weather – while we are hoping for some nice weather however that cannot be guaranteed! Unfortunately some showery weather is forecast, please ensure your child brings a rain jacket and a spare pair of runners and socks to school each day just in case they get wet during outdoor activities. We do not want the weather to stop the fun however some activities will be weather dependent! 🔰 Monday – Show Your Colours! Children are encouraged to wear a Meath jersey (if they have one) or green and gold clothing to show their support for the Boys in Green! 💚💛 Also on Monday will be GAA for all classes. 🏉⚽🥅🎾Tuesday – Ball Skills...Summer Camp 2026
Ard Rí CNS Summer Camp caters for our incoming Junior Infants to 4th Class (2026/2027) pupils from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th June, 9:30am to 1pm daily. Forms link: Ard Rí CNS Summer Camp Application Form 2026 – Fill out form Places on the camp are limited and we will operate on a first come, first served basis. Filling out this form does not guarantee a place in the camp due to limited availability. I will be in contact with you via email to let you know if you have secured a place. Thank you, Múinteoir Karen...School Tours 2026
We are delighted to launch our School Tour Programme for 2026! Our school tours are carefully designed to provide children with a wide variety of fun, social, educational and rewarding experiences to mark the end of the school year. We only work with reputable providers, and all destinations are kept under ongoing review. For many children, their school tour becomes one of their most treasured memories of Ard Rí CNS in the years to come. The school tour programme is operated on a cost-price basis. We make every effort to ensure value for money by booking early, scheduling tours during off-peak periods in May, and organising larger group bookings where possible. Families were asked to pay for school tours in September as part of the Student Direct Costs. A small number of accounts on Way2Pay still have an outstanding balance. We kindly ask that any remaining payments are completed before the tour takes place. If you are experiencing difficulty in making a payment at this time, please contact the school in confidence so we can discuss possible options with you. Please find detailed information on each tour by following the links below: Junior and Senior Infants Causey Farm Causey Farm School Tour 26 1st, 2nd & 5th Class The Crystal Maze The Crystal Maze School Tour 26 3rd & 4th Class Lullymore Lullymore School Tour 26 6th Class Tayto Park (It will always be Tayto Park!) Tayto Park School Tour 26...Rang 6- Newsfeed
February 2026 Dear parents and guardians of 6th Class pupils, Children starting Post Primary school in September ’26 may have their Open Mornings/ Assessment Tests coming up. Your child’s school will have been in contact with you with specific details. The arrangements for each school varies greatly. There are specific arrangements for some schools due to a clash with our Peace Proms event in RDS. Some of the schools only have an Open Morning and complete the assessments in September. It is very important that the pupils understand that there is no work they need to do in preparation for this test. These are not Entrance Exams. The students have already been accepted into First Year. Remind them that they cannot fail, the assessment just informs the school of their individual strengths and the type of learning that supports them best. Please check what time your child’s test is at and arrive 15 minutes early. Schools have different requirements on the day. Some require you bring stationery, some ask you bring wired headphones, some ask you bring a snack and a drink for a morning break. Prepare for this in advance, you do not want a panic in the morning when headphones don’t work etc. Children should be well slept and have a good breakfast before they go in. Choose an outfit which will make a positive first impression. Schools are using Cognitive Ability Tests for this assessment. As far as I know, they use a test by GL Assessment (or similar). Most schools use a digital version which will be carried out on a computer, others use a...Ard Rí CNS Winter Show 2025
Dear Junior and Senior Infants, Happy Christmas to you all. I hope you are having a holiday. I am delighted to share the video of your Winter Show with you. It will be a memory you will cherish forever. Enjoy watching it with your family on Christmas Day. The theme of the show is family. Every family is different, and love is what holds every family together. To your families and friends all over the world, I wish you Nollaig Shona (that means Happy Christmas in Irish). Thanks once again to our friends Victor and Luana for recording and producing these beautiful videos. I look forward to hearing all your stories when you get back to school in January. Junior Infants- Rang Rachel Junior Infants- Rang Ciara Senior Infants- Rang Gráinne Senior Infants- Ranganna Gráinne agus Ruth le chéile Senior Infants- Rang Ruth Grand Finale- Gach duine le chéile I look forward to hearing all your stories when you get back to school in January. Happy days,...Admissions 2026 – Ard Rí CNS
October 2025 Ard Rí CNS are delighted to publish our Admissions Notice and Admissions Policy for children starting school in September 2026. Admission Notice Ard Rí CNS 2026 Policy for Admission to Ard Rí CNS Application Form 2026-27 (word.doc) Application Form 2026-27 (PDF.doc) Code of Behaviour All applications to Junior Infants in Ard Rí CNS will only be accepted from Wednesday 01/10/2025 and the closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 22/10/2025. Applications received after this date will be considered and processed as late applications in accordance with the school’s Admission Policy. All transfer applications to Senior Infants, First Class, Second Class, Third Class, Fourth Class, Fifth Class or Sixth Class in Ard Rí CNS, will only be accepted from Wednesday 01/10/2025 and the closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 22/10/2025. Applications received after this date will be considered and processed as late applications in accordance with the school’s Admission Policy. If you don’t have a printer please don’t worry…. you can pick up an application from us at the office or just call 0871341007 / email [email protected] and we will get an Application Form out to you. All applicants will be notified of an offer by Friday the 24th of October 2025. If you have any questions call 087-1341007 or email [email protected] today Appeals Appeal where refusal was due to oversubscription: An Applicant who was refused admission because the school is oversubscribed and who wishes to appeal this decision must first request a review by the Board of Management in writing, via a ‘BOMR1 Form’, available from the school office and at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/8248c-appeals-in-relation-to-refusal-to-admit-a-student-due-to-a-school-being-oversubscribed/#how-to-seek-a-review-by-the-board-of-management, for it to be reviewed by the Board of Management of Ard Rí CNS . Such a review must be...
Admissions 2026-27
