September is a busy month at Ard Rí CNS. Here are some updates and reminders.
It’s Enrolment Time:
Ard Rí CNS are delighted to announce the publication of our Admissions Notice and Admissions Policy for children starting Junior Infants or the Special Class (for all class groups) in September 2027.
For all info CLICK HERE:
- Admission Notice Ard Rí CNS 2027/28
- Policy for Admission to Ard Rí CNS
- Application Form for Admission to Junior Infants or the Special Class (for all class groups) 2027/28
- Code of Behaviour
Please invite your friends and neighbors to attend our Open Night on Tuesday 29th of September at 6.30pm:
The Importance of School Attendance:
Regular school attendance plays a vital role in every child’s learning, wellbeing, and social development. Each day in school provides valuable opportunities to learn new skills, build friendships, and participate fully in school life. While an occasional absence may seem minor, days missed here and there can quickly add up, resulting in significant lost learning time over the course of a school year. Nationally, it is estimated that one in five students misses a month or more of school annually. We encourage all families to support excellent attendance by ensuring that children attend school every day whenever possible. Every school day matters, and every day presents a new opportunity for children to learn, grow, and achieve their full potential.
School Photographer:
Memory Lane school photographer will visit the school on Friday 2nd of October. All children wear formal uniform. There will be group photos of Junior Infants and 6th Class and a portrait taken for every family in the school. There is no obligation to purchase photographs. If you do not want your child’s photo taken, please email [email protected] to let us know. Thank you to our Parent Association who help out fixing ties and tidying hair on the day.
Pupil Internet Safety, Acceptable Use Policy (click here to view the full policy):
At Ard Rí CNS, pupils are not permitted to bring personal or internet-enabled devices to school. This includes (but is not limited to) phones, smartphones, smart watches, devices with cameras or gaming functions, iPads, iPods, tablets, laptops, LeapFrogs, etc.
This rule is in place because, on a regular basis, teachers have to manage issues such as:
• Children making or receiving calls during class
• Recording video or audio of teachers and other children at school
• Devices being lost or stolen
• Pupils playing games on devices during the school day
• Videos recorded at school being posted on social media
We are aware of new types of “watch telephones” that can be placed in school mode. While we understand that parents may wish their child to have these devices to communicate outside of school hours, if we allow one child to use them, we must allow all children, which would undermine our policy. Therefore, we do not permit these devices at school.
If you need to contact your child during the school day, you can phone 087 1341007 or email [email protected], and we will ensure your message reaches them.
Car Park Safety and Safe Travel to School:
We are working closely with our Parent Association to further improve safety in the school car park. Updated signage and revised procedures will be introduced over the coming weeks to help ensure a safe environment for all members of our school community.
We have also noticed that many children who cycle or scooter to school are not wearing helmets. We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe, and we need to work together to promote good habits. We strongly encourage all children travelling on wheels to wear a properly fitted helmet and high-visibility clothing. A helmet can significantly reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of a fall or collision.
At school, we will do our part by actively encouraging and rewarding children who wear their helmets when travelling to and from school. We ask parents to support this effort by making helmet use a non-negotiable part of cycling and scooting to school.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in helping to keep all of our children safe.
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 | Wednesday | Friday |
| 1st Class | Monday | Tuesday |
| 2nd Class | Monday | Thursday |
| 3rd Class | Monday | Tuesday |
| 4th Class | Wednesday | Thursday |
| 5th Class | Tuesday | Wednesday |
| 6th Class | Wednesday | Thursday |
Swimming:
Swimming lessons will commence shortly for pupils in classes 1st-6th. Lessons
run for 6 weeks. The cost of the 6 week block of lessons is €47 per child (€7.80 per session). Aquatics is one of the strands of PE and Water Safety is an important part of SPHE. We are delighted to give children this opportunity. To access the swimming note (click here). A hard copy goes home in every child’s bag today.
Extra- Curricular Activities:
Study Mates Homework Club for pupils 1st to 6th runs from 2.40-3.40 Monday to Thursday. Payments and bookings are the same as last year. For all info and bookings please email Niamh and Angela on [email protected].
Primary Pals Homework Club for Junior and Senior Infants runs from 1.40-2.40 and Primary Pals Plus will run from 2.40-3.40, Monday to Friday. For all info and bookings please call Jana on 0863445115
Creative Keyboards are now enrolling for classes to start in September 2026!
Below are some details about the classes:
• Classes run from Wednesday the 16th of September, 2026 as an afterschool activity in Ard Rí Community NS.
• Fee €150 for 10 lessons.
• There is a keyboard supplied for each pupil in class.
• Each child will be given a music book with the course material for the school year.
• Students learn music from Grade 1 to Grade 8 level.
• A section of each class is dedicated to playing hits and favourite tunes.
• The classes are grouped according to age and standard.
• Keyboard is recognised as a practical instrument for Junior and Leaving cert.
• We are certified by ‘The Victoria College of Music, London’ who examine the children (optional) from First to Sixth class annually.
Please see below for more information on how to sign up!
Infants: https://creative-keyboards.classforkids.io/info/6563
Beginners: https://creative-keyboards.classforkids.io/info/6447
Preliminary: https://creative-keyboards.classforkids.io/info/6440
For more information please contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
School Photographer:
Memory Lane school photographer will visit the school on Friday 2nd of October. All children wear formal uniform. There will be group photos of Junior Infants and 6th Class and a portrait taken for every family in the school. There is no obligation to purchase photographs. If you do not want your child’s photo taken, please email [email protected] to let us know.
