WELCOME JUNIOR INFANTS 2021-2022

Dear Parents,
​
Coming to school, for the first time, is a new and exciting stage in your child’s life. They are stepping out into the world on his/her own while Mum and Dad find it is the first stage of “letting go.”
Your child’s introduction to Junior Infants will be slightly different compared to previous years due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic but I can assure you that we as a staff are working very hard to ensure your child’s transition into the new school setting is a safe and happy one. 
The partnership between parents and teachers is very important and is central to your child’s progress through primary school. We have the chance to work as partners to ensure that at the end of Junior Infants your child has a positive attitude towards education based on social and academic confidence.
In the classroom, we treat each child as an individual as far as possible, because all children develop and learn at different rates. 
 
I look forward to a happy relationship with you all.
 
Marianne Coyle
Infant Teacher
​
NB – Due to COVID-19 restrictions parents are unfortunately not permitted to enter the classroom. 

Some helpful tips to help workaround this:
  • Tell your child that you will be back at 11:45 a.m to pick them up and reassure them.
  • If your child is upset, please trust the teacher and leave your child with us. Children soon become distracted by their surroundings and settle down. The teacher is very experienced and knows how to comfort an anxious child. 
  • Make sure to collect your child on time to avoid anxiety.
  • If you are feeling anxious or upset try not to show it. 

It would be helpful if, before coming to school in September, your child tries to learn these few simple routines.

  1. Put on your coat and shoes and fasten them.
 
  1. When you need to go to the toilet put up your hand and tell teacher.
 
  1. Go to the toilet and wash your hands yourself. We have individual towels to dry your hands in school which will hang on the back of each child’s chair. 

You will learn many different things in school

You will learn words and sentences           
There are lots of books to read               
You will learn how to count                           
You will learn how to colour and to write              
 
 
Mam or Dad will put your name on all your clothes for you. This helps the teacher to help the children to look after their belongings!
 
Your coat will be hung on your own hook 
      
 
Please bring a bag that can easily fit your lunchbox and water bottle (also labelled!). Pencils and crayons will be provided so your child will not need a pencil case.

Lunch!
 
We strongly urge you to follow our healthy eating policy. We recommend a small nutritious snack during the week, for example, sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt. We allow for a small treat on Fridays such as a fun size bar or small bag of jellies. Lollipops, chewing gum and fizzy drinks are not allowed. 
 
Please ensure your child’s lunch box and water bottle are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
 
 
Health and Safety

As part of our school health and safety programme we encourage regular washing of hands, particularly around eating time and after toilet use. We are not able to oversee this at all times so please remind your child of its importance and ensure they know how to wash their hands properly.
If your child develops any contagious illness such as chicken pox please keep them away from school until the period of contagion is over and inform the teacher immediately 
We recommend that you check your child’s hair regularly for head lice, treat immediately if they occur and inform the teacher so that notification of possible risk may be sent out to other parents. All information regarding your child’s health will be treated in strictest confidence. Occasionally your permission will be required for eye/ear or other health examinations.
Our health and safety policy and Child Safe Guarding statement are available to read on the website. 
[email protected]
  
Preparing your child for school work
Writing 
Good writing is all about muscle and motor control, so it will help your child greatly if you practise the following:

Colouring
Cutting and sticking 
Painting
Drawing
  • Manipulating materials e.g. play dough, jigsaws, construction 
Your child will be learning to write using lower case letters initially so it would be very helpful if you could stick up your child’s name written in this way perhaps on his/her bedroom door so that he/she can be familiar with it. We will be learning to write our names so don’t worry if they don’t know how to do this yet! However, it would be very beneficial if they can recognise their own name.
 
Some important areas of Early learning 
Language development 
  • Talk to your child naturally and casually about things of interest that you or they may be doing at home, in the shop, in the car etc. Remember that all the time children are absorbing the language they around themselves. 
  • Try to make time to listen when they want to tell you something that is important to them. Remember the most important thing you can give your child is time!
  • Answer their questions with patience and in an adequate way. Always nurture their sense of curiosity and wonder.
First steps in reading

Learning to read is a gradual process. A lot of preparatory work is done before a child is introduced to their first reader. Library books will be sent home on a regular basis. Reading aloud to your child will cultivate an interest in, and a love of, reading. Sight words will also be sent home to allow children to become familiar with, and learn, commonly used words in their reader. We do not rush or push the children into reading. Reading should be enjoyed at every level. 
 
Ways you can help:
  • Have attractive books at home 
  • Read a variety of stories to your child
  • Look at the pictures and talk about them 
  • Read nursery rhymes 
  • Visit the library 
 
Jolly Phonics is the scheme used in St. Peter’s National School to teach the children their sounds. 
  
Understanding Numeracy   

Numeracy for the young child has little to do with sums, tables, adding or subtracting. These all come at a later date. Numeracy at infant level is all about the language they use in understanding and talking about certain things in their daily experience.
For example: 
  • Associating certain numbers with particular things: 2 hands, 4 wheels, 5 fingers etc 
  • Counting by rote – 1,2,3,4,5 etc 
  • Colours
  • Shapes
  • Prepositions – over/under, before/after, inside/outside. 
  • Matching/sorting/classifying objects according to shape, size, colour, texture. 
  • Odd one out – identifying differences in size/shape/colour 
 
Understanding of these concepts comes quickly for some children. 
 
For others it may take a little longer. Be Patient! 
  
Behaviour 

Social skills are very important. We encourage good manners at all times: please/thank you, addressing teachers properly, being courteous to fellow pupils and school staff. Encourage your child to mix with their peers. Rough behaviour is discouraged in both the classroom and playground. 
We have a set of class rules and yard rules for each class that must be followed at all times. A copy of these rules will be sent out along with the Welcome letter in September so that you can discuss them with your child and reinforce their importance at home.
You will have also received our Code of Behaviour policy upon your acceptance into the school. It will also be available on the school website. Please take time to read it so that you can support us to promote positive behaviour in school and at home.
  
School Times  
      
  • School Opens @ 8:20 a.m. 
Please try to arrive to school as near to 8.20 as possible as it allows for your child to settle into the school day calmly. 
  • 8:20 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. – activity stations and reading 
This time is vital for your child. It creates a sense of calm at the start of the school day.
The school gate is closed at 8.40am. Any child arriving later than 8.40 will need to ring the bell on the gate and Linda, our school secretary, will come down to meet your child and bring them to class. Please be mindful that any arrivals to school from 8.40am onwards are considered late and are marked as late on the school roll.
  • 8:40 a.m. – Lessons begin 
  • Break time – 10:10 – 10:25 a.m. (allowing for hand washing)
  • Lunch Time – 12:00 – 12:35 p.m. (allowing for hand washing)
School Finishes at:
  • 1:00 p.m – Junior and Senior Infants 
  • 2:00 p.m. – 1st – 6th Class 
Please note: Junior Infants will be collected at 11:45am for the first 2 weeks and then the usual time of 1:00pm after that. 
First Day – A Happy One!

  • Please be positive with your child in preparing them for school.
  • Bring your child to the front gate of the school and show them the classroom. I will be standing outside the door to greet them as they come in.  ​
 
We hope this information has been helpful. We are really looking forward to welcoming your child into St. Peter’s National School!

St. Peter's National School, Maynooth Road, Dunboyne, Co. Meath