Please read our Parent Information Booklet
School Mission Statement
The school mission statement was developed by teaching staff and parents association representatives. It is a progressive statement reflecting the school’s commitment to the lifelong learning of the students attending the school.
We aspire to enable our pupils to realise their full potential as individuals, and to live their lives to the fullest capacity as is appropriate to their stage of development. It is hoped that the education the children are offered in the school will give them a sound basis for further participation in the education system
School Ethos
Scoil Mhuire, Davidstown is a Catholic school, under the patronage of the bishop of Ferns. Christian values of mutual respect, love, sharing, honesty, co-operation, trust, friendship and forgiveness are interwoven into the life of school. The school supports parents in passing on the Catholic faith to their children. Our religious ethos finds particular expression in our religion programmes (Grow in Love and Alive-O), school masses and daily prayers.
Appeals for various charities have been organised, GOAL, Christms Shoe-boxes, Niall Mellon, Trocaire, Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes etc. Pupils are prepared for the sacraments of reconciliation and eucharist in second class and for confirmation in fifth and sixth classes in alternate years. We are very lucky to have Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Philomena who regularly come to visit and work with us. Fr Jim Nolan, our parish priest is a welcome visitor to our school.
Curriculum
The school implements the ‘Revised Curriculum‘, introduced at national level in 1999. The school is inspected regularly by the Department’s inspectorate.
The main curricular areas are Irish, English, religion, mathematics, social / environmental / science education (SESE), social/personal/health education (SPHE), physical education, drama and visual arts.
ICT, including computers, tablets and programming is a cross-curricular resource which is vital to pupil-learning in all curriculum areas. Scoil Mhuire prides itself on its quality of use of ICT, the level of expertise of our staff and our commitment to enabling our pupils to be productive, engaged participants in this digital age.
Each classroom has a class library which is stocked with a variety of genres and authors. All class libraries are updated and renewed regularly according to new releases and student interests. We also are very lucky to be able to block loan class novels from Enniscorthy Library. We visit the library for local events such as author visits. The mobile library visits the school every fortnight.
Providing new and interesting opportunities for our pupils to engage with literacy and literature is of paramount importance in our school.
Nature and the outdoors is at the core of our school. The school is fortunate in having an outdoor classroom, grass pitch, infant play area and basketball court for break-time and physical education classes. We work in partnership with our pupils and parents to design and develop the outdoor play areas.
School Year
A circular regarding the school year is distributed each September. Exceptional closings may occur due to inclement weather (snow, flooding etc). Under current Bus Eireann regulations, the school bus is not obliged to travel in inclement weather.
School Day
The school day for students in classes first to sixth is from 9:20 to 3:00. The infant day is between 9:20 and 2:00. It should be noted that the infant teacher is allowed the last hour for preparation and planning. The board of management does not accept responsibility for children on the school premises before and after school hours. Personal insurance is arranged through the office each September.
Special Needs Education
Students with special education needs are catered for very well in the school. We believe in early intervention. On the basis of standardised tests and teacher classroom observation, some pupils may be selected for learning support. Some pupils may be assessed by an educational psychologist to establish if he or she has a special education need. Depending on criteria, resource hours may be sanctioned by the Department of Education.
Lunchtime / Healthy Eating
Besides a good night’s rest and a breakfast, there is nothing better to help a child through the day than a well-prepared lunch. Pupils have lunch at 12:30 before going out to play until 1:00. The school recommends
Fruit
Milk
Sandwiches / Rolls / Bagels / Pasta etc with meat and vegetables
Water
Not allowed:
‘Frubes’ / yoghurt squeezies
Crisps / popcorn / nuts
Fizzy drinks, chewing gum
Sweets / sugary snacks
Please note
One bar should be a sufficient Friday treat.
Our school is a Health Promoting School. We promote healthy eating at all times. We encourage our pupils to take responsibility for their food choices, encouraging them to choose fruit and veg everyday but remembering that having a treat is important too. We would ask that Friday be treat day. One treat is plenty!
We run the Food Dudes programme in Scoil Mhuire, which is a huge success.
School Finances
Book Rental Scheme For some years teachers have operated a book rental scheme. School texts are rented for 25 euro for pupils. Books should be covered and kept carefully during the year to ensure continuity of the scheme. Parents may have to get a number of workbooks for pupils. Activity books and workbooks are increasingly used, reflecting a more progressive view of children’s learning.
Photocopying and Art Materials There is a current charge of 15 euro for photocopying and essential art supplies.
Soccer Coaching / Drama and Tin Whistle Contributions ranging from 4 euro to 20 euro are necessary to finance external tutors.
Fundraising Fundraising is necessary for particular projects. Department of Education funding to schools has been decreasing since 2008. Fundraising in recent years has contributed to board of management financing of external painting, ICT and continued development of the outside area.
Coming to School
Coming to School
Walking to School Pupils are encouraged to observe the rules of the road by walking on the right hand side of the road, crossing with care.
Bikes Some children come to school by bike. Bikes are parked in the bike shelter and should be locked. Children are not permitted to cycle bikes on the school grounds.
Bus Transport Children may in certain circumstances qualify for free transport. Enquiries from Primary School Transport Officer, Bus Eireann, Plunkett Station, Waterford. The board of management is not party to school transport arrangements and does not assume responsibility for same.
Students not waiting for the bus should leave the school via the main entrance as soon as school ends.
School Dress Code
The school uniform introduced by the Parents Association and endorsed by the board of management is available from Mernagh’s, Enniscorthy. It has two forms, v-neck and trousers / skirt or sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms. Please wash the uniform as needed. Branded clothing or clothing which endorses tobacco, alcohol is prohibited. Mobile phones on the premises are banned by board of management resolution.