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Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ Open Night for prospective first-year students and their Parents/ Guardians for the academic year 2023/24 will take place on Thursday 22nd September, at 7pm in the school.

Copies of the school’s Admission Policy and the Limerick Area CAS Form are available for the 2023/2024 School Year and will be available to download on the morning of October 3rd from this website.

Application and decision dates for admission to 1st year for 2023/2024

• The school will commence accepting applications for admission on 3rd October 2022
• The school will cease accepting applications for admission on the 16th January 2023 (12:30pm)
• Applicants will be notified in writing of the decision on their application in line with the Limerick Post Primary Schools Common Application Scheme (CAS) Letter will issue on 31st January 2023.
• Applications must confirm acceptance of an offer of admission by 8th February 2023. Failure by an applicant to accept an offer by 08/02/2023 may result in the offer being withdrawn.
• Common Registration Night at all participating Post Primary Schools Tuesday 21st February 2023

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

We hope that you are all safe and well and that you have enjoyed the summer break. As we plan for our return to school, we wish to inform you of a variety of measures that will be in place when your daughter returns to Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ in the coming weeks.

Please note return dates for each year group have been revised since the distribution of summer reports due to Covid-19. The return dates for each year group are as follows:

• Monday August 31st, 2020: Transition Years 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. for induction. Transition Year students are not required to attend school from Tuesday September 1st, 2020 – Friday September 4th, 2020 and will return to school fully from Monday September 7th, 2020.
• Tuesday September 1st, 2020: 3rd years & 6th years for induction. 3rd years should report to school from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and will be allowed to go home thereafter. 6th years should report to school at 1:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Classes will return fully for both 3rd and 6th year pupils from Wednesday September 2nd, 2020.
• Wednesday September 2nd, 2020: 1st years & 2nd years for induction. 1st years should report to school for induction from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and will be allowed to go home thereafter. 2nd year pupils should report to school at 1:00 p.m. – 3:05 p.m. 2nd year students are not required to attend school on Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 and will return to school fully from Friday September 4th, 2020.
• Thursday September 3rd, 2020: 1st years & 5th years for induction. 5th years should report to school from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and will be allowed to go home thereafter. 1st years should report to school from 1:00 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.
• Friday September 4th, 2020: All classes run as normal for all year groups apart from Transition Year pupils who will return on Monday September 7th, 2020.

On return to school it will be compulsory for all pupils to wear a face mask at all times.

First Year pupils should arrive at the front gate of the school on each day specified above for induction. A staff member will be on hand to welcome new pupils to the school and direct them to their induction venue.Any additional required information and updates will be provided via the school website and school app over the coming weeks.
Some of the changes in school protocol include:

1. Uniform
   • Full school uniform must be worn every day. On the day of your daughter’s PE class, pupils are permitted to wear their full PE uniform to and from school as changing facilities are unavailable. Please note hoodies are not part of the school uniform and will not be permitted.
   • Face masks are now a compulsory part of the school uniform and must be worn on entry into the school building.
2. Entry and Exit Points
   • We request that Parent(s)/Guardian(s) no longer drive down Laurel Hill Avenue to drop their daughter to school to avoid unnecessary congestion. Please note members of staff will be on hand to direct students at the school gate during the induction period.
   • One-way systems will be in operation in the school building in so far as possible. Base classroom plans will be in place to avoid unnecessary congestion on the school corridors.
3. Locker and Lunch Facilities
   • Lockers will not be in use on return to school. Pupils are not required to bring any bag or materials to school for induction and will be advised on what materials will be required thereafter.
   • Canteen facilities will not be in operation and the school shop will also be closed. Pupils are required to bring a fully packed lunch that will not require the use of hot water or any other appliance.

Covid-19 has brought about unprecedented challenges in terms of reopening schools. Every safety measure available has been put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff alike. However, it is imperative that personal responsibility is taken by the entire school community in order to keep each other safe. Support and cooperation from Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will be essential to overcome the significant challenges that lie ahead this academic year.

Further guidance and updates can be found on www2.hse.ie/coronavirus
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation at this difficult time and look forward to welcoming your daughter back to school in the near future.

Stay safe,

Michael Cregan
Principal.

1st May, 2020

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s)

I hope you and your family are safe and well.

The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD has announced revised arrangements for this year’s Junior Cycle.

The decision was taken following recommendations from an advisory group of stakeholders, as part of planning for the State Examinations in response to the Covid-19 public health measures and the decision that the Junior Cycle State Examinations will not run this year. “In this difficult time for students I have listened to the very strongly-held and well-articulated views of students, parents and other stakeholders,” Minister McHugh said.

“This decision has been made with the health and wellbeing of students, parents and teachers at the forefront of our thinking. “It gives students and their families more clarity and certainty. It also gives schools freedom to decide how best to assess the progress of students following three years of hard work and learning.”

Under the revised arrangements and in light of the exceptional circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the work and achievement of third year Junior Cycle students will be recognised with a state certificate from the Department of Education and Skills.

Current third year students will receive a written school report on their learning achievements in each subject. Schools have been given autonomy to decide whether to run school-based assessments and what form they take.

After consultation with 3rd year teachers and following the advice of the Department of Education and Skills, we have decided that 3rd year students’ overall assessment marks for completion of the 3 years in Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ will be calculated as follows:

Assessment Criteria;

• Christmas examination 2019: 30%
• Pre Junior examination February 2020: 40%
• Assessments/projects/online tests given from 20th April to Friday 29th May 2020: 30%

We thank you for your support in the supervision of these exams and making sure that your daughter is engaging with their teachers. We are aware that this is far from ideal but under the present circumstances we believe it will provide the best picture of your daughters’ academic achievement.

Michael Cregan, Principal
Susan Garrahy, Deputy Principal