16th August 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope you are all keeping well and everyone had a restful and enjoyable summer break. We look forward to seeing our students back in Luttrellstown Community College, Coláiste na Tulchann and Laochra very soon.
In line with the school calendar and timetable that we issued to you in June, below is a reminder of our planned start-up dates.
Students should wear their full school uniform on their return to school and bring their iPads/pen and paper.
The dates for the return to school are as follows:
Friday August 25th 1st Year Induction 08.30am – 11.00am
Monday August 28th 2nd Year, 3rd Year, TY and Laochra Induction (2nd,3rd and TY)
9.30am – 11.00am
5th and 6th Year Induction and Laochra 5th Year students 11.00am - 12.00pm
Tuesday August 29th Full school day for all years (8.28am – 3.23pm)
I have included some important school information below for you to familiarise yourself with.
On behalf of the Board of Management, staff and myself, I wish to thank you for your courtesy and support and we thank you in advance for your co-operation in the coming academic year.
Siobhán Moran
Siobhán Moran
Principal
College Information
Break/Lunchtime
- Lunchtime is from 12.47 – 13.27 for all students.
- Lunchtimes – first 20 minutes, 1st Year and senior students may eat in their home rooms and 2nd and 3rd Years may eat in the GP area and then go to their designated outdoor space.
- Small break 10.36 – 10.51.
Leaving the premises at Lunchtime
- Juniors (1st/2nd/3rd years) must remain on the school premises. Seniors (TY/5th /6th years) may leave the school premises for lunchtime once they have a signed lunch pass in their journal. This pass may be revoked by the school at any time should a student’s actions while using it bring the College in to disrepute.
- Access to bathrooms in each section of the school will be made clear to students on induction along with other protocols to be followed.
Lockers and Changing rooms
- The cost of a student locker is €20 and they can be purchased on the College website using the Mit icon . Lockers will be allocated to students in the first few weeks of the school year
- On days when students have PE they may wear their LCC PE uniform to school.
Office Hours
The school office is open from 9am – 3.30pm Monday – Thursday / 9am – 12.30pm Friday.
All appointments can be made by phoning the main office 01-8228060 or emailing info@luttrellstowncc.ie
Code of Positive Behaviour
All students and parents are asked to be familiar with the code and sign the policy section in the school journal at the start of the school year.
Leaving School Early
Students must not leave the school premises during school hours without permission. Permission to leave school during school hours must be requested in writing in advance by parents/guardians and signed by the Tutor/Year Head in the student’s journal. Appointments, such as dental appointments, should, as far as possible, be made outside of school time. Junior students who must leave in the middle of the school day must be collected by a parent/guardian at the school office.
Under no circumstances should parents text or ring a student’s personal mobile phone to arrange for them to leave the school early. All communication must be made through the journal system or by phoning the office.
Mobile Phones
Pupil’s phones/electronic devices must be powered off while on the school grounds. The school cannot accept any liability for electronic devices which are stolen or lost. Pupils who in exceptional circumstances need to contact home during the school day may request to do so at the school office. If a pupil is in breach of this rule, the entire device will be confiscated as per AUP (Acceptable User Policy).
Student Journal
The student Journal is the primary method of communication between the school and home. The cost of the journal is €10 and it can be purchased on the College using the Mit icon . Students are required to have their journal with them for all classes. The student journal must be maintained in good condition. In such circumstances whereby a student’s journal is in an unacceptable condition, the student will be required to replace the journal at their expense. Students must use their school journal to record their classwork/homework in each class, each day. Please check your son/daughters journal regularly and to sign it on a weekly basis in the corresponding week.
School Uniform
The Uniform can be purchased from Grants or Leddy’s. Information on our school uniform can be found on the College website under the Parent section.
Please note school shoes must be black (soles included) and LCC PE leggings are a requirement of the school PE uniform.
Please note that from September 2023 the only acceptable jacket is the official LCC Crested black jacket.
College Timetable
School begins at 8.28am. Students will be permitted in to the building from 8.00am but should be on site and organised for tutor class by 8.20am. If a student is late, please write a note in their journal.
Parking & collection of LCC students:
We are appealing to all parents/guardians dropping and collecting students to LCC to be cognisant of local residents and access to their properties. We are asking for your co-operation in this matter and thank you for your support.
Cycling/ E Scooters
We ask parents to encourage students to walk or cycle to school. For students cycling please ensure their bikes are locked and that they wear hi-vis jackets, have lights on their bikes and wear a cycling helmet. The school can take no responsibility for stolen bikes. The use of E scooters or motorised bikes is not permitted on school grounds.
College Calendar
A detailed school calendar is available on our website https://www.luttrellstowncc.ie/
Child Protection Reporting Procedures
As a society, each one of us has a duty to protect children and Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2011) notes that teachers, who are the main care givers to children outside the family, are particularly well placed to observe and monitor children for signs of abuse.
The Department of Education and Skills has published Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools (2011). The Board of Management of LCC has adopted and reviewed these procedures and school policy/Safeguarding Statement is available on the school website. Consequently, if school staff suspect or are alerted to possible child abuse (neglect, emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse) or have any cause for concern they are legally obliged to refer this matter to Tusla. The HSE/Tusla will then assess the situation. In our school the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) for dealing with Child Protection is the Principal Siobhán Moran and the Deputy Designated Liaison Person (DDLP) is (Oide D O’Murchu).
Student Attendance
Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 this law states that every child between the ages of 6 and 16 must attend school or otherwise receive an education.
What should I do if my child cannot go to school?
You must tell the school that your child cannot attend and say why. Write a short note in the journal to explain why your child was out of school and send it in with them when they go back to school. Keep in regular contact with the school to explain why your child is absent and, where appropriate, provide medical certificates.
What will the school do if my child misses a lot of school?
The school must tell the statutory Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency if your child has missed 20 days or more in the school year, or if it is concerned that your child is missing too much school.
What will the Educational Welfare Services of Tusla do if a child misses a lot of school?
Once the school tells us that your child has missed a certain number of days (greater than 20), an Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) will work with the school and may visit you at home to see how we can help to make sure that your child attends school more often.
Absence from school/Late for school:
In the event that a student is absent from school a note of explanation, in the student’s journal, must be presented to the tutor on the morning of his/her return to school. Students who are persistently absent from school will receive letters from the school as per legislation. Once they miss over 20 days the EWO will be informed and returns re: absence reported to National Educational Welfare Board.
Healthy School
Please encourage your son/daughter to bring a recyclable water bottle to school. Please provide healthy snacks. We have a number of students with severe nut allergies so please be mindful of this when preparing lunches. Nuts and nut based products should not be brought to school, this includes chocolate spread with nuts.
Medication
There are a number of students who require inhalers/ EpiPen’s/ diabetic mediation. Students should have these medications in their bags or kept safely, unless an arrangement has been made with the school to keep them onsite. If students require these medications, it’s important that this is made known to their Year Head/Tutor who will share this information with staff.
ICT Updates
Home-School Communication:
For all essential home-school communication please download the VS WARE App (Available on Android, iOS and Desktop).
In 2023/24 the VS WARE app will be the primary means of communication with LCC parents/guardians across year groups.
In addition, it provides parent/guardians with access to student assessment reports as well as information on attendance, behaviour and the weekly timetable.
Notes to explain student absence can also be submitted via the app.
Please contact info@luttrellstowncc.ie if you do not have your username. Passwords can then be reset via your school registered mobile number.
More information at link below or via the parent's section of our website.
https://support.vsware.ie/en/parent-app-overview
School Website and iClass App:
The LCC website www.luttrellstowncc.ie remains an important source of information for curricular and extracurricular events on our school calendar .
Our Website App (iClass) - an extension of our website for mobile devices- is also recommended as a great way to stay informed and receive update/ news articles on school activities throughout the year. Available to download in all App Stores.
Download iClassCMS app in all App Stores enter name of school and code 69772 to join.
Microsoft365 Learning Platform
The forthcoming academic year 2023/2024 will see our digital learning community move to the Microsoft365 Platform managed by DDLETB ICT support.
All LCC students will be provided with a new Microsoft365 account (@luttrellstowncc.ie) - with access to all applications on the office suite via their iPads.
Please note that all files connected to student LCC GMAIL Google accounts will still be accessible for students should they be required at any point.
Additional information and training links will be shared with all students in advance of this change.