Archive for March, 2023

School_transport@education.gov.ie

www.gov.ie/schooltransport

9 March 2023

Dear Principal,

Please see information note below regarding the School Transport Application Process for 2023/24 School Year

I would be grateful if you could circulate to families who may use school transport for their information.

Bus Éireann will contact all existing applicants via email directly, and a wider media campaign will commence this week. Further information is available on www.gov.ie/schooltransport andbuseireann.ie/schooltransport.

Information for families regarding School Transport Application Process for 2023/24 School Year

Families are asked to note that the closing date for payment/registering medical cards has been brought forward so that Bus Éireann can process applications, arrange transport and issue tickets to families as soon as possible for the 2023/24 school year.

1. New Applicants – Apply By 28TH APRIL 2023

The Bus Éireann family portal is now open for new applications for school transport services for the 2023/24 school year. New applications are considered as:  pupils who will be attending junior infants in primary school or first year in post-primary school for the first time in 2023.  pupils that may move home address or will be attending a new school in the 2023/24 school year Applications can be made by visiting www.buseireann.ie/schooltransport

The closing date for new applications is Friday 28 April 2023.

Any new applications made after the closing date are considered late applications and families are not guaranteed a seat.

2. All Applicants- payment/enter medical card details – closing date 9 June 2023

The Bus Éireann family portal will be open to accept payments/medical card details from the 3 April 2023 until the 9 June 2023. Payments made after the deadline date will be deemed late and families are not guaranteed a seat at that stage. Payments/medical card details must be submitted for:

 new applicants, and;

 pupils who have previously applied/availed of school transport and require a seat on a service for the 23/24 school year. …..

2 Children (who are eligible for school transport) and who possess valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge however, their medical card details must be submitted to Bus Éireann.

Bus Éireann will accept medical card details from 3 April 2023 until 9 June 2023.

Medical card details received after 9 of June deadline are considered late.

Families are strongly urged to make sure that they pay/enter valid medical card details on or before the deadline of 9 of June 2023.

The Annual Charge for School Transport Services for the 2023/24 school year is set out below:

Category of pupil

Annual Charge Primary Eligible/ Concessionary pupil €50 Post-primary Eligible/ Concessionary pupil €75

Maximum annual charge for families €125

3. Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for School Transport for the 2023/24 school year is as follows:

 Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language

.  Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.

 Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats

.  Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process. …..

3  In addition, temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2023/24 school year, pending completion of the school transport scheme review.

This means that transport will be provided where such services are in operation for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who apply and pay on time.

4. Pupils from Ukraine

Pupils from Ukraine who require school transport should not apply on the Bus Éireann family portal but should visit gov.ie/ukraine for details on how to apply. Please note that any pupils from Ukraine who are currently on school transport do not need to re-apply for the 2023/24 school year unless they have changed address or school.

The Sacrament of Confirmation was held last Sunday. A most enjoyable day was had by all and we wish to thank parents, pupils, teachers, Fr Dunne and Bishop McGuckian for their help in making it a special event for the confirmandi. Many thanks too to all who helped with the refreshments in the School Hall afterwards.

The pupils are busy on a number of fronts. We will celebrate World Book Day in the school this Friday 3 March with pupils free to dress in literary/ film/ character style if they wish (Normal school dress for those don’t wish to participate). We wish to congratulate our pupils on participating in Feis Loreto, Letterkenny recently with over fifty children participating in poetry, music and song on the day. It was a most enjoyable event. We also congratulate our quiz team on winning the Garda Divisional quiz recently and wish them well in the County Final in the Mount Errigal hotel on Thursday 9 March.  Finally, there was great excitement as a large number of athletes from third to sixth classes represented the school in the Sportshall event in the Aura this week.

Seachtain na Gaeilge – where we all make a special effort to speak Irish – takes place in the days before St Patrick’s Day. We hope to have an in-school ceolchoirm or concert that week where pupils will showcase their talents to other classes.

Gymnastics is a part of our PE curriculum but staff feel that pupils best learn from the experience and expertise of qualified personnel. Accordingly, we hope to facilitate three workshops hosted by Citadel for all classes in the School Hall on Wednesday 15, 22, 29 March and we respectfully ask for a €5 contribution per child to cover the cost of the three lessons (family max payment of €10).

The Board of Management committed to the replacement of ten interactive whiteboards (in place since we opened the new school fifteen years ago on 31 March 2008) and with eight upgraded screens now purchased through fundraising and the Digital Schools Grant over the past eighteen months, we hope to purchase the final two this school year. For this purpose, we will host a Sponsored Walk for each class level during Wellbeing Week (beginning on 21 March). We will distribute a card to each family and ask for your support.

Teachers are scheduled to participate in curricular training regarding school literacy and the school will close for pupils on Monday 20 March 2023.

Finally, we recently asked for your support in keeping the school grounds and environs as safe as possible for children. We thank you for your support thus far and, as pupil and parent vision lines have been restricted in recent times, we reiterate that that YOU DO NOT PARK ON FOOTPATHS and that YOU DO NOT PARK NEAR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING POINT.

Go raibh maith agaibh