The School Day – 9.20am – 3pm

School bus transport is provided by Bus Éireann under the School Transport Scheme. Your child’s bus driver will arrange morning pick-up time with you.

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School Uniform

All uniform items are available from Lynch’s of Marino,
130 Philipsburgh Ave, Marino. Find on Google Maps >>

  • Red jumper with St Joseph’s crest
  • Grey trousers or grey pinafore/ skirt
  • White polo shirt with St Joseph’s crest (buy 2)
  • Grey tracksuit with St Joseph’s crest (for PE and Swimming days)
  • Black shoes (unless special shoes are needed)

A waterproof jacket with the crest is available but is not essential.

The Principal will be happy to agree an alternative if an official uniform item causes difficulty due to your child’s sensory or physical needs.

Art Class: loose shirt, which can be worn over the uniform.

Please label all uniform clothing, especially jumpers and jackets with a permanent marker.

School Bus Transport

Bus transport is provided to and from school by the Department of Education and Skills, through Bus Éireann.

Your child is assigned to a bus route and is given a bus ticket to and from your address. The bus contractor or driver arranges morning collection and afternoon drop-off times with you.

Bus Éireann regulations allow the driver 3 minutes maximum ‘wait time’ in the mornings. A bus escort meets your child at the bus each morning and accompanies them to the school entrance and home again on the bus each afternoon.

Responsibilities of Parents and Guardians:

  • Bring the child to the bus steps or ramp each morning
  • Receive the child at the bus steps or ramp each afternoon.
  • Inform the escort/ driver in advance if their child will not be attending school so the bus does not make a wasted journey
  • Inform the escort/ driver in advance if their child will not be returning home on the bus, i.e. when a child is collected from school.
  • Provide a booster seat or car seat if required for the child’s safe travel, i.e. if child under 150cm in height or 36kg in weight. It is recommended that parents/ guardians familiarise themselves with the RSA Car Seat guidelines and/or or talk with trained staff in shops that sell car seats to make sure your child is using the correct seat for their height and weight. http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/RoadSafety/Safetyforkids/ChildSafetyinCarsEnglish.pdf

Questions: What to do if…

I need to change collection or drop-off arrangements due to special or emergency circumstances:

Contact the school office as soon as possible. If you cannot be there to meet your child from the school bus, a named adult must be at your home to meet your son or daughter when the bus arrives.

I am moving house:

Contact the school office in writing about your upcoming change of address as soon as possible. An application for transport to the new address must be made to NCSE. The school will help you make this application. If NCSE sanctions travel to your new address, they will inform the School Transport Section at the Department of Education. Once transport to the new address is approved by Department of Education, it can take Bus Éireann a few weeks to arrange this.

I have safety concerns about my child’s bus journey:

Speak first with the driver or escort. If you are still unhappy, please contact the school.

More information about the responsibilities of all involved in the safe transport of your child are available on the Policies and Other Information page.

Read More

School Absences and Late Arrivals

Questions: What to do if…

My child is unable to attend school:

As soon as possible, phone or text the bus escort to save the bus an unnecessary journey.

Also contact the school in one of these ways:

  • email <office@stjosephsprimaryvi.ie> Helpful to ‘Cc’ your child’s teacher on the email too   OR
  • phone the school office (01 8373696). If you get voicemail, please leave a message.

Please give details of reason for absence as TUSLA requires schools to record this. Read more (Link to Information Booklet for Parent and Guardians on Policies and Other Info Page)

My child is returning to school after absence:

Give as much notice as possible to the bus escort to arrange collection on the first morning of return to school after an absence of unknown length.

I know in advance that my child will arriving late or leaving:

Inform the bus escort and the school. It helps with practical arrangements if advance notice can be given to the teacher by email or in the home-school diary. The teacher will inform the office.

My child’s late arrival or early collection is unexpected:

Inform the bus escort and the school office. The teacher will be informed.

I arrive at the school to drop off or collect my child:

Call to the Secretary’s or Principal’s office. The Secretary or Principal will inform the teacher and an arrangement will be made to bring the child to class. If collecting, sign out your child on the ‘Sign Out Sheet’ in the entrance hall.

More information about the responsibilities of all involved in the safe transport of your child are available on the Policies and Other Information page.

Snacks and School Lunches

We aim to promote healthy eating throughout the school day.

At school, time is given for a 10 minute mid-morning snack. Lunch-time is from 1.00-1.20. Healthy eating is encouraged at mealtimes, through the teaching of the SPHE curriculum and, in some classes, through ‘Fun with Food’.

At the start of each year, parents are asked by Child Vision SLT department to indicate any special dietary or feeding needs. Childvision SLT, St Joseph’s and ChildVision Kitchen liaise to arrange for these needs to be met during the school day. If you discover that your child has a food allergy, please advise the school and ChildVision Nursing department.

You will find our Healthy Eating Policy, including Lunch Menu, under Policies on this website.