Overall Attendance rate 90.5 %- which is up on last year
Target attendance rate 93%
Currently First years are at 94% Well done
REASON FOR SCHOOL CLOSURE LAST FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14th
We have also been instructed to close the school for a half day to facilitate training for staff. To minimise disruption to teaching and Learning we closed on Friday 14th of February for students and all staff for a workshop on Anti Bullying procedures. This date is the last day of Mock exams and TYs were also on work experience so the loss of class time is minimised.
GOOD NEWS
Class of 2024
DCU Awards.
A huge congratulations to Luke Moriles from the class of 2024 who received an entrance scholarship from UCD last week. Also congratulations to Conor Hogarty who received an award for getting 100% in the LCA exam.
Progression to University
In the recent progression to third level tables presented in the media it was encouraging to see that so many of our students who wish to go to third level do so. We were above the national and DEIS school averages with 90% of students progressing to Third level courses. Well done to the students, their families and teachers and best of luck with your studies.
Sporting Success
A huge congratulations to our u16 Boys Volleyball team and their coaches Ms Roisin Nolan and Ms Emer Hegarty who won the All Ireland B Final in January. Having only started Volleyball in the school in 2023 this is our second All Ireland success.
Anti Bullying Review
We are currently reviewing our Anti Bullying procedures like every other school in the country. Thanks to the nearly 200 parents who completed the survey. We also have got survey results from nearly 600 students. We also recently convened a Citizens assembly of our students to discuss some of the findings of the surveys. On Friday as a staff we looked at these findings and came up with ways to try and make sure we continue to find ways to support our students so they can thrive in a respectful environment.
Some of the findings to date that stand out
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Over 85% of our students and parents feel our school is a safe space for them.
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There is some confusion amongst parents on how to let us know if Bullying is occuring. We intend to work on a solution to this.
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While we have less Bullying than the national average in terms of Bullying occuring in school there are too many students who say they have experienced bullying especially online. We need to find ways to support parents and students to tackle this.
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Like in other schools there is a reluctance from some parents/ students to report Bullying. This is something we need to explore further.
Once again thanks for your insights and support. The following have won €50 vouchers for taking part in our survey. Ms Claire Brennan, Ms Kate McGovern, Ms Lisa Loschiavo, Ms Aisling Power, Ms Noleen Brennan and Mr Eamon Walsh.
School Priorities
High Expectations
Attendance
This scatter graph shows the correlation between high attendance and higher results as evidenced by our LC results/ students of 2024. We see this over and over again. Absences have real life consequences in terms of academic outcomes. We also see the social impact also.
Absences matter and you can help.
Regular school attendance not only supports students' learning and social development but also ensures they benefit fully from the opportunities provided in the classroom.
When students miss school, arrive late or leave early, they miss important lessons, which can negatively impact their progress. Absences can create gaps in knowledge, disrupt routine, and lead to feelings of isolation, making it harder for students to catch up with their peers.
We believe that by working together, we can promote good attendance and reduce absenteeism. We encourage all parents to ensure their young person attends school regularly and on time. If there are concerns about attendance, we are here to support you and your child in finding solutions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss any issues or challenges your child may be facing.
Together, we can create an environment where every student has the chance to succeed.
We thank parents / guardians for their support on this. The key ways you can help are
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Use the VSWare app to make us aware of reasons for absences
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Try and organise appointments for holiday periods, after school or the early finish on Friday.
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Minimise students leaving early
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If patterns emerge around your child not wanting to go to school, reach out to the young person's YearHead for support.
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Encourage the importance of getting up every day.
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Not booking holidays during school time- Please look at the calendar, at the long weekends etc that occur throughout the year.
We will continue to work to support those whose young people are struggling to attend school. This will include meetings with parents. We are also legally responsible to report absences in certain situations to other statutory bodies.
Uniform
Thanks for the continued support of our school uniform. The recent changes have worked well. We now allow students to wear their own jackets to school. Once here we ask them to put them in a locker or hang up in Locker room(Junior Students). We also remind students that they are to wear a white polo or school sports top.
Belonging
We are really trying to promote a sense of belonging in our school. We are doing our best to try and create a positive atmosphere that encourages our young people to develop in so many different areas. If your young person wants to get involved in activities etc we will do our best to support them. If you want to see what is on offer please look at their Ipad and ask them to open their GOOGLE CLASSROOM APP. Here you will see their subject teachers groups but also a specific one about their year. This will have loads of information about events in the school. You will also see events/ activities/clubs etc posted on social Media.
Traffic
Please see attached message from our neighbours in the Gaelscoil.
FAO Principal, Tom McDonald.
Dear Tom,
I am writing to you on behalf of the parents' council, Coiste nadTuistí, in Gaelscoil Nás na Ríogh.
We would like to bring to your attention that students from Piper's Hill College are being dropped off in the middle of traffic every day.
The most dangerous location, and unfortunately the most common reported occurrences, relates to the first roundabout upon entering the campus.
We have seen cars stop before the roundabout to let children out. The children then have to navigate traffic travelling the opposite direction to get to safety on the path and this traffic is not always stationary.
The more dangerous drop-offs that we have had reported, and witnessed ourselves, relate to drop-offs on the actual roundabout. This creates a serious issue as other vehicles (including buses) are now overtaking cars that are essentially parked, albeit briefly, on the roundabout and also cars turning right on the roundabout are having to drive around these cars on the roundabout and into blind spots for children getting out of cars.
There are also incidents of drop-off in traffic on the main road too.
As an initial measure, we would very much appreciate it if a note could be sent out to all parents to dissuade the continuation of the above practices and would like to hear any other suggestions you feel would be appropriate to combat this safety concern.
Many thanks for your time
Sincerely,
Coiste na dTuistí.
As mentioned previously we are trying to improve the traffic layout in the campus. Work was done to Crossings etc last summer. We continue to push for a solution to the problem of only having one entrance/ exit. We hope that the local council and Dept of Education can help facilitate this. There are plans to increase the numbers of students who can avail of free school transport. This would reduce the number of cars.
We like our neighbours to share your frustrations at the traffic issues most mornings. However our priority has to be the safety of all, especially our young people. We would ask you to respect other road users and please do not let people out of cars on roundabouts.
We have had a discussion with the parents' council in Gaelscoil Nás na Ríogh beside us here on the Piper's Hill campus and have agreed that we cannot wait for others to fix the traffic flow and second entrance issues before taking some action to improve the current situation.
With this in mind, we feel that a change is required and have agreed that going forward, on any given day, there may be a representative from either this school or the Gaelscoil that will be located beside the small roundabout when you enter the campus from the main Kilcullen road.
Initially this will be just a visual deterrent and maybe a quick word to dissuade parents from dangerously dropping off students in traffic .
We would appreciate the cooperation of the entire school on this matter, so please leave additional time in the mornings to drop your children off safely.
Thank you.
Calendar 25/26- The date for return to school will be Thursday 20th of August. We will do a staggered return like previous years. We will also have to arrange for the distribution of books to Fifth year students this will happen before that date.
Extra Curricular/Co Curricular
We have entered more teams in sporting competitions than ever before. You can find updates on our school instagram pages on of which is dedicated to extra curricular only https://www.instagram.com/phcol_sport/?hl=en
You can also get an overview of main events activities on our school website at this link. We try to update it regularly https://www.phcol.ie/page/ExtraCo-Curricular-Timetable-24-25/75320/Index.html
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U19 Girls Basketball lost in the Mid Leinster A Final and bowed out in AI series
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Boys Senior Hurling lost in their Leinster Final.
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Senior Girls GAA knocked out in league stages.
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Boys Senior GAA in knockout stages.
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U17 Boys Soccer lost in ¼ final of Leinster Cup. Also in top position in their League group.
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U19s Boys Soccer lost in the knockout stage of the league.
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U15 boys soccer through to knockout stages.
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Indoor Cricket league lost the league Final.
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First and Second year Basketball Boys and Girls have started
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First year soccer Boys and Girls have started.
Choir, Band and solo competition in early March.
Music Generation continues
Free Maths Club 1550 to 1650 every Wednesday.
SciFest. Over 50 TY projects in our own schools Scifest on 26th of February.
Help Us Help your Young Person
Facilities
We hope to continue to work on some key priorities this year.
Solar Panels
Toilets
Upgrade our Window and Doors to make building more energy efficient. Add more solar panels also.
Continue our work on creating a pleasant learning environment. Upgrade flooring, furniture and painting.
Upgrade to our Playing Pitches so we can play home GAA games in the school. A huge thank you to local GAA clubs who have facilitated us this year and other years.
Work Experience/ Community Outreach Opportunities
We love to have the opportunity to build links with our local community. If you or your employer might be able to facilitate some of our students on a work placement or if you think there might be an opportunity to work on a community project together please make contact with me.
Specific News to Year Groups
TY
TY trip to Italy in April
Third Years
WE will be purchasing Studyclix for all Third Years to help them with Exam Preparation.
The JC Exam Timetable for June is available online
https://www.examinations.ie/?l=en&mc=ex&sc=e25
Sixth Years
Examination Timetables are now available online for June. Please also see deadlines for Coursework.
Orals will take place between Saturday 12 April to Thursday 17 April - Leaving Certificate Oral Examinations in Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Lithuanian, Portuguese, and Polish.
We will not know exact details of dates for Orals until much closer to the time. We are not in control of this as a school.
https://www.examinations.ie/?l=en&mc=ex&sc=e25
How we continue to support:
Books
All books and classroom materials are free for Junior Cycle students. This scheme is in its first year and we are endeavouring to cover all classroom books and materials. We will do so as long as the funding remains at current levels. We will also support Senior students in the area of Exam Papers and access to StudyClix and purchase of Mock exam papers.
School Meals
All students have access to a free school breakfast. Over 400 students avail of this every morning. You can get two items for free with the toast Egg combination being the most popular. We can also provide a subsidised lunch to your young person if you need support in this area. Just let the Yearhead or me know.
Maths Club/ Club Gaeilge
Every wednesday Maths teachers stay behind between 15:50 and 16:50 to give extra support to students in Maths. Also during lunchtime on Monday and Thursday Club Gaelige runs to support students with Irish skills.
IXL
All Junior Students and AEN students at both Junior and Senior have access to IXL which is an online support for the study of Maths. It uses a gamified approach to maths problems and students can track their progress on different Maths topics. All Junior students and those in our AEN Support Classes are being given a login by their maths teacher.
In the news
Progression to third level
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/feeder-schools-2024-find-out-which-schools-send-the-most-students-to-college/a734290281.html
Tom McDonald and all the team in Pipers Hill College.