welcome back to RETNS School reopens Thursday 27th August 2026

See you on Thursday

I hope you and your families are having a lovely summer and enjoying the glorious weather we have been having.

We have now completed our recruitment process. Thank you for your patience while this was underway. The school has been a hive of activity over the past few months and it has been wonderful to see so many of our children enjoying the summer camps here in RETNS.

Staff Changes

We are delighted to welcome Jane Malone and Peter Bohan to our team this year. Both bring a wealth of experience to our school and we look forward to working with them. We say farewell to Tara O’Brien and Hugh Rooney and wish them every success in their next chapter. Ciara McNamara and Niamh Ní Chochlain will remain on career break for the next academic year.

School start times from 27th August:

Junior Infants:
27th Aug - 2nd Sept: 9.00am–12.00pm (From 3rd Sept: 8.50am–1.30pm)

Senior Infants: 8.50am–1.30pm

Rang 1 - 6: 8.50am–2.30pm

1.30pm Club

1.30pm Club will resume on 27th Aug for Senior Infants. Enrolment information for the club was sent home in June. Junior Infants can avail of the 1.30pm Club from 3rd Sept, when they begin their full school day.

Sherpa Kids

Sherpa Kids will operate as usual from 27th August for Senior Infants to Rang 6. Junior Infants can attend Sherpa Kids from 3rd September, when they begin their full school day. Please contact Sherpa Kids directly for bookings.

A further email will follow in the coming weeks with back-to-school logistics and reminders.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to RETNS for the new school year.

Le dea-ghuí

Louise

A child's drawing of what community means

September 2026

Learn Together Curriculum
Instead of traditional religious instruction, Educate Together schools use the Learn Together ethical Education Curriculum. This program teaches children about different belief systems, human rights, democracy, and environmental stewardship without promoting any specific worldview over another. The curriculum focuses on four main areas:
Moral and Spiritual Development: Exploring the search for meaning in life.
Equality and Justice: Teaching rights, responsibilities, and the nature of democracy.
Belief Systems: Exploring world religions, humanism, atheism, and agnosticism.
Ethics and the Environment: Fostering appreciation and stewardship of the natural world.

The School Community
Educate Together actively embraces the input of parents, students, and staff to build an inclusive and cooperative atmosphere. This approach promotes democratic involvement, which means students frequently participate in decision-making. In our school, we have The Student Council, the Green Team, the Cinneáltas Committee and the Active Committee —who all collaborate and aid staff in the wellbeing and community that is our school.

Cooperation & Kindness

This month, we are focusing on Cooperation and Kindness. We encourage everyone to work together, listen to and respect one another, and offer help when it is needed.

Kindness means thinking about how our words and actions make others feel. Cooperation means sharing ideas, taking turns, including others and working together towards a common goal.

By showing kindness and cooperating with one another, we help to create a school community where everyone feels valued, respected and included.

Together we can make a difference — small acts of kindness can have a big impact! 

Admissions to RETNS 2026-2027

The school’s Admission Policy and Annual Admission Notice are available on the school website.

Parents and guardians who wish to enrol their children into Junior Infants for the school year 2026-2027 are asked to complete the online Junior Infants Admissions Form .

The school will commence accepting applications for admission on 1st October 2025.

Applications received after 18th December 2025 will be processed as late applications. 

The Admissions Form Senior Infants to Sixth Class will be available from 5th January 2026.

European Union Support through NextGenerationEU

This school now has high speed broadband connectivity through the Department of Education School Broadband Programme, delivered as part of the Irish National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU.

Active Homework
RETNS reopens on 27 August 2026

2026/2027 School Calendar

School reopens on Thurs 27th Aug

School will be closed on the following dates:
Midterm: Oct Mon 26th - Fri 30th
Winter break: Dec Wed 23rd - Tues 5th Jan
Feb 1st Public Holiday
Midterm: Feb Thurs 18th and Fri 19th
Mar 17th Public Holiday
Spring Break: Mar Mon 22nd- Fri 2nd April
Midterm: May Mon 3rd - Fri 7th
June 7th Public Holiday
School closes on Fri 25th June

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