Thank you for choosing Stanhope Secondary School. We are delighted to welcome you to our School community and look forward to your first day with us in August. We pride ourselves on educational excellence and care for our student’s. We know how exciting and anxious the transition from Primary to Secondary School can be. We have a team in place to make this transition simple and straightforward for you. To help you with this transition we have created this information pack.
January’s postponed Entrance exams for students will take place in August between incoming first year student’s first day and their first full day of school. Details will be provided at a later date.
This information pack will provide help with the following:
You will arrive to school in your full uniform with a copy and pen for 9.00 a.m. You will be warmly greeted by the Principal Mr. O’Brien, Deputy Principal Ms. O’Reilly and the HSCL Mr. Flynn at the front office. Only 1st years will be in the school on this day, so you get a chance to meet all your classmates and begin making new friends.
You will begin with an assembly with Mr. O’Brien who will formally welcome you to the school community. At the assembly you will be introduced to your Year Head and your Form Tutor. Their roles will be explained in the next section.
You will be given a tour of the school. Should you have any questions, your form tutor will be there to assist you. Your form tutor will go through our school rules and timetables. Your first day will finish at 10.00am.
The following week you will return to school with the rest of the student body for your first full day of school. Please use this first experience of secondary school to ask as many questions as possible and if you forget a question please ask your parent/guardian to ring Mr Flynn on 086 369 2572.
You are expected to be in school before 8.30 a.m. every morning.
Classes start at 8.40am and last for 40 minutes each.
Morning: 3 classes from 8.40 a.m. – 10.40 a.m.
Break: 10.40am – 10.50am
Middle: 3 classes from 10.50 a.m. – 12.50 p.m.
Lunch: 12.50pm – 1.40pm
Afternoon: 3 classes from 1.40 p.m. – 3.40 p.m.
(9 classes in total Monday – Thursday)
NOTE: Friday break is from 10.40 a.m. -10.55 a.m. and we finish school at 12.55 p.m. (6 classes on Friday)
Students can bring in a healthy snack for break and we provide free hot school meals for all our students at lunchtime.
In primary school you might have one teacher for the full day. In secondary school, you will have different teachers throughout the day. You will be asked to follow a timetable and make your way to different classes throughout the day. Please don’t be afraid to ask a teacher on the corridor or show another student your timetable if you need assistance. We are all here to help you. Here is a sample of what a class on the timetable looks like. The time of classes will also be on the timetable.
 |
 |
| Spa – Subject (Spanish) | Eng – Subject (English) |
| 1Spa – Code for 1st year Spanish | 1Eng – Code for 1st year English |
| R13 – Room number | R2 – Room number |
| RMcG – Teachers name | MC – Teachers name |
Principal – Mr.O’Brien
Deputy Principal – Ms.O’Reilly
Year Head – they look after all the 1st year attendance and student wellbeing. They will keep in touch with all your teachers and chart your progress. If you are absent from school, you must bring a note from home explaining your absence.
Form Tutor – Each 1st year class has their own form tutor. Your form tutor is your special teacher who will keep an eye on how you are settling in and getting on in all your subjects and school life. They will meet with you for your wellbeing class each week. They will help you with any difficulties or questions you may have.
Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) – Mr. Flynn will keep in touch with home and discuss how you are finding school and settling in. He will get to know all the parents/guardians and visit as many homes as possible. Parents and Guardians should also feel free to come to school to see Mr. Flynn or ring his number 086 369 2572.
Subject Teacher – they will help you with any difficulties you may have in your subjects. If you do not understand something, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The teacher is there to help you achieve your very best.
School Counsellor – they will be available to discuss and help you deal with any problems you may be experiencing. We offer a number of supports and guidance for our students throughout their time in Stanhope Secondary School.
Locker – Student lockers are optional. Should students opt for a locker they will be provided with their own lock and locker. You will be given a code so no need for keys (as they tend to get lost). We always have the locker code in the event you ever forget it. In the locker, you can store your books, copies, and equipment. You will get to the locker in the morning before 8.30 a.m., break time, lunch time and at the end of the school day. Get your books/equipment required for your next 3 classes at each stage of the day instead of carrying all 9 classes of books. Keep a timetable in your locker to check your classes.
School Journal – we will provide all students with a school journal which will help the students keep track of their homework, notes, general school info. When the teacher gives you homework write it into your journal before you finish the class. Bring the school journal to every class. There is a section where teachers can show student progression and display positive notes for parents to keep track of.
School Lunches/Breakfast Club – students get provided with a free hot lunch every day. We cater for all dietary requirements including vegan and Halal. Please feel free to bring your own lunch also if needed. If there are any lunches left over at the end of the day, please don’t hesitate to bring them home to your families.
Every morning we also provide our students with a free breakfast in our breakfast club, which runs from 7.45 a.m. – 8.30 a.m. Monday – Friday. Here the students can have cereal, toast, and a juice. It is a fantastic social setting and a great place to meet up with your friends and have a nutritious breakfast before you start your day. We would encourage all new students to avail of this service.
Extra-Curricular Activities – we provide a range of sports/activities in our school. Basketball, dance, choir, badminton, spike ball, volleyball, GAA, soccer, drama, cricket are just some of the activities amongst others available to students. We encourage all our students to avail of as many opportunities that they can.
