Welcome to Loreto
Induction Booklet
2015 – 2016
Information for Year 8
Parents and Students
Important Contact Numbers and Personnel
If you have any queries please contact Loreto Grammar School
Loreto Grammar School
James Street,
Omagh
BT78 1DL
Tel: 028 82 243633
Principal:
Mrs GT O’Hanlon
Head of Pastoral Care / SENCO:
Mrs C McHugh
Head of Year 8:
Ms R Shields
A New Beginning – ‘Transition into Position’
This little booklet has been designed for parents and students of Year 8 Class of 2015/2016.
The Principal, staff and pupils of Loreto Grammar School would like to welcome you.
Principal
Mrs G.T. O’Hanlon
Vice Principal
Vice Principal
Mr G Bradley
Mrs C Turbitt
Senior Teacher
Senior Teacher
Mrs C McHugh
Mrs S Cullinan
[Head of Pastoral Care / SENCO]
[Head of Post 16]
Year Head
Ms R Shields
8a1
8a2
8a3
8a4
8a5
Form Teacher
Form Teacher
Form Teacher
Form Teacher
Form Teacher
Year 8 Senior Prefect
Judith Campbell
Pastoral Monitor
Pastoral Monitor
Pastoral Monitor
Pastoral Monitor
Pastoral Monitor
Aimee Coyle
Shóna Gavin
Katie Kennedy
Eleanor McCrystal
Orlagh McNamee
Naomi Donnelly
Anna Harper
Ciara McCallion
Emma McNamee
Emir McSorley
Pastoral Monitors – Two Year 14 students are assigned to support the Year 8 Form Class for the year.
Year 12 Friend – Each Year 8 student will be paired with a Year 12 student to help her settle in for the
first 6 weeks.
Uniform Requirements
School Uniform is an important visible statement of each student’s allegiance to Loreto
Grammar School. Full school uniform must therefore be worn at all times. The regulations
relating to the school uniform are detailed below. We ask for your full cooperation in ensuring
that your daughter adheres to the uniform regulations. We expect students to wear their
uniform with pride and to be neat and tidy in appearance at all times. Extremes of hair
fashion are not permitted (including any rainbow hair colours). Jewellery should be kept to a
minimum – a small pair of stud earrings and one ring.
•
Blazer (Compulsory)
•
School Raincoat for cold or inclement weather (Optional). Students may also wear a
brown coat during cold spells.
•
Jumper
•
Blouse
•
Clip on tie (Year 8)
•
Brown Skirt
•
Cream Socks (Knee Length) or Dark Brown Tights
•
Dark Brown Shoes
Available in
Watersons and
Russells in High
Street, Omagh
(Knee Length)
(No Trainers)
All items of uniform should be clearly labelled with the student’s name.
PE Uniform
All students must participate in PE unless a medical certificate is presented.
COMPULSORY
*All available in school in
•
Navy PE T-Shirt*
£22
•
Navy shorts*
£13
•
Proper trainers for health and safety – No canvas shoes, Vans or Converse
OPTIONAL
•
Track bottoms*
£18
•
Hoodie*
£25
•
Half Zip Squad Top*
£30
September from O’Neill’s
Stationery Requirements
The school will provide the following stationery items for your daughter.
•
1 Student Planner
•
15 Exercise Books
•
1 Ring Binder / 1 File Block
Exercise books
40p
•
1 A4 Art Sketch Pad and Art materials
File block
60p
•
1 USB
•
Calculator
ICT Printing Credits [Additional printing
will cost £1 = 50 credits (pages)]
The following items may be purchased at
the school office during the school term
You will need to purchase the following essential items for the beginning of the school year.
General Pencil Case Items
Subject Specific Requirements
Art
A4 Plastic document wallet with pop fastener
(to hold A4 Sketch Pad which will be provided by school)
French
An exercise book and a hardback A4 size notebook (no
spiral binding)
Biros – Black, blue, red and green
Pencil
Sharpener
Rubber
30cm long ruler
Colouring pencils – ideally
(at least 10 colours)
Tube of Pritt Stick (will need a few)
Three highlighters of different
colours
2B Shading Pencil
Suggested extra items:
Paper for backing exercise books
Technology
A4 Plastic document wallet with pop fastener
Clear fronted document folder
English
Students should have access to a dictionary and, if possible, a
thesaurus at home
Music
A4 Snowpake Plastic Ring Binder
Descant Recorder (Available from Reynolds Music Shop, Castle
Street)
Home Economics
One Large plastic lunchbox with pupils name and class clearly
marked on the box.
Maths
Protractor / Compass
The Maths Department operate a ‘common calculator’ within
the school. The school will provide each student with a
calculator in September. It is advisable not to purchase a
calculator beforehand. A replacement calculator will cost £7.
First Day in Loreto
Information for Students

Year 12 Bus Monitors will be on duty at the bus depot in Omagh to meet Year 8 students as they
arrive and accompany them to school.

When students arrive on the first day they will be met at the front doors of the school by a
teacher or senior student who will accompany them to the assembly hall.

The Principal, Mrs O’Hanlon and the Head of Year 8, Mrs Shields, will welcome all Year 8
students. Then students will be divided into Form Classes and will leave the hall with their Form
Teacher and Form Class.

Students will spend most of the first day with their Form Teacher. They will receive their school
timetable and Student Planner. This is the homework diary and contains important information about
their new school. The Form Teacher will help students to get to know their new classmates.

At break-time Year 8 students will meet their Year 12 Friend. She is a senior student who is in
th
her 5 year at Loreto and is studying for her GCSE’s. She will show Year 8 students how to use the
canteen and the location of the toilets.

Between break and dinner, Year 8 students will stay in the canteen with their Year 12 Friend for
a special workshop.

At lunchtime students can go to the Canteen or eat lunch in their Form Room. On the first day
the Year 12 Friend will spend lunchtime with each Year 8 student.

After lunch students will return to their Form Room and the Form Teacher will give a guided
tour of the school.

At 2.15 all Year 8 students will be taken to the Assembly Hall for icebreaker games and fun!

At 3.15 Year 12 students will meet their Year 8 friend in the Assembly Hall and will walk them to
the bus depot (if they take a bus home) and make sure they take the right bus home.
Moving Up
http://www.booklink.ie
From Primary to Secondary School
John Stevenson, a former school principal, draws on his considerable experience to give
parents the much needed information and guidance required to assist their children
through the first few years of secondary education.
Subject Areas
Arts
Art and Design, Drama, Music
Modern Languages
French, Irish
Environment and Society
History, Geography
Mathematics
Mathematics including Financial Capability
Physical Education
P.E
Science and Technology
Science, Technology
Religious Education
Religion
English
English with Media Education
IT
Information Technology
Learning for Life and Work
Home Economics, Citizenship/Employability, Personal Development
The School Day
The Student Planner
The Student Planner is a very important item because…..
1. It helps students PLAN their work, MANAGE their time and KEEP A RECORD of all their
ACHIEVEMENTS during the school year.
2. It contains important information about the new school
3. It allows school/teachers to communicate with parents/guardians
Students must…

Bring it to school every day

Keep it tidy, do not deface it with graffiti

Keep it up to date – carefully record all homework

Have it signed each week by a parent/guardian
Remember…
Student Planners will be checked regularly by the Form Teacher and Year Head.
Under the Code of Conduct it is essential that the Student Planner is taken to every class. Failure to do
so will result in the use of the Referral procedures and sanctions.
Finally….Students must check their Student Planner every night and be prepared for school the next
day!
Homework
The aims of Loreto state our desire to help each student achieve her full potential in every aspect of life.
We believe that homework has an important role to play in this process. It will contribute to the
development of personal qualities such as self discipline, self motivation and perseverance. Homework
reinforces work covered in class and teachers, parents/guardians and students need to work together to
ensure that homework is a meaningful extension of schoolwork.
Homework can take many different forms; Learning, written work, reading , creative work, researching,
revision, exam practice questions, project work and other forms of homework relevant to the
curriculum.
All students are expected to do homework every school night, using the Student Planner to record
accurately what the homework assignment is and when it is due to be handed in. Students are expected
to read around their subjects and revise regularly.
As a general guide, the school recommends the following:
Key Stage 3 (Year 8,9,10)
1½ - 2 hours per evening
Attendance
Attendance at school is vital to assist in the teaching and learning process and to maximise success in all
facets of school life. The school has an attendance target of 97%. Parents and guardians have a legal
responsibility to ensure that their daughters are present at school for 190 days during the academic
year. A student should only be absent for an unavoidable reason and permission to leave school during
the day should only be sought in exceptional circumstances.
If a student is off school:

A written explanation from parents/guardians is required for any absence, which must be
presented to her Form Teacher during Registration on her return to school.

She must show this note to relevant subject teachers and catch up on all work missed.
Where there is a pattern of unexplained, erratic absence, the Form Teacher will refer the student to
the Head of Year.
If your daughter’s attendance is giving cause for concern the school will contact you to help resolve
this.
If your daughter’s attendance falls to 85% for reasons other than a single long term sickness, then
the school is obliged to refer the situation to the WELB Education Welfare Officer.
Appointments during school
Appointments during the school day must be kept to a minimum and only in exceptional cases should
permission be sought to leave school.
If a student needs to leave school (e.g. for a medical or dental appointment) she must have a signed
note from parents/guardians recorded in the APPOINTMENTS SECTION of the Student Planner, giving
the reason for absence, verification of the appointment and expected duration of the absence.
This must be presented to a member of SMT on duty at 8.55 am on the day of the request to leave. The
details of the request will be recorded in the appointments book, the verification checked and
permission given where appropriate.
If the student intends to leave during a lesson, she must show this information to the teacher before the
lesson starts.
When leaving the school, the student must sign the appointment’s book at the office and record the
time of leaving. When returning to school she must sign the appointment’s book again and record the
time of return.
These procedures will be explained to the students in the first few weeks of Term 1 (September).
CANTEEN PRICE LIST GUIDE
These prices are guide only, based on food prices 2014/2015 and are subject to change
Main Course
Snacks
£1.80-£2.20
Daily Specials
£2.30-£2.55
Sandwiches
£2.20
Daily Vegetarian Specials
£1.80-£2.20
Sub. Rolls or Wraps
£2.00
Stuffed Chicken & Bacon
£2.20
Panini
£2.10
Chicken Curry & Rice
£2.20
Cheese & Tomato Baguette
£1.95
Chicken Tikka / Korma
£2.20
Tub of Fresh Fruit
£0.70
Chicken & Vegetable Bake
£1.80
Soup
Sweet & Sour Chicken
£2.20
Baked Potato with filling
£1.20
Spicy Beef
£1.90
Homemade Scones
£0.70
Irish Stew
£2.00
Homemade Pancake
£0.40
Peppered Steak & Chicken
£2.20
Chicken & Ham Salad
£2.00
Sweet Treats
Stuffed Sausage & Bacon
£1.10
Hot Fruit based Dessert &
Custard
£0.70
Roast Beef
£2.50
Ice Cream & Fresh Fruit
£0.60
Turkey & Ham
£2.50
Jelly
£0.50
Fish Smoked / Breaded / Battered
£1.90
Homemade Biscuits / Tray
Bakes
£0.70
Fish Cakes
£0.80
Fruit Muffins
£0.85
Spaghetti Bolognaise
£2.00
Lasagne
£2.00
Breakfast
Stir Fry / Noodles
£1.80
Toast (per slice)
£0.30
Portion of Beef
£1.90
Cereal with milk
£0.60
Portion of Turkey & Ham
£1.90
Yoghurt
£0.50
Tub of Grapes / Melon /
Pineapple
£0.70
Bread Roll
£0.65
When a side order is chosen with one of the above
options, e.g. garlic bread, chips, creamed potatoes,
salad. The meal will be charged at £2.30-£2.55
£0.70-£1.00
Side orders
Potatoes - Creamed or Baby Boiled
Beverages
60p
Tea
£0.50-£0.60
£0.60-£0.70
Potato Wedges
£1.70
Coffee
Chips
£1.70
Milk
Portion of Rice / Spaghetti
£0.75
Milk Shake
Portion of Vegetables
£0.40
Large Water
£1.10
Stuffing
£0.50
Flavoured Water
£1.10
Portion of Salad
£0.45
Medium Water
£0.90
Gravy
£0.25
Small Water
£0.80
Juice - Apple/Orange
£0.70
£0.50
£0.70-£0.95
(Beans/Peas/Sweetcorn)