Admissions

If you would like to register your child, please call Mrs. Melanie Lemona to make an appointment to view the school. To formally register your child a €40 non-refundable registration fee is required as well as a €200 deposit which is later deducted from the school fees. This fee is non-refundable. You will also need to present your child’s birth certificate and his/her vaccination record book.

Please note that we not only offer a September and January intake each year however if there is an availability a new child can join the school throughout the year.

There are many changes and emotions children may experience when beginning their school careers. Separating from parents, meeting new people and learning different routines are just a few of the adjustments that students have to make. These transitions can cause a child to feel various emotions and some children may feel excitement, while others will feel anxious. To make the start of a new school life a smooth transition for everyone, The Giving Tree has developed a settling in process for all the Nursery students.

We first invite you to the school for multiple visits before your child’s start date so they can associate the school as somewhere safe and fun. We provide you with a one-week settling in procedure that will take in to account your child’s needs and readiness. Following this initial process the following steps are taken to ensure a smooth transition;

• Step 1: Meet and Greet Day
  To ensure children enrolling at The Giving Tree after the start of the school year feel safe and comfortable, they are requested to come to school for at least one hour in order to meet their new teacher, peers and become acquainted with their new surroundings. The child’s parents should tell their child they will be in the office and wait outside. The hour can be extended to half a day if the child feels comfortable. This will help your child to settle in quicker and give him/her an opportunity to learn about the school environment.
• Step 2:  Half Day Student 07:30-14:00pm
  a. Attending school for the first time can be an exciting yet overwhelming and exhausting experience.  Therefore, children who go through the settling in process we highly recommend half days of school for up to 20 working days.  The number of half days will be determined by the team and the child’s parents/guardians. Towards the end of the ‘half day student’ period, the student’s parents and teacher will meet to discuss the child’s progress and developmental stages.  If the child needs more time to settle into school life, the student will follow step 2b.  If the child is ready for full days, the student will follow step 3.
  b. If a child appears to need more time to settle into school life, the child will continue to come to school for half days for two more weeks (10 working days). After this period, the parents and teacher will meet again to discuss if the child is ready to attend school full time. If it appears that a student is better suited for a different type of learning environment, the parents will be asked to enroll the child the following school year.
  
• Step 3:  Full Time Student 07:30-17:30pm
  After gradually settling into the new school environment and becoming familiar with the people in the community, your child should feel safe to start full days.  Speak with your child’s teacher and prepare your child for this exciting day!

The morning school is open from 07:30am to 14:00pm

The afternoon club runs from 14:00pm to 17:30pm

The school is open from the beginning of September to the end of June

Our Summer school program runs during the last week of June and all of July until the first week of August (Please note the August program will only run if there are a sufficient amount of students)

The school remains closed on National Holidays