Free Hot Food Scheme

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are very excited to announce that we have been chosen to supply your child’s fully funded hot school meal programme. Here are all the details that you need to know!
 

When does this start?
As the Government has announced that over 900 new schools will be starting the scheme from Easter on, schools will begin on a phased basis. There are a number of elements to the scheme, with organising ovens, Garda Vetting, and rearranging our fleet to name a few. As such we cannot give you a definite date, but we will be announcing this with your school shortly.

What does this mean for your school?
All students in your school will receive a hot meal for free every school day.

How do I get my free meal?
On our soon to be announced ‘Launch day’, students will be given a letter with a unique activation code on it. With this code, you can download ‘The Lunch Bag’ app and use these details to register your child/children. Only one app is required for each family, with each child’s details automatically attached to the parent account once the correct password is used. If you have any queries regarding this, please contact our customer service team on info@thelunchbag.ie and they will be happy to help.
If you are already a Lunch Bag user, you can use your old Lunch Bag log in, however, your child’s info will have to be re-added.

Ordering
The easy-to-use app will allow you to order from over 30 different hot meals each week. You can have a different meal every day of the week if you wish. Meals can be repeated every week or changed every day if you prefer.
You can change your order up to 36 hours before the day you want lunch.
e.g., if you want to change your order for Monday, please do so before midnight Saturday.
If you want to change lunch for Tuesday, please do so before midnight Sunday.
Meals can be changed as often or as little as you please, whenever you want.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHANGE YOUR CHILD’s ORDER REGULARLY TO KEEP THEM ENGAGED.
 

How does food arrive?
Each student will be given a compostable box with their name, class and order on it. These individual boxes will be delivered directly to their classroom at lunch time.
Each child will be given a compostable fork and napkin to help them eat.
Once they have finished their meal, the empty containers will be sent home in a free BPA container for you to review and adjust their evening meal needs accordingly. These meals are not to be reheated! The meals are sent home for you to monitor your child’s eating habits, adjust their ordering and compost the left overs.
Please ensure you send this waste box into school each day.

What do I need to send to school for my child to eat/drink?
Children will be given a free hot meal for their ‘big lunch’.
We advise that you keep their morning snack to a minimum to ensure they are hungry enough to now begin to eat a hot meal midday. Please ensure you also send a drink.

What if I forget to order?
A default order will be sent to all children for the first few days until families change their order as they so wish. If you forget to order, a selection of firm favourites will be on hand to ensure no child goes hungry.
However, we do encourage you to take a few moments each week to plan your child’s lunch with their input, as a hot meal during the day has been proven to increase mood, attention, and digestion – but we really want parent and child approval too!
 

What if my child does not like the food?
As a school meal specialist for the past 5 years, The Lunch Bag has encountered every taste bud imaginable! We firmly believe there is a meal to suit every child – from plain eaters to adventurous palates – and we offer all.
Furthermore, we receive great feedback from families stating their kids are now tasting lots of new meals as they are experiencing them in a positive peer environment and at a point in the day when their hunger is peak – so do consider trialling new meals they haven’t tried before.

What if my child has an allergen?
When you register your child on the app, you will be asked to add any allergen they may have. Once completed, any meal containing that allergen will be removed from your menu. Meals containing allergens are prepared in an allergen specific area.
The Lunch Bag is a 100% nut free facility.
Dietary/cultural requirements
If you require detailed dietary information due to health grounds, you can email info@thelunchbag.ie to receive these. These will also be available to view on our website.
All meals will have an option for halal meat.
 

How do I know the food is high quality?
The Lunch Bag has a reputation for outstanding food quality from over 600 schools and 100,000 children nationwide.
Our fresh food is sourced from the highest quality providers nationwide and is subject to frequent inspections from the Environmental Health Officers.
Our highest badge of honour however comes from the fact that our own children and staff eat this food daily – and love it!
All meals are made in line with Healthy Ireland Guidelines and portioned in line with same. If there is any aspect of the food you are unhappy with, a feedback section on the app will allow you to contact us directly.

Where is the food made?
All food is prepped in our state-of-the-art facility in Nenagh Co Tipperary by a team of highly trained staff. All are trained to HACCP level 3 at a minimum.
Website Info:
Visit the website here:
https://www.thelunchbag.ie/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE BOOK SCHEME

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

 In recognition of the cost of preparing children and young people for the return to primary school each September Minister for Education Norma Foley T.D. has announced funding to provide free schoolbooks, including workbooks and copybooks, from September 2023.This scheme will eliminate the cost to parents of providing these resources.

 

Funding is being provided directly to primary schools and special schools by the Department to implement the scheme and schools will now have responsibility for providing schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to all children and young people at the start of the school year.

 

All schoolbooks will remain the property of the school so that books can be reused in future years.

Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to children and young people for the duration of the 2023/24 school year and must be returned to school at the end of the school year.

 

Parents are requested to remind their children to take care of their books and keep them in good condition during the year. It is not permitted to write on textbooks. There may be some related classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme.

 

Additional details on what items parents will need to supply for the return to school in September 2023 will be communicated to parents by the school in due course.

 

 

Yours sincerely

Joe Leacy

Principal

 

 

SCHOOL ENROLMENT 2024/2025

Enrolment for next year is taking place from January 11th to February 1st. Enrolment forms are available

in the downloads section of this website or directly from the school.

 

 

 

 

10^th May 2022

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

From the start of June all communications from the school will be via the new “Eolas App”.

This product that has been developed to complement the existing Databiz NS Admin software.  

 

It allows parents of school children to …

• Receive notifications from the school.
• Update their own email addresses and mobile phone numbers.
• View attendance details and inform the school of reasons for absences.
• Make payments.
• Book parent-teacher meetings.
• View standardised test scores.
• View end-of-year reports.

 

We have added 2 pdf files to the newsletter section of the school website to help with the downloading and use of the app.

 

Please contact me if you have any problems in relation to this matter.

 

 

Regards,

Joe Leacy

 

 

 

 

All School Fees are now available for payment on Databiz.

 

 

Some Important Information regarding your childs return to school. 

 Download the Lunch Bag app onto your phone and register your child if they are new to the school. They can choose two healthy snacks from the menu each day.

 Please make sure if your child is already registered that they are in the right class on the app.

The same rules apply regarding Covid 19.  No gathering at school gates, wearing a mask and no entering the school premises without prior appointment. If your child has             symptoms please keep them at home.

 Any children presenting with symptoms in school should be collected from the Wanderley Wagon around the back of the new extension.