Language Immersion Stay at Rosemarie's

ABOUT US:
Rosemarie – the mother.
I worked for the local newspaper until my children were born. Now I am lucky enough to work part time from home (10-15 hours per week) providing Marketing and Public Relations functions for a local Stud Farm. I love animals, especially horses.
Edward – father.
Eddie works full time for the Irish Rail service; he is an electrician. He is a great father and likes to cook and organize day trips for his work holidays.
Emily – our daughter.
Emily is an excellent student and loves to take care of our animals. She enjoys hockey, reading, horse riding, and tennis. She is very witty and smart.
Marcella – our daughter.
Marci is also a great student. She is always laughing and smiling and is great fun. She is sensitive to people's feelings and is a kind girl. She also loves hockey and horse riding.
Edward Jr – our son.
Eddie is the youngest, and he is a real prankster. He is a very chilled-out boy and enjoys relaxing. He plays football and also does horse riding. He is a kind boy.

SAFETY:
We understand that as your child travels to a foreign country for any period of time, there are many emotions. Excitement for the fun and learning experience, pride that your child has reached an age where they are going to be independent, and of course, as a parent, you may feel nervous that your child will be safe and in a loving and caring home.
We have hosted high-profile students before and we are happy to liaise with security and the local embassy in relation to security issues if needs be.
We have hosted many students over the past 10 years, privately and through agencies. We are happy to offer you the contact details of former student families who have kindly agreed to act as a reference for us. Please let me know in which language you would like to contact them. We also have up-to-date Police vetting. We live in a very safe area with a beautiful network of neighbors and friends. You can rest assured that your son or daughter will be cared for with the same level of care we treat our own children. Your child will be dropped off and collected each day from school.

THE BEDROOM:
We live on a small farm 3km from the town, Athy. Our home has 3 levels, and we have 2 very large luxury rooms where our students stay. There is a super king bed - 2m, TV, desk, armchair, and Chromecast in each room, and each room has super quality broadband to help with studies and contacting family and friends. The rooms are very warm and comfortable, and there is a bathroom with a power shower on this level also.

HOUSE RULES:
• We encourage students to make the most of their time and practice their English language skills. As a family, we will always point out grammar etc., to help with this.
• There is a strict English-only policy in our home. Students are welcome to make calls to family and friends in their native language, but not in the living areas of our home.
• Students are welcome to have friends over to our home. However, unless arranged with the student’s parents, we do not allow students to stay with other families.
• Any trips to Dublin, shopping trips, etc., must be approved by parents via WhatsApp or email.
• Airport drop-off/collection must be between 8 am and 10 pm.
• Strictly no mobile phone use at the kitchen table during meal times.

THE AREA:
• We live in a very picturesque and safe area.
• 45 minutes by train to Dublin.

There are a number of local attractions including:
• Kilkea Castle
• The Blue Way cycling
• The Barrow Trail
• Bernard Shaw art gallery and theatre
• Ducketts Grove
• Newbridge Silverware and fashion museum
• Rock of Dunamase
• Kildare Village
• The Irish National Stud and gardens
• Glendalough
• Castlecomer Discovery Park
• Dublin City
• Kilkenny City

ACTIVITIES:
We are members of the Tennis Club and Golf Club, and we visit these regularly. We are also members of the National Stud and the Japanese Gardens.
Eddie plays football locally and can organize membership with local clubs.
I am interested in horses, and we have horses and ponies here at home, and the children also take lessons weekly at the local riding school.
Please let me know what activities interest you and we will make sure to organize them for you. We feel that activities are very important for students to integrate and make friends.

ACADEMIC PACKAGE:
Full year academic program
This includes:
• Uniform
• Books
• School transport – dropped off and collected each day by car.
• School Fees
• Lunch

FOOD:
All food is freshly prepared. I make fresh bread each day; a lot of students will ask to learn how to make the bread, it is quite popular. The food is healthy, organic where possible. We have a small vegetable patch and free-range hens. Of course, a Friday pizza and Häagen-Dazs while watching a movie is also an option!

FAMILY HOLIDAY OPTION:
Adjacent to our home, we have a fully furnished Airbnb 2-bedroom apartment. If the parents and siblings wish to visit the student throughout the year for a few days/weeks, we can organize this on a self-catering or fully catered basis. However, booking well in advance is advised. It is offered at a discounted rate for full academic year students.
This apartment is also suitable for families with young children who wish for them to be immersed with an Irish family during the day while the parents do day trips/golf/tennis, etc. Young children will have the security of their parents at night.

ANIMALS:
While we have a lot of animals, students who do not like animals do not need to be close to them or interact with them. Some students like to take part in the care of animals, picking eggs, feeding the horses, etc.
We have a flock of chickens that lay eggs and we breed from them; there is a great variety of colors and breeds.
We have a pet sheep called Cisco whom we reared as an orphan lamb – she is a super footballer, and I have a great video of her playing football that is worth seeing!!
Horses and ponies:
We have lots of horses and ponies. My husband has racehorses; we might visit the racetrack if one of them is racing. During the summer, we regularly attend county shows. Each week, the children go horse riding.
Dogs:
We have a dog, Sparkey, who is a little short-haired terrier and lives mostly outdoors.