Newsletter
5th October 2020
Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,
Return to School
Thank you to every single one of you for supporting our procedures for the reopening of the school. The children have been brilliant – adapting to our new procedures with ease and it is great to see them so happy being back at school. Our regular hand-washing and sanitising and keeping our distance continues every day and is starting to feel very ‘normal’ now. But I want to reassure you that we are doing lots more too! There is fabulous learning taking place in every room – the school is a hive of activity each and every day!
We are so grateful for all of the support parents/carers have given us. It has been an anxious and worrying time, and we take very seriously the trust you place in us to keep the children safe when they are with us. Thank you for helping us with our new practices, especially at dropping off and collecting times.
A special welcome to the children and families who are new to our school this year, especially our new Junior Infant children who are settling in so well with Ms Carrick and Ms Conlon. Welcome also to Ms Magner, Ms Kane, Ms Bonner, Leah, Bianca and Devin who have joined our staff team.
I want to thank our staff who have worked so hard to prepare a safe and welcoming environment, have been so creative in their planning to ensure the children’s learning continues to be exciting and engaging (while safe), and have come back to school with smiles, energy and enthusiasm.
Covid-19 Update
Please read this information carefully.
These are the main coronavirus symptoms:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- shortness of breath
- the loss or change of their sense of taste or smell
If a parent/carer or child develops one or more of the main coronavirus symptoms described above, you should contact your GP.
If you are sent for testing, all members of your household must stay at home until your test result has come back. Siblings will not be allowed into school IF any member of the household is showing COVID-19 symptoms and awaiting results of a test.
Children may feel unwell, for example with a sore throat, stomach upset or a headache. There may not be a need for testing in these cases, but children may need to stay off and we advise you to seek medical advice through your GP or pharmacist as usual.
Please ensure you notify the school if your child will be absent in the usual ways.
Meet the Teacher
We know it has been particularly hard not having as much contact with your child’s class teacher as usual. At this time of year, we usually invite parents/carers to come into the classroom and have a meeting with your child’s teacher and find out more about their learning. This year, our class teachers are putting together a special online presentation for you. We will post this to the Seesaw Family app for you to view. You can then contact the teacher directly via the app if you have any questions.
At any time, if you have concerns or questions, you can speak to Ms Kelly, Ms Brophy or Sile outside in the morning or afternoon – we are happy to pass on messages to class teachers or answer your questions. You can send messages to teachers directly on Seesaw. Teachers are happy to speak to you on the phone and if necessary, we can arrange online or face-to-face meetings between class teachers and parents.
‘Here We Are’ learning
During September, all the classes read the book ‘Here We Are’ by Oliver Jeffers and completed some beautiful learning to help us come back together and establish our sense of community again. We are looking forward to sharing this learning with you on the website and Seesaw.
‘Books Make Things Better’ launch
Congratulations to the children in 2nd Class who appeared on RTE’s ‘News2Day’ programme to launch Children’s Books Ireland and Arts Council ‘Books Make Things Better’ campaign. The children shared all the reasons they love to read and we were delighted to receive a special box of books for our school as part of the campaign.
Communion and Confirmation Celebrations
Well done to the children who celebrated their First Holy Communion and Confirmation ceremonies in September. The children waited patiently for their special day! They looked beautiful and the ceremonies went really well. Thank you to the parents/carers who were again, so patient and understanding. Thank you to Ms Yeates, Ms McBride, Ms Staunton and Mr McGuire for supporting the children’s preparation and to Ms Brophy, Fr Pat and Fr Martin for their support on the day.
NEW Special ASD Class
We have opened a new special class for children with autism this year. Ms O’Hare is the teacher of this class, along with two of our Special Needs Assistants, Audrey and Cliodhna. There are six children in the class and they have settled in really well.
We have been lucky to be granted special funding to install a multi-sensory room as part of the new class setup. This is a beautiful new space for children, in any class, who may need some quiet and calm time during the day.
Dropping Off and Collection Times
A special word of thanks to the parents/carers who have to wait patiently for a number of chidren to enter/exit the building each day. We appreciate your patience and goodwill in helping to keep everyone safe.
A reminder to all parents/carers to keep your distance from one another and to wear a face covering, if appropriate, when dropping off or collecting children. There should be 2m distance between all adults.
Keeping up-to-date
Over the coming months, we will all be listening carefully to the advice from the Public Health teams and the Government. This may mean us getting in touch with you at short notice. It is important that we have up to date contact information and that all parents/carers have access to the Aladdin Connect app, the school website and the Seesaw apps – we will communicate all our important messages to you in this way.
School Books and Tracksuits
Thank you to all families who have already paid the €60 for books, copies and school resources. If you have not made this payment, please call into the school office or pay online. We are happy to take money in instalments if this is easier for you.
Tracksuits can be ordered in the office and cost €22 each, or €24 for larger sizes.
Having spent so much money on new uniforms, coats and tracksuits – please make sure your child’s name is clearly marked. Every day we find jumpers with no names and it is a challenge to return it!
Parking and Traffic
The small streets outside the school are very busy before and after school. With lots of very small children, buggies and families coming in and out, I would like to remind all parents/carers to drive slowly and carefully around the school to ensure we keep our children safe.
Where you can – please walk, scoot or cycle to school. If you have to drive, where possible, please park a short distance from the school and walk the rest of the way, rather than pulling up very close to the school entrance.
Secondary School Transfer
Our local secondary schools are reaching out virtually to parents/carers in 5th and 6th Class about the choices available for children’s secondary school places. Virtual open days are taking place in secondary schools this month. We encourage you to visit school websites to find out more information. We will send on any information we have too. Please call Sile for a chat about the options available to your child, if you need to.
Home Learning
We will be setting homework for children on the Seesaw app this year. In some classes, the children will keep their workbooks at home and upload their learning to Seesaw. We want to avoid bringing books in and out of school, so we hope this will work well for everyone. Teachers will also add learning activities to Seesaw for the children to complete.
Attendance and punctuality
This year our top priority is everyone’s health. We thank you all for erring on the side of caution – keeping children home who are unwell, getting GP advice when the symptoms are on the Covid 19 list and observing all the guidelines around isolation etc.
This will mean attendance figures are lower than usual. However if we manage to keep the school open and keep each other well we are doing the right thing.
Please do keep up punctuality and arrive to school on time. Please let us know if your child will not be in school by calling the school office on (01) 8300841, emailing office@stmarysprimaryschool.ie or filling out the absence form on our website.
Dates for your diary
23rd October – School closes for Mid-Term Holiday
2nd November – School re-opens at 8.50 a.m.
…and finally…
Updating Information
If your contact information has changed over the summer, please ensure we have your new address, telephone number or other details. This is particularly important if we need to contact you in case of emergency. You can update this information on the Aladdin app yourself, or call the office.
Best wishes,
Éadaoin Kelly
Principal