Category: March reopening

Letter to Parents/Guardians of Middle and Senior Class Pupils

Letter for Mr. Courtney to Parents of the  Middle and Senior Classes

As we look forward to a full return to school on March 15th, I wish to thank you for the commitment and support you gave to on-line learning since Christmas. It has been a testing time for parents, teachers and pupils but from our vantage point, the engagement, the quality of work and the commitment to learning from home has been outstanding across all age groups. Pupils responded so positively and enthusiastically to all the assignments and clearly built on their learning. Their endeavour and learning is a true testament to their resilience and work ethic.

Our third, fourth, fifth and sixth class pupils return to school on Monday. This is welcome news for parents, school staff and especially for the children but we understand that for some of you, there may be concerns about the risks involved. Whilst no one can absolutely guarantee that a return to school is risk free, the public health advice now states that it is safe for children to return to school. To minimise any risk, we are asking our school community to work together by adhering to the current level 5 restrictions and to our school’s Reopening Plan.

Over the past few weeks, we have reviewed the Department of Education guidelines and our own procedures. Our school Reopening Plan served the pupils, parents and staff very well last term and does not require huge adjustments. Please read the updated edition and the Frequently Asked Questions on the school app. The routines and timetables for drop-off and collection will remain unchanged. Our risk mitigation measures have been reviewed and updated. However, in view of the virulent nature of the new Covid 19 variants, we ask everyone to be particularly vigilant and for your co-operation especially with the following

  • Parents should not send a child to school if she/he is a close contacts of a person with COVID 19, is awaiting a test or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or has travelled from another country in the previous 14 days.
  • Parents must complete a Return to School Parent Declaration Form on Aladdin from 3pm on  Sunday 14th March for children returning to school on March 15th  and thereafter after any absence from class
  •  All parents are required to wear a mask in the school grounds and in the vicinity of the school
  •  Pupils are asked to keep apart while waiting at the gates in the morning and go straight home after school.
  •  Parents are asked not to congregate at or near school and to keep at least 2m apart while waiting to drop-off or collect pupils.
  •  Children from first class up are asked to bring a wash-bag to school. Details are on the school app.
  •   All communication with the school must take place by phone, online or via the homework journal.
  • We ask all parents to check out our school app where you will find useful information and tips on our school reopening.

As with our younger pupils, your children will settle back to school surprisingly well and they will adjust to the school routines quickly. The children will enjoy meeting their classmates and teachers again and getting back to school work and learning. We wish everyone well for the full return to school and we look forward to working together in promoting safety and learning over the next few weeks.

 

TESS Return to School FAQsTusla – Child and Family Agency

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is now the dedicated State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children.
www.tusla.ie/tess/faqs/

Below are a series of frequently asked question which  Tusla have issued and may be of use to you. In the event of any further questions arise parents should contact their school in the first instance or their local TESS office.

In general, if a student is medically certified as being at Very High Risk then they are excused from attending school and where they are engaged in remote learning provided by the school, they shall be marked present in the roll book.

All other categories of non-attendance at school will be marked absent on the roll book as per usual, without exception. This includes students who are NOT deemed to be in the Very High Risk category and may be engaging in remote learning.

Please get in touch with info@saintbrigids.ie.ie or with your child’s teacher if you are worried about the return to school.  Continue reading “TESS Return to School FAQsTusla – Child and Family Agency”

Return to School for Juniors – 2nd

Mr. Courtney has sent an email to parents today. Here are some points from the email.

All children in Junior Infants, Senior Infants, First and second classes will return to school on March 1st.   This is fantastic news for us and we are looking forward to welcoming them back. We are currently analysing the Department of Education guidelines and our own procedures as we prepare for their return. Our  Reopening Plan served the pupils, parents and staff very well last term and does not require huge adjustments.

Please read the updated edition and the Frequently Asked Questions on the school app. The routines and timetables for drop-off and collection will remain unchanged.

Our risk mitigation measures have been reviewed and updated. However, in view of the virulent nature of the new Covid 19 variants, we ask everyone to be particularly vigilant and for your co-operation especially with the following:

  • Parents should not send children to school if they are close contacts of a person with COVID 19, are awaiting a test or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have travelled from another country in the previous 14 days.
  • Parents must complete a Return to School Parent Declaration Form on line  AFTER  3PM on  Sunday 28th February for children returning to school on March 1st and thereafter after any absence from class
  • All parents are required to wear a mask  both inside the school grounds and in the school vicinity  due to the large volume of adults dropping and collecting children.
  • Parents are asked not to congregate at or near school and to keep at least 2 m apart while waiting to drop-off or collect  pupils
  • Children from first class up are asked to bring a wash-bag to school. Details are on the school app.
  • All communication with the school must take place by phone, online or via the homework journal.

We ask all parents to check out our school app where you will find useful information and tips on our school reopening.

We hope our pupils in classes from third to sixth continue with the fantastic work online. Mr. Courtney would like to thank all parents and guardians  for their support of online learning over the past two months. We are eager to have all our pupils back in the classrooms as soon as possible. We can all support this goal and each other by observing the guidelines.

Remote teaching will end for all pupils from Junior Infants to 2nd class on Friday 26th of February .

If for any reason, you have any concerns about your child’s return to school please contact Mr. Courtney or  your child’s teacher through the school office.