20th August 2020
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Re-opening of Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh
The Board of Management continue to work collaboratively with the Staff and COVID-19 Committee to ensure the safe re-opening of the school.
We are looking forward to welcoming all our Pupils, Parents/Guardians back to school for the school academic year 2020/2021.The process of reopening the school is well underway. Naturally, in the circumstances, school will be quite a different experience for Pupils, Staff and Parents. However we will endeavour to provide a positive and nurturing environment for the school community as the doors of the school open with new protocols, new procedures, and staggered arrivals & dismissals.
These are incredibly challenging times for the safe re-opening of schools. All our decision making is informed by the Department Roadmap and full compliance with the HSE guidelines. As late as today NPHET are calling for a return to a full lockdown as public health experts warn us of the need for further restrictions.
As a school community we have to take responsibility for ourselves and our families. The Board are operating of the premise that the Welfare along with the Health & Safety of our Pupils and Staff is paramount.
We are working tirelessly to have controlled measures in place to ensure that this will be a safe re-opening. The Well- being of the Pupils and Staff supersedes everything else.
There are a number of works ongoing on site in relation to COVID-19 preparations, our Staff and Parents Association are doing extraordinary work over the last number of weeks.
- The installation of warm water is in process for all Pupil and Staff welfare rooms, the Staffroom and Kitchen
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Upgrading of all the toilets
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Classrooms clear out
In order to be in full compliance with the Social Distancing guidelines, and factoring in the large class size of 29 Pupils in a lot of our rooms, it necessitates a complete clear out of all furniture, resources and equipment. The Board will hire a company who will provide storage for Staff resources, furniture and other. We have secured storage locally if
necessary also. As you can imagine this is a huge operation and will take a number of days to complete. The school consultant will oversee the logistics plan to ensure health & safety in the school is prioritised.
- A lean two structure for the courtyard to provide optimal outdoor facilities for the pupils in the ASD classes.
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Yard markings to facilitate the social distancing, staggered breaks and designated safe Bubbles for all classes.
You will be familiar with the various Department documents released over the last number of weeks in relation to re-opening the school. Our Staff have been working extremely hard preparing for the transition to a new classroom environment with an emphasis on SPHE, Well-being, Literacy, Numeracy and Physical Education that the present public health emergency dictates.
With this in mind, a number of important things must be borne in mind:
· Pupils and Staff must be physically distant at all times
· Pupils, in general will be moving around as little as possible
· Standards of cleanliness and hygiene must be high and strictly adhered to at all times.
The Staff are preparing a return to school presentation which you will have an opportunity to view and discuss at the Zoom Parent meetings Thursday the 27th August at 7pm.
The Staff will host a zoom meeting with the classes on Friday the 28th August. Each Teacher will communicate with their group of Parents regarding a suitable time. This will be an opportunity for the Teacher to meet with the class and to discuss the transition to a new daily plan.
It will take some time for all of us to get used to the “new circumstances” as we become familiar with the new routines and procedures designed to keep everyone safe and to prevent the spread of the virus. There will, undoubtedly, be some unforeseen challenges and we will deal with these as they arise.
We would like to thank you for your co-operation in making preparations to date and look forward to working with you as we assist the children adapt to the necessary changes. We are also conscious of the fact that our Pupils have not been in school since March and that they are looking forward to coming back to school to meet their friends again.
We know and understand that you will have many questions and concerns about the return to school. We will continue to engage with the school community and issue further guidelines as we progress the works in the school.
Meantime keep safe, keep well.
In appreciation of your ongoing support.
I am blown away by the generosity of spirit and offers of support and assistance.
Thank you kindly
Bláithín Maguire Principal
Bláithín Maguire
Principal
Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh
Roll Number: 20017F
041 – 9828091
