Holy Family N.S. Rathmore Co.Kerry P51 N290

 We are all really looking forward to welcoming you to Holy Family N.S on Monday. See you all bright and early. 

Drop off and Collection Routines

The Board of Management, the In-School Management Team and the staff have been working to ensure a safe return to school for all on the 31st August. Please note that we have made some changes to classroom arrangements.  In order to create adequate space for physical distancing we have decided to relocate sixth class to the G.P. Hall for the coming year and First Class will occupy this classroom.  This has allowed us to place the two Senior Infant classes in adjacent classrooms. Below are some of the guidelines relating to drop-off and collection. If would be helpful if you discussed these with your child prior to re-opening.

·       Children are to be dropped off in the set down area in the morning where staff will be available to direct them to the correct entrance.

·       We ask that children are dropped off between 8.55 a.m. and 9.10 a.m. Children should not be dropped to the school before these times.

·       Parents dropping off Junior Infants will receive a separate information note from Ms.O Connor. They will be assigned a time between 9.15 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. for the first morning.

·       The following are the entrance and exit doors for each class:

o   Junior Infants- Front Door

o   Senior Infants- Staff Door (On the left of the building near the staff car park)

o   First Class- Back Door (Follow the footpath beside the staff door to the rear entrance)

o   Second Class- Front Door

o   Third Class- Front Door

o   Fourth Class- Back Door

o   Fifth Class- Back Door

o   Sixth Class- Staff Door

·       Parents who wish to accompany infants to their assigned door should park in the lower car park.

·       Parents are to treat the roundabout as a drop off area only and should not obstruct traffic by leaving their vehicles.

·       Parents are asked to maintain a distance of 2m from other people at all times in the school grounds.

Home time collection:

·       Junior Infants will always be collected at the front door at 1.50 p.m. (Collection time for the first two weeks is 12 pm).

·       Senior Infants will go home at 1.50 pm as usual. Children will be brought to the staff entrance where their parents can collect them.

·       For Junior and Senior Infant collection time parents will be asked to form socially distanced queues using the queuing system provided.

·       First, fourth and fifth classes will exit via the rear entrance under the supervision of their teachers and proceed in their class bubble to their transport.

·       Second and third classes will exit via the front entrance under the supervision of their teachers and proceed in their class bubble to their transport.

·       Sixth class will exit via the staff entrance under the supervision of their teacher and proceed in their class bubble to their transport.

·       All lines will be supervised by staff until they reach the lower car park to maintain social distancing.

·       In the interest of health and safety children should not congregate in the car park.

28^th August, 2020

Dear Parent(s),

We are all set for welcoming the children back to school on Monday and really looking forward to seeing them. Please familiarise yourselves and the children with the different materials available on the school blog.  Our Covid 19 Response Plan for the Safe Reopening of Schools is also available on the blog. I would like to thank all staff, parents and members of the community who helped us prepare for this challenge. Our new additional play area is completed and provides much needed all year round space and the first phase of our roof works is expected to be completed by September 7^th.

In order to ensure that the school remains open in these difficult circumstances, it is imperative that parents do not send children to school if they are showing symptoms of any illness whatsoever. We have created an isolation room in the school that should only be used in the event of a pupil developing symptoms. Any child who is sick will have to be sent home immediately as outlined in Covid 19 Guidelines. In addition, children should also not attend school if they have been identified by the HSE as a contact for a person with COVID-19 and to follow the HSE advice on restriction of movement.  Restriction of movement also applies to children who have been out of the country.  They can return to school 14 days after they arrive in Ireland.

·       It is vital that parents/guardians are contactable at all times throughout the school day in case of children becoming ill. Please return the updated emergency contact list in full to your child’s class teacher on 31^st August.  This has been sent to you by post.

·       For payments of Book Rental for each child and Photocopying Arts/Crafts for each family we would appreciate it if you could use your debit/credit card for these payments.  Payment requests have already been sent to each family.  If you have to use cash for these payments, please put in an envelope and label it.

·       We would ask that children do not bring any additional equipment to school such as footballs, toys, hand sanitiser, etc.

·       All our procedures are under constant review so there may be updates or changes to any of the above and we would appreciate your patience as we navigate this process. We will text you to notify you of any updates which will be available on the school blog.

I would like to update you on a number of staffing arrangements for the coming year. Below is a list of the Mainstream Class Teachers.

·       Junior Infants – Ms Máiread O’Connor

·       Senior Infants – Ms Mary McMahon

·       Senior Infants – Mr John Moynihan

·       First Class – Ms Maura Kelly

·       Second Class – Ms Julie O’Mahony

·       Third Class – Mr Denis O’Sullivan

·       Fourth Class – Ms Sarah Riordan

·       Fifth Class – Mr Cormac McCarthy

·       Sixth Class – Mr Paudie Dineen

Thank you for your continued co-operation.

Paul Horan,

Principal.

                                                      27^th August, 2020

Dear Parent,

We are looking forward to welcoming the new Junior Infants on Monday 31^st of August. Each class will be a ‘bubble’. Contact between bubbles will be very limited. Classes will be divided into groups or ‘pods’. Children can line up in their pods for the first morning. These children will sit, work and play together in the classroom. They will stay in the same pod for a number of weeks. There will be four pods in Junior Infants. Children will play in their bubble at break times on the yard.

The First Day at School

As it is the Junior Infants first day of school we will start a little later than the other classes. Please see the following timetable.

There will be pod markings outside the main entrance door (near the office) for the Junior Infants. If you are in the red pod you can stand on a red dot. Unfortunately, parents will not be permitted to enter the school building with their child on the first day of school (or subsequent days). We ask that only one parent accompany each child to the main door to allow for social distancing. Mr. Horan will be there to meet you on your first day. I will collect each pod of students outside the main door and walk them to their classroom. They will place their school bag and lunchbox under their pod table and wash their hands. (Children can line up on their dots at the main entrance at 9:00am on subsequent days.)

What You Can Do to Prepare

Please practice washing hands properly, with soap, for 20 seconds. Make sure that your child also knows how to dry their hands thoroughly. Children could also practice how to use hand-sanitizer correctly and that it should not be ingested. Please remind your child of the correct sneeze etiquette – cough or sneeze into a tissue, or into your elbow if you do not have a tissue. Put the tissue in the bin and wash or sanitize your hands.  It would be a great help if your child can independently open and close their lunchbox and bottle, their coat and their shoes. Of course, staff will help where needed. Staff will try to maintain physical distance from children where possible and will wear face coverings and other PPE when needed.

Play

The number one priority of our first few weeks at school will be children’s well-being. Books, toys and resources will be cleaned regularly or quarantined for 72 hours before being reused.

Communication with Class Teacher

Parents will not be permitted to enter the school building. This does not mean that you will not be able to communicate with the class teacher. Appointments may be made through the school phone to visit the school for essential purposes. You can also request a return call or place a note in your child’s school bag.

Home Time

Junior Infants will go home at 12 noon for the first two weeks of school. Children will be collected at the main entrance door (near the office). There will be a queuing system in place to help with social distancing. The class teacher will call your child’s name and your child will walk out to meet you. Home time will be 1:50pm from Monday 14^th of September.

Looking forward to seeing you all and a fun filled school year.

Kind Regards,

Mairéad O’Connor

Junior Infant Substitute Teacher

Please Click On The Links Below for Advice & Guidance Prior To School Reopening In September

Returning To School 2020- What Parents Need To Know

If Your Child Has Symptoms

How To Clean Your Hands

Explaining Coronavirus To Your Child

Supporting Transitions to Primary School

Advice For Parents/Guardians (Eng)

Advice For Parents/Guardians (Gaeilge)

Dear Parents,

I hope you and your families are keeping well. We have been working on our plan for the safe reopening of the school for some weeks now and have been examining the DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools.

The Response Plan gives details of 

1.  Physical preparation, signage, hand sanitiser stations
2. Advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all school staff and pupils 
3. General and specific advice on how all pupils, staff, parents and visitors will prevent  the spread of the virus

Our Board of Management will keep you informed as to the progress of our re-opening plans and provide you with the information required to play your part in safely re-opening the school. It will be the responsibility of each and every one of us to keep Covid-19 out of our school.

At this stage I want to outline a few items relating to the reopening of Holy Family National School on Monday 31^st of August.

School will start at the normal time for all classes at 9.10am with doors opening at 9.00am. (For the first morning the new Junior Infants will be given a time to arrive at the front door with their parents. From there they will enter the building with a few friends.  For the first two weeks the Junior Infants will go home at 12pm.

Junior Infants, Second and Third Class will enter via the front door, Senior Infants and First via the staff door and Fourth, Fifth and Sixth via the rear door near the 6^th Class classroom. A brief period of supervision will be provided in the morning but children are not to be dropped off early as we cannot let them congregate at the doors as would have previously happened.  Children must socially distance and remain in their bubble (class grouping) on arrival. They will also exit via these doors. The teachers and SNAs will accompany them out in the evening to their usual collection points of the bus and car parking areas.

We will be finishing at the normal time of 1.50pm for Infants and 2.50pm for 1^st – 6^th class. We will not be having a staggered drop off or collection of pupils. Parents are asked to maintain social distancing outside the school. We would encourage those walking their child/children to the door, to utilise the lower car park to ensure the roundabout is free flowing for stop and drop.

 Parents must not enter the school in the morning with the children. If you need to communicate something to a teacher this can be done by ringing the school number and speaking to the secretary.  Contact can be arranged with a teacher/ the principal over the phone or by email and a socially distanced meeting can also be arranged with a teacher/ the principal if required.

In some classes the children will work in small groups (pods) while others will have their own desk space and observe the recommended 1 metre social distancing. We will be following templates from the Department on classroom layout to maximise space and ensure social distancing.

There will be an increased emphasis on hand-washing, safe sneeze and cough etiquette and social distancing as per Department of Education Guidelines.  Our classrooms and toilets have warm water in all sinks.  Children are not allowed to carry their own hand sanitiser as outlined by the Department of Education and Skills. Hand sanitisers will be available at all entry and exit points to our school building and in every classroom.

Our normal school crested uniform is still required. Some parents were concerned that uniforms and tracksuits might have to be washed every day but Department guidelines do not state this.  However, if you wish to wash uniforms more frequently than you would have done previously, the school tracksuit can be worn on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As our tracksuit legs are worn with our crested school jumpers, additional generic navy tops (unlabelled,roundneck sweatshirts - available from numerous outlets in the area) can be worn with the school crested tracksuit if you wish. Please see an example of these on the school blog. The school uniform should be worn to school only and taken off in the evening immediately after school. Lighter raincoat style jackets that can be stored in the pupil’s bags should be worn as cloakroom areas are normally very congested.

All school staff are due to complete Covid-19 Induction Training prior to returning on the 31st of August – we are awaiting further information on this.  The hand sanitiser we are using is an alcohol-based hand sanitiser and has at least 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient as recommended by the Department. 

Masks: Children will not be required to wear masks in school as they are not suitable for children under 13 years of age. School staff will have the option of wearing a variety of PPE. It is recommended that staff wear face coverings/ visors when a physical distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained.

 If a pupil is sick or displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 he/she must not attend school. The school will not be checking the temperature of children as they enter the school. This will need to be done at home. We will have an isolation area for children who become unwell at school.

The Department has said while the curriculum normally plays a central role in our schools, the main focus for school leaders, teachers and parents must be to gently reintroduce pupils to their friends and to many unfamiliar and new school routines. For a little while this must take precedence over some aspects of the curriculum. Subjects such as SPHE, Art, Music and Drama might be given more prominence than usual in the timetables for the first weeks back to school.

Schoolwork and Homework may be different from the norm as we adjust to schools reopening. Some books will not be brought to school and be used only at home. Children should have a separate pencil case for home and school and lunch boxes and drink bottles should be washed daily.

These are just some of the things we have in place for a safe return to school. I will be in touch again with more details prior to reopening.

I must advise that these guidelines are based on current government advice and are subject to change. Some children may be nervous about returning to school so please reassure them that we will all be working together to make school as safe as possible for everyone.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our children back to school and will be doing all that we can to ensure that the return to school is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children. As we continue to seek clarity on some questions we have about returning to school, I will keep you updated.

We appreciate that all family circumstances are different with regard to their experiences and possible worries around Covid-19 and the return to school. Please do not hesitate to contact me using the contact details above should you wish to discuss anything further.

Thank you as always for your continued co-operation.

Regards,                                                             

Paul Horan