20/8/2020

We hope you and your families are keeping well and that you are enjoying the last few days of the Summer holidays.

A lot of planning and work has gone into re-opening Scoil Bhride N.S.  We are now hoping to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations.

Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of the school is done in a safe manner where the overriding objective is to protect the health of staff and pupils while promoting the educational and developmental needs of all pupils.

Re-opening our school has resulted in some changes to normal routine and practices. We would like to make you aware of some of these changes:

Parental/Guardian Access to School

As advised previously we are operating a “STOP DROP GO” system at school.

We request that parents/guardians do not come on to the school grounds except to collect classes Junior Infants to Second inside the entry/exit gate at the end of school.

All access to the school building is by appointment only through the school secretary and for essential purposes only.

We will be setting up the facility for you to be able to send your child’s class teacher a message via Aladdin Connect noticeboard soon.

All visitors to the school building must wear a face covering.

Changes to Classroom and School Layout and to School Routines

The DES guidelines recognise that a common-sense approach is needed in Primary schools. To that end, every effort will be made to limit interaction within classrooms, to limit contact between class groups and to limit the sharing of common resources/facilities.

The children and their teachers will work in Class Bubbles. A Class Bubble is a grouping which stays apart from other classes as much as possible. The aim of the system within the school is that class groupings mix only with their own class from arrival at school in the morning until the children go home at the end of the school day.

Junior Infants to Second Class

It is recognised that younger children are unlikely to maintain physical distancing indoors so there is no requirement for children from Junior Infants to Second Class to maintain a physical distance within their Class Bubble.

Third Class to Sixth Class

All classrooms from third to sixth classes have been reconfigured to maintain the greatest possible physical distance between pupils..All unnecessary furniture has been removed from these classrooms to create as much space as possible.

Breaktimes

The DES guidelines state that the risk of transmission from contact with outside surfaces or play areas is low. We have introduced an extra morning and lunch break. This will reduce the numbers using the yard space and will allow pupils play in the yard within the same smaller grouping each day. A yard supervision rota has been organised based on Class Bubbles and Special Education Teachers allocated to those classes.

Corridors and Stairwells

Briefly passing someone in a hall/on a stairs is very unlikely to contribute significantly to the spread of infection if people do not have physical contact and avoid informal group discussions.

We will observe our usual practice of keeping to the right when on the stairs and in the corridors.

Additional Measures to Limit Interactions

Children will go straight to their classrooms from the yard and will not congregate in the corridors or hallways.

While we will all be delighted to see each other again, hand shaking and hugging will not be allowed.

Doors and Windows

Where practical, all internal doors will be left open to minimise hand contact with common surfaces.

To ensure that classrooms are well ventilated, windows will be kept open as often as possible, and will be opened while children are taking breaks in the playground.

Books, Copies, Pencils, etc.

Children should use their own books, pens, pencils, etc. and should not share with other pupils.

Uniforms/Tracksuits

We request that parents/guardians wash school uniforms and tracksuits frequently.

 We strongly advise that children should wear their school uniforms or tracksuits only for school related activities.  Uniforms or tracksuits should be taken off straight after the child arrives home from school for the day. They should not be worn in after-school facilities, shops, during after-school activities, etc.

Teaching and Learning

As a staff, we are very aware that the children have been away from school since March 12^th. We appreciate the time and effort that went into Home Learning, and we recognise the challenges that Home Learning presented for all families.

Each child will be a different place in relation to his/her learning, and we wish to assure you that staff will take that into consideration when planning for Teaching and Learning during the 2020/2021 school year.

The Department of Education and Skills has published Curriculum guidelines for us, and we ask you to trust our experience and professional expertise as we work with all the children during the return to school.

Wellbeing of the School Community

We will work on the recommended five principles to support the wellbeing of all our school community.

 These are promoting:

• A sense of safety

• A sense of calm

• A sense of belonging and connectedness to school

• A sense of self-efficacy and school-community efficacy

• A sense of hope

Our usual practice is to provide support to pupils based on a Continuum of Support. This is a tiered system that provides Whole School and Classroom Support for all pupils, additional School Support for some pupils, and School Support plus extra targeted intervention for pupils with complex needs.

Masks

Pupils are not required to wear masks or face coverings. However if you decide that you wish for your child to wear a face covering, the school will not be responsible for ensuring that the pupil wears the covering properly. You must also provide a zip lock plastic bag for the pupil to place the mask in while eating or if it is removed going out to yard.

Hygiene and Cleaning

 Sanitiser dispensers have been installed throughout the school and all pupils will hand sanitise regularly throughout the school day.

Warm water and soap is available in all the classrooms and classroom bathrooms. Each classroom typically has three handwashing stations.

Hand hygiene will be promoted and encouraged, and parents/guardians are asked to support the school in reinforcing this message. We will also emphasise the importance of proper coughing/sneezing etiquette and again request that this is reinforced regularly at home.      

In accordance with the DES guidelines, the school will be thoroughly cleaned regularly by school cleaning staff.

Illness and Dealing with a Suspected Case of COVID-19

We always promote and encourage good attendance at school. However, under the current circumstances, parents/guardians must keep children at home if they display any Covid-19 Symptoms. https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/symptoms.html

A designated isolation area has been created in the school. Any pupil displaying symptoms will be accompanied to the isolation area and contact will be made with parent/guardian. To help us in this regard, parents/guardians are asked to make sure that their contact details are kept up to date at all times. You are also requested to ensure that you have provided at least two up to date emergency contacts for your child. You can do this on Aladdin Connect. Please make emergency contacts aware that you are listing them and ensure that are within reasonable proximity of the school.

We thank you for your continued support and cooperation and know that you will emphasise and reinforce key safety messages for your child. Our common goal is to help all pupils make the transition back to school, to reconnect with their teachers and friends and to establish new school routines that support their health and safety. Together we can achieve this mission.

Thanking you,

Mr Fennell (Deputy Principal)