Dear Parents,

As the mid-term break draws ever closer, I would like to bring the following notices to your attention:

Mid Term Break Closure.

In order to facilitate an important staff meeting the children will now finish for mid-term break on Thursday October 21st and not on Friday October 22nd as previously informed. Please note that the children will attend on Thursday 21st for the full school day. The school will remain closed until Monday November 1st when we reopen at the usual time.

Dress up Day.

The children may dress up in Hallowe’en costumes on Thursday October 21st.

Insurance.

The premium for the school activities and 24 hour insurance is now due. The final day for receipt of this is Wednesday next, October 20th. The premium stands at €6 for school based activities only and €9 for 24hr cover.

Covid19 Restrictions.

Although there will be a considerable relaxation of Covid19 restrictions currently in operation nationwide, schools are further required to maintain several restrictions at the current level. This includes restricted access to the building for all but essential personnel, operation of pods and bubbles while operating classes inside the building, staggered break times and staggered dismissal at the end of the school day. There will be some lessening in terms of parent teacher meetings which may proceed.

There has also been a change in contact tracing with the HSE no longer contacting close contacts of a confirmed case and no requirement to isolate unless displaying symptoms. However there is still a requirement on parents to leave children at home where they are displaying any of the symptoms of Covid19.

School Work/Homework.

A number of teachers have mentioned that several of the children are falling behind with homework and that this is having a negative effect on their performance in school. Please note that homework is a very important part of schoolwork as it consolidates the work done and content covered in the class. It also informs the teachers of where there may be problems or where children are struggling to grasp the lesson content. We ask that parents make sure that all homework is completed every night without exception. The amount of work set by the teachers is reasonable and can be completed in a short time. Children should not be permitted to use playstations or similar until homework is completed. It is hoped that we will move towards emailing homework as well as having the children record it in homework books where children are consistently failing to complete homework. This will inform parents of all homework and should correlate with what is copied down by the children.

Parent/Teacher Meetings

Parents/Teacher meetings will take place on Thursday 25th (Families) and Friday 26th (one child families) November. Clear arrangements will be published following on from Mid term Break.

School Attendance.

The concessions and blind eye utilised around school attendance has come to an end. The school is required by law to report absences to TUSLA on a quarterly basis (4 times per year). Where a pupil reaches a combined total absences of twenty days, the names of the pupil in question must be referred to the authorities. It has come to our notice that there is a large cohort of pupils who are approaching the threshold and who will be on TUSLA’s radar. Please note that although in most cases a phone call will suffice explaining an absence, where there is a pattern of absence and where pupils miss the same day on a number of weeks, this will be investigated and reported as appropriate.

Finally, thanks again for your help, cooperation and support. This has ensured that we have made a positive start to the year. We have seen a return of some sporting pursuits in the early part of the term and should see further progress over the remainder of the year as we move towards normality. We look forward to your continued help and support as the year progresses further. We hope you have an enjoyable and restful mid term.

With Thanks,

K. Dennedy