Newsletter to Parents
January 17th 2023
Dear Parents,
As we all settle back to school for term 2, I would like to bring the following notices to your attention.
Inclement Weather.
This time of year is marked by low temperatures and cold wet weather. It is also common for children to pick up colds and various viruses. It is very important that the children are prepared forn the cold weather when coming to school. Please make sure that your child wears a warm coat and hat/scarf to keep them protected from the cold.
Head Lice.
We have been notified that there has been an outbreak of headlice in a small number of classes. Unfortunately this is an unavoidable reality of school life. We respectfully request that all parents should carry out head checks on their children and where headlice or nits are present, please administer the appropriate treatment. These are available from any Chemist/Pharmacy. Please be vigilant in this respect.
Calendar Change.
Please note that the school will close for the February mid term break on Tuesday February 14th and not on Wednesday February 15th as previously informed. The children will now be off school on Wenesday 15th, Thursday 16th and Friday 17th February. School reopens on Monday February 20th at the usual time. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. The Calendar for Term 2 now reads as follows:
Tuesday January 24th : Meeting for parents of Confirmation Children @ 8p.m. – School Hall.
Monday February 6th: School Closed, Spring Bank Holiday.
Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th, Friday 17th Feb: School Closed – Mid Term Break.
Friday March 17th: School Closed – St. Patrick’s Day
Friday March 31st: Final Day of Term
Monday April 17th: School reopens for Term 3.
Confirmation Meeting
We invite parents of children scheduled to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation to attend an important induction meeting in the school hall on Tuesday January 24th at 8p.m. sharp. The meeting will introduce parents to the You Shall be My Witness preparation programme for Confirmation. Please make a special effort to attend.
Enrolment.
Enrolment of new Junior Infants for the 2023-2024 school year has now commenced. Application forms are available from the school or can be obtained via our school website www.iosaballyhaunis.com under the enrolment tab. Please be aware that children must be 4 years before March 31st 2023 in order to secure a place in Junior Infants.
After School Activities
Following on from the success of our introductory programme of after school activities, we intend to facilitate another 6 week programme during term 2. We hope to offer an expanded number of activities which will be offered to the children on a first come first served basis. As soon as the final details are worked out each pupil in first to sixth classes will receive a choice form. We hope to commence the programme on the week beginning Monday February 20th for a six week period finishing on the final week of Term 2.
School Meals.
Parents are reminded that any changes to the choice of school meals must be completed online by Wednesday to allow for the change to be made the following week.
DEIS News
As well as providing swimming lessons, athletics coaching and the school after schools programme, our DEIS programme also has scope for providing social classes for our parent body. These are organised through our HSCL teacher Sheena Flanagan in cooperation with Community School HSCL Olive Lyons and the Friary Resource Centre (Stephen Grogan and Tracy McDermott). Currently the team has organised English Language classes which are currently ongoing. There is also a walking club scheduled to commence on Wednesday January 18th (open to all interested parents) at 9:30a.m from the ballcourt in the Friary. Finally for this term we have Art & Craft classes which are scheduled to commence on February 22nd for a six week period. This activity has a limited number of spaces available and is open to all parents on a first come first served basis. It is also hoped to run a drawing and sketching/Art activity int term 3.
As the DEIS scheme develops in the school we would be delighted to hear suggestions from parents as to any other activities of interest to parents which we could offer in the future.Please contact Sheena or Olive with suggestions.
Covid19 and Other Viruses.
There appears to be a rise in the number of cases of Covid19 and RSV virus. Please encourage the children to continue using hand sanitiser, to make sure that they continue to wash hands thoroughly and that they make sure to cover their mouth properly when coughing or sneezing. While we are endeavoring to improve on the high level of absenteeism among our pupils, we nevertheless must insist on children staying away from school if are unwell or displaying symptoms of either of the viruses.
Finally, our sincere thanks to our parents, pupils and teachers for ensuring that the 2022-2023 school year has been a very successful one to date. As we move through the year we have much to look forward to including sports events, sports days, wellness week and activity week. We are grateful for your support and wish you all a very happy and healthy 2023.
Regards,
KD