16th November, 2020.
A Thuisti,
Parent/Teacher Meetings
We usually have our Parent/Teacher meetings face-to-face at the end of November each year. As a result of Covid-19 we will be giving feedback to parents/guardians by telephone this year. They will take place over the next two weeks. We will put a day and time in your child’s journal for the phone-calls. Please respond in your child’s journal whether this day and time suits. If not the class teacher can make further arrangements with you. Below are the details for the various classes. We only have one landline phone available for us to use in the school and there is no mobile coverage inside the building. Please state whether Mum or Dad is to receive the phone call from class teacher for the parent teacher meeting.
Mrs Vaughan (Juniors/Seniors) Wednesday 18th/Thursday 19th/Friday 20th – 1.50pm- 3pm
Ms O’ Donoghue (First/Second) Monday-Friday (November 23rd- November 27th) – 1.40pm-2.40pm
Ms Reynolds (Third/Fourth) Monday-Friday (November 23rd-November 27th) – 1.40pm to 2.40pm
Mr. Tansley (Fifth/Sixth) Friday 20th and Friday 27th – 9.15 -2pm
Science Week
I must compliment all the children who uploaded fantastic science experiments to Edmodo. It was great seeing these in class and I’m sure the children enjoyed watching them at home too. We hope to do something similar in science before the school year is over. Edmodo is a platform that worked well during “Lockdown” earlier in the year and is working well in classes in this school year also. However, please remind your child that only relevant school work should be uploaded. Children under no circumstances should upload inappropriate material or make unsuitable comments on Edmodo. This is contrary to our School’s Code of Behaviour. It is parents/guardians responsibility to ensure that their child behaves properly while on the school Edmodo.
Book Fair
The children really enjoyed the Book Fair again this year despite not being able to visit the hall with their classmates. It was great seeing the children “lose themselves” in their books during silent reading in class. Well done to all the children who won free books for winning various competitions in class and in raffles. A big thanks to Mrs Campbell for coordinating the Book Fair this week. We received 60% commission from the sale of books which will be spent on books for the class library or on novels for different classes.
Student Council
I met with our student council members on Friday. It was lovely having a great chat with the children who, it must be said, are taking their roles very seriously. We agreed on Friday that we would have a “Suggestion Box” for all children to put their ideas into each week and hopefully we’ll be in a position to act on some of these suggestions.
Department of Education and Science information on Travel Abroad
Government policy, which is based on official public health advice, continues to advise against non-essential travel overseas for everyone.
It is a requirement for anyone coming into Ireland, from locations other than those with a rating of ‘normal precautions’ (“green”), to restrict their movements for 14 days, and this includes school staff, parents and children or other students coming from abroad to attend school in Ireland. Restricting your movements means staying indoors in one location and avoiding contact with other people and social situations as much as possible.
The school has a duty of care to all of its pupils and staff members. If a school has reasonable grounds for believing that its duty of care toward its staff and pupils is being undermined in circumstances where a person – staff member or pupil – has not observed the mandatory requirement to restrict movements for 14 days following return from a non-green list country, it is reasonable for the school to refuse access to the pupil or staff member during this period.
Football Training
Damien Sheridan will be returning for the next couple of weeks to do Gaelic football coaching with the children in all classes.
Is mise,
Seamus Tansley.
Priomh Oide