St. Mary's N.S.

12^th August 2020

Dear Parents,

RE: Drop-off and Collection Routines

The BoM and the School Leadership Team have been working to ensure a safe return to school for all pupils and staff in two weeks’ time. We have now finalised our plans for drop-off and collection of the children every day. 

St.Mary’s NS appreciates your support as we try to safely reopen the school building. If at all possible we request you not to come onto the school grounds or into the school building unless it is essential. We appreciate that dropping off the Junior & Senior Infant pupils to their line in the yard is essential, but for the older pupils a drop off at the school gate is desirable. Working together we hope to be able to progress the reopening in as safe a manner as possible for all.

We would ask all parents to familiarise themselves with the following drop-off and collection routines for the safe delivery and collection of pupils from school.  Please be patient as we endeavour to embed these necessary precautionary and protective practices at the beginning of the school year.

It is imperative that

• adults do not come within 2m of each other
• Parents do not try to have meetings with members of staff in the school at drop-off and collection times – meetings between parents and teachers can only take place by prior arrangement. (This may have to be more restrictive depending on guidance – it is quite possible that the recommendation will be for remote meetings/telephonic communications.)
• all parents adhere to the drop-off and collection plans as outlined below

Drop-off Plan

Congregation of people at the front entrance to the school is discouraged. Students are asked to enter the school in the following manner.

• Pupils from Junior Infants – 2^nd class will enter the school in the mornings in the usual way, through the side gate of the school directly into the school yard. A teacher and SNA will be there to greet and supervise students as they assemble. (alternative arrangements for the Junior Infant students have been made for the first 2/3 weeks of schools, which has been communicated to relevant parents in a separate letter)
• Pupils from 3^rd– 6^th class will enter the PE Hall at the fire escape to the front of the school building where they will be asked to maintain physical distance of 1m and remain in their class bubbles as they assemble.
• On wet days pupils from Junior Infants – 2^nd class will enter the PE Hall fire escape door as they did last year where they will be supervised by a teacher and SNA. They will be asked to remain in their class bubbles as they assemble.
• On wet days pupils from 3^rd-6^th class will go directly to their classrooms via the fire escape doors at the side of the building leading them directly into their classrooms where their teacher will greet and supervise them.
• Students attending Ms. Martin’s classroom will enter the school building in the usual way, through the main entrance to the school and go directly to their classroom where their teacher will greet and supervise them.
  
  

       School Collection Plan

• When infant children are being collected at 2pm they will exit the school building in the usual way through the main entrance/exit to the school. Parents are requested NOT to congregate at the entrance and to promptly return to the vehicles once your child has been collected.
• At 3pm students in 3^rd-6^th class will exit the school via the fire escape doors in their classrooms. They will be asked to go directly to their buses, or parent’s cars. Congregation at the bus stops will not be encouraged.
• At 3pm students in 1^st/2^nd class will exit the school via the PE Hall fire escape door and will be asked to go directly to their buses or parent’s cars.
• At 3pm students from Ms. Martin’s classroom will exit the building in the manner to which they are most familiar with, through the main entrance to the school accompanied with an SNA.

Yours sincerely,

Amy Kidd (Chairperson of Board of Management)

Kathy McGeeney (Principal)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Attached is St.Mary’s Covid19 Policy Statement which was recently signed at a Board of Management meeting. This outlines our commitment to keeping all students and staff safe as we all return to our school and to our workplace.

St.Mary’s Covid19 Response Plan, which outlines what logisitcal plans we have in place for the return to school is available on request to principal.stmarysnsbagenalstown@gmail.com

The Covid19 Response Plan will be an ever changing document, that will adapt and change as we need it to throughout the school year.

St.Mary’s Board of Management endeavor to make the return to school as familiar as possible for all our students and staff, while taking all the necessary precautions and adhering at all times to Public Health Advise.

A letter to parents outlining how the return to school will take place will be sent within the next week. Please forward your queries to principal.stmarysnsbagenalstown@gmail.com

Our End of Year Newsletter contains important information regarding our Book Rental Scheme that requires your attention before Friday June 19th 2020. For any further information with anything contained in this issue of our schools’ newsletter, please email stmarysnsbagenalstown@gmail.com. Many thanks Mrs.McGeeney