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St. John's National School, Ballisodare, Co. Sligo
 

Update from Principal 10th September 2021

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10th Sep 2021

10th Sept 2021

Dear Parents,

I am very pleased to say that our 2021 – 2022 school year has started in a very positive note and everything is running smoothly so far.  However, the Coronavirus is still presenting with a lot of cases particularly among the younger members of our population.  Everyone has to be very vigilant in following our procedures to keep everyone safe.  We have made some slight changes to our school procedures which will be outlined below but the most important guideline was and still is that if your children shows any Covid 19 symptoms they should not be sent to school.   You should closely monitor your children for the following symptoms: –

  • A fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above).
  • A new cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
  • Running or blocked nose.
  • Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea.
  • Aches, pains or tiredness
  • Sore throat
  • Headache

And if any of the above present, please phone your G.P. or book a Covid test online.

Summary of Procedures:

Handwashing & Sanitising

Pupils must sanitise their hands on entering and leaving their classroom at all times. They wash their hands after each break before eating.

Assembly Times/Departure Times/Break Times:

The assembly times are: –

  • 10 am – 9.20am – Pupils with A –L surname
  • 20 am – 9.30 am – Pupils with L-Z surname
  • Drop and go system in operation. No parents are allowed to congregate at school entrances.
  • Junior Infants, Fifth Class and First Class pupils enter and leave by the back door.
  • Senior Infants, Third Class and Second Class pupils enter and leave by the middle doors.
  • Sixth Class 1, Sixth Class 2 and Fourth Class enter & leave by the far front door.

Breaks:

First Break      10.55 am  – 11.15 am.

Second Break  12.45 pm – 1.05 pm.

  • Each class has a designated play area which they are not allowed to leave.
  • Teachers & three S.N.A.’s on duty at all times.

Departure times:

  • Junior Infants (from Sept 20th) and Senior Infants will finish at 2pm. Infants exit via the back gate. Senior Infants go through the front gates.
  • First Class, Second Class and Third Class pupils and their siblings who are collected by car go home at 2.50 pm.
  • All other pupils (4th, 5th, 6th classes) leave at 3pm.

Uniform:

Pupils are requested to wear their school tracksuit on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and their school tracksuit on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Communications:

Admittance to school grounds is confined to pupils and staff only.  If you need to contact us or to collect a pupil for an appointment etc, please phone the office (071)  9167639 or mobile 086 1531599 or email us at stjohnsballisodare@gmail.com and we will deal with the matter for you.  In the current situation it is most important that you contact us if your child will not be attending school for whatever reason.

Homework:

Pupils will start to get homework from Monday next and will be allowed to bring books home.  I will be a combination of online learning and bookwork.  Each class teacher will email you of their methodologies and expectations in the coming days.

Finally, we received great co-operation last year from our pupils and parents and I have no doubt that it will continue this year as we strive to keep as many pupils as possible at class in our school.

 

Many thanks,

Yours sincerely.

Mr. Dillon.

Principal.