Information For Third/Fourth Class Parents. G3 – Ms. Dillane

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear parents/guardians,

My name is Ellen Dillane, I will be your son’s third class teacher. There will be third and fourth class in our room this year. I am looking forward to working alongside you to ensure your child’s re-introduction to school life is fully supported.

Please be assured that I will do my upmost to ensure your son feels safe, secure and happy in his new school environment, at St. Josephs CBS.

As I am sure you’re already aware school life this year will look slightly different to previous years; to allow for safety precautions to be introduced to assist in minimising the risk of Covid-19 for our entire school community.

Please find below some points to be aware of going forward for the coming school year.

Your son’s classroom will be located in the Green Building (which can be seen inside the main school gates.)

His classroom is called G3. This classroom is found at the end of the corridor, on the ground floor.

He will use the main school gates each day to enter and exit the school grounds.

On Thursday, 27th of August, I will collect your son and his classmates from the yard outside the Green Building and walk them to their new classroom. I will ensure the class know where amenities such as toilets are located.
From Monday, 31st of August onwards, your son should immediately walk to his new classroom on his arrival at school. He will enter through the brown door, located on the left-hand side of the Green Building. I will be waiting in the classroom to greet the students.
Inside the classroom, the students will be organised into groups called pods. Each pod is at least 1 metre from other pupils and 2 metres from my teaching station; as recommended by the Department of Education.
I will also be wearing a mask inside the classroom, as I am pregnant. I will be using a voice amplifier to ensure all pupils can clearly hear me.
Students will be asked to sanitise their hands as they enter and exit the classroom, before they eat and at regular appointed times during the course of the school day.
Please ensure your son is familiar with and practices coughing and handwashing etiquette before returning to school.
Each class i.e. class bubble will mix only with their own individual class from arrival at school in the morning until departure at the end of the school day. The class will have their own designated area on the school yard.
Your son will use his own stationary, including pencils, rubbers, sharpener, colours, glue etc. Please label all your son’s uniform, bag and other items.
Talk positively about the return to school with your child. I understand that both you the parent, and your son will be anxious about returning to school and I will do everything I can to make this transition as smooth and as happy as possible. I will focus on wellbeing and friendship (SPHE), PE in the first few weeks as well as revision and catch up work in the areas of language development (Irish and English), Mathematics.

Information for Fourth Class Parents. G5 – Mr. Carberry

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear parent/guardian

My name is Martin Carberry and I will be your son’s 4^th class teacher. I am looking forward to working with you in supporting your child’s transition back to school. You can be assured that I, and all the staff at St. Joseph’s, will do our absolute best to make sure your son feels safe and happy in their return to our school.

As you can imagine, life at school will look a little different this school year as measures have been put in place to help minimise the risk of Covid-19. Below are some points that hopefully will help to answer some of the many questions you may have.

Your son’s classroom will be located in the Green Building, just as last year.
His classroom will be G5, which is located upstairs in the building.
Your child will enter and exit the school yard everyday through the main gates at the front of the school.
On Friday August 28^th, I will collect your son and his classmates from the Green Yard and guide them through the procedures we have put in place for lining up in a socially distant matter, entering/exiting the building, location of the new toilets (inside the Green Building) and show them to their new classroom.
Students will be shown the procedure for storage of coats and school bags etc.
From Monday August 31^st onwards, upon arrival to school, children will proceed straight to their new classroom. They will enter the Green Building using the white door. I will be in the classroom as the students arrive.
Students of G5 will be seated in groups or pods of between 4 and 6. Pods are situated at least 1 metre from one another and at least 2 metres from my own desk and teaching area as recommended by the Department of Education.
Students/staff will be asked to sanitise hands on any occasion they enter or leave the classroom, prior to eating and at regular intervals throughout the day.
Each class will limit their interaction with other students as much as possible – our class will remain together throughout the day as well as having a designated area in the yard during breaks.
Time will be taken on the return to school to guide children back to the pace of learning and the pace of the school day. We will concentrate on language development (English and Irish) Mathematics, SPHE and PE.
Over the coming days other health and safety procedures will be finalised within the classroom and children will be guided on this in order to ensure the upmost is being done to keep our students and staff safe.

Looking forward to seeing you all back at St. Joseph’s for this new school year. It may be challenging but working together we will rise above these challenges and enjoy our school once again.

Regards,

M.Carberry.

Information for Sixth Class Parents

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

What will a day in 6th Class look like?

Dear Students, Parents/Guardians

We would like to welcome you to 6^th class. We are very much looking forward to starting this, your final year in Primary school on a postitive note!

Things will look at bit different at first and we will all need to get used to the new routines. No situation is completely without risk but we are committed to creating a safe, secure, orderly and enjoyable learning environment for all. We would ask you to please talk to your son in a positive manner about returning to school and the importance of his co-operating with new procedures.

School Starts at 8:50am –

Please make sure you’ve gone to the toilet before arriving at school to reduce toilet breaks during lessons to a minimum.

School gates open at 8:50am go straight to your class at this time.

When entering the school building use the automatic hand sanitiser to sanitise your hands.

When you enter the classroom sit at your desk and read quietly until your teacher begins the lesson.

Toilets and wash your hands before break.

When you come in from break, wash your hands again when your teacher calls your table – lesson will continue while you wash your hands.

Toilets and wash your hands before lunch.

When you come in from lunch, wash your hands again when your teacher calls your table – lesson will continue while you wash your hands.

At 2:30pm school will finish and your teacher will walk you to the gate (King St. entrance), make sure you sanitise your hands when leaving the building.

Don’t hang around chatting at the gate after school, go straight home or to your lift.

6th Class General Covid Rules

Wash your hands and sanitise throughout the day.
No sharing anything with classmates, for example: Pencils, rubbers, lunches, etc..
If you need to sneeze do it into your sleeve.
When in class, stay in your seat unless your teacher has given you permission to leave it.
Your bag should only have your lunch/snack and a water bottle.
All pencil cases and stationery should be kept in school to avoid contamination from home.

Typical Day

8:50am	School Starts – Santise upon entry to the building
8:50am – 9:50am	Lesson 1
9:50am – 10:50am	Lesson 2
10:50am – 11:00am	Toilets and Wash Hands
11:00am – 11:15am	Break
11:15am – 12:00pm	Lesson 3 (Each pod to wash hands during)
12:00pm – 12:35pm	Lesson 4
12:35pm – 12:45pm	Toilets and Wash Hands
12:45pm – 1:15pm	Lunch
1:15pm – 2:00pm	Lesson 5 (Each pod to wash hands during)
2:00pm – 2:30pm	Lesson 6
2:30pm	School ends – sanitise hands when leaving the building. Teacher will walk you to the gate. Don’t hang around at the gates chatting.

Regards,

Mr Mulroy R12

Mr Hughes R9

R12

Information for Fifth Class Parents

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are looking forward to welcoming your son into 5^th Class and will make every effort to keep the school experience as ‘normal’ as possible.

In advance of this, we would like to draw your attention to the following points:

children in 5th class will enter the school from the Red School Yard (King St entrance), walk up the steps and enter the main building from the side door beside the bicycle stands. They will use the back stairs to reach their classrooms. They will exit the building in the same way.
Children will sit in pods of approximately 4 people. There will be a total of 5 pods in the classroom, socially distanced from each other.
Each child should have his own pencil case filled with all his own supplies – pencils, eraser, parer, ruler, pens, whiteboard markers, twistables, glue etc. Please ensure to have all items clearly marked with your child’s name. There will be no sharing of this equipment among children.
Any classroom equipment that is shared will be cleaned and sanitised after each use.
School bags containing drinks, lunch etc. and coats will be hung outside of the classroom in order of pods.
While hand sanitizer will be available and the children will wash their hands at regular intervals.
Good hygiene and a neat, clean appearance is important.
Covid Health and Safety Regulations will be clearly displayed in the classroom and it is imperative that all children make every effort to adhere to these. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered a serious breach of the code of behaviour and dealt with accordingly
Please discuss these regulations with your child before school starts and on a regular basis afterwards. The same will be done in class.

We will see you all on Friday August 28^th!

Warm Regards,

Ms Gregory R6

Mr Keane R7

Information for Junior Infant Parents. R2 – Ms. Lucey

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear parents/guardians,

I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and well. My name is Maria Lucey and I am going to be teaching your child this year in Junior Infants. I can’t wait to meet them all and get to know them and their super little personalities. I hope they are looking forward to their big adventure too.

I completely understand the feelings you must be all going through, as I am sending my own little one off to school for the first time this year too, the nerves, excitement, the huge emotional milestone that this is for you and your little one. I am sorry that Covid -19 has resulted in the introduction to our school being disrupted in the ways it has, but I will be making it a very happy, fun and easy going introduction for them. My aim for your child is to feel happy and confident in my room. I want them to have fun and enjoy making new friends, having fun in class and learning along the way. All the children have been disrupted so please believe me when I say, I will be looking to help your child be introduced to our great school in a calm and relaxed way, help them meet new friends, socialise with groups again and get used to a busy school day slowly. The children will be seated in groups “pods” within the class “bubble”- to help keep everyone healthy and happy.

The children will have an induction day on Thursday 27^th August, where they will get to meet me and the others in the class. They do not need to bring in anything on this day. We will have fun playing with some toys, introducing ourselves, seeing where the toilets and yard are and I will get a photo of your child, on their 1^st day of school and send It on to you when we get the remote learning systems set up and running. Ms. Bradley will have a chat with you and the other parents in the yard while the children settle in the class. I am sorry that you will not be able to bring the children into the class, this will be normal for the children, only we will be comparing it to our own first day. I would recommend taking advantage of all the other great moments in that day for firsts, first day of school breakfast, first day of school dinner and all the photos along the way!

On Monday 31^st the children will come to school until 12 noon. They will enter the school via the main gate and access their classroom through the main doors of the school. At collection they will leave through the same door and be collected from the designated waiting area in the yard. They only need a small snack/ lunch and drink for these short days, until they have their full school day. Hand sanitiser will be provided by the school and children will wash and sanitise their hands before and after eating, before and after toileting and at regular intervals throughout the day.

Please do not bring in anything else in the school bag i.e toys, games etc , due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Over the coming days, help your child settle in well to school by

Getting them to open and close their lunch box, bottle and school bag themselves with confidence
Putting on their own coats and opening and closing the zip themselves.
Wear shoes with Velcro, no shoelaces if they can’t tie them on their own.
Please label everything- all items of clothing, their school bag, lunchbox, coat, hat scarf etc. They cost you a lot of money and it is very difficult to return lost items to you if there are no names on them
Help your child to go to the toilet and wash their hands independently properly.
Help you children cough/sneeze into their elbow
Chat to them about how they feel about going to school, hopefully they will feed off your excitement and happiness for them – for their big adventure
Please be on time to collect your little one, in order to help them settle in to school with security and confidence.

I really look forward to working with you this year and cannot wait to meet your little one. I know it will be an emotional day on their first day, try take some time for you, maybe get to enjoy a hot cup of tea and in no time, your child will be back with you to tell you all their news! If you have any question at all, please don’t hesitate to contact the office and I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

Take care,

Maria Lucey

Information for Third Class Parents. G6 – Ms. Glacken

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear parents/guardians

My name is Éilish Glacken and I will be your son’s third class teacher. I’m looking forward to working with you to support your child’s transition back to school. I’m sure this may seem particularly daunting as your son begins his time at a new school. Rest assured that I will do my very best to make sure your son feels safe and happy here in St Joseph’s CBS.

As you can imagine, life at school will look a little different this school year as measures have been put in place to help minimise the risk of Covid-19. Here are a few points to note that will hopefully answer some of the many questions you are sure to have:

Your son’s classroom will be located in the Green Building (large building painted green that can be seen just inside the school gates). His classroom name is G6 – Green Building number 6. This classroom is located upstairs (see picture below). He will use the main school gates each day.
On Thursday August 27^th, I will collect your son and his classmates from the Green Yard (the Green Yard is the yard area around the Green Building and can be seen in the picture below) and show them to their classroom. I will also ensure they know the location of the toilets (new toilets have been installed inside the Green Building).
From Monday August 31^st onwards, your son should go straight to his new classroom on his arrival at school. He will enter the building through the white door located at the front of the building. I will be in the classroom as the students arrive.
Inside the classroom, students will be sitting in pods (groups) with 4 to 6 pupils in each pod. Each pod is at least one metre from other students and two metres from my teaching area as recommended by the Department of Education.
Students will be asked to sanitise their hands each time they enter or leave the classroom, before they eat and at other regular intervals throughout the day.
Each class will limit their interaction with other students as much as possible – our class will remain together throughout the day. The class will also have their own designated area on the school yard.
Time will be taken on the return to school to guide children slowly back to the pace of learning at school. We will concentrate on language development (both English and Gaeilge), Mathematics, SPHE and PE.

Changing schools is a big adjustment for your child so make sure to celebrate the milestone. I will take photos of your son’s first few days at St Joseph’s which I will share with you as soon as our online platforms are all set up.

I look forward to meeting you all.

Kind regards,

Éilish Glacken

Information for First Class Parents

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

My name is Sinead Maher and I will be your son’s teacher in First class. I am looking forward to working alongside you to ensure your son’s reintroduction to school is successful and that you feel fully supported.

I have been in our classroom over the Summer months preparing for the boys return to school. Please rest assured that every effort has been made by myself and the wider school community to ensure your child’s safety within the school environment, as best we can.

As you are aware school will be a very different place to the one the boys left back in March. We have many new and recommended procedures in place that will need to be followed in order to keep everyone as safe as possible in the school environment. Please find some useful information relating to these changes below and if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact myself through the school office.

Your son’s classroom will be located in the Green Building (which can be seen inside the main school gates on the right.)

His classroom is called G2. This classroom is the middle room on the corridor, on the ground floor.

He will use the main school gates each day to enter and exit the school grounds.

On Friday 28th of August myself and Ms Bradley will be present to greet your son and direct him to his new classroom. There are new toilets located right outside our classroom which I will show the boys upon our entry to our class. Boys will be asked to hang their coats (if needed) and bags on their coat hook outside of the classroom.
From Monday, 31st of August onwards, your son should immediately walk to his new classroom on his arrival at school. He will enter through the brown door, located at the front of the Green Building. I will be waiting in the classroom to greet the students.
Inside the classroom, the students will be organised into groups called pods of 6- 8 pupils . Each pod is at least 1 metre from other pupils and 2 metres from my teaching station; as recommended by the Department of Education.
I will also be wearing a mask inside the classroom when interacting closely with pupils as I have asthma. I will be using a visor when teaching at the board so students can clearly hear me.
Students will be asked to sanitise their hands as they enter and exit the classroom, and wash their hands before eating, when they cough or sneeze and after using the bathroom.
Please ensure your son is familiar with and practices coughing and handwashing etiquette before returning to school. (cough into the elbow or a tissue to be discarded immediately.)
Each class i.e. class bubble will mix only with their own individual class from arrival at school in the morning until departure at the end of the school day. The class will have their own designated area on the school yard.
Your son will use his own stationary, including pencils, rubbers, sharpener, colours, glue etc. Please label all your son’s uniform, bag and other items. Please label these items clearly to avoid cross contamination. Any shared classroom resources such as scissors and toys will be unique to each pod and thoroughly cleaned and sanitised after each use.
Talk positively about the return to school with your child. I understand that both you the parent, and your son will be anxious about returning to school and we hope to make this transition as smooth and as happy as possible. I will focus on wellbeing and friendship (SPHE), PE in the first few weeks as well as revision and catch up work in the areas of language development (Irish and English), Mathematics. It will be different but it will soon become normal.

I am looking forward to meeting all of the boys in First Class, I have heard they are a great class and I hope we will have a fun, happy and safe year ahead of us.

Kind Regards,

Sinead Maher 🙂

Information For Senior Infant Parents

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Welcome to Senior Infants! My name is Deirdre Kennedy and I will be your teacher this year. I am on parental leave so Ms Fox will be teaching you until I am back. Ms Mc Mahon will be our support teacher and she will be helping to establish our new routines and support learning in the class.

We hope you are all looking forward to your son’s return to school. Thank you for all you have done for your child over the last 6 months. As you are aware, school will be a very different place to the one the boys left back in March. We have many new and recommended procedures in place that will need to be followed in order to keep everyone as safe as possible in the school environment.

Please find some useful information relating to these changes below and if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the school office.

The senior infant room is located to the left of the main school building. Your son will enter through the main gate, walk down the steps and our room is on the left.
Each boy will have their own hook with their name on it for their coat.
Inside the classroom, the boys will be organised into four groups of 8 pupils . Each group is at least 1 metre from other pupils and 2 metres from my teaching station; as recommended by the Department of Education.
There will be a large box for each group where they will put their school bag.
Students will be asked to sanitise their hands as they enter and exit the classroom, and wash their hands before eating, when they cough or sneeze and after using the bathroom.
Please ensure your son is familiar with and practices coughing and handwashing etiquette before returning to school. (cough into the elbow or a tissue to be discarded immediately.)

Each class i.e. class bubble will mix only with their own individual class from arrival at school in the morning until departure at the end of the school day. The class will have their own designated area on the school yard.
All stationary , books and copies will be provided for the children.

On Friday 28th of August , Ms Fox, Ms Ms Mahon and Ms Bradley will be present to greet your son and direct him to his new classroom.

Things that may help your son over coming days:

Helping teach them to put on their own coats and open and close the zips themselves
Ensuring your child can go to the toilet and wash their hands independently and properly.
Reassure them that school is a safe environment and encourage them to be excited about their return.
Remind them that every child and teacher has been away from school since March so we are all facing this new challenge together.

Please label everything – all items of clothing, schoolbag, lunchbox, coats and hats.

Finally, we cannot wait to welcome your son back to school. Please be assured that every effort has been made by the school community to ensure your child’s safe and happy return to school. The most important thing is that your child is happy coming into school each day. We will do our best to ensure your son is given every opportunity to engage, learn and have fun in a safe and positive environment.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Take care,

Deirdre Kennedy

Information For Junior Infant Parents, R3 – Ms Maloney

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rob Mulroy

Dear parents / guardians,

My name is Miss Maloney and I will be teaching your child in Junior Infants this year. I am very much looking forward to meeting him / her and getting to know them as the year progresses.

As the children never got their Open Day, they will have an induction day on Thursday 27^th of August. They do not need to bring anything with them on this day as this will simply be a time of play, getting to know myself and others in their class and familiarising themselves with their areas in the school building. I will collect the children from the yard as unfortunately parents / guardians are not allowed inside the building.

On Monday the 31^st of August, the children will return to school and for the first two weeks (until Friday 11^th of September) the children will finish school at 12 noon. From Monday the 14^th of September they will finish at 1.20 pm. For the first two weeks of school, the children only need to bring a small lunch as they will only have one break. Please ensure that they only bring lunch in their schoolbags, no other items e.g. toys or books will be allowed. Please also ensure you enclose a change of clothes (bottoms, underwear and socks) in their school bags – just incase!!

Over the coming days you can help your child prepare for school and settle in well by

Helping teach them to open and close their lunch box, bottle and school bag themselves.
Helping teach them to put on their own coats and open and close the zips themselves
Ensuring your child can go to the toilet and wash their hands independently and properly.
Ensuring they know to cough or sneeze into their elbow.
Being on time to collect your child when the school day is finished.

Please label everything – all items of clothing, schoolbag, lunchbox, coats and hats.

Finally, please be assured that I will do all possible to ensure your child is happy and safe at school. The most important thing for me as a teacher is that your child is happy coming into school every morning and happy going home again every evening. I look forward to working with you all over the coming school year,

Kind regards,

Miss Maloney

Back to school advice for parents

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Vivienne Lamont

Free facilitated interactive workshop for parents of Primary school children

with Dr. Malie Coyne

Thursday 27th August 2020

Online at 7.30pm

To register your interest send a private message to The Genesis Program Facebook page with your name and the name/address of your child’s school