SCHOOL RE-OPENING PLANS AND INFORMATION - St. Patrick's N.S.

Please click here for Government Information for students and their families about returning to school

Letter from the Principal from January 8th 2021


Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may the months ahead bring a brighter and safer year for all our families and school community.
As you are aware by now the Government in line with Health advice has announced the closure of all schools until the 31st of January and will review it then. Therefore, we will be working remotely and providing online learning for all of our pupils over the coming weeks.
We are very aware through communications and surveys completed during our last closure of the difficulties which are faced by our families. It is for these reasons that we do not want to increase anxiety or stress at an already difficult time, but rather hope that we can support our pupils in their learning.

Yours sincerely,
Helen Molloy

What will happen over the next few weeks?
Assembly
Every Monday each parent will receive an email with a link for a Zoom Virtual Assembly for their child/ren. This will be approximately 15 minutes where each class will meet their class teacher online, discuss the work for the week and have an opportunity to engage with each other. Please make sure that you have downloaded the Zoom app before the Assembly. It is free and easy to download on any device.

Google Classroom
Every child has a Google Classroom account. Their class teacher will provide work on a daily basis on their Google Classroom account and work can be submitted and corrected using this digital learning platform. The children are already familiar with this platform.
Information regarding the use of Google Classroom is available on our Google Classroom Resources section below.
Sadly, due to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) we are unable to retain or look at any videos or photos which show your child’s face or body. This is to ensure that we adhere to all Child Protection and GDPR regulations.
Instead of a video or photo that shows your child or family, you can send:
1.   A photo of the work.
2.   A video of the work.
3.   An audio clip of the work

Learning Content
Teachers will continue with the core subjects of the curriculum-English, Gaeilge and Maths on a daily basis as well as an additional subject each day. Pupils have their school books at home to work on as independently as possible.

Special Education
Our Special Education Teachers will be in touch with their pupils and families to continue with the support and learning that has been ongoing this year.
Mrs Foley has taken over from Mr Miley and will be working with the pupils from 3rd class to 6th class.

Communication
Please contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns or questions.
Keep an eye on the school’s website www.rathvillyns.com and our Parents’ Association Facebook for information. Please ensure that we have your most up to date contact number and email address.

Contact information for school staff
Junior Infants cobyrne@rathvillyns.om
Senior Infants iobyrne@rathvillyns.com
First Class deputyprincipal@rathvillyns.com
Second Class afinlay@rathvillyns.com
Third Class sotoole@rathvillyns.com
Fourth Class fbirch@rathvillyns.com
Fifth Class ctownsend@rathvillyns.com
Sixth Class mkeyes@rathvillyns.com
SET Ms Murray emurray@rathvillyns.com
SET Mrs Foley mmiley@rathvillyns.com
School/Principal rathvilly.ns@gmail.com

Rules for using online communication
For submitting learning:
• Submit work and pictures that are appropriate (photos should not include images of pupils or families) - have an adult take a look at your work before you send it.
• Use kind and friendly words.

1. Staff, families and students are expected to behave in an appropriate, safe, respectful and kind manner online.
2. It is the duty of parents/guardians to supervise children while they are working online and to
ensure any content which they are submitting to their teacher is appropriate.
3. Staff members can communicate with pupils and their families via school emails or through an established app (eg. Zoom)
4. Any electronic forms of communication will be for educational purposes and to allow for communication with families.
5. Students and staff will communicate using tools which have been approved by the school and of which parents have been notified.
6. Parental permission will be acquired before setting up a profile for a pupil on a communication forum.
7. For video/Zoom calls, parental permission is implied, as the password to a video call will be communicated via the parent/guardian’s email address. Essentially, by virtue of the pupil logging on to the call, permission is assumed.
8. Scoil Phádraig Naofa cannot accept responsibility for the security of online platforms, in the event that they are hacked.
9. Communication using a mobile phone will not be frequent, but in the rare exception where it is necessary, staff members will ensure that they use the private settings.
10. Under no circumstances can pictures or recordings be taken of video calls.

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL - 22.10.20

"KEEP SAFE AND STAY APART"

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have re-opened safely and remained opened for the past eight weeks. Everyone has had to adapt to change and doing things differently. Our pupils have been the best examples of meeting necessary change and getting on with it with the best attitude.
Our school is full of life again, our classrooms full of teaching and learning and our yards full of laughter and sport.
We can only keep our school safe if we are vigilant about following our Covid 19 Plan and being prepared for all changes. Therefore, we will be sending home some extra books this Friday 23rd for the week of midterm in your child’s school bag. This is just precautionary.  

Please put the school bags away safely so that they can be returned on Monday the 2nd of November. In the event of a school closure after mid-term your child will need these books and correspondence with each class teacher will be conducted via your child’s Google Classroom account.

Just a few reminders to continue the smooth running of our school and to keep our school and pupils safe.

• Contacts: Please contact the office immediately if any of your contact details have changed.

• Absences: Please email your child’s teacher if your child does not attend school. Email addresses available on school website or from school office.

• Collecting pupils: Please ring the office if you need to collect your child/ren and wait at the gate for them to be brought out to you. Please do not enter school grounds. 059 9161304

• Safety: As we are now at Level 5 of the Covid Plan we strongly advise parents/guardians to wear face masks outside our school to protect all our school community.

• Drop Off Zone: Please do not park in this spot while you are bringing your child to school. Our traffic management system is only effective with your cooperation. Please respect.

Thank you very much for your continued help and support. These times are strange but life in our school has been all the better because everyone is striving to keep our school community safe.

We would ask you to keep safe over the Halloween break and continue to follow government guidelines. By keeping apart we are keeping safe.

Le gach dea ghuí,


Helen Molloy

Letter from the Principal and BoM - 24.08.20
Covid 19 Response Plan for the Safe Re-opening of our school.

Dear Parents/Guardians,               
                                                                 
I hope that you are all safe and well. With our new school year commencing next Monday 31st August, we have been carefully planning our reopening. The staff and Board of Management are looking forward to the safe return of all our pupils and staff.

We would like to welcome three new members of staff, Mrs Marilyn Keyes who will be teaching 6th class, Mr Shane O’ Toole who will be teaching 3rd class and Mrs Edel Rossiter, our new SNA. We look forward to working with them throughout the year.

This year will be different for everyone. I would ask that parents/guardians take time to read the attached Covid 19 Response Plan for Parents and Pupils. This will hopefully answer all queries and concerns. A hard copy is available from the office if required. Please contact Caroline at 059 9161304 or email rathvilly.ns@gmail.com.

This plan will change as guidelines and recommendations from the Government and HSE are issued.

This detailed plan was devised over many weeks and I would like to thank the staff and Board of Management of the school for their input, effort and commitment.

Please take time to reassure your children that these measures are preventative. We are all doing our best to make sure our children are safe, healthy and happy. This plan will ensure that children can return to school in as safe an environment as possible and we will adapt it as we need to. This will be done with the health and safety of the school community at heart.

Kind regards,

Fr John Mc Evoy                                                                   Helen Molloy
Chairperson, Board of Management                                        Principal

Letter from the Principal and BoM - 18.08.20

Drop off and collection routine for each class on the re-opening of Scoil Phádraig Naofa from 31.08.20

Dear Parent / Guardian,

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.  
Scoil Phádraig Naofa appreciates your support as we try to safely reopen the school building.

If at all possible we request, you do not to come onto the school grounds or into the school building unless you have made an appointment.
Every pupil will go straight to their classroom where their Class Teacher will be waiting for them.
We appreciate that some families will have different drop off times. However, we have tried to minimise the number of families that are inconvenienced, with safety as our priority always.
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/guardians do not try to have meetings with members of staff in the playground 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 in the links above.

le meas,

Fr John Mc Evoy                                                                   Helen Molloy
Chairperson, Board of Management                                        Principal

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR COVID-19 POLICY STATEMENT

LETTER FROM BOARD OF MANAGEMENT AND THE PRINCICPAL
RE: SCHOOL RE-OPENING 13.08.20

                                                                                    
Dear Parent / Guardian, Staff Member,

We are currently working on upgrading our procedures and routines within the school to ensure that there is as much Physical Distancing as is possible in our building. We will apply physical distancing in a practical and sensible way, recognising that the learning environment cannot be dominated by a potentially counterproductive focus on this issue.

Physical Distancing will be achieved in two ways: -
Increasing Separation:  This will be achieved by re-configuring the classrooms to maximise physical distancing. Each class will be referred to as a bubble and we will ensure that there is as little contact as possible between children in different bubbles.  Within the bubbles, children will be organised into pods.  A pod is a group of children (normally 6) who will sit together and who will stay in their pod while in the bubble, or classroom.  

Decreasing Interaction: This will be achieved by decreasing the potential for children from different bubbles to interact.  There will be marked routes for various bubbles to enter and exit the school and to access their classrooms.  Bubbles will have different mid-morning and lunch-time access to the playground.  We will make these routines enjoyable activities for the children, emphasising safety at all times.

While all children will be welcome back to school, we would remind parents that, where children are displaying colds, coughs or flu like symptoms, they should not be sent to school.  Children who display such symptoms in school will be isolated and parents asked to collect them from the school.

Children who have travelled from countries not on the Green List should not attend school during the 14-day self-isolation period.

Further information on COVID-19 symptoms in children is available at: -
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/if-your-child-has-symptoms.html

Teachers will make children aware of the proper hygiene procedures regarding hand washing and etiquette related to sneezing, coughing or spitting.  We would be grateful if you could also emphasise safe behaviour in this regard to your children at home as part of the preparation for returning to school.

Our aim remains to re-open the school in an orderly safe manner, while reassuring the children and making them feel comfortable, safe and relaxed with their friends in the new school environment.  This will be achieved by all of us working towards this common goal.

Kind regards,

Fr John Mc Evoy                                                                           Helen Molloy
Chairperson Board of Management                                                 Principal

Letter from the Principal and BoM - 08.08.20
RE-OPENING OF SCOIL PHADRAIG NAOFA, RATHVILLY

Dear Parent / Guardian,

We hope you and your families are keeping well.

As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 situation.  We are now hoping to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations.
Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of the school is done in a safe manner which prevents the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of Teaching and Learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible.

We have been working on our plan for the safe reopening of the school for some weeks now and will publish the DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools on our school website in the coming weeks.  

The Response Plan will give details of

• Physical preparation, signage, hand sanitiser stations,
• Advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all school staff and pupils
• General and specific advice on how all pupils, staff, parents and visitors will prevent the spread of the virus

We have also published our COVID-19 Policy Statement on the school website. Our BoM will keep you informed as to the progress of our re-opening plans and provide you with the information required by you to play your part in safely re-opening the school.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our children back to school and will be doing all that we can to ensure that the return to school is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children. We will be in touch with you again before school re-opens.

Le meas

Fr John Mc Evoy                                             Helen Molloy
Chairperson, Board of Management                   Principal

The following websites provide further information on COVID-19 and on government advice and recommendations regarding the re-opening of schools: -

• https://www.education.ie/en/covid-19/
• https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/
• https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/a128d-back-to-school/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/backtoschool/