Re-opening of our School

Re-opening of St. Anne’s NS

HSE Guidelines - If your child has symptoms

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/if-your-child-has-symptoms.html

11/09/2020

Dear Parent/ Guardian,

Thank you for your cooperation with the changes in arrival and departure times from school. These two times were considered critical by the Government in their planning for reopening the schools. With continued incidences of Covid 19 reported country wide, it is essential that we take all necessary measures to avoid congestion and increase distancing around the school.

We are very happy with the ever-increasing number of children cycling and walking to school. We are delighted with the arrangements families are making to ‘Park and Stride’. These are the best ways to ensure social distancing and to avoid congestion and congregations. We will lay a path at the church side of the carpark and have ordered bicycle racks to further promote these means of travel.

It’s early autumn and we’ve already had our first very wet morning. On such mornings, please take your time and be patient. We understand that things take longer on such mornings. It’s best to be safe and to take good care.

In terms of distancing and avoiding congregations, the children’s arrival at school appears to be working well. This is entirely down to your co-operation. Thank you!

We would like to improve the dismissal from school at home time, to further facilitate social distancing and avoid gatherings.

To reduce the time some parents are waiting at the school, we will change from 3 staggered starting and finishing times to 2. This change will begin on Monday September 14^th.

The new staggered times are outlined below.

Park and Stride (evening)

Parents of older children should arrange to meet their child at a place other than the school gate.

Parents of younger children in First or Second class should social distance at the gate if they are collecting their child.

The car park will only be used by cars with special passes and staff cars (for St. Anne’s NS and the Community Centre) in the mornings and afternoons.

Thank you for your continued support and co-operation

31/08/2020

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As we enter our final preparations for the return of the children on Tuesday, September 1^st, we look forward with both excitement and determination. Although we haven’t seen our pupils since March, we know that the return of school will be different this September. Just as we have become used to vastly different shopping and leisure routines, we will introduce our pupils to some new and unusual school routines. Initially we plan to let the children speak, to listen and reassure them as they settle in. There will be strong emphasis around the core protections against Covid-19, especially social distancing and hygiene.

As the cases of Covid-19 are increasing in our country at this time, we are determined to follow the Department of Education and Skills’ guidelines. We have prepared a short video to explain some of the changes we have made to the arrival at and departure from school, to avoid congregations and to promote distancing at critical times in the school day. It can be accessed on our website www.stannesns.ie.

We will monitor and review the new systems to see if they work safely. A reduced use of the carpark to the bare minimum will be necessary. Everyone needs to take the changes seriously. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation and patience over the next few weeks.

To facilitate social distancing, the school is divided into 3 groups with a staggered start time. Classes in each group will use a different gate. An email was sent on Friday 28^th August with details of:

• Your child’s time window for arrival
• The gate through which your child should enter school and
• The coloured markings your child should follow.

Staff members will be present on Tuesday to help. Parents are not allowed to enter the school yard.

On returning to school on Tuesday your child will need:

• A schoolbag and stationary, books etc.
• A lunchbox
• To wear his/her school uniform

Lunch boxes should be washed thoroughly each day. Children should change out of their uniform when they return home. Children will be washing their hands in school 4-6 times daily. Soap dispensers and new hand sanitiser dispensers are available in all the classrooms. Children should not bring their own hand sanitiser.

Children in primary school are not required to wear face coverings. Staff will wear face coverings if they cannot maintain 2m social distancing. Both children and staff are welcome to wear coverings if they wish at any time, but it is not mandatory.

Tuesday, 1^st September 2020.

Give yourself time to walk/cycle or park in the church car park and walk. (ie park and walk)

We ask for your cooperation with this regard.

School reopens on Tuesday, September 1^st. (Please note below is only for first day to allow extra time)

Junior infants will arrive at 10.00am and finish at 12 noon.

Group 1 will arrive between 8.40am and 9.00am and finish at 2.40pm (1.50pm Senior Infants)

Group 2 will arrive between 9.00am and 9.20am and finish at 2.50pm

Group 3 will arrive between 9.20am and 9.40am and finish at 3.00pm

It will be very busy in the mornings particularly as pupils get to know where their new classrooms are located etc.

Teachers will walk the children through their new arrival and departure routines.

Wednesday, September 2^nd onwards.

Group 1 will arrive between 8.50am and 9.00am and finish at 2.40pm. (1.50pm Senior Infants)

Group 2 will arrive between 9.00am and 9.10am and finish at 2.50pm.

Group 3 will arrive between 9.10am and 9.20am and finish at 3.00pm.

This will be reviewed.

Remember children will not be allowed to assemble in the yard as before and only staff will be permitted access to the school before 8.50am.

If you have changed your contact details, please contact Aisleen at (042)9665242 so we can update our system.

If you have any further queries or concerns, please contact the school at (042)9665242 or office@stannesns.ie

Many Thanks

Paul Corcoran.

25/08/2020

Return to School Guidelines - Please watch our video

Please take a look at our 'Return to School Plan 2020.2021' in our policies section under 'Our School'.

21/08/2020

Physical Distancing and Safe School Attendance

Dear Parent / Guardian,

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 will be requested 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 and 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.

Drop-off and Collection Routines

We have now finalised our plans for drop-off and collection of the children.

St. Anne’s N.S. appreciates your support as we try to safely reopen the school building. Please remain outside the school grounds and building unless it is essential to do otherwise.

We 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 request 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. We are advised that further guidance is being prepared by the Department of Education and Skills on whether meetings/ communications should be face-to face or remote.
• all parents adhere to the drop-off and collection plans as outlined below

Drop-off Plan

This drop-off plan is designed to avoid gatherings at the school carpark.

• Pupils will walk or cycle to and from school where it is safe and possible to do so.
• Parents will drive to the church carpark and the children will walk to school from there, as we did on ‘Walk on Wednesdays’. They will maintain social distancing from other children and other families while walking from the carpark to school. (Note this walk will not be guided by teachers).
• There will be 4 entrances to St. Anne’s N.S. through gates in the front railings.
• All our classes will be divided into 4 groups and each group will enter through a different gate.
• There will be three different starting times allowing a 10-minute window for a class to arrive in school.
• Children will go straight to their classroom.
• There will be a set-down system in operation in the carpark for those who cannot park in the church carpark.
• Cars should follow the one-way system as per the recently erected signage.
• Children will be let out on the path by the school railings and go straight to their class’ gate.
• Cars will move away promptly and carefully.

(Gate numbers and a new path/gate arrangement is being prepared. It would be helpful if you could visit the front of the school in the days before September 1^st when these new features are in place in order to familiarise yourself with the drop-off plan, the set-down area and the gate your child’s class has been allocated).

In this way we will decrease interaction at the crucial time at the start of the first school day.

Details of your child’s group, gate, entrance door and start time will follow.

In the case of families who may have children on different start times, the later children are welcome to arrive in school with the earliest sibling and go to their classrooms.

Collection Plan

This collection plan is designed to reduce and where possible to avoid gatherings at the school carpark.

• Classes will be divided into 4 groups and each group will exit through a different gate
• Classes in each group will finish school at 3 different times with a 10-minute window between classes
• Children who travel by bus will make their way to their bus promptly
• Children who walk or cycle home will exit their allocated gate and leave for home promptly
• Parents or adults, permitted to collect children, will wait at the child’s gate, maintaining 2m social distancing
• Children who travel by car will make their way to the car promptly
• Cars will not park in the school carpark to allow for pick-up only.

Please be aware that the gap between start times will be extended for DAY 1 ONLY to help us become familiar with the new system.

Day 1 plan to follow.

17/08/2020

Dear Parent / Guardian,

I hope you and your families are all keeping well.

As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12^th March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now preparing to re-open our school safely on September 1^st 2020, in line with current guidelines 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 have published the DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools on our school website. The Response Plan gives 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 endeavour to 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 enable you to play your part in safely re-opening the school.

We are 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,

John Rooney.

Chairman, Board of Management.

Paul Corcoran.

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/