Autumn Term Newsletter 2020 - Holy Trinity NS

Welcome back to school! We are so happy to see everyone again and welcome the new children to our school

We welcome our 6 new Junior Infants: Chloe, Filip, Hubie, Mysha, Ruth and William. We also welcome Patrycja in 4th class and Kamil in 6th class. We welcome our new neighbours, Canon Jen, Stephen and Kizzy in the rectory next door.

School Covid Response Plan

The children have adapted well to our new normal. There is extra hand washing, sanitising and cleaning. Teachers sometimes have to wear masks. We have bubbles and pods. Protocols are in place in case of Covid illness. We have staggered break times, but children now have more space in the playground. Overall, we are happy to be back at school and the children are enjoying being with their friends again.

Homework

There will be no homework for September, however children may be asked to complete spellings challenges on line as part of the new Spellings for Me programme. Homework will be introduced gradually, but will be kept to a minimum to ensure there is little transfer of books between home and school. Your teacher will communicate directly with you regarding homework.

School Charter of Rights and Responsibilities

We have a School Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.

This was inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and was launched by Enda Kenny TD. Please read this with your child and sign the attached Charter as it underpins our aim to strive for best learning experiences for our children.

Please return Charter so that it can be attached to homework diary.

Forest School

Forest School will continue this year. This will feature regular sessions in a woodland rather than a one-off visit. It is envisaged that classes will make weekly visits to Westport House over a certain timeframe. We plan that children will have the opportunity to experience the curriculum outside. Parents will be given notice of “Forest Days” and children will need to come to school with appropriate clothing and footwear. More details to follow...

New School

The story so far.....We launched a Save Our Site campaign to voice our opposition to Department of Education plan for two schools to be located on one site. Thank you to all who signed the petition on our Facebook page and email link. http://ipt.io/L2WHK The petition is still live, please share with others if you haven’t already done so, we need approx 400 more to make our target of 1,000. We are on the DES Building List and will continue to lobby DES to provide us with a new school building.

Lunches

We have a healthy eating policy so please do not give your child fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate bars or crisps for lunch. We ask that each child has a lunchbox and takes home his/her own lunchtime waste. Everyone is responsible for their own waste.

School books and Stationery

We operate a book rental scheme. All textbooks are rented for a small fee. Workbooks and copies have to be paid for in full. A bill will be sent to you at the end of September.

Thank you to all who have named their child’s pencils etc. Reminder, please provide your child with a named scissors and pritt stick. Thank you to those who have already done this. Also, children from 1st to 6th will need their own headphones whenever they work on ipads. Headphones may be left in school in a named plastic bag. (Lidl have some Bluetooth headphones in stock at the moment). Finally, don’t forget a raincoat; we will always endeavour to get outside for break times.

Who’s Who

Orla Brickenden – Class Teacher Junior Room and Principal

Caroline Leonard- Class Teacher Middle Room (Rachel Bourke is on leave)

Meriel Donaghy- Class Teacher Senior Room

Linda Campbell and Elaine Maxwell (Job sharing) – Special Education Teacher

Leone Munnelly and Áine Lavelle-Fabby-Special Needs Assistant

Kate McManus – Secretary (Part-time-Tues and Thurs Mornings)

Ann Heraty–Cleaner

We say a huge thank you and farewell to Rob and Fiona Bradwell who have cleaned the school for over 10 years. We will give them a send off at a school assembly.

School Opening Time

School opens at 9.05am. Lessons commence at 9.25am. Junior and Senior Infant collection is at 1.45pm. Please collect infants promptly at 1.45pm. This ensures First Class have their teacher to themselves for the last hour of the day. School ends at 2.45pm for other classes.

Board of Management

The Board of Management has overall responsibility for the school. The board members are:

Lesley Emerson: Chairperson Jim Waters: Community Representative

Canon Jen McWhirter: Bishop’s Representative Cuala Mc Gann: Community Representative

Orla Brickenden: Secretary Siun Brickenden-Stevens: Parent Representative

Meriel Donaghy: Staff Representative Peter Kinghan: Parent Representative

Child Safety Statement and Risk Assessment:  Anti-Bullying Policy

The board of management’s annual review of the Child Safeguarding Safety Statement and Anti-Bullying Policy was completed at the BoM meeting on 19th August. This review was conducted in accordance with “Checklist for Review of the Child Safeguarding Statement”. These documents are located in the policy section of our website and in hard copy in the entrance hall.

School Website and Facebook Page

Do check out the school website and Facebook as it is regularly updated and school activities are displayed there.  www.holytrinityns.com

And Finally.....

We wish to work in partnership with you. If you have any concerns or queries, please feel free to make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher. We will have Parent/Teacher meetings later on in the term but we are very happy to meet with you at an arranged time throughout the year.

Dates for your Diary

Dates for your Diary