Welcome back to school! We are so happy to see everyone again and welcome the new children to our school.
We welcome our 7 new Junior Infants: Robyn, Eli, Ava, Jakub, Freya, Cole and Judith. Judith and her big sister Carlota, who will be in 1st class, will be joining us soon from abroad. We also welcome Monica in 2nd class.
School Covid Response Plan
The children have adapted well to Covid procedures. There is extra hand washing, sanitising and cleaning. 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 written homework for September, however reading will commence from the middle of September. Homework will be introduced gradually. Your teacher will communicate directly with you regarding homework. Please, please sign your child’s reading card so that your teacher knows that books are read. This applies to all children from Junior Room to Senior Room.
PE, Swimming, Irish Dancing
We hope to recommence Irish dancing classes this term. Dancing will be on Thursdays at a cost of €2.50 a week. Please note children remove shoes for dancing. Please ensure your child is wearing velcro shoes or they can tie their own shoelaces! A bill will be sent at the end of term. The Senior room will do swimming lessons for 6 weeks this term. Your teacher will let you know about cost for this. Junior Room have PE on Tuesdays, Middle Room on Thursdays and Senior Room on Fridays.
School Charter of Rights and Responsibilities
We have a School Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. This Charter was written collaboratively by teachers and pupils and was inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 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 woodland rather than a one-off visit. Classes will make weekly visits to Westport House over a certain timeframe of 4 to 6 weeks providing children with the opportunity to experience the curriculum outdoors. 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 have been on the Department of Education’s schools building list since 2015. However, we suffered a setback in June 2020 when we were told by the Department of Education that it plans for us to share our site on Altamount Street with Educate Together. Neither school wants this arrangement. Since then we have been in talks with the Department of Education, Mayo CoCo, politicians and councillors. We also met with the Minister for Education Norma Foley via Zoom earlier this year. These discussions are ongoing and we are determined to secure a new school for Holy Trinity.
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 in the next few weeks.
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. 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 Rose Horgan (Job sharing) – Special Education Teachers (Elaine Maxwell is on leave)
James Fallon- Class Teacher covering Principal Release Days
Leone Munnelly and Áine Lavelle-Fabby-Special Needs Assistants
Kate McManus – Secretary (Part-time-Mon and Thurs Mornings)
Ann Heraty–Cleaner
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
Canon Jen McWhirter - Bishop’s Representative
Orla Brickenden - Secretary
Meriel Donaghy - Staff Representative
Jim Waters - Community Representative
Cuala Mc Gann - Community Representative
Siun Brickenden-Stevens - Parent Representative
Peter Kinghan - Parent Representative
Our school patron Bishop Patrick Rooke is retiring in October. We wish Bishop Patrick and his family the very best in his retirement.
Parents Association
We welcome the incoming new Parents Association. They are Michael Cullingworth, Fiona McCarthy, Dominik Janczak, Laura Thompson, Patrick O`Reilly and Yuli Derrig. Many thanks to the outgoing Parents Association, Bill Brady and his team. Our PA is a member of the National Parents Council.