Dear parents and guardians,
A couple of weeks ago, I informed you that we were formulating a plan to host as many of the exciting activities we usually have at school this June.
I am delighted to say that after a huge effort by lots of staff we have been able to come up with a solution for most activities that allows us to adhere to our school COVID Response Plan. Therefore, the following will happen:
School Tour alternatives
If we cannot get to a tour the tour will come to us!!! Due to massive complications with travel, social distancing, sourcing tours etc. we have arranged for some school tour companies to come into the school and bring their equipment and personnel with them. The GAA have also generously allowed us to use the pitch to host the tours as we do not have enough space in the school.
The tours and dates are as follows:
8th June – 1st and 2nd Classes – Activity Camp*9th June – 3rd and 4th Classes – Activity Camp*14th June – 5th and 6th Classes – Activity Camp*22nd June – Setanta – teachers will notify these children’s parents about the details28th June – Junior and Senior Infants – Mobile Farm Experience
*For the children of 1st to 6th Class it will be important to wear sports clothing on the day of their tour as well as bringing a towel and wearing sun cream depending on the weather.
Sports Week
Due to COVID restrictions we will need to run Sports Day over an entire week in order to keep class bubbles from mixing with one another. Again, this is not something we would normally do but the Department rules on social distancing within schools must be followed.
As a result, each year group will have their Sports Day on a specified day on the week of 21st June 2021. Details regarding the specific dates for each class will be sent separately closer to the time. Once again, we are very grateful to the GAA for allowing us access to the pitch for the entire week to run the Sports Days.
Unfortunately, unlike other years pre-COVID where parents have joined us for the day, we have been strictly instructed by the Department of Education that this needs to be a controlled environment and we are not permitted to invite parents into the pitch for Sports Day which is a huge disappointment. Although it doesn’t come close to a substitute, all we can do is take as many pictures as possible on the day (and of School Tours too) and put them up on our school Facebook page for you and your families to enjoy.
6th Class Graduation
Once again, this is another event which has to be adjusted due to Department instruction and we are not permitted to invite parents of these children into the school building for the ceremony. Parents of 6th Class will have received an email detailing this year’s plan for the occasion.
Resource money paid to the school
We are currently looking into the monies parents have paid for this year’s school resources and we will be contacting you (like we did last year) regarding the reduction of school fees for 2021/2022 for those who have paid in full for this academic year or a reimbursement of some fees to those leaving the school. From our experience of this last year, this takes considerable time to organise and manage and it is further complicated by the fact June is our busiest month of the year. We will get this done as soon as we reasonably can and appreciate your understanding around how busy the school is at this time of the year and that the school secretary is trying to facilitate this by herself.
Although the above events do not compare to the traditional experiences we try to give the children, a huge amount of time, effort and research has gone into securing (with alot schools competing with one another for a small number of possible activities) a fun and exciting alternative for the children and it would not be possible without the colossal amount of work which has gone on behind the scenes.
We hope everyone enjoys the events and we will be in touch with more information where applicable.
Kind regards
Tim