5th October 2020: Email to all families - See you tomorrow!

Good evening.
So, as expected, we'll be back in school tomorrow.
As I wrote earlier, our whole community has been wonderful at following all the covid-related measures and we have not seen complacency in any group.


Commitment from school staff
Within the school, we have resolved to continue like this for the foreseeable. In particular:

• We will continue to keep windows open in each room at all times.
• We will continue to go outside at yard time, regardless of weather.
• We will continue to allocate outdoor time for each class every day. Use of that time is at the teacher's discretion.
• We will continue to clean high-touch points in each classroom three times every day.
• We will continue to be vigilant for covid symptoms and continue to isolate and send home any person with symptoms. After being sent home, children and staff may only re-enter the school building 48 hours after their last symptom has passed and medical advice has been sought and followed.

Commitment from community
We ask you to continue with the measures you are undertaking on the school campus:

• Wear a mask.
• Keep your distance.
• Limit your time on campus.
• Keep moving; don't stop to chat or wait for someone - if you have time on campus, walk around the car park, following the one-way system.

Outside of the school campus:

• Reduce your contacts and those of your children e.g. choose one outside-of-school friend for each child to play with rather than letting them play with different children each day.
• Limit your time with other people and meet them outdoors if possible.
• Wear a mask, maintain distance, follow sneezing and coughing etiquette; remind others of these too.

Add a layer to the children's clothing
As the weeks go on, it is getting colder and classrooms will be colder than usual as we keep windows open.
We highly recommend that children wear an extra layer. It can be thermal underwear or simply a vest or t-shirt and tights under their clothes.


Morning arrival for senior classes
The children are great at keeping moving if they arrive early. They walk the loop of the car park, keeping moving, which is to be commended.
Unfortunately, it has become a social event and we now have dozens of children doing this. In the current context, it would be better to reduce this number.
If you only have child(ren) in the senior end of the school, please do not allow your child to enter the campus before 8.35am.


One-way system
This is one area where there does seem to be a little complacency.
Please follow the one-way system as you walk around the school.
If you meet someone going the wrong way, kindly remind them of the one-way system, asking them to turn around and follow the route.
It is never ok to walk across the car park. This is very dangerous. When children see adults do this, they are tempted to do it too and they are much more vulnerable doing it than you are.
It takes, at most, one extra minute to walk around by the path. Please do that.


School books and copies
We will take these back out of the bags tomorrow. Should we get a feeling in the future that there might be an announcement about school closures, we will pop the books and copies into the school bags. Again, do not touch them or allow them to be taken out of school bags at home.


I look forward to seeing the children again tomorrow.
Stay safe,
Caitriona.