Principal's Notes Archive

23rd Oct 2021 - Happy Mid term to all!

To update you the last day we had a Green & Red Day, we also gathered some money fundraising for a good cause.

The amount raised was €215 and the benefitting charity was Gearóid's Smile. Feel free to internet search about this brave young boy, who is no longer with us but, as a result of whom, great work has been achieved in child cancer and support in the Mayo.

Fr Peter Letter

NEW update on First Holy Communion & Confirmation.
Now cancelled again!
Please see below for the letter that issued from the Archdiocese to Parishes and the letter from Fr Peter on the matter.

Download file

Return to Educational Facility Pupil Declaration Form HPSC

Parents can find the Back to education setting forms which should be filled and returned after any absence.

Download file

Letter to Primary Principals 8 Mar 21

Download file

Parent Teacher Meetings 2020-2021

With the unusual circumstances presented by COVID19, Parent-Teacher meetings will take place over the phone this year. These phone calls methods with the alternative option of Zoom internet calls or written notes to parents, separate to the end of year reports has been the suggested by the Department of education and skills.

Individual teachers will contact parents with suggested times and dates for these phone calls

Please be aware recording of these calls is strictly prohibited.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Mark Loftus. Principal

Returning from holiday abroad

If pupils are returning from abroad they must isolate for 14 days unless they were visiting in so called 'Green List' countries.

School Re-opening Plan

Dear Parents, pupils and school community,

Please find below information on the planned re-opening of Claremorris BNS for the reception of pupils on Monday August 31st from 9:10 onwards.

Some information will be added to this over time and some may change at short notice. Please remain informed not only on this but on any advice from the Government and HSE around developments with Covid19 in Ireland and especially locally.

What you need to know at this point is;

Monday August 31st is opening day for return to school for all pupils from 9:10 to 9:35 a.m. 2nd class pupils will arrive from 9:10-9:15, 3rd class pupils from 9:15-9:20, 4th class pupils from 9:15-9:20, 5th class pupils from 9:25-9:30 and 6th class pupils from 9:30-9:35

No pupils should be on school premises before 9:05 this, but we know this is not reality. If they are, they must maintain social distance from one another and not congregate in groups of more than 6.

Staggering of arrival, lunch breaks and departure will be necessary to avoid over-crowding and gatherings and to help maintain social distancing insofar as that is possible. School Staff will assist with this insofar as that is possible.

School Uniform should be washed regularly but, lunch bags and lunchboxes etc are more important to be washed properly every day at home. School bags should be sanitised daily at home after each school day with disinfection wipes. Plain versions of the school uniform are acceptable where the official uniform is not available or due to be washed

The school will open up additional entrances or access points and instruct pupils to head straight for the classroom. Therefore, there will be no full school assembly.
This means for all classes entry via the emergency exit into their classroom. 2nd class however enter at the main front door and will exit to yard via emergency exit.
For those arriving by car, parents are asked to park further away from the school and then walk with their children to avoid congestion. Please do not enter the school building with them unless absolutely necessary.

Those who travel by bus, must be in agreement with the bus operator as to what is acceptable regarding seating, sanitising, face masks or alternative. The school Board of Management will not accept responsibility for what occurs outside of school.

On entering school, all persons including pupils will sanitise and likewise on leaving school. Pods will be required to regularly hand wash or sanitise throughout the school day also especially before and after eating and breaktimes.
There will be a predominantly One way system in place around the school within reason.

At this point, Temperature Checks of pupils are not required but this may be subject to change and will be implemented as necessary then. The Board of Management has requested that Staff Temperatures are checked daily by the Lead Worker Representative (LWR) or Deputy LWR. (Mrs. Elaine O'Malley & Mrs Katherine Hutton)

All visits to the school from anyone who is not a member of staff or enrolled pupil must be made by appointment through the secretary. In light of current Covid-19 situation, there can be no unexpected visitors to the school.

Contract Tracing Logs will be filled and kept by the school and forwarded as requested and appropriate to HSE as required. See note above about visitors.*

All School Personnel have a shared responsibility in promoting and maintaining a positive and safe environment to work and learn in.

Classroom Teachers will be responsible to ensure that calm, common sense approaches to maintaining distancing and hand hygiene as well as cleaning down desk and surfaces daily in classrooms will be monitored and maintained.

Classrooms Teaching Spaces will be vastly different insofar as pupils will need to maintain a minimum space from each other of a 1metre distance and as such classroom layout may vary from room to room to best facilitate social distancing with that class.

Classes from up to 2nd class are not required to have bubbles or Pods similar to older classes. Classes and Pods within classes should avoid mixing with other Pods or classes as much as possible.
Classes 3rd-6th are required to have Pods or bubbles of pupils who will do everything together. These will work closely together and, play together, sanitise together etc.

Lunch breaks will be staggered and classes will keep separate areas on yard. 2and class and 4th class will use the back yard at 10:45-10:55 and re-enter or the emergency exit and back door.
3rd class will go to the yard beside their classroom.
5th & 6th classes will exit to back yard via their emergency exit.
Small break for them will be 11:00-11:10
The same applies for big lunch but note the times are 2and, 3rd and 4th usual old time 12:30-1:00
5th &6th 1:05-1:35
Any possible equipment needed for break times will already be in classrooms. The hall area will not be used to drop off or collect footballs etc. before and after break.

Home time will be still 3:00 but pupils will get used to exiting calmly n controlled groups from the exits their teacher directs them from to school gates where they go to home.

Please try not to congregate in groups of more than 6 and maintain physical distancing as best as possible at all times.

PE: There will be no swimming as part of PE for at least the First Term or until such time as Claremorris Pool open properly to the public.

Sharing of School equipment will be kept to a minimum and must be sanitised before being passed to another pod, group or class.

Pupils do not have to wear face masks but those who wish to, may do so. Cloth Masks are not recommended for people under 13 or those with Asthma and breathing difficulties.

It is mandatory that Teachers and staff in school wear face masks or Visors or face shields.

Movement throughout the school needs to be calm but controlled.

As often as possible, Rooms should be kept well ventilated.

In the event of an infection HSE advice will be followed and if necessary a re-closure and for the purposes of those pupils who must stay at home due to Covid-19 infection and who must isolate for 14 days, class lesson plans or schemes of work will need to be put up online or a scheme of work and books etc. sent home with the pupil.

The Board of Management of Claremorris BNS in recognition of its Duty of Care and commitment to implement the Covid -19 Policy Statement will not be held legally responsible should a person attending the school or employed in the school contract Covid-19.

Re-opening of School Monday August 31st 2020

It is the plan to re-open school on Monday August 31st at 9:10

Further notices will be placed here in the coming days

Please meanwhile remember to remind yourselves and your children of the Covid-19 symptoms

which are;

a cough - this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Please ensure also you know how to teach and remind to your child how important cough and sneeze etiquette is, proper hand-washing and sanitising and finally maintaining social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.

Books rented from school drop off

22/06/2020

Dear Parents,

Hope you are all well?!

We are in the final official week of school! I wish to draw your attention to a text you received about rented books drop off.

Books that have been rented from the school this year are due to be returned for pupils in 3rd, 4th and 5th classes. The collection will be on Wednesday 24th of June between the hours of 12-3. Social Distancing and Hand Sanitising will continue to be observed. Face masks are preferred but optional.

Parent will come in front door sanitise, go to pupil's classroom and drop them of where a brief check will be done by class teacher if present at the time. Some queuing may be necessary but hopefully this task can be accomplished without difficulty.

Thanking you sincerely for all your hard work, support and linking in with the school over the past year, especially since the closure with Covid 19. a word of congratulations and praise to the staff and teachers also for their efforts at preparing suggested lessons for remote engagement.

Please congratulate your boys on their engagement with online suggested work and indeed yourselves! It has been a very unusaul and challenging time for everyone. Thankfully, we are continuing to go in the right direction and I am optimistic at this point that school will return to normal again.

The new academic year will begin on Monday August 31at. The calendar for the year is here on the website for your information. Be aware that apart from the standardised holidays, we will be taking a week in May 2021 onto the bankholiday.

I a believe that First Holy Communion will be made by pupils in 2nd and 3rd class in May 2021 also. This will be confirmed by the Parish Team and Fr Peter in due course. We will confirm it then also.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Mark Loftus. Principal. CBNS

Cash For Clobber Collections

On behalf of the Parent's Association, Chairperson Mr Seán Gallagher and indeed myself, I'd like to thank you all for your great collecting and generous bagging of items for the 'Cash for Clobber' collection. It was a great success! When the figure is revealed as to what was raised, I will post notice of it.

The bags will be colelcted by the company who operate this scheme soon.

Thank you very much and Well done!

Mark Loftus. Principal

Letter to Parents

19/04/2020

Dear Parents, Guardians & Pupils,

I hope you are all keeping well in this ongoing strange and often worrying time.

Hopefully, you all got some form of rest and a break over Easter and Thank God, the weather at least has been good.

These are trying and testing times, yet, we are tough people and have been meeting the challenge of Covid19 admirably. We shall continue to do so. Please try not to worry. We shall overcome it! You must realise that I am very proud of and thankful to you all in the way in which you have adapted to the extreme, yet necessary conditions placed on us all with the advice of the experts in Government and the HSE. Please, continue to follow this guidance until we are informed otherwise directly by them especially about good and frequent hand-washing, 2 metre social distancing, and not gathering in groups. Your health and the health of your loved ones depends on maintaining these habits for the foreseeable future. Whether school will re-open after May 5th in some form of phased basis or other format suggested, remains uncertain and we await to be advised formally.

This note is basically just a short update to say hello and let you know that there are new suggested work updates for pupils from all classes on the website under the tabs Breaking News & Work and Suggested Activities. I wish to thank the teachers for their cooperation and assistance on this.The working from home situation is not ideal and has thrown up some challenges for us all. The most important thing to remember however, is to remain calm and not worry about trying to get all this suggested work done perfectly to completion. It is just a suggested activity and we as a school were expected to provide such suggested work by the Departments of Education & Skills and the Inspectorate.

We were not in a position to provide safe, secure online platforms for video classroom settings like some other schools which have not been without their own difficulties both technologically and security wise. While that is something I admire in others, I am not disappointed by our efforts and more importantly yours. Please, keep up the good work!

As mentioned in my first note on the website similar to this, to be found under the ' Breaking news & work' tab further down the page under Class teachers suggested plans of work, on the "Home School Links Suggested Websites" the following are suggestions for work continuation and loose time structures.

The time you should be spending on subjects in any order ( but best stick to your timetables if possible) are as follows:

English daily: 60 minutes include a spelling, reading and writing task.

Maths: 4 hors 10 per week = 74 minutes daily

Gaeilge: 3 hours 30 per week = 42 nóiméad gach lá : Litriú, leitheoireacht (léamh) agus Scríbhneoireacht (scríobh)

SESE: History, Geography, Science: Weekly 3 hours but daily if you wish = 36 minutes each

Arts Education: Visual Arts, Music, Drama: 3 hours weekly: =daily 36 minutes

Religion: 30 minutes daily ( Now may be a good time to learn the prayers and responses for Mass)

Handwriting practice 15 minutes daily where possible.

SPHE: Healthy Eating Activities and Wellbeing exercises should be focussed on especially from any valid source.

PE can be in the form of any physical movement and exercise and even better if you can make a game out of it. It’s important to eat healthily and keep fit at least 40-60 minutes of moderate exercise daily.

Take regular breaks and move around, have lunch etc.

The links below this message on the next page of the website are shared lists that are recommended for continuing learning from home and are edited and added to regularly.

They also include links to access online versions of school books and other resources.

Careful consideration was given to the possibility of opening the school briefly and on a strict, phased basis allowing only one person per household to collect books or materials at designated time opportunities. Above this note is update on this. It is critical that we do not create panic or an opportunity where groups of people are coming into the school in close contact to collect these books or materials. The perceived good that might come from that could be hazardous and detrimental to the great effort and progress that has already been achieved by something like that if not handled and managed with extreme caution.

My thoughts and prayers go to all of you for your continued good health and also my sympathies and prayers to anyone in the school community who has been sadly affected by Covid19 Coronavirus, particularly those who may have loved ones in hospital receiving care or those who have been sadly bereaved. May the Souls of the faithfully departed, rest in peace.

Please feel free to contact me by email at claremorrisbns@gmail.com should you need to for any reason and I will try to reply as soon as I can to you.

Wishing you all and our pupils well and continued good health.

Mr. Mark Loftus. Principal.