Some members of our Green Schools Committee planted a tree in our school grounds to celebrate World Tree Day.

Oíche Shamhna, Oíche Shamhna,
Báirín, breac, báirín breac,
Úlla is cnónna, úlla is cnónna,
Is maith liom iad, is maith liom iad.

Our sixth classes really enjoyed practicing their cycling skills with Dr. Bike!

Reopening St. Brigid’s Senior Girls’

We are looking forward to welcoming all of the children back to school next week. Please read the following letter carefully as it has important information regarding a safe return to school. We are trying out new procedures and it is all very much a work in progress as we learn what works best. We appreciate your support as we do our best to work within the guidelines provided by the Government and adapt to changes as needed.

• Please do not send your child to school if they are feeling unwell. They must stay at home.
• Children should bring only a water bottle in their schoolbag.. Books, workbooks and copies will not be going home on a daily basis.

Arrival and Dismissal

• Each Morning, we will be using a one-way system to enter into the school grounds – everyone must enter the school via the pedestrian gate at St. Brigid’s Infant School.
• Everyone must walk around the perimeter of the school yard and exit through the St. Brigid’s Senior School exit.
• We will be staggering arrival times so that classes are not passing each other unnecessarily.

Each group should aim to arrive at the school in the 5 minutes immediately preceding their start time.

• We ask for co-operation with these times as it will mean that the numbers congregating on school grounds at any one time will be minimised.
  Children from 3rd – 6th class should walk to their yard on their own.
• Each class should line up at their designated point with social distancing observed.
• The class teacher will collect the classes.
• No adults, other than staff members, should enter the building.
• Messages for teachers can be sent by email or by phoning the school office.
• Children from 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th classes are asked to come in from the school gate unaccompanied (without a parent or minder) using the one-way pedestrian system.
• Social distancing must be adhered to at all times in the car park and in all school grounds
• Children will be discouraged from hugging, shaking hands, doing high 5’s and making any other physical contact in greeting – other forms of greeting should be discussed and practiced at home in preparation for this.
• Every class has already been divided into smaller groups or pods –this was arranged by their teacher from last year in consultation with the SEN team and the principal and approved by the Board of Management.
• All resources will be used in the school to allow for social distancing in the senior classes as per Department Guidelines.

Hygiene

• Children will be asked to wash their hands thoroughly when they enter into the classroom, after going to the toilet, before or after playing, before eating and after they sneeze or wipe their nose.
• There is hand sanitiser available in every room in the school and at all entrances.
• Children will be taught appropriate health etiquette such as coughing into their elbow and not to touch their faces if at all possible.
• There will be visual reminders of hygiene etiquette around the school.
• Children are asked to sanitise their hands before opening a door.
• As much as possible resources will not be shared in school. If resources need to be shared they will be shared within pods or they will be sanitised before another person touches them.
  Lunch Time
• There will be two different lunch breaks arranged to reduce the number of pupils on the yard at one time.
• There will be 15 minutes on the yard for both small and big lunch.
• Children will not be able to go to the toilet during yard time as they cannot be supervised at this time (except in exceptional circumstances such as a health condition which has been previously discussed and agreed with the principal).
• The children will have a 10 minute break before going out to give them time to wash hands, eat lunch and go to the toilet.
• Children will be encouraged to play with children from their own pod in the yard.
• Break times are very important. We don’t want the children sitting indoors for long periods. Please ensure your child comes to school with a raincoat and waterproof shoes. The children will be out in the fresh air as much as possible.
• Children will need to bring all rubbish from their lunch home with them.

Important Newsletter – June 2020

School will re-open on 31 August 2020

Thank you all for your continued support over the past few months as we all tried to live and adjust to life with Covid-19.

Please see the calendar with all dates for school closures for 2020/2021 that will be on the website in the coming days.

Book Rental – Money Owed and Return of Books
Thank you to everyone who returned their book rental books over the last two weeks.

We are trying to keep the cost of the Book Rental Scheme as low as possible for families. If we have to replace books every year this makes it very difficult to keep the cost down. The school office is open everyday from 11am – 2pm until 10 July so you can return books then if you have not done so already.

Book Rental Money for 2020/2021 school year costs €100 for all books, workbooks, stationery and much more. This can still be paid to the school office until 10 July between 11am – 2pm. Miriam will be available then.

Thank you to everyone who has paid so far. If you foresee any difficulties in paying please speak to us in confidence as arrangements can be made for payment in instalments.
Great care must be taken of all school books which children receive under the rental scheme.

September 2020 – Important Note

The Board of Management and Senior Management are currently in the process of doing a risk assessment to ensure the safe return of the children and staff to school in September. It will be completed nearer the time we will return to school, in accordance to government guidelines and advice from NPHET.

We will need to limit the number of outside non-essential adults in the building due to COVID-19.

We will have a new protocol in place for managing crowds as of next September and we will let you know what the school protocol is nearer the time.

6th Classes

We would like to say Farewell to all of the children in 6th class as they move to the next stage of their education. We wish you all every success and happiness in the future. We had a Drive-By Graduation on Monday 29 June where they were presented with their Certificates and a gift from the school to wish them well on their way. It was lovely to see all of the children and their families.

Farewell

We would like to wish Ms. Caithriona Lynch and Mr. Kevin Mullins every success as they leave us to go on Career Break for the coming school year. They have been a wonderful part of the St. Brigid’s team over the past number of years and they will be missed.

Class Allocation 2020/2021

2nd Class – Ms. Barry

2nd Class – To Be Confirmed

3rd Class – Ms. Dooley – will have Ms Dooley again

3rd Class – Ms. Lee – To Be Confirmed

4th Class – Ms. McGrane – will have Ms McGrane again

4th Class – Mrs. O’Beirne – will have Mrs. O’Beirne again

4th Class – Mr. Mullins – To Be Confirmed

5th Class – Ms. Egan – will have Ms. Egan again

5th Class – Ms. Caffrey – will have Ms. Caffrey again

6th Class – Ms. Friery – will have Ms. Arthur

6th Class – Mrs. Flaherty – will have Mrs. Flaherty again

Room 10 – Gemma Kerrigan – Gemma until December, Camilla McDonnell in January

Room 11 – Caithriona Lynch – Sub until December, Gemma Kerrigan in January

Learning Support – Ms. Ryan, Ms. McMullen and one more to be confirmed

We ask that parents always make an appointment to see the class teacher. The class teacher is responsible for the whole class and cannot speak with Parents at the line. Please put a note in your child’s diary if you wish to make an appointment or email the class teacher.

School Office

Please note that the office will be open until 10 July between 11am – 2pm.

Emergency Contacts – Email address required for all families
Please ensure that the Emergency Contact sheet has been filled out and returned to the class teacher in September. We would ask that the school has an up-to-date mobile number and email address that you may receive any texts or emails sent by the school using our texting service.

We will be moving to Aladdin Connect in September. We will be issuing any updates by email only. Texts will not be sent except in case of emergency. Please ensure we have your email address on file.

Contact with Teachers in September

In September, you will need to email the class teacher or send a note in your child’s journal for them to phone you. Meetings at the line, morning or evening, will not be possible as we need to ensure safe social distancing for everyone.
New email addresses have been set up for teachers and you will be provided with this address.

New Dates for Sacraments – Autumn 2020

Fr. Eamann issued a letter to the school last week that can be found posted on the school blog.

First Holy Communion: Wednesday 16 September 2020 at 2pm in St. Canice’s Church
Confirmation: Wednesday 7 October 2020 at 2pm in St. Canice’s Church.

The above dates are for all children in St. Brigid’s who were due to make their Communion and Confirmation in April/May 2020. The dates are provisional based on advice from NPHET nearer the time.

Important Note: As the Church of the Annunciation has closed down, we are very fortunate to have the Parish of St. Canice so nearby. The Parish has been very supportive and accommodating to all four of the schools using it for Communion and Confirmation ceremonies.

Just to make all parents and guardians aware, the Board of Management wishes to advise parents that the school is not in a position to organise for photographs to be taken in school after the Communion or Confirmation.

Cycling, Swimming, School Tours, Outside groups accessing the school in 2020/2021

Due to Covid-19 we are, as of yet, unsure how activities that we regularly organise for the children will proceed in the coming school year. We will base our decisions on advice from NPHET and let you know about arrangements nearer the time.

Label

Make sure that all clothing items, books, school bag, lunch box etc. are clearly labelled/marked with the pupils FULL name. St. Brigid’s is not responsible for items that are mislaid. We can’t hold on to any items that are found and not labelled.

School Website: www.stbrigidsschool.com

Please refer to the school website, in particular the Latest News on the blog for recent updates and information. The website is of great benefit to our school and will provide parents, pupils and the public with instant information regarding our school.

Library

The school library will be closed for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19 as will class libraries. Please return all library books to the school before 10 July. 79 books were still outstanding as of 30 June 2020.

Parking

The area surrounding the school can become very busy in the morning and at hometime. Please be aware of our neighbours when parking. If possible, try to walk or cycle to school.
The yellow lines outside the school must be kept clear so that the lollipop lady can ensure the children cross the road safely.
Parents are not allowed to drive into or park in the school carpark to ensure the safety of the children and staff.
Parking on the school grounds is for Staff only. Parents, if someone is collecting your child for you please make them aware of this rule.

Testing

Please note: Drumcondra Testing will be carried out in school in the Autumn term, dates to be confirmed. Please ensure that your child is in school for these tests. The results allow us to support your child. It is a very time consuming task to test every child in the school. If your child misses the test we cannot guarantee that we will have time to retest. Exact dates for each class will be given nearer the time.

Birthdays

Please do not send in birthday cakes to school for distribution to the class. It is a very kind gesture but due to Covid-19 this is no longer possible. Children are not allowed to hand out invites to others in the class unless everybody is invited. Leaving children out can cause hurt and upset to them. Parents must make other arrangements.

Congratulations

Congratulations to all children who won prizes during the year. It was especially great to see all the various things you achieved during lockdown via email.

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club will not be in operation in September due to Covid-19. We can’t guarantee social distancing in this setting. It is such a pity as we have such a dedicated team of volunteers to help with this every morning. We are working on an alternative option for the children.

Classes for Parents

St. Brigid’s will not be in a position to host any classes for parents including Cookery with Paul as only essential staff and workers will be allowed access in the school to ensure contact tracing can be done effectively. We look forward to being able to resume these activities in the future.

Happy Summer!

Teachers are on their holidays now! They will not be sending texts and they will not be answering emails or calls until the beginning of the next school year. If you need to make contact urgently with the school please email the school at the new email address info@stbrigidssgns.ie

We wish you all a very happy and safe summer and look forward to hearing the buzz of the children in our school building in September.

A letter from Fr Eamon with provisional dates for Communion and Confirmation.

22nd – 26th June

Active Week Bingo

It is our second week of Active Week.  See if you can complete a line of activities each day to complete your Bingo Card by Thursday. If you could email some photos to your teacher in one email (including your name) showing how you are doing the activities we will be arranging for you to receive a prize for all your efforts.

Friday is FAB FRIDAY: Please email a photo or send a written report of what you did for FAB FRIDAY to your teacher!

https://youtu.be/y21NxFXv8LQ – This is a link to Ciarán Kilkenny’s (Dublin Footballer and Hurler)Go Games youtube video.

Super, step by step activities to build skills.  This could be done over the two weeks and skills videos/photos posted to the school blog.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This school year has had many challenges and we have begun planning for the next school year.

Last year, we had an excellent uptake in payment by instalments, (or one payment of the full amount) during the last term of school. This has not been possible this year due to Covid-19 so we would ask you to have the €100 for all textbooks, workbooks, support books, copies, stationery, calculators, two crest badges, art, craft and photocopying paid by Monday 7 September 2020.

We are changing a number of workbooks, textbooks and materials for next year, which better reflect the curriculum. These will also be included in this one charge.

Due to Covid-19, it will not be possible for Parents/Guardians to enter the school building from September. So, if you are sending in payments with your child, they should be enclosed in an envelope, with your Child’s Name and Class Room Number written clearly on the outside. You will be given a receipt for each payment.

We hope this will be of assistance to you over the coming months. As you can appreciate, organising the books, stationery, etc. is a huge task. If you have any questions, please phone the school on 01 8342416.

Le gach dea-mhéin,

---

Siobhán Loughman
Príomhoide

The detailed booklist for each class level is shown below:

The school plan for active week can be found on the previous page by clicking the arrow at the end of this post.

Active Week Bingo

The next two weeks are Active Week.  See if you can complete a line of activities each day to complete your Bingo Card by Thursday. If you could email some photos to your teacher in one email (including your name) showing how you are doing the activities we will be arranging for you to receive a prize for all your efforts.

Friday is FAB FRIDAY: Please email a photo or send a written report of what you did for FAB FRIDAY to your teacher!

https://youtu.be/y21NxFXv8LQ – This is a link to Ciarán Kilkenny’s (Dublin Footballer and Hurler)Go Games youtube video.

Super, step by step activities to build skills.  This could be done over the two weeks and skills videos/photos posted to the school blog.