Parents’ Update June 2020

Parents/Guardians
I hope you, your children and families are keeping safe and well during these unprecedented times.
As June approaches, we wish to outline some upcoming events and arrangements for parents and children.

I wish to thank you for your support and feedback to date. We are conscious that every home and every child is different and consequently requires different supports. Staying in touch with your child’s teacher is a vital link in this individualised approach.

A wide variety of methods of contact are in use to encourage close links, ranging from high tech to post. We communicate with you through What’s App, text, telephone, email, Facebook, post, Aladdin, school website.

Our WhatsApp groups, with a volunteer class rep for every class is proving very popular and a great way of sourcing information about your child’s class. If you haven’t signed up, it’s not too late to email your consent to your child’s class teacher or to Susan  in school office…office@scoilghobnatan.com

Microsoft Teams has been added to our range of online resources which will enable direct contact between teacher and pupils, for the purposes of remote learning.  This is an exciting ‘next step’ for our school.  Pupils will have direct contact with each other, under their teacher’s supervision. You can consent to this forum by emailing your child’s class teacher directly. Download the app to your phone, tablet, laptop. Please Click Here to Download Microsoft Teams 

Week of June 2nd:

We will return all monies paid for school tours to parents in person throughout this week.  You may also return book rentals, class novels, musical instruments and any other school resources during this week.  This will be facilitated as follows:

Tuesday, 2nd June:       

Junior Infants:  11am to 12 noon

Senior Infants: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Wednesday, 3rd June: 

Second Class:   11am to 12 noon.

First Class:       12:30pm to 1:30pm

Thursday, 4th June: 

Third Class:      11am to 12 noon

Fourth Class:    12:30pm to 1:30pm

Friday, 5th June:

Fifth Class:       11am to 12 noon

Sixth Class:      12:30pm to 1:30pm

Social distancing protocols will be adhered to. Staff will be available to direct you on your designated day.  Please return books and resources in plastic bags.

Booklists and School Reports

Your child’s annual school report will be posted to you on Friday, June 12th.  Booklist for September 2020 will be included.  Please ensure that we have your correct contact details.  Please inform your child’s class teacher of any changes.

Plans for New School Term

Scoil Ghobnatan is in frequent contact with Department of Education & Skills officials.  We await guidelines for the safe return of pupils and staff for September 2020.  You will be kept informed of updates and developments.  The safety of your child and our school staff is of paramount importance to us.

Allocation of classes for September is currently underway.  You will be informed as soon as details are finalised.  We are looking forward to welcoming our new Junior Infants to ‘big school’!  We are finalising details for the graduation of our sixth class as they transition to Secondary School.  It is important that we celebrate the end of this chapter in their young lives.

Bishop William Crean has informed us that he is hopeful that the Sacrament of First Holy Communion will take place in September/October 2020.  He will outline the format of these ceremonies in due course.

Congratulations to our Green Schools Committee, led by Ms Nollaig Murphy, on being awarded the school’s Fifth Flag for Biodiversity.  We are very proud of the quality of work undertaken by the pupils and staff.

Thanks to parents for forwarding photos of your children, engaging in many creative activities during lockdown. A beautiful display in this week’s Mallow Star. Ms Eleanor Walsh coordinated on school’s behalf and we hope to continue with similar events throughout the month. We will  put regular updates on our Facebook page. Your child’s class teacher will communicate with you.

Finally, I thank you for your continued encouragement and support as we all try to make our way through these difficult times.  All of our staff truly miss the daily interaction with our pupils and are looking forward to catching up with them over the coming days.  It will give us an opportunity to support you in offering reassurance to your child and allaying any concerns they may have as we approach the end of this school year.  If you wish to make contact with us, please email your child’s class teacher or myself at principal@scoilghobnatan.com

Keep safe and well!

Every good wish!

Mr. Walsh

Resources

  • RTE Home School  – will broadcast two hours of “school on TV” to support primary school children and their parents at home. It will air every weekday, for two hours from 10am on RTÉ2 starting Monday, 11 January 2021.

  • Cúla4 on TG4 provides plenty of Gaeilge programmes which children can watch to keep up their Gaeilge learning.

  • Water Safety Now every child can learn basic water safety skills at home

  • Twinkl.ie have excellent school closures packs which can be used as extra work from home should your child like to do some extra activities – use code CVDTWINKLEHELPS for a free month when signing up

  • Let’s Play Ireland is a government-led initiative aimed at promoting play for all children living in Ireland during the COVID-19 emergency.

Special Education Needs

  • NCSE  – The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently preparing online resources for children with Special Educational Needs who are at home as a result of the schools’ closure.