Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you are well and enjoyed the mid-term break last week. Our news this week is as follows

• The prevalence of Covid 19 in our community seems to have increased over the past few weeks. As you are aware the HSE no longer carries out contact tracing in schools if a pupil tests positive. If your child shows any signs or symptoms of Covid 19 please do not send them into school and ring your GP for advice. We have had some positive cases reported to us this week by parents. We are extremely grateful to parents who let us know this information. When we receive this information we send out a text to the parents of the pupils in the class to alert them of this without identifying the pupil concerned. At this time of the year we all need to be more vigilant as viruses can spread more easily. We are continuing with all mitigation measures to reduce the spread of Covid in school. Pupils continue to sit in their pods in class. Class bubbles have their own zone in the yard and are separate at breaktimes. Windows and doors are opened regularly throughout the day to ventilate rooms. The greatest tool we have though is to lessen the chance of transmission and that is why we ask that if your child has any symptoms they remain at home and contact your GP for advice.
• We have been informed recently that some parents are parking in front of houses in the surrounding estates and blocking up driveways. Some of the residents are elderly and emergency services may need access. We ask that you are respectful of local residents when dropping off and picking up your child and do not cause an obstruction at this time. We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.
• As you are aware the school operates a healthy eating policy. Chewing gum is not allowed at any time in school. We ask that you keep treats for Fridays and that it is a small treat such as a biscuit bar etc.
• Well done to 3^rd class who recently completed lovely projects on the Stone Age. Before the mid term I got the opportunity to go into 3^rd class and look at their amazing work and hear some of the facts they learnt about the Stone Age. They also made clay items connected to the Stone Age and I got to see those too. Keep up the great work 3^rd Class!

Kind regards,

Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, Principal