Dear parents/guardians,

We hope you are well and that you had a lovely break over Christmas. Our news this week is as follows

• Thank you to Brendan from the Greenstore who donated a lovely kitkat chocolate treat to all pupils before Christmas. This was to say thanks to all in the school community for their support. We hope that every pupil enjoyed this.
• As you are aware there are high levels of Covid 19 circulating in the community at present. If your child has any symptoms of Covid please do not send them into school and contact your GP for advice. If your child is identified as a household contact of a person infected with Covid 19 they also must isolate and the HSE will advise you on the length of isolation.
• If your child does contract Covid 19 please contact the school either by email at office@tolasns.com or phone at 061 362894 to let us know. We will alert the parents of the pupils in your child’s pod if your child has been at school during the infectious period. At no stage will we identify any individual who has Covid 19. If there is a positive case in a pod the parents of those pupils can apply for free antigen tests. If there is a second case in the classroom within 7 days parents of all pupils will be notified and all pupils in the class can apply for free antigen tests. The school will continue to liaise with the Schools Covid advice line if there are Covid cases here in the school. This will ensure that the school has the most up to date health guidance in relation to Covid 19.
• Pupils in 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th classes are still required to wear face masks at school. This guidance will be reviewed in February. Well done to all our pupils in these classes who attended today wearing their facemasks. Their class teachers will ensure they get regular mask breaks throughout the day.
• On behalf of all in the school community I would like to extend sincere condolences to Diana Fleming on the death of her grandmother before Christmas. I would also like to extend sincere sympathies to Edel Halliday on the death of her father-in-law recently. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.
•  Covid 19 is having a significant impact on staff also with some staff having to isolate. It is extremely difficult to find substitute teachers or SNAs at present. The school will endeavour to keep in person learning going for all pupils.
• Finally I would like to wish all pupils, parents/guardians and staff a happy and healthy New Year.  Let’s hope that 2022 sees the end of the pandemic and a return to a normal life.

Kind regards, Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald, Principal