Latest News

Happy Retirement Ms. O’ COnnor

Click on the link below to see a trailer for our new Virtual School Assemblies…. Coming Soon!

Virtual Assembly Trailer

Please Click on the Links Below to Access our School’s Covid-19 Response Plan & Risk Assessment Review

Covid-19 School Plan June 2020

Full Risk Assessment COVID 19

F.A.Q. on School Reopening

18/08/20

Dear Parent / Guardian, Staff Member

We hope you and your families are keeping well. As you know we are planning for the safe reopening of our school on Thursday 27 August in line with current guidance and recommendations. A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes over the past few months to ensure that the school is ready for a safe opening on 27 August. We will all be called on to play our part to ensure that re-opening the school is done in a safe manner which prevents the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of teaching and learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible. The Response Plan will be published on the school website. We have also put together a list of common F.A.Q’s for parents and staff in order to avoid as much uncertainty as possible. However, please understand that this is a live document and it is subject to change at any time. If you have any specific questions that we can help with please contact us on office@kilmeadns.ie

Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – Board of Management, School Staff, Parents and Pupils

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Will all children be able to come back to school together?

Yes, that is the plan at present. We will be asking each child to leave a pencil case at school for the unforeseen future and to have a pencil case left at home for home activities. School or generic tracksuit is recommended and we ask you to continue to wash them as regularly as needs be. Full school uniform is perfectly fine too.

Will there be staggered times / days for different classes?

1st to 6th class will all begin their school day as normal at 9.00am and finish at 2.40pm. Senior Infants will begin their day at 9.00am and finish at 1.40pm. Junior Infants will begin their day at 10.00am and finish at 12.00pm on the 27^th & 28^th and will then have two weeks of 9.00am to 12pm before they start their full days (begin at 9.00am and finish at 1.40pm) from Monday 16^th September.

How will Social Distancing work in Scoil Íde Naofa?

The answer to this question depends on what class your child is in. If your child is in either Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st class or 2nd class there are No Social Distancing requirements. However, each class will remain in its own bubble and we will be organising children into smaller Pods where possible which will be a minimum of 1 metre apart. If your child is in 3rd, 4^th, 5^th or 6^th class there are a different set of rules. These rules are as follows:

Each classroom is to be treated as a stand-alone entity called a Bubble.
The classroom will then be divided up into groups called Pods.
These Pods could have as many as 6 children in them or less if feasible.
All pods will sit 1m apart.
On the yard, each Bubble (Class grouping) will go to a specific area and will not interact with another Bubble. This means in reality that the children in 6th class will only interact with their own classmates. The same is true for those in 3rd, 4th and 5th classes. These groups will not mix.

Has the school enough hand sanitisers?

Yes. The school has purchased Hand Sanitisers and most have already been installed in the following areas –

Each classroom (x2)
Various points along school corridor
Outside Principal’s office
Staff Room
Resource Rooms (all)
School Hall
School Library

Frequency of Hand Hygiene

Pupils and staff will perform –

On arrival at school
Before eating or drinking
After using the toilet
After playing outdoors;
When their hands are physically dirty
When they cough or sneeze

What about in the Bathroom Areas within classrooms?

The bathrooms in each classroom have dispensers with soap and sinks with water. Each classroom also has paper towel dispensers and pedal bins for safe disposal of towels.

What will happen in the morning upon arrival to school?

At present the plan is as follows – On normal dry days, children will assemble in the yard in their newly designated areas. On the first few days there will be lots of guidance. We do ask parents not to congregate at the school gate to aid drop off in a safe and timely manner. The children will be directed to their class Bubble.

Children should not arrive until 8.50am and no children should be on the premises before that time.
Junior Infants can be accompanied by parents to their area at 9.50am, to start school at 10am for the first 2 days.
The class teacher will invite the children to enter the building via their designated entrance point at the appropriate time.
On wet days, class teachers will be in their rooms at 8.50am for children to go straight into their rooms and will begin lessons at 9.00am.
No adults, other than staff members, should enter the building
Messages for teachers can be sent by email, or by phoning the school office

What is the procedure for home time?

Junior/Senior Infants

Adults, who are collecting their Junior/Senior Infant children from school at the end of the day, should wait by the gate in the drop off area. 1 parent/Guardian per child. Please ensure social distancing when collecting children.

Classes 1st-6th

When the school day is over the following arrangements will apply – the class teacher will allow each pod to leave the classroom separately in order to minimise contact. Children will be encouraged to social distance on their way to their car.

Which doors will the children use in the morning, at break time and at dispersal times?

Children will use multiple doors when going out from and back into class. Usually, this will be the fire exit for each classroom. Where fire exits are not being used then a staggered entrance and exit will be used. Children will be taught which how to go out and come in from breaks and at home time in a safe, staggered manner.

Will break times be staggered?

Due to a lack of yard space break times will be staggered for the foreseeable future. Each class bubble will have access to either the front or back yard & school pitch during their allotted break times as follows – Junior Infants & Senior Infants/ 5^th & 6^th classes small break 11.00am – 11.15am, big break 1.00pm – 1.25pm, 1^st & 2^nd classes/ 3^rd & 4^th classes small break 10.40am – 10.55am, big break 12.30pm – 12.55pm. Yards will be supervised by class teachers, special education teachers and SNA’s working within those bubbles.

What about Yard Supervision?

The plan at present is to continue with our usual practice. It may happen however that teachers / SNAs will wear masks / visors while on Yard Duty. Teachers will have to do additional yard duty to allow for staggered breaks.

What about inside the school building?

Children will not be permitted to enter any other classroom except their own for the foreseeable future with no exceptions. Children will also not be permitted to go to the school office. Children will only leave their classrooms to go to other rooms if they are going for SEN and only accompanied by a member of the SEN team.

Will children have P.E. classes this year?

Yes. P.E. is a very important aspect of the curriculum. The teacher will let the children know what days to wear their tracksuit for P.E.

Will children or teachers have to wear masks?

There is no requirement for children to wear masks or visors in school. There is also no requirement for teachers to wear masks, though they may wear visors, especially if working in small groups / supervising on the yard / teaching class etc. The school has purchased P.P.E. equipment and all staff will be provided with a pack prior to re-opening. Teachers may choose to wear P.P.E/masks at their discretion.

Who is the contact log for and what does it involve?

Every school is required to have a Contact Log. This is for all visitors to the school. Visitors or Mary will fill in the Log when a person visits the school. It will state –

the person’s name
contact details including telephone number and email address
who they met?
purpose of their visit
time of entry / exit to the building

What if my child forgets a book, lunch etc?

If your child forgets his/her lunch etc, there will be a designated drop off area outside the front door. Parents will be required to put the item in a plastic bag clearly labelled with the child’s name. However, this drop off point should be for emergencies only. Visits to the school should be kept to a minimum. This is to ensure the safety of everyone.

What if I need to collect my child during the school day?

If an adult has to collect a child during the course of the school day, the following arrangements will apply

When the adult arrives at the school, they should phone to alert the office that they have arrived
The child will be brought from their class to the adult by a member of staff
The adult who is collecting will be asked to sign the child out
No adult should enter the school building, unless invited to do so

What sort of in class procedures will children have on their return to school?

All teachers will be responsible for implementing in-class procedures that will follow Department of Education/NPHET guidelines. Children will no longer be permitted to share items such as books, pencils, pens, twistables etc so it is very important that your child comes to school each day prepared and with everything that they need. Their pencil case will remain in the school for the foreseeable future. Any and all classroom space has been maximised to ensure social distancing. This has been done by removing any unnecessary furniture from the classroom.

Can parents visit the school building?

According to the Response Plan, this should be only for emergency / urgent matters. This is an extract from the Covid-19 Response Plan – Arrangements for necessary visitors such as contractors and parents will be restricted to essential purposes and limited to those who have obtained prior approval from the principal. Prior approval can be obtained by email / phone call to the school.

I am a Junior Infant parent and am worried about dropping him/her off on the first day

First of all, don’t worry. You will be able to bring your child to the yard where you will meet the teacher. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to go into the classroom and social distancing must be observed outside.

I am a Senior Infant parent and am worried about dropping him/her off on the first day

We realise that Senior Infant children have not attended school since the 12 March. For the first 2 days parent/guardian can drop off their child to their Bubble on the yard where the teacher will collect them. Parent/Guardians must strictly observe social distancing in this case.

What is the protocol if we go on holidays to a country that is not designated as a GREEN COUNTRY prior to returning to school?

The same rules apply as in the rest of the community. The child must self-isolate for 14 days and won’t be permitted to come to school until the isolation is completed. Please inform the school ASAP if you have been or will be abroad 14 days prior to the school reopening.

Will swimming go ahead in this year?

At present it is unlikely that there will be swimming this year as we would have to travel to the swimming pool by bus and classes are currently not permitted to mix either on a bus or in a swimming pool.

Will sporting activities go ahead?

We are awaiting further clarification on this. We do recommend that children bring a waterproof trousers and coat so that they can go outside as much as possible. These can be left in school and should be clearly labelled. We want the children to be outdoors as much as possible and having appropriate waterproof clothing means they can go outside in light rain/ drizzle.

Who is the Lead Worker Representative in Scoil Íde Naofa?

Ms. Joanne Byrne is the Lead Work Representative. The protocol provides for the appointment of a Lead Worker Representative (LWR) in each school. The LWR will work in collaboration with the Principal to assist with the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID -19. The LWR will monitor adherence to those measures and will be involved in communicating the health advice around COVID-19 in the school.

25. What will happen if my child is unable to attend school, due to an underlying condition?

First of all, you need to inform the school of this as soon as possible, so please email the school at office@kilmeadns.ie. In your email please include the name of your child / children and your present contact details and the school will contact you before the school opens. There is a plan in place for these pupils. Please see extract from the Department Guidelines:

There may be some pupils for whom return to school in September may not be appropriate because the relevant public health guidelines indicate they are at “very high risk”. Overall responsibility for ensuring that such pupils receive appropriate support to engage adequately with learning remains with the school in which they are enrolled. Regular and ongoing communication between school and home will be essential to support the pupil’s engagement with their learning and their continuous connection with their classmates and school community. Additional supports will be provided for these pupils from within the staffing resources of the school. It may also be possible to utilise support from teachers who are assessed as ‘very high risk’ and who are available to work from home. Schools will have discretion to manage and redistribute their support resources in order to best meet the learning needs of their pupils, including pupils at ‘very high risk’ to COVID-19. Under the direction of the school Principal the relevant support teacher should:

Liaise with the relevant class teacher and Special Education Teacher (SET) where relevant regarding curricular content and classwork
Access relevant learning resources including those produced by the class teacher as well as other externally produced resources such as those on Scoilnet
Provide the pupil with individualised support for his/her learning; this may include devising of an individual support plan for the pupil in cooperation with the class teacher and, where relevant, the SET
Increase the pupil’s autonomy, motivation and wellbeing
Improve the pupil’s capacity to become a self-directed learner
Support the development of the pupil’s digital competence where necessary
Avail of the communication / learning platform used by the pupil’s school to ensure ongoing contact between the pupil and his/her school and to facilitate some engagement with his/her class teacher and classmates.
26. Cleaning of the school?

The school has an extensive cleaning programme in place as per Department of Education guidelines. The school will be thoroughly cleaned before the children return and it will be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day by our school cleaners. Teachers will also carry out some cleaning within their own classroom throughout the day. Items such as door handles etc will be cleaned regularly throughout the day.

27. Will there be adequate Covid-19 signage throughout the school?

Proper COVID-19 signage will be erected all around the school. Pupils, parents and staff are asked to follow the directions carefully. Child friendly COVID-19 signage will also be displayed prominently all around the school and in classrooms

28. What happens if there is a suspected case of Covid19 in the school?

Staff or pupils should not attend school if displaying any symptoms of COVID-19. The following outlines how the school will deal with a suspected case.

A designated isolation area has been identified within the school building. The possibility of having more than one person displaying signs of COVID-19 has been considered and a contingency plan for dealing with additional cases will be put in place. The designated isolation area will be behind a closed door and away from other staff and pupils.
If a staff member/pupil displays symptoms of COVID-19 while at school the following procedures will be implemented –

o If the person with the suspected case is a pupil, the parents/guardians will be contacted immediately.

O The pupil will be accompanied by an adult to the designated area via the isolation route. They will wait in the isolation area until the child is collected. The child and adult will keep a distance of 2m at all times.

o If is not possible to maintain a distance of 2m the staff member caring for the child will wear a face covering or mask.

o Gloves will not be used as the virus does not pass through skin

o A mask will be provided for the child presenting with symptoms. He/she should wear the mask while exiting the premises

o Assess whether the individual who is displaying symptoms can immediately be directed to go home/be brought home by parents who will call their doctor and continue self-isolation at home

o Facilitate the person presenting with symptoms remaining in isolation if they cannot immediately go home and facilitate them calling their doctor. The individual should avoid touching people, surfaces and objects. Advice should be given to the person presenting with symptoms to cover their mouth and nose with the disposable tissue provided when they cough or sneeze and put the tissue in the waste bag provided;

o If the person is well enough to go home, arrange for them to be transported home by a family member, as soon as possible and advise them to inform their general practitioner by phone of their symptoms. If they are too unwell to go home or advice is required, contact 999 or 112 and inform them that the sick person is a Covid-19 suspect

o Carry out an assessment of the incident which will form part of determining follow-up actions and recovery;

o Arrange for appropriate cleaning of the isolation area and work areas involved.

o The HSE will inform any staff/parents who have come into close contact with a diagnosed case via the contact tracing process. The HSE will contact all relevant persons where a diagnosis of COVID-19 is made. The instructions of the HSE should be followed and staff and pupil confidentiality is essential at all times

29. Identifying the starting points for learning / teaching?

Extract from the Response Plan: Getting to know each child – where they are in their learning across the curriculum, their strengths and needs, their likes and dislikes, their interests and their experiences during the school closure– will be especially important in identifying appropriate starting points for teaching and learning in the 2020/21 school year. To do this, teachers will:

Liaise with parents/guardians, special education teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs).
Draw on conversations, observations, questions posed by children, and tasks and activities in order to build up a clear picture of children’s knowledge, understanding, skills development, attitudes and values in the different curriculum areas
Review the monthly progress records that record work that was completed up to March 2020 and work that teachers engaged in with pupils during the period of school closures
Discuss the strengths and needs of the pupils with the previous class teacher where possible. Accordingly, teachers will be alert to where their pupils are at; they will need to take time to assess pupils’ needs, and to re-teach, revise, and consolidate previous learning before introducing new learning. Key to this is an approach which builds on pupils’ strengths

30. How will the school be communicating with parents going forward?

All communications with our parents will be conducted by email via Aladdin, text a parent or phone. Parents will receive a notification with regards to any information which may come from the Department of Education, HSE or NPHET in relation to Public Health re COVID-19. We can be contacted by email at office@kilmeadns.ie

31. How is staff preparing to return to school?

All members of staff are in continuous dialogue with school management and have been kept up to date on the latest Dept of Education/NPHET guidelines. All staff will undertake and complete COVID-19 Induction Training prior to returning to the school. The aim of such training is to ensure that staff has full knowledge and understanding of the following –

Latest up to-date advice and guidance on public health
Covid-19 symptoms
What to do if a staff member or pupil develops symptoms of COVID-19 while at school
Staff will be kept fully informed of the control measures in place in the school. Their duties and responsibilities in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and will be updated with any changes to the control measures or guidance available from the public health authorities.

I hope this helps answers many of the questions you may have. We will continue to update our website with more Answers to FAQs.

Stay safe,

Rob

Agreed Report of Board of Management Meeting Friday 10^th July 2020

A meeting of the board of management of Scoil Íde Naofa was held in the school on Friday 10^th July 2020. The following is the agreed report to be distributed to the school community.

Following the opening prayer all members of the board were welcomed by the chairperson and reminded of social distancing guidelines in line with Covid 19 regulations.

The minutes of the last meeting were circulated and adopted.

Treasurer of the board gave his report to the board as well as a report on actual grant income compared to what had been budgeted for at the start of the school year.

During the correspondence the secretary read from the CPSMA newsletter as well as updated and new circulars from the Department of Education and Skills. The secretary also read letters from Mr. Patrick Moriarty thanking the school for his time with us and from Ms. Joan O’ Connor who announced her retirement after 37 years teaching in the school.

In his report the principal notified the board of the latest happenings in the school. The principal started by presenting the principal’s child protection oversight report to the board. The principal reported to the board on the remote learning since March, the 6^th class graduation, class arrangements for the next school year as well as teacher appointments for the upcoming school year. This concluded the principal’s report.

Under policies to be reviewed/ratified the school’s draft policies on Code of Behaviour, Anti- Bullying, Irish Exemptions and the school’s Drama Plan were all ratified. The draft Admissions policy is now on the school website for review before it will be ratified at the next BOM meeting.

The principal thanked everyone for their help and support during his first year as principal, especially taking into account the unique and challenging nature of the year since March.

That concluded the business of the meeting.

Video message for the pupils of the school from the principal

Update from principal and staff of scoil Íde Naofa 3rd April 2020

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

I hope this message finds all of you, your families and friends safe and well.

In any other year, today would have marked the end of Term 2 of the school year and the start of our Easter Holidays…oh for it to be any other year!

On behalf of everyone in the school, thank you so much for your efforts in keeping your child’s education going during these challenging times. Whether you have followed the work assigned by the class teacher or have decided to use this time to re-introduce or introduce your child for the first time to simple every day skills and jobs I assure you, WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING IS ENOUGH. Remember, you know your child(ren) best and you are their primary educator through how you interact with them. They are learning from you all the time and I’m sure you are all doing a great job.

Following advice given by the I.N.T.O. to all teachers and schools we will not be assigning new work for the two weeks that should have been the Easter Holidays. You are, of course, free to continue with the work assigned and to access the websites suggested here previously if you feel that is what is best for your child(ren).

We will be in touch with new information as this scenario continues to unfold but for now from everyone at the school, we wish you a safe, happy and as relaxing as possible couple of weeks. We all look forward to getting back to school as soon as possible with everyone safe and healthy.

Look after yourselves and each other,

Rob & all the teachers and staff of Scoil Íde Naofa.

Update from the principal and staff of scoil Íde Naofa

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Firstly, I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Myself and Joan were delighted to speak to so many of you last Wednesday to touch base (apologies to anyone we didn’t speak with- either there was no voice mail set up on the phone or the number didn’t connect) and we were heartened to hear everyone was coping well in these challenging times.

We have uploaded suggested work for the week ahead to the relevant class area on the website. Again, as with previous work, it is purely a suggestion- there is no obligation for your child to do any of this work. The most important thing is we all stay safe and follow the expert advice so that we will get beyond this as safely and quickly as possible.

I would recommend, if possible, that your child(ren) check out the RTE School on television starting on Monday 30th March from 11am-12pm. Even if this is all the children do each day in order to keep a routine going, it will help.

We would encourage your children to read everyday and to this end they can access the school’s accelerated reading at: https://ukhosted105.renlearn.co.uk/6935273

Further updates from the school will appear here and on our school twitter account @idenaofa and you will be notified via textaparent aswell.

Stay safe,

Rob and all the teachers and staff at Scoil Íde Naofa.

Message to all Parents

Please find below a list of resources and websites that may be useful to you and your children over the next couple of weeks. Any websites or work mentioned is purely a suggestion- there is no obligation for your child to do any of this work. The most important thing at this time is to look out for and care for each other. Please listen to and obey all advice given by the Health Officials. Things will return to normal at some stage- the most important thing is that everyone we care about is there with us when we get back to normal life.

https://www.twinkl.ie/resources/roi-resources/school-closure-republic-of-ireland

This link will take you to twinkl.ie who have produced 3 weeks worth of school closures packs for each class level

ixl.com

An excellent site that has online maths and English activities for all class levels

Again, these are just suggestions that you or your children might like to use. Most importantly is that we all stay safe and keep our loved ones safe. Further updates from the school will appear here and on our school twitter account @idenaofa and you will be notified via textaparent aswell.

Stay safe,

Rob

Agreed Report of Board of Management Meeting Tuesday 4th February 2020

A meeting of the board of management of Scoil Íde Naofa was held in the school on Tuesday 4th February 2020. The following is the agreed report to be distributed to the school community.

Following the opening prayer all members of the board were welcomed by the chairperson and presented with their copy of the Governance Manual for Primary School Boards of Management as this was the first meeting of the new board of management which will run from November 2019 until November 2023.

The minutes of the last meeting were circulated and adopted.

Treasurer of the board was elected in lines with procedure and secretary and Health and Safety Officer on the board were appointed.
During the correspondence the secretary read from the CPSMA newsletter as well as updated and new circulars from the Department of Education and Skills.

The treasurer presented his report to the board and informed the board that all documentation required by the Department of Education and Skills will be with them before the 2020 deadline.

In his report the principal notified the board of the latest happenings in the school. The principal started by presenting the principal’s child protection oversight report to the board. The principal informed the board that a full record of teacher absences and Croke Park hours are being kept and gave updates on the school’s progress in the SSE, new Primary Language Curriculum and Digital Literacy Plan. Updates in the school’s progress in Green Schools, Active schools, Amber Flag, sports, debating, student council, quiz competitions and chess competitions were all given. The principal notified the board of the school’s upcoming Friendship Fortnight as part of the school’s Anti Bullying Policy as well as CPD received by teachers in the Friends for Life programme. This concluded the principal’s report.

Under policies to be reviewed the school’s draft policies on Code of Behaviour, Anti- Bullying, Irish Exemptions and the school’s Drama Plan were all reviewed. These draft policies will now be made available to the Parents’ Council and will be reviewed by the student council for input as well as being made available to parents in the school office until the next BOM meeting when any amendments will be made and they will then be ratified.

That concluded the business of the meeting.

Please follow the hyperlink for a very handy and informative guide on how to help your child transition from Primary School to Secondary School

https://www.folens.ie/media/649/download

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support our Christmas Carol Service in aid of St. Vincent De Paul. Thanks to your generosity and support we raised €729 for a fantastic cause!

Please join us for our Christmas Carol Service. All donations are going to the St. Vincent de Paul

NOW ENROLLING FOR SEPTEMBER 2020

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARENTS ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS RAFFLE! ALL PROCEEDS GOING TOWARDS IMPROVING OUR SPORTING EQUIPMENT AT THE SCHOOL!

Great value to be had at our Halloween Book Sale in the school library on Friday! All books must go! 50c per book or 3 books for €1!

Friday- In Association with our Student Council- we will be having our GOAL Jersey Day/ Non- Uniform Day. We are looking forward to all our pupils taking part for an excellent cause!

YOU CAN NOW FOLLOW THE LATEST SCHOOL NEWS AND EVENTS ON OUR TWITTER ACCOUNT:

@IDENAOFA

SPREAD THE WORD!

Recently we celebrated the retirement of Mr. Ed Kirwan after 23 years of amazing leadership of the school. Everyone in the school wishes Ed a very long, happy and healthy retirement!

2018-2019

Two proud Limerick men with Liam McCarthy.

Mr Kirwan and limerick hurler David Reidy.