Mary Mother of Hope Junior National School
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Remote Learning January 2021

1/9/2021

 
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​Dear parents & guardians,

I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well.

As you know, the government has decided to fully close all schools until February 1st due to the very high levels of Covid-19 in our communities.

For the duration of the closure, we will return to offering remote learning to our pupils. We will be using the SeeSaw platform which you have all become familiar with since September to engage with the children.

Each weekday morning your child’s teacher will send a message with suggested activities for the day. The schedules of work have been agreed by teachers at each level. There will be a variety of active learning, prerecorded videos and pencil and paper tasks to be completed in a copy or on a page. The tasks will cover a range of subject areas as well as well-being and physical education tasks. Children will be asked to upload some elements of their work to SeeSaw and teachers will give regular feedback during the week. Tasks not uploaded should be kept in a folder for assessment when children return to school. 

If your child works directly with one of our support teachers or SNAs,they will be in touch throughout the week too. 

We will continue to use our class Padlet Walls to allow children an opportunity to engage with each other during this remote learning period and would encourage you to post to and review the page regularly with your child. 

If you are having problems with  access to your child’s SeeSaw account or Padlet Wall please email info@hopejns.ie for support

We will supplement this engagement with additional videos, suggested learning opportunities and  recommendations for games and activities we feel might be of use to you at home during this time. 

We will not be returning childrens text books and copies at this stage as we are reluctant to ask people to come to the school in large numbers at this time. Furthermore the material in question does not play a central role in the learning experience of children at the junior end of primary school. We will review this if the school closure is extended. 

We are very aware of the demands placed on parents in managing their own work and family commitments, managing health concerns and restrictions while guiding their young children through remote learning. Our aim is to support you and your children as much as we can, at this time, and to minimise the impact on their learning.

- Please do as much or as little as you can manage - the suggested activities are a menu - not every child will complete every task and that’s ok. It is up to you to decide what work you can carry out during this time away from school. It is also important that you are mindful of your child’s age, ability and learning needs. Please be assured that teachers will not be expecting all children to have completed the same amount of work.

 - As you know, school is more than just completing educational tasks - school offers so many opportunities for social as well as emotional and cognitive development. You cannot do remote learning from 8.50 to 1.30 or 2.30 each day so please dont feel you should.

 -  When your child has made a reasonable effort, praise them, acknowledge their work and then put it away. Your children are resilient and when they return to school, we will pick up their learning from where they are.

- Find a time and routine for remote learning that works for you and your family. Set a start and finish time to your school day. Get children up, dressed and ready for school at a similar time each day!

- Find a place that your child can work in and have pencils, colours,scissors and a folder nearby. Encourage children to use their workspace each day and to keep it tidy and organised. It can be a child’s table, a corner of your desk or one end of the kitchen table. 

- Encourage children to take regular movement breaks. None of the children should be expected to sit for periods longer than 15 minutes or so - many will need to move more often than that.

- Read to your child every day and listen to them read to you. If you can do nothing else during the next three weeks this is the most important. Maybe introduce you child to audio books too.

- Encourage children to watch educational programmes  or watch them together. Cúla4 on TG4, CBBC on BBC and The Homeschool Hub on RTE are great places to start. You’ll find lots of great resources online too but please monitor your child’s use of the internet carefully. 

-  Finally please remember to look after your own health and wellbeing - you cannot look after your children if you have not done this first. 

 We cannot wait to be back in school and I look forward to welcoming you all back at the earliest  possible opportunity. Until then, take care, stay safe, and please continue to follow all public health guidelines.

If you need to contact the school at any time, please do not hesitate to email us on info@hopejns.ie

Yours sincerely,
Alma Moran
Principal 

Public Health Concerns

1/9/2021

 
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​Dear parents,
 
Alarmingly High Rates of Covid-19 in our Community

As we write to you, the country is once more in the middle of a new surge of Covid-19, with the number of cases at an unprecedented level. This has caused increasing alarm for all of us all and we are writing to you to ask you to do everything that you can to help drive down the virus in our community.

The entire country has been placed into the highest level of alert, Level 5, and will remain at that level for the next number of weeks. This measure is in place to ensure the protection of everyone. There is no doubt that we are facing into a very perilous time in our community. The rate of increase in the spread of Covid-19 must be brought right down, and this must happen now. If it continues to escalate at the current rate of transmission, it is surely only a matter of time before the continued safe operation of schools is called into question.

School Holidays extended for three days

As you know, the Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley has extended the Christmas holidays for a further 3 days. The Minister states her desire is to “allow every member of the school community to follow public health advice closely and minimise their contacts before children return to school...".

 
On foot of this advice, we want to confirm that our schools will be closed for the remainder of the week. There will be no online learning in this period, and families are asked to remain at home, to keep their close contacts to an absolute minimum and follow public health advice to the letter.

 
We await the advice of the Minister in relation to the safe re-opening of schools from Monday the 11th January. We will let you know if there are any changes to the plan to re-open on that date.

 
Need for Parental Vigilance during the coming days and weeks

As we enter the New Year, and with children at home for another week, we are very anxious to ensure that they continue to be safe and protected. In order for this to happen, we are once more asking parents to continue to make very difficult decisions:

-          To stick to public health advice
-          Not to organise visits to other households
-          Not to organise sleep-overs or play dates with other households
-          Not to travel beyond a 5km radius from home
-          To wear face coverings, as required
-          Continuing to encourage good hand hygiene and respiratory health among all members of the household

 
We need to have everyone on board!

These public health guidelines are there for the protection of all of us. They are there to keep each member of our community safe and well.

 
Yes, they are difficult and yes, they are challenging for all of us. However, if we do not commit to following them- each and every one of us- it will mean giving in to the increased transmission of the virus, and allowing it to go un-checked throughout our community. This cannot be allowed to happen.

 
We want to appeal to you all, as our partners in the education of our precious young people, to take every step possible to drive down the transmission of the virus.

 
We want to re-discover the sense of solidarity that was there in the months of March and April when we were all in this together.

 
Please, please adhere to the guidelines, keep your children safe during the coming weeks, and in doing this, help to ensure that our schools remain open and safe for everyone.

 

Alma Moran                                Enda McGorman

Principals                                                    

Mary, Mother of Hope Junior and Senior Schools

Extended School Holidays

1/9/2021

 
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Good afternoon parents/guardians,
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May I take this opportunity to thank you for your very thoughtful Christmas wishes and generous gifts to staff of the school and I? Your kindness is very much appreciated. I hope 2021 brings health and happiness to you and your families and that we will all enjoy brighter days in the company of family and friends at home and abroad.
As you are probably aware the school holidays have been extended by three days due to the current COVID 19 situation in the country. School is currently due to reopen for all children on Monday January 11th. 
Your child should not attend school on Monday if they have COVID 19, are a close contact of someone with COVID 19 or have travelled abroad during the holidays and not received a negative test result after 5 days isolation. 
Please contact us on info@hopejns.ie or through the school app if you have any queries or concerns about the return. I will be in touch with any further updates we receive. 

Many thanks & kind regards,
Alma Moran
Principal

Admissions 2021

11/30/2020

 
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Applications for admission to Junior Infants 2021 and our special class for children with ASD will be accepted from Jan 11th to February 12th 2021. Relevant forms and information can be accessed on the home page of our website. Completed application forms should be emailed to admissions@hopejns.ie between January 11th and February 12th. Two recent utility bills as proof of address should also be sent. Your child’s original Birth Cert should be posted to the school on or after January 11th. It will be copied and returned to you.

We are Ready!

8/31/2020

 
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The final preparations are complete and we are ready for a very exciting day tomorrow. We look forward to welcoming Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class children from 8.40. Mrs Cullen’s children at 9.30 and our new Junior Infants at 10.00.
Parents please support us by allowing your child to walk from Micks Way, the gate by the astro or by dropping younger children to us at the Junior School railings. We will look after your child very well.
All adults should wear a face mask, observe social distancing and exit the campus by Hunters Run only. Micks Way and the main gate are for entry only in the mornings.
A final reminder that children should only bring a reusable bottle and lunch box in their school bag. They should not bring toys, hand sanitiser, towels or any other items to school. Remember a coat and comfortable shoes too!
Junior Infants should be collected at 11.30 tomorrow and Senior Infants and Mrs Cullen’s children at 1.30. 1st and 2nd classes will finish at 2.30. Please make your way to the Junior School Yard to collect your child. Follow the guidance of school staff, maintain social distance and leave promptly once you have collected your child. If you wish your child to leave the campus and walk home or meet you at a spot outside the campus, please email us on info@hopejns.ie before 2.30 tomorrow.
Thank you for continued support of your school. Wishing everyone the very best for the new school year.

Back to School Videos

8/31/2020

 
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We are continuing with our preparations for the return to school on Tuesday and are very excited about seeing all the boys and girls. 


Ms Callery has made some great videos that will help you and your child visualise what the campus will look like and the arrangements that are in place. Please take time to watch the relevant video with your child before you come to school on Tuesday. 


Thank you Ms Callery and thank you all for your continued support. 




Mrs Cullens Class
https://vimeo.com/453029697/06fbe86d01


Junior Infants
https://vimeo.com/453024238/89450b088f


Senior Infants
https://vimeo.com/453010301/9714ec88fa


First Class
https://vimeo.com/453016517/01352f737b


Second Class
https://vimeo.com/453022753/0d57887dce

Back to School on Tuesday - What do I Need to Bring?

8/29/2020

 
Hello everyone,
A big welcome to our  new Junior Infants who came to visit us on Friday. We were so happy to see you all and cant wait to welcome you again on Tuesday at 10.00. We will be ready and waiting too meet everyone else at 8.50 on Tuesday September 1st  and are excited about seeing you all again. Remember you should wear your uniform or tracksuit, a coat and shoes suitable for playing outside. All you need in your bag is a reusable bottle and lunch box. We have everything else you need including all books and copies, stationery, sanitiser and paper towels. Junior Infants don’t need a bag on Tuesday but can bring it along on Wednesday and every other day after that. Here’s to a fun, safe and happy new school year for everyone in our school community. 
Warmest regards,
Ms Moran
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Return to School - Resources for Parents and Children

8/25/2020

 
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Dear Parents/Guardians,

Please have a look at updated HSE and DES materials for children and adults to help prepare for the return to school next week on www.gov.ie/backtoschool. They are designed to be age-appropriate and have been developed in consultation with children, young people and parents. Please access them through the following links.

• Video for parents with key information on supporting children to return to school and age appropriate videos which you should share with your children:

​
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2d3af-advice-during-covid-19-back-to-school-advice-for-parents/
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https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a04fc-advice-for-students-and-their-families/


• Health advice in relation to your child and COVID 19: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/40e9c-protecting-your-child-from-coronavirus/

• Resources in a wide range of languages are available on  https://www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

The Covid-19 World Service project has also consulted with the Department and has used key messages to produce a range of videos in a variety of languages which you may find helpful – please see more at https://nascireland.org/covid-19-world-service

The HSE has prepared material on recognising symptoms, which complements the material from the Department on returning to school. This is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/40e9c-protecting-your-child-from-coronavirus/

Kind regards,
Alma Moran
Principal
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September Arrangements

8/24/2020

 
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Please note the following important information for your child.
All children in Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd should be in school from Tuesday, September 1st at 8.50. Senior Infants go home at 1.30 each day and 1st & 2nd at 2.30.
Junior Infants start school on Sept 1st at 10.00 and stay until 11.30 on that first day. From Sept 2nd to 11th they will be in school from 8.50 to 12.00 and from Sept 14th they do the full school day from 8:50 to 1.30.
Children from 1st and 2nd are encouraged to walk from the gate near the front of the school campus but in from the road. It is the gate just before the Astro. Alternatively they can walk from Micks Way. If children need to be accompanied parents can walk with them to the entrance to the Junior Yard which is where teachers will be waiting. All children in Junior and Senior Infants should be brought to the entrance to the Junior Yard each morning and children from all four class levels can be collected here in the afternoon unless we have received written permission for them to walk home. Parents cannot be allowed in to the junior yard in the morning.
Thanking you in advance for your support,
Kind regards,
Alma Moran

Return to School Update August 24th

8/24/2020

 
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Good evening everybody,
I hope this message finds you well. We continue to be busy preparing for the return to school and very much look forward to welcoming the children  on September 1st. I have added a copy of our COVID 19 Policy document and our Return to School Plan to the website for your attention. This plan gives further details and information about the plans and procedures in place for the reopening of our school. I have also attached a copy of our COVID related Risk Assessment and can confirm that all documents will be updated in line with new health guidelines and practices as required. They can be accessed by clicking on the Return to School tab on our homepage
I will continue to keep in touch in advance of opening and hope you feel confident that your children are returning to a safe environment where they feel happy and secure despite the current restrictions.
Kind regards,
Alma Moran
Principal


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Mary, Mother of Hope Junior National School, St Charles Houben Buidling, Littlepace, Dublin 15. Tel: 01 6405655 email:info@hopejns.ie
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