I hope you and your families are keeping well.
As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 situation. We are now preparing to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations.
Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of 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 continue.
The Response Plan gives details of:
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a0bff-reopening-our-primary-and-special-schools/
Please see the COVID-19 Policy Statement for our school below and communication updates regarding the reopening.
The following websites provide further information on COVID-19 and on government advice and recommendations regarding the re-opening of schools: -
As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 situation. We are now preparing to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations.
Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of 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 continue.
The Response Plan gives details of:
- Physical preparation, signage, hand sanitiser stations,
- Advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all school staff and pupils
- General and specific advice on how all pupils, staff, parents and visitors will prevent the spread of the virus
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a0bff-reopening-our-primary-and-special-schools/
Please see the COVID-19 Policy Statement for our school below and communication updates regarding the reopening.
The following websites provide further information on COVID-19 and on government advice and recommendations regarding the re-opening of schools: -
August 31st
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August 30th
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 Monday. 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 |
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August 25th
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/ https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a04fc-advice-for-students-and-their-families/ • Resources in a wide range of languages are available on https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0cf46-resources-and-materials-for-parentsguardians-and-for-students-on-returning-to-school-multi-lingual/ 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 |
August 24th 2020
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 attached a copy of our Return to School Plan for your attention. This 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. 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 can learn in a secure and happy fashion despite the current restrictions. Kind regards, Alma Moran Principal 
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August 17th 2020
Dear parents & guardians
The BoM and the School Leadership Team continue to work towards ensuring a safe return to school for all pupils and staff in two weeks’ time. We have now finalised our plans for drop-off and collection of the children every day.
Mary Mother of Hope Junior and Senior National Schools appreciate your support as we try to safely reopen our schools. If at all possible we request you not to come onto the school grounds or into the school building unless it is absolutely essential. We appreciate that dropping off the Junior & Senior Infant pupils closer to their line is essential, but for the older pupils a drop off at the school gate is desirable. Working together we hope to be able to progress the reopening in as safe a manner as possible for all.
We would ask all parents to familiarise themselves with the following drop-off and collection routines for the safe delivery and collection of pupils from school. Please be patient as we endeavour to embed these necessary precautionary and protective practices at the beginning of the school year.
It is imperative that parents follow these precautions
Social Distancing: adults do not come within 2m of each other either on their way to or on the school grounds
Avoid Staff Interactions: parents should not try to have meetings with members of staff in the yard at drop-off and collection times – meetings between parents and teachers can only take place by prior arrangement. (This may have to be more restrictive depending on guidance - it is quite possible that the recommendation will be for remote meetings/telephonic communications.)
Drop-Off and Collection Plan: all parents adhere to the drop-off and collection plans as outlined below
Face Coverings: Parents are strongly advised to wear face coverings when:
bringing children to and from school
when on the school grounds
if they have reason to enter the school building, face covering must be worn
Junior School Arrangements for Arrival at school
Every child should be brought to school as close to 8.50 as possible
Children are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school
Children in 2nd Class and after the first week those in 1st class are asked to walk in from the main gate or from Mick’s Way without their parents/ guardians/older siblings. They should go straight to their line in the yard in front of the school. School staff will supervise from 8.40.
Children from Junior and Senior Infants should be brought to the gates at the entrance to the Junior School campus and staff of the school will direct them to their line from there.
No one other than staff members should enter the Junior School Yard.
In all cases parents/guardians should drop their children and go so as to avoid groups gathering on the campus.
The class teacher will invite the children to enter the building via their designated entrance point at the appropriate time.
No one other than staff members should enter the building unless by prior arrangement
Messages for teachers can be sent via the school app, by email to info@hopejns.ie or by phoning the school office on 01 6405655.
End of School Day
All children will be brought to their line at 1.30/2.30
Children in 2nd Class, for whom we have received written permission will be allowed leave the campus at 2.30 without an accompanying adult/older sibling. Parents who wish to collect their pupils outside of the campus should make arrangements with their child as to where this will be. This should form part of your Drop-Off and Collection Plan, which you should devise and explain to your child ahead of school re-opening.
Collection of Children during the School Day
If an adult has to collect a child during the course of the school day, the following arrangements will apply:
Prior notice should have been given to the school by phone or email.
Make sure to wear face covering throughout your time on the school campus
When the adult arrives at the school, they should either phone the office or enter the reception area through the front door of the school to alert the office that they have arrived
Anyone entering the reception lobby should sanitise their hands immediately on arrival
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
Uniform & Personal Equipment
School uniform should be worn everyday
Parents are welcome to alternate between the tracksuit and uniform. It is advisable that the schol tracksuit/uniform is kept for school only and that children change immediately after school rather than wearing the uniform in after-school facilities, shops, during after-school activities, etc.
Please make sure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled so as to avoid children bringing home the wrong clothing
Children should bring limited personal equipment to school
Lunch boxes and reusable bottles should be of a type that can be easily wiped clean
Children should come appropriately dressed for the weather and should be able to independently manage their bag, coat and shoes.
We urge parents to read this document carefully and to offer their full support in its implementation. We will be writing to you in due course in relation to other areas of operation of the school ahead of re-opening. We will continue to update you in the event of changes in advice or in this policy.
Take care and continue to stay safe.
Kind regards,
Alma Moran
Dear parents & guardians
The BoM and the School Leadership Team continue to work towards ensuring a safe return to school for all pupils and staff in two weeks’ time. We have now finalised our plans for drop-off and collection of the children every day.
Mary Mother of Hope Junior and Senior National Schools appreciate your support as we try to safely reopen our schools. If at all possible we request you not to come onto the school grounds or into the school building unless it is absolutely essential. We appreciate that dropping off the Junior & Senior Infant pupils closer to their line is essential, but for the older pupils a drop off at the school gate is desirable. Working together we hope to be able to progress the reopening in as safe a manner as possible for all.
We would ask all parents to familiarise themselves with the following drop-off and collection routines for the safe delivery and collection of pupils from school. Please be patient as we endeavour to embed these necessary precautionary and protective practices at the beginning of the school year.
It is imperative that parents follow these precautions
Social Distancing: adults do not come within 2m of each other either on their way to or on the school grounds
Avoid Staff Interactions: parents should not try to have meetings with members of staff in the yard at drop-off and collection times – meetings between parents and teachers can only take place by prior arrangement. (This may have to be more restrictive depending on guidance - it is quite possible that the recommendation will be for remote meetings/telephonic communications.)
Drop-Off and Collection Plan: all parents adhere to the drop-off and collection plans as outlined below
Face Coverings: Parents are strongly advised to wear face coverings when:
bringing children to and from school
when on the school grounds
if they have reason to enter the school building, face covering must be worn
Junior School Arrangements for Arrival at school
Every child should be brought to school as close to 8.50 as possible
Children are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school
Children in 2nd Class and after the first week those in 1st class are asked to walk in from the main gate or from Mick’s Way without their parents/ guardians/older siblings. They should go straight to their line in the yard in front of the school. School staff will supervise from 8.40.
Children from Junior and Senior Infants should be brought to the gates at the entrance to the Junior School campus and staff of the school will direct them to their line from there.
No one other than staff members should enter the Junior School Yard.
In all cases parents/guardians should drop their children and go so as to avoid groups gathering on the campus.
The class teacher will invite the children to enter the building via their designated entrance point at the appropriate time.
No one other than staff members should enter the building unless by prior arrangement
Messages for teachers can be sent via the school app, by email to info@hopejns.ie or by phoning the school office on 01 6405655.
End of School Day
All children will be brought to their line at 1.30/2.30
Children in 2nd Class, for whom we have received written permission will be allowed leave the campus at 2.30 without an accompanying adult/older sibling. Parents who wish to collect their pupils outside of the campus should make arrangements with their child as to where this will be. This should form part of your Drop-Off and Collection Plan, which you should devise and explain to your child ahead of school re-opening.
Collection of Children during the School Day
If an adult has to collect a child during the course of the school day, the following arrangements will apply:
Prior notice should have been given to the school by phone or email.
Make sure to wear face covering throughout your time on the school campus
When the adult arrives at the school, they should either phone the office or enter the reception area through the front door of the school to alert the office that they have arrived
Anyone entering the reception lobby should sanitise their hands immediately on arrival
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
Uniform & Personal Equipment
School uniform should be worn everyday
Parents are welcome to alternate between the tracksuit and uniform. It is advisable that the schol tracksuit/uniform is kept for school only and that children change immediately after school rather than wearing the uniform in after-school facilities, shops, during after-school activities, etc.
Please make sure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled so as to avoid children bringing home the wrong clothing
Children should bring limited personal equipment to school
Lunch boxes and reusable bottles should be of a type that can be easily wiped clean
Children should come appropriately dressed for the weather and should be able to independently manage their bag, coat and shoes.
We urge parents to read this document carefully and to offer their full support in its implementation. We will be writing to you in due course in relation to other areas of operation of the school ahead of re-opening. We will continue to update you in the event of changes in advice or in this policy.
Take care and continue to stay safe.
Kind regards,
Alma Moran
August 5th 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I hope you, your children and families are keeping well and enjoying the Summer break. We are delighted that we have been given the go-ahead to return to school on September 1st and are really looking forward to seeing everyone then. In recent weeks we have been busy with cleaning, classroom adaptations and planning for a safe return to school. Every effort is being made to minimise the risk to our school community, to support pupil wellbeing and to progress pupil learning when we return to the classroom.
Given the size of our school community, we cannot underestimate the task in hand and we will need to work closely together to ensure that we minimise the risk of Covid 19. We are using the recently published Roadmap for Reopening Schools to inform our plans and will provide details of agreed protocols to you in the next couple of weeks.
These have been really difficult times for everyone. We greatly appreciate the support parents and guardians have shown children and staff during the lockdown.We will need your continued support and cooperation in the new school year so that we can protect children and adults, partcularly the most vulnerable in our school community.
At this stage it is important to note that pupils returning from a country which is not on the Government’s Green Travel List must fully isolate for 14 days prior to attending First Holy Communion ceremonies or returning to school. We ask that you keep abreast of travel guidance from HSE in the coming weeks if you are away or intend to travel abroad.
Once the new academic year begins, it is essential that pupils remain at home from school if any member of the family is displaying symptoms of possible Covid 19 infection to avoid community spread of the virus.
If any or your contact details have changed, please let us know by emailing info@hopejns.ie. It is important that all contact details are fully up to date on our system.
I will be in touch again soon. Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of the holidays - fingers crossed for some lovely sunshine! I look forward to having everyone back in school and to your support in making our return a safe and smooth experience for all.
Kindest regards,
Alma Moran
Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I hope you, your children and families are keeping well and enjoying the Summer break. We are delighted that we have been given the go-ahead to return to school on September 1st and are really looking forward to seeing everyone then. In recent weeks we have been busy with cleaning, classroom adaptations and planning for a safe return to school. Every effort is being made to minimise the risk to our school community, to support pupil wellbeing and to progress pupil learning when we return to the classroom.
Given the size of our school community, we cannot underestimate the task in hand and we will need to work closely together to ensure that we minimise the risk of Covid 19. We are using the recently published Roadmap for Reopening Schools to inform our plans and will provide details of agreed protocols to you in the next couple of weeks.
These have been really difficult times for everyone. We greatly appreciate the support parents and guardians have shown children and staff during the lockdown.We will need your continued support and cooperation in the new school year so that we can protect children and adults, partcularly the most vulnerable in our school community.
At this stage it is important to note that pupils returning from a country which is not on the Government’s Green Travel List must fully isolate for 14 days prior to attending First Holy Communion ceremonies or returning to school. We ask that you keep abreast of travel guidance from HSE in the coming weeks if you are away or intend to travel abroad.
Once the new academic year begins, it is essential that pupils remain at home from school if any member of the family is displaying symptoms of possible Covid 19 infection to avoid community spread of the virus.
If any or your contact details have changed, please let us know by emailing info@hopejns.ie. It is important that all contact details are fully up to date on our system.
I will be in touch again soon. Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of the holidays - fingers crossed for some lovely sunshine! I look forward to having everyone back in school and to your support in making our return a safe and smooth experience for all.
Kindest regards,
Alma Moran
Principal
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