Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Garda

7th September 2021

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We had a smooth return to school last week and I want to thank the whole school community for making this happen. As society continues to open up, there is an increased risk of the spread of Covid-19 in the community, thus the increased risk of the virus entering our school. Whilst the school is adhering to all guidelines outlined in our Covid Response Plan, there is still a risk that we will have positive cases of Covid-19 in our school this year. In order to avoid and limit this as much as possible, please continue to follow the public health advice and be vigilant in relation to the symptoms of Covid-19.

Common symptoms of Covid-19 Other Common Symptoms of Covid-19
•       a fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above).

•       a new cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry.

•       shortness of breath or breathing difficulties.

•       loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

•       Fatigue

•       Aches and Pains

•      sore throat

•      headaches

•      runny or stuffy noses

•      feeling sick or vomiting

•      diarrhoea

 

Please do not send your child to school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19. If you are in doubt, phone your family doctor straight away to see if they need a free Covid19 test. Getting an early diagnosis means, you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus, if you have it. For the complete list of symptoms, please refer to the HSE Website. Symptoms may be subject to change so regular review of the HSE Website is advised. If you do not have symptoms, you can get a free Covid-19 (coronavirus) test at a Covid19 walkin test centre.

  • If your child is a close contact of a confirmed case of Covid-19, they must restrict their movements.
  • If your child tests positive for Covid-19, please contact the school immediately by phone on 059-9151875 or email info@smltullow.ie. This helps us begin the contact tracing process promptly with the HSE and limit the spread of Covid-19.
  • We ask that all adults entering the school grounds wear a mask and do not congregate at the school gate.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Is mise le meas,

Ms. Marie Coen (Principal)

Home School Hub on RTE

Click here for the Home School Hub info on RTÉ

Home School Hub is back to help keep everyone busy and engaged with learning over the new lockdown. It will air every weekday, for two hours from 10am on RTÉ2 starting this Monday, 11 January.

To help teachers, parents and pupils plan ahead here is a short note on what is coming up every day and you can click on the links to see the activity and resources to go with each lesson in English and Irish.

Friday 15/01

Home School Hub 10am
Múinteoir Ray talks to us about feelings and emotions.
Feelings
Mothuchain

Múinteoir John teaches us about games and pastimes in his History Class.
History
Stair

Múinteoir Clíona teaches 3D maps.
Geography – 3D map

Home School Hub 11am
Múinteoir Ray teaches us about narrative writing.
English – writing narrative
Béarla – insint scríofa

Múinteoir John teaches us about water and the water cycle.
Geography
Tíreolaíocht

And in today’s’ Gaeilge class, Múinteoir Clíona introduces us to “saol laethúil” (everyday life).
Gaeilge

 

Planning for Covid Learning: Beginning on Monday 11th January

1.Online Learning

What is it?

-A weekly plan of work will be provided for each class. Two Zoom sessions will take place for each mainstream class each week (see Zoom Timetable for more info). Further learning plans will be available for the children who are in receipt of additional support (Literacy, Numeracy, EAL, Speech and Language etc)

When are these plans/online learning available?

– Online learning will begin on Monday 11th January. Plans will be uploaded to the school website each weekend starting 10th January 2021.

– Zoom sessions will begin for classes the week of the 11th January (see timetable for day and time of your child’s Zoom sessions)

Where will I locate the plans?

-Visit  www.smltullow.ie and click on LEARNING PACKS FOR COVID 19 for all the weekly plans.

How do find the plan for my child?

-Find your child’s class and teacher under LEARNING PACKS FOR COVID 19. Click on the weekly plan that you wish to view. It will open in PDF format on your device.  Further Learning has been provided by our Special Education Teacher. Click on your child’s SET teacher and your child’s class to access additional learning activities.

What will my daughter need for online learning?

-Access to the weekly plan to know what activities she is doing daily, along with her school books/ resources and stationary to write with. She will need a device with a stable internet connection for Zoom sessions.

Why is the school doing this? What if I can’t do them with my daughter?

-Online learning activities are not to burden families with additional stress or pressure. Instead it is an opportunity for children to engage with their teacher and peers online whilst also continuing their learning journey. Only do what suits your family, their timetable and what is most suitable. If at any stage you are unable to do the work provided or need some more help please email the teacher for support (see contact details for staff below).

  1. Zoom Sessions

How will I know when the Zoom sessions are?

-Check the timetable below to see what day and time your daughters Zoom calls are with her teacher/SET teacher each week.

Zoom Timetable with SET times

Where do I get access to the Zoom session?

-A link to the meetings will be on page 1 of the weekly plan. Click the link on the plan to access the Zoom meeting. A password for all the meetings was sent to your email as part of a PDF document. Please check this before the Zoom session. You may be asked to enter a password pending the device you are using.

What will be going on during the Zoom call?

-Teachers will continue with the curriculum in the core subjects (English, Mathematics and Gaeilge). Topics that will be covered during a Zoom session will be highlighted in red in the weekly plan.

What will my child need for the Zoom calls?

-Your daughter will need access to a charged device that has a connection to the internet in a quiet space. She will need her school books and resources from school, writing materials and an area to write on. She will also need to be able to use the microphone on the device or have a headset.

What role do I have as a parent or guardian during a Zoom session?

-Good Online Netiquette: Please remind you daughter of good online ‘netiquette’. The following are the rules as described in our Schools Acceptable Usage Policy Appendix 1 pg 5. Please revise these with your child before she begins her Zoom session.

Survey and Deep Clean

SURVEY

In order for our school to continue providing teaching and learning to meet the needs of our children, we are asking families to fill in the survey below before November 2nd.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SURVEY

Survey

DEEP CLEAN

We will be doing a deep clean of our school over the Halloween break.

The children will be bringing home the items from their basket from Wednesday 21st onwards- please be mindful that her bag may be heavier than usual on these days. Please keep these materials at home. We ask that you use the mid-term break to clean and sanitize all her stationary, lunch containers, bags etc so that they are ready for November 2nd when we reopen.

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