Skerries Educate Together

In response to a number of queries on this subject, and as part of our wish to keep the school community informed of the latest developments, I wanted to give you an update on the situation regarding our Autism Class extension project.

As many of you will know, the Department of Education (DE) has approved funding for 4 primary school  Autism Classes in our school.  It is worth noting that the school is being supported through this project by Louth/Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB), which has extensive experience of managing these types of developments.  Plans have been drawn up by the project architects for this extension, and these have been approved by the DE.  I have attached these drawings to the message for your information.

The original timeline was due to result in an opening date for the new extension of September 2021.  However, this was the estimate before the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Ireland in March 2020, and unfortunately this is having an extremely negative effect on the work schedule.  The estimate we have recently been given is that it will be September 2022, or later, before the unit will be completed.  This is very disheartening for everyone, and none more so than the families of the children who need these school places the most.  We will continue to engage with all parties to work towards the delivery of these classrooms in as safe and as timely a manner as possible.  We will also keep the school community informed of any new developments when they arise.

Conor D’Arcy, Principal and Board of Management, Skerries Educate Together National School.

Plan Downloads

• Proposed Elevations & Section – 04.09.2020
• Proposed Site Plan – 04.09.2020

At the most recent Board of Management meeting, the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement was reviewed and ratified.  This happens on an annual basis and it is important that we inform all members of the school community that it has taken place.  You can view this document by clicking on the link below, and it has also been added to the Policy section of the website.

Child Safeguarding Statement Ratified November 2020

Skerries Educate Together National School is today publishing its Annual Admissions Notice that outlines the process and timeline for applying for school places in our school for the 2021-22 school year.  This Admissions Notice, together with the relevant application forms, is attached below.

Please note that applications will be accepted from Monday 2nd November until 12:00pm on Monday 23rd November 2020.

Should you require any further information, please contact the school office directly on 8494050 or at [email protected]

• Skerries ETNS Admissions Applications Form 2021-22
• Skerries ETNS Admissions Notice 2021-22
• Seolta Admissions Application Form 2021-22

On 8th September 2020, following a consultation process involving parents, staff, the Board of Management and the patron (Educate Together), the Educate Together Head Office approved a new Admissions Policy for Skerries Educate Together NS.  This document is attached below.  This new policy sets out the criteria for admission and the procedures for managing applications for admission to the school.  An Annual Admissions Notice will be published on the school’s website in due course in relation to applications for school places in September 2021.  There is also a “Frequently asked questions re Admissions Policy” document that you might find helpful.

Best regards,
Conor

Dear parents/guardians,

Please see below for the school’s Covid-19 Response Plan, which has been devised to detail the procedures that we are currently following in order to minimise the risk of Covid-19 affecting our school community.

We very much appreciate the hard work of parents/guardians and the entire school community in helping to get the children back to school.  We really hope that the children are enjoying being back with their friends in class, and it certainly seems that this is the case.  We will be in ongoing communication with you all by email and through the Aladdin Connect app, but please contact us at the office if you have any questions, and we will do our very best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Conor

Covid-19 Response Plan for Skerries ETNS

Dear Parents,

In light of the recent announcement by the Taoiseach about the spread of Covid 19, the school will close on Thursday 12^th March 2020 until 30^th March 2020. This is also in line with the advice and recommendations made by the National Authorities and the National Public Emergency Team.  Please see attached statement from the Department of Education and Skills.

https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/12-march-2020-statement-from-the-department-of-education-and-skills.html

As per yesterday’s email the children will have been given work to complete over the period. If they are absent today, you may wish to link in with another parent. We will inform all children of the closure at the end of the day. All scheduled school events until 30^th March are cancelled immediately such as after school clubs, GAA etc. If your child is in a club today and you can’t make it to the school for 2.15 we will supervise those remaining children until 3.10.

It is in the interests of us all to remain safe and vigilant faced with challenges that are before us. Our aim in the school is to always provide a healthy and safe atmosphere for your children. This is our primary concern and we look forward to beating this virus together and returning back to normal as soon as possible. We hope you all stay safe and that our country stands together in this unprecedented time. We will update you if any further information is provided to us.

Is mise le meas,

Brían ó Luasa

Deputy Principal Skerries Educate Together

Dear Parents,

In light of the recent announcement by the Taoiseach about the spread of Covid 19, the school will close on Thursday 12^th March 2020 until 30^th March 2020. This is also in line with the advice and recommendations made by the National Authorities and the National Public Emergency Team.  Please see attached statement from the Department of Education and Skills.

https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/12-march-2020-statement-from-the-department-of-education-and-skills.html

As per yesterday’s email the children will have been given work to complete over the period. If they are absent today, you may wish to link in with another parent. We will inform all children of the closure at the end of the day. All scheduled school events until 30^th March are cancelled immediately such as after school clubs, GAA etc. If your child is in a club today and you can’t make it to the school for 2.15 we will supervise those remaining children until 3.10.

It is in the interests of us all to remain safe and vigilant faced with challenges that are before us. Our aim in school is to always provide a healthy and safe atmosphere for your children. This is our primary concern and we look forward to beating this virus together and returning back to normal as soon as possible. We hope you all stay safe and that our country stands together in this unprecedented time. We will update you if any further information is provided to us.

Is mise le meas,

Brían ó Luasa

Deputy Principal Skerries Educate Together

Dear parent/guardian,

Following on from our initial information given last week, we would like to update you on the school’s procedures for dealing with the recent Corona virus outbreak in Ireland.

We are following HSE guidelines very closely and our school is adhering to all recommendations made by the DES and the HSE. We have included information in this email. No further action is necessary to be taken by the school at present.

We are monitoring the HSE and DES websites frequently to make sure our information is up to date and we will continue this diligently.

We would like to inform you that hand sanitiser, tissues and disposable nappy bags have been provided for each class to help contain the spread of any viruses . We are also disinfecting tables daily and encouraging the children to wash their hands at intervals throughout the day. We encourage children to sing Happy Birthday twice, while they are washing their hands to ensure appropriate washing time. We would encourage you to talk to your children at home to support their learning around this topic.

All teachers are teaching children about the importance of good respiratory and hand hygiene. We have used this poster attached to help us. These posters are displayed in every classroom and throughout the school.

We appreciate your support and will continue to follow all national guidance on the issue in relation to child safety.

Kind regards,

SETNS

Dear Parents/ Guardians.

The Department of Education and Skills has updated information for schools on Covid-19.

This has been provided by the Department of Health and HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre following a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

The most important action we can take to protect ourselves from

Covid-19 is regular hand-washing and good respiratory hygiene.

We are teaching and encouraging this in school.

Please see the links below for more information.

Thank you, SETNS.

Calling All Bakers…

The PTA is holding its annual Valentine’s Day Cake Sale this Friday, in the school hall. We need as many cakes and sweet treats as possible, as the more goodies we have to sell, the more funds will be raised for the school. You can give us your goodies on Friday morning at drop-off, but please make sure that all donations are nut-free.

We will have a table at the cake sale dedicated to “free-from” goodies (free from gluten, dairy-free, etc.), so if you’re supplying any such goodies, please label your donations as “dairy-free” or “gluten-free”, so we know how to display them.

For the first time, we’ll also be selling tea, coffee and hot-chocolate at this cake sale, so you can get a caffeine hit along with your sugar hit.

What a great way to kick off your Friday!

Looking forward to seeing you all then. The PTA