Reopening Our School Information
Dear parent,
Plans and preparations are well under way for the full reopening of the Coláiste and we are looking forward to seeing all of our students and staff returning from Tuesday 1st September. This year more than ever the quality of our staff and student induction will play a vital role in ensuring the school community is familiar with the protocols and behaviours necessary to keep everyone safe.
To ensure we have adequate time to achieve a comprehensive induction we have delayed the return of students by one day. This will allow us Friday 28th & Monday 31st for staff planning and induction. Please see the updated calendar by clicking on the link. This calendar contains return dates for each year group.
Students will begin returning to school on a phased basis on Tuesday 1st September and all students will be back on Friday 4th September. Thankfully, our classrooms sizes are such that we can achieve the desired 1m social distancing with all subject groups and we are working hard to ensure that every possible additional safety measure is put in place to ensure the safety of everyone upon opening.
We are in the process of developing a video and a comprehensive document which will outline many of the physical changes, safety measures and protocols put in place over the summer months. When completed this will be circulated to parents and students through our website & social media and will play an important role in our school induction process. The Department of Education are also developing online training resources which will form part of the return to school process for every school in the country.
Preventing the spread of the virus - Important Points: ( While we will be forwarding comprehensive guidelines and information in due course the following basics are central to a safe and successful return)
“No person (child, teacher or parent) should attend an educational setting if unwell or any members of their household are unwell with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.”
(Roadmap for the Full Return to School, 27th July 2020,).
Know the symptoms
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is important to know and recognise the symptoms. Those
(classified on HSE website) as common symptoms are:
❏ High temperature or fever
❏ Cough
❏ Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
❏ Loss or change to sense of taste or smell
(whilst fatigue, sore throat, headache, runny/stuffy nose etc are classified as sometimes or rare symptoms).
Travel Advice: We are asking all students and staff to isolate for 14 days if travelling from abroad and to not attend school during this period.
Each student will require the following PPE Equipment:
Quality Washable Face Masks: On last Friday 7th August the HSE published a guidance document stating that ALL staff and students in post primary schools must wear high quality washable cloth face masks (exceptions made only in exceptional circumstances). In line with this guidance we are asking you to ensure your son/daughter has a number of these masks available to them before we return.
Whilst we have installed hand sanitiser dispensers at every entrance/exit point and in every classroom we also encourage students to have their own pocket size hand sanitiser as well as a packet of wipes for wiping down surfaces before use. We would also encourage students to wear a bum bag as a suitable means of storage. If not using a bum bag a clean container should be kept in the school bag where these items are stored.
As mentioned earlier, these are just the basics but we wish to ensure you that we are leaving no stone left unturned in our preparations to reopen the school safely. Later correspondence will contain information on alternative timetabling arrangements, new classroom layouts and safety measures, staggered breaks, restricted access to school buildings, one way circulation systems, washing and sanitising facilities, signage and information sharing, procedures for dealing with suspected cases etc
Despite of all of the measures that are necessary, Colaiste students, parents, staff and BOM will continue to work together in the positive spirit we are used of, to ensure that the Coláiste continues to provide the type of caring, inclusive and enjoyable learning and social environment that is synonymous with our school.
Kind regards,
Donal O Sullivan
