School Arrangements for September 2021
Dear Parent/ Guardian,
I hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying the summer break.
We look forward to the year ahead and our dedicated team of teachers, classroom assistants and staff will be doing their best to support your child through the academic year.
We hope with the easing of COVID19 restrictions school life will start to become less restrictive, however coronavirus is still very much in our community and to protect everyone, it will still be necessary to maintain some of the mitigation procedures that were in place previously. This will be reviewed at Halloween.
From September 1st, the following procedures will remain in place;
- Each year group will continue to operate with a bubble system.
- Procedures for dropping off and collecting children will remain the same to ensure adequate social distancing for parents and children
- The school gates will open at 8.50am and school staff will be present to receive the children. The children in Primary 1,2 and 3 will enter through the North Circular Road Gate. Children in Primary 4 & 5 will enter through the main exit gate on Lake Street. Primary 6 & 7 will enter through the main entrance gate on Lake Street.
- Home time. Primary 1 will finish school at 12 noon from 1st September to 10th September. From Monday 13th September Primary 1 will finish school at 1.50pm and parents should wait at the North Circular Road gate until their child’s class is called.
- Primary 2 (North Circular Road) and Primary 3 (Main Exit Gate) will finish school at 2pm.
- Primary 4 (2.50pm) and Primary 5 (3pm) should be collected at the North Circular Road Gate.
- Primary 6 (2.50) leave though the Main Exit Gate and Primary 7 (3pm) leave through the Main Entrance Gate.
- We strongly encourage all parents approaching the school gate to continue to wear a face covering.
- All children using school transport are encouraged to wear a face covering.
Meetings between school staff and parents will continue to be managed through phone calls except in exceptional circumstances.
School Bags/ Pencil Cases. The Department of Education have advised that the risk from sharing resources such as library books or bringing schoolbags into school is extremely small. Therefore, from the first of September children will be permitted to use a school bag, lunch bag and to carry books between home and school. Primary 1 & 2 children should use the Tannaghmore PS foundation stage school bag which is available in the shops selling the school uniform.
Children should not attend school if they are symptomatic for COVID19. Symptomatic children should take a PCR test and only return to school if the result is negative and they no longer have a fever.
The Public Health Agency is currently preparing guidance to ensure that school aged children who are close contacts only self- isolate until they have received a negative PCR test.
Children in Primary 1 who are starting school for the first time have been allocated a start day. Parents should bring their child to the North Circular Road gate at 9.15am and a member of staff will be available to meet you there. Primary 1 children will finish school at 12 noon for the first two weeks. All Primary 1 children will be in school on Monday 13th September and home time will move to 1.50pm.
Breakfast club – Breakfast club will be available for Primary 2-7 from the 1st of September. Breakfast club opens at 8pm and bookings will open on the school money App on Tuesday 31st August. Primary 1 children will be able to use the breakfast club from Monday 13th September.
School buses – The school bus will run as normal in the morning and at home time (2pm & 3pm). All journeys are payable via the School Money App. Primary 1 children will be able to travel on the bus from Monday 13th September.
School Dinners – School dinners will be available for Primary 2-7 from 1st September and are bookable through school money from Tuesday 31st. Primary 1 children will be able to avail of school dinners from Monday 13th September.
School App - Please download the School App from www.tannaghmoreps.com to your phone so that you can receive all relevant information.
School Money - All payments in school will be based on a cashless system and will require parents to pay online. Please ensure that you have registered for School Money. If you have any issues with the registration process, please contact me at the school. https://www.tannaghmoreps.com/parents-area/school-money/
Mobile Electronic Devices - Children should not bring mobile phones or devices such as smart watches to school. These devices are very often a distraction in class and can contribute to issues of cyberbullying and inappropriate use of technology. Any information which a parent needs to share with children during the school day should go through the school office.
Your Sincerely
Seamus McCreesh
Principal
