A message from Mr. Murphy
St Olaf’s Reopening 1st September 2020
Dear Parents,
We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our pupils back to St Olaf’s in less than two weeks time. Like most aspects of our daily lives right now, some things will look and operate a bit differently. But I can promise you that I, and all the staff are committed to making this as easy and manageable and as safe as possible, for everybody in our school community. It’s been a long time since we have been together and we have really missed each other. If your family has experienced any bereavement that you would like us to know about, please let me know in confidence. Also if your child is displaying anxiety and needs particular attention, or if their health or that of a close family member places them in a high risk category, please contact me in confidence at principal@stolafs.ie
I also attach a copy of our COVID 19 school Response Plan which is available to view on our website http://www.stolafs.ie/covid-19-response-plan.html
What if my child is anxious about going back to school?
Covid19 has presented us with many challenges and has created a great sense of anxiety amongst a lot of people. This is a very normal reaction to an abnormal set of life events.
However it has also presented us with the opportunity to develop resilience. Your child may experience anxiety around the return to school and whilst it is important to acknowledge how he/she is feeling, it is also important to empower him/her to overcome their anxiety.
This is best done by explaining to them that they will be safe in school and that although they may feel anxious they have nothing to be afraid of. Feelings aren’t facts. There are lots of people who care about them and who will work hard to keep them safe.
Your child may experience separation anxiety but the best way to overcome this is to agree a plan with them and stick to it. You may agree to walk them to school but then you need to leave.
By leaving you are giving your child the opportunity to self soothe and you are teaching them to manage their anxiety. If you prolong the separation you may reinforce your child’s anxiety as you are indicating that you believe they can’t manage without you there. A member of staff will stay with your child until they have calmed down. In our experience children always self soothe a lot quicker once their parents are gone!
What will morning time look like?
No parents in school building: Parents will no longer be permitted to enter the school (except by appointment / escorted by a Staff member) so it is very important that you make your child aware of this. Each class will be given a gathering point to meet their class teacher in the mornings and from which they can be collected. This point will be inside the school grounds but not inside the school. Parents will be asked to drop their child off at the school gate (whichever gate is closest to their drop off point) and point them in the right direction. Volunteer members of our PA will be there to assist you in this. A detailed list of where these points are is provided at the end of this document. If at all possible please arrange to drop off/meet your child away from the school grounds. It is very important that all those involved in the drop off / collection of the children should ensure that they observe social distancing. This will be so much easier to implement if the majority of you walk/cycle to school as there will be more space around the school to help everyone to practise social distancing. Even if it is raining the drop off areas and times will remain the same – so please ensure that your child has appropriate rain gear.Children must proceed to their allocated space in the morning and not play in other yard spaces. Class Teachers will escort them inside at 8.50am.
We are hoping to avoid having a staggered start as we know this can cause logistical issues for drop offs. But this is where we need you to help us.
The set down area at the front of the school must be strictly for set down only. No one should park here. This will allow for a flow of parents (who do not need to stand with their children at the lines) to pull in, let their child get out of the car and drive on easily. We would ask for everyone’s cooperation in this.
School opens to receive pupils at 8.50 am
Junior Infant classes will go home at 12 noon for the 1st week (until Monday Sept 7th)
Junior Infant classes will go home at 1pm from Tuesday 8th - Monday 14th September
Senior Infant classes 8.50 - 1.30 pm
All other classes: 8.50 - 2.30pm
What will home time look like?
The same rules will apply to parking as in the morning. The children will exit by the same door they enter except in the case of 1st and 2nd class. They will use the Infant door on exiting at 2.30pm.
We would ask that where possible, parents do not linger and congregate in the yard / outside the school gates before and after school.
What does my child’s classroom look like?
We have reconfigured our school into a Senior side and Junior side. This is to allow for our older classes to have the largest classrooms, to facilitate as much social distancing as possible.
From 3rd to 6th your child will be in a Pod and each Pod will be a metre away from each other (where possible). Children will be reminded to maintain social distance as much as possible.
Junior Infants to 2nd class do not need to maintain social distance, however they will still operate in Pods to keep sharing of toys and educational materials to a minimum.
What should my child bring to school?
Your child’s uniform, pencil case, schoolbag, lunchbox and drinks bottle should all be labelled with their name.
Please remind your child how to handwash properly. Remember that sanitiser only works on visibly clean hands. A child friendly video is available on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDjcJ-fSUgg
What if I or my child forget something in the morning?
Parents are no longer permitted into the classrooms or to enter the school anywhere except via the main door by Karen’s office. In the event that your child forgets something at home and you wish to bring it to him/her, there will be a box left on the steps in front of the Main entrance for such items. Please ensure that they are properly labelled. This box will be emptied periodically during the day.
A Contact Tracing Log will be kept of any and all visitors to the school and this will also be kept at the Main entrance..
How will yard times work?
We will have two different yard times for both breaks so your child will only be on yard with their year group. This allows all the children much greater space and minimises social interaction with other class groups.
What happens if my child doesn’t feel well?
While all children will be welcome back to school, we would remind parents that, where children are displaying colds, coughs or flu like symptoms, they should not be sent to school. Children who display such symptoms in school will be isolated and parents asked to collect them from the school.
Covid 19 Return to School form: Before returning to school you will be obliged to complete a form for each child indicating that they, or no member of their immediate family, currently has symptoms of Covid 19, that they are not currently isolating, and that they have not been outside the country since August 17th. This form will be sent to you, by email, in advance but can only be completed on August 29th at the earliest. You will be asked to email this form to your daughter’s class teacher before August 31st. If we have not received a form your child cannot be admitted to school on September 1st. You will be asked to complete this form on a regular basis – dependent on advice from DES.
If your child feels in any way unwell they should not come to school until they are better. This is absolutely critical for the safe running of the school. If a child is present in school with symptoms of COVID-19 we have an emergency procedure which we must follow to isolate the child until they are collected and brought home. This is something best avoided if possible so we are asking parents to remain vigilant in assessing your child’s health on a daily basis. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date on your Aladdin Connect app to facilitate easy contact in such an eventuality..
Uniform: Since we haven’t been specifically told that the children should have their clothes washed each day, we will not be strict on uniform for the first month or so. The children may wear either their uniform or their tracksuit – whichever suits you. However, it must be one or the other – they cannot wear their ordinary clothes.
Rented Books will be sanitised to ensure that they are Covid free before giving them out to the children
In the past we have used class sets of books but this will not be the case this year. Your child will be allocated books for the year and these will be the ones that s/he will have access to. The sharing of supplementary readers in infants, 1st and 2nd classes will be organised later.
New Junior Infants
Class teachers will email you directly regarding a short ‘Meet & Greet’ for our new Junior Infants next week (probably Thursday 27th TBC) to introduce you and the children to the school, the classroom and the teacher.
All of these plans may end up having to be changed – we don’t know yet how things will work out. I will be hoping for your cooperation and flexibility.
Best regards,
Ger Murphy
Dear Parents,
We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our pupils back to St Olaf’s in less than two weeks time. Like most aspects of our daily lives right now, some things will look and operate a bit differently. But I can promise you that I, and all the staff are committed to making this as easy and manageable and as safe as possible, for everybody in our school community. It’s been a long time since we have been together and we have really missed each other. If your family has experienced any bereavement that you would like us to know about, please let me know in confidence. Also if your child is displaying anxiety and needs particular attention, or if their health or that of a close family member places them in a high risk category, please contact me in confidence at principal@stolafs.ie
I also attach a copy of our COVID 19 school Response Plan which is available to view on our website http://www.stolafs.ie/covid-19-response-plan.html
What if my child is anxious about going back to school?
Covid19 has presented us with many challenges and has created a great sense of anxiety amongst a lot of people. This is a very normal reaction to an abnormal set of life events.
However it has also presented us with the opportunity to develop resilience. Your child may experience anxiety around the return to school and whilst it is important to acknowledge how he/she is feeling, it is also important to empower him/her to overcome their anxiety.
This is best done by explaining to them that they will be safe in school and that although they may feel anxious they have nothing to be afraid of. Feelings aren’t facts. There are lots of people who care about them and who will work hard to keep them safe.
Your child may experience separation anxiety but the best way to overcome this is to agree a plan with them and stick to it. You may agree to walk them to school but then you need to leave.
By leaving you are giving your child the opportunity to self soothe and you are teaching them to manage their anxiety. If you prolong the separation you may reinforce your child’s anxiety as you are indicating that you believe they can’t manage without you there. A member of staff will stay with your child until they have calmed down. In our experience children always self soothe a lot quicker once their parents are gone!
What will morning time look like?
No parents in school building: Parents will no longer be permitted to enter the school (except by appointment / escorted by a Staff member) so it is very important that you make your child aware of this. Each class will be given a gathering point to meet their class teacher in the mornings and from which they can be collected. This point will be inside the school grounds but not inside the school. Parents will be asked to drop their child off at the school gate (whichever gate is closest to their drop off point) and point them in the right direction. Volunteer members of our PA will be there to assist you in this. A detailed list of where these points are is provided at the end of this document. If at all possible please arrange to drop off/meet your child away from the school grounds. It is very important that all those involved in the drop off / collection of the children should ensure that they observe social distancing. This will be so much easier to implement if the majority of you walk/cycle to school as there will be more space around the school to help everyone to practise social distancing. Even if it is raining the drop off areas and times will remain the same – so please ensure that your child has appropriate rain gear.Children must proceed to their allocated space in the morning and not play in other yard spaces. Class Teachers will escort them inside at 8.50am.
We are hoping to avoid having a staggered start as we know this can cause logistical issues for drop offs. But this is where we need you to help us.
The set down area at the front of the school must be strictly for set down only. No one should park here. This will allow for a flow of parents (who do not need to stand with their children at the lines) to pull in, let their child get out of the car and drive on easily. We would ask for everyone’s cooperation in this.
School opens to receive pupils at 8.50 am
Junior Infant classes will go home at 12 noon for the 1st week (until Monday Sept 7th)
Junior Infant classes will go home at 1pm from Tuesday 8th - Monday 14th September
Senior Infant classes 8.50 - 1.30 pm
All other classes: 8.50 - 2.30pm
What will home time look like?
The same rules will apply to parking as in the morning. The children will exit by the same door they enter except in the case of 1st and 2nd class. They will use the Infant door on exiting at 2.30pm.
We would ask that where possible, parents do not linger and congregate in the yard / outside the school gates before and after school.
What does my child’s classroom look like?
We have reconfigured our school into a Senior side and Junior side. This is to allow for our older classes to have the largest classrooms, to facilitate as much social distancing as possible.
From 3rd to 6th your child will be in a Pod and each Pod will be a metre away from each other (where possible). Children will be reminded to maintain social distance as much as possible.
Junior Infants to 2nd class do not need to maintain social distance, however they will still operate in Pods to keep sharing of toys and educational materials to a minimum.
What should my child bring to school?
- Hand Sanitiser. To avoid children queuing excessively at break and lunch times every child should ideally have their own small bottle of hand sanitizer.
- Each child should also bring a small face cloth /hand towel and tissues stored in a toilet bag / Ziplock bag or similar.
- Lunch. Each child should have a drinks bottle and lunch box that are easily wiped clean. They must be clearly labelled as any item that is not labelled will have to be disposed of. There will be no Lost Property in the school. Labelled items will be returned.
- Your children should be able to open and close lunch boxes & bottles on their own. Equally they should not be given any food that they cannot open on their own..
- Stationery. Every child must have their own stationery as outlined on their booklist as sharing will not be possible. Pencil cases should be easily wipeable. Children sould leave their pencil case in school and have additional stationery at home.
- Decisions on the assigning of homework will be made at a later date.
Your child’s uniform, pencil case, schoolbag, lunchbox and drinks bottle should all be labelled with their name.
Please remind your child how to handwash properly. Remember that sanitiser only works on visibly clean hands. A child friendly video is available on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDjcJ-fSUgg
What if I or my child forget something in the morning?
Parents are no longer permitted into the classrooms or to enter the school anywhere except via the main door by Karen’s office. In the event that your child forgets something at home and you wish to bring it to him/her, there will be a box left on the steps in front of the Main entrance for such items. Please ensure that they are properly labelled. This box will be emptied periodically during the day.
A Contact Tracing Log will be kept of any and all visitors to the school and this will also be kept at the Main entrance..
How will yard times work?
We will have two different yard times for both breaks so your child will only be on yard with their year group. This allows all the children much greater space and minimises social interaction with other class groups.
What happens if my child doesn’t feel well?
While all children will be welcome back to school, we would remind parents that, where children are displaying colds, coughs or flu like symptoms, they should not be sent to school. Children who display such symptoms in school will be isolated and parents asked to collect them from the school.
Covid 19 Return to School form: Before returning to school you will be obliged to complete a form for each child indicating that they, or no member of their immediate family, currently has symptoms of Covid 19, that they are not currently isolating, and that they have not been outside the country since August 17th. This form will be sent to you, by email, in advance but can only be completed on August 29th at the earliest. You will be asked to email this form to your daughter’s class teacher before August 31st. If we have not received a form your child cannot be admitted to school on September 1st. You will be asked to complete this form on a regular basis – dependent on advice from DES.
If your child feels in any way unwell they should not come to school until they are better. This is absolutely critical for the safe running of the school. If a child is present in school with symptoms of COVID-19 we have an emergency procedure which we must follow to isolate the child until they are collected and brought home. This is something best avoided if possible so we are asking parents to remain vigilant in assessing your child’s health on a daily basis. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date on your Aladdin Connect app to facilitate easy contact in such an eventuality..
Uniform: Since we haven’t been specifically told that the children should have their clothes washed each day, we will not be strict on uniform for the first month or so. The children may wear either their uniform or their tracksuit – whichever suits you. However, it must be one or the other – they cannot wear their ordinary clothes.
Rented Books will be sanitised to ensure that they are Covid free before giving them out to the children
In the past we have used class sets of books but this will not be the case this year. Your child will be allocated books for the year and these will be the ones that s/he will have access to. The sharing of supplementary readers in infants, 1st and 2nd classes will be organised later.
New Junior Infants
Class teachers will email you directly regarding a short ‘Meet & Greet’ for our new Junior Infants next week (probably Thursday 27th TBC) to introduce you and the children to the school, the classroom and the teacher.
All of these plans may end up having to be changed – we don’t know yet how things will work out. I will be hoping for your cooperation and flexibility.
Best regards,
Ger Murphy
1968 - 2018
Celebrating 50 years of excellence in Education
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MATHS QUIZ TEAM WHO RECENTLY WON THE ANNUAL MATHS QUIZ IN ST. ATTRACTA'S NS
St. Olaf's National School caters for boys & girls from the ages of 4 -12 and has a current enrolment of 520. The school is under the patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and is situated on Balally Drive, just off the Sandyford Road, close to the Dundrum Town Centre and ideally situated to cater for pupils from a wide area including the districts of Balally, Sandyford, Dundrum and Kilmacud.
Applications for Admission may be downloaded on our Enrolment page: .....
Applications for Admission may be downloaded on our Enrolment page: .....
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