School Note. August 28th 2020.
Dear Parents, guardians, pupils, colleagues and friends,
I hope this brief note finds you all well. I have looked forward to writing this note for some time now, and I mean it very sincerely when I say how happy I am to be welcoming you all back to Cregmore National School on Monday morning next. As a nation we deserve great credit for the sacrifices we all made, for adhering to the advice of the medical professionals and our government and for showing a resolute determination of getting through all this. This time 2 weeks ago, two young girls were missing at sea for 15 hours. The vast vast majority of those involved in the search feared the worst and expected that this was a “recovery” task. All the indications suggested the same. However, the Olivers thought differently, as did the fishermen of Ballyconneely, who searched vigorously in areas not regarded as potential hot spots. They thought outside the box. They were right and the rest is history. Likewise, we as a community, and as a nation, we must show resolve, adhere to advice, use common sense (as Patrick and his son Morgan did), and remain united and determined until we finally beat this pandemic. We are all in this together. Therefore, when we reopen our school on Monday morning, we all have a responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our school community. Responsibility does not rest with me, with the teachers nor with the Board of Management alone. It rests with each and every one of us who are connected with the school in any way. We must all take responsibility to ensure to safety of each other and it is vitally important that parents keep positive lines of communication open with their children and constantly remind them of best practice and adherence. I appreciate that some pupils may feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of returning to school, such is the amount of exposure Covid 19 constantly receives via the media. Therefore, parents have a very important role in reassuring their children and in creating an atmosphere of normality. Some children may find it difficult to reconnect with friends at first or to focus on schoolwork. So be it. Under no circumstance should any child feel any unnecessary pressure, nor be put under any strain in relation to schoolwork / homework. Some will immediately pick up where they left off.....others may find it more daunting and work at a slower pace. Regardless of which it is, the bottom line is that no child should feel overwhelmed, anxious or inadequate. We are all individuals who deal differently with the situations put in front of us. We will all get there eventually. And remember, we, the teaching staff, are there all the time to support, guide you and help you in any way we can.
Sincere thanks to all who prepared the school for reopening and in particular to Odhran O Mahony for connecting with me on almost a daily basis. Thanks also to Margaret who was just amazing, to Arthur for all his work, Gerry Melia for all the maintenance that had to be carried out, Damien Dudy for his caretaking, Gerard McGrath for cutting our new pitch and caring for it generally so that it will be ready by Monday, Mary Forde and her colleagues in Athenry Credit Union for financing the project of our running track and Astro Turf pitch and indeed several members of staff who remained in constant contact, supporting initiatives and preparing for reopening. Thank you. Yesterday we welcomed our Junior and Senior Infants and again I would like to thank the staff who spent the day preparing for their arrival and making the experience as enjoyable as possible.
We were delighted to have purchased sanitising / fogging machines which we used to sanitise the school yesterday evening when all the visitors had left. These machines will prove invaluable as time progresses.
Finally, can I please ask you to read last weeks newsletter which outlines the procedures we will adhere to over the coming weeks.
All staff remain the same other than Ms Curran, Mary, will replace Mr Connell as 1st class teacher and Mr O Flaherty will replace Mary in her former role as Special Education Teacher. Michelle is our new SNA and Alison will be in the school office from 8.30am to 1.30pm though Margaret will also be working remotely.
So, please God everything is in place and we are ready to commence a new chapter.
Those of you who drew pictures of boats or who wrote diaries, please bring them to me and as promised we will have them framed and they will remain as a historical fact during a unique time in the history of the world.
Kind Regards to you all and looking forward to seeing you all very soon,
Joe