December 2021 Newsletter

Letters to Cloonamahon Residents
Thank you to all the pupils in 2nd class for writing letters to the residents of Cloonamahon.

Morning Mile
Well done to the pupils of 6th and 5th who have resumed the morning mile run every morning. More classes will join them in the New Year.

Music Generation
Some classes have had the pleasure of the Music Generation tutors this term and the rest will avail of this in the New Year.

Elf on the Shelf
We have had reports from several classes where there have been elves causing havoc. They seem to be enjoying their time in our school.

Active Flag
We have taken up the baton of achieving the Active Flag for Scoil Mhuire Agus Iosaf. We will post updates as we make progress on this.

Keeping School Tidy
A big thank you to all the pupils of 6th class who are doing an excellent job of keeping the school tidy with litter picking and sweeping among other jobs

New Hepa Filter/Air Purifiers
Following Department of Education recommendations we have recently purchased new Hepa Filter/Air Purifiers for each classroom.

Christmas Wishes
Áthbhlian Nua Faoi Mhaise Dhaoibh.
Wishing all of you a very peaceful Christmas and New Year. School resumes on the 6th of January.

From Paul and staff

September 2021

School Photos
County Photos will visit the school this coming Monday 4th October to take photos of the pupils of our school. No class groups will be taken this year due to Covid, but Junior Infants & 6th Class will have group photos in the form of individual head shots. If you wish to have your children photographed as a family you must arrange to transport the children from one school to the other & back again yourself.

First Confession & First Holy Communion
Congratulations to the pupils who made their First Confession recently. They will make their First Holy Communion this coming Saturday 2nd October in the Church of the Assumption, Collooney. Have a wonderful day!

Hot Lunches
We are very pleased with the response to the hot lunches and are getting good feedback from the pupils receiving them. Please check in with your child regularly to ensure they are happy with their menu choices. You can change them online with the login details provided at
http://www.freshtoday.ie

Music Generation
It is great to have Music Generation back in our school providing tuition to all of our classes this year. If your child has started Music Generation classes could you please forward payment via ePayments on Aladdin. Thank you!

Gaelic Coaching
Gaelic coaching has resumed with Pat Kilcoyne every Tuesday for all classes.

Book Fair
The annual Book Fair will visit our school next Tuesday 5th October until Tuesday 12th. All pupils will get an opportunity to look at the books in the Book Fair & purchase something if they wish.

Internet Safety Talk
We have booked an internet safety talk for 3rd – 6th class which will take place on 6th October during school time via webinar. A separate internet safety talk for parents will take place the same evening at 7pm. Links to the parents talk will be sent on the Monday of that week via text/email. Children of any parents attending will get the night off homework! This is a very important talk so it is advisable that as many parents as possible attend.

Owenmore Gaels Success
Congratulations to the U14 girls for winning the County Finals last Saturday. Congratulations also to the U13 boys for competing in the County Finals last Saturday.

September 2020

Welcome back!
It was great to welcome our pupils back after such a long time off and to welcome for the first time our Junior Infants & the pupils who have joined us from other schools. I hope they are all settling in well.

School bags
There should be no need for school bags, as there is no homework for the month of September. We will continue to review this.

Bubbles and Pods
We are all getting used to the new terminology associated with Covid-19. Basically each class of its own is known as a ‘Bubble’ and are expected to be separate from the other classes. As a result, break times have been staggered to allow for classes to have their own yard space. There are also ‘Pods’ of smaller groups within each class to allow for group work, where they only mix with the pupils in their assigned ‘Pod’. While the children from Junior Infants up to and including 2nd class are not expected to physical distance there are still pods set up within these classes, as per Department of Education Guidelines.

Visitors/Appointments with staff
It is now obligatory to give prior notice of any visit to the school. Should you wish to make an appointment to speak with any member of staff, please contact our secretary Stacey and she will arrange it.

Confirmation & First Holy
Pupils who didn’t receive the sacraments during the school closure will be receiving them this month.
Confirmation takes place on Monday 14th , Tuesday 15th & Tuesday 22nd September for Collooney. Texts have been sent out with your particular date. Time on all three dates is 6.30pm
First Holy Communion takes place on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27 h September at 12.30pm on both
days. Fr Peyton has gone through the various restrictions that now apply due to Covid at the meetings. We wish all candidates well!

Payments
Payments are best made by card over the phone, especially now where contact is to be kept to a minimum. We are in the process of setting up an “epayments” system through Aladdin, we will keep you updated about this.

School Lunches
Please monitor what your child is getting for their lunch and that they are eating it, as we want to continue to minimise any waste. If you’re sending in a lunch for your child from home please make sure to cancel the school lunch for them.

Appointments
If your child has an appointment during school hours, please ring the school in advance. Once you arrive at the school your child will be escorted to the front door by a member of staff. In line with Covid-19 Guidelines it is important that we limit the number of people accessing the school building, therefore your child will be signed in and out by a member of staff. If the appointment is a medical one, it is not recommended that they return to school that day.
Drop off/Collection
Thank you to all of you for the respect shown at drop off/collection times. Please continue to observe physical distancing as best you can during these times.

Welcome new staff members
Welcome on board to our new teachers Lisa Lundy and Roisin Ni Chuanaigh and our new SNA Claire
Walsh.

New Yard Markings
We have new yard markings completed at School B and the children are already very busy exploring them.

School Cleaning
Along with a complete clean of all surfaces every day, the school is sanitised every evening with a fogging machine.

Aladdin School Administration System
Can everyone please ensure they have received a text regarding the setup of the Aladdin app. All text notifications & end of year report cards issue via Aladdin. Any absence reasons can be recorded by parents on the app also. If you have been locked out of your account or have problems setting it up please let Stacey know ASAP.

School Website
Please refer to our school website www.smaicollooney.school from time to time for newsletters, notices & class blogs/updates.

School Rules
The school rules have been sent out via Aladdin. They must be accessed via Permissions on your Aladdin home screen. When you have read them through with your child please tick the relevant box to agree. This will negate the need for the paper form being sent home to be signed.

Healthy Eating Policy – School Lunches
We have been lucky enough again this year to received funding to provide free school lunches to all pupils wishing to avail. These are provided by Fresh Today. Changes to the lunches can be made by logging in to www.freshtoday.ie and entering the login details provided the summer, by email to [email protected] or by texting CHANGE along with your name & number to 087 1184394. Please note the school secretary cannot make changes to your child’s lunch.

Book Money
Just a reminder to settle up book fees as soon as you can. Thank you to the parents that have already paid.

Contact Details
If any families have changed phone numbers or moved house over the break please update your contact details in the school office.
The school contact details are as follows:
Landline – 071 9167763
Mobile – 085 2527093
Email – [email protected]

As usual, if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact the school. Thank you for your continued support.

Paul & Staff