Author Archives: Roisin O'Sullivan

June 2020 Newsletter

A warm welcome to our first Aladdin Connect Newsletter which I hope you are able to access on your phone and computer devices.  In the past two weeks you should have received your child’s Report Card for the school year 2019/20.  The App also contains the facility to view Report Cards from all previous years your child has been in the school.

In the future we will be using the Aladdin Connect App to communicate all school notices, (formally text messages) newsletters, ePayment requests, absence notes, parent teacher meeting appointments plus homework allocation and all communication from your class teacher.

Since the school closure due to Covid-19 we have been using the school website and see saw app to set homework and communicate with you on all matters relating to school.  From now on and in the event of future school closures we will be using the Aladdin App to set school work and communicate with you.

Regarding the school year 2020/21 the hope is that all pupils will return to school together on September 1^st and follow the HSE and Department of Education Guidelines in relation to how schools should be run so that each pupil and staff member can attend St. John’s NS. Safely, confident that all measures and precautions are in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

For now, schools are following the framework for re-opening and operating schools which was published by the Minister for Education, Mr. Joe McHugh, on Friday, 12^th June 2020.  The Guidelines in this document will be specified in clearer guidelines as the summer progresses and as developments in relation to the status of the virus becomes known to us.  In this regard our Board of Management will communicate to you the exact procedures we in St. John’s will put in place to re-open our school safely.  We will communicate these procedures clearly to you using our Aladdin Connect App as soon as the full content of these procedures are available.

School Holidays 2020/21 –

For now, the school has devised a school calendar for the school year 2020/21 which is attached to this newsletter.  As you can appreciate this calendar is provisional and based on HSE and Department of Education Guidelines.  Based on this provisional calendar we plan to open St. John’s N.S. on Tuesday, September 1^st 2020 for all pupils

Class Groupings 2020/21

There will be 16 Class Groupings

Class 1 – Junior Infants – Mrs. Cremin

Class 2 – Junior Infants – Ms. Ivers

(Junior Infant Class teachers will send you a letter of introduction in the near future).

Class 3 – Senior Infants – Mrs. Brosnan (Ms. Iver’s 2019/20)

Class 4 – Senior Infants – Ms. Dowing ( Mrs. Cremin’s 2019/20)

Class 5 – 1^st Class – Mrs. Kelly (Mrs. Brosnan’s 2019/20)

Class 6 – 1^st Class – Ms. Doyle (Ms. Downing’s 2019/20)

Class 7 – 2^nd Class – Ms. Laffey (Mrs. Kelly’s 2019/20)

Class 8 – 2^nd Class – Ms. Cashman (Ms. Doyle’s 2019/20)

Class 9 – 3^rd Class – Ms. O’Sullivan (Ms. Cashman’s 2019/20)

Class 10 – 3^rd Class – Mrs. Lucey (Ms. Laffey’s 2019/20)

Class 11 – 4^th Class – Ms. O’Dwyer (Mrs. Lucey’s 2019/20)

Class 12 – 4^th Class – Mr. Devane (Ms. O’Sullivan’s 2019/20)

Class 13 – 5^th Class – Mr. Hussey (Mr. Devane’s 2019/20)

Class 14 – 5^th Class – Ms. Spillane (Ms. O’Dwyer’s 2019/20)

Class 15 – 6^th Class – Mr. Morley (Ms. Spillane’s 2019/20)

Class 16 – 6^th Class – Mr.Mannix/Ms. Healy (Mr. Hussey’s 2019/20)

We would like to thank all our teachers including teachers involved in Special Education for all their hard work and dedication during the past school year particularly in light of all the teaching adaptation that had to be made due to Covid-19.

Uniform

During the month of May you got the opportunity to purchase your uniform online through our supplier, Mr. John O’Brien.

Mr. O’Brien is currently processing all orders and hopes to distribute all items ordered on Wed. 26^th and Thurs. 27^th August 2020 from 12 noon – 5.00 p.m. on each of these days in Pobal Scoil, Kenmare.

Any enquiries in relation to uniform orders should be made to Mr. John O’Brien at 0879843321.  Please be reminded that school shirts, trousers and polo shirts can be purchased in Department Stores locally.  We kindly ask each child to wear full uniform to school in September with accompanying black/dark shoes and tracksuit to be worn on PE days and for other activities advised by the school.

Schoolbooks

For children in Junior Infants to Second class, the fee for your child for the next school year is €90.  For children in Third to Sixth Class, the fee will be €65. The difference in the price is due to an emphasis on workbooks in the junior section of the school (which the school needs to purchase new each year) and an emphasis on textbooks in the senior classes (which can be reused the following year). The fee you will pay includes all the books your child will require for the year and also the Art, Photocopying and insurance money. We have significantly discounted the fee per child in acknowledgement of the Covid-19 pandemic and the school closures in relation to same. Please do not purchase any books for your child as all the books required are being provided by the school.  If you do buy certain books your child will still be asked to pay the total fee.  Children who do not study Irish or Religion will not have a reduced fee as the teacher will provide your child with extra books or photocopying when these subjects are being taught.  The class teacher will provide a list of what copy books etc. your child will require for the coming academic year in August via the app Aladdin connect or when the child returns to school in September. Please do not buy copies and folders until the teacher has given their own instructions.  One exception to this is the Junior and Senior Infant pupils. The fee you pay will include all of your child’s materials (i.e. copybooks, pencils etc.). This is because children in these classes require specialist crayons and pencil to promote pencil grip and copybooks that are different from the usual standard lined and squared copybooks. To avoid confusion the children in Junior and Senior infants will have these provided so please do not purchase anything for them for the coming school year.

Rented Books Returns

Pupils in sixth class were scheduled to return rented books and library books on Monday last June 22^nd. If you were unable to return books on that day please leave at Reception area 10am -1pm –Fri

June 26^th. Rented books/Library books from pupils Junior Infants to 5^th Class should be returned to new class teacher in September.

ePayments

Our school is delighted to announce that we are rolling out the Aladdin ePayment system to parents/guardians of children in our school.

Our school uses the Aladdin software service for administrative purposes and the ePayment system will give you access from an internet browser on your computer, phone or tablet to make secure payments to the school using your credit or debit card.  The purpose of the ePayment system is to facilitate the easier payment of school money collections for parent/guardians and to reduce the amount of cash and cheques being sent into our school in line with recent central bank directives.

Aladdin uses state of the art security to safeguard information entered by you and the school and data is stored and processed in strict compliance with Irish data protection laws.

Going forward, when money is due for any school activity that is relevant to your children e.g. book fees etc. outlined above, you will receive a text/email message containing your payment access link.  Please do not forward this text/email or share this access link as this link is unique for your family only. The link will bring you to a parent payment page which will contain all payments requested for all siblings in a family.  There is only one link per family ensuring you have the option to pay all amounts due for all your children in one transaction. Once you have completed your payment, you will be issued with a reference number. You will also receive an email receipt which will contain details of the transaction and reference number. Please quote this reference number in any queries you may have as regards this payment with the school.

Should it be the case that you do not wish your email address or phone number to be used to receive details relating to payment access links and new payment requests, please let us know.

Graduation

Congratulations and best wishes to the 62 students from 6^th Class who are graduating from St. John’s N.S and will begin their Secondary education in Pobal Scoil in September.

For now, the school has organised an online graduation to take place on this Thursday, June 25^th with plans in place to have further celebration of this great achievement in the Autumn. This will be done in conjunction with rescheduling of the Confirmation Ceremony which was due to take place on March 24^th.

For all of us it has been a very different school year which we have had to modify and change in so many ways to facilitate the many challenges posed by the presence of

Covid-19.

We wish to thank you all sincerely for all your hard work in supporting your family’s education during the past four months.

Despite all the challenges which still exist we are hoping that we can all get back together to continue our learning journey in St. Johns and follow the guidelines that we will need to put in place so that we all learn and work together in the safest environment possible.

We earnestly hope that the summer will see welcome changes to relating to Covid-19 and what our new normal will look like.

We wish you all a safe healthy and enjoyable summer.

Keep in touch with the Aladdin App for news and updates.

Best wishes,

Denis Courtney, Principal and Staff.

March 2020 Newsletter