Back to School Newsletter August 2022

Dear Parents,
I hope you all enjoyed the Summer holidays, and are getting ready for another busy year in Clashmore NS. A special welcome to our 14 new Junior Infants and their families; we hope they will be very happy here in our school.

1. Staff 2022-2023

• Acting Principal: Mrs. Suzanne Hynes, Special Education Teacher.
• Acting Deputy Principal: Mrs. Patricia Keogh, Special Education Teacher (shared).
• Acting Assistant Principal 2: Mrs. Michelle O’ Donovan, Junior & Senior Infants.
• 1st & 2nd class: Mrs. Máire Seward.
• 3rd & 4th class: Ms. Sophie Hodnett.
• 5th & 6th class: Ms. Sarah Cotter.
• SNA: Mrs. Siobhán Fitzgerald.
• SNA: Mrs. Michelle Fitzgerald.
• SNA: Mrs. Dawn Goulding/Mr. Christopher Power.
• Secretary: Mrs. Breeda O’ Keeffe.

2. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools)
Clashmore NS has been given DEIS Rural status by the Department of Education. This allows for more resources, such as some additional grant aid, and teacher professional development programmes, to support all children in our school. A very welcome part of DEIS is our access to the School Meals Programme. Please see the separate letter I am sending with this newsletter.

3. Supervision
As the new school year begins, the Board of Management would like to remind you that the school operates from 9:20am to 3pm. Infants finish at 2pm. To facilitate our new Junior Infants’ transition to primary school, Junior Infants will go home at 12:30pm until Friday 9th September.

The Acting Principal/Acting Deputy Principal will supervise the children’s arrival into the school grounds from 9:10am onwards, assisted by the SNA’s. Class
teachers will supervise the children as they arrive into class. The school accepts no responsibility for children before 9:10am or after 3pm.

4. Road Safety & Access
In order to provide for the children’s safe entry to and exit from school, the following protocol has been approved by the Board of Management:
Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd classes are to enter and leave the school grounds via the lower pathway on the village side. 3rd, 4th 5th & 6th class children are to use the upper pathway on the Aglish side. When dropping off and collecting your child, please park adjacent to your child’s pathway. If you have children in both the Junior and Senior end of the school, please collect all children at the Junior pathway.

The use of staggered home times has added considerably to traffic management and road safety, so we will be continuing with it this year:
Infants: 2pm.
1st & 2nd class: 2:50pm.
3rd & 4th class: 2:55pm.
5th & 6th class: 3pm.

5. Book Scheme
A reminder that Mrs. Keogh will be distributing the Book Scheme books to those children who are paid up on our first day back, Wednesday 31st August. If you haven’t already done so, you can pay via the school app.

6. Sammy Stamps
We hope to bring back Youghal Credit Union’s Sammy Stamps Saving Scheme this year, beginning Friday September 30th, and every Friday thereafter, subject to public health advice.

7. Contact details
Please let Breeda know if your contact details have changed (phone/email) so you are contactable in case of an emergency.

8. Keeping everybody safe
As per last year, please keep your child at home when sick, and notify the school in writing so their absence can be recorded properly.

9. A message from the Board
The Board of Management welcomes all the children, staff and parents to the new school year. We wish you a safe, happy and healthy year at our school.

Looking forward to seeing you all,
Kind regards,
Suzanne Hynes
Acting Principal, Clashmore NS.