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St. Patrick’s B.NS. COVID-
23rd August 2021 -
Key facts for Parents:
COVID – 19 is a new illness that can affect the lungs and airways and is caused by a new virus called the Coronavirus.
Coronavirus is spread in sneeze or cough droplets. To infect you, it has to get from an infected person's nose or mouth into your eyes, nose or mouth. This can be direct or indirect (on hands, objects, surfaces). If you come into close contact with someone who is shedding the virus and who is coughing or sneezing or if you touch -
As COVID-
• HSE-
• HSE Hub: https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/
• Department of Health: https://www.gov.ie/en/news/7e0924-
COVID-
The most common symptoms of Covid 19 are:
Under no circumstances is a parent to bring a child to school if -
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-
Common symptoms of coronavirus include:
• a fever (high temperature -
• a new cough -
• shortness of breath or breathing difficulties.
• loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
• Fatigue
• Aches and Pains
Other uncommon symptoms of coronavirus include:
• sore throat
• headaches
• runny or stuffy noses
• feeling sick or vomiting
• diarrhoea
Infection with the virus that causes COVID-
If you have any symptoms of COVID-
Getting an early diagnosis means, you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus, if you have it.
For the complete list of symptoms, please refer to the HSE Website. Symptoms may be subject to change so regular review of the HSE Website is advised. If you do not have symptoms, you can get a free COVID-
Children/Families returning to Ireland from foreign travel: Before returning to school, we ask all parents/pupils to adhere to current guidelines with regard to self isolation when returning from foreign travel. It is up to parents to remain informed and aware of these travel guidelines.
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/b4020-
Best practice for Parents and Pupils: In order to prevent the spread of the virus – wash and sanitise hands
• if you have been in contact with someone who is displaying any COVID-
• If you have coughed or sneezed
• if you were in contact with someone who has a fever or respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing)
• if you have been on public transport,
• if you have been in a crowd (especially an indoor crowd)
• if you have handled animals or animal waste
• If you move from one room to another room or from inside to outside areas
• If you have physical contact with a child from another group other than their own group
• if your hands are dirty
• when you arrive and leave buildings including your home or anyone else's home
• After using the toilet
• Before having a cigarette or vaping before and after eating
• Before and after preparing food
• Before and after eating your own food – breaks/lunches
• After assisting a child to use the toilet or using the toilet themselves
• After contact with bodily fluids (runny nose, spit, vomit, blood, faeces)
• After cleaning tasks
You must -
You must -
You must -
Must not engage in handshaking or hugging
Must avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth – if you touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your contaminated hands, you can transfer the virus from the surface to yourself
Keep your hands in good condition. Moisturise them often. Any basic product that is not perfumed or coloured is OK.
The staff will complete multiple lessons on correct hygiene, lining up, the importance of hand sanitising , staying within their pods/bubbles etc. with the children during the first weeks back in school.
Role of Parents:
It is important that parents have a clear understanding of the benefits and risk of childcare and that it is not possible to guarantee that infection can be prevented in any setting either in a childcare centre, school or in the home.
The following are protocols that are put in place to safeguard the health and safety of each other. Parents are expected to abide by them and failure to do so may result in a parent being instructed to remove a child from the school building/yard, and or to leave the school premises themselves. If serious breaches of safety measures occur, the board may be informed.
COVID-
We ask that all parents use the school Aladdin app to complete your son’s Return to School Declaration. It is a simple click of a button each time your son returns to school when he is absent or after a school closure.
The link will be available on the Aladdin App on Tuesday 31st August (evening) and any other evening your son is due to return to school after illness/school closure.
If for any reason you are having trouble with the Aladdin App, please call into school secretary Sandra for assistance.
COVID-
(Only complete the following and send digitally to stpatricksboysschool@gmail.com if unable to use aladdin App.
Child’s Name: Teacher’s Name:
Parents/Guardian’s Name:
Name of Setting:
This form1 may be used when children are returning to the setting after any absence.
Declaration:
I have no reason to believe that my child has an infectious disease and that I have followed all medical and public health guidance with respect to the exclusion of my child from educational facilities.
Signed Date:
Under no circumstances is a parent to bring a child to school if -
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-
Common symptoms of coronavirus include:
• a fever (high temperature -
• a new cough -
• shortness of breath or breathing difficulties.
• loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
• Fatigue
• Aches and Pains
Other uncommon symptoms of coronavirus include:
• sore throat
• headaches
• runny or stuffy noses
• feeling sick or vomiting
• diarrhoea
Infection with the virus that causes COVID-
If you have any symptoms of COVID-
Getting an early diagnosis means, you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus, if you have it.
For the complete list of symptoms, please refer to the HSE Website. Symptoms may be subject to change so regular review of the HSE Website is advised. If you do not have symptoms, you can get a free COVID-
Arrival and departure procedures for children and parents:
• Parents must arrive on time for leaving in and collecting their child.
• Only parents or carers who are well and have no symptoms of COVID-
• Any parent who is in a high risk category should not drop off or collect children in order to protect themselves. (This of course is at the discretion of the individual parent/carer/grandparent’s discretion)
• Pupils may arrive to school grounds between 8.30-
• Drop-
• Pupils should enter the grounds between 8:30-
• First class parents (Ms. Murray and Ms. O’ Connor) may accompany pupils to their entry point Door C at bottom of hill. Parents will not be allowed to enter the building without permission/appointment.
• Second Class Pupils (Ms. Harrington) will enter Door C at side of building.
• Third Class Pupils (Ms. Kelleher) will enter Door B at side of building.
• Second Class Pupils (Mr. Horgan), Sixth Class Pupils (Mr. Mullins and Ms. Butler) will enter Door D at the back of the building.
• Fourth Class Pupils (Mr. O’ Mahony), Fifth Class Pupils (Ms. Mullane and Mr. Walsh) will enter Door A at front of building by office.
• If necessary to enter the school grounds, a parent must proceed immediately to their child’s entry/collection area. They are not to congregate in groups or stand around chatting.
• Parents must wear face masks/coverings when on school grounds
• Under no circumstances are parents to linger in the yard after the child entered school/been collected but are to leave immediately.
• If a parent has more than one child, the other children stay with them and having handed over the first child, they may proceed to the second entry area. Older pupils should be able to do this independently.
• Collection Plan
• Pupil Leaving/Collection Staggered Timetable
• End of the school day: Children will exit the building calmly while being supervised & escorted via their designated exit points in a staggered manner commencing with 4 classes at 2.20, 2 classes at 2.25 & 4 at 2.30.
• The 1st class children will be collected from the bottom of the drive where they will be joined by older siblings from other classes while the 2nd classes will be collected from the upper yard where they too will be joined by older siblings.
• Children and parents/ guardians will be requested to vacate the school grounds immediately. Likewise will occur for the remaining classes. All children will be out of the school building by 2.30.
Bottom of Ramp Upper Yard
2:20 1st Class 2nd Class
2:25 3rd Class 4th Class
2:30 6th Class 5th Class
• Children that are not collected on time will be asked to line up in a socially distanced manner by Áras Phádraig where they will be supervised until they are collected.
•
• Home times will be staggered for classes from first to sixth-
• Parents must wait outside the school grounds (where possible) and maintain social distancing in the evening time when waiting to collect a child. Parents must wear face coverings/masks.
• All must leave the yard immediately after collection.
• No parent will be allowed within the school building.
• Should a matter of urgency arise for parents, they must phone the office and make an appointment or access.
Access will only be permitted once their temperature has been taken and they have used the hand sanitiser. Once inside the school building they must maintain the required social distance and follow the directions of the principal/staff member.
• At arrival and departure times of children, social distancing is to be maintained by children and parents.
• Under no circumstances are parents and carers to gather in groups while waiting for the bell to sound
• Markings on the ground will note where a class can line up.
• Arrival and collection times will be staggered to avoid groups of parents/children congregating together
• Classes have been assigned specific doors noted Doors A to D (which will be labelled)
If a child appears unwell on entering the classroom, the child’s temperature will be taken and in the interests of the safety of the staff and the other children, the principal will contact the parent and ask the parent to take the child home immediately if deemed necessary.
Other Responsibilities for Parents:
• Parents are to ensure that their child knows and uses the protocols around coughing/sneezing/use of tissues/hand sanitisers prior to returning to school.
• Parents must ensure that all books/writing equipment/lunch boxes/water bottles are sanitised on completion of homework before being placed in the child’s schoolbag.
• Water bottles are to be filled at home every evening.
• Children are to go to the bathroom before they leave home for school daily.
• Children are to wash their hands before leaving for school
Parents and Uniforms:
• Children’s uniforms/tracksuits must be clean and washed regularly as a child may have coughed or sneezed into their sleeve as per coughing protocols.
• To help parents facilitate the washing and drying of school clothing; To begin the year, all pupils are asked to wear the school uniform on Monday and Tuesday, any clean own clothes on Wednesday and the school tracksuit on Thursday and Friday. It is recommended that all children have two jumpers. (There are a number of jumpers in the lost property if any parent wants to take them) Reasonably priced uniforms can be bought in Lidl/Pennys/Marks & Spencers & Dunnes or from Buckley’s on Shandon St. (more expensive)
Children who may have symptoms:
• Any child who is unwell with a fever, has a cold, influenza or infectious respiratory symptoms or is displaying any of the symptoms of coronavirus is to stay at home.
The child’s parent should contact their GP and seek their guidance on referral for coronavirus testing.
• Discreet and sensitive temperature testing will take place as is currently the practice for children who may be unwell. Parents will be contacted immediately and must remove the child if the temperature is over 37.5 C.
Protocols if a child becomes unwell or presents as a suspected case of COVID-
• The child will be brought to an Isolation Area in by a staff member keeping at least 2 meters apart from the staff member.
• The parent will be immediately contacted and asked to come to the school to take the child either to the doctor or home. The handover will take place at the front of Áras Phádraig.
• The secretary/principal/SNA will remain with the child until he/she is picked up.
• Dedicated waste bins will be in use.
• The staff member caring for the child in isolation should wear personal protective equipment i.e. face mask, disposable apron and gloves.
• The child should be encouraged not to touch surfaces, people or any objects.
• Public transport of any kind should not be used by the parent to take the child home.
• Appropriate cleaning and disinfection of the isolation area and the child’s work station will be carried out immediately.
• The principal and the DLW will carry out an assessment of the incident which will form any part of follow up actions.
• The principal will inform the HSE in line with correct protocols.
If there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-
• The school will be contacted by local Public Health staff of the HSE to discuss the case. They will identify people who have been in contact with the person and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken.
• An assessment will be undertaken by HSE public health staff.
• Advice on the management of children and staff who came into contact with the person will be based on this assessment.
Symptomatic people should self-
Children in High Risk Groups: Parents should seek advice from their GP/Specialist if they think their child is in a high risk group. They must make an informed decision if it is safe for their child to return to school on August 27th. They should inform the principal of the advice given. The principal has already contacted parents of pupils known to her during August to discuss any possible concerns they might have. If there are any parents out there who have concerns about their child’s health, please contact the principal via email at stpatricksboysschool@gmail.com or school office 0214502024
The Minister of Health recently announced that the flu vaccine will be available free to all children aged between 2 and 12 in the coming weeks. The vaccine will be given as drops on the tongue. We are awaiting further information on this and will let you know as soon as we get an update. It is more than likely that the vaccine will be given in the schools so as to avoid thousands of families descending on GPs.
Use of Face masks:
• It is currently not recommended in Ireland for children under 13 to wear face masks as a mitigation strategy against the transmission of the coronavirus. It is currently the opinion of public health that their use, especially among young children, has the potential to cause more harm than good..
• If a parent wishes their child to wear a mask, this will be permitted. The use of a visor instead will be recommended.
Children’s learning spaces:
• All excess furniture will be removed from the classroom where possible so as to provide additional space.
• All staff will reconfigure their classrooms to ensure a one metre distance between classrrom pods. Pupils will be organised into pods within the classroom.
• Classes will be organised into bubbles and interaction between classes outside of the bubble is not to take place.
• Resources that can be easily cleaned will be used and toys and materials that are difficult to clean e.g. dress up clothes or soft toys during this temporary Covid-
• Pupils will hand sanitise before and after using any materials.
• Pupils will not be allowed to share materials/resources.
• Toilet breaks will be staggered.
• The tables/toilets/surfaces will disinfected be by teachers/SNAs/caretaker/cleaner in the middle and at the end of the day. And also if soiled/contaminated during the day.
• Additional time will be spent by the hygiene staff in cleaning the school.
• In SEN rooms, the tables and surfaces will be disinfected after each pod of pupils use.
23rd August 2021 -
• Section 5.1 includes updated common and uncommon symptoms of COVID-
• Section 5.5 reiterates the public health advice that children do not have to wear masks at school. Parents may, however, request that their children wear a mask
Appendix 3 Summary of additions to COVID-
24/02/2021
Sec 4.2 Procedure for Returning to Work (RTW) & Appendix 6 Checklist for School Management
A RTW form will be completed by all staff and returned to the school using Google Forms before returning to work.
Sec 5 Infection Prevention Control Measures -
Staff and pupils are advised to self-
Staff and pupils are advised not to return to or attend school in the event of the following: if they are identified by the HSE as a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-
Staff and pupils are advised to cooperate with any public health officials and the school for contact tracing purposes and follow any public health advice in the event of a case or outbreak in the school;
Sec 5.3 Hand Hygiene
There is access to hand washing facilities after activities that are likely to soil hands, for example playing outside or certain sporting activities as hand sanitiser does not work on dirty hands • Alcohol-
Sec 5.4 Physical Distancing Ventilation –
The Department has published guidance setting out the practical steps for good ventilation in accordance with public health advice ‘Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools’ The guidance sets out an overall approach 2 for schools that windows should be open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-
Sec. 5.5 Use of PPE in Schools Medical Grade Masks Schools
The school provides medical grade masks in the EN16483 category to all SNAs and teachers
Sec 8 Dealing with a Suspected Case of COVID-
School staff are encouraged to download the HSE COVID-
Sec 9 Staff Duties
Not to return to or attend school in the event of the following: if they live with someone who has symptoms of the virus If they have travelled outside of Ireland; in such instances staff are advised to consult and follow latest Government advice in relation to foreign travel.
Cooperate with any public health personnel and their school for contact tracing purposes and follow any public health advice given in the event of a case or outbreak in their school
Undergo any COVID-
Appendix 6 Checklist for School Management Staff
• Have you requested confirmation that the details in the pre-
• Have you advised staff and pupils not to return to or attend school if they are identified by the HSE as a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-
• Have you advised staff and pupils not to return or attend school if they have travelled outside of Ireland; in such instances staff are advised to consult and follow latest Government advice in relation to foreign travel
• Have you advised staff and pupils to cooperate with any public health officials and the school for contact tracing purposes and follow any public health advice in the event of a case or outbreak in the school;
• Hand / Respiratory Hygiene Have you told staff and pupils when they need to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser? This includes: When entering and exiting vehicles When entering and exiting school buildings Physical Distancing
• Have you advised staff of the Department’s guidance to achieve good ventilation
• Have you checked any mechanical ventilation systems to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air is used
Appendix 7 Checklist for dealing with a suspected case of COVID-
A nominated member of the school management team will be will be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the protocol to deal with suspected cases have been adhered to.
Appendix 9 Checklist for cleaning
Have you put in place a written cleaning schedule to be made available to cleaning staff including: Cleaning of frequently touched surfaces such as surface tops and door handles
Signed:
Philip O’ Kelly
Chairperson
25/08/2020