Older News Items

Message from the Principal 30th August 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

We would like to welcome all our students back to Cornamaddy Community N.S. for the new school year 2023/24.

 

We extend a particular welcome to our new Junior Infants and boys and girls and new students who have joined us in other classes. So far today, it appears everyone is settling in well. 

We look forward to working with you throughout the year to ensure a happy and productive year for everyone.

 

Our new patron, Longford Westmeath Education Training Board, will arrange a Parents/Guardians information evening in the coming weeks to introduce our new ethos. Our day-to-day focus continues to be to provide high standards in Education. 

 

I'd like you to please note the following:

 

1.    Full attendance for the school year and the full school day is hugely important for children to reach their full potential.  We encourage you to make every effort to support us by ensuring your children attend school every day for the full day unless they are sick or need to attend clinics or for other urgent reasons.
 Please complete a note in the back of the homework Journal or (for Infants Classes) write a note and put it in the homework pack to explain each absence. 

2.    The children have all received new free books and copies for the coming year. We ask that you encourage children to mind them and take good care of these books.

3.    We are currently making arrangements for the free lunch scheme.

4.    Please continue to use the buzzer at the front door and wait till a member of staff can deal with your request or query.

5.    Please continue to make appointments with teachers through the office.

6.    You can contact us at any time by phone or email, or through our Home School Community Liaison Officer, Doron Harte, on 083 074 7168.

7.    Our Online Payment System will reopen on Friday 1st September.
 As before, this will be available through the school website www.cornamaddy.org.   We ask you to pay online if at all possible.
 Your online payment is automatically credited to our systems, linked to your child(ren) through your email address.        
Payments due at this time are:

a.    Art& Craft €30

b.    Pupil 24 Hour Insurance: €6.80 online, or €7 if paying in cash.

 

 We thank you for your support and wish all our families a very successful year.

 

 

Kind Regards,

Carmel Garvey and Staff

Christmas 2022:

Message from the Principal & Staff

Hello all.

Just a short note to inform you of our Christmas celebrations this year. Classes are joining to perform together for the first time since the Pandemic. It's heartening to watch and hear the festive music and song fill the corridors again bringing some welcome cheer. Parents and

Guardians are invited to join in the cheer at the following times. Performances will last from approximately 20 mins for Infants and 1st and 2nd classes, up to approximately 40 mins  for 5th and 6th classes. 

We believe Santa will visit our school on Wednesday morning at ten but we await confirmation from the elves as we know this is a very busy time for him.

All classes are taking part in the ' Build a Reindeer' initiative to impress on Santa just how well we've behaved this past year. 

Junior and Senior Infant  children are currently carrying out inspection visits to An Post Sorting Centre Office to make sure letters to Santa and Christmas parcels are being properly delivered at this important time also. They were very impressed with the hard work being carried out by the Postal workers. 

The children in all classes can enjoy this year's Helix Panto 'Hansel and Gretel' which is available to us online in the school for the coming week.

We will have a "Christmas Jumper Day" when children can wear brightly coloured sweaters/clothes  instead of their uniform, on Friday 16th December to help pay for the Panto.  Suggested donation of €2 per child, as usual, for this fun day.

Children in 5th and 6th classes enjoyed a book club event on Tuesday with liberal servings of hot chocolate. 3rd and 4th classes are looking forward to a book themed table quiz next week. We encourage parents to make books and reading a central part of the Christmas holidays alongside board games and family movie night. 

Cornamaddy School will close at 12pm on Wednesday 21st December and reopen on Thursday morning, 5th January at 9.20am.

While the HSE continue to advise and remind us all to maintain good etiquette around hygiene and sickness, we hope all our families enjoy a more normal and peaceful Christmas this year. 

From all the Staff of Cornamaddy NS

Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year

9th June 2022

Best Wishes from everyone in Cornamaddy NS to our 6th Class pupils who completed their Primary School education today with a graduation ceremony for themselves and their parents.

The wealth of talent, music and song on display was amazing, and we wish every blessing on these wonderful young people as they continue their journey through life.

Go n-éirí an bóthar libh go léir1

Letter from the Principal 28th February 2022


Change to Covid Restrictions, 28th February 2022

Hello all.

We are happy to be able to return to more normal times in Cornamaddy school following the recent guidance from the Department of Education. 

Within the school, pods and bubbles are no longer required, masks are no longer mandatory, and there is no longer a need for staggered breaks. Children this morning were delighted to be able to mix more freely.  

Thank you to all our parents and guardians who have supported us so well in the past two difficult years.  It is important to remember however that Covid 19 is still present in our community. 

We continue to emphasise the following:

 

Thank you all again for your continued support.  If you have any concerns going forward, please do not hesitate to contact us

Regards

Carmel Garvey 


Letter from the Principal 6th January 2022


Return to School January 6th 2022

 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

We hope you all had a nice break although many families were impacted by this latest wave of Covid 19.  We wish you all a happy New Year and hope that 2022 will eventually bring a return to more normal times.

 

While we are very glad for the school to be open again after the break, we do expect Covid 19 to have an impact on staffing and on class numbers.

Having teachers for all mainstream classes and ensuring face to face teaching and learning will be our top priority here in Cornamaddy.

 

Our focus over the coming days and weeks will be to remind children of the importance of mitigating measures: hand sanitising, coughing etiquette, social distancing, using face masks from 3rd to 6th, and ventilation.

 

We have HEPA filters installed in the smaller classrooms and the recent government grant will allow us to install more filters in the near future.

 

We are very conscious of the present cold weather, so we ask parents to clothe children suitably, using extra layers to keep them warm. We are very grateful for your co-operation in supporting these measures.

 

My own personal message to the children as I visit the classes is that these measures are very important in keeping each other safe whilst also supporting hospital workers in caring for those most in need of medical care. 

 

The HSE have asked us to remind parents that children should not attend school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19 infection.

 

We ask parents to take a precautionary approach, particularly for children less able to describe their symptoms, that if a child appears unwell, observe them at home and contact their GP as appropriate.

 

If you have been told by the HSE services that you or your child are a close contact of a case of Covid-19, you need to adhere to the advice on the HSE website in relation to restricted movements and testing.  

 

Children under 13 years who are household close contacts must restrict their movements for 14 days and they are offered PCR testing at day 0 and day 10. On receipt of a day 10 not-detected PCR test result, they may exit restricted movements.

 

It is important that anyone who has been identified as a close contact, is very aware of COVID-19 symptoms, and isolate and undergo testing should they develop any symptoms.

 

If the school is notified that a child who has been in school during the infectious period has a positive (detected) COVID-19 PCR test result, we will text the other parents in the pod to let them know how they can access free antigen tests for their children in the identified pod.  If there is more than one PCR positive case in a class, then antigen tests can be arranged for the entire class.

 

All children in the pod/class can continue to attend school as long as they remain asymptomatic, and they do not have a positive COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result.

 

Children who have symptoms of COVID-19 should stay at home, isolate, and arrange to have a PCR test, either online or through a GP.

 

Over the coming weeks as parents follow these important guidelines, many children will inevitably be absent from school.  This will cause concern to parents in terms of missed class time.  Be assured that teachers will assess children informally on an ongoing basis and prioritise additional teaching time where necessary.  Hopefully the disruption caused by this current wave of infection will recede gradually in the coming weeks. 

 

We are grateful to you all for your continued vigilance and for your openness with the school when your children or members of the family have been ill.  We ask you to continue to let us know the reason for any absences, so that we can keep our records up to date.

 

Yours sincerely,



Carmel Garvey

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WRAP UP WARMLY! 

Message from the Principal    30th November 2021


Dear Parents / Guardians

 

We are very conscious that children and staff are feeling the cold over the last number of weeks as winter sets in.  

 

We are directed to ventilate the school as much as possible to reduce the threat of Covid-19.  We are using CO2 monitors in the classrooms to identify when air quality is poor.  Windows and doors are left open throughout the building and children take regular breaks to improve the air. 

 

On Monday we installed Air Filters in 2 classrooms in the older section of the school where the classrooms are smaller. 3 more are on order for the rest of these small classrooms.

 

If children are complaining of the cold, it may be helpful for them to layer up with under-armour, vests, t-shirts, 2 pairs of socks etc. They can also wear a hoodie, fleece, or jacket in the classroom. 

 

We are grateful to the parents and guardians for their continued support as we try to limit the impact of Covid-19 in Cornamaddy school and keep our community safe, especially in the run-up to Christmas. 

 

We await further direction from the DES in relation to recent mask wearing recommendations for children aged 9 and over.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Carmel Garvey

Principal

ANTIGEN TESTING IN SCHOOLS

29/11/2021

Dear Parents

The Department of Education has issued updated information regarding Antigen Testing of asymptomatic children in primary school pods where a confirmed case of COVID-19 is identified. Read the letter to parents here.

All children in such a pod can continue to attend school as long as they remain asymptomatic and they do not have a positive COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result.  Participation in this programme of antigen testing is not mandatory and children with no symptoms in the pod of the confirmed COVID-19 case can continue to attend school regardless of whether or not they have participated in this antigen-testing programme.  Parents or guardians are not being requested to inform the school of the results of their child’s antigen tests. Children’s normal educational experience should not be impacted in any way by the antigen testing programme.

If your child has any respiratory symptoms they should self-isolate at home and get a COVID-19 PCR test. Even if a child’s COVID-19 test is negative, if they continue to have respiratory symptoms they should not go to school as they may spread other viral infections.

There is different advice for unvaccinated people of all ages, including children who are identified as close contacts in a household setting.  If a case is within a household, all unvaccinated children less than 13 years of age must restrict their movements and get COVID-19 PCR test on day 0 and day 10.  This is because the household remains the highest risk for transmission of COVID 19.

We thank you all for your understanding and support, and for the openness with which you have contacted us when children are ill, or have been identified as close contacts.

Carmel Garvey

Children First Awareness Week 2021

Children First Awareness Week is taking place from 1st to 7th November 2021. Children First promotes the protection of children from abuse and neglect, by setting out what individuals and organisations need to do to keep children safe, and how to deal with concerns about a child’s safety or welfare. Society has a duty of care towards children, and everyone should be alert to the possibility that children they are in contact with may be abused or at risk of abuse or neglect. If you are concerned about a child or young person, you should contact Tusla social work department. Organisations classed as providers of relevant services under the Children First Act 2015 are required to complete a risk assessment and must have a Child Safeguarding Statement in place. More information on keeping children safe in our communities is available at gov.ie/childrenfirst

Thu, 11 Mar 2021

 

Hello all.

Children from Infants to 2nd class are happily settled back to school since March 1st and all is going well so far.  We look forward to the return of children from 3rd to 6th classes from next Monday. I have no doubt all parents will be relieved that Remote Learning is coming to an end.  Thank you all for the support you gave to your children during this time. 

The Department of Education & Skills have updated protocols and measures to ensure a safe return to school for all as much as possible.  Public health has reviewed the measures put in place to ensure safe operation of schools and is satisfied that these infection prevention and control measures, if rigorously adhered to, will keep the school community safe during this period. They emphasise that all measures must be followed carefully by pupils, staff and parents.

We emphasise the following:

Parents and Guardians

·      Should submit the Parental Declaration Form before the children return to school. 

·      Should err on the side of caution in relation to any symptoms your child may have and keep your child at home if unwell in any way.

·      Should NOT congregate at the school gate for any reason.

·      Should wear masks at the school gate and at the school entrance.

·      Should not interact with the class teacher at the school gate but rather contact the office for any messages or queries, or to arrange to speak to a teacher by phone.

·      Should discuss and practise the protocols of hand sanitising, cough etiquette, social distance with your child in the next few days in the run up to school reopening.

·      Should remember that level 5 restrictions remain in place and unnecessary interactions with other families should be avoided.

  

School drop-off / collection times

Morning drop-off-

9.10am-9.30am

Afternoon Collection

Junior/Senior Infants 2pm                      First and 2nd Class- 2.45pm

3rd and 4th class- 2.50pm                      5th and 6th class- 3.00pm

Schools have been reminded that all unnecessary travel should be avoided and that we must make every effort to avoid organising events that could lead to the congregation of pupils.

We have no information yet, regarding the arrangements for this year for the Sacraments of First Holy Communion or Confirmation. We will send out any information as we receive it.

Finally and importantly, ventilation of classrooms and spending greater times outside are of huge importance in the coming weeks, if we are to avoid infection.  Please ensure that children wear appropriate clothing and footwear as classrooms and corridors can be quite cold even though the heating is on, and the weather remains very unpredictable at present.  

Our school will remain open if every member of our school community takes personal responsibility for their actions and adheres fully with the measures that are in place. If there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 within our school, we will follow the guidance of the HSE and act as directed by them at all times. 

Thank you for your continued co-operation. Please contact us here at the school by phone or email if there are any issues or concerns.

Thank You

 

Carmel Garvey         

Distance Learning for January & Collection of Books

7th January 2021

Dear parents,

We wish everyone a very happy New Year, and hope that you are all well after the Christmas break.

The teachers and staff are working hard to get to get remote learning started from next Monday, 11th January.  Staff will begin remote teaching using SeeSaw & Google Classroom from this date.  We urge you to encourage your children to engage with their teachers as much as possible on a daily basis.  Where there are difficulties with technology, or pupil engagement please contact the school via email and we will do our best to support you.                                    Help with Distance Learning 

School books will be given out to children tomorrow, 8th January, and Monday 11th January at the following times:

Please go to your class-room window to collect books

Please observe Social Distancing when coming to collect books,
and please bring a school bag to take books and belongings home.


Friday 8th January

 11am – 1pm

Ms Naughton’s class

Mr Harte’s Class  

Ms Costello’s Class,

Ms Nash’s Class

Ms Casey’s Class 

---------------------------------- 

Monday 11th January
11am – 1pm

Ms O’Connor’s Class
Ms McDermott’s Class
Ms Dolan’s Class
Ms Walpole’s Class
Ms Kenny’s Class
Ms Clavin’s Class


Enrolment for September 2021

 

We will begin taking enrolment for children joining Junior Infants next Monday, 11th January.  Details and Application forms are available on www.cornamaddy.org

It is essential that you contact us if you have a child due to start school next September so that a place can be reserved for them.

As always, we hope that all our school community remains safe and well in these strange and challenging times.

We can be contacted during the closure on cornamaddy123@gmail.com 

Kind Regards,

Carmel Garvey



Principal's Message to Pupils and their Families

10th August 2020

Returning to School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you and your families are keeping well and are enjoying your summer holidays.

As you are aware, our school has been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.   We are now hoping to re-open our school safely on Thursday 27th August, in line with current guidance and recommendations.

Reopening the school safely will require the cooperation of all members of our School Community – the BOM, In-School Management Team, Staff, Parents and Pupils.   We will all be called to play our part in ensuring that the re-opening of Cornamaddy N.S. is done in a safe manner which minimises the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of Teaching and Learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible.

We have drafted a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of our school.  This is in its final stages and will be published on the school website following a BOM meeting which will take place next week.  

The Response Plan gives details of:

·         Physical distancing, signage, hand sanitiser stations and respiratory etiquette.

·         Cleaning of the School

·         Dealing with a suspected case of COVID-19

·         Arrival and departure of pupils and collecting pupils during school hours.

·         Minimising the risk of the introduction of COVID-19 into our school.

·         Advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all staff and pupils.

The Guidelines have recommended that schools take a common-sense approach and concentrate over the first few weeks on settling back, feeling safe, learning new routines and rebuilding/building relationships with their teachers and classmates.  The Curriculum Guidance emphasises the need to “Slow Down to Catch Up”, which we as a staff in Cornamaddy will continue to remain mindful of.

We will also publish our COVID-19 Policy Statement on the school website.  Our BOM will keep you informed as to the progress of our reopening plans and provide you with the information required by you to play your part in safely reopening our school. In the meantime, parents can talk to your child and let them know that the return to school is going to be safe and happy.  Be positive about this return. Continue to practise regular handwashing with them and how to sneeze and cough safely.  If purchasing school materials books, copies, pencils, etc., please make sure that they are all clearly labelled, and books and copies are covered in plastic coverings so that we can keep them clean.

We look forward to welcoming our pupils back to Cornamaddy N.S.  We will do all that we can to ensure that the return is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children.  We will keep you updated and will be in touch with you again as more details are finalised before school reopens.

Regards,

Carmel Garvey


29th July 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you are now aware, the Department of Education and Skills has issued a Roadmap for Return to School at the end of August.  We now must apply the DES guidelines to our own particular school circumstances.  At least is now possible for us to make more detailed arrangements for the safe return of all pupils to Cornamaddy NS.

Over the next couple of weeks, the BOM, the In-School Management Team and staff will be preparing the plans and protocols necessary for the many areas that need consideration, in particular hygiene etiquette, cleaning and social distancing. 

We have already been working on creating space and re-organising storage areas etc.  There is, of course, lots more to do.

To prepare parents, and children in particular, for the return to school we will issue guidelines through our website.  This information will possibly include video clips of the new arrangements for children entering and exiting the school, allocation of playground areas for breaktime etc. 

We will also issue guidelines for the expected hand-washing and social distancing requirements within the school.  This will give parents themselves and their children time to come to terms with the new mindset necessary for return to school.

Of course, protocols and procedures can only become more definite when pupils and staff are back in school.

Book-lists are now available from our website and we will inform you of class details, teachers etc in mid-August.   When we are in a position to issue more detailed information, we will do so. 

It is important now that families enjoy the last few weeks of the summer holidays, and come back on 27th August ready for a new year. 

We look forward to working together with you, the parents, to make the year 2020/21 as safe and enjoyable as possible for our pupils and staff as we deal with the continuing impact of Covid-19.

Le gach dea guí

Carmel Garvey


27th May 2020

Hello Everyone

I hope you are all keeping well.

I wish to acknowledge the engagement in and continued dedication to distance learning shown by your children since our school was closed on March 12th. It has been a very difficult time for them, working in isolation from their friends and their teachers. 

Can I acknowledge also the support you have given them and I'm sure at times it hasn'tt been easy.

The huge reduction in the numbers of people who have died with Covid-19 over the past few days is great news and a reminder of what the central focus is in our national efforts.  The children are very much part of this effort and should share in the national sense of achievement too. 

So we will follow the school calendar as planned and give everyone, students, parents and staff a complete break from the work next week.  There will be no distance learning which will give everyone a chance to recharge the batteries and be prepared for the rigours of Active week which is being planned for Jun 8th. 

June is a time all primary children look forward to with school tours, sports days, art competitions etc. and so the children should be assured that the suggested activities for the rest of the school year will be as fun-oriented as possible.

With kindest regards,

Carmel Garvey




5th May 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians

As you are all aware at this stage from the Taoiseach's announcement on Friday,  schools will stay closed for the remainder of this school year.  Whilst not totally unexpected, the announcement when it came was still a shock to us all I'm sure.  Children are probably experiencing a range of emotions; confusion disappointment, joy, loneliness and possibly worry  too.

It is our intention in Cornamaddy to continue to support the children with distance learning through Seesaw for the next 7/8 weeks. This will be a challenge for all concerned: the teachers who are adapting to a whole new approach to planning and providing resources, the children who are being asked to continue to work on  activities and lessons in isolation from friends and classmates, and a great challenge for you the parents and guardians to continue to motivate your children to engage with the suggested activities each day.  

For some children this will be very difficult, especially when the weather is as glorious as it has been this weekend.  For other children the daily structure will be welcomed wholeheartedly.  As parents and guardians you are best placed to decide what is right or suitable for your child/children.  We are very aware that children and parents alike are doing their best.  Teachers too will do their best going forward to plan with one eye on the weather forecast !!!

The Government's roadmap indicates that teachers and staff may have access to the school from 18th of May.  We will at that stage, hopefully, be in a position to arange to give out books, workbooks and copies etc, which children can work on at home. 

Communion and Confirmation celebrations have been cancelled also for this term which is a major disappointment for children, families and teachers concerned.  Standardised tests have been cancelled for this year but school reports will be sent out as usual in June.

At this time of the year it is necessary for us to establish to the best of our ability the number of children who will be returning to Cornamaddy School next September.  This is important information and allows us to plan classes etc. for next year.  

Please confirm by email to cornamaddy123@gmail.com before the 18th of May, whether your child/children will be returning to us or whether you and your family intend moving away from Athlone for whatever reason.

We very much appreciate your continued co-operation during these difficult and challenging times.  We will continue to support you and your children to the best of our ability.  We will continue to communicate with you through email, through Seesaw and through updates on the School website, to keep you informed of any new developments. 

We hope that you, your children and your extended family continue to stay safe and well.

Carmel Garvey

19th April 2020

Dear Parents / Guardians 

We hope that you and your families are safe and well and managing to cope in these challenging and uncertain times. We hope that the children in particular are coping well with the strange situation of staying at home and remaining isolated from their wider family, friends and classmates. Unfortunately, no-one can predict when the present restrictions will be lifted or when children will return to school. 

In the weeks before the Easter break, the staff in Cornamaddy have assisted each other in setting up the See-Saw app for all classes. We very much appreciate the co-operation of parents in enabling us to do this also. Whilst there is no substitute for the busy dynamics of our classrooms, using See-Saw allows the teachers to communicate with their pupils in a two-way forum. There has been a great response from so many of the children who seem to be enjoying the novel experience and many parents have expressed appreciation for it also.

We realise however, that it is challenging for some children to engage with See-Saw where in some households devices and internet access are in high demand.  It must be emphasised also, that the well-being of our pupils is the main focus for us. Through See-Saw teachers will set assignments in reading writing mathematics SESE etc. They will also prompt children to be physically active, to be creative, to continue music practise. Children will be encouraged to upload some of their work where possible. It is our hope that these tasks/activities/suggestions etc. brings some structure to part of their day or provide a distraction at least and so have a positive impact on their well-being and the well-being of their families. We hope also that they simply enjoy the interaction with their class teacher in particular, where so many interactions have ceased.

If it is the case that any of these tasks/activities etc. cause any upset or stress to your children or within the family dynamic then of course as parents you must decide what works for your own children and choose only tasks / activities accordingly. There is no pressure on any child to complete all or indeed any of the work if it causes undue stress.

It is the hope and wish of all the staff in Cornamaddy that school life will return to some kind of normality. At the minute we can just continue to plan on a weekly basis as we have been doing and hope that you and your children continue to find it supportive. Parents/Guardians should not be concerned about missed or incomplete schoolwork or programmes. When school resumes, we will assess and identify the areas that need attention and give priority to them. Hopefully that time will come soon.

Until then we hope that you, your children and your wider families stay safe and well. 

Carmel Garvey 


-------------------------

3rd April 2020

Hello everybody,

We have now reached the time when we should have been looking forward to our Easter holidays, and it is three weeks since we were together in Cornamaddy School.

We hope everybody is keeping well and managing to deal with the strange new life we find ourselves in.    

On the day we were told to close, all the staff made a huge effort to have a pack of work for each of the children and we have been delighted at how interested all of our pupils have been in keeping up with school.

This week all classes are up and running with online tools (mainly SeeSaw) and there is some great work coming back from children in every class.  Well done everybody!  If anyone would like to email us a photo of the children at work, we'll try to get them up on the website.

You have two weeks off now, as you would have had at Easter every year, then we can all get back to lessons on 20th April.   Take a break from the school work, but keep up the fitness and the reading, or try a bit of art to keep you busy.  

We await an announcement from government about when schools will reopen, and we will keep everyone informed as soon as we get information ourselves.

For now, stay safe, stay at home, wash your hands carefully, and look out for everyone in your family.   

We wish everyone a Safe and Happy Easter. 

         Carmel Garvey