Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope you had a peaceful, happy and healthy Christmas. As you know, Covid-19 is very widespread in the community. As the school re-opens on Thursday Jan 6th, we are in a very challenging position due to the highly transmittable nature of the Omicron variant. The only way for the school to operate safely is for the whole school community to continue to work together. We are so thankful for all the support we received from the school community since the start of the pandemic. Thanks to parents/guardians for letting us know when their daughter has Covid, this allows us to inform other parents as we no longer receive contact from the HSE. Thanks to parents/guardians for keeping their daughter home when she, or other family members, have symptoms, or are awaiting PCR test results. Thanks to the pupils of 3rd,4th, 5th and 6th who have adapted so well to wearing masks. Thanks to all the pupils for being so careful to hand-sanitise, stay in their pods and for their continued hard work and good humour. Thanks to the staff for their constant dedication to the pupils in what have been very unnerving times.
In order to keep classes and the school operating as safely as possible, we ask you to continue with the safety measures outlined above from the school’s Covid 19 Response plan (COVID-PLAN-Jan-2022-1.pdf (stpatricksgirls.net). Please do not send your daughter to school if she, or anyone in your household, has symptoms of Covid-19 or has been a household close contact. Please follow the HSE guidelines outlined below. Please wear a mask at all times when on the campus and maintain social distancing. If you need to inform the school of a Covid related issue, please contact the school by phone as soon as possible, as we may not see absence information on Aladdin for a period of time.
Due to the high volume of people with Covid-19 symptoms at present, the HSE has updated protocols around testing if you or your child has symptoms, or are close contacts. Please click on these links for more information:
Testing – HSE.ie
If your child is a close contact of COVID-19 – HSE.ie
Public Health South East (@PublicHealthSE) / Twitter
Antigen tests can be ordered from the HSE Book antigen tests when symptomatic – HSE.ie
Please remember, if you have Covid-19 symptoms, a negative antigen test does not mean you do not have Covid-19.
The HSE has prepared an Information guide for parents regarding vaccination of children HSE Vaccination for Children- Info guide – St. Patrick’s Girls’ National School, Gardiner’s Hill, Cork City (stpatricksgirls.net)
The Department of Education has advised schools that ventilation of classrooms by leaving doors and windows open as much as possible, is a key mitigation measure against Covid. However, despite the heating being on, this means classrooms can be cold. Your daughter may wear the school tracksuit and additional layers to keep warm. We are consulting with an engineer about the installation of HEPA filters in classrooms.
Please fill in the return to school declaration form on Aladdin any time after 3pm today. If you are having difficulties accessing Aladdin, please fill out the form from the school website. As we approach spring time, we look forward to brighter times ahead. Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.
Happy New Year,
Kind regards,
Yvonne Crosse
(Acting Principal)