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Scoil Naomh Iósaf Baltinglass
Contact the Office: 0596481083

National Guidance Issued on Wearing Face Masks (3rd -6th)

11/2/2021

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​November 2nd, 2021
 
Dear Parents,
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support and cooperation with the staff in SNI over the past few weeks. The staff and I greatly appreciate your support in keeping children home when they are unwell and informing us when your children had Covid. In good news, we have not had a Covid case in the school in the past ten days – this means that Covid is currently not transmitting in the school. Thanks to our three cleaners and our caretaker, the classrooms/school is thoroughly cleaned every day and is spray sanitised every Tuesday and Thursday. Windows are open for ventilation; CO2 monitors are in place and children continue to work in class bubbles and pod groups (particularly in 3rd to 6th classes).
Since last week, there are revised guidelines for informing parents of Covid cases in schools. Parents are requested to inform the school Principal if their child has a positive PCR test (principal@snibaltinglass.ie). I will then firstly inform the children in the child’s pod and will provide each parent with the information needed to request free antigen tests for your child if you so wish. There is no obligation on parents to do the antigen tests – but the tests are available should you wish to do them. I will also inform all parents in the class that there was a covid case in that class.
Following on from my email yesterday morning, I am now sending information in relation to the wearing of face masks. The Department of Education have informed schools that children from 3rd to 6th classes are required to wear face masks/coverings. It is hoped that by wearing masks in 3rd to 6th classes, this will reduce transmission of the Covid virus in this age group. The wearing of face masks/coverings is considered another measure to reduce the transmission of the virus in schools for the collective good of all in our school community. Some children in the school have underlying health conditions and others have vulnerable family members at home. By wearing a face mask/covering in class, the children are safer and are less likely to transmit or get Covid-19. This also helps to protect families at home and in our school community. Many of the children have been wearing face masks/coverings since Halloween and today, the majority of the children were wearing face masks for much of the day. These additional measures will help us to keep the school open to ensure that the children can continue to socialise with their friends in school and continue their education.
I spoke to all the classes from 3rd to 6th yesterday to explain why they are required to wear face masks/coverings and to assure them that we understand that they may be a little anxious about wearing them and that we will support them over the coming week as they get used to wearing the face masks/coverings. They can wear any face covering/mask that is comfortable for them. The children can also take off the mask during the day for short periods in class if they need a break from it and they will not be required to wear a face/mask covering during break/lunch times, for PE/sports, for music or on the playground. I understand that some parents may be concerned that wearing face masks/coverings may be difficult for the children, especially if they are not used to wearing them. We have reassured the children that they can wear them for shorter periods in the first few days until they get used to wearing them and we will encourage and support them.
Some of the children had questions relating to what they should do if the face mask got wet from their breathing or if they have asthma. Children who have asthma and are wearing a face covering to school reassured other children that the face covering did not affect their breathing or their asthma. I assured the children that if they felt wheezy, they can take off the mask, take their inhaler and wait until they feel comfortable enough to wear the mask again. We mentioned to the children that it is a good idea to have a spare mask in their bag, in case the one they are wearing becomes wet or uncomfortable and they need to change it. We will also keep a supply of spare masks suitable for children in the classrooms.
The Board of Management are obliged to follow Department of Education Guidance and the advice from Dr. Tony Houlihan, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) but as mentioned above, we will do so in a manner that is supportive of the children. From Monday December 6th, it is school policy that all children from 3rd to 6th class are required to wear a face mask/ covering unless they have a medical certificate confirming the medical reason why they are unable to wear a mask/covering. Children are not required to wear a face covering if they are unable to take off/on the face covering/mask themselves or have special/additional needs. The Department of Education Guidance to Primary Schools outline these exemptions as follows:
 
Exemptions
A medical certificate to certify that a person falls into a category listed below must be provided to the school on behalf of, any person (pupil) who claims that they are covered by the exemptions below:
·       any pupil with difficulty breathing or other relevant medical conditions
·       any pupil who is unable to remove the cloth face-covering or visor without assistance
·       any pupil who has special needs and who may feel upset or very uncomfortable wearing the cloth face covering or visor, for example pupils with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, sensory concerns, or tactile sensitivity.
 
Children who have had Covid should also wear a face mask/covering as even though they may not get sick themselves, they can transmit the virus to others who may be more vulnerable.
It is recommended that children have a spare face mask/covering in a zip-lock bag in case their face mask/covering becomes wet or uncomfortable. Children should also have a second plastic bag to put their used face mask/covering in when they take it off. I have attached a poster outlining the advice on wearing face coverings that was sent to us by the Department of Education. I have also attached the letter for parents from the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Houlihan, who outlines the measures that parents could put in place to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
We look forward to your support and cooperation on the wearing of face coverings in the interests of the safety of all the pupils and their families.
Kind regards,

​Mairead Hennessy.

On behalf of the Board of Management of SNI.
 

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First Term Newsletter Sept - Dec 2020

1/28/2021

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Back to School Letter to Parents - 1st September 2020

9/1/2020

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Sixth Class Graduation Video

6/21/2020

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The staff of Scoil Naomh Iósaf created this special video for our 6th class students as a memento of their time in Scoil Naomh Iósaf. The staff wish all our 6th class graduates every success and happiness in the future. We are very proud of each and every member of our 6th class. 
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Message for Confirmation Class

5/26/2020

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A Message for Confirmation Candidates from Fr. Ger and Bishop Denis

Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day on which we celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Bishop Denis decided to take this opportunity to record a message for those who are still waiting to celebrate Confirmation and for those who had been confirmed before COVID19 made its presence felt.

You can watch the video here https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=549403842436869  and it will also be available on kandle.ie.

Bishop Denis is asking students to do a number of things as they continue to get ready for their Confirmation whenever it will eventually happen;
  •  Watch the Video and listen to his message;
  •  Write him a letter or send him an email
  •  Decorate your Front Door for Pentecost
  •  Say a Prayer to the Holy Spirit


Fr. Ger invites you all to Join him in a special Mass next Sunday at 11.00 on Baltinglass Parish Webcam Livestream for the Feast of Pentecost.

Further information on how you can do the tasks above is outlined in the booklet below which can be downloaded by clicking the following link:
https://www.kandle.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Waiting-for-Your-Confirmation-Living-Your-Confirmation.pdf
People are invited to send in images of their door to the kandle facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KANDLEi/
OR admin@baltinglassparish.ie.
See Baltinglass Parish Newsletter for further information: http://www.baltinglassparish.ie/publications/newsletter/Ascension_Sunday[2020-5-23].pdf


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First Holy Communion

5/13/2020

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The Staff at Scoil Naomh Iósaf know that the children are very disappointed not to be making their First Holy Communion on May 17th. We know that you are still looking forward to receiving First Communion as soon as this can be organised. In the meantime, click on the link below to listen to the thoughtful and supportive message from Bishop Denis to all the students preparing for First Holy Communion.
https://www.kandle.ie/message-from-bishop-denis-for-all-preparing-for-first-holy-communion/
 
Below is a link to a lovely booklet informing children how they can continue to stay getting ready for their First Holy Communion. Bishop Denis outlines three things he would like the children to do during the month of May.
https://www.kandle.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/My-First-Holy-Communion-Home.pdf
 
Special Invitation to a virtual Mass on May 17th
To acknowledge the day when second classes were due to celebrate their First Holy Communion, Fr. Ger has invited all the pupils to tune into Mass on Sunday May 17th at 11.00. He will welcome the children and reach out to them in prayer on this postponed Holy Communion Day. Fr. Ger’s Mass and message of support will be available on the Parish Webcam and Radio 100.2fm.
So please join Fr. Ger on the Parish webcam from St. Joseph’s Church on Sunday May 17th at 11.00am. 
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Seesaw Online Learning Platorm

3/26/2020

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Dear parents, 
Please find the letter below in relation to Seesaw online learning which was emailed to all families today. 

At the moment the teachers are setting up the platform for their classes. Children will be able to access the app from Monday from 11:00 am when the teacher has emailed their login details to parents. In the meantime, please read the letter carefully.  Seesaw is a popular choice for educators and is currently used in over 200,000 classrooms all over the world. We hope it will be a support for children, parents and teachers in these very difficult times. 

The third page of the letter will be useful on Monday when you and your child start to use Seesaw. It has helpful tips and 'how to' advice for pupils and parents. 

Visit https://web.seesaw.me/parents  to watch a video about seesaw for parents.
letter_to_parents_about_seesaw_26.03.20.pdf
File Size: 401 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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​Important Update on Buy a Brick for Scoil Naomh Iosaf

3/20/2020

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I hope everyone in our wonderful Baltinglass Community is keeping safe and well.
On behalf of the Board of Management and Parent Association of Scoil Naomh Iósaf, I would like to thank everyone who has supported our Buy a Brick campaign to date with kind words and generous donations.
Given the current health crisis and associated worry and potential financial implications for many in our community we have decided to suspend Buy a Brick for SNI for now. We understand that families and businesses concern right now is the health and welfare of their loved ones. The fundraising committee will not be following up on the Buy a Brick letters that were delivered to all our families or businesses in the town and the road signs will be taken down within the next few days. Instead, we will re-launch Buy a Brick For SNI when the time is right. The Go Fund Me page will remain active in the meantime for those who wish to access it.
I would like to sincerely thank the members of the PA Fundraising Committee for their hard work and dedication to the campaign and for organising and delivering all the letters to families and the business community. Tús maith, leath na hoibre.
​
Finally, I would like to wish all our families, friends and members of the business community in Baltinglass health and well-being at this difficult time for our town and Country. The community spirit and kindness of the people in Baltinglass is tremendous and we will prevail. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.
Mairead Hennessy ​
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Letter from the Principal

3/19/2020

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A letter was emailed to all parents on the 19th March in relation to the current school closure.
All the staff at Scoil Naomh Iósaf hope that our children and families are blessed with good health and well being at this difficult time. We will keep parents updated with the latest news from the Department of Education by email and on this website. The letter from Ms. Hennessy also included a number of suggestions for parents in the event that children need alternative or further work for the coming weeks.

The letter and additional documents including a parent pack for children in our junior classes are available for download below:
principals_letter_march_19th_2020.docx
File Size: 1043 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

ideas_for_writing_from_scoil_naomh_iosaf.pdf
File Size: 105 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

parent-pack_links_and_worksheets_jr_-_1st.pdf
File Size: 15419 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Coronavirus - School Closure Update

3/16/2020

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Important information about school closures. 
The Department of Education have instructed all schools to close from Thursday 12th March until the 29th March due to the Coronavirus. We will keep all parents updated with further information as it is received from official sources. Each teacher has organised a pack of work for the children in their class. If you have an urgent request please email our principal, Dr. Mairead Hennessy at principal@snibaltinglass.ie . Over the next number of weeks we will update the website and email parents with new information as it arises. Thank you for your support and understanding at this difficult time. 
​
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Christmas Joke Competition 2019

12/20/2019

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Season’s Greetings from Sarah, Ella, Abbey, Owen, Berton, Joey and JP from 5th class. First of all, we would like to thank all of the teachers and students for supporting the Christmas joke competition. We have had a great giggle reading all of your entries. All of the jokes were even funnier than Mr Walsh’s awful dad jokes!
 
It was very tough to decide upon winners as the standard was so high, but here are our top jokes. In Réalta congratulations to Lauren Hayes with her joke:
What does Mrs Claus say to Santa? ‘Looks like rain dear’
 
In 1st and 2nd class congratulations to Noelle Boland with her joke:
Who brings presents to dogs at Christmas? ‘Santa Paws’
 
In 3rd and 4th class congratulations to Holly Sheehy-Curtis with her joke:
What do you get if you cross a duck and Santa? ‘A Christmas quacker!’
 
And finally in 5th and 6th class congratulations to Abbie Kelly with her joke:
Who suspiciously creeps around the bakery at Christmas? ‘A mince spy!’
 
Congratulations to all of our winners and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Slán agus Nollaig Shona Daoibh!
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Back to School - August 28th 2019!

8/19/2019

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Wednesday August 28th 2019 - School re-opens after the summer holidays. Classes begin for all pupils.
On Wednesday 28th only, Junior Infant pupils start school at 9:30. 


Please note new school opening and closing times: 
8:50 - 14:30 (First - Sixth Class)
8:50 - 13:30 (Junior and Senior Infants)

Junior Infants will finish at 12:00 pm for the first two weeks (from August 28th - September 11th inclusive)
From September 12th junior infants will finish at the normal closing time of 13:30. 


The front door will open each morning at 8:45. 
All pupils may walk from the front door to their classroom. There is no outdoor assembly area for senior pupils this year due to the construction work. Assembly time will take place in the classroom from 8:45 - 9:00. All pupils must be in their classrooms by 9:00 am at the latest.
Parents may accompany pupils in Junior and Senior Infants to their classrooms in September. On the first morning parents of children from Junior Infants to 3rd class may drop their children to the classroom door if they wish. 

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Gaeilge Bheo i SNI!

2/15/2019

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Tá Gaeilge ag dul ó neart go neart sa scoil, i mbliana. Féach thíos ar na himeachtaí caithréimeacha a bhí ar síul againn i mbliana. 
​Rinne an Coiste Gaelbhratach an-iarracht i rith na mbliana.  They have worked very hard and attended weekly Gaelbhratach meetings, sometimes giving up their lunchtime. They have been excellent in implementing the Gaelbhratach initiatives and have come up with some great ideas. Tá muid an bhuíoch dóibh!
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Gaelbhratach

10/30/2018

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Tá an t-ádh ar Scoil Naomh Iósaf i mbliana páirt a ghlacadh sa scéim Gaelbhratach atá urraithe ag Foras na Gaeilge. Is é aidhm na scéime ná Gaeilge a chur chun cinn istigh agus lasmuigh den seomra ranga. Eagróimid imeachtaí eagsúla i rith na bliana chun múintir na scoile a chur i mbun an teanga i mbealach spraoiúil.
This year, Scoil Naomh Iósaf are lucky to be participating in the Gaelbhratach initiative funded by Foras na Gaeilge. This scheme promotes the use of the Irish language outside of the classroom, in the school and the wider school community. We will be running several events to promote the use of Irish throughout the year both inside and outside the classroom.
Here are some photos from our first Gaelbhratach events.
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The Infant classes performing the Hokey Pokey as Gaeilge!
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Senior Infants receiting a poem as Gaeilge.
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Yóga as Gaeilge
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Tráth na gCeist le Rang a Trí agus Rang a Ceathair
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Tráth na gCeist le Rang a Cúig agus Rang a Sé
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October in Senior Infants

10/25/2018

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This month, we began Aistear. This is a curriculum for early years development and learning, with play as the main focus.  Aistear includes daily structured play at four different stations.
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This month our theme was Autumn and we set up a ‘Farm Shop’ in our role play area. We learned the names of many different fruits and vegetables and had great fun writing shopping lists.
 In our ‘Small World’ and ‘Construction’ areas we built animals homes and talked about all the work the farmer must do to get ready for winter. In our creative area, we created different hibernators such as the bat, the hedgehog and the bear. Take a look at our photos to see what we got up to! 
We had great fun on the Witchety Walk. Our costumes were fantastic! We had witches, skeletons, princesses and fairies, army men, ghosts, clowns, animals, a farmer and even Spiderman! We walked around the school twice, singing songs and reciting chants. Here are some photos of us enjoying our last day before the Midterm break. 
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