A letter from Mr Devlin
Dear Parents,
We have now come to the end of our first week back at school and I would like to thank you for all your support in getting the school up and running again under these very different and challenging circumstances.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate our children on the manner that they have returned to school. They have fallen into the new school routine really quickly and their behaviour and attitude to school work have been exemplary. They have loved spending time out on the playground with their friends and many have had opportunities to make new friendships as well. It would appear to me and my staff that the children are genuinely happy to be back at school.
As you know, we have put many new measures in place to try to make the school return as safe as possible for our whole school community. These include:
- Staggered starting and finishing times
- Protective bubbles
- Staggered break and lunch times
- Lunches in classrooms
- Regular hand washing and sanitising
- Daily temperature checks
- Asking parents to allow P5-P7 children to enter and leave school grounds unaccompanied.
- Asking parents to maintain social distancing when on or outside school grounds.
- Employing additional cleaning staff to clean surfaces and toilets regularly throughout the school day.
All of these measures have been put in place to minimise the risk of Covid-19 spreading throughout the school and into our community. This new way of working relies heavily on the support of all parents, children, school staff and school visitors pulling together in the one direction. I understand that these new arrangements may have been difficult for many parents to adjust to for various reasons but the over-arching aim of all of this must be the safety of our school community. I would like to emphasise that if you feel that you cannot socially distance from others on the school grounds then I would ask you to wear a face mask to protect yourself and others. The current regulations from Department of Education on Social Distancing between adults is 2 metres.
I have no doubt that this new school day will become easier to manage as time goes on and arrangements will be continually reviewed in line with guidance from Public Health Agency and Department of Education (NI).
Thank you once again for your continuing support.
Yours Sincerely
Eamonn Devlin
St. Patrick's Primary School, 22 Racecourse Road, Derry City BT48 7RD Phone: 028 7126 6074 / 028 7126 6073