Thank You
Dear Mams, Dads, Pupils and Staff,
It has been a special week for all of us as we were able to invite Mams and Dads to pay virtual visits to the school. The girls and their teachers were delighted to welcome you to their classrooms. This morning, Sr. Mary from our Board of Management joined us for two of the meetings. Thank you to everyone who could attend. We hope that you enjoyed your short visit and that it gave you a little insight into all the wonderful work that the girls do every day.
School closes tomorrow for the Hallowe’en break and the girls will go home at the following times:
Junior and Senior Infants @ 12.15p.m.
First and Second Class @ 12.25p.m.
Third to Sixth Classes @ 12.30p.m.
We will re-open for the second half of the term on Monday 1st November.
Enjoy the break from school next week. Please continue to follow all the Public Health Guidelines – social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene – so that we can continue to keep the school open. Stay safe.
Yours sincerely,
C. O’Reilly – Principal
Attendance Certificates
During our Zoom calls this week, we presented Attendance Certificates to any child who missed no more than 3 school days (while the school was open) last year. Congratulations to Ciara, Qamar, Emma, Katie Rose, Sadhbh, Sophia, Sonia, Evie, Amber, Anna, Lauren, Silvija, Ella, Maelíosa, Saoirse, Nikki, Amelia, Amira, Tiffany, Sara, Diana, Faye, Holly, Tina, Eve, Sophie, Emme, Ria, Sinéad, Mia, Isabelle, Sharon, Dorka, Amira, Julia, Limar, Elizabete, Mursal, Amelia, Julia, Molly and Rebeka. We would also like to say Congratulations to our current Senior Infant class who won the Good Counsel Cup for the best overall attendance last year.
Thank you to all our Good Counsel families who made such a huge effort to come to school last year. It wasn’t easy and we know that many of you kept your children at home because they were unwell, which was the right thing to do. As much as we love to see the girls at school, for the moment, it is better for everyone if you err on the side of caution and keep your child at home if they are sick or unwell. Here is a link to the latest Isolation Guide for children between
3 months and 13 years. https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/educationguidance/Isolation%20quick%20guide%20under%2013s.pdf
Covid Cases
A parent has informed Miss O’Reilly that a child in our school has tested positive for Covid-19 (coronavirus). The Public Health Department of the HSE is the agency responsible by law for dealing with positive cases of COVID-19, therefore, no further information in relation to this case will be shared by the school.
On the advice of NPHET, contact tracing of children in primary schools, who do not have symptoms is no longer recommended. So, all you and the school staff need to do is to read and follow the advice in this important message from the Public Health Team.
The important message for pupils and parents, and staff in schools remains that anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should self-isolate at home immediately and contact their GP for advice and guidance, and to arrange a COVID-19 test if appropriate.
All public health guidelines still need to be followed to protect the health of children and staff. These include:
ü Wearing face coverings
ü Cleaning hands regularly
ü Maintaining physical distance from others
ü Being mindful of the ventilation of classrooms by opening windows and doors as appropriate
ü Encouraging all those who are eligible for vaccination, within your school or childcare facility community, to access appropriate information around this (available at https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/). For those wishing to arrange vaccination, they can do so by either:
· Registering using the HSE Vaccine portal (https://vaccine.hse.ie/#register)
· OR phoning the HSE at 1800 700 700
Message from the Food Safety Authority
The Department of Education has asked schools to share the following message form the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
Warning regarding jelly sweets containing cannabis (THC)
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is urging parents and guardians to be extremely vigilant to the dangers of their children getting access to and eating confectionary, particularly jelly sweets, containing significant amounts of the psychoactive cannabis component called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This warning comes amid the ongoing seizures of these illegal food products by the Gardaí and Customs services, and a number of serious medical incidents whereby these THC-containing jelly sweets resulted in teenagers and young children suffering serious adverse health effects requiring hospitalisation. These jelly sweets are packaged to look like popular brands of jellies and have been found to contain toxic amounts of THC (up to 50mg/jelly). Depending on the concentration of THC, eating one of these jellies can mean an equivalent intake of THC that is 5-10 times higher than that inhaled from a single cannabis cigarette. Also, unlike the almost immediate effects of inhaling THC (smoking or vaping), ingesting THC through these jellies can take up to 30 minutes for any effects to be felt. However, while waiting for those effects, those who have eaten these products may overdose in the mistaken belief that they need to eat more sweets in order to feel the effects. Of particular concern to the FSAI is the inadvertent consumption of these jelly sweets by small children who may somehow gain access to what looks and possibly tastes like ordinary sweets. Unfortunately, given access to a bag of these jellies, children will rarely eat just one and therefore, overdosing is a very likely outcome as witnessed by the hospitalisation of a number of seriously ill young children in the early part of 2021.
The FSAI has become aware of reports about the availability of THC-containing jelly sweets in schools in Ireland and therefore, parents and guardians are asked to speak with their teenagers alerting them to the dangers if they eat them or if their younger siblings get access to them and subsequently suffer the serious consequences of consuming a toxic substance.
Congratulations
After a long wait, the girls from last year’s Sixth Class were confirmed by Fr. Kieran O’Shea in Ferrybank Parish Church on Tuesday 12th October. Everyone at the school sends their congratulations to the girls and their families, and our thanks to Fr. Kieran, the Ushers and the Sacristan for making the ceremony so special for the girls.
Dress Up for Hallowe’en and Support our Amber Flag
The girls may wear their Hallowe’en outfits to school tomorrow. No need to buy anything – just get creative with whatever you have to hand.
You may remember that our school had a Child Protection Inspection during the 2020-2021 School Year. The Department of Education Inspectors were so impressed with the girls and how knowledgeable they are, that they suggested we should apply as a school for an Amber Flag.
The Pieta Amber Flag Initiative recognises the efforts of primary schools, to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental well-being. As part of our application, we are using our Dress Up Day tomorrow as a little fundraiser for Pieta House. If you would like to make a small donation, please send it to your child’s teacher tomorrow morning – there is no obligation to do so. You can read more about the work of Pieta House at this link https://www.pieta.ie/
Mmmmm!
There was a delicious smell of baking in the school yesterday. Mrs. Burke’s Fifth Class made great use of our new staffroom to bake Báirín Breac for Hallowe’en. If you’d like to read about the Báirín Breac or Barmbrack, check out this link https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/irish-halloween-traditions-items-hidden-inside-bairin-breac-mean-172872
Our Junior Infants were also busy in the staffroom a couple of weeks ago making some yummy Rice Krispie buns. It is so lovely to see our new facilities being out to such good use.
Hallowe’en Safety from An Garda Síochána
The Community Policing Officer has asked us to share this safety message with you.
Halloween-Safety