The School Bell

Redouble efforts to drive down Covid-19

November 19, 2020

Dear Dads, Mums, Pupils and Staff,

We have been asked to share this appeal with you. It can be hard to keep going and to keep following the guidelines, but it is the only way to make sure that we all stay safe.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Redouble efforts to drive down Covid-19

– a joint appeal by the HSE, Waterford City and County Council and the Gardai

The HSE, Waterford City and County Council and the Gardai are appealing to people locally to redouble their efforts to drive down transmissions of Covid-19.

The three principal response agencies have expressed their concern at the substantial rise in figures of confirmed cases in Co. Waterford recorded by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NEPHT) over recent days.

The HSE, the local authority and the Gardai say most of the public in city and county areas have been brilliant throughout the recent level 5 and other stages of pandemic management. The three agencies acknowledge the huge sacrifices that have been made by individuals, families and communities in Co. Waterford and have reiterated the message that if people apply “the basics” that such actions to suppress the virus can and will work.

Since the declaration of the pandemic in March of this year, in general, the Waterford and South East area has excelled in efforts to maintain low levels of Covid-19 transmission. The HSE, Waterford City and County Council and the Gardai say the increase of recent days can be reversed, as has happened previously, and that things can return to moving in the right direction for the remainder of the current phase of pandemic management.

The HSE, Waterford City and County Council and the Gardai, in reminding the public to comply with Level 5 restrictions are once more highlighting the message that “it’s in our hands” – via the continued practice of the “basics”:

• Reduce your contacts with other people.

• Wear a mask.

• Keep your distance.

• Wash your hands.

NOTES:

• For what to do when you’re waiting for a test, when you get a result and when you need to isolate, please see: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/managing-coronavirus-at-home/self-isolating-and-restricting-movements-differences.html

• For up to date public health advice and a comprehensive range of other important information on Covid 19, please see https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/

• Information about level 5 restrictions is at www.gov.ie

Reminder

Thank you again to everyone who is helping to make our Stop, Drop/Pick Up, Go system so successful. We know that it may take a few minutes extra on rainy days and we appreciate your patience. Here are some little reminders to keep you and everyone else safe:

• If you are driving, please stay in your car. A staff member will bring your child to you.
• Use the drive through system and do not block traffic by parking on the road.
• If you are walking, please wear a mask and do not stand in line with the girls.

Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices

The girls are strongly encouraged not to bring mobile phones to school. If for some reason, a child absolutely must bring a mobile phone to school, it should be switched off outside the gate and given to the teacher before class begins. The girls are usually very good about doing that. However, if the phone is not handed up it will be confiscated, and a Parent/Guardian will need to come to the school to collect it. Smart watches are also considered electronic devices and are not allowed at school.

Comhairle na nÓg

Comhairle na nÓg (www.comhairlenanog.ie) are local councils for children and young people, aged 12-17, that give them a voice on the development of local policies and services. This year, Waterford Comhairle na nÓg will hold its annual general meeting, online, on Saturday, 28^th November 2020 between 11am and 1pm. The topic this year is Nature and the Environment

If you are aged 12 or over, and you would like to take part, please contact Miss O’Reilly and she will give you all the information you need to take part. You must register for the event before November 24^th.

Weekly Assembly

We are delighted to have gotten back to our weekly Assemblies. All the children and the staff have been meeting through Zoom on Friday mornings and it is working very well for us. Last Friday, Miss Kelly led a short reflection on the theme of the Holy Souls. Next, each class reported on some of the things that they had been working on during the week. After that, Miss O’Reilly had some announcements and reminders, and this was followed by our Green School Wrapper Report. Before we finished, we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to anyone who had celebrated a big day during the week. Finally, as it was World Kindness Day, we closed the Assembly with a short meditation suggested by Mrs. Power on the theme of kindness.

High Vis Jackets

Many thanks to Mrs. Shanahan who sourced some High Vis Jackets for the girls in our school from the RSA.  As you know our school is located on a busy road with lots of construction and other forms of traffic coming and going throughout the day.  The mornings and evenings are getting darker making it even more important to be as visible as possible.

 We have a Stop, Drop & Go system in place which is working very well in the mornings and afternoons and those children who can are making a great effort to walk/scoot to school. If the girls wear their High Vis Jackets, they will be clearly seen by all other road users keeping them safe.  The Jackets are also very helpful to the staff during drop off and collection as the children can be clearly identified.  We are very grateful to have received the jackets and we hope that the girls will put them to good use over the coming months.  Remember – Be Safe Be Seen.

Camogie News

November 13, 2020

Hi All, Ferrybank Camogie Club and Waterford Camogie Development Officers wish to invite students of 4th, 5th and 6th Class to come and try out camogie in a fun and friendly environment on Wednesday, 18/11/20 at 3:15pm to 4:15pm in the Ferrybank GAA Hurling Alley. No experience required! Those who are interested can go to the Ferrybank GAA Hurling Alley after school for Camogie coaching. Hurleys and helmets can be provided. If students have their own equipment, they are advised to bring along. Thank you. Siobhán Heffernan, 0862611894.

Ventilation

November 5, 2020

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

I hope that all of you enjoyed the break from school. We are delighted to have the girls back with us for the second half of the term. As I write, I am looking out at Junior and Senior Infants playing in the sunshine. Since school re-opened in September, we have been blessed with fine weather most days so the girls can get out for their breaks, and to do their Daily Mile every day.

As we move into winter, the weather will get colder. However, on public health advice, we must continue to ventilate the classrooms and the buildings. This means leaving windows and doors open as much as possible.

It probably sounds like something my Granny would say, but it is advisable from now on for the girls to wear thermal tops under their shirts or tracksuit tops. Nice long woolly tights rather than short socks will also help. Finding the balance between keeping Covid-19 out and staying warm is not easy, but I am sure that like everything else we have done since March, we can manage it together.

Wishing you and your families continued good health.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Welcome

A warm welcome to Miss Máiréad Power who has joined the staff until Ms. Rellis returns from her Maternity Leave. Miss Power will work with the Special Education Team.

Reminder

If you are dropping off or collecting children from the school, please wear a face covering to help to keep yourself and our staff members safe.

Waterford Public Participation Network (PPN)

Waterford PPN is working to develop a vision for Community Wellbeing for Waterford. You are invited to attend a virtual workshop on Tuesday 10^th November at 7p.m. You will find more information and a Registration Form on the PPN website https://www.waterfordppn.ie/wellbeing/

What To Do If You or Your Child Has a Problem

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, a problem will arise that needs to be sorted out. In our school, we follow the nationally agreed procedure for dealing with any concerns or problems and even though times are very different right now, the procedure still applies. Conversations may now need to be held over the phone, but we can still work things out. Thankfully, it is our experience, that we very rarely need to go past No. 1 or No. 2 as most problems can be sorted out quickly when adults can have a reasonable conversation with each other. So, if you or your child has a problem, this is what you need to do:

1. Make an appointment to speak with the class teacher. To do this, call the school office on 051 -832984.

Problem solved?           Yes – procedure finished                      No – Go to next step

2. Make an appointment to speak with the school principal. To do this, call the school office on 051 -832984.

Problem solved?           Yes – procedure finished                      No – Go to next step

3. Make an appointment to speak with the chairperson of the Board of Management. To do this, call the school office on 051 -832984.

Problem solved?           Yes – procedure finished                      No – Go to next step

4. Lodge a complaint in writing with the chairperson of the Board of Management

Problem solved?           Yes – procedure finished                      No – Go to next step

5. Chairperson makes a formal report to the Board of Management

6. The Board determines whether or not the complaint is substantiated.

Problem solved?           Yes – procedure finished                      No – Go to next step

7. The Board conducts an investigation

The Board makes a decision and informs the parent/guardian and the person against whom the complaint was made in writing of its decision. The decision of the Board shall be final.

The Folens Christmas Annual is available to order from you daughter’s teacher until November 20th. This is the 50th Anniversary so to celebrate the annuals are reduced to €2 each including a pencil or pen.

UNESCO International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools including Cyberbullying

The very first international day against bullying in schools is being marked today, 5th November 2020. Our school’s Anti-Bullying Policy is available to read on the Polices page of www.goodcounselgns.ie. Maybe today would be a good time to talk to your child about what bullying really means, and how important it is to speak up if they see someone else being bullied for any reason. In our experience, most of the concerns that come to our attention relate to the girls’ use of social media outside of school. There are some great resources for families available on https://www.webwise.ie/parents/ .

November

During the month of November, we remember all those who have died – our family members and friends, anyone in our school community and especially all those who have no-one to pray for them or to remember them.

What a surprise!

On Monday morning when we returned to school, Mrs Ryan had some wonderful news that the author Alan Nolan was going to do a video call with 4^th class. We had really enjoyed reading his book Conor’s Caveman together as our class novel.

We had so many questions to ask Alan but knowing his time was precious we narrowed it down to six questions. One of the questions we asked was about how he spent lockdown. He answered all our questions with enthusiasm and excitement.

Alan Nolan also illustrates his own books and he explained a step by step guide on how to draw a Penguin. We sent him our drawings later on that day and he replied straight away saying that our drawings were only brilliant and that he was so impressed with our crazy, colourful penguins.

We also asked Alan had he any books coming out for Christmas and he told us that he and Sarah Webb were bringing out a book called Animal Crackers. We can’t wait to get our hands on that book! We are going to start another book by Alan this week. It is called Sam Hannigan’s Woof week…………we are so excited.

A big thanks to Alan for making our first day back to school so exciting and memorable!

Reminder: The Folens Christmas Annual is available to order from you daughter’s teacher until November 20th. This is the 50th Anniversary so to celebrate the annuals are reduced to €2 each including a pencil or pen.

October 23, 2020

Stay Safe at Hallowe’en

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

Thank you all so much for helping us to keep our school open since September 1^st. We are delighted to have made it safely to the mid-term break and we are all looking forward to a rest. What amazing costumes the girls are wearing today – thank you for all your efforts. We know there’s great work behind the scenes to get everything organised.

The good work needs to carry on during the break. We know that the girls might miss being able to go out Trick or Treating, but they will also understand why they can’t do that this year.

Why not have a traditional Hallowe’en at home this year and play some games as a family.

Blind Man’s Buff was always a favourite in my house when I was growing up.

What about Snap Apple? All you need is an apple and a long piece of string.

You can also duck for apples in a basin of water, but only if there is an adult with you.

Lots of you got into baking during lock down, Why not make your very own  Báirín (the traditional cake for Hallowe’en)?

Maybe the girls could Trick or Treat in their own homes? Ask Mam or Dad to stay in the kitchen or the sitting room and knock on those doors.

However you celebrate, please stay home and stay safe so that we can re-open the school on 2^nd November.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Frank the Pumpkin (Fourth Class) reminds us to stay safe by washing our hands, keeping our distance and wearing a mask.

He also reminds us that we should not be visiting each others houses for sleepovers!

Hand Sanitiser

You may have heard in the news that a brand of hand sanitiser has been withdrawn due to a concern about ingredients. We do not have that particular  brand of sanitiser in our school.

Free ‘Flu Vaccine for Children

Please check out this link for information on the free ‘flu vaccine for children.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/pubinfo/flu-vaccination/engleafletflu.pdf

Assembly

We had a very special Zoom Assembly yesterday morning to celebrate Ms. Finucane’s 25 years at Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS. The girls prepared beautiful cards and entertained us with songs and poems. Mrs. Ryan’s Fourth Class led a Prayer Service to thank God for all the blessings Ms. Finucane has brought to our school. We wish Ms. Finucane well in her retirement.

Congratulations

We are delighted to announce that Mrs. Burke has been appointed as a permanent member of staff at Good Counsel GNS. Congratulations also to Miss Hall who has been appointed as Temporary Teacher, and she will remain with Third Class for the rest of this school year.

Farewell from Ms. Finucane

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is my last day as a member of staff in Good Counsel School. It’s such a cliché to say that time flies, but it really does!

I would like to say a huge thanks to the staff of Good Counsel, to Ms O’Reilly for her professionalism, her support, her kindness and empathy and her leadership skills which really came to the fore since  Covid 19 struck last February. It was an awesome task for herself and Ms Kelly to navigate us all through these difficult challenging times.

I would also like to thank my teaching colleagues and the ancillary staff. They were so easy to work with over the years, always so supportive and encouraging, patient and kind. No task was ever too great or too small and it made the working environment in Good Counsel so positive.

Lastly and most importantly I would like to thank you, the parents and guardians of all the children I had the privilege to teach since 1995. I loved seeing the potential for success in each child, not only academically but taking the ‘bigger picture’ into account, be it in art, music, drama……or just their interpersonal, social and coping,skills ,which should lead to a happy and fulfilled life.

 A huge thanks also to The Board of Management and The Parents’ Council for their unfailing support , generosity and concern for the wellbeing of all the staff.

I will really miss life in Good Counsel School and I wish everybody well in getting through these very difficult months. Hopefully all will be back to normal before too long. Keep up the ‘green spirit’ that hopefully is well embedded in the school by now.

Take care everybody and stay safe.

Le gach dea ghui

Bernadette Finucane

Folens Christmas Annuals

This year Folens are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Folens Christmas Annuals and are offering the annuals at the special price of €2 each. If you would like to order one for your daughter please send in the €2 to her teacher before November 20th.

October 8, 2020

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

Thanks to the efforts of everyone in Waterford, it seems that the number of Covid-19 cases in the county is dropping. Now that the whole country has moved to Level 3 of the Government’s Plan for Living with Covid-19, please be particularly careful when you are dropping off or picking up children. This is to keep yourself, the children and our staff safe so that we can keep our school open.

Our drive through system works so please stay in your cars, and a staff member will bring your child to you. Try not to arrive too early for the 2 o’clock (Sen. Infant) or 3 o’clock (3^rd to 6^th) pick up as this means that the driving through area fills up very quickly. If you are walking, please wait at the top of the path. Spots are clearly marked around Madonna House gate to help you with social distancing. You are strongly advised to wear a face covering if you are standing waiting to collect your child.

We have been very lucky with the weather until now, but as the winter months arrive, it is likely that we will have colder and wetter days. The girls will be brought outside to the path as usual on rainy days, so it is important that they have warm coats and hats. No one likes standing in the rain, but we do ask you to have patience and let us get the children back safely to you.

As always, we are very grateful for your support and co-operation and we look forward to making it through together to the mid-term break.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Time to Say Farewell

At the end of the month we will say ‘Farewell’ to our wonderful Ms. Finucane, who is retiring on 30^th October. Ms. Finucane wants to leave us quietly, with no fuss or ceremony. She has been such an important part of the Good Counsel teaching and management team for many years and we will miss her very much. Thank you for your kindness, care and concern for all the girls you have taught Ms. Finucane, and for being such a good friend to all your colleagues. Slán go fóill.

Homework

As you know the girls did not have any homework for the month of September. We are making a slow start to Homework for October and we are asking all the girls and their families to focus on reading. Have a look at the Class Blog on www.goodcounselgns.ie and you will see what they are being asked to do.

We are taking this opportunity to think a little bit about Homework, the reasons we set Homework, and the type of Homework that we set. In the next week or so, Mams and Dads will be asked to complete a short survey so that we can hear what parents have to say. We will also talk to the girls and get their opinions. When we gather all our information, we can make an informed decision about where to go from here.

Seesaw

In the next couple of weeks, teachers will begin using the Seesaw App for online learning with the children. Only those children whose parents have given their consent will be included. If you haven’t already done so, please contact your child’s teacher right away.

Peace Proms

When so many of our ususal activities have been cancelled or postponed, it was great to hear that the Peace Proms will go ahead as an online event during this school year. Once again, our school has been accepted to take part, and Mrs. Burke’s Fifth Class will represent us. Consent Forms have been sent to Mams and Dads, so please retrun them to Mrs. Burke by Monday next.

A big ‘Well Done’ to all our cyclists and scooters! Remember to wear your helmets and hig-vis vests.

A Message From the HSE

The HSE acknowledge all families and school staff have an essential role in stopping the spread of COVID-19, by making sure if anyone is displaying any symptoms (high temperature, a dry cough, shortness of breath, loss of sense of smell or taste), they stay at home and contact their GP – see www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ and www.hpsc.ie/ for further information.

Epilepsy Ireland

Rose Week 2020 takes place from October 12th – 19th. It is Epilepsy Ireland’s national fundraising week.  40,000 people in Ireland have epilepsy and 10,000 of them are children. Epilepsy is a neurolgical condition . Anyone with a diagnosis of Epilepsy may experience seizures. There are many different types of seizures that can last seconds or minutes. These seizures are happening in the brain which is the computer of the body. It has millions of nerves that send out messages by passing electrical signals. These signals tell us how to walk, how to lift our arms, allow us to taste chocolate, to hear music and all the other things that we can do.

When a person has epilepsy, sometimes the brain produces a wrong signal and the messages get mixed up. The person can have a seizure. An ‘absence seizure’ is just one type that lasts seconds, where the person will stop what they are doing, pause and when the seizure is over will continue what they were doing.

Reminder

To keep all of our girls safe, our school is a ‘Nut Free Zone’. Please do not give your child any products containing nuts such as cereal bars, Nutella, etc.

Mental Helath Awareness Week

This year has been a difficult one for many people for all sorts of reasons. Paying attention to mental helath is important and the message this year is about kindness. Check out this 1 minute video https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

Miss O’Reilly noticed a lovely act of kindness in the last week – one of our Dads jumped out his car on a rainy afternoon and gave an umbrella to a  Granny who was waiting to collect a child. You know who you are Dad – well done!

As par tof Mental Health Awareness Week, the very first National Traveller Mental Health Day (8^th Ocotber 2020) is being organised to raise awareness and take action about the mental health crisis being experienced by Travellers. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin will celebrate Mass at 12.30 today, President Michael D. Higgins will have a tree presentation ceremony, and members of the Traveller community are asked to to plant, make, draw or decorate a tree with messages of hope, prayers for those who have died or wishes for the future throughout the day.

Given the current crisis, this last activity is something that the entire community might get involved in.

Welcome

A big ‘Welcome Back’ to Miss Cunniffe who returned to school on Monday. The girls in First Class enjoyed their time having Mr. Taylor as their teacher and we say ‘Thank you’ to him for his hard work during September.

We are also happy to welcome Miss Clodagh Whelan to our school for her final placement as a student teacher. It is always exciting for us to have one of our past pupils here as a teacher and we hope that Miss Whelan enjoys her time with us too.

An October Blessing

New month, new day, new life.

May this month bring you happiness, love, peace, an abundance of blessings and satisfaction.

May God fill your life with happimness beyond material possessions and may all the desires of your heart be granted.

May God bless you, your family and your loved ones all the days of your of your life.

Kelly’s Treehouse

Under 12 C Country final Winners!

A huge congratulations to our Ferrybank GAA Camogie girls in 5^th & 6^th Class and their mentors. They beat Dungarvan last weekend to become the Under 12 C Champions. The final result was 1-02 to 1-00. Well done Girls, we are all very proud of you, your mentors, the Club and your supporters. Here’s to more wins in the coming years. Don’t stop believing!

Miss Kelly

World Teachers’ Day

Monday, 5^th of October was World Teachers’ day. We are so lucky in Our Lady of Good Counsel School to have such wonderful and caring teachers and SNAs to guide, inspire and mind us. We want to say a big thank you to all our teachers, SNAs and Miss O’Reilly for making our school a safe, happy and wonderful place to grow, learn and play. Thank you all!

Isabelle – 6^th Class

The School Bell

September 24, 2020

It is in our hands!

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

The re-opening of our school has gone really well, and the girls are doing everything we are asking them to do to stay safe while they are at school.

We all know from news reports that the number of Covid-19 cases in Waterford is rising. Waterford City and County Council, the Gardaí and the HSE have come together to make a special appeal to everyone to act now to bring the numbers down. We must work together and do everything we can to keep our families safe, and to keep our services, including schools, open.

The key messages are:

• Keep the number of visitors to your home down to a minimum.
• Limiting the number of people you meet outside your home.
• Avoid crowds.
• Prioritise the people you need to see.
• When you do meet someone, keep your distance (2 metres), wear a face covering, cough into a tissue and bin it, wash your hands.
• Remember this disease can spread even if you have no symptoms.
• If you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell, loss or change to sense of taste, isolate yourself from others and phone your GP for advice – remember that a referral and test for COVID are free and you do not have to be registered with a GP.

You can read the full message by following this link: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/media/pressrel/it-is-in-our-hands!-joint-appeal-by-council-gardai-and-hse-in-waterford.html

The good news is that we all know what to do to keep ourselves and our families safe. We’re in this together so let’s do it!

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Drop Off and Pick Up Times

Thank you again to all of our Mams, Dads, Grandparents and Minders who have been so co-operative and supportive with the drop off and pick up from school. To keep all the girls safe, here are a few little reminders.

• If you are driving, please do not park.  It is especially important not to park at the entrance to Madonna House as it needs to be kept free at all times for emergency access. The ‘drive through’ system works so please use it.
• If you are walking, please wait on the school fence side of the car park to pick up children. This is to avoid having the girls walk across the drive through area. Remember to social distance and wear a mask if at all possible.
• Please remind the older girls who walk home by themselves, not to hang around outside the school and to go straight home.

A big thank you to all our staff and to Mr. Doyle for their great work in helping to get the children in and out of school safely.

What Happens If a School Has a Positive Covid-19 Case?

We hope and pray that we will not be in this position, but it may be useful for you to know what happens when a member of staff or a pupil tests positive for Covid-19. It is very important to understand that the school cannot act on the basis of information shared on social media so please do not expect us to do so.

• The HSE is responsible for managing the situation.
• The HSE will make an assessment and decide what needs to happen.
• If necessary, the HSE will contact the Principal and request Contact Tracing Information. The Principal must provide this information to the HSE. For more information check out https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/5/publichealth/publichealthdepts/moh/covid-19-and-schools.html  The HSE will conduct any Contact Tracing.
• The HSE will make the decision on whether children or staff need to stay at home. Until this decision has been given to the school by the HSE, the school will remain open.
• To protect the privacy of children and staff members (GDPR) and to comply with Public Health guidelines, the school will not be contacting you to advise you of a positive test unless it is directed to do so by the HSE.

Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE)

The Department of Education and Skills has asked schools to focus on SPHE at the beginning of this school year and especially on the Stay Safe Programme. Teachers are currently working through the Stay Safe Programme with all the children. You can find out what is involved in the programme on these websites:

http://www.staysafe.ie/parents.htm

https://www.webwise.ie/parents/  and

www.pdst.ie/staysafe

We encourage you to become involved in the programme by discussing the lessons with your child.

Music Generation Kilkenny – www.musicgeneration.ie

Music Generation Kilkenny has asked us to pass on this information about its Autumn Programme.

Music Generation Kilkenny is returning this September 24^th at the Creative Music Space, The Drum Youth Centre Foróige, MacDonagh Junction shopping centre. Music Generation is offering tuition in:

·         Drums, Ukulele,Guitar, Voice/Singing, Virtual Voices online/in-person blend

Classes are available for 8-18 year olds and will take place in-person, in small groups.

Our Covid-19 response plan will be in operation, adhering in lessons to social distancing guidelines, hand sanitising and the cleaning of instruments where applicable.

Contact us on (056) 7786896, email us at musicgenerationkilkenny@kcetb.ie , find us on Facebook at musicgenerationkilkenny or submit the form at this link https://bit.ly/3lDxBPu

Administrator
Music Generation Kilkenny E: kate.twohig@kilkennycarlowetb.ie T: 056 7786896 

Under the Weather

This is a good website for information on many common illnesses and it also has a link to the HSE’s Covid-19 updates and advice. https://www2.hse.ie/under-the-weather/

School Website

Be sure to check in regularly on the Latest News tab on www.goodcounselngs.ie

Do you know what these people have in common?

What do all these famous and successful people have in conmmon – Leonardo da Vinci, Steven Spielberg, Jamie Oliver, Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg?

All of them have Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a life long issue that can make it difficult for people to speak, read, write and spell. If you would like to contact the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, their email address is info@dyslexia.ie Dyslexia Awareness Week takes place in the first week of October.

Reminder

Thank you to everyone who has contacted Tracey to arrange payment for Art and Craft, Reading materials and Photocopying. Just a  gentle reminder to those of you who haven’t gotten around to it yet, to make an appointment please to come in and pay by Debit or Credit card.

Wellbeing – Words of Wisdom

• “If plan A doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters — 204 if you’re in Japan.” — Claire Cook
• “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.” — A.A. Milne
• “To lose patience is to lose the battle.” — Mahatma Gandhi

School Bell

September 10, 2020

It’s Good To Be Back!

Dear Dads, Mams, Pupils and Staff,

Every year in September, I say ‘Welcome Back’ to our school community but Tuesday 1^st September 2020 was a very special day. I know that all the staff members in the school were thrilled to welcome our lovely girls back after almost six months at home. What was even more exciting was seeing how happy the girls were to return to school again.

The girls have been fantastic and have adapted to all the new routines. Some things are different, but lots of things are the same and together, we are managing to find our way through this unusual time.

Thank you very much to all the Mams and Dads who are helping us out by driving through the car park to drop off and to collect the girls. The system is working so please continue to co-operate with us in getting the girls safely in and out of school. This will be especially important as our Junior Infants have now joined the other girls for the morning drop off.

I hope that the 2020-2021 school year will be a little less eventful than the last one. We need to continue keeping ourselves and others safe. Remember to wash those hands, sneeze or cough into your elbow and keep your distance! Check out a great poem on the Sixth Class Blog that says it all.

Yours sincerely,

C. O’Reilly – Principal

Thank you to one of our parents for sharing this beautiful prayer with us.

Pupil Insurance

Many of you take out Personal Pupil Insurance every year. If you wish to do so this year, please contact Tracey by email at secretary.ferrybankgns@gmail.com and she will forward the form to you.

Text-a-Parent

If you have not already done so, please download the free Text a Parent App which we use to communicate important or urgent information.  It is available for both Apple and Android devices from https://app.textaparent.ie/get/app . The App will also give you access to a school calendar.

It is especially important at the present time that we have up to date contact details for you so if you change your phone number, please contact the school office on 051 832984.

Book Rental and Other Costs

For this year, and to recognise the fact that some families may be struggling financially, we reduced our charge for the Book Rental scheme to €10 per child. Most of that money was collected over the summer months – thank you. We would like to say a sincere thank you to your Parents’ Association who did a lot of work sorting and preparing the books for the rental scheme.

We also reduced the contribution for Art and Craft, Photocopying and Additional Reading materials by €5 per pupil and that is now payable to the school. To try to avoid handling cash, we have set up a contactless payment system. You can use either a debit or credit card, and you will receive an email receipt.

Please call the school office on 051 832984 as soon as possible to arrange to come in and pay this contribution – €25 Senior Infants, €20 First to Sixth. As always, we are grateful for your support and this year in particular, we hope that everyone will make an effort to contribute.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sixth Class 2020 who were confirmed by Fr. O’Shea on Saturday 29^th August. It was a beautiful, meaningful ceremony and great credit is due to Fr. O’Shea and to everyone on the Parish Pastoral Council who played a big role in preparing for the occasion and in helping on the day. Mrs. Power and Miss O’Reilly were delighted to be present and to see the girls again.

We are now looking forward to First Holy Communion for Third Class on Saturday September 26^th.

Autumn Cinquain by Natalia (3^rd Class)

Autumn

leaves, coats

falling, blowing, raining,

leaves fall from trees,

change.

Junior Infants

Our Junior infants are settling in well. They went on a nature walk this week around our school grounds. They examined our Horse Chestnut tree and how it is changing during Autumn. Have a look at the Junior Infant class blog for a photo.

Waterford News and Star Project

Jamie Fox is a freelance journalist and is working on a piece for the Waterford News and Star centred around people’s experience with Covid-19. Jamie would like to hear from the people of Waterford and organisers of community groups to tell some stories of their journey through the crisis so far. The interview should not take longer than 15-20 minutes, but any person is welcome to talk for as long as they want.

Jamie’s contact details are fox180592@hotmail.com            Mobile no: 0872194087 

Homework

We hope that everyone is enjoying our ‘homework free’ September. During this month, all the girls need to bring to school with them is their lunchbox and drink, so leave those schoolbags at home 😊

The staff is currently looking at an online learning platform that we could use to engage with the girls in case we need to go back to Home Learning at any stage, or maybe even for homework. It is called Seesaw.

In order to sign the children up for the platform, we will need your permission so please keep an eye out for a Consent Form.

Active School – Waterford Bike Week 2020

It is great to see so many of the girls walking or scooting to school and we hope that this will continue. If you’d like to get active as a family, why not check out some of the activities that have been organised for Waterford Bike Week? All the information you will need is here https://www.waterfordsportspartnership.ie/waterford-bike-week-2020/

Should I send my child to school if she is unwell?

This is a hard question to answer. At school, we have been using a HSE Isolation Guide for children from 3-13years to help us answer any queries. You can find the guide under the ‘Latest News’ tab on our website. It might be useful for you as parents. If you are in any doubt, please keep your child at home and call the school office.