Today is World Book Day!!

It is hard to believe that this day last year our entire school community was dressed up as one of their favourite book characters in school.

We also did lots of shared reading on World Book Day last year where the senior pupils read stories to the junior classes.

Unfortunately, this year we decided not to dress up because we are only just back in school and we did not want to add any extra pressure on people trying to source costumes.

We also can’t do shared reading this year which is a pity.

However, our teachers have lots of fun activities planned for the afternoon both online and in school.

Furthermore, those pupils that are lucky enough to be in school will all receive a World Book Day voucher before they go home today. This can be used in Eason’s in Enniscorthy to get a free World Book Day book, if that suits you.

To parents and guardians,

Through your hard work and willingness to buy in to public health guidance over the past two
months, we have made real progress in suppressing the most recent wave of COVID-19. This
progress has meant that primary and post-primary schools and the wider provision of childcare can
now commence on a phased basis.

The importance of schools for the overall health and wellbeing of children cannot be overstated, and
the risk of COVID-19 has been carefully weighed against the very real harm that can be caused by
sustained school closures. Schools are at the heart of our communities and they play a fundamental
role in the social lives and wellbeing of our children; this is particularly true for children who have
special educational needs, are disadvantaged or who may have been disproportionately impacted by
school closures over the last year.

Our priority is to ensure a safe return to schools for students, their families and school staff, which is
why we have recommended a phased return to in-school learning.

In making this recommendation, the NPHET’s most significant concern is that it will be taken as a
signal by parents and wider society that other forms of household mixing, and mobility are now
acceptable.

We cannot afford for this to happen at this time. Despite the progress we have made, COVID-19 is
still circulating at high levels in our communities. We must do all we can individually and collectively
to ensure that the reopening of schools results in the minimum possible upward pressure on the
reproduction number.

Please avoid congregating at school gates over the coming weeks. Please do not have play dates or
organise after school activities which involve household mixing. And please continue to work from
home unless essential. It is only through your continued buy-in to these measures that we can
ensure that our children will get back to school and then stay back in school.

I know these are difficult requests. We all – adults and children alike – want to meet up with our
friends and neighbours and get back to our old routines. And we will get there.

We now have three very effective vaccines with, hopefully, three more on the way. Over the coming
weeks, older people, and those at high or very high risk of severe disease will be vaccinated and we
will see substantial increases in supply from April onwards. And we are already seeing the very
positive impact of vaccines in our nursing homes and among our healthcare workers. If we can
combine this rollout with a continued suppression of the disease through March and April, we will
have many more options in terms of easing of measures and should be able to provide much greater
levels of certainty to people about the months ahead.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done to keep your family and
our communities safe over the last year. I also want to thank all teachers, principals and school staff
who have worked so hard to ensure measures have been put in place to limit the risk of spread of
COVID-19 in schools. It has been this kind of work, done quietly and by the majority, which has
underpinned our national response to COVID-19 and which, ultimately, will see us through to
brighter days ahead.

Kind regards

Dr. Ronan Glynn,
Deputy Chief Medical Officer,
Department of Health.

As you will have heard in the announcement made by An Taoiseach yesterday our school will reopen on Monday March 1st for pupils in Junior Infants, Senior Infants, First Class and Second Class. It is hoped that all other classes will return on March 15th.

Ms. Swaine, Ms. Brooks and Ms. O’Connor will be in the school building preparing for the return of their classes tomorrow and Friday. Therefore, there will be no online learning for these classes after today.

Furthermore, we are also asking that you gather up and return all books, copies, whiteboards, pencil cases and other items that you received from the school back in January.

If your child is in Ms. O’Connor’s or Ms. Brooks’ class their items need to be returned in the box which you received them in.

If Ms. Swaine is your child’s teacher you can place all books, copies and other items inside a plastic bag and return them to the school.

It is important that all books, copies and other items are returned as your child will need everything in class.

All of the above items must be returned to school either tomorrow or Friday prior to your child returning to school on Monday.

The school will be open from 9am – 11am for the drop off of books, boxes and other items for pupils from Junior infants to Second class.

The front door of the school will be open and when you arrive you can leave your child’s box/bag and belongings on one of the tables in the porch.

Please wear a facemask at all times on school grounds and observe 2m social distancing if there are people ahead of you.

Thank you for your cooperation with the above.

Conor Mc Donald

Ballindaggin NS

ANNUAL ADMISSION NOTICE

in respect of admissions to the 2021/2022 school year

Admission Policy and Application Form

A copy of the school’s Admission Policy and the Application Form for Admission for the 2021/2022 is available as follows: –

To download at: www.ballindagginns.ie

On request: By emailing  stcolmansnsballindaggin@gmail.com  or writing to : school office, Ballindaggin NS, Ballindaggin, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

PART 1 – Admissions to the 2021/2022 school year

Application and Decision Dates for admission to 2021/2022

The following are the dates applicable for admission to Junior Infants/First Year (delete as appropriate)

Note: the school will consider and issue decisions on late applications in accordance with the school’s admission policy.

*Failure to accept an offer within the prescribed period above may result in the offer being withdrawn

Number of places being made available in [insert school year concerned]

Application for Admission Form

Admission Policy

We have seen a wonderful idea from another school and we think it is something really special that we would like to introduce here in Ballindaggin NS.

As a result of the current Covid restrictions, many children have and are missing out on celebrating their birthday with family and friends in the usual way, with parties or gatherings that are currently not allowed during this time. Our children have had so many changes and had to adapt to new rules and regulations at home and in school, and their emotional wellbeing is something that is very important to us.

Therefore, we would like to give them the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays in school with their class friends! We have decided we will hold a birthday party within each classroom on the last Friday of each month, this will be to celebrate all children that have had a birthday that month. We will begin this coming Friday and celebrate all the birthdays from September to November in each class.

The last Friday of each month the school will provide fun and games in each class as well as a small cake for each of the children celebrating their birthday. There will be an inter classroom Zoom session where the Principal will call out the name of each child that is celebrating their birthday.

We look forward to beginning this on Friday, giving every child the opportunity to celebrate with their friends. Stay tuned to Twitter for pictures on the day.

Yours sincerely,

Conor Mc Donald

Pupils from Ms. Brooks’ class and Ms. Bridges’ class proudly displaying our new Green Flag that was recently awarded to our school community in recognition of all the hard work that was carried out to improve the biodiversity of our school grounds over the past two years.

Well done to all involved.

Please click here  to view our schools New Admissions Policy which complies with the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018