Griffeen Valley Educate Together National School

04/11/18

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The past week has seen a huge change to the exterior and grounds of our school building. As you will be aware, from text messages and the school website, our school was inspected during the break and while no internal issues were found the DES contractors recommended that a protective barrier be erected around the school building. The DES have given us a very little notice, especially during a holiday period and a short timeframe within in which to work and advise parents and guardians of change.

Brendan and I have spent much of the week and this weekend on site to facilitate works and ensure that we are ready to open on Monday morning. The Chairperson has also been in constant contact with the DES and has attended the site regularly. A final site handover meeting will take place later this evening.

We understand that the new procedures outlined below will cause inconvenience and you may need to allow extra time for drop offs and collections. The measures are necessary to ensure the health and safety of all pupils, staff, parents and visitors to our school.

I thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. I will officially begin my role as Acting Principal on Monday 5th of November and look forward to working with you during the year ahead.

Mise le meas,

Andrea Burke-Khan

IMPORTANT: Changed routines for drop off and collection

In order to ensure safety and to keep pedestrian traffic around the school grounds flowing we ask that you follow the procedures outlined below.

All cyclists and scooters please dismount before entering the school grounds.

There will be no parking spaces available on the school grounds. If you have a permit you may enter the grounds for drop off by the usual entry and exit gates. Please do not park on or near the roundabout or in the drop off zone. The pedestrian gate to the side of the school will remain open.

Junior and Senior Infants

You will be able to access the Junior and Senior Infant yard by walking to the side of the old building nearest the car park. A walk way has been created for parents and pupils to access the rear yard. Under no circumstances should any children or adults walk through the staff car park – this is for health and safety reasons.

You should enter the basketball court through the back gate and allow your child to join their line. Teachers will collect their classes from the line. Please exit the basketball courts from the rear gate as exiting through the front gates cause’s bottlenecks as classes are trying to leave. Also, please do not enter the school building with a view to exiting through the front door as senior classes will be using these doors to enter the building.

At collection time (1.10pm) enter the Junior Yard by using the walkway beside the staff car park. You will not be able to gain entry through the school building. Enter the basketball court from the rear gate and wait on the basketball court to the back of the yard. Please stand back from the lines. Allow the classes to line up and wait for your child’s class teacher to signal to you that they have seen you. Please do not take your child from the line as they are being led in by their teacher.

We will review these procedures if needed but options are limited due to the safety barriers around the building.

It is essential that you inform child care providers or relatives who may be collecting your child of the procedures above.

1st class to 6th class

Morning Routine

Pupils will line up on the tarmac area to the front of the building. (Formerly car park area)

Lining up spots have changed. Class names have been spray painted on the ground as follows;

2B – Bernadette’s class, 2R- Ruth’s class, 2Y – Yvonne’s class

1L – Laura’s class, 1N- Niamh’s class, 1B- Bronagh’s class

3M- Michelle’s class, 3DH- Deirdre and Helen’s class

4D- Donal’s class, 4Z- Zoe’s class (formerly Andrea’s class)

5F- Fiachra’s class, 5D- Denise’s class

6M- Maggie’s class, 6S – Siobhan’s class

Once the class teachers have exited the building to collect their classes and in order to ease congestion and confusion we request that parents /guardians do not stand next to lines.

A waiting area has been outlined at the end of the car park to enable you to make sure that you have seen your child enter the building with their class. Adults can also wait on the pavement adjacent to the new building and to the outer railing.

Collection time routine 2.10pm

1st and 2nd classes will line up on the basketball courts to the rear of the building at collection time.

You will be able to access the Junior and Senior Infant yard by walking to the side of the old building nearest the car park. A walk way has been created for parents and pupils to access the rear yard. Under no circumstances should any children or adults walk through the staff car park – this is for health and safety reasons.

You should enter the basketball court through the back gate and wait on the rear basketball court. Please stand back from the lines. Allow the classes to line up and wait for your child’s class teacher to signal to you that they have seen you. Please do not take your child from the line as they are being led in by their teacher.

Please exit the basketball courts from the rear gate as exiting through the front gates cause’s bottlenecks as classes are trying to enter. Also, please do not enter the school building with a view to exiting through the front door.

3rd to 6th class will line up in the same spots on the former car park – just as they did in the morning.

Please do not stand in front of any of the exit doors. Parents/guardians/ child care workers should wait in the designated areas – marked at the end of the car park or on pavement alongside exterior fence (facing Griffeen Shopping Centre carpark).

Please allow classes to line up and wait for your child’s class teacher to signal to you that they have seen you before you take your child from the line. Pupils with permission to walk home alone will be dismissed from the line by their teacher.

We will review these procedures if needed but options are limited due to the safety barriers around the building.

It is essential that you inform child care providers or relatives who may be collecting your child of the procedures above.