NEWSLETTER 11.09.2020

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Welcome to the first formal newsletter in 8 months. It seems so long since we have published a newsletter, which were so well replaced by our weekly online assemblies. This newsletter will not be nearly as entertaining as a Canal Way Assembly, and thankfully has taken us a fraction of the time to pull together! And while there were wonderful memories over the school closure, I trust you will all agree it is great to have the school open and to have the children back with their friends and their teachers. Trust we are working constantly to keep the school as safe as possible.

ETHOS: Our core value is belonging. The children are engaging in lots of well being activities, and are thriving on this approcah  relaxed and chilled atmosphere in the school at the moment. The school is also a busy please, with classes spending lots of time in the garden and getting outside as much as possible.

BUILDING UPDATE: Following the delay in our extra accommodation, we are pleased to inform you that the ground works shall be completed over the November break, and we shall be installing the units during weekend in November and December. Our 2 story 6 classroom unit will be ready for January. This will be a game changer for the school, giving us back our hall and much needed office space.

WELCOME to our Junior Infants 2020. So great to have you all on board and enjoying school at CWETNS.

SAFETY – DROP OFF & COLLECTION: Thanks for your support in making this a success. Please note the following –

  • We have noticed adults not wearing masks and also not social distancing. You must wear a mask on yard if you are not social distancing. Please be reminded of the rising numbers in Dublin. We also want our school to remain open, so please wear a mask.
  • Please do not congregate around the gates at drop off or collection. Keep moving.
  • Late arrivals (after 08:50) can come to the main school door and should sign the late book in the porch area.
  • No scooting or cycling in the yard at drop off or collection time.

NUT FREE SCHOOL: Please note that we are a nut free school – that includes seeds, pine nuts and pesto. We have many children now with very serious chronic conditions and we need you to keep every lunch nut, seed and pesto free – and also keep them healthy.

SYMPTOMS & ILLNESS Thank you for your support and for keeping children out of school if they are sick or are presenting with symptoms.  We are only too aware of the challenges this presents when you are trying to work also, but please know that we are extremely grateful for the vigilance you are showing. This will help us to keep our school open. Go raibh maith agaibh

When to keep your child home – INFO HERE

BOOKS AND MATERIALS: We have received our delivery of containers, which means each child will be now able to keep their books and materials in their own containers in class. Container are for children from 1st to 6th class.

SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER  – 01 4021418 

We are asking every family to please save this phone number in your phone. Should we need to call you for any reason it is vital that you know it is us calling and that you answer your phone.

SPORTS: We are now using St Catherine’s Sports Hall in Marrowbone Lane, every Tuesday until the new year.

ENROLMENTS FOR 2021 Junior Infants 

We will be sending out offers of places in Junior Infants to start in September 2021 for siblings of children currently in the school, in the coming weeks. If you have a younger sibling eligible to come to school in September please check in with Eavan in the office to make sure you are on the list – if you have not done this already! We cannot offer you a place if you are not on the list.  We have updated our enrolment webpage with our new policy and procedures.

LOST AND FOUND 

Please talk to your children about the importance of bringing items home each day – coats / bags/ water bottles etc  Also please ensure that all of these items are clearly marked with your child’s name so that if they are found lying around the school or grounds they can be easily reunited with your child. Lost & found will be displayed in the yard every Friday and at the end of each term left items will be recycled. We need to have as little items in the lost and found as possible.

CONGRATULATIONS: to those children in second class who celebrated a rite of passage last Sunday, when they made their first communion. Well done everyone. Parents drive this initiative and the school is not involved in this. If anyone wants to lead on this, please contact the office and we will feature a call out in our next newsletter for you, and you can take it from there.

COMMUNITY: Templeogue Synge Street GAA Club has an Academy for Gaelic Football starting back on Saturday 12th September at 11.30am in Dolphin Park.  MAP HERE

This is suitable for children from 4-7 years old and it is a great fun introduction to a lifetime of Gaelic Football.

Funny things people say – I know a lady and if ever she wants her children to try anything new – she tells them:    It’s the very exact same, only different.

Over the last few weeks, to my absolute surprise, I have started saying it myself about Canal Way ETNS.  Our school is still a warm, happy, fun place to be. Our community is still the same with the same families, staff & children. The building is once again full of the sound of children learning, teachers caring, laughter and chatting. But we are doing everything in a slightly new way. We are assembling in new ways, organising areas in new ways, and we all have a new style, and a new type of tiredness at the end of each day. Yet it feels like everything is exactly the same when we are all together again.

Canal Way is the very exact same, only different!

Thank-you to all of our community for your support – the staff, the children and every family.

Enjoy the weekend,

Dermot.