Dear Parent/Guardian,
I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy new year and hope everyone had a lovely relaxing Christmas break. Unfortunately, the number of positive cases of Covid 19 is increasing rapidly in the community and it is important that we continue to work together to keep staff and pupils safe and ensure that the school remains open. As I am sure you have seen on the media, schools are currently dealing with staff shortages as a result of staff isolating or testing positive for Covid 19. Already this week, we have had a significant number of staff absences and it has proven impossible to obtain substitute teachers. In order to ensure the classes remained in school for face to face teaching, I have had to use our support staff (Mrs Mc Kavanagh, Miss Bradley, Mrs Marken and Miss Kenny) to cover classes. I expect that this will continue for the foreseeable future which will mean that your child will not receive regular support for Maths and Literacy from our SEN support staff. I will continue to endeavour to obtain substitute teachers but I need to inform you that in the event of the school being unable to cover for a class, as a last resort and following completion of a Risk Assessment, we may have to resort to some classes having a period of remote learning at home. If this does happen I will do my best to ensure that it is for the shortest possible time. We are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of everyone in our school community and to reduce the transmission of the virus within school. The current variant is highly transmissible and spreads rapidly in a household. I would ask parents to keep your child at home and get them tested if they are displaying any symptoms of Covid 19. I am also asking parents to please keep your child at home if someone in the household has symptoms or tests positive for Covid. I would ask you to inform me if there are cases of Covid 19 in the home and I will discuss our current guidance for children returning to school. You can contact the teacher via seesaw or myself by phone or at fboyd319@c2kni.net. If your child tests positive and is off school and they are in receipt of Free School Meals, you are entitled to receive a food parcel from the EA. Please contact me and I can arrange this. Thank you for your continued support. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide advice or support.
Thank you Mrs F Boyd