03.02.2022
Dear parents,
The school has been running really well this term. However, this week we are beginning to notice an increase in the number of positive Covid cases in pupils in the school and household contacts.
Some people think Covid is a harmless virus. For a small number of people it can be serious. We have a lot of very vulnerable children and adults in our school and community. A large number of cases at any one time would seriously impact our ability to run the school.
We are focusing on interventions; ventilation, social-distancing in pods, hand-washing, face masks and isolating pupils who develop symptoms during the school day.
The current strain of the virus is highly transmissible. The best chance we have is stopping the virus from entering the school gates.
Please do not send your children to school if they:
A positive (detected) antigen test result is taken as a confirmed COVID-19 result. If you detect Covid please notify the school by email [email protected] as soon as possible. We will got through your case and advise as appropriate.
We must keep going,
Darragh
30.11.2021
Dear parents,
This evening schools have received guidance from the Department of Education that pupils from Third Class and above are required to wear a face mask/covering in their classroom at school.
From day one the children, families and staff at Ard Rí CNS have been fully compliant with all Covid-19 interventions. The children at our school have been incredibly good at practicing all the Covid-19 protection measures we have put in place to keep our community safe. Myself and the teachers spoke to the children today about the reasons for children needing to wear face masks at this time. The number of people with the virus is really high. Face masks act as a barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from travelling from your mouth into the air and onto other people. Our approach will be to engage with the children for the rest of this week, to come up with a system which works for us at our school. We will teach the children how to use a face mask properly, we will have mini-fresh air breaks and back-up face masks available if a child’s face mask gets soiled or wet.
There are some exemptions to a pupil being required to wear a face mask. We will contact the parents of these children directly in the coming days.
We ask all children bring a face mask and a small container or sandwich bag to store the face mask when it is not in use to school tomorrow.
Thank you,
Darragh
26.11.2021
The best chance we have of keeping our classrooms open and our children in school is to stop Covid coming in the school gate. Do not send your child to school if they have symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Antigen testing for asymptomatic children who are close contacts of positive cases is being introduced as an additional measure to support schools.
What you need to know:
- Symptoms=PCR If your child has any symptoms of Covid-19 they self-isolate at home and you book a COVID-19 PCR test for them.
- If your child receives a positive COVID-19 PCR notify the school immediately- we’ll take action from there. Parent Whatsapp groups are not an appropriate forum to discuss cases.
- No symptoms=Antigen The school will notify parents of children in affected pod/class directly and we will advise you on next steps. Parents order free antigen tests. Parents do the tests at home.
- Your child can continue to attend school as long as they have no symptoms and they do not have a positive COVID-19 test result (antigen or PCR).
- If at any time, your child develops symptoms they should isolate at home and you should book a COVID-19 PCR test for them. Do this even if the antigen test has a negative result. If an antigen test is positive, it is important that your child isolates at home and that you book a COVID-19 PCR test immediately.
Department of Education letter on plans to use antigen testing in classrooms where there is a confirmed case of COVID-19: DoE letter to Parents re Antigen Testing 25.11.2021
22.11.2021
There has been a sharp increase in the number of community and household Covid cases being reported to us. Schools are waiting for updated Covid guidance this week.
Children with symptoms of Covid-19 are still being sent to school. Watch the video below. If your child has any of the symptoms listed in the video do not send them to school. Contact your GP for advice.
People with Covid symptoms must take a PCR test
People with no Covid symptoms can monitor the presence of virus with an antigen test
All the team at Ard Rí CNS are doing an amazing job managing their classrooms through this challenging time. There is a huge shortage of teachers. The best chance we have of keeping our classrooms open and our children in school is to stop Covid coming in the school gate. Lets all re-double our efforts to protect our community from this wave of the virus.
I will update this page as soon as new guidance is available.
13.09.2021
07.09.2021
A rise in cases of Covid-19 among pupils and staff in local schools is a reminder to us all we must continue to implement Covid-19 control measures.
Do not send your child to school or childcare if they have the following symptoms of COVID-19
- a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more
- a new cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
- loss or changed sense of taste or smell
- shortness of breath
If your child has any of the above symptoms of COVID-19:
- Isolate your child from other people – this means keeping them in a room on their own and completely avoiding contact with other people, as much as possible.
- Phone a GP – they will tell you if your child needs a COVID-19 test.
- Everyone your child lives with should restrict their movements. This means not going to school, childcare or work until it is safe to do so.
- Treat your child at home for their symptoms.
If your child has other symptoms not commonly associated with COVID-19
Less common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- sore throat
- headaches
- feeling sick or vomiting
If your child has any of these symptoms keep them at home for at least 48 hours. It’s unlikely they have COVID-19, but they could be a sign of another infectious illness.
The people your child lives with do not need to restrict their movements as long as they feel OK.
After 48 hours it’s OK to send your child back to school or childcare as long as:
- their symptoms do not get worse
- they do not develop new symptoms
- they have not had paracetamol or ibuprofen during these 48 hours – this may hide a fever if they have one
- no one else they live with is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19
Runny nose or sneezing
If your child only has a runny nose or is sneezing, it is OK to send them to school.
Source: HSE Website: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/symptoms/symptoms-child/
