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Dear Parents,
Please look at this section of the website frequently. It will contain all the information you need about school during COVID.
School will continue to look very different this year. We need to keep you up to date with all the changes so you can prepare your children at home before they return to school.
 
​Changes to take effect from 28th February
On 17th February 2022, NPHET reviewed the remaining public health measures including the infection prevention control measures and restrictions in school settings.
Schools have been advised that new Public Health advice can be followed from Monday 28th February. 

What will stay the same in Esker from Monday 28th February
  1. If your child has Covid-19 symptoms, they need to stay home.  Children should be symptom free for 48 hours before returning to school.
  2. We will continue to promote good hand hygiene (hand sanitising and hand washing), respiratory hygiene and good classroom ventilation.
  3. We will continue to ventilate the classroom and monitor CO2 monitors for air quality
  4. The school will continue with our extra Covid-19 cleaning schedule after school.
  5. If your child tests positive for Covid-19 (antigen), please keep them at home and email Gemma at gemma@eskeretns.ie 
  6. For now, free antigen testing is still available from the HSE to children, if your child is a close contact of a Covid-19 case.


What will change in Esker ETNS from Monday 28th February
  1. Children from 2nd – 6th are not required to wear masks – however, the school will still provide them to children who wish to wear one.
  2. Staff are not required to wear facemasks, however the school will still provide masks to those who wish to wear one.
  3. Bubbles (classes) and pods (groups in classes) can mix - for teaching & learning and playing on the yard.

​

Isolation quick guide for children under 13 years

Please check this guide to follow the correct Public Health advice for restricting your child's movements in specific household cases.
isolation_quick_guide_under_13s_4_.pdf
File Size: 337 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Friday Senior Assembly Dec 3rd- Guidance on mask wearing.

Information on face coverings


Antigen Test Service

​Under the new antigen testing programme for Primary schools, the following will apply.
  • If school have been notified by parents that there is one case of Covid-19 in the class, the parents of the children sitting AT THE SAME POD will be offered antigen tests to administer on your child over 5 days.
  • If school have been notified of more than one case in a class within a 7 day period, the parents of the children from the whole class will be offered antigen tests to administer on their children over 5 days.
Please remember that:
Antigen tests are to be used when NO SYMPTOMS exist.  Antigen tests DO NOT replace PCR tests.
 If your child has no symptoms, they can continue to attend school, even if they are a close contact (in school). Close contacts from household members must restrict movements.
If your child has  ANY SYMPTOMS – mild or moderate, you must keep your child home and arrange for a PCR test or until they are symptom free for 48 hours.
If your child receives a positive antigen test, you must keep them home and arrange a PCR test with the HSE.
We are continuously seeing sick children with symptoms being sent to school.  We have no other option but to send them home.  Please help us to help the children. Covid-19 numbers are increasing in school-aged children, I am asking you to keep your child home if:
  • They are sick in ANY way – temperature, cough, runny nose, headache, tummy ache, sore eyes.
  • Family members are waiting on PCR results
  • They receive a positive test result (Antigen / PCR)
  • They have taken Calpol or Nurofen (temperature reducing medicine) in the morning.

​

Return to School Information Please Watch 

Message from Gemma on Return to School 

Return to School Please Read 

Opening Times 

Tuesday 13th September Onwards 
This will be the time table for the rest of the school year while we live with COVID. Please be mindful that we may have to change things if they aren't working or as public health advice is updated. With that in mind please check this section of the website regularly. Follow us and the PTA on Twitter and make sure your contact details are up to date on Aladdin. 
Class
Start 
Finish 
Junior Infants
9.10-9.30am
1.50pm
Senior Infants
9.10-9.30am
2.00pm
1st & 2nd 
9.10-9.30am
2.50pm
3rd / 4th / 5th / 6th
9.10-9.30am
3.00pm

Updated Information from HSE on When to Keep your Child Home

The HSE has updated their website on when to keep your child home from school, when to phone your GP and when to get urgent medical advice.

Please follow the link here and stay up to date with new guidelines. 

Do not send your child to school or childcare if any of the following is true
Your child has:
  • has taken medication with paracetamol, ibuprofen (if you give your child any of these medications they must stay home for 48hrs, you should call your doctor to see if they need a COVID test)
  • a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more
  • any other common symptoms of coronavirus - a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath or an existing breathing condition that has become worse.
  • been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus
  • been living with someone who has had a COVID test and is awaiting results or has COVID symptoms 
  • an existing breathing condition that has recently got worse
  • diarrhoea
  • returned from another country in the last 14 days
  • has other less common symptoms of COVID such as a sore throat or headache.

Diarrhoea
If your child has diarrhoea, they should stay at home and not go to school until they have not had diarrhoea for 48 hours.

Non-common symptoms
If your child has other symptoms such as headaches, feeling sick keep them at home for at least 48 hours.
​These are not common symptoms of coronavirus, but they could be a sign of another infection.
Keep an eye on your child's symptoms for 48 hours.

After 48 hours it's usually okay 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 do not need paracetamol or ibuprofen during these 48-hours

Return to School Safety Measures In Place
A Risk Assessment has been carried out and we have reviewed our Covid-19 Response plan and Logistics plan.  We are updating the school safety statement in the context of COVID-19.
Here are the decision that have already been made, the list will be updated daily.

STAFF

  • Teachers / SNAs and ancillary staff will wear masks.
  • Teachers will be in teaching pods
  • Teachers will use specific toilets based on their pods.
  • All teachers will receive COVID-19 training before school opens.
  • Teachers will not come to work if they are sick or have any COVID symptoms. 

PARENTS 

  • A Return to school agreement has been sent to all families. We ask that you adhere to all public health advice and that you do not send a child to school who is sick, a close contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case or who waiting on a test.
  • If you have travelled within the EU with your child and you are vaccinated, then your child does not have to restrict their movement. However, if your child is displaying any symptoms, please keep them at home. All travel advice can be found here
  • If your child is absent, we ask that you complete a back to school declaration on Aladdin the day before they return, stating that they are fit and well to return.
  • Children and staff cannot come to school if they are sick or have ANY COVID-19 symptoms - no exceptions.
  • Parents are no longer allowed in the school building for the duration of COVID measures.
  • Parents are no longer allowed in the office, please e-mail or phone the school for queries and check our website for information.
  • Parents of JI - 2nd class are allowed to walk onto the school grounds to drop off & collect their children but only up to a marked drop off point.  Please wear a mask at all times on the grounds. 
  • Parents of 3rd - 6th class are NOT allowed on the school grounds (unless your child has a special need, the SNA will meet you at the drop off point) - please encourage your child to walk, cycle, scoot, park and stride.
  • Please do not drive into the school car-park. Parents cannot collect children by car on the school grounds. Please arrange an area off site (such as Castle road/leisure centre) to meet your child.
  • Parents should not to congregate near the school and should adhere to social distancing rules.
  • Please make sure your child can open/close their water bottle/lunch items on their own as well as tie their own shoe laces and put on and take off coats on their own. 

CHILDREN 

  • Children will use specific toilets depending on their assigned pods (rather than boy/girl  – This is a safety measure to minimise cross contact between pods).
  • Children are asked to bring in a CLEAN FACECLOTH to dry their hands after washing. It is advised that each child has 5 facecloths at home, they bring in a clean one each day.
  • Children will not share towels/facecloths. 
  • All children will be given their own individual plastic box with a lid in class. It will be kept in school. All of their books and stationery will be stored inside to avoid other pupils or staff touching any of the items. 
  • Your child will not be sharing pencils/ pens etc. please insure they have everything they will need for school with them as they cannot borrow from other children or the teacher. It is a good idea to have lots of spares at home and in their schoolbag. 
  • Children will not bring toys or footballs from home into school. 
  • Children will have to sanitise/wash their hands throughout the day. 

BUILDING ACCESS & CLEANING 

  • Children will no longer line up on the yard, instead they will go directly to class through a designated door.
  • We have maximised the physical distancing as much as possible within our classrooms.
  • JI - 2nd class - children sit in pods of 4-6 children.
  • 3rd - 6th - children sit 1 metre from each other.
  • Classes will not mix with other classes.
  • Break times are staggered. Only 5 - 6 classes will be on at one time. Classes will play in a sectioned off area of the yard assigned to them and will not mix with other classes.
  • Extra hand sanitiser has been purchased – these are located outside and inside of each classroom.
  • ​Children will exit the building at home time from separate doors.

School COVID-19 Response Plan 

This is a detailed document setting out our response plan. All parents should make themselves familiar with it. 
These are the DES school response guidelines. Parents should be familiar with them. 

Symptoms 

The main symptoms to look out for are:
• A cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry.
• Shortness of breath.
• Breathing difficulties.
• Fever (temperature above 38 °C or 100.4 °F).
Other symptoms may include:
  • fatigue
  • headaches
  • runny or stuffy nose
  • feeling sick or vomiting or have diarrhoea
  • sore throat
  • aches and pains
We have always cared about attendance but this year is different. We need to keep everyone safe. It is important that you do not send your child to school with any of these symptoms or if they are in any way sick. 

Different Languages - Back to School 

Covid 19 World Service is a joint initiative of Nasc and Together Ireland. In addition to public health videos voiced by doctors in over 30 languages, they have added video messaging for parents of children returning to school in 2020. These videos were voiced by education professionals including teachers and SNAs working in Ireland and the messaging has been approved by the Irish College of GPs. 

You can view these videos in Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Cantonese, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, English, French, Georgian, Irish, Italian, Hungarian, Kurdish Sorani, Latvian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Ukranian and Yoruba.
Click here. 

Coming To School 

Arabic

Chinese

Lithuanian

Bulgarian 

Czech 

Farsi 

French

Georgian 

Hindi 

Latvian 

Pashto 

Polish 

Portuguese

Punjabi

Romanian 

Russian

Slovak

Somali 

AfrikaansAlbanianArabicEnglishFrenchGermanItalianPortugueseRussianSpanish