Dear parents/guardians,
Hope you are all safe and well. Thank you to our Parents ’Association and especially Jakub Tomczyk and Karen Coghlan , who put together the wonderful video/film from our pupils and parents for our staff. We were all blown away by the time and effort you all put into it , and it was much appreciated by all the staff. If you missed it you can still view it on the St. Thomas PA Facebook page.
Thank you also to all the Junior Infant, Senior Infant and First Class parents who have called to collect their child’s book bundles over the last few weeks .We still have a number waiting to be collected so if you haven’t already done so please call this week and drop back any class readers , rental books or work packs from the SET/EAL teacher when you come.
We will bring our Second Classes down after 15thth of June in small groups to visit their classroom, collect tokens of appreciation from the school and say goodbye to their teacher. This will be done safely and with full social distancing and spread over five days. Your class teacher will be in touch next week with the time slot for your child.
Fr. John asked me to remind families to drop in their Trocaire boxes to the school , or donate online (trocaire.ie ), because, like all charities they have suffered badly during this pandemic.
Booklists with the name of the incoming teacher will go out via email next week (Friday 12th of June). Given that our pupils have missed all of term three we will be reducing our school fees for next year by a third, and recompensing our Second Classes (envelope with refund will be given to you when you call in June, with your child, for their final visit to St. Thomas’ ). Books can be purchased via schoolbooks.ie or through the Maynooth Bookshop (schoolbooksmaynooth.com) or at cormicans.com so please shop around for the best value.
Our annual Pupil Reports will also go out next week in the same format (email) along with the booklists. This year’s annual attendance will reflect the shorter year, and as standardised tests cannot take place this term, it won’t include that data. Reports will be based on assessment of work already done .
School uniforms will also be available from our supplier after the 8th of June and if you have any queries re same you can contact dave@bernardowens.ie 0876217269. They also hope to have online ordering up and running by then too.
For parents of incoming Junior Infants our video presentation is now available on the school website (stthomasjns.com) with all the practical information you need,(parents’ guide and class lists) and a video welcome from your child’s teacher. We will bring our classes in for familiarisation on the week beginning August 24th, when restrictions ease.
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I am also writing today to let you know of my intention to retire on Friday the 2nd of October 2020. It has not been an easy decision to come to,and St. Thomas’ has played a huge part in my life since I arrived here in September 1999. I previously taught in St. Kevin’s BNS, Kilnamanagh (1981 to 1999) and have fond memories of there too. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given, to take on the role of principal here, and begin to build positive relationships with the staff and the families in the local community of Esker. During that time the school has grown and expanded , and this has given me a chance to help grow and develop our staff ,who are a credit to any school.
I have also been fortunate to work with six very supportive Boards of Management and multiple Parents Associations, who , like the staff, have always wanted to provide the best possible educational opportunity for all of our pupils, irrespective of background, nationality , gender or culture. I inherited a good staff in 1999 and while they have all retired since then, we have built an able team of 45 people over that period, who have helped make the school what it is, and will continue to do so going forward.
In recent weeks it has been exciting to see the school rise to the challenge of remote learning and while it doesn’t replace the real thing, it has helped us all to develop a new set of skills. Our capacity to continue to learn will guide us forward through the ongoing changes that are an inevitable part of life. The school faces an exciting new chapter in the coming years with the long awaited delivery of a permanent extension and upgrade of the existing building. The capacity to adequately support a more complex and varied pupil intake will also require corresponding facilities and training.
The last few months have given us all a bit more time for reflection and to a chance to focus on what is important. The values of good health, family and friends will sustain us through the current set of challenges we face and hopefully, we will come out a little wiser at the far end.
I hope that giving advance notice at this time will allow the Board to appoint a new principal in advance of my departure and continue the good work of the school with a smooth transition. I will take away only good memories of my time here, doing a job that has given meaning to me, and of the people and friendships I have made, and will continue be available as a support to the Board and the school going forward, as required.
Finally, as a country we have all done very well in dealing with Covid restrictions up to now . It is important that we continue to follow the health guidance over the summer months. As restrictions ease, I look forward to welcoming back our pupils in September, in whatever shape that the guidelines permit, and hopefully by the beginning of October we will all be back to a new normal.
In grateful appreciation,
Michael Maher,
Principal,
St. Thomas’ JNS.