PRIMARY & PRE-SCHOOL ADMISSION SEPTEMBER 2021

The online admissions process for pre-schools and primary schools opens today, Thursday 7 January at 12 noon and will remain open until 12 noon 29 January.   https://pupilservices.eani.org.uk/CitizenPortal_LIVE/en 

Please note that places are not allocated on a first come first served basis. Schools will not begin to process applications until after January 29.

During busy periods the admissions process will operate a queueing system, so you may find that you have to wait to access the system. The busiest periods tend to be in the initial days after the admissions process opens. Guidance for Parents and for further information visit ... https://www.eani.org.uk/admissions or contact the school office on 028 70 833010.

For help and advice parents/ guardians can contact the Admissions Helpdesk via emails: preschooladmissions@eani.org.uk or primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk

#StartingSchool2021 #September2021 #OnlineApplication

Arrangements for School Week commencing Tuesday 5^th January 2021.

• Those children who are attending school will have normal arrival and home times:

P1, P2, P4, P6 arrive 8.40am       P3, P5, P7 arrive 8.50am

P1, P2 leave 1.40 pm                    P4, P6 leave 2.40pm                    P3, P5, P7 leave 2.50pm

• Children will be supervised in their own classrooms. They will complete the same activities in the course of the school day as their peers at home. In accordance with DENI guidance there will be no face-to-face teaching at this time.
   
• Children attending school should bring their own snack and drinks for the school day. There will be no morning break-hatch.
   
• Those who are not having a school dinner should bring a packed lunch. School dinners can be booked up to 11pm the night before. This booking must be adhered to so as to facilitate catering at this time.
   
• P1 and P2 teachers will deliver remote learning via “Seesaw”. P3-P7 teachers will provide hard copies of work to be completed by the children and answer sheets where appropriate. All parents should ensure that their child has access to their class Seesaw as this will be used for communication between children and teachers and parents.
   
• Learning Packs for P3-P7 may be collected between 10.30am and 11:15am, Tuesday 5^th January from class entrance gates.  As before, please wear a face covering and social distance when collecting these for your children.
   
• Teachers will be in school each day and will be available to remotely support your child during that time. It may not always be possible to get back to you straight away so we would appreciate your patience.  Please do not expect a response to queries outside of school hours as teachers have planning and assessment to attend to.

• Should any family have difficulty completing the set work please contact the class teacher rather than remaining without support. We will do what we can to help you.
   
• Breakfast Club will resume on Monday 11^th January 2021 when school re-opens.
   
• Stepping Stones will contact parents directly regarding their opening arrangements for their After School Club.

If you have any issues regarding your child’s well-being at this time please do not hesitate to contact kmccullagh955@c2kni.net or telephone 02870833010.

If your child is due to start pre-school or primary school in September 2021, you can apply online between 12.00 noon on 7 January 2021 and 12.00 noon on 29 January 2021.

Please note that places are not allocated on a first come, first served basis and applications will only be considered after the closing date. Further information is available on the EA website under the Admissions section at https://www.eani.org.uk/parents/admissions

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LOOK the Children's Liturgy sheet for the Second Sunday of Christmas. 🙏⛪

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

I am sure you are all aware of the announcement made by Mr Weir on Thursday 31st December that Primary Schools are to remain closed until 11th January 2021. This is not the start any of us would have wished for at the beginning of a new term, however, we all recognise that the health and safety of the children, staff and all of our families is paramount.

Direction was slow in coming from the Executive to principals, after 6.30pm last night to be precise, so this last minute decision making has been far from ideal. I wish to reassure you that the school will be open on Tuesday 5th January in accordance with guidance:

• The first day of the normal school term will be used to prepare for the rest of the week.
• Primary school pupils will be taught remotely until Friday 8 January, after which they will attend school for face-to-face teaching.
• Childcare settings including those attached to schools, pre-school facilities, nurseries and special schools will be open as usual;

• Schools will accommodate vulnerable children and the children of key workers from January 5th 2021 for supervised learning.
 

Further clarity on the definition of key workers and children who are deemed as vulnerable can be found on separate document Am I a key worker, is my child vulnerable ... https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/st-colums-primary-school/UploadedDocument/2e5265069fdb4500882df09f3d233c62/am-i-a-key-worker-is-my-child-vulnerable.pdf

Furthermore we recognise that this is a particularly stressful time for parents and children who may be preparing for GL or AQE assessments and we want to assure you we will continue to support those pupils online or in face to face learning as appropriate. Please contact me directly via email to discuss a way forward. (kmccullagh955@c2kni.net)

In order to manage the logistics of this I would appreciate if those of you who require to send your child/children to school for all or a part of next week, would reply to a text message I will send out on Saturday morning, as I can then compile a list of expected attendees.

As the guidance has indicated Monday 4th January is to be used by teachers for planning and preparation for the week ahead.  I will contact you all again on Monday to notify you of the arrangements for online/blended learning. I will keep you informed of any further developments. In the meantime we will all work together to support your children and hopefully look forwards to welcoming them back in person the following week. 

Yours faithfully

Mrs KS McCullagh
Principal