A Thuismitheoirí agus a Chairde,
Ba mhaith le múinteoirí agus foireann uillig i Scoil Naisiúnta Ghort Lomáin ár mbuíochas a ghabháil díobh ar fad as ucht an cabhair agus an tacaíocht a fuaireamar uaibh ó thús na scoil bliana go dtí an lá inniu. Tá atmaisféar álainn in ár scoil agus tagann sin ó chomhoibriú idir an scoil, na tuismitheoirí agus gan dabht na páistí.
Thankfully, I am happy to report that during these challenging Pandemic times, our school is warm, happy and comfortable. Our classrooms are bright and well equipped. We have excellent educational facilities including our Halla, Library, computer room, astro turf and basketball court. There is a wonderful, warm atmosphere between teachers and pupils. With the help of some Barefield N.S. elves, our Crib, Christmas Trees and lots of other colourful decorations are all glistening. Our school now looks festive, sparkly and cheery.
In my entire teaching career, this has been the strangest of terms due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Since our school re-opened practically 4 months ago, there have been many changes to our normal school routines. Parents can no longer come inside our school building or school grounds. Messages must be conveyed by telephone. Staggered arrival and departure times are in operation for Ranganna I–II. When pupils go outside for their breaks, they have designated areas in which to play. There are staggered sos and am lóin times for all classes. ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Pods’ are new words we now use on a daily basis. Pupils have to sanitise their hands when they arrive and regularly do so during the day. Parent-teacher meetings were held over the phone/zoom. Staff meetings were held via zoom after school hours. Various fun activities were cancelled or deferred. Team sports were cancelled. Despite all of the above, I have to compliment all our pupils who demonstrated amazing strength and resilience and they adapted remarkably well to our new routines. All our pupils are very happy which is a testament to both the co-operation of you our parents and the dedication of our staff. This transition did not happen without on-going effort and hard work. Throughout all of these new procedures and changes, our staff have worked very conscientiously. The implementation of our ‘well-being programmes’ proved very successful. In addition, teachers ensured our curriculum was taught to an excellent standard enabling our pupils to progress to the best of their abilities. Our Special Needs Assistants cared for their pupils in a loving manner. Our Administration Staff are the heart beat of our school. Our Cleaning Staff are just incredible. Our staff are really happy to be at school and much prefer to be at school rather than be engaged in remote teaching and learning. In fact, it has been said to me that there is now simplicity to school life that is nice for our pupils to experience. Maybe, one of the lessons from COVID-19 is that we should all appreciate the simple things in our lives and value those who are dear to us.
On a personal note, I wish to thank most sincerely our Board of Management, Parents’ Association, Students’ Council, Green Schools Committee, Active Schools’ Committee, Teachers, Special Needs Assistants, Administration Staff and Cleaning Staff who have all worked really hard throughout this term to keep school life enjoyable, safe and happy for all our pupils. I also wish to thank everyone involved in our school community and Parish for their continued support during these challenging times.
Christmas is a very special time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is also a special time for all of us to spend time with our families.
Let us remember those who are recovering from illness. We wish them all a very speedy recovery and a return to full health in 2021.
My responsibility as Principal is to ensure that education can be safely continued in Barefield N.S. in the New Year. Consequently, I am reminding parents, staff, families, teenagers, and pupils to comply with NPHET Guidelines during the Christmas Holidays.
I wish you all a very Happy Christmas with health and happiness in abundance for 2021.
Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise díobh go léir ó fhoireann scoile, Scoil Náisiúnta Ghort Lomáin.
Stay safe and well.
John Burns (Principal)
