St.

Michael’s Scoil Mhichil,

Rackwallace Rath Mhic Mhalais
Monaghan Muineachán
H18 XY66 H18XY66

secretary@stmichaelsns.com 047-85282

01 November 2021

Dear Parents,

Trick or Treat for Temple Street: Thank you to all the children, staff and parents who
raised an incredible €248 for this worthy charity. Thank you also to the Northern Standard
who gave us great coverage in their paper, including some great photos.
There are a lot of photos of the day on our website; and as I always say if you would like a
copy of any of the photos just email us and we’ll email the photo back to you.

Waste Water Treatment System: If you have visited the school recently, you’ll have seen
that our works are very nearly finished. I must praise Ciarán and his team who have done a
great job and have been so mindful of the needs of the school while they worked.
The children got to try out our new tarmacadam surface today at playtime.

Team Hope: Each year we support ‘Team Hope Shoebox Appeal’. This year we will be
doing so again. The deadline is Monday 8th November which I know is just one week. I am
enclosing a form with this newsletter. As always there is no obligation to support this charity.

Covid News: As I write this note I can say that we have managed to avoid any outbreaks in
our school. This is thanks to parents keeping sick children home. As a parent myself, I know
this isn’t easy and I know the complications it causes at home. And so, I want to take this
opportunity to say ‘Thanks’ to all of you.
As a school we continue to insist on the children using sanitiser as they enter and leave the
building and we are encouraging regular hand washing. The teachers continue to wear masks
and use screens. We also went to the expense of getting a HEPA air purifier in each of the
rooms, including Mrs. Ferguson’s room and Dympna’s office. There is no problem with any
child wearing a mask in school if they or you wish.
I am enclosing a ‘Return to School Form’ with this newsletter. This form should be filled in
anytime your child is away from school for even one day. If you need a spare form just let me
know and I’ll send one home with your child. There is a copy of the form on our website, but
I know that not every family has a printer so don’t worry about asking.

Parent Teacher Meetings: At our last staff meeting we agreed that we, the teachers, would
prefer to talk face to face with the parents. However, in the current climate we are trying to be
cautious. We are currently seeking guidance and we would hope to hold the meetings before
the end of this month. I would be grateful if parents would let me know what your preference
is, just email me at: seamusgrundy@stmichaelsns.com

Roll number: 16954C Charity Number: 20132170 twitter: @rackwallacens website: www.rackwallacens.com
 Help Wanted: We have an ongoing issue with the chimneys in the school. The cement has
started to crumble and I’m worried that one of the bricks could fall into the yard. I’m hoping
that one of our parents will know a builder who would be prepared to take on the job of
repairing them. If you can think of a builder, I’d be grateful if you’d pass on their details.

Christmas Annuals: The children in the Senior Room know that I don’t allow any mention
of the ‘Christmas’ word until after the 8th of December. However, I will have to make an
exception today. Folens are offering a special deal on their Christmas Annuals if we get our
order in before November 19th.
It is important to say that there is no obligation to get these annuals and our school makes no
money from the sale of these annuals.

If you would like to order any of the annuals, please fill in the form below and send it, along
with the money, into school before 18th November.

Class Level Annual Price Quantity.

J.I. & S.I. Súgradh €2.50
1st & 2nd Spraoi €2.50
3rd & 4th Siamsa €2.50
5th & 6th Sonas €2.50

Pupil’s Name. __________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

---------------------------
Séamus Grundy
Principal

Roll number: 16954C Charity Number: 20132170 twitter: @rackwallacens website: www.rackwallacens.com