Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
As you are well aware at this stage there are roadworks taking place on the Ballymakenny Road. I have spoken to the contractors and they hope to complete the work directly in front of the school by next Tuesday, 29th November. At that stage the construction work will continue further out the Ballymakenny Road. The contractor informed me that these works will continue for up to 9 months.
All students entering the school building must be accounted for and for that reason we take an Attendance Roll during Treoir class. In the event of a school emergency we must have a complete and accurate roll of attendance. Treoir class is a timetabled class for every student in the school. It is part of the 28 hours that students must attend for during the school week. It is not an optional course for students. This is part of our Code of Behaviour, something to which all parent(s)/guardian(s) agree to when they join our school. Students are not exempt from this element of the school day unless it has been approved by the Board of Management.
Whilst the construction works have had an impact upon everyone in the school I want to thank all of the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) who have changed their schedules to make sure that their child is here on time. The weather is also very challenging and in combination with the roadworks it puts everyone under more pressure. We are all aware of unexpected roadworks, accidents, breakdowns and understand that they may cause delays but a number of students are persistently late for school. For those who are persistently late "traffic" is not a legitimate excuse. We are all battling traffic in our daily commute to school. I have spoken to Bus Eireann and other bus transport providers around the timing of the school buses. If the bus your child is continuously late please address this with the provider directly. We will do likewise.
I would ask everyone to make an increased effort around travel arrangements to and from the school in the coming weeks. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) need to take this into consideration and understand that these roadworks are part of living in an area of increased development. Unfortunately, commute times are not going to get shorter in the coming months. In fact they are more likely to get longer. It will mean changing your schedule in the morning to accommodate larger volumes of traffic.
The school building opens at 8:15am and is warm and fully supervised. The canopies in the yard provide excellent shelter in the yard for those students arriving early.
Regards
Alan Mynes