This Week’s Newsletter

Broadbridge Primary School                 Thursday 18th March 2021                 Note 20    

Diary:

Easter Holidays – School will close at 12 Noon on Wednesday 31st March. The school will be closed  from 1st April to 9th April. Both days inclusive.  

COVID-19 Update

Parents are reminded that the school must be contacted if there is a positive case  in your household. Please ring 7181 0520 or email info@broadbridgeprimaryschool.com stating your  child/ren’s class and a brief outline of the case.  

Adults are reminded that they must maintain a social distance at the gates of the school. We would  encourage the use of masks at these points due to the large gatherings at any one time!    

A very warm welcome back to everyone after a lengthy stay away. We are delighted to see the children back at school  once more. Please see below the routine that was in place before the Christmas break. There are one or two changes.  

Dropping Children Off in the Morning – In an attempt to ease traffic congestion parents may drop children in the drop off zone inside the school grounds PARENTS ARE ASKED NOT TO EXIT CARS. This is to ensure that the traffic flows freely  for all. Only disabled badge holders and parents with young babies may enter the carpark to park. 

 Morning Drop Off  

∙ Only Primary 1 and Primary 2 pupils may be walked to their external classroom door. No other adults may  enter the school grounds unless they have business at the school office. 

∙ All adults exiting the school must do so at Gate 1. 

∙ Primary 1 2,3 and Miss Doherty’s Primary 4 pupils are to enter through Gate 2. 

∙ Primary 4,5,6 and 7 pupils are to enter through Gate 3. 

∙ The school will be open from 8:45 a.m. for all pupils. 

∙ We would encourage as many pupils to walk/cycle to school as possible to minimise the traffic at the school.  Alternatively, pupils should be dropped off at the far side of the ‘Blue Bridge’ and walk from there. We do not  encourage anyone to drop off at the ‘Maxol’ as this is a place of business and not a drop off zone for our  school. 

∙ Gate 1 can only be used as an entrance for pupils using the ‘Blue Bridge’ as their drop off point. ∙ Parents dropping off inside the school grounds must not exit their cars. 

∙ Early morning provision 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.  

 Afternoon Pick Up  

∙ Adults should stand back from the gates and socially distance themselves from others. Please do not  congregate in groups, adhere to the government guidance. Inform your child where you intend to be. ∙ Encourage older pupils to cycle/walk independently home.  

∙ Primary 1 pupils will be picked up at 2:00 p.m. Miss Wade’s Class from Gate 1. Mrs Quinn’s class from Gate 3. ∙ PLEASE NOTE P1 Pupils may wait for an older sibling from P2 at the Master’s Hall and leave the school together  at 2:15 p.m.  

∙ Primary 2 pupils will be picked up at 2:15 p.m. Mrs Hueston’s from Gate 1. Mrs Tracey’s class from Gate 3. ∙ Primary 3 pupils use Gate 1 at 3:00 p.m.  

∙ Primary 4 pupils use Gate 2 at 3:00 p.m. 

∙ Primary 5 pupils use Gate 2 at 3:00 p.m. 

∙ Primary 6 pupils use Gate 3 at 3:00 p.m. Please note the change to pick-up time.

∙ Primary 7 pupils use Gate 3 at 3:00 p.m. 

∙ Children being picked up at the far side of the ‘Blue Bridge’ will use Gate 1. There will be a member of staff  there to ensure that they are collected. If you are running late, your child will be returned to school and  remain at the front office until collection. Please do not call your child from the Bridge when picking up. If you  wish to come to school to get your child, please come down to the Gate. It is safer for all concerned if we walk  your child across the bridge in the afternoon. 

Grandparents’ Day

At this time of year we usually celebrate Grandparents’ Day and use this as an  opportunity to treat them to a special visit to our school. Despite the current restrictions, our Primary 2  pupils were determined to let their grandparents know how much they love them and have put together a  special video to let them know how special they are. You will be able to view the video on our online  platforms on Friday 19th March. Well done P2!

ParentPay  

From Monday 8th March until the return from Easter holidays, we are  

phasing in the new cashless payment system ParentPay. The first phase  

will be the booking of School Meals and the second phase will be the booking of Morning Club and 2-3 pm  Club. All parents/guardians should have received their letter to activate their accounts on the system, if you  have not yet activated your account please do so as soon as possible. If you have misplaced the activation  letter containing your initial Username and Password, please contact the School Office and a replacement  letter can be issued for you. 

Phase 1 – School Meals – Monday 8th March-Wednesday 31st March  

As of Monday 8th March 2021, all payments for School Meals MUST be paid for using ParentPay, any cash  sent to school to pay for dinners will be returned home. If you would like your child/children to take dinner,  please take note of the following: 

∙ bookings must be made in advance before 8.45 am on the day that dinner is to be taken. ∙ parents of children entitled to free school meals must also book online using ParentPay, no fee will be  incurred for these bookings. 

∙ dinners can be booked up to 3 weeks in advance of the date needed. 

∙ if you have booked and paid for dinner for a particular day and your child is absent an adjustment will  be made at the office and no fee will be applied for that day. 

Bookings and payments for Morning Club and 2-3 pm Club can also be made through ParentPay during  Phase 1 but we will also facilitate cash for these payments during this period. 

Some parents have reported difficulty booking meals this week, this fault with the system has now been  rectified by ParentPay. As we introduce this new system we do envisage that we will encounter some initial  issues, please be patient during this transition. If you have any issues using ParentPay or logging in, please  contact the school office and we will do our best to work through any problems with you. 

Phase 2 – Morning and 2-3 pm Club – Monday 12nd April  

From Monday 12nd April 2021 all payments for Morning and 2-3 pm Clubs MUST be made through  ParentPay, no cash should be sent to school from this date. If you would like to book your child/children  into either of these Clubs please take note of the following: 

∙ all bookings for Morning Club and 2-3 pm Club must be made in advance and before 12 noon on the  Friday of the previous week. 

∙ Morning and 2-3 pm sessions can be booked up to 3 weeks in advance. 

∙ if you have booked and paid for a session for a particular day and your child is absent, an adjustment  will be made at the office and no fee will be applied for that day. 

Payment for other items such as school trips, school hoodies, swimming, music fees etc will also be paid for  through ParentPay from Monday 12th April. These will be added as and when needed to the system and  parents will be notified about the cost of these items through the class teacher and/or the school note. The  only exception will be Mr Logue’s St Vincent de Paul, children will be able to buy these tickets with cash. 

As a result of the current lockdown, it has not been possible to send out letters regarding credit/outstanding  amounts for Morning and 2-3 pm Clubs for December, January and February. Any amounts owed or in  credit will be added to ParentPay in due course and letters explaining these amounts will be distributed to  children who are currently at school. For those families who do not have children attending school at  present these letters will be available at the School Office.