orrow, 20 January 2021. Applicants can avail of the discounted early registration fee of €30 if they register by 5.15pm tomorrow. The regular closing date is Monday 1st February at 5.15pm. Registration by this date will cost €45. Our Career Guidance Counsellor Ms Stack is in regular contact with our 6th Year students through our TEAMS platform in relation to careers/college information, presentations and queries. If you have any queries in relation to CAO from a parents perspective or any other concerns, please email office@presmilltown.ie and we will ensure the relevant person gets back to you. Please click on the link below to see Ms Stack CAO Presentation which was posted back in December. https://youtu.be/0rVt6y9FvP4 CAO's important dates poster is attached in the pdf below. https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/9125_20210119101959.pdf.........

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for collection today during the same alphabetically scheduled time slots as in our previous message in relation to language books. - 11.20am – 11.50am - Surnames A - D - 11.50am – 12.20pm - Surnames E - H - 12.20pm- 12.50pm - Surnames I - N - 12.50pm – 1.20pm - Surnames M - N - 1.20pm - 1.50pm - Surnames O - O' - 1.50pm – 2.20pm - Surnames P – Z Given the current increased transmissibility of the virus please ensure the following, 1) Only one person should attend for collection. 2) Face masks must be worn at all times while on-site (inc outside) 3) Strict social distancing is to be practiced at all times. Please do NOT attend for collection of books/equipment if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are a close contact or have been told to self-isolate/restrict your movements in the past 14 days. In such cases, please contact office@presmilltown.ie. Please do not attend the school unless requested to do so for the collection of books/equipment. Please email office@presmilltown.ie if you have any other queries or if we can help in any way. Thank you as always for your cooperation..........

are very anxious about the pre-exams. Needless to say, the current remote-learning situation means that the pre-exams will not commence on 1st February as initially panned. Once we know when 6th Year students will be able to come back to school on-site we will start looking at the pre-exam situation. The focus for 6th Years during the remote learning period needs to be continuing with their regular learning routine and revision plan as much as they possibly can. Any revision or learning they do during this time will only serve them well when it comes to their exams in June as well as for pre-exams should they go ahead at some stage. As difficult as it may be, it is important to remain focused on the learning and the long-term goal of the leaving cert exams and to not to become distracted by other issues. Once we know when 6th Years will be allowed to return to school on-site we will look at the pre-exams situation and plan accordingly. As always please email office@presmilltown.ie if we can help your son/daughter in any way. Thank you. .........

Year students will not commence on 1st February as initially planned. Once we know when students will be able to come back to school on-site we will start looking at the pre-exam situation. The focus for exam students during the remote learning period needs to be continuing with their regular learning routine and revision plan as much as they possibly can. Any revision or learning they do during this time will only serve them well when it comes to their exams in June as well as for pre-exams should they go ahead at some stage. As difficult as it may be, it is important to remain focused on the learning and the long-term goal of the Junior Cert exams and to not to become distracted by other issues. Once we know when 3rd Years will be allowed to return to school on-site we will look at the pre-exams situation and plan accordingly. As always please email office@presmilltown.ie if we can help your son/daughter in anyway. Thank you. .........

can collect their textbooks/workbooks from the school tomorrow (Wed) from 10am – 2pm. Books will be laid out for collection in the main entrance hall. Given the current increased transmissibility of the virus please ensure the following, 1) Only one person should attend for collection. 2) Face masks must be worn at all times while on-site (inc outside). 3) Strict social distancing is to be practiced at all times. Please do NOT attend for collection of books/equipment if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are a close contact or have been told to self-isolate/restrict your movements in the past 14 days. In such cases, please contact office@presmilltown.ie. Please do not attend the school in person unless requested to do so for the collection of books/equipment. Please email office@presmilltown.ie if you have any other queries. Thank you as always for your cooperation. .........

ng the following time slots (assigned alphabetically by surname) - 11.20am – 11.50am - Surnames A - D - 11.50am – 12.20pm - Surnames E - H - 12.20pm- 12.50pm - Surnames I - N - 12.50pm – 1.20pm - Surnames M - N - 1.20pm - 1.50pm - Surnames O - O' - 1.50pm – 2.20pm - Surnames P – Z Given the current increased transmissibility of the virus please ensure the following, 1) Only one person should attend for collection. 2) Face masks must be worn at all times while on-site (inc outside) 3) Strict social distancing is to be practiced at all times. Please do NOT attend for collection of books/equipment if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are a close contact or have been told to self-isolate/restrict your movements in the past 14 days. In such cases, please contact office@presmilltown.ie. Please do not attend the school unless requested to do so for the collection of books/equipment. Please email office@presmilltown.ie if you have any other queries or if we can help in any way. Thank you as always for your cooperation..........

can collect their textbooks/workbooks from the school today (Tues) from 12pm – 4pm or tomorrow (Wed) from 10am – 2pm. Books will be laid out for collection in the main entrance hall. Given the current increased transmissibility of the virus please ensure the following, 1) Only one person should attend for collection. 2) Face masks must be worn at all times while on-site (inc outside). 3) Strict social distancing is to be practiced at all times. Please do NOT attend for collection of books/equipment if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are a close contact or have been told to self-isolate/restrict your movements in the past 14 days. In such cases, please contact office@presmilltown.ie. Please do not attend the school in person unless requested to do so for the collection of books/equipment. Please email office@presmilltown.ie if you have any other queries. Thank you as always for your cooperation. .........

icrosoft TEAMS/Office 365 platform. Teachers will communicate the format of learning for their lessons to students through the platform at the regular class times. Students should have textbooks, copybooks and any other equipment usually used for each subject to hand at the relevant time. Please contact office365support@presmilltown.ie if we can assist with your son/daughter's access to remote learning in any way. Thank you for your support and cooperation..........

nical or log in issues please contact office365support@presmilltown.ie. https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/7382_20210110160539.pdf.........

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s Teams. For any technical or log in issues please contact office365support@presmilltown.ie. https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/6518_20210110155602.pdf.........

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ning commence for all students on Monday 11th January. Remote learning for all of our students will be delivered online via our Microsoft Office 365 & TEAMS platform from 9am on Monday 11th January. As far as is possible, each students’ regular timetable will be followed to deliver remote learning. Students have been using Office 365 and TEAMS over the past term in order to help maintain familiarity with the platform. However, should your son/daughter have any issues accessing remote learning next week please email office365support@presmilltown.ie Please see the PDF document attached below. It outlines our plan for this period of remote learning and includes our Remote Learning Protocols which each student must adhere to when accessing our Office 365/TEAMs Platform. We know that remote learning is incredibly challenging for many students and families. Please know that we are here to help in anyway possible. If you have any queries or concerns around your son/daughters learning during this period of remote learning please do not hesitate to email the school office on office@presmilltown.ie and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your support and cooperation. https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/6491_20210108160859.pdf.........

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You are likely aware of the Minister of Education's announcement this evening confirming that schools will switch to remote learning from Monday 11th January & also that 6th Year students will be allowed to attend school on-site for 3 days a week. We are expecting there to be a briefing for school management teams tomorrow which will outline the full details of these new arrangements We hope to be in contact with parents as soon as possible thereafter with full details and implications for our school and our students. Thank you for your support and cooperation. .........

s to keep each other safe and well over the past term. We wish you and your families a happy and peaceful Christmas. .........

media sites which post HSE letters issued by schools with the intention of keeping parents across the country informed of the number of COVID-19 cases arising in schools. Please be aware that while these sites may offer a useful service to parents, they do not have the facts and details about our school and individual cases. For example, last Wednesday we were made aware of a rumour that there was a confirmed positive case in a particular class. We were informed of this by a number of parents who were keeping their children home from school based solely on this rumour. We verified the rumour with the relevant parents and established it to be untrue. A message was sent last Thursday via our app to reassure parents that there were no confirmed positive cases in our school at that time. It remains the case that this particular student was and is negative for COVID-19. Yesterday morning (Monday) we were made aware of another student from a different class who had tested positive for COVID-19. HSE procedures for contact tracing followed and those not affected were informed of the case the same evening. We feel it is important that we let parents know that these two instances are totally unrelated. We want parents, students and staff to know that there have been no delays between us being made aware of a positive case and parents being notified, other than the very short period required for contact tracing procedures to be implemented. Thankfully, we have only had two positive cases in total this term: one in November and one yesterday. In both instances the time between us being notified of a positive case by parents/HSE and us notifying our parents and staff has been a matter of hours, not days as had been implied by some forums/platforms. Please know that your son/daughter’s safety is of paramount importance to us and trust that we will continue to inform parents of positive cases in our school in a manner that is both swift and accurate. Thank you as always for your support and cooperation. .........

is attached as PDF document below. "A confirmed case of COVID-19 in your school has been notified to the Department of Public Health HSE-South. A public health risk assessment has been undertaken. Anyone identified as a close contact of the confirmed case is being contacted and advised accordingly. If you have not been identified as a close contact at this time, you do not need a test for Covid-19, you can continue to attend school, and no further actions are required at this time." https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/9092_20201221175940.pdf.........

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e App. Simply Tap on the VS Ware icon on the Home menu and login. If you are having any difficulty please see the attached Help Guide. For support email - support@uniqueschools.ie Have a wonderful Christmas..........

and peaceful Christmas. Classes finish for 3rd & 6th Years on Monday and on Tuesday at 1.20pm for 1st Years. Buses will operate at 1.20pm for 1st year on Tuesday..........

e asked to wear a Christmas Jumper or festive dress (or even just something green or red) and to bring €2 which will be donated to St Vincent de Paul. Thank you..........

e case of COVID-19 in our school. We would like to reassure parents that there are currently NO positive COVID-19 cases in relation to our school, nor have their been since the last notification on 20th November. We are of course aware of the increase in cases locally and reassure parents that we will keep you informed of any confirmed cases in our school via the school app and in line with HSE procedures. Please know that we will continue to work as hard as we can to implement all of our COVID measures to ensure the safety of our students and their families. Thank you for your support and cooperation. .........

embers of our school community of how important it is to act responsibility and in accordance with the new government level 3 restrictions. It is not just our behaviour in any one place that prevents the spread of the virus; it is how we behaviour all of the time. We expect all members of our school community to practice social distancing and COVID etiquette both in and outside of school. We continue to have significant measures in place to help stop the spread of COVID on-site, but of course the ideal scenario is to prevent COVID-19 coming into the school in the first place. Please discuss with your young person the importance of ensuring that their actions and activities outside of school are also COVID compliant. Public health advice remains that a student MUST NOT attend school or activities if any of the following are true. They have: • a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more • any other common symptoms of coronavirus such as a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath • been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus • been living with someone who is unwell and may have coronavirus OR • If they have returned to Ireland from travel abroad in the past 14 days, other than from a country on the government's Green List. If you are in any doubt of whether or not to send your son/daughter to school, please err on the side of caution. Also, please ensure that you phone the school office prior to coming into the school. If you wish to collect your son/daughter you can log a note under the 'Permission to Leave School Early' tab on the school app. This will inform us of the time you intend to arrive to collect them. For form signing or any other business please contact the school office on 066 97 95455 to arrange a suitable time. Please know that this is not the way we prefer to operate our school, but given the current climate we are obliged to be aware in advance of how many people may be visiting the school office at anyone time. Thank you as always for your cooperation and support. .........

ay and to bring €2 which will be donated to St Vincent de Paul. Thank you..........

- Details attached www.jigsaw.ie https://d50adfe6df36c7bceba2-914c455a73d068384f0e16181ce1b7cf.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/pdf/9896_20201214152244.pdf.........

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TheMathsTutor.ie. The Maths Tutor website provides useful Maths videos and revision tools for students from Junior Cycle through to Leaving Certificate. The normal cost of individual subscription to the website is €199 per school year. If purchased through the school students from 1st to 6th Year can avail of a subscription for just €25 (from now until 15th June 2021). We need to secure a minimum of 100 students availing of this offer in order to qualify for the discount. Please go to our school app shop and make payment of €25 by 12pm on Wednesday 16th December if you wish to avail of this offer. If we do not manage to secure 100 sign-ups via the shop by Wednesday, we will refund any payments made. https://www.themathstutor.ie/product/full-membership-of-themathstutor-ie-support-system-until-15th-june/.........

ear students and parents. https://youtu.be/0rVt6y9FvP4.........

bh” to all school communities, students, parents and staff, for the work and effort they have put into keeping schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thank you to all of our amazing students, parents and staff for not only keeping Pres Milltown open, but maintaining our school ethos of kindness and understanding towards one another and for keeping your spirits high at such a difficult time. Go raibh maith agaibh .........

g. Students should wear their PE gear to school and bring a rain jacket. It may also be useful for students to bring a spare pair of runners/socks in their bags. If students wish to they can dress-up in Christmas themed fancy dress for the run. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes as well as for distance/time etc. As you are aware we are not running this event as a school fundraiser this year, but if families are in a position to do so we ask that you might consider making a small donation to a local charity of your choice. Thank you as always for your support and cooperation. .........

e school. If you wish to collect your son/daughter you can log a note under the 'Permission to Leave School Early' tab on the school app. This will inform us of the time you intend to arrive to collect them. For form signing or any other business please contact the school office on 066 97 95455 to arrange a suitable time. Please know that this is not the way we prefer to operate our school, but given the current climate we are obliged to be aware in advance of how many people may be visiting the school office at anyone time. Thanks you as always for your cooperation and support. .........

The run will take place on-site this year and the format will be amended to take account of COVID measures and restrictions. Each year group will be allocated a set time slot during the day to complete their Jingle Run and activities. Students should wear their PE gear to school on Friday. It may also be useful for students to bring a spare pair of runners/socks in their bags. If students wish to they can dress-up in Christmas themed fancy dress for the run. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes as well as for distance/time etc. As you are aware we are not running this event as a school fundraiser this year, but if families are in a position to do so we ask that you might consider making a small donation to a local charity of your choice. On Friday 18th December we will hold our annual Christmas jumper no-uniform day in aid of St Vincent de Paul. Students will be asked to donate €2 to this worthy cause in return for wearing a Christmas jumper to school. Thank you as always for your support and cooperation. .........

the coming weeks, we have been reminding our students of how important it is to act responsibility and in accordance with the new government level 3 restrictions. We have all learnt so much about the spread of COVID-19 over the past nine months. We know that it is not just our behaviour in any one place that prevents the spread of the virus; it is how we behaviour all of the time. We expect all members of our school community to practice social distancing and COVID etiquette both in and outside of school. We continue to have significant measures in place to help stop the spread of COVID on-site, but of course the ideal scenario is to prevent COVID-19 coming into the school in the first place. Please discuss with your young person the importance of ensuring that their actions and activities outside of school are also COVID compliant. Public health advice remains that a student MUST NOT attend school or activities if any of the following are true. They have: • a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more • any other common symptoms of coronavirus such as a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath • been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus • been living with someone who is unwell and may have coronavirus OR • If they have returned to Ireland from travel abroad in the past 14 days, other than from a country on the government's Green List. If you are in any doubt of whether or not to send your son/daughter to school, please err on the side of caution. LOCKERS & TEXTBOOKS We have been working on a system which will allow students supervised access to their lockers at set times of the school day. This will enable students to bring their textbooks to school once again but may mean they will have to have books for up to 3 classes at a time in their school bag. We will be commencing with 6th Year students and, all going well, will phase-in the plan other year groups over the next few months. Any such system relies very heavily on students being responsible. It is crucial that they do not gather or congregate in the locker areas and that they only go to their lockers at the assigned time. We will be speaking to each year group in relation to this as we phase-in the plan over the next few months and we would appreciate if you would assist us in explaining the importance of following these procedures to your son/daughter. 2nd YEAR CORE SUBJECTS As advised at the start of the school year, 2nd Years will be split into Honours and Ordinary Level class groups for Irish and Maths in January. Class assignment will be based on each students’ progress this term and their Christmas exam results. This split would usually have taken place at the start of 2nd Year, but given the challenging end they had to 1st Year it was felt that students required more time make suitable to progress. ANNUAL JINGLE BELL RUN We will hold a COVID compliant version of our annual Jingle Bell Run on Friday 11th December (weather permitting). This is always a fun and exciting day for our students. We feel that more than ever it is important that we provide as many opportunities as possible for our young people to be outside, active and having fun. Given that many families are facing financial uncertainty as a result of the pandemic, we are not asking students to collect sponsorship this year. We ask that instead of the usual fundraising/contribution to school funds that you might make a small donation to a local charity of your choice, if you are in a position to do so. Thank you as always for your support and cooperation. .........

or Cycle were sent home with all 1st Year students today..........

link below or by copying and pasting into your internet browser. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IMCl5kTyR6-pLoBccAGAcw Once your registration is approved you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the webinar which will commence at 7pm this evening..........

rent 1st Years as oppose to incoming 1st Years 2021..........

by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting into your internet browser. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IMCl5kTyR6-pLoBccAGAcw Once your registration is approved you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the webinar..........

Dec) at 7pm. The webinar will include information on daily routines for 1st Years, wellbeing, study habits, and information to help your son/daughter select the practical subjects/language they wish to continue studying after the sampling period is complete (January) You must register in advance for this webinar in advance by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting into your internet browser. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IMCl5kTyR6-pLoBccAGAcw Once your registration is approved you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the webinar..........

old our regular Parent-Teacher meetings at the moment. In place of these meetings subject teachers will be writing a separate more detailed Parent-Teacher Feedback Report for each student, in addition to the regular school report. Parent-Teacher Feedback will be sent to parents of 3rd & 6th Year students in December and to 1st, 2nd, TY & 5th Year parents in January/February. In a small number of cases teachers may decide to phone parents if there are specific areas/concerns in their subject that they feel they need to discuss with you. Likewise, we invite parents to phone the school office to arrange a call-back from one of your son/daughter’s teachers, if you feel there are specific areas/concerns you wish to discuss. Thank you as always for your support and cooperation. .........

e school phone number will be out of service to incoming calls until 3.30pm this afternoon. Please email the school office (office@presmilltown.ie) if you need to contact the school between now and 3.30pm. Apologies for any inconvenience caused..........

uesday 1st December at 7pm. The webinar will include daily routines, wellbeing, study habits, and information to help your son/daughter select the practical subjects/language they wish to continue studying after the sampling period is complete (January). The link to register for the webinar will be sent via the school app later in the week...........

accordingly the current verion is 3.1.2. You will need to update your app to this version to use all the app functionality including school payments. Note school payments have been disbled in the old veriosn and will give an error message “API key version expired” if you try to process payment. To update your app please go to your App store or Google play store and check for updates. To check the version of the app thats on your phone, go to app "help and support" which is at the bottom of your home screen. If the verion shown is not 3.1.2 you will need to update. If you have any queries or are experiencing any difficulties please call a member of the app support team in Unique Publishing on 01 860 3477. We are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm Kindest Regards App Support Team .........

matic App updates turned on before processing payments. Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.. .........