Summer Holidays

As we come to the end of our school year, I would like to share the following with you all – parents, children and staff who make up our wonderful school community in St Mary’s N.S., Edgeworthstown.

I can only describe the period of time, since the 12^th March, as being the most bizarre I have ever experienced since I started teaching. On that day, we began what was to be a two-week school closure. And here we are 65 school days later, still closed. Although the building closed, school had to continue. And, continue it did although in a different form.

This situation came with no instructions, no guidebook for anyone – parents, children or us. Having almost 400 children in the school, remote schooling for the children presented many challenges. Did we meet every one of their individual needs? Could we have done better? Should we have done things differently? These are questions we ask ourselves when in school. And even now with this period of closure coming to an end, we will still ask them. However, we tried our hardest and we did our best just like all the parents and especially the children. During this closure, it was only possible to carry on with the invaluable help and support of many people. So, a few ‘thank yous’ are in order!

To Betty, Brigid, Mick and Gerry for being there. Always being there. You are such an integral part of our school. To Mary, our Deputy-Principal. As always, her support and commitment was unwavering. She was there at any time – morning, noon or night, Monday to Sunday. To our staff for their dedication, creativity and ability to step-up in a situation that can only be described as challenging but not insurmountable. I am privileged to work with you all. As I said before, they were not working from home but at home trying to work and in many cases, their partners were instrumental in helping them to work from home. Thank you all.

To you the parents, there honestly are no words that can adequately convey my gratitude to you. Your understanding, your appreciation, your positivity and support was incredible. It carried us and sustained us through this most unusual of times. Thank you so very much.

At the very beginning of this, I said that we did not expect homes to become schools or parents to become teachers. I was speaking, of course, from a traditional school perspective. Your homes are schools and you are teachers. If there is one positive to take from all of this, it’s that I am convinced that your child will have learned a great deal from you and I’m sure there were many times when you learned from them. Those learning experiences will have been this times greatest success with many things being achieved and accomplished that may not have been in a school setting.

Lastly, but absolutely by no means least. Thank you to your children, our children. How fantastic are they? It has not been an easy time for some of them. Many of them will never forget this whole experience and some will have no memory of it at all and will rely solely on what they hear from other people or in future history classes! They have been, as always, the most incredible bunch of young people that any teacher, SNA or principal would wish to work with. Thank you very much to all the classes of the 2019 – 2020 school year from all of us in St Mary’s N.S.

Until we are all back together in our school, look after yourselves. I sincerely hope that you all stay well. Tabhair aire agus míle buíochas daoibh go léir!

Alan Conroy

Principal