BUILDING UPDATE
Phase 1 of the Project is about to complete. The new block which has been taking shape gradually for the last few months is nearly ready and ten classes are moving in today. There will be great excitement and a bit of relief as well that we have got this far. Our thanks to parents, staff and the boys for making the move a success. We remember too the Building Unit in the Department of Education and Skills, the design team and all working on site.
Assembly and dismissal for next term
The project team has been giving a lot of thought to how to run the schools during Phase 2. Each school will be giving detailed information to parents through the websites and here are some headlines:
- First and Second class boys will assemble in the Hall,
- Junior and Senior Infants will go straight to their classrooms – teachers will be on hand to direct traffic! – entering through the new Junior School gates on Seafield Road,
- All Senior School boys will assemble in the Junior School yard, entering through the new Junior School gates on Seafield Road
As the schools end at different times, our focus has been to facilitate the safest and most convenient dismissal routes. Detailed dismissal arrangements can be found on the sheet which accompanies this bulletin as well as on the schools’ websites.
Please explain to your son the need for extra care, whatever class he is in. If he is upstairs, remind him about going up and down the stairs slowly. The teachers and SNAs will do their best and you can help by encouraging the older lads to look out for the younger ones. It will take time for everyone to get used to these assembly and dismissal routines. If the Principals decide to vary the arrangements, they will send a note home and post details on the websites.
Class locations
Ten Junior School classrooms will be in the new block on the corner of Seafield Road and Vernon Court. Two classes will be in the old Junior School corridor. John’s office will continue in its current location for the rest of the school year. Resource rooms will be in the current location on the Junior School corridor and in partitioned ground floor Senior School classrooms.
Four Senior School classes will move into the two extended classrooms and two other classrooms in the old Junior School corridor. Eight classes will be in prefabs beside the Senior yard. That yard will be closed until next September as there will be extensive building work ongoing to the main Senior School block. Frankie has already moved to a room beside the Junior School corridor resource rooms. Senior resource rooms will be in partitioned Senior School classrooms.
Phase 2
Between now and next August, Midland Construction will be removing temporary accommodation, extending four classrooms and building eight new classrooms and ancillary facilities, all in the Senior School. During next summer Midland will be finishing work to the single storey Junior School corridor. We will have a transformed campus by next September, dv.
The new site entrance for Midland for the duration of Phase 2 will be through the Senior School gates on Vernon Court. All staff onsite parking will be lost until the building work is finished.
Some requests
Please try to avoid parking near the schools if at all possible and when you do park please remember our neighbours, who are showing us great goodwill during a prolonged disruptive time. Midland’s traffic management plan has been revised in the light of experience and they have less time to get in and out of the site, so it is all the more important that they can turn trucks and vans safely during the permitted times. We have had some complaints from local residents about people parking in their property or blocking their entrances at school assembly and dismissal times. We have got this far in reasonably good shape and with a co-operative spirit we can make Phase 2 a success as well.
Kevin Hoy Tim O’Mahony Frankie Byrne John O’Sullivan