Message from Dr Reid

Dear Parents,

The final school term of the year is now well underway and I am very pleased to report that the start of the new term has gone very smoothly. Pupils have been extremely co-operative and are observing the usual COVID-19 guidelines. Pupils are also wearing face coverings as requested which is giving a lot of confidence to everyone in the school community that we are all working together to reduce the potential for spreading the virus. I am delighted to see the level of maturity that so many of our young people continue to display as we try to return to some form of normality and these young people deserve a lot of credit for the efforts they are making.

As we start to come out of lockdown, and given the success of the vaccination programme, there is always a risk that we become complacent. Please continue to remind your child of the need for good hand hygiene, social distancing etc. Should anyone exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 it is still essential to isolate and get tested:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature), or;

• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual), or;

• anosmia - the loss or a change in your normal sense of smell (it can also affect your sense of taste)

If your child receives a positive test result for COVID-19 please notify the school as soon as possible so that we can implement our usual track and trace procedures.

Pupils in Years 12-14 can access a set of Rapid Antigen Tests to use at home. This test gives an indication as to whether someone may have COVID-19 which can then be confirmed by a further test. Pupils can collect a set of tests from the school nurse. Those who are under 16 will need to have parental permission to take part.

On a different note, I am pleased to be able to tell you that two building projects are now underway at the school. A new AstroTurf pitch is being laid at the Old Glenarm Road boundary and will replace the old pitch which had been unplayable for some time. A brand new school kitchen will be in place by August and the demolition work on the old kitchen will begin over the next few days. If at all possible, pupils should access the school from the Roddens entrance to avoid the area where building is taken place. There will be a high level of site traffic including lorries for the next few weeks and pupils who choose to use the Sallagh Park entrance must take extreme care when coming into the grounds. I would also ask that parents do not bring cars into the school grounds at Sallagh Park.

I sincerely hope that the impact of the virus on us all will be much reduced and that we can enjoy a more normal term taking us through to the summer break. In the meantime, let me wish you all well and emphasise once more the fantastic example that our pupils have been over the past few days.

Yours sincerely

Stephen Reid

Principal