Update 7^th November 2018

Dear Parents/Guardians

I would like to thank everyone who attended the walk around in our building this morning and the subsequent meeting in the hall. The parents had a chance to meet with representatives from the DES, Punch Engineering, An Garda Síochána and an independent Health and Safety Consultant from Scott and Mac Neill – Paddy MacNeill. The parents raised a number of concerns and asked many questions about the safety of the school building from perspectives such as: structural safety, fire safety and the additional needs of children with special educational needs etc.

After the meeting in the hall, the Patron and the Board of Management met privately with Punch Engineering’s Director Tim Murnane and Technical Director David Clarke, along with Independent Consultant of Health and Safety Paddy Mac Neill.

After discussions with these technical representatives, the Patron and Board of Management reached an informed decision about the reopening of the school at St. Luke’s NS. The Patron and Board of Management are now satisfied that the ground floor is structurally sound and have been furnished with a report from Punch Engineering which states that the ground floor is structurally sound.

Taking into account the safety concerns raised by the parents of St. Luke’s NS this morning, there is a second safety check being conducted by Independent Consultant of Health and Safety – Paddy Mac Neill, and the Patron and Board of Management will not be in a position to open the school on the ground floor, or the hall until that safety check has been completed, and the works recommended therein have been implemented fully.

Tomorrow 8^th November, we invite 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th class children, who will be going to Le Cheile for the short term to attend school at 9am. The children will not come into the building, but will line up outside the school bike shed and will be supervised by staff. They will then be walked through the park and into Le Cheile, where classes will resume for them. There will be extra supervision provided by staff to ensure that the children can settle in to their new surroundings.

When the Patron and Board of Management are satisfied that the other safety works directed in the report by Paddy Mac Neill have been completed, we will inform parents of the expected start date for children from Junior infants up to 2^nd class.

Once again, we thank you for your support in these difficult times, and we thank the wider community for their co-operation. We extend a special thanks to Le Cheile for accommodating our older pupils and look forward to the pupils return to education.

Kind regards

Vivienne Bourke

Principal St. Luke’s NS

Update 6^th November 2018

Dear Parents/Guardians

We would like to invite all of you, along with your children, to come and walk around the school building, at St. Luke’s NS, tomorrow morning, Wednesday 7^th November, from 9am until 10am. Please note that you will probably be shocked by our “new look”. There will be temporary support structures in place in both the school and out into the yard.

These support structures have been certified as safe, from both a fire and a structural perspective, by the Department of Education and the engineering teams involved with the site (Punch Engineering and Afec Fire Safety).

Our Patron, Board of Management and staff will be present at the walk around. We have invited the DES, Fingal County Council and the Gardai too. We await replies from them.

We understand that it has been a very difficult time for parents and children in the Tyrrelstown community. We will be happy to try to answer your questions tomorrow, but please remember that we are teachers and SNA’s - not structural engineers. We hope that most of your questions will be answered by the Department of Education representative who we hope will be present tomorrow.

After the walk around tomorrow, St. Luke’s NS Patron and Board of Management will meet, once again, to ascertain if they deem the building safe to open for the pupils. We are happy to take all of your concerns on board in advance of making that decision.

We look forward to seeing you and your children tomorrow between 9am and 10am. We would remind you that parking will be a complete nightmare in the Tyrrelstown area, so please walk if possible. There will be no school classes after the walk around tomorrow, as the Board of Management and Patron will meet to decide when to open the school again.

Many thanks for all of your support in these difficult days.

Kind regards

Vivienne Bourke

Dear Parents/Guardians

This evening at 4pm the Patron, the BOM and myself met with the engineering team onsite at St. Luke's. We had asked the Department of Education to give us a structural engineering certificate and a fire safety certificate which would declare that the building was fit to open and safe for everyone who would be using it. These certificates were shown to us but we do not have a copy of them yet. They will be sent to the Department of Education this evening. According to KSN Project Management onsite and Afex Fire Safety Experts - the building is structurally safe and fire safe.

We were taken on a walk around the building this evening where we could see the new scaffolding and support structures in place throughout the building and out into the yard. These support structures do not look good and the BOM and Patron did not feel that the site was finished to a high enough standard to ensure the safety of everyone who would be using the building. There were still some sharp edges, unfinished woodwork and exposed surfaces which could potentially be a hazard. The Patron and BOM will ask the Department of Education at a meeting tomorrow that the building should be finished to a more satisfactory standard and cleaned before it is returned to us. We will examine the building when everything has been completed on Tuesday night. If we are happy with what we see then the BOM will hopefully open the school for everyone on WEDNESDAY morning - not Tuesday as we had initially hoped. The building simply will not be ready by Tuesday.

On WEDNESDAY morning at 9am, if we are able to go ahead with the planned opening, the arrangements will be as follows:

1) Junior infants, Senior infants and 2nd class will come straight into the classrooms on the ground floor at St. Luke’s. 2nd class will be in the old 1st class rooms and in the staffroom.

2) 1st class children will all go straight into the school hall where the 4  1st classes will be taught together.

3) 3rd class, 4th class, 5th class and 6th class will all come into the back yard of St. Luke’s school each morning. Their teachers will meet them there as normal and their teachers will walk them all over to Le Cheile Secondary school where they will be based. At going home time these older children will all be walked back to St. Luke’s where they will be discharged from the front gates of St. Luke’s school.

Please bear in mind that ST. LUKE’S NS WILL STILL BE THE BASE FOR ALL SCHOOL BUSINESS as normal. We are so grateful for Le Cheile Secondary School for accommodating the older pupils. We would ask parents NOT TO CONTACT LE CHEILE SCHOOL AND NOT TO DROP OR COLLECT CHILDREN FROM LE CHEILE SCHOOL . Please remember that Le Cheile will have their own school to run and will not be able to deal with any St. Luke's NS parents. If you need anything for your child we would ask that you call St. Luke's as you normally would. If you need to collect a child from Le Cheile we will bring them back to St. Luke’s NS for you to collect them there.

The car park will be completely out of bounds for the foreseeable future. Over 400 children from TETNS will need to use double decker buses to be brought to and from their temporary school. These buses will be in the car park. It will not be safe for parents to park in the car park or on the roadway approach to the school. We would urge parents and children to walk to school.

We understand that this has been a terrible shock to the school community and it will affect the whole Tyrrelstown Community over time. There are many unanswered questions at this time. However, Tyrrelstown is a wonderful community, and the spirit of the people that live there will ensure that we will deal with this situation as best we can.

We will all do our best for the sake of the children of St. Luke's NS who are our main priority. I wish to thank the Patron, the BOM and particularly our caretaker John who has been onsite every single day. 

I ask for your cooperation at this very difficult time.

SCHOOL WILL OPEN AND CLOSE AT THE NORMAL TIMES FROM WEDNESDAY 7th NOVEMBER.

I will be in my usual place at the gate this Wednesday to welcome everyone back to school.

Kind regards

Vivienne Bourke

Dear Parents/ Guardians 

We attended a meeting in Dept. of Education Building Section in Tullamore today along with our Patron, Archbishops House. 

The Dept. Of Education hope to give us a certificate of both structural and fire safety on Sunday 4th November. They did say that this timeframe may change. 

The staff will return to work on Monday 5th November, if the building is deemed safe, and we hope that the children can return on Tuesday 6th November if safety plans are in place.

A lot has happened this week and we hope that we can all get back to a normal routine as soon as possible - when it is safe to do so.

We would like to thank our Parents Association, our Board of Management, our Patron and a special thank you to our caretaker John who has worked tirelessly this week.

We will keep you informed of any updates received over the course of the weekend. Please continue to monitor our website noticeboard.

Many thanks 

Vivienne Bourke 

Please see this link to the latest update from the Department.

Dear Parents/Guardians

Over the past few days, we have been working very hard with the Department of Education to investigate an interim accommodation solution for St. Luke's NS in the wake of our recent school closure.

Last Friday, the Department met with representatives of the Board of Management and Parent's Association of St. Luke's NS and Tyrrelstown ETNS to listen to, and address, where possible, some concerns and organisational requirements for both schools.

Over the course of the weekend, things have moved rapidly and, having investigated some options, we are very hopeful that we will have a confirmed temporary accommodation solution for the majority of our classes in the next couple of days.  

In addition, the Department of Education and their Consultants are currently working on an engineering solution that should allow us to continue to use the ground floor of our current premises - however, the Board of Management have requested official confirmation that the school is safe for occupation, before they make a decision on an exact reopening date.

At this point, you may be aware from the media that the Department are confident of having this accommodation solution in place by Monday, 5th November 2018. Even if this target is achieved, we do not envisage the school reopening until at least 6th or 7th of November as we will need to adjust our current day to day organisational procedures to reflect our new situation. This will require meeting with staff after mid-term to ensure that they are fully aware of our new procedures - especially in terms of supervising children at a new location. Once the above can be officially confirmed, we will notify parents / guardians of where classes will be, and the exact date children can return to school.

In terms of some of the issues and concerns raised with the Department to date, please see below answers to some of the questions you may have:

Q: What is the current status with the school? When will it re-open?

 A preliminary site visit took place on Tuesday 23 Oct, which resulted in the immediate closure of our schools for safety reasons. A further site visit occurred Thursday 25 Oct with the Builder WBS, independent structural engineers and DES (Dept Education). 

Solutions and contingency plans are being co-ordinated by the Building Unit of the Department of Education & Skills in Athlone.

It is hopeful that the ground floors of both schools will be operational soon after mid-term. Preparatory work will be conducted on Monday 29 Oct with a view to commencing building work on Tuesday 30 Oct and completing ground floor works during the mid-term break.

After the mid-term break, some classes will have to be accommodated off-site.  A proposal for temporary accommodation is being finalised by DES (Deparment of Education & Skills) for the School Principals.

Q: What about building work on the other floors? Is the building work temporary or permanent? How long will this work take?

The DES is working on a solution that facilitates the school being partially re-opened for children ASAP.  Ground floor work will be completed first, followed by the other floors. 

This building work is to ensure the school buildings are structurally sound.  If more work is required, it will be completed over the summer when the school is closed.

The DES estimates that the current work to re-open the school fully will take weeks rather than months. The current estimate is 5-6 weeks.

Q: My child is in Setanta and any disruption for them is distressing. What is being done for them?

Ground floor work is being prioritised to ensure children in Setanta can return to their classrooms and minimise disruption to their routine. We are working on a strategy to accommodate children who are integrated into mainstream for part of the day.

Q: What about the emotional welfare of our children? This has been very stressful for them.

The DES will engage with the National Education Psychologists (NEPS) for guidance and support and liaise with the School Principals.

Q: Why does temporary accommodation need to be found? Are pre-fabs a possible solution?

The ground floor of each school will not cater for all the children. The DES has also advised that there wouldn’t be enough room on-site for pre-fabs to cater for the rest of the children.  Pre-fabs require sanitation and other utilities, as well as strict planning regulations.

The DES is in contact with possible locations in the vicinity and will revert with suitable proposals for temporary accommodation to School Principals and parents.

Q How will temporary accommodation work? How will I get my child to school? I have children who may be going to different locations? What about the welfare of my child in a new location?

The DES has said they want alternative arrangements to resemble the normal school day as much as possible in these circumstances.  This is to accommodate children, staff and parents who have work commitments.

School transport will be arranged from the school buildings to temporary off-site locations, so there will be one drop-off for parents.

Once a temporary off-site location has been identified, the Principals will work with DES on processes and procedures to ensure the safety and supervision of our children at all times. 

Q: What about the Community Centre?

An examination of the Community Centre is being undertaken, but the same structural issues are not expected as it was a different design build. We would hope the Community Centre will feature in some of the interim accommodation plans, where possible and with their cooperation.

Q: When will we know more about the arrangements for the school re-opening after mid-term?

The DES is working on finding solutions and contingency plans for Tyrrelstown and will continue to work with the School Principals to find the best arrangements for children, parents and staff.

Of course, the above is not an exhaustive list of issues involved but, hopefully it gives you a general context to what has been discussed with the Department up to now. Regardless of what is notified in the media, please be aware that the Board of Management will only instruct the reopening of our current building once it has received the necessary assurances from the Department of Education.

Please continue to check our website for any updates.

Kind regards,

Vivienne Bourke

Principal St. Luke's NS

Dear Parents

Please see this link to the latest update on St Luke's building from the Department of Education .

Many thanks 

Vivienne Bourke 

Dear Parents 

Please see this link to the latest update on St. Luke's building from the Department of Education.

Many thanks 

Vivienne Bourke 

Dear Parents 

Please see this link to the latest update on St. Luke's building from the Department of Education. 

Many thanks 

Vivienne Bourke 

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Over the course of yesterday and into today we have been in regular discussion with the Department of Education and their Consultants regarding the options for an interim accommodation solution for St. Luke’s NS. As I'm sure you can appreciate, this is a fast-moving situation but we want to keep you as informed as we can, as things progress.

We are all in agreement that the preferred solution would involve staying on-site in alternative accommodation, keeping our pupils, teachers, staff and community together as much as possible. Investigations on establishing whether this is a viable option will be carried out over the next few days as well as establishing other possibilities as a contingency.

We will endeavour to keep you updated as things develop and in the meantime, please find below a statement received from the Department last night.

Kind regards

Vivienne Bourke
Principal St. Luke’s NS

Thursday October 25^th 2018

Update on WBS Building Issues

The Department of Education and Skills has today been in contact with all schools constructed by Western Building Systems, and which are due to undergo a structural assessment, to confirm the arrangements for that assessment. The assessments are proceeding over the weekend and mid-term break in order to minimise disruption to schools and ensure that they can be completed as quickly as possible.

The Department’s interim accommodation team has been working intensively over the course of today, in consultation with the school principals, to secure an interim accommodation solution for Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School and St Luke’s National School.

Minister McHugh added, “Good progress has been made today in ensuring that the students and staff of the affected schools in Tyrrelstown will have an interim accommodation solution by the end of the mid-term break. While we await the outcome of further structural assessments, we would wish to be clear that school buildings will only be closed where it is deemed necessary to do so, and every effort will be made to minimise disruption to students, staff and families.”

Site visits at Ardgillan Community College and the schools in Tyrrelstown also took place today, involving Department of Education and Skills officials, structural engineers and representatives of Western Building Systems. This provided Western Building Systems with the opportunity to view the structural issues identified at the three schools. The Department is awaiting a response from Western Building Systems.

The overriding priority of the Department remains the health and safety of the school pupils and staff. 

25^th October 2018

Dear Parents / Guardians,

As you may know, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, visited St. Luke’s NS, Tyrrelstown Educate Together NS and the Tyrrelstown Community Centre earlier this morning.

Following a brief observation of the external buildings, the Taoiseach and Minister met with both Principals and the Manager of the Community Centre, among others, to discuss the impact the recent closure has had on the local community.

Having raised a variety of concerns that directly impact the children, parents and community in general, we have received assurances and a commitment from the Taoiseach and the Department of Education in finding a suitable solution that would allow children to return to education as soon as reasonably possible. We have also been informed that the Department of Education are assessing a range of viable options for both schools and will inform of us of these in the coming days.

We are committed to keeping our school community informed of any developments as they occur and will update you as soon as we have any tangible information from the Department of Education. Please check our school website www.stlukesns.ie for regular updates on this situation.

Kind regards

Vivienne Bourke

Principal St. Luke’s NS

Statement from the Department of Education and Skills

Tyrrelstown Educate Together School and St Luke's, National School, Tyrrelstown were assessed today as part of a programme of structural checks being undertaken on schools built by Western Building Systems.

Following advice from a consultant structural engineer and in consultation with the school authorities a decision was taken to close both schools with immediate effect.

The Department is working closely with the school authorities in relation to interim accommodation solutions for the over 1,200 affected pupils.  The target is to have interim accommodation solutions in place for when pupils return to school after the mid-term break next week.

At all times the key priority of the Minister and the Department is the safety of pupils and staff.

The investigations at Tyrrelstown today, while not identifying any imminent danger, suggest that those two schools should close as a precautionary measure to allow for further detailed investigations at both schools.

Further examinations of other schools built by Western Building Systems are ongoing.

At all times, the Department remains in close contact with principals and the management of schools being inspected in order to keep them up to date with developments.
ends

Note: Tyrrelestown Educate Together school is a 24 classroom primary school built by Western Building Systems in 2011. St Luke’s National School, Tyrrelstown is a 24-classroom primary school built by Western Building Systems in 2012.

Please see link to pictures taken at the school mass celebrated by Msgr Eoin Thynne.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmrXXRKn

The school will open today Friday 12/10/2018 as per normal at 0900. 

The school shall be open as usual tomorrow Friday 12/10/2018 as it stands. If the situation changes, parents will be advised by text and on the school website.

Please also visit https://www.met.ie/  for more information.

Dear parents,

We are delighted to confirm that Mass for our First Holy Communion children will be celebrated on Saturday 18th of May 2019 at 1100 in our church Saint Luke The Evangelist, Mulhuddart.

We can also confirm that Mass for our children being Confirmed will be celebrated

on Thursday  16th of May 2019 at 1100 in our church Saint Luke The Evangelist, Mulhuddart.

Boxing 4/10/2018.

Boxing was a great experience for me and many more others. Self-defence is the main aim of boxing in my experience but mainly a competitive sport. Boxing is a type of discipline. What you would learn at first are the basics. The basics are right jab left jab hook and uppercut. When in the professional side of boxing you would use combinations like 1,2,1 and 1,2,2,1.You learn how to block. There are many types of boxing such as kickboxing, MMA, UFC, self-defence and competitive boxing. And if wanting to join it is recommended by my experience I have had.

by Martin 

Dear Parents,

Today our children are spending extraordinary amounts of time in front of a screen. We are seeing the effects of this in the school. Please visit the link below to see advice on the issue.

https://www.webwise.ie/parents/screen-time-advice-for-parents/ 

Thursday October 18^th 7:30pm: Registration for Confirmation and information evening for Parents. All of the local schools parents will attend. Venue: St Luke the Evangelist

November

Thursday 8^th @19:30: Commitment Ceremony Confirmation for Parents and Children. Venue: St Luke the Evangelist Church.

Church.

October 2018-Thursday 4^th   @ 9:10am: Registration for Holy Communion and information morning for Parents.  Venue: St. Luke’s School Hall.

November:

Thursday 29^th @19:30: Enrolment Mass Holy Communion for Parents and Children. Children will sing songs that they know for their Holy Communion.

Venue: St Luke the Evangelist Church.

Thursday October 18th 11am: School Mass to celebrate the Feast of St Luke in the school hall. Everyone is welcome