9th April 2020.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Easter. I would like to welcome back our Vice-Principal, Mrs O'Neill, and wish her continued good health. Thanks to Miss Young who taught Mrs O'Neill's P3 class, when she was off. Thanks to Mrs Donnelly and Mr Treanor for their invaluable help as part of our School Management Team.

Our school has been very quiet and it is strange not to hear your children's happy voices! Normally, during Lent, all our staff and pupils take part in lots of fundraising activities for Trócaire. You, our parents, guardians and wider family circle, are always outstanding in your generosity. 

I would like to thank all the staff who prepared home learning packs and also the online resources on the Class Pages on our school website. 

Thanks to you, our parents and guardians, for all your tremendous efforts to help and support your children with their learning at home. 
I commend you for all your commitment, efforts and hard work. Please do not be too hard on yourselves! You are doing your very best for your children in the midst of this crisis.

The staff very much appreciate the challenges your children are facing and how hard it is for them to cope with this new way of learning and also the fact that they are missing seeing their friends, teachers, classroom assistants and all our school staff.

Please continue to pray for our School Chaplain, Father Peter Carlin and all of priests and religious, as they continue to minister to us under these difficult and challenging circumstances.

I hope that you and your families are managing as best as you can. Should you require any help, you can continue to contact me through our school email: info@stmatthewsps.belfast.ni.sch.uk

On behalf of all our staff, may I wish you, your children and all your families a very happy, peaceful and holy Easter.
Keep watching the various church webcams and accessing the free Grow in Love materials from Veritas:
Email/Login: trial@growinlove.ie
Password: growinlove

Please take some time to relax with your families over the Easter holidays. We will be in touch with you again after Easter to provide more home learning packs for your children.

Be assured of my ongoing prayers.

Stay safe and well. God bless.

Miss Aileen Browne.
Principal.