St Kilian's CS Online School February 2021 (3)

Fri, Feb 12th, 2021

Dear Parent/Guardian,

At the end of what has been a very challenging successful half-term, I want to thank you for all of your cooperation in ensuring that it has been such a successful one too. Attendance in our online classes has ranged from very good to excellent and I want to pay tribute to our students, to you their parents/guardians along with the teachers and SNAs for the understanding and great efforts that we have witnessed in recent weeks.  

I will update you on some matters, although I don’t have much clarity on some of the very important ones.

1. Return to School

As of now, there are no fixed dates for returning to school. Indications are that we will be returning on a phased basis, from sometime at the end of February. As soon as I have details, I will let you know.

In the meantime, online classes will resume for all students from Monday, February 22^nd at 8.40am.

2. State Examinations / Mocks etc.

As you are no doubt aware, there are still no definite arrangements for assessment for this year’s Leaving Certificate. I hope, as I know you do, that we will have clarity before too much longer. Likewise, we are awaiting decisions regarding this year’s Junior Certificate. I will share information with you as soon as it becomes available.

Without having a clear idea of what the State Examinations will involve, it is not possible to plan for any possible Mock examinations. Whether or not Mocks take place will very much depend on the assessment arrangements. Time will also be an important consideration.

3. Online Talk on Support Services for Adults and Young People

The Home School Community Liaison Coordinators in St. Kilian’s and St. Fergal’s are hosting an online talk for parents/guardians about the support services available for families in Bray on Friday, 26th February 10.00-11.30 on MS Teams. The talk can be accessed on the day by clicking the link below.

At this talk, you will hear from several different agencies that offer a range of supports for both adults and young people, including: Jigsaw, Barnardos, Tusla Family Support Service, SPECS, Bray Area Partnership, Bray Community Addiction Team and many more.

Please contact Izzy Fox (HSCL) on 086 7008999 if you require more details.

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4. ACCS Webinar for Parents/Guardians

The Association of Community & Comprehensive Schools (ACCS), in conjunction with Microsoft, is hosting a Webinar for Parents/Guardians on managing remote learning (A Parent’s Guide). This should be very helpful to you as you try to support your son/daughter with the online learning environment. Registration and other details are below.

ACCS is delighted to host a 60-minute webinar on January 20th at 4.00 p.m. which will be focused on supporting parents and guardians with Office 365. This session will be delivered by Karen Burke, who is a teacher who specialises in the use the use of Office 365 as a platform for Teaching & Learning with a particular focus on Microsoft Teams & OneNote.

Session Overview:

• How to log in to Office 365
• Overview the Teams Platform
• File Structure within Teams
• Tracking Assignments
• Where to find assignment feedback given by a teacher
• The use of student gradebook
• Checklist in the event of a school closure & other resources
• How to access Student Support
• Q & A

Speaker:

Karen Burke is the Customer Service Manager in Microsoft Education Ireland in that role she supports the development and training to allow for the development of successful digital strategies in educational institutions. She is an MIE Master Trainer and specialises in the use the use of Office 365 as a platform for Teaching & Learning with a particular focus on Microsoft Teams & OneNote. Karen is an educator with more than 10 years’ experience in UK and Ireland and has previously worked in one of Microsoft Showcase Schools.

Please Click on the link below to register for the Webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-yqpzksG9eten29bv8Wy1kx9DhwkZIs  

You will receive a confirmation email from ACCS <no-reply@zoom.us> immediately after registering, containing a link and passcode to join the webinar. 

5. Communication

During this period of continued school closure, all queries can still be directed to the School Office (01-2828126) or you can email advice@stkilianscs.com. If parents/guardians need to contact a teacher, they should use these means.

Students have teachers’ email addresses for the purpose of their classes and for sharing queries, information, homework and assignments only.

Technical queries should be emailed to ictteam@stkilianscs.com.

6. Student Support

The school’s Care Team, including the Guidance Counsellors and Chaplains continue to be available to support students at this time. Please do not hesitate to contact the school (01-2828126 or advice@stkilianscs.com) if you are concerned about your son’s /daughter’s mental health or if you have any other concerns where you feel that we can be of assistance. Likewise, the Home School and Community Liaison Coordinator, Ms Izzy Fox (086-7008999) continues to be available to support families at this time.

I wish you all continued good health and safety and I hope that your sons and daughters enjoy a well-deserved break over the coming week.

Best wishes,

John Murphy,

Principal.