New video!
We are very excited to launch out video from the "Stellar Choir" - they have made a special tribute video thanking all out frontline workers! Have a look at it here - hover over the link and press play! Congratulations to everyone in the choir on an amazing job!
Choir Video https://youtu.be/ZCFV4kdsa0w
Check out our latest videos from the staff!
Just hover over and click on this links below!
We've gone a bit crazy in this latest one!
Staff Video 1 - https://youtu.be/VvYTLMJ2-Aw
Staff Video 2 - https://youtu.be/iYLkNP-rLMk
School closure due to Corona Virus
Recent Update:3/4/2020
Dear Parents,
I hope that this update continues to find you and your family all well. As we approach the weekend, I thought it would be helpful to touch base with you all in relation to our current situation. I have been in contact with many of you this week and am grateful to you all for your feedback to me, your many positive messages of support, and humorous stories are a real tonic right now. It is very encouraging to see how resilient our pupils can be and how they are making the best of this strange time.
Over the course of the week – the school staff, and Board of Management have been meeting to keep up to date with the situation and of course discuss how all members of the school community are dealing with the school closure. Over this next period the Board will be increasing thier frequency of meetings, and also keeping in regular contact.
As you will be aware the way in which the pupils can be “taught” at this time is incredibly difficult. This period where pupils are at home with their parents cannot be described as “home schooling.” Home schooling is a choice that parents make for their children, and above all a choice that parents and the educators concerned, have prepared for. The current situation in Ireland is not this kind of scenario. Schools were closed with no notice and of course across the country, teachers were not prepared for such a lengthy time of not having direct access to their pupils. Just like you, the rug was pulled out from under our feet too! Despite this sudden change of events – the Board and I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the staff in the school who from the outset of this crisis have been going above and beyond to try to help assist parents during this time.
It must be recognised that the staff in the school cannot teach your children remotely. Despite what is being said on “WhatsApp” groups and the like, the possibility of being able to teach children from a computer screen is just not feasible. The staff in the school have discussed the options at length and for a number of reasons “Zoom” teaching will not take place at this time. We are conscious that not all homes have adequate connections and hardware, and even if these systems were all in place the timetabling, supervision, GDPR/compliancy implications, and lack of resources mean that it is not a viable option at this time.
We as a staff are very conscious of maintaining a social connection with pupils. To this end, at an age/class appropriate level the teachers have been using platforms such as “Google classroom” and “Padlet” and moving forward after the break, they have agreed to try sending some videos to the children in their classes. It is vital to remember that some of the staff are themselves struggling with very difficult family situations, young children (just like yours) and also the same frustrations that you are all having, they are creating content that is beyond their current skills and they too are feeling quite overwhelmed. Believe me, if the staff could be in school they would be. At this moment in time, based on Dept. of Education guidelines – they are not even allowed on the school premises. We are always at the end of an email – so please do get in touch with us if you have any queries/concerns.
Each week, the staff are sending support resources, suggested activities, and outline timetables to you all. This is an effort to try and meet the needs of all of the pupils, including those with complex needs in their care. At all times, we as a school have stressed that this exceptional time, indeed medical crisis, has meant that we cannot prescriptively allocate work to pupils. We are acutely aware that there are very different situations in each family. You as the parents, and above all, primary educators/care givers know what will suit your family/children best during this strange time. It is crucial to note that we are not expecting you to become home school teachers overnight – these are exceptional times and we are all finding our way. Our wonderful pupils are still in primary school, a time in their lives where education should be above all, fun – we are very mindful that as far as is possible we do not add to any stress that the children are under at this time.
Despite what is often being said on social media platforms, the children will not suffer educationally from this experience – I have every confidence that when we return to school, the dedicated staff will continue to provide for the needs of the pupils and fill in any gaps if required. They will ensure that the pupils are not at a disadvantage from having this period at home.
At a time like this, when the pupils are not in contact with their teacher in a face to face setting – there is going to be very little teaching of “new” concepts. In the same vein, we are not asking parents to teach “new” material. This, apart from being stressful for parents, will ensure that topics and concepts will be taught consistently and correctly for all pupils. There is no point asking parents to teach topics that will then have to be re-taught when pupils return to school. What we as teachers are able to do with ease in a classroom setting, interms of differentiatio, becomes very difficult remotely. We are doing our very best to provide you all with support resources and activities that you can chose from that will help your child, at their academic level. You can appreciate that “work” that is set for classes is completed in very different time scales by pupils, and a subject that one child loves, could cause huge anxiety for another. To this end, the staff have also suggested breaking up the school day with other non-academic activities that could also help you. These would include things such as the “Joe Wicks” daily exercise on YouTube, the dance tutorial from myself, or indeed simply engaging with the RTE School programme that is now being broadcast daily. You know your children best and if simply reading a book, playing a board game or kicking a ball is making them happy and filling their time – go with it!
As I have eluded to - the official school holidays begin tomorrow. The Dept. of Education has advised all schools that academic work for pupils should not be sent out at this time. During this period, should you wish to, you can still access the resources that the teachers have suggested. These may also come in useful for you in terms of further activities to engage your children. Once the two week break is up, we as a school will know more in relation to the situation, as the government and Dept. of Education will have updated us on events. At this present time, it is unlikely that we will be returning to school on Monday 20th April. The staff will continue to explore ways in which to engage with the pupils both socially and digitally so that if the school remains closed after this break, we will have further resources for you all.
In the meantime, I would again like to thank you all for your feedback to the school, and assure you that in this difficult and unprecedented time, we as a school community are all working as best we can to ensure the best for our pupils. We really can’t wait to have them back in our care again in school. I hope that you all have a restful Easter, and continue to stay safe and well.
Ian Packham
On behalf of Kildare Place Board.
|
Week beginning
|
Afterschool Session
|
|
3rd February
|
All activities taking place all days
|
|
10th February
|
All activities taking place all days
|
|
17th Feburary
|
No activities as it's Mid Term Break!
|
|
24th February
|
All activities taking place on all days
|
|
2nd March
|
All activities taking place all days
|
|
9th March
|
All activities taking place all days
|
|
16th March
|
School closed MON & TUES Activities as normal on other days
|
|
23rd March
|
All activities taking place all days
|
Are you getting the school e mails? If not please do contact the office - we may be using an old e mail address!
