Post date: Jan 07, 2021 2:52:49 PM
Dear Parent,
I hope you are all keeping safe and well and that the children are enjoying the snow.
Yesterday evening’s government announcement of mainstream school closures for the rest of January was something we had all hoped we could avoid and it is with heavy hearts that we return to the most severe restrictions for our school community.
We hope that this closure will be a very temporary one and that we will reopen again in a short few weeks when the transmission rate has greatly reduced and it is safer for us all to come together again.
While nothing can equal face-to-face teaching and learning, the preparatory work that has been
done since September in training and familiarising both staff and students with Seesaw, Google Classroom and Myon, as well as the development of our school’s Remote Learning Policy last October means that we are in a better position now to cope with the closure period ahead.
This groundwork, along with the excellent routines that were established during the last school closure, mean that students should adjust to this period of remote learning ahead with ease and with a shorter adjustment period. The fact that we now have a vaccine means that there is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel, and thankfully, that an end is in sight.
Our staff will be meeting remotely in order to finalise plans for distance learning over the the coming weeks and we will be in contact tomorrow with more details as to how we will proceed from Monday 11th.
Each week, work will be prepared for all classes and sent home at the begining of each week along with daily work and activities which will be available on Seesaw and Google Classroom. Teachers will be available daily to offer additional support, give feedback, and answer any questions you may have, via email. They will be engaging with children's work each day via Seesaw and Google Classroom.We hope to be able to manage this as seamlessly as possible.
Over the past few months we have been monitoring children's engagement with online aspect of homework and almost all children and families have been accessing online learning with ease. However, if you have any difficulty engaging with remote learning as a result of not having technology/ access to a device in the home, please contact me (email below) as soon as possible and we will try to support you in this matter.
We, like many of you, will be juggling childcare, work and remote learning and so would ask for your understanding and patience with regard to home-school communication and responses outside of working hours.
All general enquiries should be emailed to office@scoilshinchill.com or for other queries my email is sandra.sheeran@scoilshinchill.com
Keep safe and please adhere to public health and safety guidelines. Hopefully we will see a decrease in the numbers of cases of Covid 19 and we look forward to returning to school when it is safe to do so.
With every best wish for the New Year and sending our kindest regards to all,
Sandra Sheeran