January 2021

Active Homework

Happy New Year! I hoped you managed to have a good break in spite of the very difficult circumstances in which we all find ourselves.

I imagine that for most of you and your children, a return to remote learning is very disappointing and my colleagues and I are so sorry that we could not welcome you and your children back to RETNS on Monday. However, the reason for the closure is clear. It will enable us to reduce our contacts at this critical period and I know that we will, as a school community, work together to achieve this.

During this period of remote learning, our aim is to maintain a level of connectedness for children, while ensuring that they continue to learn. We aim to provide an engaging learning programme that is based on what would be covered if we were in school. However, your children’s wellbeing remains key so time for family and outdoor activities should be prioritised. 

Email

 School communication and important information will be sent to parents/guardians by email.

The class email account may be used to communicate with the teacher directly during this period of school closure.

SeeSaw

Teachers will upload class work on Seesaw. The week’s work will, from next week, be uploaded on a Friday afternoon. Work can then be uploaded at home for the teacher to see. Seesaw and live zoom sessions will replace the daily email from the teacher sent in the previous lockdown period. 

Zoom

Zoom will enable staff and pupils to connect via a live link. Teachers will connect with pupils twice a day using pre-arranged Zoom Meetings. (There will only be one session on Fridays to facilitate assembly). 

Working Online

 It is the duty of parents/guardians to supervise children while they are working online and to ensure that any content uploaded to Seesaw is appropriate and relevant.

While we expect that all children will engage in online sessions and distance learning, we appreciate that every family situation is unique.

Since September, it has become clear to us that while learning at home suited some children well, others lost out and greater engagement was identified as a clear need.  While our updated plan which you received by email is based on what children, staff and parents and guardians suggested would be of most benefit to our children, it will, of course, be subject to review based on actual practice. Our hope is that the changes we have made will help children to feel connected to school while continuing their learning at home.

Hopefully, this period will be of a limited duration and that we will soon be able to reopen safely

Le dea-ghuí

Maeve

Active Homework