School Update – Thursday 19th March

Dear Parent,

I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well during this difficult period. I know that this is a worrying time for everyone and that the closure of schools may in some instances, add to the levels of anxiety, especially for those students who may be in an Exam Year.

Over the past few days a number of queries have come in about ‘State Examinations’ or the possibility of ‘Live Lessons’ being streamed home etc. Unfortunately, like yourselves we are being guided by public announcements, but we will ensure to bring any new developments to your attention via text and social media as soon as we become aware.

In line with today’s press release from the State Examinations Commission, State Exams are still scheduled to commence on June 3rd and we must all plan and proceed on that basis. The cancellation of the upcoming Orals and some of the Practicals may give students some assurance (please see the full Press Release on our Website).

In relation to online tuition, Colaiste staff are working extremely hard right now to ensure continuity of Teaching & Learning for our students. Please keep in mind that there are a multitude of complexities which must be taken into account by schools and teachers when liaising with students for the purpose of online learning.

All of our teachers are putting a huge amount of time in from home, creating and uploading content for students to interact with. Teachers are using all of the resources at their disposal to connect with students. At a minimum, teachers are setting work for students through our Microsoft Office 365 emails system. Obviously, the level of home internet available to teachers, and to students, is a major factor which can affect the type of interaction and size of files staff members can forward and when planning tuition teachers must attempt to ensure that tuition is accessible to all.

We are exploring new ways to facilitate as meaningful a connection as possible with our students but the systems we use must be compatible with 365 email addresses so that we can connect with students safely and also comply with GDPR requirements. Some teachers are already using Microsoft ‘Teams’ and ‘Edmodo’ and more teachers are working through technical issues around setting up such systems from home.

This is an extremely frustrating time for everyone, but I assure you that our teachers are working harder than ever to try to ensure as high a level of continuity as possible.

Take care & kind regards,

Donal O’ Sullivan