8 th January 2021
Dear Parents / Guardians and Scoil Mochua students,
Happy New Year to all our families. I hope you are keeping safe and well, and managed to enjoy the holidays despite the restrictions.
It is disappointing that we once again find ourselves in the position of not being able to return to school in the way that we would all like to. It is once again time for remote teaching and learning. The good news is that we are well prepared for this eventuality. Junior Infamts – 2 nd class have been engaging with Class DoJo and will continue to do so. 3rd – 6 th classes will be using Google Classroom.
The class teachers will all be in touch with you on Monday, if you have not already heard from them. The teachers are currently working on plans of work and methodologies for the coming few weeks. We will start gently by getting all the children back into a routine next week. Our approach will be a blended approach of recorded lessons, work from books, regular contact from teachers, and regular feedback. We expect engagement from all children. Of course we fully appreciate that families have been impacted differently by COVID-19, so if you are experiencing issues that mean your child / children cannot engage with us, please inform the class teacher. We will support you in any way that we can.
Most children brought books home with them on the last few days of school. However, we still have some bundles in school. We are in the process of organizing a book collection from the big hall on Monday 11th January from 1pm – 3pm. We will operate a one-way system through the hall, and we ask that you sanitise on entering and exiting. You can collect books for a neighbor or friend if necessary.
The Enrolment process will continue as per details here http://www.scoilmochua.com/enrolment2021.html. We are in the process of installing a post box outside the front door of the school. Applications for enrolment can be hand-delivered into this box during the 4-week period from 11th January – 5 th February (school gates will be open). Alternatively, applications can be posted to the school at Scoil Mochua, Aghards Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare, W23 YY00. If you have access to a scanner, you can email the application and required documentation to info@scoilmochua.com. As noted on our website, we can only accept scanned documents via email. Pictures of documents cannot be accepted due to lack of clarity. To summarise, there are three options for submitting Enrolment Application forms and the accompanying documentation:
The Parent-Teacher meetings planned, via phone call, for the month of January will go ahead. The teachers will organize the details with you over the coming weeks. The purpose of these phone calls is to discuss your child’s progress during Term 1.
We are in a much better position for this session of remote learning than we were last March. All teachers have upskilled in the use of digital platforms, and they have engaged the children with these platforms. Already the teachers have been sharing fantastic resources and tools for creating interesting and engaging lessons. Please be assured that we will do everything we can to ensure that your child makes progress, to motivate and encourage them, and to help them feel connected to their class. It is vital that you keep in touch with class teachers so that your child can reach his/her potential during home-schooling. Two-way communication is hugely important to your child’s progress and sense of belonging.
We understand that homeschooling can be stressful. If you are struggling as we work through this, please let your teacher know, and we will see how we can help.
Some tips that may help:
A wise person once told me that you can only do what you can do. These words are so true. None of us are superhuman. Make a timetable with your child and do your best to stick to it most days, but accept that some days you’re far better off heading out for a long nature walk and baking a nice cake or watching a movie!
Finally, the teachers are looking forward to connecting with you all next week, and to hearing about the children’s Christmas holidays. We know that, no matter what is happening in the outside world, your children are guaranteed to bring a smile to our faces with their chatter, their funny stories and their enthusiasm.
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe,
Kind Regards, Catherine Carragher, Principal
Dear Parents / Guardians and Scoil Mochua students,
Happy New Year to all our families. I hope you are keeping safe and well, and managed to enjoy the holidays despite the restrictions.
It is disappointing that we once again find ourselves in the position of not being able to return to school in the way that we would all like to. It is once again time for remote teaching and learning. The good news is that we are well prepared for this eventuality. Junior Infamts – 2 nd class have been engaging with Class DoJo and will continue to do so. 3rd – 6 th classes will be using Google Classroom.
The class teachers will all be in touch with you on Monday, if you have not already heard from them. The teachers are currently working on plans of work and methodologies for the coming few weeks. We will start gently by getting all the children back into a routine next week. Our approach will be a blended approach of recorded lessons, work from books, regular contact from teachers, and regular feedback. We expect engagement from all children. Of course we fully appreciate that families have been impacted differently by COVID-19, so if you are experiencing issues that mean your child / children cannot engage with us, please inform the class teacher. We will support you in any way that we can.
Most children brought books home with them on the last few days of school. However, we still have some bundles in school. We are in the process of organizing a book collection from the big hall on Monday 11th January from 1pm – 3pm. We will operate a one-way system through the hall, and we ask that you sanitise on entering and exiting. You can collect books for a neighbor or friend if necessary.
The Enrolment process will continue as per details here http://www.scoilmochua.com/enrolment2021.html. We are in the process of installing a post box outside the front door of the school. Applications for enrolment can be hand-delivered into this box during the 4-week period from 11th January – 5 th February (school gates will be open). Alternatively, applications can be posted to the school at Scoil Mochua, Aghards Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare, W23 YY00. If you have access to a scanner, you can email the application and required documentation to info@scoilmochua.com. As noted on our website, we can only accept scanned documents via email. Pictures of documents cannot be accepted due to lack of clarity. To summarise, there are three options for submitting Enrolment Application forms and the accompanying documentation:
- Hand-delivered to the post box located at the front door of the school
- Post to the above address
- Scan and email to info@scoilmochua.com
The Parent-Teacher meetings planned, via phone call, for the month of January will go ahead. The teachers will organize the details with you over the coming weeks. The purpose of these phone calls is to discuss your child’s progress during Term 1.
We are in a much better position for this session of remote learning than we were last March. All teachers have upskilled in the use of digital platforms, and they have engaged the children with these platforms. Already the teachers have been sharing fantastic resources and tools for creating interesting and engaging lessons. Please be assured that we will do everything we can to ensure that your child makes progress, to motivate and encourage them, and to help them feel connected to their class. It is vital that you keep in touch with class teachers so that your child can reach his/her potential during home-schooling. Two-way communication is hugely important to your child’s progress and sense of belonging.
We understand that homeschooling can be stressful. If you are struggling as we work through this, please let your teacher know, and we will see how we can help.
Some tips that may help:
- Keep the daily timetable shorter than the school day;
- Try to touch on the three core subject of Maths, English and Gaeilge every day (rather than trying to get all of the Maths done on one day);
- Short regular movement breaks are essential, as is plenty of fresh air;
- Help your child to set up a daily routine and try to stick to it.
- Finally, be kind to yourselves.
A wise person once told me that you can only do what you can do. These words are so true. None of us are superhuman. Make a timetable with your child and do your best to stick to it most days, but accept that some days you’re far better off heading out for a long nature walk and baking a nice cake or watching a movie!
Finally, the teachers are looking forward to connecting with you all next week, and to hearing about the children’s Christmas holidays. We know that, no matter what is happening in the outside world, your children are guaranteed to bring a smile to our faces with their chatter, their funny stories and their enthusiasm.
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe,
Kind Regards, Catherine Carragher, Principal