⭐️🌟Coláiste Fionnchua Remote Learning Guidelines – January 2021 🌟⭐️
We appreciate how challenging the Covid-19 crisis has been for families, and particularly students. Please rest assured that we are working hard to support all students and parents/guardians in our school community as the pandemic evolves. We have learned a lot since March 2020 and this will stand to us all as we work through the next few weeks.
We gained best-practice from your feedback, that of our staff and our interactions with students when schools were forced to close last March. Our patron, Cork Education and Training Board has also supported us very well since the pandemic struck, and we have had meetings of the region’s Principals and Deputy Principals to share best-practice and strategies that can support teaching and learning and student care. Current government guidelines advise that schools will be closed until the 1st of February 2021.
Everyone in our school community is fully prepared for Remote Learning to ensure a continuity of learning in the coming weeks.
This involves a mixture of the following:
• Assignments, notes & revision materials, and communication through our Microsoft 365 school platform.
• Assignments and communication through OneNote.
• Live classes through Microsoft Teams.
In the interest of student wellbeing and routine, the online school will run as closely as possible to the normal routines that take place during a regular school day/week and accordingly the Code of Behaviour regarding student engagement and participation will apply.
We have compiled a list of guidelines and expectations for members of our school community to support us all to engage in high quality, effective and safe distance learning.
Student Environment:
We appreciate that there may be many issues for a student accessing school remotely. Ideally the student should be working in a quiet environment, free from distraction, have their iPad fully charged and should have all the necessary books and resources they need.
Teaching & Learning Online:
• All students & teachers will follow the School Acceptable Use Policy when engaging with online learning.
• All classes from 1st – 6th year will run as per the student/teacher timetable. You can access your child’s timetable by your VSware account.
• School management will endeavour to provide substitute teachers for classes if teachers are not available.
• Students are asked to email teachers between 8:50 am and 4:00 pm on weekdays only.
While we will do our utmost to keep engagement in line with the timetable, online learning needs to be balanced and sustainable. The need for short and focused lessons is essential with online learning, as is the need to give appropriate time for student feedback.
Teachers will communicate with students the times of the live lessons & OneNote support classes.
• Teachers will be following curriculum as agreed by subject departments. The issues regarding Classroom Based Assessment, Exam project Deadlines, etc. will be addressed by the Dept. of Education & Skills and the State Exams Commission.
• Homework will be set for all Junior & Senior classes and will be appropriate and reflect the needs of remote learning.
• All teachers will use the same communication methods to run online classes and to distribute class notes and collect homework/assignments.
• Teachers will explain class protocols at the start of each class, (e.g. students must mute microphones, turn on cameras, use chat function to ask a relevant question etc.).
• All teachers will take VSware roll calls for all live classes.
• Only teachers may record their classes/presentation. Student recording of a live lesson (audio / video/ photographs etc.) is strictly prohibited. The material created by the teacher on Microsoft 365 school accounts is the property of the teacher and students do not have permission to share to others outside of the school.
• Students have the option to switch cameras on if home broadband is sufficient to carry live images. This can create a better social atmosphere online but not all students may wish or are able to switch on their camera devices.
• Students must follow teacher instructions during online classes as in regular classes. Please adhere to guidelines around muting microphones and protocols for asking and answering questions.
• Student’s must submit assignments through the agreed procedures.
• Students should complete and upload work/assignments by the deadline set by the teacher. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the work or communicate to the teacher why it is not completed.
• Year heads will be in contact with parents/guardians regarding student engagement should issues arise.
• If you have any questions / difficulties in relation to work / need additional time for assignments, please contact your Teacher / Year head to seek help, as you would do in a normal classroom-based lesson.
• Inappropriate behaviour during remote learning will result in student being blocked from school eLearning platforms. This will be recorded as a suspension. This will also carry further implications when we return to school.
• Parents are asked to contact your son/daughters Year Head, Deputy Principal or HSCL if you have broadband issues and your son/daughter is unable to attend/return work remotely.
•The Career Guidance teacher, SCP and HSCL can be contacted for support by email at the appropriate times.
• Issues relating to teaching and learning concerns online should be referred to Ms. O’Keeffe or Mr. Cronin.
On Monday, 11th of January, the school will hold several online staff and subject department planning meetings and the school will be open to students to collect materials from their lockers at the times specified by text to parents.
Students should use Monday to begin the process of preparing for remote learning.
Remote learning begins for all year groups on Tuesday, 12th January 2021.
Stay safe and well and we look forward to welcoming our students back on campus when government advice allows.
