Dear Parents,
Please follow the attached link to read important HSE advise on when/when not to send you child to school if they are feeling unwell.
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/if-your-child-has-symptoms.html#stay-at-home
Congratulations to the Green School Committee and their coordinators Ms McHugh, Mrs Sheridan and Mr O’Connor following the news that the school has received their ninth Green Flag, meaning that CBS Primary Dundalk is now among the schools with the highest number of Green Flags in the country. This is a remarkable achievement and it now means we proudly boast flags for Travel, Energy, Waste, Litter, Biodiversity, Green Homes, Global Citizenship- Energy and Global Citizenship- Litter and Waste and our new flag, Global Citizenship-Marine. Each flag is a two year cycle and the school first took part in the programme almost 20 years ago under the stewardship of current principal Mrs McKeever. Over the years the school has continued to add environmentally friendly routines with each new Green Flag and recently eliminated single use drinks bottles- a major source of pollution worldwide. Other developments include a state of the art rainwater harvesting system, motion sensor lights throughout the school and a revamped recycling and composting structure. The school is extremely proud of our environmental record and this flag is testament to the hard work and effort of the entire school community. Thank you to all staff, parents and children who have an active role to play every day in keeping the school environmentally aware.
Tusla Louth Meath in collaboration with Louth Children and Young Peoples Services Committee have developed an online safety resource that parents can use to help them talk with and keep their children and young people safe online during COVID 19.
Please click on the link below for more information on the updated version:
https://www.cypsc.ie/_fileupload/Key%20Messages%20for%20Parents%20-%20Internet%20Safety.pdf
Dear Parents,
I hope you and your families got over the Easter holidays safely.
I want to say a big ‘’HELLO’’ to all the children. We hope you are being good and helpful at home and that you are trying to do a little bit of school work. We are really looking forward to seeing you all back at school when these restrictions are lifted.
As you are aware the school closure has been extended now until 5th May, with the following Guidelines being issued to teachers from the Department of education.
On Friday, 3 April the DES issued Guidance on the Continuity of Education in Primary and Post Primary Schools. The Guidance states
All schools and teachers, including teachers of students with special educational needs, should therefore be regularly communicating and engaging with students to ensure that there is continuity in their learning. Where possible, primary teachers should make every effort to engage with their students on a daily basis and post-primary teachers should do so on the days that they are normally timetabled for lessons with their students. In engaging with students, there should be a balance between the assignment of independent work, whether written or practical, online learning and other tasks in accordance with the learning needs of students and the resources available.
Following the guidelines the teachers in CBS are either going to use Class Dojo or Seesaw to engage with the children to continue learning.
Most classes will be using Seesaw, one of the online platforms recommended by the Department of Education .
Seesaw is a digital portfolio tool which allows pupils to store their work in an online space and gain feedback from their teacher. It can be used on a computer (PC) or tablet. It effectively enables teachers to set tasks or assignments and include instructions or templates for students to use at home.
The SEN (Learning Support Team) may co teach with some of the teachers and may assign work for the children that they normally teach.
You have been invited (by class text) to send an email to your child’s class teacher, to confirm that you give consent for your child to be added to the closed class group. You must give consent for your child to be added to the class Seesaw.
The Teacher will add your child to their group and follow up with an email to your email address with login instructions/codes. When you receive the email from the class teacher you need to download the Free Seesaw Class App and login.
Quick Start Guide for Students and Parents
1. Parents/Students should download the Seesaw Class app (free) or visit Seesaw.me
2. Choose I’m a Student.
3. Enter the home learning code received from the teacher into the Text Code box at the bottom of the screen.
We understand that Home-learning has posed challenges for many parents and guardians since the outset of the closure. We do not expect you to re-create school at home. The children may be feeling anxious and may be finding it difficult to keep up with structured learning, they can learn other life skills at home through cooking, baking, physical exercise, play and meditation.
We hope Seesaw will allow us to offer guidance, support and practical advice, to help you manage home learning and help you keep children’s learning on track during this unprecedented time while schools are closed. Remember you are not alone.
Teachers not using Seesaw will continue to use class Dojo.
The school office is closed but you can contact us via email
office@cbsprimarydundalk.ie
Stay Safe.
Kindest Regards
Patricia Mc Keever
Talking to Children and Young People about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Advice for Parents and Schools
Children and young people need factual, age appropriate information about the virus and concrete instruction about how to avoid spreading of the virus. Without the facts, they often imagine situations far worse than reality. See https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html Let the child/young person’s questions and their age guide as to how much information to provide:
o Very young children need brief, simple information and reassurance that they are safe and that the people they care about are safe. They may ask Will I get sick? Will granny/grandad die?
o Reassure them that the Government is working hard to ensure that people throughout the country stay healthy.
o Explain that at the present moment very few people in this country are sick with the virus.
o Tell them that not everyone will get the virus and that the vast majority who get it recover fully.
o Older children may need help to separate reality from rumour and fantasy. Either provide or direct them to where they can find accurate, and factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Having such knowledge can help them feel a sense of control.
Children can feel less anxious and more in control when given guidance on what they can do to prevent infection. Give them this information.
o Children and young people look to the adults in their lives to guide them on how to react to worrying and stressful events. If the adults in their lives seem overly worried, their own anxiety may rise.
o If they are anxious, let them talk about their feelings and guide them in reframing their thoughts and concerns to a more helpful way of thinking. o Give them extra attention and time, to talk about their concerns, fears, and questions.
o Remember they do not always talk about their concerns readily. Watch for clues that they may want to talk, such as hovering around while you do the dishes etc.
o It is very typical for younger children to ask a few questions, return to playing and then come back with further questions.
Reassure children and young people that many stories about COVID-19 on the internet may be based on rumours and inaccurate information.
o Remember factual information about the virus can help reduce anxiety.
o Avoid constantly monitoring or discussing updates on the status of COVID -19, as this can increase anxiety.
o Try to limit their access to information on the internet/television/social media that might be upsetting to them.
o Remind children/young people that no individual or group is ‘responsible’ for the virus.
o Remind them that they should not make negative comments about others in relation to the virus.
o Challenge any negative comments they make or any stereotyping. Explain what negative comments mean if they are different to your values. Encourage children/young people to continue with their schoolwork and extracurricular activities, but don’t push them if they seem upset or overwhelmed.
Maintain a normal routine as much as possible, keeping to a regular schedule can be reassuring.
The members of the CBS student Council were delighted to meet An Taoiseach, Leo Varadacar when he visited Dundalk on Friday 1st March 2019.
