COVID-19 has impacted the lives of people all around the world. We here in Colaiste Naomh Cormac are working extremely hard during these challenging times to support teaching and learning for our students during this crisis. We are very proud of how our students and staff have responded in these circumstances.
We have been using MS Office as an online platform for our pupils for the last number of years, each student has been provided with a username and password in which they can then gain access to Microsoft Teams. Here teachers can provide relevant content, classwork, audio and video teamwork , thus providing opportunities for enhanced learner engagement.
It is important that your child is logged on each school day and completes and submits their assignments for evaluation. Each parent can log onto the VSware Behaviour section to view your child’s progress and engagement with our online learning platform. A username was issued to all parents via text on the 6th of March 2020. When logging on please use the url cnckilcormac.vsware.ie (there is no need to put in the www part first.) If there’s any problems logging in please let me know, principal@cnckilcormac.ie
We realise that working remotely can provide great opportunities and challenges However, it is vital to maintain regular study hours, to set a daily schedule and to stick to it. We have included the following guidelines for you:
- Create a dedicated work space that is airy, well lit, bright and comfortable. Have a suitable chair and arrange the equipment you will need (laptop, chargers, phone, headphones, pen and paper, etc.) to undertake your work efficiently and productively
- Stay on task by quickly writing down your daily priorities and all the things that you need to get done. When studying from home it is easy to lose sight of priorities, tasks, and deadlines. Set goals and time limits for each task. After you complete each task, cross it off the list. This simple technique is both effective and fulfilling.
- Schedule breaks if working for an extended period of time and take them in their entirety.
- Avoid feeling isolated. Social interaction is a very important part of the school workplace and studying from home means that the ability to interact with fellow students is suddenly gone. There are many free video platforms that allow for multiple participants to connect via video link and it is nicer to talk than to text. But stay vigilant against security risks and take all necessary care to engage securely. Computers should be secured and protected with security programmes and passwords.
- Do not allow studying from home to be invasive on your personal life – set specific work hours and stick to them.
- Exercise regularly. There are now varieties of online exercise programmes from intensive training to yoga. All pupils were sent a PowerPoint from our Health Promoting School team with lots of links and activities for pupil Wellbeing.
Also, please see the support pack for parents at the link below. It has been compiled by the Genesis Programme in Louth -an ABC Programme that is funded by the Department of Children & Youth Affairs through Tusla. Some of the information is aimed for younger children but there’s also some very helpful links and information for all parents. https://flyingstart.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Supporting-Parents-and-Families-through-the-coming-days-and-weeks-resource-pack.pdf
Please contact me or the relevant teacher if you need any help or assistance and finally, stay safe, stay healthy and stay kind during this pandemic.
Brian Kehoe