School reopenings -current plan WAS McHugh's plan

Icyseanfitz

Oh my god

Alex86Eire

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Is that primary only?

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7acad-reopening-our-post-primary-schools/

Coneygree

alroley wrote: »

She expects to get 30 kids in a classroom socially distanced if we remove a cabinet.

The only furniture in my classroom other than mine and the student's desks is one cabinet. Removing that won't make the room suitable.

I barely fit 25+ into my classroom last year and that often required children scraping by each other to go to the toilet as well as my desk touching children's desks and having little to no space. Such is the reality in many classrooms in the country. Seems like she could do with some "Induction Training" of her own.

mirrorwall14

Would it be worth splitting the thread into primary and secondary and starting the guidance for the sector in the first post. Now we get into the knitty gritty

r93kaey5p2izun

Coneygree wrote: »

I'll give it my all but I can't see this being anything but a disaster.

I think I'll say a prayer to St. Anthony in the hope he finds a vaccine...

St Jude might be more appropriate looking at this nonsense.

rainbowtrout

Let me see if I’ve got this correct.

I must wear a mask to enter a shop where I can keep my distance by and large from other shoppers and the cashier is separated from me by a sheet of Perspex but wearing masks in a classroom is optional for 30 people in close confinement for a minimum of 40 mins at a time???

combat14

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Let me see if I’ve got this correct.

I must wear a mask to enter a shop where I can keep my distance by and large from other shoppers and the cashier is separated from me by a sheet of Perspex but wearing masks in a classroom is optional for 30 people in close confinement???

crazy and completely unacceptable

khalessi

Looking at the diagrams means every school changing desks to single desks. Ok but still could not fit 30 in a room. Some of 6th class over the last few years are the same height or are taller than me and Im 5ft 8.

annamarie2013

Is this it?? :eek:

Coneygree

khalessi wrote: »

Looking at the diagrams means every school changing desks to single desks. Ok but still could not fit 30 in a room. Some of 6th class over the last few years are the same height or are taller than me and Im 5ft 8.

When I was returning stuff to the classroom in June we joked and laughed that we'd be needing to saw tables in half, including teacher desks to make them single desks. Our fault for laughing!

rainbowtrout

Coneygree wrote: »

When I was returning stuff to the classroom in June we joked and laughed that we'd be needing to saw tables in half, including teacher desks to make them single desks. Our fault for laughing!

I was laughing last week when I posted to say the plan would be ‘sure just wear a mask, be grand’

Seems like I was aiming too high

maynooth_rules

She really did not strike me with confidence in that conference. Still can't believe Martin would give such a vital portfolio at this time to someone so inexperienced. It feels like they are leaving it all to principals, so the DES can ultimately wash their hands when there are clusters.

Icyseanfitz

So what have we got? Money that we won't be able to use to get buildings done in time as theve left it too late, imaginary teachers that will come in droves, no need for masks or PPE gear, and somehow keep the normal number of students in a classroom socially distanced when the rooms are too small to begin with. Jesus wept

rainbowtrout

How come kids have to wear masks on buses but not in the classroom? Are the classrooms magical or something?

khalessi

rainbowtrout wrote: »

How come kids have to wear masks on buses but not in the classroom? Are the classrooms magical or something?

Maybe we should put wheels in the corner of the classroom if we can squeeze by the students

Alex86Eire

I don't really understand. So at PP extra teachers are being supplied to reduce class sizes. Does that mean my 30s are going to be split in half and taught by someone else? We have about 4 spare classrooms at any particular time!

khalessi

I really cannot believe they think they can get 30 children in a classroom, ****in ridiculous!!

khalessi

Alex86Eire wrote: »

I don't really understand. So at PP extra teachers are being supplied to reduce class sizes. Does that mean my 30s are going to be split in half and taught by someone else? We have about 4 spare classrooms at any particular time!

Well the are seeking 1080 teachers and there are 730 or so pp schools so one teacher a school will make a difference?

annoyedgal

Can't see myself returning to work at 32 weeks pregnant with these guidelines. Can't go into a shop without a mask yet crammed into a room with 2p odd kids, two adults, no decent ventilation, it's a joke. Really disappointed by the lack of consideration to teacher safety in these guidlines. Also good luck with those primary level subs... my last two maternity leaves were not even covered due to teacher shortages.

annoyedgal

Can't see myself returning to work at 32 weeks pregnant with these guidelines. Can't go into a shop without a mask yet crammed into a room with 2p odd kids, two adults, no decent ventilation, it's a joke. Really disappointed by the lack of consideration to teacher safety in these guidlines. Also good luck with those primary level subs... my last two maternity leaves were not even covered due to teacher shortages.

rainbowtrout

Alex86Eire wrote: »

I don't really understand. So at PP extra teachers are being supplied to reduce class sizes. Does that mean my 30s are going to be split in half and taught by someone else? We have about 4 spare classrooms at any particular time!

1000 extra teachers is about 1.5 per school if each school was to get the same. If it’s split on pupil teacher ratio some will only get a couple of extra hours. In a typical school you could almost fill that teachers timetable with say a Maths group in each year and go no further.

am_zarathustra

Cover at secondary is woefully under estimated. In a normal flu season we would be close to the line with staff and to be honest at least 2/3 people would be in that probably shouldn't be. They won't be in now as they would be symptomatic. The 2 year PME and the cost of living in urban areas compared to wages is going to be the reason that schools have to close. It's like the government or department have no idea how many principals are in classrooms covering on a daily basis to keep things going, or how many of us go way beyond S and S cover to help out. I had all my substitution done in October last year.

We are down a teacher already in September as she is pregnant and won't come back now. She's right.

FishOnABike

maynooth_rules wrote: »

She really did not strike me with confidence in that conference. Still can't believe Martin would give such a vital portfolio at this time to someone so inexperienced. It feels like they are leaving it all to principals, so the DES can ultimately wash their hands when there are clusters.

May have been set up with the expectation of the 'plan' failing. If a sacrificial lamb is needed a less experienced politician is more expendable than a more experienced one.

rainbowtrout

Just to throw an old news story into the mix for comparison

“There’s no way we could run the Leaving Cert safely in August and maintain social distancing”


Hmmmm......

pandoraj09

Where do the SNAs sit in these classrooms? And having the desks turned at an angle beside the door means that any kid going to the bathroom or anyone coming in to the room would bang into the desks??? My biggest concern is the recommendation for double classes where possible and teachers moving while students have a base class. I can barely keep their attention in an Irish class for 30 mins, let alone 80. We're expected to wash our hands and sanitise our work areas in between classes?? Where??? Do we all queue at the 2 sinks in the ladies' bathroom?? Students are to go straight to their base room when they arrive. Who supervises them or are they just left there? Our rooms will be wrecked. The canteen has to have staggered lunch breaks?? Will lunch start at 11 and finish at 2??? I pity the TYs of the next school year too. No trips/no work experience. Absenteeism will be at an all time high in our place.

Rosita

Certainly my point made earlier today about timetables being premature was misguided. Looks like the plan is for social distancing to not apply really so business as usual. Having 24 students in a room isn't social distancing. I'd have a decent size of a room and I had 24 LCs last year. To imagine that socially distanced to a metre it'd be reduced to 16 tops. So clearly in practice it's off the agenda especially since they seem also to be allocating just over one new teacher per school.

Icyseanfitz

pandoraj09 wrote: »

Where do the SNAs sit in these classrooms? And having the desks turned at an angle beside the door means that any kid going to the bathroom or anyone coming in to the room would bang into the desks??? My biggest concern is the recommendation for double classes where possible and teachers moving while students have a base class. I can barely keep their attention in an Irish class for 30 mins, let alone 80. We're expected to wash our hands and sanitise our work areas in between classes?? Where??? Do we all queue at the 2 sinks in the ladies' bathroom?? Students are to go straight to their base room when they arrive. Who supervises them or are they just left there? Our rooms will be wrecked. The canteen has to have staggered lunch breaks?? Will lunch start at 11 and finish at 2??? I pity the TYs of the next school year too. No trips/no work experience. Absenteeism will be at an all time high in our place.

As an SNA i have no idea how any of this is workable, why they havnt looked at doing half in one week other half next or something similar is beyond me. They have pretty much gone, heres some money figure it out, good luck

rainbowtrout

JDxtra wrote: »

There were never going to be any miracles. Schools are expected to re-open full time in a few weeks. We just have to all be sensible and acknowledged that we can’t eliminate all risk.

It we avoid all situations of risk, then the children would be at home until they are all vaccinated! However I see them all outside playing in greens, playgrounds, gardens and there isn't carnage.

They've already missed many months of school. Blended learning is not an alternative. They need actual school.

Nobody here is objecting to schools opening but please explain why we have to wear masks to enter every business establishment in the country, why you cannot get on public transport without a mask, but wearing a mask is optional in crowded classrooms? Schools are not magical places with invisible virus shields around them.

No more than 200 people are allowed gather outdoors, even in places like gaa grounds where there in plenty of space but we can put 500 people in a building no problem.

That’s what teachers have the issue with. We either need social distancing or we don’t. And if we need it why are schools the exception to the rule?

BonsaiKitten

pandoraj09 wrote: »

Where do the SNAs sit in these classrooms? And having the desks turned at an angle beside the door means that any kid going to the bathroom or anyone coming in to the room would bang into the desks??? My biggest concern is the recommendation for double classes where possible and teachers moving while students have a base class. I can barely keep their attention in an Irish class for 30 mins, let alone 80. We're expected to wash our hands and sanitise our work areas in between classes?? Where??? Do we all queue at the 2 sinks in the ladies' bathroom?? Students are to go straight to their base room when they arrive. Who supervises them or are they just left there? Our rooms will be wrecked. The canteen has to have staggered lunch breaks?? Will lunch start at 11 and finish at 2??? I pity the TYs of the next school year too. No trips/no work experience. Absenteeism will be at an all time high in our place.

Sure in the primary diagrams the kids are sitting at the table legs. Pure nonsense - are they meant to lop off their own legs?

pandoraj09

Yet we've to maintain the 2 m SD with other staff members and have staff meetings remotely???