Schools closed until February? (part 3)

Icyseanfitz

km79 wrote: »

Teachers would have to travel to work every day as normal and teach all their classes remotely from the school building
No other way around it

Yup and principals will push for all staff to be in at normally working hours id bet

Stateofyou

touts wrote: »

Twitter is exploding with outraged students who suddenly realize they might have to do some work for the next 6 months. might be exposed to a rampant and far more contagious virus, bringing it home to their loved ones.

Fixed it for you.

j@utis

Why hasn't this topic's title been changed yet to "closed till April"???

Bananaleaf

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Yup and principals will push for all staff to be in at normally working hours id bet

Would actually be entertaining to watch our school wifi try to cope with that!

alroley

Yeah I'd say we'll be in school all day teaching 6th in person and the rest on zoom from our classrooms. So schools are very much open and not closed.

jimmytwotimes 2013

If LC going ahead is this much of a priority they shud all be vaccinated in March/April rather than risk missing exam

C__MC

Norma is thinking of the money pumped in last summer
She knows full well schools are gone until April at best, trying to salvage her financial package in some form

combat14

alroley wrote: »

Yeah I'd say we'll be in school all day teaching 6th in person and the rest on zoom from our classrooms. So schools are very much open and not closed.

already got an email from our principal to say school wide open today for teachers to come in etc.

combat14

GCSEs and A-levels cancelled in Northern Ireland

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.rte.ie/amp/1188019/


from the admin up north that cant decide on anything ... says it all

Barbeapapa

My LC student is not afraid of doing some work for the next 6 months. She is afraid of a leaving cert like every other year despite the fact that they have not nearly finished any of the courses for their subjects and now there is even less hope of completing the course and they are still insisting it will be LC as normal. She's a consistent, hard worker but anyone would be daunted by this. The LC exam needs to be adjusted in light of how much school was missed and disrupted, that's all most seem to want.

Stateofyou

combat14 wrote: »

already got an email from our principal to say school wide open today for teachers to come in etc.

What?! Come in and do what exactly?

rob316

Its about reducing numbers, I don't see the issue with exceptions been made to 6th years and special schools. The vast majority of students still won't be on the move, while the most vulnerable and most important in our education system are still looked after.

Leftwaffe

Barbeapapa wrote: »

My LC student is not afraid of doing some work for the next 6 months. She is afraid of a leaving cert like every other year despite the fact that they have not nearly finished any of the courses for their subjects and now there is even less hope of completing the course and they are still insisting it will be LC as normal. She's a consistent, hard worker but anyone would be daunted by this. The LC exam needs to be adjusted in light of how much school was missed and disrupted, that's all most seem to want.

You’re absolutely right but wouldn’t be counting on it. DES wouldn’t organise a p*ss up in a brewery.

spaceHopper

JimmyVik wrote: »

She will have the highest bodycount of any minister in the history of the state.

She won't make any decisions or accept any responsibility. Heard her on the radio before kept saying but we are following HSE/Nephit advice. She'll stick blindly to that and pass the buck, she may as well not be there. In fact lets sack the government and let Tony run the show

lulublue22

Endintheclowns wrote: »

Special needs kids are usually transported to school by contractors working for Dublin bus usually in mini buses. Are the drivers and SNA's on the buses going to be vaccinated before the kids return because i wouldn't want to be driving a minibus with 7-8 kids onboard with the virus so rampant at the minute.

School transport is a huge concern - I would be worried about schools from the perspective of contacts and community transmission being high . I would worry about special schools in terms of transmission within the school and medically vulnerable children.

Bananaleaf

Stateofyou wrote: »

What?! Come in and do what exactly?

Possibly to pick up materials or anything they may need for online teaching?

My principal emailed the same. I won't be going near the place until I know what is happening.

Stateofyou

Waterford Whispers News on fire again

"If only we had a year to prepare for this"

Accompanied by picture of government :pac:

“Hospitals, oh we would have had them properly resourced. We wouldn’t have had everything open around Christmas, are you joking me? Schools? We would have had extensive home learning supports in place immediately if we needed to shut them down a second time,"

jimmytwotimes 2013

Stateofyou wrote: »

What?! Come in and do what exactly?

Move yourself up the ladder for a middle-management position?

Some principals acted disgracefully during the last lockdown, they haven't had personality transplants since.

scrubs33

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Yup and principals will push for all staff to be in at normally working hours id bet

I imagine the managerial bodies will be quite happy for this to happen. I haven’t heard a peep from them about the current situation.

combat14

scrubs33 wrote: »

I imagine the managerial bodies will be quite happy for this to happen. I haven’t heard a peep from them about the current situation.

if college students can do online all year long leaving certs will be able to do it for a couple of weeks too... whats the big deal crack on with it they are not exactly babies....

health and safety has be number 1 at present the government has lost control of this virus at present....

uli84

namloc1980 wrote: »

What's not happening in your house??

Learning/teaching won’t happen except looking for 3 hrs at rte

lulublue22

https://twitter.com/marietcasey/status/1346793082491187200?s=21

https://twitter.com/marietcasey/status/1346810464945238016?s=21



Yet it is fine to send special schools / special classes and LC back. You really couldn’t make this ****e up.

ETA she tweeted this in reply to a tweet re proposals to bring LC back to school.

seamus

combat14 wrote: »

GCSEs and A-levels cancelled in Northern Ireland
from the admin up north that cant decide on anything ... says it all

It's not like they had a choice to be fair. Can hardly hold their exams if the rest of the UK isn't.

combat14 wrote: »

if college students can do online all year long leaving certs will be able to do it for a couple of weeks too... whats the big deal crack on with it they are not exactly babies....

health and safety has be number 1 at present the government has lost control of this virus at present....

I'm failing to see the logic of bringing in 17-19 year olds into schools for the sake of 4-6 weeks which they can easily use for exam preparation. Infection rates are currently highest in the 19-24 cohort, bringing in LC students is asking for trouble.

appledrop

Is she actually for real!!!!!!!!!!

First of all you could have say 120 students in a year group who will be in various different mixes of classes during the day due to subject choice so not only 24 students mixing.

Secondly not only few staff in school because if students in Principal, Deputy, Year Head maybe 15-20 teachers in see how numbers are adding up?

Do they come in for only 1 class for 6th year then have to stay all day as might live an hours drive away and need to do classes for other year groups?

As we know virus very widespread at moment so you could have half staff + half students absent due to Covid/close contact. So then do you need another few teachers to do S&S as students can't be left on their own.? So students in but not with their actually teacher as out so probably end up just working on what teacher sent in anyway as not there and other half at home anyway isolating.

Then what 3 days? Is it going to change every week so all subjects are covered?

I hope to god the someone in cabinet has the cop on to tell her how this plan is not going to work.

Alqua

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

She's an actual teacher. I'm honestly flabbergasted. WTF is wrong with her?

Seems like she's throwing out this unrealistic idea so that she can say afterwards "I tried/wanted to accommodate the LCs, but the pesky NPHET/ASTI/TUI/whoever else said no."

uli84

End of Jan, haha, am I supposed to believe that?
Also thought we’re at level 5 (?)

combat14

Alqua wrote: »

Seems like she's throwing out this unrealistic idea so that she can say afterwards "I tried/wanted to accommodate the LCs, but the pesky NPHET/ASTI/TUI/whoever else said no."

she sounds like a clown no offence meant

teachinggal123

This is some new level of shhtsh0w and incompetence.

We’ve already had conflicting emails from principal this morning. Nobody knows what the hell is going on and how we’re going to deal with the next few weeks/months.

We (teachers) are idiots to be putting up with this. It is not serving us, students and parents in any way health-wise or education-wise.

JDD

appledrop wrote: »

Is she actually for real!!!!!!!!!!

First of all you could have say 120 students in a year group who will be in various different mixes of classes during the day due to subject choice so not only 24 students mixing.

Secondly not only few staff in school because if students in Principal, Deputy, Year Head maybe 15-20 teachers in see how numbers are adding up?

Do they come in for only 1 class for 6th year then have to stay all day as might live an hours drive away and need to do classes for other year groups?

As we know virus very widespread at moment so you could have half staff + half students absent due to Covid/close contact. So then do you need another few teachers to do S&S as students can't be left on their own.? So students in but not with their actually teacher as out so probably end up just working on what teacher sent in anyway as not there and other half at home anyway isolating.

Then what 3 days? Is it going to change every week so all subjects are covered?

I hope to god the someone in cabinet has the cop on to tell her how this plan is not going to work.

Okay, after reading that I can see that this can't work at all. Which presumably NF knows since she's a teacher and she's just kite flying.

On another note, after checking the "essential worker" list, I am actually on it! (If I'm on it, half the country must be).

Funnily enough all I have heard is the term "key worker" rather than "essential worker" over the past few days. I suspect - if they open the schools at all for key worker children - that "essential worker" list will be vastly culled.

However, it looks like creches will definitely open for key worker children. I may get to keep my 3 year old in creche after all! I really hope I do, it took him four months to settle back in last year, to the point that we were about to apply for AIMS support for him. I'm not getting my hopes up though.

teachinggal123

appledrop wrote: »

Is she actually for real!!!!!!!!!!

First of all you could have say 120 students in a year group who will be in various different mixes of classes during the day due to subject choice so not only 24 students mixing.

Secondly not only few staff in school because if students in Principal, Deputy, Year Head maybe 15-20 teachers in see how numbers are adding up?

Do they come in for only 1 class for 6th year then have to stay all day as might live an hours drive away and need to do classes for other year groups?

As we know virus very widespread at moment so you could have half staff + half students absent due to Covid/close contact. So then do you need another few teachers to do S&S as students can't be left on their own.? So students in but not with their actually teacher as out so probably end up just working on what teacher sent in anyway as not there and other half at home anyway isolating.

Then what 3 days? Is it going to change every week so all subjects are covered?

I hope to god the someone in cabinet has the cop on to tell her how this plan is not going to work.

This.

Bananaleaf

teachinggal123 wrote: »

This is some new level of shhtsh0w and incompetence.

We’ve already had conflicting emails from principal this morning. Nobody knows what the hell is going on and how we’re going to deal with the next few weeks/months.

We (teachers) are idiots to be putting up with this. It is not serving us, students and parents in any way health-wise or education-wise.

God, your principal should be waiting until we know what exactly is going on, nobody needs that on top of it all. Put him/her on mute for a couple more hours I'd say

Tippex

Jesus christ things were bad Gemma Hussey was minister for education (just when I was going into secondary) but really they (DES and NF) have absolutely no concept of the stress that all this is putting on students, parents and teachers. Someone on the thread mentioned it before but if they want to do something right and radical just can the plans for the year completely (yes everyone stays in school an extra year do it becomes a 3 year leaving cert effectively) but with them not being able to organise a pi$$ up it is the only logical thing to do.

They cannot have one year group in and affect the education of the rest of the student population never mind the stress levels of the schools and teachers which I am sure are starting to go through the roof.

John O.Groats

j@utis wrote: »

Why hasn't this topic's title been changed yet to "closed till April"???

Well till March anyway.

E36Ross

Endintheclowns wrote: »

Special needs kids are usually transported to school by contractors working for Dublin bus usually in mini buses. Are the drivers and SNA's on the buses going to be vaccinated before the kids return because i wouldn't want to be driving a minibus with 7-8 kids onboard with the virus so rampant at the minute.

Mainly Bus Eireann contracts, But no the bus drivers and bus SNA's are mostly forgotten about in all of this.....

Social distancing is impossible on a bus being realistic, They all come in and out the same door and into a confined space.

Very hard to keep ventilated this time of year, Can't exactly drive around with windows fully open either and you NEED a heater on to keep the windows condensation free.

Very few will or can wear masks.


Don't get me wrong, I love the job (Bus Driver) and understand parents wanting to have a routine for there kids.

But it really is a **** situation.

Endintheclowns

E36Ross wrote: »

Mainly Bus Eireann contracts, But no the bus drivers and bus SNA's are mostly forgotten about in all of this.....

Social distancing is impossible on a bus being realistic, They all come in and out the same door and into a confined space.

Very hard to keep ventilated this time of year, Can't exactly drive around with windows fully open either and you NEED a heater on to keep the windows condensation free.

Very few will or can wear masks.


Don't get me wrong, I love the job (Bus Driver) But it really is a **** situation.

Absolutely ridiculous. There's a guy in our estate that does it and he's in his 60's i'd say. I wouldn't do it for diamonds at the minute as you say impossible to keep windows open this time of year and social distance. Surely the parents will have to bring the kids in themselves but not possible with a lot of kids i'd imagine.

Icyseanfitz

Any update yet on what these idiots have planned?

JDD

Do ye really think the schools will be closed til March?

Look, I'm not saying it isn't a possibility, but we can all agree that there seemed to be a seachange in government's thinking on the topic over the summer.

Given the rate of infections, we could have opened the schools in June last year. But when that decision was being made, in early May, it seems the government and NPHETs focus was getting infections as close to zero as possible. So rather than opening schools for a month, they decided to press ahead with eliminating the virus and pushed out the opening until September.

Then MM came in, and pinned the entirety of his government's hopes of success on keeping the schools open. There was a much clearer understanding of how bad it is for the economy, and children's education, to keep schools closed for an extended period of time. That was why they basically said that everything would close before schools would be closed again. By that logic, as soon as we see a downward trajectory of infections for more than two weeks, I would expect schools to be the first place to open.

It does appear to me that everyone is adhering to the lockdown this time around. Our main road - busy since June and all through Lockdown II - is absolutely deserted the past two days. I would expect to see a fairly sharp downward trajectory by next week, and for it to continue to the end of January.

If I was a betting woman, I'd say we'll open after the mid term break.

jimmytwotimes 2013

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Any update yet on what these idiots have planned?

Will prob be timed for the news at 6 so they can do their interview

wirelessdude01

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Will prob be timed for the news at 6 so they can do their interview

More than like some pearls of wisdom will sparkle on the six one news.

Wombatman

So school buses are goin to run for 6th years only?

mirrorwall14

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

More than like some pearls of wisdom will sparkle on the six one news.

Yeah, god forbid they could have actually met last night and this morning so we didn't lose another day of planning.....

Bananaleaf

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Will prob be timed for the news at 6 so they can do their interview

Newstalk are saying there will be an announcement on school closures at 3pm, with a caveat for those sitting exams.

jimmytwotimes 2013

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Yeah, god forbid they could have actually met last night and this morning so we didn't lose another day of planning.....

They cud have met Monday. Numbers weren't going to change much in the meantime.

They've little consideration for the work that needs to be done to transport students, feed students, get schools open and to prep for either on-site or online lessons. Not to mention childcare arrangements if we are to go to the physical school building next week

joe40

JDD wrote: »

Do ye really think the schools will be closed til March?

Look, I'm not saying it isn't a possibility, but we can all agree that there seemed to be a seachange in government's thinking on the topic over the summer.

Given the rate of infections, we could have opened the schools in June last year. But when that decision was being made, in early May, it seems the government and NPHETs focus was getting infections as close to zero as possible. So rather than opening schools for a month, they decided to press ahead with eliminating the virus and pushed out the opening until September.

Then MM came in, and pinned the entirety of his government's hopes of success on keeping the schools open. There was a much clearer understanding of how bad it is for the economy, and children's education, to keep schools closed for an extended period of time. That was why they basically said that everything would close before schools would be closed again. By that logic, as soon as we see a downward trajectory of infections for more than two weeks, I would expect schools to be the first place to open.

It does appear to me that everyone is adhering to the lockdown this time around. Our main road - busy since June and all through Lockdown II - is absolutely deserted the past two days. I would expect to see a fairly sharp downward trajectory by next week, and for it to continue to the end of January.

If I was a betting woman, I'd say we'll open after the mid term break.

The spread of the infection seems to be much more rampant now than earlier. There was plenty of mixing and interaction during late summer and september with staycations, first communion parties etc but the numbers were not skyrocketing like they are now.

Maybe it can be explained by more indoor socialising but i think the rate of infection from mid Dec has taken everyone by surprise, even the health authorities.

I think school were right to stay open term 1, but situation is different this time around, not just in Ireland but throughout Europe.

SusanC10

JDD wrote: »

Do ye really think the schools will be closed til March?

Look, I'm not saying it isn't a possibility, but we can all agree that there seemed to be a seachange in government's thinking on the topic over the summer.

Given the rate of infections, we could have opened the schools in June last year. But when that decision was being made, in early May, it seems the government and NPHETs focus was getting infections as close to zero as possible. So rather than opening schools for a month, they decided to press ahead with eliminating the virus and pushed out the opening until September.

Then MM came in, and pinned the entirety of his government's hopes of success on keeping the schools open. There was a much clearer understanding of how bad it is for the economy, and children's education, to keep schools closed for an extended period of time. That was why they basically said that everything would close before schools would be closed again. By that logic, as soon as we see a downward trajectory of infections for more than two weeks, I would expect schools to be the first place to open.

It does appear to me that everyone is adhering to the lockdown this time around. Our main road - busy since June and all through Lockdown II - is absolutely deserted the past two days. I would expect to see a fairly sharp downward trajectory by next week, and for it to continue to the end of January.

If I was a betting woman, I'd say we'll open after the mid term break.

I think it really will depend on the severity of the new Restrictions, how many different Groups of people will still be able to move around and mix, enforcement of the restrictions, people's adherence to the restrictions and the ability of the Health Services to cope.

Edit to add :- The speed of the Rollout of the Vaccines.

beggars_bush

I'm completely in favour of a national lockdown for 2/3 weeks and then reopen schools
Need to get community transmission way down

touts

I've decided that in 10 years if I'm in hospital and a junior doctor starts to treat me I'm asking when he/she did the leaving Cert and if they say 2020 or 2021 I'm asking for a real doctor and I don't give a damn if that makes them cry.

ThunbergsAreGo

From RTE

"Another proposal looks at closing ECCE/preschools, but with crèches only open for children of essential workers and vulnerable children"

What are vulnerable children defined as?

wirelessdude01

ThunbergsAreGo wrote: »

From RTE

"Another proposal looks at closing ECCE/preschools, but with crèches only open for children of essential workers and vulnerable children"

What are vulnerable children defined as?

There was a creche owner on Liveline who said that such is the size of the essential worker list that it covered pretty much all the children that attend her place. Another closer pointed out that the only occupation he could think of not listed on it were priests.

Stateofyou

touts wrote: »

I've decided that in 10 years if I'm in hospital and a junior doctor starts to treat me I'm asking when he/she did the leaving Cert and if they say 2020 or 2021 I'm asking for a real doctor and I don't give a damn if that makes them cry.

Because the LC is the most relevant exam undertaken by a doctor. :rolleyes: