Schools closed until February? (part 3)

Bananaleaf

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.

:pac: I've been saying that for ages.

Doc: Any other questions before we do the procedure?
Touts: What year did you do the leaving cert?

Joking aside, it is a serious issue across the board. Might not be their fault, but it is an issue

Bananaleaf

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

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.

The one profession that doesnt have children :pac:

joe40

Bananaleaf wrote: »

:pac: I've been saying that for ages.

Doc: Any other questions before we do the procedure?
Touts: What year did you do the leaving cert?

Joking aside, it is a serious issue across the board. Might not be their fault, but it is an issue

Its not the leaving cert that is the issue, it is the people already in college training courses that are not getting adequate tuition at this stage. The LC is a sorting hat to see who gets in. It tests ability, work rate, attitude etc but the actual content learned will be largely forgotten unless you're using the knowledge in everyday life.
Thats just how our brains work. We know what we do.

appledrop

Wombatman wrote: »

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

Oh I totally forgot about the school buses.

There is another reason it won't happen!

penny piper

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 totally agree...if they can't cope online for a few weeks it's a sad situation...
We have already had two ministers speaking of how dangerous this new strain is .....and stay at home.....yet Teachers can go back to school....I'm extremely worried for my children who are teachers.......

scouserstation

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) and understand parents wanting to have a routine for there kids.

But it really is a **** situation.

A private taxi or minibus is not ideal for ferrying around kids from several different households, bus Éireann will really have to review this arrangement, maybe they could redeploy some of their fleet that may not be in use over the next few weeks to give a safer travelling environment for children and the sna's

JDD

beggars_bush wrote: »

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

Well that's the thing. I don't think they're going to wait until after the nursing homes have been vaccinated, or wait until the UK opens their schools, and they're certainly under no illusion this time around that they can eliminate the virus. I think they'll just wait until infections are steadily dropping.

Yes, I agree that this new strain adds an extra element to the mix. That being said, I think if infections fall at the same pace as they did in April/May last year, it is likely that the government will open the schools anyway, knowing that with the nursing home vaccinations nearly complete any new infections are unlikely to lead to a significant increase in deaths (though obvs will have the same effect as ever on hospitalisations).

E36Ross

scouserstation wrote: »

A private taxi or minibus is not ideal for ferrying around kids from several different households, bus Éireann will really have to review this arrangement, maybe they could redeploy some of their fleet that may not be in use over the next few weeks to give a safer travelling environment for children and the sna's

Not that simple though.... Most of special needs transport is done by private operators in there own buses. (On contract to Bus Eireann)

Majority are Mini-Bus and most drivers only have a D1 licence so can't drive anything bigger than 16 passenger seats.

They are trying to run 25% capacity in buses since September to be fair but its not that easy to organise when routes are not all local. (I was doing 1200km a week)

Wombatman

School staff unions alarmed at plans to partially reopen schools

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/school-staff-unions-alarmed-at-plans-to-partially-reopen-schools-1.4451561

Unions representing school staff have expressed concern over plans to keep schools open for special needs and Leaving Cert students.

St.Spodo

rob316 wrote: »

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.

As a special ed teacher, I can assure you it's not possible to socially distance in a special education school. Whatever is decided today, I will continue to follow the public health advice. I won't be going in on Monday and putting myself, my family, the students and the wider community at risk.

Tippex

I can see the Unions pulling the plug on the ridiculous plan to only have LC students in schools.

Bananaleaf

Tippex wrote: »

I can see the Unions pulling the plug on the ridiculous plan to only have LC students in schools.

Hopefully. They've form for hanging us out to dry in the past tho, unfortunately

bladespin

LC students 3 days a week now apparently.

c.p.w.g.w

uli84 wrote: »

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

Niall Collins last night said 6 weeks...then corrected himself and said 3...was it just a simple mistake, I don't think so...I think it's 6 weeks as it currently stands but don't make it public for whatever reason

am_zarathustra

bladespin wrote: »

LC students 3 days a week now apparently.

where are you seeing this?

Talisman

My niece returned to high school today and just sent me a photo of her new improved classroom.

Ashbourne hoop

am_zarathustra wrote: »

where are you seeing this?

Just reported on RTE

Tippex

according to RTE
"The Cabinet has agreed to close schools from next Monday, due to rising Covid-19 infections, but Leaving Cert students will be allowed to attend three days a week."

I had a chat to my son and he would prefer to remote work this is another clusterf*ck

Alqua

bladespin wrote: »

LC students 3 days a week now apparently.

So the DES are willing to do anything to avoid predicted grades, including putting lives at risk.

Ashbourne hoop

Don't know how I feel about this. I have a daughter doing LC, initial feeling is this is neither one thing or another, and is probably unworkable. Not sure what the solution/alternative is though.

harr

So special schools stay closed also ?

jimmytwotimes 2013

2 days to get alternate timetable ready for on-site 6th yrs and online everybody else?

SleetAndSnow

How will this work, genuinely? If you have to teach LC's in school, what about the ones not coming in because of a vulnerability? Do the ones that came in now have an advantage?

What about the other years, most wifi in schools is not strong enough to do online teaching with other teachers. I don't think this has been thought through but whats new.

C__MC

This wont go down well unfortunately
A government out of their depth at this point

am_zarathustra

If half the class stay at home and the other half are in this will become completely untenable. Leaving Certs are not the only class in the school. Timetables for everyone will have to change to accommodate block classes etc I assume. The could do this in a couple of weeks when numbers have been brought down, doing it from the get go seems like insanity, especially given they asked or sought advice from absolutely no one in education bar a bunch of students. May as well ask criminals how they would like the law reformed.....

Dayo93

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

Aren't teachers essential workers? So as a parent you would happily go to work leaving someone else to mind your child so you can mind someones elses child?:rolleyes:

I believe the word your looking for is Educate

boetstark

Are these public representatives either bat**** mad or plain thick.
Unless classes are sub divided there is no reduction of risk to those students attending.
If they divide classes to reduce numbers how can teachers divide themselves. This is the usual Irish not thought out fully.
My wife's mom is dying as as only daughter she is allowed visit nursing home on compassionate grounds. How the fcuk can we allow our son go out in a community where this virus is rampant.
I'm sure we are not only ones in this dilemma.
Norma Foley is thick as sh#t.

Mrsmum

Ashbourne hoop wrote: »

Don't know how I feel about this. I have a daughter doing LC, initial feeling is this is neither one thing or another, and is probably unworkable. Not sure what the solution/alternative is though.

I'm very unsure too. My LC son says he learns far more at school but how can it be safe at the moment ? The Newstalk reporter just now was saying one in every one hundred and sixty people has Covid whether they have symptoms or not. That's quite shocking.

teachinggal123

Time for the teachers unions to step in and call a halt to this fiasco.

TTLF

Honestly, I’m a little scared.
I don’t want to be mixing with 90+ students with how bad transmission is right now