Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

khalessi

I know hoidays are over when I don't have The Walking Dead on overnight.

Quantum Erasure

Local school here giving half an hour zoom chat to 1st and 2nd class together, once on a monday morning and once on a friday morning. Would that be typical?
The pupils have their workbooks pretty much set out week by week, and day by day, so is it just a case of letting them get through it at home in their own time?

average_runner

Quantum Erasure wrote: »

Local school here giving half an hour zoom chat to 1st and 2nd class together, once on a monday morning and once on a friday morning. Would that be typical?
The pupils have their workbooks pretty much set out week by week, and day by day, so is it just a case of letting them get through it at home in their own time?

Our kids second class lessons haven't started yet, waiting for everyone to collect books. Then it be 2 x 30 min calls a week.
For each day they will have a schedule of work set out in Aladdin for them to work on.

Parents will correct the homework and send it into the teacher the next day, this bit is optional but we always send it in.


4th class has 3 x 1 hr calls per week, mainly to go through the week ahead and irish on a wed and fri.
They also have a schedule on aladdin to follow. But a correct sheet is sent out the next day for kids to correct themselves. Parents go through the homework also and optional to send it in to the teacher.


Note: For the 4th class there is a PE element also, her teacher is very aware of mental health and so impress she put that in there. So important.



Our boy in 2nd class would spend maybe 90 mins in total on the days school work and that includes 30 mins reading and 1 chapter out loud.


Our girl in 4th class would spend maybe 150 mins in total, also includes 30 mins reading and 2 chapters out loud.




To be honest a 2nd class boy wouldn't have the attention span for much longer and even the 10 year old, she would max out at 2 hrs at home.


They always start at 830, as that time suits them best.


School hub is a massive plus to the kids also. They really enjoy it and it encourages them to try different things.

SAMTALK

Treppen wrote: »

With special schools it kind of goes towards the medical need (like hospitals), as in , the kids loss of time can have real long term physical, psychological, developmental effects, and once those kids hit 18 and finished school then the state removes a lot of supports. So it's kind of like saying hospital workers' health comes first, if you adopt the medical model.

Whereas, leaving cert students etc, the vast majority will all be in the same boat and can pick up on stuff after the leaving cert. Also, specialisations in college don't necessarily depend on every leaving cert subject they might be currently missing.

But... If I were working in a special school I'd be looking for a lot more supports and planning. Rather than Normal declaring... 'Schools closed, 6th years in 3 days.... And oh yeah ( as an afterthought ), special schools must open too in a few days. Sort it out yerselves folks, goodnight and thanks'.

In healthcare the workers are afforded some protection and will get vaccine in the 1st batch but SNA's and special needs teachers are way down the line

if they want servies open they need to give the vaccine to these people as well

average_runner

SAMTALK wrote: »

In healthcare the workers are afforded some protection and will get vaccine in the 1st batch but SNA's and special needs teachers are way down the line

if they want servies open they need to give the vaccine to these people as well

Is there any evidence pointing towards SNA's picking the virus up from kids?

jrosen

I do think we need to vaccinate teachers/shop workers etc as a priority. It seems madness to me to have sectors who have alot of contact with others to be down the list for vaccinations.

SpacialNeeds

average_runner wrote: »

Is there any evidence pointing towards SNA's picking the virus up from kids?

None whatsoever, my guess is that they must be entirely immune. More research should be done on this fascinating phenomenon. Send them in, send them in!

I'm being facetious.

SAMTALK

average_runner wrote: »

Is there any evidence pointing towards SNA's picking the virus up from kids?

And what about other SNA's and teachers ?

All I know is in my daughters school cases began just before Christmas and even if the cannot contact from kids they are deemed close contacts and out for 14 days.

Loafing Oaf

jrosen wrote: »

I do think we need to vaccinate teachers/shop workers etc as a priority. It seems madness to me to have sectors who have alot of contact with others to be down the list for vaccinations.

Everyone can't be a priority though. I think they're right to focus on the elderly at the start as they're at the highest risk of serious illness.

SAMTALK

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Everyone can't be a priority though. I think they're right to focus on the elderly at the start as they're at the highest risk of serious illness.

No one is disputing the eldery and health care workers have to be the priority, but if they want to open certain sectors then these should be high on the list for vaccine.

khalessi

average_runner wrote: »

Is there any evidence pointing towards SNA's picking the virus up from kids?

This hard to ascertain because a number of people working in education have been told when they are asked where do you think you got yout infection and they replied school, were told it would be recorded as community. Now you will hear schools are safe, and transmission does not occur but if that is the case, why does it matter when teacher adn some parents say they caught it in school, and why is that disagreed with?

But as a guide over 6,000 teachers in Sept and October were absent for Covid related reasons according to the OLCS.I haven't yet got the numbers for Nov and December.

average_runner

SAMTALK wrote: »

And what about other SNA's and teachers ?

All I know is in my daughters school cases began just before Christmas and even if the cannot contact from kids they are deemed close contacts and out for 14 days.

Kids haven't be proven to be spreaders of it at the moment.



We first got to look after people who are contact with other adults via work first.



What is Europe doing first ? Are we doing it different to them?

SAMTALK

average_runner wrote: »

Kids haven't be proven to be spreaders of it at the moment.



We first got to look after people who are contact with other adults via work first.



What is Europe doing first ? Are we doing it different to them?

I know and my point was other adults together as well, Do we know enough about the new variant to be adamant kids cant spread it.

Yes there are other facilities that require vaccine first but my point was if Government feel certain facilities must open ahead of others than they should provide vaccines

I do see the need for special needs to be open but there are 2 sides to this

average_runner

khalessi wrote: »

This hard to ascertain because a number of people working in education have been told when they are asked where do you think you got yout infection and they replied school, were told it would be recorded as community. Now you will hear schools are safe, and transmission does not occur but if that is the case, why does it matter when teacher adn some parents say they caught it in school, and why is that disagreed with?

But as a guide over 6,000 teachers in Sept and October were absent for Covid related reasons according to the OLCS.I haven't yet got the numbers for Nov and December.

But are they absent due to having the virus caught in the school or close contact?


So you are saying parents and teachers know for sure they caught it off a kid in the school? It didn't spread throughout the whole class etc?


Sorry i don't believe it. Most cases in the school have come from the home.



If it was such a wildfire in the schools how come the numbers of the virus was still pretty low back then?


Is science backing your theory? Is W.H.O backing this theory.


I am open to new observations but we need the evidence also.

Lillyfae

average_runner wrote: »

But are they absent due to having the virus caught in the school or close contact?

This.

average_runner

SAMTALK wrote: »

I know and my point was other adults together as well, Do we know enough about the new variant to be adamant kids cant spread it.

Yes there are other facilities that require vaccine first but my point was if Government feel certain facilities must open ahead of others than they should provide vaccines

I do see the need for special needs to be open but there are 2 sides to this

I agree on new variant, that is why they closed the schools, till the facts provide us more info on it. Then they can be accessed. If kids are spreading new variant, then education has to be vaccinated before opening

byhookorbycrook

average_runner wrote: »

Kids haven't be proven to be spreaders of it at the moment.


We first got to look after people who are contact with other adults via work first.


What is Europe doing first ? Are we doing it different to them?

It’s untrue to say children don’t spread Covid - see this thread .
https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1346362159446577154?s=21
Recent analyses from the ONS suggest that 2-12 yr olds are *2x* and 12-16 yr olds *7x* more likely to be the index case in a household compared with adults. And both 2-12yr olds & 12-16 yr olds are *2x* more likely to transmit to contacts in the household compared to adults.

hurler32

Teachers and leaving cert students should be prioritised in the vaccine roll out .
Would teachers try and prevent this happening to get more time off would be a concern though or would their union be looking for a pay rise for getting the vaccine ?

Lillyfae

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

It’s untrue to say children don’t spread Covid - see this thread .
https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1346362159446577154?s=21
Recent analyses from the ONS suggest that 2-12 yr olds are *2x* and 12-16 yr olds *7x* more likely to be the index case in a household compared with adults. And both 2-12yr olds & 12-16 yr olds are *2x* more likely to transmit to contacts in the household compared to adults.

2* and 7* could simply mean that children were the only members of the household leaving the house for school and activities at that time, whereas adults were working from home and not allowed to meet otherwise. None of these things are studied in isolation, however the way people present these facts is- this proves exactly nothing without context.

The new strain is of course worrying, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that it is more virulent in children- but again context needs to be supplied and not a Twitter post.

MerlinSouthDub

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

It’s untrue to say children don’t spread
Recent analyses from the ONS suggest that 2-12 yr olds are *2x* and 12-16 yr olds *7x* more likely to be the index case in a household compared with adults. And both 2-12yr olds & 12-16 yr olds are *2x* more likely to transmit to contacts in the household compared to adults.

The writer doesn't provide a link to the ONS analysis, and I can't find any such ONS research. If anyone has a link, I'd like to read it.

as_mo_bhosca

hurler32 wrote: »

Teachers and leaving cert students should be prioritised in the vaccine roll out .
Would teachers try and prevent this happening to get more time off would be a concern though or would their union be looking for a pay rise for getting the vaccine ?

Ah would you stop. We are not "off", we are working from home. A hell of a lot harder than teaching in school. I'd much prefer to be in front of my class teaching them and not in front of a laptop.
Schools are closed because the Dept did nothing to increase safety of all involved during this time. I'm supposed to teach my class in a cold room with the window open and no extra measures to keep us all safe in the country with highest infection rate in the world? Give it a rest would you?

average_runner

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

It’s untrue to say children don’t spread Covid - see this thread .
https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1346362159446577154?s=21
Recent analyses from the ONS suggest that 2-12 yr olds are *2x* and 12-16 yr olds *7x* more likely to be the index case in a household compared with adults. And both 2-12yr olds & 12-16 yr olds are *2x* more likely to transmit to contacts in the household compared to adults.

If that was true, numbers would of went through the roof in Sept, Oct and Nov.


Kids sports would be big spreaders, god indoor gymnastics would of been a disaster.


Kids playing outside and inside other houses would caused massive spread of it.

average_runner

as_mo_bhosca wrote: »

Ah would you stop. We are not "off", we are working from home. A hell of a lot harder than teaching in school. I'd much prefer to be in front of my class teaching them and not in front of a laptop.
Schools are closed because the Dept did nothing to increase safety of all involved during this time. I'm supposed to teach my class in a cold room with the window open and no extra measures to keep us all safe in the country with highest infection rate in the world? Give it a rest would you?

Schools are closed because of the new variant. Too much unknown about it.


Was the right thing to do.

jrosen

Schools are closed because the numbers are high and it was the right decision, if and when numbers drop they will open again.

average_runner

jrosen wrote: »

Schools are closed because the numbers are high and it was the right decision, if and when numbers drop they will open again.

Only when they know enough about the new variant. Hence you won't see schools opening till end of Feb

jimmytwotimes 2013

hurler32 wrote: »

Teachers and leaving cert students should be prioritised in the vaccine roll out .
Would teachers try and prevent this happening to get more time off would be a concern though or would their union be looking for a pay rise for getting the vaccine ?

The first sentence but then.... ha ha

Smacruairi

average_runner wrote: »

If that was true, numbers would of went through the roof in Sept, Oct and Nov.t.

Numbers did go through the roof in Sept and Oct, especially then in November. We had to go to maximum level lockdown like! There was a "glitch" in the contact tracing as a result, the same glitch funnily enough happened again after Christmas, ie people were told they couldn't contact trace anymore.

There have been studies after studies linked here showing how infectious the disease is, how schools open increases the R number, and the numbers are in their thousands now. We are the worst in the world apparently. Funnily enough we were one of the last countries to close our schools, and that was only forced through after severe public backlash to half baked plans based on the whim of someone who thinks that being in the senior cabinet means that it is not in her "gift" to recommend a different order to vaccine lists.

Listen lads, you can debate all you want but you've been told on many occasions with links to statements from nphet, who etc. If you don't want to believe that putting 30 kids in a room for an hour can mean a disease can spread if one of them have it, especially when they are more like to be asymptomatic, then fine, you have your agenda and won't be swayed.

Schools are closed all across Europe and beyond and will stay that way until the numbers drop. Hopefully not too many people die. I note that privste hospitals want more money to be used this time around, pity that money couldn't have been found when schools wanted to maintain their cleaning budgets.

Crocodile Booze

average_runner wrote: »

Kids haven't be proven to be spreaders of it at the moment.

That is just straight up garbage.

Hint. All humans spread it. Kids are miniature humans. Ergo.......

Mrsmum

average_runner wrote: »

Only when they know enough about the new variant. Hence you won't see schools opening till end of Feb

I agree with this. It's not enough that the numbers decrease but what matters is knowledge about the speed at which the new variant will rise again should schools reopen.

SusanC10

Have a look for Dr. Zoe Hyde who is an Australian Epidemiologist. She has written about transmission in schools. Haven't had a chance to read it all myself yet but she has a long thread on Twitter with various links.