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Elphin CC News 15-10-21

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Elphin CC News 15-10-21

Student Enrolment for the academic year 2022/2023 at Elphin Community College: For the attention of all prospective First Year students and parents/guardians, enrolment for the school year 2022/ 2023 will officially launch on November 1st, 2021. A lot of planning and preparation has been underway as we aim for all prospective students to get a meaningful flavour of our vibrant and dynamic school community. Our students continue to be fantastic ambassadors for our school in everything they do and we are already looking forward to welcoming the First Year class of 2022 as new members of the Elphin Community College school community. Please stay tuned to all local media and social media platforms for upcoming information on our Student Enrolment campaign.

 

Big Brother, Big Sister Bonding Trip: Our Fifth Year Mentors were delighted to join with their First Year counterparts in recent days as our Big Brother, Big Sister Mentoring Programme activities took on a new dimension. Students were happy to participate in a “Walk and Talk”  as they set off on an expedition taking in the Blueway from Leitrim village to Drumshanbo. Blueways are a network of stunning trails that run alongside Ireland’s most idyllic lakes, canals and rivers and we are very fortunate to have this wonderful natural resource in such close proximity to our school. A great day out was had by all as the Shannon Blueway offers countless opportunities to enjoy our local unspoilt landscape. The customary trip to Supermacs on the way home was also appreciated by both mentors and mentees alike! Thanks to our First Year Head and Deputy Principal, Mr. Noone for organising the event.

 

Student Council: Student Council meetings have resumed with the assistance of Ms. O’ Sullivan. The election of our new Student Council is currently underway, as is the election process for Head Boy and Head Girl. We thank our outgoing Student Council and Head Girl/Head Boy for their dedicated service to our school community.

 

GAA Football Training: To the delight of students at Elphin Community College, GAA Football training is back! There was a massive turnout for Junior and Senior Training with Peter Carney at Orchard Park and the joyful reaction of the students was clear to see!

 

Study Skills and Goal Setting Seminar: Students across the whole school community were delighted to attend a recent session on Study Skills, Goal Setting and Exam Technique. Thanks to Ms. Brehony for her assistance in organising this event.

 

GOAL Jersey Day: Last Friday saw our school community come together to raise much needed funds for charitable organisation GOAL.  This initiative sees communities across Ireland coming together and wearing their favourite jerseys to support GOAL’s work with vulnerable communities. Thanks to Ms. Foley for assisting TY students as we joined in the fun for GOAL Jersey Day 2021.

 

Music Generation Workshops:

Transition Year students are delighted to get the chance to appreciate Music during their recent series of interactive Music workshops, courtesy of Music Generation Roscommon and Galway-Roscommon Education and Training Board. Students have enjoyed listening and creating musical composition using the latest advances in music software technology and look forward to using these skills in the future.

 

School and Family Supports:  Our school offers a range of supports to our students including our Guidance Counselling Department, our Care Team, peer mentoring and a range of other students supports. Our team is always there to help and to offer guidance and advice to our students and parent/guardians. Please contact the school office with any concerns you may have.

 

First Year Subject Choice and Induction Evening: All First Year parents/guardians were invited to attend our recent First Year Subject Choice and Induction Evening. We are always delighted to meet with our parents/guardians and welcome the opportunity to discuss Subject Choice and the Transition to Post-Primary School with you.

Mid-Term Assessments Commence: All pupils across the school are getting ready to sit their Mid-Term Assessments which commence this week. The very best of luck to all students as we prepare for our first formal assessments of this academic year.

 

Guidance Department Updates: We are conscious that this is a very important time of year for our Sixth Year students as they prepare to progress to various university courses & Third Level opportunities. Many Third Level institutions are currently facilitating virtual Information Evenings and Open Days which students may be interested in attending. As always, students are once again reminded to ensure that they are familiar with the key dates relevant to this year’s CAO process. Check out our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or contact the Guidance Department or school office with any queries.

VS Ware App: Parents/guardians – have you downloaded the VS Ware App yet? Check out our school website and social media channels for up-to-the minute information on new school features available to you when you download the App.

 

Thought for the Week: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream!” – C.S Lewis

 

 

 

 

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School AdminOct 15No Comments

Supports for parents

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Supports for parents

Supports for Parents in Letter to schools from Department of Education – 29th January 2021

Continuity of schooling guidance

Continuity of schooling guidance for parents is available at this link in several languages:

https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/965639-continuity-of-schooling/

Online safety

Extensive information and guidance on online safety is available to for parents and students at https://www.webwise.ie

The information contained at https://www.webwise.ie/parents/covid19-online-safety-advice-for-parents/ might be particularly useful.

Curriculum Tagged Resources

The Department’s Education portal Scoilnet (https://www.scoilnet.ie/) contains some 21,000 curriculum tagged resources that can be used by teachers, students and parents to support the continuity of learning in the remote environment.

Wellbeing supports

The National Educational Psychological Service of the Department of Education, NEPS, has developed an updated series of resources and animation videos for parents and students during this period of school closures.

These build on previous materials that proved popular with parents.

The videos feature important updated wellbeing advice and guidance, and include tips on how students can stay positive, active and connected, and how parents can support their child’s daily routine.

Irish language and sign language interpretation versions are also available and are posted on the Department’s twitter feed on @Education_Ire and on gov.ie/schools.

The pdf resource guides are available here:

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/af24b-wellbeing-guidance-documents-for-parents- students-and-schools/e

The videos are available here:

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a04fc-advice-for-students-and-their- families/#wellbeing-advice-for-parents-during-covid-19

Supports for parents of children with special educational needs

The National Council for Special Education has a range of resources for parents of children with special educational needs, including useful material on a broad list of supportive topics, and short focused video materials designed to provide advice and guidance to parents. These are available on ncse.ie and disseminated through their twitter feed @ncseirl.

The NCSE is also operating a dedicated phone line for parents of children with special educational needs during this period of school closure, offering support and guidance; the number is 01 603 3456 and it is open during office hours.

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School AdminJan 29No Comments

RTÉ broadcast of plays on their curriculum

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RTÉ broadcast of plays on their curriculum

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School AdminJan 24No Comments

Guidance on Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning in a COVID-19 Context

Please click here for further guidance

This document is designed to provide guidance for schools in situations where a partial or full school closure is advised by Public Health HSE because of a case or cases of COVID-19. It is also intended to advise schools on how individual students who may have to self-isolate or restrict their movements can be supported in continuing their learning remotely. It is intended to review the operation of these arrangements at the end of each term while we continue to live with COVID-19.

The Department acknowledges the collective efforts across the system that enabled schools to re-open at the start of the school year. In particular, it acknowledges the leadership shown by principals, deputy principals and management of schools and the degree to which teachers have prepared for and adapted their practice in order to minimise the risk of infection due to COVID-19 in schools. In addition, the efforts of the wider school community in supporting the reopening of schools, including Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), secretaries, caretakers, parents/guardians and others are acknowledged.

It should be noted that decisions around advising students, teachers or other school staff to restrict their movements for COVID-19 related reasons are made solely by Public Health HSE. Schools should refer to the Public Health Guidance Letter to schools dated 27 August 2020 and to Schools Pathway for COVID-19: The Public Health approachprepared by the HSE, both of which are available here.

In addition, schools should refer to Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19, the Government’s risk management strategy for the next six to nine months, designed to allow individuals, families, businesses and services better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures government might introduce to stop escalation of the transmission of the disease. A set of frequently raised topics entitled COVID-19: Your questions answered about returning to school is available here,

This Department guidance sets out how schools should plan for and support students’ learning in a number of possible scenarios which could occur during the 2020/21 school year. As the extent to which these scenarios may be required cannot be predicted, it is possible that individual or groups of students and teachers may find that they are advised to self-isolate or restrict their movements on a number of occasions during the 2020-21 school year. This may lead to an accumulation of a significant number of days where students learn and teachers work from home. Therefore, it is crucial that all schools make every effort to enable teachers to support the continuation of students’learning effectively during each possible scenario. This is particularly important in the context of students at risk of early school leaving, students with special educational needs and students at risk of educational disadvantage. The examples in Section 4 provide some illustrations of how schools can sustain students’ learning where they are advised to self-isolate or restrict their movements.

Where students are advised to self-isolate or restrict their movements, schools should continue to focus on supporting their wellbeing. Staff and families who are experiencing particularly challenging times can be directed to the support services available at gov.ie/en/campaigns/together/. Families can be referred to the resources and supports provided by agencies such as the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). Staff can refer to the Employee Assistance and Wellbeing Programme. Schools may also consult with NEPS in relation to the academic, social and emotional needs of their students.

This document should be read in conjunction with the Department’s previous guidance to schools in relation to supporting continuity of students’ learning during the March to June 2020 school closure period, available at: www.gov.ie

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School AdminDec 01No Comments