Friday 8th January 2021

Dear Parents/Guardians

We would like to wish you all a very happy 2021 and hope that everyone is keeping safe and well. It is certainly not the start to the new term that we would like with so much uncertainty and rising numbers of Covid cases in the community!

A decision was made last night by the Minister of Education in consultation with concerned stakeholders and in line with the advice of National Public Health Emergency Team, to move to remote online teaching and learning for all year groups until 1st February 2021.

Please note the following arrangements for students in De La Salle College:

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• Teachers will follow the school timetable and students are expected to login and attend all classes as per their timetable. Rolls will be taken for each class and it is compulsory for students to attend all their classes every day, unless they are unwell and unable to do so. Please inform Year Heads if your son is sick.
   

• Google Classrooms have been set up by class teachers. Teachers will provide tuition, online resources, assign work tasks and provide regular feedback.
   

• All students must have access to their official school email addresses which will enable contact between students and teachers. Students will only be able to access Google Classrooms by using their official De La Salle email address. Please find a list of teacher school emails attached. We would ask students to be respectful of the times they contact teachers. Contact may be made during school hours. Please do not hesitate to contact a teacher if you are concerned about your son’s progress or engagement in a particular subject.
   

• Students should have access to all their books at home as they were instructed not to store or leave any books in school. Please contact the school office to make arrangements if your son needs to retrieve books from the school.
   

• Students will need to have access to the internet and a laptop/ computer/ chrome book or tablet. Please let your son’s Year Head know as soon as possible, if he has problems accessing a device or any of his online classes.
   

• The Addition Education Team and SNA Team will continue to offer support and classes.
   

• The Pastoral Care Team and Guidance Counsellor will also be available to support the mental health and wellbeing of students throughout this period.
   

• The plan is to have Mock Exams for 6th and 3rd Year students as scheduled and the State Exams Commission will direct us on the timing of the State Exams Projects and Orals. Sixth Year students should work on the basis that their Orals will take place as scheduled. We will keep you informed of any developments or changes.
   

• This period of time is not an extended holiday. Students must attend their classes, complete the work as assigned by their teachers and continue with revision and study plans.
   

• Please remember that students still have access to Study Clix with an abundance of online resources and study notes in all subject areas.
   

• Students are expected to abide by the Code of Behaviour and ‘The Remote Teaching and Learning Programme - Rules and Expectations for Students’ (see attached).
   

• Please find attached for your attention ‘The Remote Teaching and Learning Program Guidelines for Parents’. We also ask parents to regularly check your emails for updates from the school.

Assemblies will be held on Monday 11th January to inform each year group of the plan for the coming weeks. The times and meeting codes for each year group will be sent in a separate email. On line classes will begin on Tuesday 12th January 2021. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any queries or concerns.

We thank you in advance for your engagement and support during this period of remote teaching and learning.

Please take care and stay safe.

Yours sincerely,

Siobhán Foster Principal

Michael Kirwan Deputy Principal

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DLSC Remote Teaching and Learning Programme Guidelines for Parents

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In De La Salle College parents have always played a vital role in supporting our students to be the best they can be. The current restrictions have impacted on how schools manage teaching and learning and pose many challenges for students, parents and teachers. Now, more than ever, we ask parents to be actively engaged in their son’s learning. It is crucial  that we all work together to ensure that students are given every opportunity to reach their full potential and achieve high academic standards. We want to continue to support and encourage them to stay engaged with school and to be motivated to attend all online lessons, complete assignments and revision.

Teachers will follow the school timetable and students are expected to login and attend all of their classes. Students must be at their laptop/computer/device for normal school times. Students will:
 

• Receive online tuition from their subject teachers
   

• Be provided with online learning resources
   

• Be assigned tasks with times for submission
   

• Be provided with regular feedback from their teachers
   

• Continue with revision and study plans
   

• Continue to have access to all the notes, video resources and exam papers for revision and study purposes on Study Clix
   

• Be provided pastoral care, support or counselling as appropriate

How parents can help?

You can provide support for your son by:
 

• Setting aside a space for your son to work in and ensuring he has access to a computer with internet access.
   

• Establishing a school day routine and ensuring that your son engages with the school programme for normal school times and following the normal school timetable
   

• Informing the Subject Teacher/ Year Head as soon as possible, if your son has problems accessing any online classes.
   

• Emailing the Subject Teacher/Year Head at their school email address if you have any queries or concerns.
   

• Monitoring communications from your son’s teachers.
   

• Checking VSWare which records positive and negative feedback from teachers.
   

• Remembering that your son might be stressed or worried during this time and the Pastoral Care Team and Guidance Counsellor are on hand to help and support.
   

• Beginning and ending each day by asking about your son’s learning.
   

• Taking an active role in helping your son with their learning.
   

• Encouraging your son to take regular physical activity and/or exercise.
   

• Monitoring how much time your son is spending online and set rules around their social media interactions

Students are expected to abide by the School Code of Behaviour and the Remote Learning Rules and Expectations.

We will continue to communicate with you regularly and will endeavour to provide the best support we possibly can throughout this period of remote teaching and learning.

DLSC Remote Teaching and Learning Programme Rules and Expectations for Students

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When attending remote classes and learning online, the School Code of Behaviour and Policies still apply.

Be Prepared:

• School day is 8.45 to 3.03 – it is compulsory to attend all of your classes as per your school timetable.

• Have a suitable workspace - make sure the background in online classes is suitable.

• Make sure your laptop/iPad/device is fully charged and you have all necessary materials.

• Make sure you have the assigned work / learning /reading complete and submitted on time.

• Use your Student Journal to keep track of the work assigned and the work done.

Be Punctual:

• Be sitting at your workstation and logged in at the designated time. A student logging in late disrupts the whole class.

• Attend all classes.

• Respond to all emails and message on Google Classroom sent to you by your teachers.

• Complete all assigned work on time.

Be Respectful: of your teacher and fellow students,

• Be presentable - dress appropriately (no pjs please!).

• Be positive and support others in their learning.

• Only appropriate comments - written or spoken are acceptable.

• Do not use words or post pictures/photos/content that is offensive or inflammatory.

• Please and thank you are always appreciated!

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Be Engaged:

• Do your best

• The work and assignments you post must be your own work.

• Do not copy work from other students or any other source and pretend that it is your own.

• Take part in class tests and assessments honestly, and don’t share the answers with your classmates.
   

Be Secure:

• De La Salle has assigned all students a school email account.

• The school email is to be used for school communication only.

• The use of personal email accounts is unacceptable. Students should not under any circumstances share their email account login details or class codes.

• Pastoral Care and Counselling support will continue to be provided by the school. Please contact your Tutor/Year Head/ Guidance Counsellor if you need help or support.

Rewards

By doing your best, you will feel good about yourself. This sense of achievement contributes to your overall wellbeing. By participating fully in your online classes you will also receive:

• Positive Merits and feedback from your teachers on VSWare

• Positive emails home from your Year Heads/Tutors.

• Positive Term Report.
   

Most importantly, by engaging in this learning now you will improve your academic performance and are paving your way to the next stage in your educational journey.
 

Sanctions

We expect students to do their best, to respect others and to behave in class. If rules are broken the following sanctions may be given:

• Negative Marks and feedback from your teachers

• Inappropriate behaviour associated with online teaching and learning will be dealt with on an individual basis, as per the Code of Behaviour, Anti Bullying Policy & Acceptable Use Policy.

• Sanctions may range from contacting students’ parents to exclusion from online classes for a period of time.

• Disciplinary consequence for a serious breach of the Code of Behaviour/Acceptable Use Policy may lead to suspension or expulsion in certain cases.

• De La Salle College reserves the right to report any illegal activities to the appropriate authorities.

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