Dear Parents,
We have now completed 5 full weeks of school and the cooperation of staff, parents and students with our Covid protocols has been exemplary. In particular, we would like to thank parents for your diligence in keeping students at home when they have been unwell, symptomatic or awaiting test results of family members and/or close contacts. We are certain that this has contributed in large measure to no positive case having being detected in our school population to date. However, as rates of infection increase in most areas nationally, it is essential that we continue to emphasise the critical basic steps that all of us can take to help keep our school infection free. We are aware that there is, at this point, an element of Covid ‘fatigue’ for all in the school community but we must continue to follow the procedures that have allowed us to reopen successfully to date. With 3 school weeks left in the school term we are asking all in the school community to redouble our efforts to follow the agreed protocols.
Parents Council
Next Monday 5 October the AGM of our Parents Council will take place online followed by the 1st Parent Council meeting of the new school year. Our Parents Council meets on the 1st Monday of every month with school senior management where information regarding the school is shared with parents and issues of concern to parents can be discussed. Due to Covid-19 restrictions this will be our first meeting since last March. We are hopeful that the online forum will allow a meaningful interaction to take place between the school and parents. The AGM will begin at 7.30pm and will be followed by our first parents council meeting of the new school year. A link to our Parents Council meeting is below and parents will need to log into their son/daughters @glanmirecollege.com account and use the link to join the meeting.
1st Year Parents Survey
Thank you to our 1st Year parents for logging into our briefing session last Monday evening. This was our first time running a live stream of the briefing and with nearly 150 different parents logging on we were delighted with the numbers who accessed the online forum. At the briefing we indicated that we would give parents an opportunity to feed back to the school on how your child has settled into GCC, the positives in relation to their induction to the school and the challenges that students have faced. Please click on the link below to complete the short survey. We welcome your comment and feedback both positive and negative and we will endeavour to address the areas of improvement you identify.
School Jackets
Ventilation of classrooms has been an important component of our Covid-19 response plan. Students and teachers have been asked to ensure that windows and doors in classrooms remain open to facilitate regular circulation of air in rooms. As we enter the month of October it is reasonable to anticipate a drop in temperature as we approach the end of the calendar year. As the weather gets colder we will still need to ventilate rooms sufficiently. Therefore, students will be allowed to wear their school jacket when in class but it must be a school jacket. Students will not be permitted to wear non-school jackets in class or around the school. If a student chooses not to wear a school jacket it is also appropriate for students to wear layers under their uniforms (for example, skins). On the day that a student has PE they are allowed to wear their school tracksuit. They are also permitted to wear a hoodie inside the school tracksuit but the hood must be kept down when in school. In this way we hope that students are comfortable in school and that we continue to minimise the risk of exposure to infection for all our school community.
School Canteen
The online purchasing system for our school canteen is now in its third week and is running very smoothly after some initial teething issues. Over 800 accounts have been activated to date. You will recall that with the support of our GCC Parents Council and O Crualaois, €10 was added to each student account that was activated. Parents are asked to note that this weekend is the last opportunity to activate accounts and benefit from the €10 contribution. From next Monday 5 October onwards any new accounts which are registered will not receive the €10 subvention.
School Books
As outlined in previous updates to parents from next Monday 5 October students will be allowed to bring books for all subjects as required. Parents are reminded that we have no short or medium term plans to make lockers available to students. Our teaching staff have been asked to prioritise the use of E-books if at all possible so that students are not carrying books to school unnecessarily. Teachers have been asked, where possible, to allow students to leave books at home unless the teacher specifies the need to bring the book for the next scheduled class. This can be recorded as part of the Homework in the journal. We will continue to monitor how the re-introduction of text books is progressing. A reminder that it is important that students and teachers continue to familiarise themselves with E-books and Google Classroom as the Roadmap for Reopening Schools clearly advises all schools to be prepared for a situation where a school may be faced with closure (in whole or part) for a period during which the curriculum will need to be delivered remotely.
Section 38 – Road Safety Improvement Works at Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire
Cork City Council is inviting submissions regarding proposed Road Safety improvement works at Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire. Many of our parents and students would regularly use this road en route to school. Please click on the link below for further information.
Closing date for receipt of submissions is on or before 5.00 p.m. on Tuesday 27th of October 2020.
Assistive Technology Workshops for Students/Parents
Deirdre Madden (Assistive Technology Outreach Coordinator, UCC) facilitates online workshops to 2nd level students with learning/hearing/visual difficulties and their parents. A workshop will take place this Sunday 11th October (10am to 3.30pm)
The aim of this workshop is to support students with difficulties with reading, writing and organisation. It is appropriate for students with dyslexia and/or dyspraxia/DCD.
During this online workshop students and their parents will be introduced to a variety of assistive technologies to support the needs of the student with their schoolwork, homework and study.
https://cesc.ie/parent-courses/1602-20-3261-aut-assistive-technology-student-parent-workshop
More online workshops are coming up in the next few weeks. For more information, click on the link below
https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/disability-support-service-ucc-training-for-students
Covid Procedures
Please see below a reminder of some of the main school protocols with regard to Covid-19.
We hope you have a nice weekend.
Kind regards,
GCC Senior Management