Dear Parents/Carers
Having now completed the 8th week of Home Learning, I would like to thank all the pupils, parents and staff for how well you have adapted to the new circumstances. Thanks also to the parents who took the time to complete our Home Learning Questionnaire pre-Easter; this gave us valuable feedback and has enabled us to adapt and improve on our teaching methods.
Please make sure that your child contacts his or her teacher, via Seesaw, every few days. Teachers need to be reassured that pupils are keeping well and engaging in the home learning process, and I have asked them to check on those pupils that have ‘gone quiet’. I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Since the 23 March, I am pleased to report that the school has remained open for the pupils of key workers. Many thanks to the staff for enabling us to provide this valuable service, and many thanks indeed to the key workers for their efforts during this difficult time.
With the publication of the NI Executive’s plan for easing lockdown, it is evident that the resumption of ‘normal’ school life will not be straightforward, with a phased return of pupils – as yet there is no timescale for this. Planning and preparation for this stage will obviously be crucial, and we will keep you informed every step of the way.
As communicated earlier in the week, the Education Authority (EA) will now prepare and issue notification of P7 post primary placement letters, on behalf of schools, to parents/carers for receipt on Thursday 4 June 2020. This letter will provide: the application outcome, information on the appeals process and a link to the EA website for more information. The EA will also operate a helpdesk from 1pm on Thursday 4 June for parents of pupils whose letter does not arrive in the post. Please contact me at the school if you need help or advice regarding this.
The Transfer Tests administered by the Association of Quality Education (AQE) will now take place on Saturday 21 November, Saturday 28 November and Saturday 12 December, with the Post Primary Transfer Consortium’s (PPTC) test taking place on Saturday 5 December – the date of the reserve PPTC test is Saturday 19 December. Registration for both AQE and PPTC tests will open online on Thursday 14 May and Monday 1 June respectively. Usually we have a Transfer Meeting for P6 parents during the first week of June. As this will now not be possible, we will place a PowerPoint containing the key information on the school’s website.
Our annual end of year online Standardised Tests in English and Mathematics have been postponed until September, when they will enable us to; measure the progress of pupils in these important curricular areas; identify areas of the curriculum which pupils are finding difficult; help teachers set appropriate targets in English and Maths for individual pupils and their classes; and help in the identification of pupils who are experiencing difficulties in these areas.
Pupil annual reports will be issued, as originally planned, on the 22 June, and will reflect the pupils’ progress in school up until the period of home schooling. More details on this will be sent to you in due course.
May I also remind you that there is a compilation of resources available on the school’s website that can be used to supplement the work already set by teachers - it continues to be updated on a regular basis.
The ‘Special News’ section of the school’s website, where a selection of photographs, videos and news from home is displayed every Friday, has been a great hit, and showcases the many and varied activities and talents of our pupils during lockdown. This has been established as a way of keeping the school community connected during this difficult period. If you would like to get involved, please send your news or a photograph to stjosephs.stars@gmail.com.
Eco-Warrior Wednesday is also now up and running. For this week’s competition, the Eco Council would like you to design a poster of the Eco Code to display online and around the school on our return. Full details are on the school website.
As always, if you need to contact me directly, please do so either by telephone at the school, or by email using either stjoesps@gmail.com or the contacts link on the school website.
Kind regards
Mr Donaldson