Dear Parents/Guardians,                                                           

I hope that this last week has been kind to you and that you are managing to remain in good spirits. As I write to you, I am conscious that each family’s experience of Covid-19 is very different, given their own unique circumstances. Yet in some ways our experiences are similar, in that we are all reliant in some way on the help and support of others to sustain us during this difficult time. It is the small kindnesses, the thoughtful words and shared moments, which have sustained us so far and will enable us hopefully to see this through to the very end. We are indeed surviving by living in the shelter of each other. 

I would like to express sincere thanks on behalf of myself and the entire staff for all the warmth and positive feedback we received from so many of you over the last week. I cannot tell you how much this has meant to us all. Like everyone else, this time has been a steep learning curve for us, as we research new ways to reach out and communicate with you and your daughters and select the methods, that we feel are the most appropriate to our school’s needs.  I have long been a believer that the greatest resource that any school can possess is its staff and I feel that we are extremely blessed and fortunate to have such a dedicated and talented staff in Scoil Bhríde Cailíní. They have worked diligently together, since the very start of the school closure, to deliver anything that was asked of them.  

I would like to emphasise again, that the work set by class teachers, is intended to support the girls during this time but should not be viewed as a compulsory ‘To Do’ list. We do not want any child or parent putting pressure on themselves to complete all the work assigned. Learning should be fun and if you keep this in mind at all times, it will guide you in knowing when to substitute class work with some other activity, which may be far more appropriate at a certain time in your home- maybe a Skype call to a grandparent, a family movie or a leisurely walk. Sometimes there may be value is simply relaxing, doing nothing and tuning in to our natural surroundings. Allowing your daughter to choose to do something she really enjoys will be hugely beneficial to her overall wellbeing and ultimately also to yours, as a parent, when you’re trying to juggle so many things from home! In these difficult times, we all need to be kind, not only to each other but also to ourselves. It is the little treats that will keep us mentally strong at this time and help us to stay the course.  

This week I’m delighted to announce the following:  

• The launch of our new website.  

You will find it at www.scoilbhridecailini.ie. There are further additions and modifications which we wish to make still but we were anxious to use our new website asap, to allow us to upload photos and videos. Hence, we ask for your patience, while we are finalising the last details. 

To locate your daughter’s work for this week (27th April- 1st May) please go to the Learning from Home tab on the website and select her class level from the drop down menu. Please check out the Extra Challenge section also. You might see some familiar faces there with activities to try out yourselves at home! 

• Photo Record of Pupil Activities during Covid-19 

We wish to start uploading photos to the new website, of activities undertaken by the girls during Covid-19. We have therefore set up a dedicated email for this purpose and are inviting you to send us in photos of activities you have been involved in, or creations you have made. Send them to photos@scoilbhridecailini.ie.   

In order for individual teachers to access their own class photos and be able to acknowledge them, we ask that you put the student’s name and teacher’s name in the subject line. This is most important to eliminate confusion. I look forward to seeing all your photos! 

Please note, if you do submit photos, you are giving your permission for the school to publish them on the school website. However, the name of a pupil will never accompany their personal photograph. 

• Seesaw app 

We are also introducing the Seesaw class app this week for the more senior classes, 2nd to 6th. This will be in addition to the class work assigned under the Learning from Home tab detailed above. This is a platform for student and teacher engagement and is very easy to use. You should have received a code by text message to your phone this morning.  

Please follow the instructions outlined below for Seesaw app. 

1. Open the Seesaw Class app on iPhone or Android or go to app.seesaw.me  on any computer.  
2. Click ‘I’m a student’ 
3. Enter in the code you received(You should have received a code by text message to your phone this morning. You have a weekfrom 26/4/20 to use this code to set up your account for your child. If you did not receive a code you can e-mail scoilbg@hotmail.com) 

4.Create account-Use your child’s first and last name and your email address.  

To learn more about the app, you can watch the video below.  

How to get started on Seesaw with home learning:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsxDUABH8q4  

More information can be found on https://web.seesaw.me/parents  

I hope that the coming week is a good one for you all and that you enjoy checking out our new website.  I look forward to seeing all your photos! 

Take care and stay safe. 

Yours sincerely, 

Paula Dargan