Parent Teacher Meetings 2021-22

Comer1

Just wondering what are other schools doing for PTMs this year in the absence of any official guidance so far. It looks like our school is pressing ahead with face to face meetings starting next week. In a shop the workers are protected by a Perspex sheet, I can't anything like that being put in place here.

coillsaille

I checked with the ASTI recently. They said that as the Dept hasn't issued revised guidelines then last year's guidelines still apply. Last year's guidelines were to use one of three options: Additional reports sent to parents, phone contact with parents or virtual online meetings with parents. But bringing parents into the school building is not an option in the guidelines and shouldn't be either given the current case numbers.

French Toast

Brother's school is cracking on via Zoom. We've postponed one set here but with another due in early December, we'll probably be going online too. Face to face seems off the table with current rising numbers.

Sammy2012

We had face to face meetings the week before mid term. Principal wanted them so we had them.

Bobtheman

Personally unless the guidelines said explicitly to have face to face I would have refused.

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120989#Comment_118120989

That was a very risky move since even nightclubs were not open until 22nd

Comer1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118121515#Comment_118121515

Agree, but I have just heard of another school, local to where I live, which is having face to face meetings and if teachers do not wish to take part they are to setup their own online meetings...totally unreasonable IMO

Bobtheman

Yes but still within guidelines.

Id go for the online meetings. Precise time. Precise meetings

Coneygree

We have plans to do them after Christmas in person but obviously that depends on circumstances. Otherwise, we are just sending detailed reports home this month and phoning any parents who need calling or making ourselves available for any parent to phone us.

LW2018

Hi there. We are moving to online PTMs at the end of this month. Has anybody any advice regarding these online or any information on the experience of how they worked and were organised? Some staff are a bit apprehensive about the process so would be interesting to hear bits. Thanks.

hesaidshesaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118132902#Comment_118132902

Primary teacher here. Did all mine on Zoom last year, went great. Doing the same this year. Online PT meetings are one thing that should be kept post-Covid IMO. I can go home, have dinner, do them in comfort instead of in the freezing cold classroom. I’m doing up to 7pm so parents don’t have to get time off work. Any parent who doesn’t have zoom, I just ring them.

solerina

We have had two face to face PT meetings, actually went reasonably well, one teacher per classroom and parents moved about, I wasn’t keen at first but there was no problem

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118161539#Comment_118161539

You mean they went "relatively" well.

"Relative" to an online PTM there is a higher risk taking involved in bringing in 100 odd parents and stirring them around 25 odd rooms.

We've had two PTMs fine through zoom and they also went reasonably well. The majority of Parents and teachers said they preferred them over face to face in surveys following both.

I dunno though, maybe we are entering into the "living with COVID phase" and I'm too cautious. we tend to copy the UK after all. I'm just not so quick to get back to it after finding out a relative who was doubly vaccinated barely made it out of ICU alive last week.

I firmly believe that schools are the silent spreaders. And there is a reason they don't want to measure transmission in schools and we are being told to switch off the covid app.

Nephet insist that it is now out in the wider community across all ages, but they are questioned about schools and they start to divert by saying that students need to learn and social interaction is important blah blah blah. Totally ignoring any reference to data which is their remit.