Post primary return to schools roadmap

joebloggs32 · 06-09-2020 11:24pm

Icsics wrote: »

Is the school supplying the wipes?

Same for us and yes, the school is supplying the wipes.

rainbowtrout · 06-09-2020 11:40pm

Icsics wrote: »

How are schools managing the cleaning of desks when a class leaves? We are spraying the desks / chairs & passing out paper towels. It doesn’t seem right to me, just wondering about alternative stuff?

We're doing the same because wipes are too expensive. It's gonna get very old, very quick. Students will be fed up of cleaning desks 6 or 7 times a day.

Leftwaffe · 06-09-2020 11:44pm

I read somewhere that it does not transmit well through surfaces. Not sure where though.

Rosita · 07-09-2020 8:16am

rainbowtrout wrote: »

We're doing the same because wipes are too expensive. It's gonna get very old, very quick. Students will be fed up of cleaning desks 6 or 7 times a day.

I think many things that are going on at the moment will get very old very quickly indeed. Much of it is unsustainable.

rainbowtrout · 07-09-2020 9:36am

Would make a practical Junior Cert maths question for 2021.

Rainbowtrout gives each of her class a wipe to clean their desk at the end of class. There are on average 24 students in her class. Students move class 6 times a day and there are 35 classrooms in the school all of which are occupied. There are 200 wipes in a box.

(a) How many wipes are used per day?
(b) How many boxes are needed per day to the nearest box?

At a cost of €10 per box what is the cost of wipes per year when there are 167 days in the school year. :pac:

solerina · 07-09-2020 2:11pm

Icsics wrote: »

How are schools managing the cleaning of desks when a class leaves? We are spraying the desks / chairs & passing out paper towels. It doesn’t seem right to me, just wondering about alternative stuff?

We have paper towels, we pull of a section, spray it with the disinfectant, each student takes a piece to clean their place. Tissue is better than wipes at least

Alex86Eire · 07-09-2020 5:18pm

We're using wipes too but students are in base classrooms as much as possible so we aren't using a crazy amount.

Teach30 · 07-09-2020 5:48pm

Major headache today from visor so I took it off. I’m barely 2 metres from students at top of room.

I’ll Probably will get complained about but I’ll chance it for now. Could barely drive home such was pain.

Will be a long year.

Alex86Eire · 07-09-2020 8:38pm

Teach30 wrote: »

Major headache today from visor so I took it off. I’m barely 2 metres from students at top of room.

I’ll Probably will get complained about but I’ll chance it for now. Could barely drive home such was pain.

Will be a long year.

Does the visor have a band around your head? Maybe try the visors with the glasses built in instead of the band.

https://www.mccabespharmacy.com/face-visor-with-glasses-frame.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwtNf6BRAwEiwAkt6UQoiJ9c1crYwLpQPZeZbEd86z_mV7av-Vt9kO7gCTsUqmMac7QIyS7RoCshYQAvD_BwE

Teach30 · 07-09-2020 10:51pm

Alex86Eire wrote: »

Does the visor have a band around your head? Maybe try the visors with the glasses built in instead of the band.

https://www.mccabespharmacy.com/face-visor-with-glasses-frame.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwtNf6BRAwEiwAkt6UQoiJ9c1crYwLpQPZeZbEd86z_mV7av-Vt9kO7gCTsUqmMac7QIyS7RoCshYQAvD_BwE

It’s actually the glasses one I’m wearing but it’s giving me a tension headache behind my ears and across forehead as I find it very close to my eyes. It’s grand for short periods but I find myself moving it a lot to get it comfortable.
Will investigate alternative designs when I get a chance!

khalessi · 07-09-2020 11:04pm

Teach30 wrote: »

It’s actually the glasses one I’m wearing but it’s giving me a tension headache behind my ears and across forehead as I find it very close to my eyes. It’s grand for short periods but I find myself moving it a lot to get it comfortable.
Will investigate alternative designs when I get a chance!

I have that provided by school, same thing and had my own with sponge much nicer and easier to wear for long periods

Leftwaffe · 07-09-2020 11:13pm

Teach30 wrote: »

Major headache today from visor so I took it off. I’m barely 2 metres from students at top of room.

I’ll Probably will get complained about but I’ll chance it for now. Could barely drive home such was pain.

Will be a long year.

If you're just wearing the visor then I wouldn't be too worried about taking it off altogether to be honest. I think they're essentially useless.

Teach30 · 07-09-2020 11:35pm

Redordeadqwwer wrote: »

If you're just wearing the visor then I wouldn't be too worried about taking it off altogether to be honest. I think they're essentially useless.

I know to be honest it’s just for show. I’m also looking for a mask that fits properly. Any ones I’ve bought and used slip down over my nose as I speak. If I tie them tighter I can’t speak!
I’ve tried various different designs and sizes but nothing working so far. I keep having to readjust it. I dont mind wearing either but have still to find something suitable and comfortable.

Any recommendations?

wirelessdude01 · 07-09-2020 11:42pm

Teach30 wrote: »

I know to be honest it’s just for show. I’m also looking for a mask that fits properly. Any ones I’ve bought and used slip down over my nose as I speak. If I tie them tighter I can’t speak!
I’ve tried various different designs and sizes but nothing working so far. I keep having to readjust it. I dont mind wearing either but have still to find something suitable and comfortable.

Any recommendations?

The slippage the issue. Too tight you can't talk properly, end up too warm, slight headaches.

mirrorwall14 · 08-09-2020 7:45am

Rethread the masks. I have mine with one long elastic. It’s looped through the bottom section and that loop sits around my neck and then I tie the top elastic but tie it right up on the top of my head not around the back. I find the ones around the ear slip and my hearing aid comes off every time I need to change them

Like this https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.sewcanshe.com/blog/elastic-and-tie-solutions-for-your-fabric-face-masks%3fformat=amp

I did also get hold of the little silicone things for in the masks from amazon. They do help but they hurt the bridge of my nose a bit over time

Leftwaffe · 08-09-2020 8:17am

Teach30 wrote: »

I know to be honest it’s just for show. I’m also looking for a mask that fits properly. Any ones I’ve bought and used slip down over my nose as I speak. If I tie them tighter I can’t speak!
I’ve tried various different designs and sizes but nothing working so far. I keep having to readjust it. I dont mind wearing either but have still to find something suitable and comfortable.

Any recommendations?

There's an Irish seller on Etsy who sells some. They don't budge and are well made. About 10 quid a pop though.

Alex86Eire · 08-09-2020 3:54pm

Teach30 wrote: »

I know to be honest it’s just for show. I’m also looking for a mask that fits properly. Any ones I’ve bought and used slip down over my nose as I speak. If I tie them tighter I can’t speak!
I’ve tried various different designs and sizes but nothing working so far. I keep having to readjust it. I dont mind wearing either but have still to find something suitable and comfortable.

Any recommendations?

Masked.ie masks are very comfortable

Bananaleaf · 08-09-2020 6:05pm

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Would make a practical Junior Cert maths question for 2021.

Rainbowtrout gives each of her class a wipe to clean their desk at the end of class. There are on average 24 students in her class. Students move class 6 times a day and there are 35 classrooms in the school all of which are occupied. There are 200 wipes in a box.

(a) How many wipes are used per day?
(b) How many boxes are needed per day to the nearest box?

At a cost of €10 per box what is the cost of wipes per year when there are 167 days in the school year. :pac:

I was actually interested in the answer to this, so I did the maths. Actually tried, so if the maths is wrong it's because I'm thick :pac:

(a) 5040
(b) 26 (25.2 but you'd need to round up to 26 to have enough I suppose)
(c) €43,420

:eek::eek: Makes the banning of single-use plastic a bit redundant

rainbowtrout · 08-09-2020 6:18pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

I was actually interested in the answer to this, so I did the maths. Actually tried, so if the maths is wrong it's because I'm thick :pac:

(a) 5040
(b) 26 (25.2 but you'd need to round up to 26 to have enough I suppose)
(c) €43,420

:eek::eek: Makes the banning of single-use plastic a bit redundant

H1 in maths to Bananaleaf!!!

:D:D

It does go to show how unsustainable it is even from a cost point of view.

On another note, yesterday our principal said that the spray bottles we have for cleaning the desks were too expensive and he was going to move to wipes. A pack of 100 for €4.95.

So me being me I did the maths of this in the staff meeting.

We have about 450 students (I wasn't even counting staff in this or accounting for extra used). So if students moved 6 times a day to allow for double classes etc, then 450 x 6 = 2700 wipes per day, or 27 packets, at a cost of €133.65 a day. Not financially sustainable.

rainbowtrout · 08-09-2020 6:19pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

:eek::eek: Makes the banning of single-use plastic a bit redundant

May as well forget Green Schools flags this year.

SligoBrewer · 08-09-2020 10:24pm

My thoughts after a week back.

We are screwed

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 09-09-2020 12:19pm

First of the Croke Park hours for us this week. We sitting in school for "remote" meeting.

Teach30 · 09-09-2020 1:01pm

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

First of the Croke Park hours for us this week. We sitting in school for "remote" meeting.

Camera off and I’d get some planning/correcting done!

wirelessdude01 · 09-09-2020 3:06pm

Teach30 wrote: »

Camera off and I’d get some planning/correcting done!

Exactly what I did last week.

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 09-09-2020 6:01pm

Teach30 wrote: »

Camera off and I’d get some planning/correcting done!

We have to sit in groups in rooms with one laptop hooked to a projector

Random sample · 09-09-2020 8:01pm

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

We have to sit in groups in rooms with one laptop hooked to a projector

We did that with the sound muted. Best staff meeting ever!!

2xj3hplqgsbkym · 09-09-2020 8:02pm

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

The slippage the issue. Too tight you can't talk properly, end up too warm, slight headaches.

Yes, I have constant headaches from the pull on my ears

TheValeyard · 09-09-2020 9:03pm

Jonathan Mushy Ring wrote: »

Yes, I have constant headaches from the pull on my ears

I'm Going to end up with ears like Dobby before the end

Treppen · 09-09-2020 9:42pm

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

We have to sit in groups in rooms with one laptop hooked to a projector

Clockwork Orange Eyes

French Toast · 17-09-2020 4:44pm

Got the tail end of a piece on News Talk that Dublin colleges are likely to be encouraged to provide 100% of coursework online.

No such option for secondary schools.

deiseindublin · 17-09-2020 5:20pm

French Toast wrote: »

Got the tail end of a piece on News Talk that Dublin colleges are likely to be encouraged to provide 100% of coursework online.

No such option for secondary schools.

FE Colleges seem to be a mixed bag, half in, half out, podcasts, live, some classroom delivery.

Bananaleaf · 17-09-2020 7:04pm

It has been okay in my school up to this week. But now that the students are starting to drop out with symptoms or because they were a close contact, it is starting to get messy.

Tried the live streaming home, it's just too impractical.

The sheer frustration due to how much time is being wasted is really starting to get to me:

5mins gone getting to class
5mins gone santising desk, computer, hands
5mins gone waiting for computer to load (for the class in front of me, if it works) and open up laptop (for the live streamers)
5mins gone taking register, setting class up to work
FIFTEEN MINUTES OF TEACHING, interrupted by about a dozen requests for trips to the toilet
5mins gone to tidy up, log out of computers, sanitise desk and pack laptop away

And god forbid you might need to make a pit stop at the toilet or anything along the way ... you're down to 10mins then!

Not all classes are that bad, in some I get a good half hr done but they are honestly few and far between

Was worried about the students breaking equipment in their base rooms when they were unsupervised... I was worried about the wrong people. All of a sudden, now that teachers don't have their own rooms, they seem to have lost all respect for the desktop computers and projectors. I don't even know how they manage to do the sh1t they do but the IT people are about to quit - fixing a problem on Monday for it to be f**ked again by Wednesday...

rainbowtrout · 17-09-2020 7:52pm

I don't envy you Bananaleaf. We have stuck with teachers having their own base rooms and loading the timetable with doubles so there is less movement. It's working pretty well. Most teachers have a base room so are not spending half the day logging in and out of computers. We were all given a chromebook the first week back so they are fast and everyone has their own. Students are relatively fast at cleaning their desks at the end of each class now and we have a one way system in place so to be fair to them they are turning up to class fast, because they can't hang around on corridors.

maynooth_rules · 17-09-2020 7:55pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

It has been okay in my school up to this week. But now that the students are starting to drop out with symptoms or because they were a close contact, it is starting to get messy.

Tried the live streaming home, it's just too impractical.

The sheer frustration due to how much time is being wasted is really starting to get to me:

5mins gone getting to class
5mins gone santising desk, computer, hands
5mins gone waiting for computer to load (for the class in front of me, if it works) and open up laptop (for the live streamers)
5mins gone taking register, setting class up to work
FIFTEEN MINUTES OF TEACHING, interrupted by about a dozen requests for trips to the toilet
5mins gone to tidy up, log out of computers, sanitise desk and pack laptop away

And god forbid you might need to make a pit stop at the toilet or anything along the way ... you're down to 10mins then!

Not all classes are that bad, in some I get a good half hr done but they are honestly few and far between

Was worried about the students breaking equipment in their base rooms when they were unsupervised... I was worried about the wrong people. All of a sudden, now that teachers don't have their own rooms, they seem to have lost all respect for the desktop computers and projectors. I don't even know how they manage to do the sh1t they do but the IT people are about to quit - fixing a problem on Monday for it to be f**ked again by Wednesday...

This is a major issue. Teaching time virtually cut in half. Yet 6th years have been given a very very minor help with changes for LC exam. I am so worried for that cohort

Bananaleaf · 17-09-2020 8:30pm

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I don't envy you Bananaleaf. We have stuck with teachers having their own base rooms and loading the timetable with doubles so there is less movement. It's working pretty well. Most teachers have a base room so are not spending half the day logging in and out of computers. We were all given a chromebook the first week back so they are fast and everyone has their own. Students are relatively fast at cleaning their desks at the end of each class now and we have a one way system in place so to be fair to them they are turning up to class fast, because they can't hang around on corridors.

That sounds pretty good. I was so surprised to see that our school didnt do the same with the doubles. Instead they virtually got rid of them across the board, we have never had less double classes. I just can't understand it.

maynooth_rules wrote: »

This is a major issue. Teaching time virtually cut in half. Yet 6th years have been given a very very minor help with changes for LC exam. I am so worried for that cohort

It is a huge issue maynooth_rules. I honestly didnt think it would be but you really underestimate the time it takes you to get there, get set up, log in and then log out and pack up again. I think some teachers arent logging out properly either and are just switching the computers off so theres all that extra time waiting for the whole thing to load up.

Kids are behaving but they are taking advantage too. In our place they weren't allowed to toilet during class but now it is encouraged so guess what? You have some lads going up to 9 times a day!!

Also, we were told the first week to set them all up on teams in case of school closure. But that was the last it was ever mentioned and half of them dont know how to use teams but there is no access to computer labs to show them. So ... if we do end up closing I can imagine that those who had the accessibility issues last time around will still have them

Oh and our LWRs (who are brilliant) are like headless chickens this week preparing for the Covid inspections which have apparently begun :rolleyes:

We were given laptops and they are really great, but they don't connect to the projectors wirelessly. So when live streaming to satellite room or home if doing it, you're working off 2 computers.

Random sample · 17-09-2020 8:42pm

When is a close contact not a close contact? When the contact happens in a school.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0917/1165854-drogheda-school-covid-19/

This is very worrying for teachers.

wirelessdude01 · 17-09-2020 8:49pm

Random sample wrote: »

When is a close contact not a close contact? When the contact happens in a school.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0917/1165854-drogheda-school-covid-19/

This is very worrying for teachers.

So if there was a mistake made then I think I the HSE need to be very transparent and be open about what the issue was. Something stinks about this story.

History Queen · 17-09-2020 8:58pm

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

So if there was a mistake made then I think I the HSE need to be very transparent and be open about what the issue was. Something stinks about this story.

Agreed. Either the app works or it doesn't. If not why is this not public knowledge? If it does work, they are basically saying that too many teachers marked as close contacts is too disruptive so they're dismissing the data. Either scenario is bad and needs explanation.

2xj3hplqgsbkym · 17-09-2020 9:02pm

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

So if there was a mistake made then I think I the HSE need to be very transparent and be open about what the issue was. Something stinks about this story.

I think it's the fact that teachers could be next door to eachother for a period of time, but not actually in close contact.
I have heard of neighbours being advised that they were close contacts, because they share a wall of a detached house.
I presume this is why we are not encouraged to use the App in school,. I thought it would have made sense for all students and teachers to use it, but it has never been mentioned or recommended by the DES, probably because teachers' close contacts will soon be going into overdrive and they don't want to have to pay for subs or close schools.

TheValeyard · 17-09-2020 9:02pm

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

So if there was a mistake made then I think I the HSE need to be very transparent and be open about what the issue was. Something stinks about this story.

Schools must be some magic place immune to Covid for Adults.

Random sample · 17-09-2020 9:04pm

If they came out and said they had investigated and the teachers weren’t in the same room I could accept that. It just seems they are making that decision before investigating.

mirrorwall14 · 17-09-2020 10:34pm

We are similar. I have less doubles than ever and it’s awful. Doubles I get good work done. Singles have a lot of wasted time this year, it really really adds up. I’m fighting asthma all week and I just couldn’t run from building to building or I was sucking ventolin. I really felt the impact in arriving slightly later with loads to do.

Our internet has pretty much just stopped working. We are all tethering to phones to even take vsware never mind watch YouTube clips etc. We are 1:1 iPads but the devices are largely without WiFi. It’s on the fix list but it’s still tendering so we’re not even at install list. This means the satellite room is a fiasco. Literally having to tell the kids on the corridor what they are doing before they go!

To be fair our management are announcing constantly about masks etc but I know not all our staff agree with it and I can see it slipping. The take is all coming off the floors too and needs to be redone

Treppen · 17-09-2020 11:15pm

History Queen wrote: »

Agreed. Either the app works or it doesn't. If not why is this not public knowledge? If it does work, they are basically saying that too many teachers marked as close contacts is too disruptive so they're dismissing the data. Either scenario is bad and needs explanation.

"more than 30 of its teachers were alerted yesterday via the Covid tracker app that they were close contacts of a virus case."

I think they'll install a 'list occupation' on the app.

if (teacher) {
switch_off_bluetooth;
}

jayo76 · 19-09-2020 1:09pm

Is there any teachers here who are not part of the S and S scheme, took the option to pay to opt out? f so have you signed up to the supplementary scheme this year that allows teachers to opt in as a response to the pandemic?

In our school I and a lot of teachers opted out of the scheme when they had the option and have decided not to make ourselves available for the extra paid scheme this year. In recent staff meetings management has labelled us teachers who are not making ourselves available for the extra paid S and S as being non committed to the school and our students. This really hurt me I have to say as I feel that over 20 years I have shown voluntary committment to my students wellbeing each and every day in a huge variety of ways and will continue to do so and yet now because I won't opt in to a paid scheme I am not committed.

A lot of the reasons I and other staff will not opt in are due to the very strained relationship that exist between staff and senior management and the lack of respect we feel. I totaly understand how that might seem petty to many in the current situation but I am happier to do what I can still every day for my students wellbeing through my classroom roll and in what ever way I can without opting in to paid scheme

Am I wrong?

Treppen · 19-09-2020 1:20pm

jayo76 wrote: »

Is there any teachers here who are not part of the S and S scheme, took the option to pay to opt out? f so have you signed up to the supplementary scheme this year that allows teachers to opt in as a response to the pandemic?

In our school I and a lot of teachers opted out of the scheme when they had the option and have decided not to make ourselves available for the extra paid scheme this year. In recent staff meetings management has labelled us teachers who are not making ourselves available for the extra paid S and S as being non committed to the school and our students. This really hurt me I have to say as I feel that over 20 years I have shown voluntary committment to my students wellbeing each and every day in a huge variety of ways and will continue to do so and yet now because I won't opt in to a paid scheme I am not committed.

A lot of the reasons I and other staff will not opt in are due to the very strained relationship that exist between staff and senior management and the lack of respect we feel. I totaly understand how that might seem petty to many in the current situation but I am happier to do what I can still every day for my students wellbeing through my classroom roll and in what ever way I can without opting in to paid scheme

Am I wrong?

No.

It was ruairi quinn's mission to have teachers in schools from 9-5 and fill their timetable with S&S and bs croke Park detention.
That's on top of all the other extra curricular and rushing around planning during non contact time... Not to mention the lunchtime meetings about more "planning and documenting".

Fair enough if they need some goodwill, but if that's been abused in the past then its not your problem.

Random sample · 19-09-2020 1:35pm

The extra paid s and s hasn’t even been mentioned in our school. I assume they have enough to cover.

djemba djemba · 19-09-2020 6:57pm

https://www.asti.ie/news/asti-to-ballot-on-industrial-action/

km79 · 19-09-2020 7:10pm

djemba djemba wrote: »

https://www.asti.ie/news/asti-to-ballot-on-industrial-action/

What do we make of that ..........it will go down like a lead balloon

Smacruairi · 19-09-2020 7:52pm

km79 wrote: »

What do we make of that ..........it will go down like a lead balloon

Depends on if all the unions go on together... But they won't because the lectures and principals will want to be seen to be good little workers by the DES. So it'll be asti on their own.. Again.

Hubertj · 19-09-2020 7:57pm

Smacruairi wrote: »

Depends on if all the unions go on together... But they won't because the lectures and principals will want to be seen to be good little workers by the DES. So it'll be asti on their own.. Again.

What I don’t understand is this - I listened on radio and saw on tv the marvel is work done by teachers across the country to get schools ready and welcome students back. It was brilliant to see and hear. Then you see the union officials that represent them. It does teachers a disservice. Surely a younger more pragmatic leadership is required?

Post primary return to schools roadmap

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