Displaying 1311-1320 of 2462 results.
LC exams are set to be cancelled!!
Created : 07 May 2020, 9:56 PM
Archived : 07 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
This article is accurate from unofficial reports we have received today! Class tomorrow is cancelled and we will hold a LC Students meeting tomorrow afternoon at a time to be confirmed to you by email once we have more details to relay to you all!! Irish Times Leaving Cert exams set to be cancelled and replaced with predicted grades Schools to play key role in determining how many points students will receive Teachers’ unions expressed concern about what safety measures would be in place for social distancing if the exams went ahead. File image: Frank Miller/The Irish Times Teachers’ unions expressed concern about what safety measures would be in place for social distancing if the exams went ahead. File image: Frank Miller/The Irish Times Carl O'Brien Education Editor about an hour ago Leaving Cert exams are set to be cancelled and replaced with a “Plan B” in which students will be awarded points or grades based on their classwork, according to well-placed sources. Students who are unhappy with their awarded grades will likely be given the option of sitting written exams at a much later date, possibly early next year. The Department of Education plans are to come before Cabinet on Friday. If approved they will come as a relief to tens of thousands of students and parents who have been craving certainty since the Covid-19 lockdown began. Under the draft plan, schools will play a key role in awarding students’ grades based on a combination of their class rankings, performance in previous exams and assessments and other indicators. While teachers will help determine these grades, the process will be technically overseen by school principals and senior management. These grades would then likely feed into a process where final grades could be awarded by the department using a “bell curve” and school indicators. Related Government will try to end Leaving Cert doubt, says Taoiseach Coronavirus: Community infection numbers ‘not falling as much as we would like’ Covid-19: Quarantined Leaving Cert students could sit exams in isolation This bell curve refers to the practice of adjusting the marking process to ensure a similar proportion of students secure the same numbers of H1s, H2s and H3s each year. Department officials are undertood to be keen not to refer to this process as predicted grades and, instead, are referring to it as an national standarised syststem. Secondary teachers’ unions have signalled that they would be willing to support such a measure, subject to a number of clarifications and assurances. The Association of Secondary Teacher Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) held meetings on Wednesday night and on Thursday to discuss how the system would work. Details such as when students’ grades will be available and what the likely starting dates for students progressing to higher and further education are still being examined. The move towards producing a “Plan B” comes amid a growing concern over the health risks of the department’s original plan in pressing ahead with the exams during the summer when the coronavirus would be still circulating. Both unions are understood to have expressed grave concern over the safety of proceeding with two weeks of school in July and staging exams during a private meeting with department officials on Wednesday. These fears focused on what safety measures would be in place for social distancing, what hygiene practices would be required and whether teachers and staff would be required to wear personal protecting equipment, according to sources. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil on Thursday the Government would “try to bring a conclusion” this week to the uncertainty surrounding the Leaving Cert. He said it was possible to carry out the exam within existing public health guidelines “but it would not be the Leaving Certificate as we know it. “If it is cancelled we must make sure that we can put in place an alternative which would be fair, which is extremely difficult.”
Thought for Today !!
Created : 07 May 2020, 12:38 PM
Archived : 07 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Hi All, It’s all about our choices It is not our abilities that show what we truly are... it is our choices. Dumbledore – Harry Potter We will all face many obstacles in our lifetime. On these occasions the mind is focused and alert to the dangers that lie within the situation. When we are faced with a threat in our lives, a message is sent to the amygdala in the limbic system of the brain. The amygdala then assesses the threat and sends a message to the brain stem to activate the fight-flight-freeze response. The amygdala experiences threat as life or death. This is based on prehistoric man’s, experience of when confronted with a threat. It was a case of fight, flight or die at the hands of a wild animal or rival. Nowadays, when we are faced with a threat, our brain can still easily go to the fight, flight or freeze response, even though many of us are never truly faced with a life and death situation. In this current climate, it is important to be aware of making wise choices about our responses rather than just reacting. You can choose your response in any given situation. Fight –it is important to choose where we put our energies now and decide what we have influence and control over. Is my life in danger? No! Then, bring your focus to where you can make small simple changes that will make a difference. Do not waste energy worrying about the things over which we have no control. Flight – hiding from what we must face is not helpful. Putting off what we will eventually have to face is a total energy zapper! Hiding from the reality changes nothing. In fact it builds tension and stress. Take deep breaths and choose the first thing to focus on and get it out of the way. The relief and energy boost you get from doing this is immense. Freeze – When threat arrives at our door, it is a common reaction to freeze – to feel unable to do anything, have low energy and a dip in mood. However it is important to choose to begin with taking the first step – no matter how tiny the step is, it is important to keep on moving. Once you have taken the first step, add a further small step. Even when you don’t feel like doing it, you can still convince yourself to do little things. Martin Luther King reminds us If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. (Thanks to Elizabeth Garry Brosnan EGB Soulpreneurs ) Kind Regards, Denis Ring
Prayers from Caroline for all our students
Created : 07 May 2020, 9:53 AM
Archived : 07 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Creator God, as I study for my exams, open my mind to receive the full power of your Holy Spirit. Help me be at peace and remain calm and focused. Fill me with the courage to meet the challenges ahead and to do my best. Stay with me to be my helper and guide. Today and always. Amen.
6th Year Wellbeing Hour 7th May
Created : 06 May 2020, 1:19 PM
Archived : 07 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Morning to all sixth years. For Wellbeing Hour today, we encourage you to pick one of the following options. It is vital that you use this hour to escape from the books and take some time for yourself. 1. Guided Yoga class with Miss Landers oide.webex.com/meet/mariannelanders 2. Mindfulness May-See the calendar of events put up on Facebook and School App. Why not try some Mindful Colouring for the hour? Join in the initiative by Miss Roche and Miss Hegarty. Print/Draw one of the Celtic symbols (attached in your email) paint, colour etc the symbol of your choice. Sign it, date it, and send it back to either Miss Roche or Miss Hegarty. A collage will be made up of all the images received. 3. Home Cooking-Why not try take your mind off the books by spending the hour cooking or baking? Donal Skehan has some very simple recipes and ideas. Bake or cook and then sit and relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour. www.youtube.com/user/donalskehan 4. Use the hour to walk/run/cycle using Strava. Many 6th years have been quite active and it is a great way to refresh after some study. 5. Try this very simple, no equipment, 20-minute Workout. If you feeling energetic, do a second round!www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyFjMupI5B0 6. Stiff and sore from being stuck sitting all day? Try some Mobility work to ease the body and mind. See Rob Gallagher’s channel from Movement 101 in Dublinwww.youtube.com/user/gally50/videos or try this easy to do at home mobility routine from the Body Weight Warrior www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_xrDAtykMI
Covid Wellness Jar
Created : 06 May 2020, 10:02 AM
Archived : 06 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
COVID WELLNESS JAR.... - How do you look after your mental health? - Write some ideas on post it notes, place them in the jar. - When having a bad day... take out a post it & do something that makes you happy!
Mindfulness May
Created : 29 Apr 2020, 10:01 AM
Archived : 05 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Let May be a time for you to be kinder to yourself. We are living in challenging times. You cannot pour from an empty jug. Look after yourself. See the following link where Miss Landers explains Wellbeing and the concepts that surround it. She also give some simple activities that we can all practice. sway.office.com/PaO2EvzLScdzhrRZ?ref=Link Miss Ahearne has also adapted our school Mindfulness May campaign so that you can follow at home. Pick one or two items to focus on each week. sway.office.com/2WLRA7lyoZgsozFR?ref=Link
May the Road Rise to Meet You
Created : 04 May 2020, 9:42 PM
Archived : 04 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Day 4 Total 558km! The biggest day yet. Well done to everybody. Cumulative total 1,666km. We have completed the Malin to Mizen round trip with enough to spare to get back to Lismore again. Challenge 2 is to start in Lismore and head to Rennes in France. This is where the students studying French in BCS go on their exchange. Distance to be covered is 949km. The clock is reset to 0 for challenge 2, but we will still keep track of overall distance covered since May 1st. Well done to everyone again. Keep the effort up.
May the Road Rise to Meet You
Created : 04 May 2020, 9:29 AM
Archived : 04 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Well done to everyone who has signed up to this event for the month of May. As of last night we had 1108km of the 1366km Malin to Mizen round trip completed! Challenge 1 almost done. Well done to everyone. Make the most of the good weather and bank holiday to get some more activities in. Every km counts. Challenge 2 will be put up tonight.
BCS Summer Assessment preparations !
Created : 01 May 2020, 10:41 PM
Archived : 01 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Hi All, I would like to sincerely thank all the stakeholders of BCS this week. We have had assemblies with all years , a full staff meeting, Pastoral care meeting, Board of Management meeting, Parents’ Council and Students’ Council meetings as well as several senior management meetings on their own and with the Year Heads. This has been in response to the JC announcement and requirement to have assessments and corrections completed by the 29th of May. Thanks to everyone for engaging in our consultative process. We are glad to say that all end of year assessments are finalised in a manner that isn’t too taxing on our students and ensures that online computer devices can be shared among siblings to complete the respective exams. We are glad that the weighting we have placed on the various elements of continuous assessment in all cases is extremely fair and transparent for all to see. We are delighted that clarity has been achieved for our JC students in particular in recent days and we hope it has done much to remove further unnecessary stress from their lives . Teachers will further clarify the requirements and practicalities of their upcoming online assessments during the coming week. You have all received your exam timetables and respective weighting of marks from Miss Maria O’Brien today . Your Programme coordinators likewise will forward you their respective assessment details! However, our thoughts and energies return now to continuing to support our LC students through the terrible ordeal they are experiencing. We can assure you that everything will be done to smoothen your pathway to the State Examination finish line in July/August. The constant media speculation is further contributing to student and parental stress. I can assure you we will communicate with you immediately once the precise LC details emerge from the current confusion. Then we will design a Plan of Action to prepare you for the challenge ahead. I wish everyone a peaceful and relaxing Bank Holiday weekend! Ni neart go cur le chéile, Denis Ring
Malin to Mizen Round Trip
Created : 01 May 2020, 10:06 PM
Archived : 01 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Today we started our ‘May the Road Rise to Meet you Challenge’. First up was a virtual Malin to Mizen round trip of 1366km. After leaving Malin head early this morning we have travelled 301km and reached the town of Birr! A huge thank you to the 107 people who have joined our Strava club. More members are welcome. Don’t forgot to allow the admin account to follow you in order for us to track all kilometres travelled. Keep up the great work.