21^st September 2020

Dear Parents,

Google Classroom

We hope to begin using Google Classroom in the school.  This is a digital tool which allows the children to explore lessons and materials, participate in quiz work, access audio files and complete assessments and perhaps occasional homework in the future.  We hope to use it from 3^rd class to 6^th class.  Training has been completed by the teachers of those classes.  We have invested in upgrading and refreshing our machines.  We have requested additional IP addresses from the NCTE and soon we will be in a position to explore Google Classroom properly with the children.  Initial explorations have been positive. 

This will be a slow process and will require time for everyone to become fully literate in the nuances of the system, including digital citizenry and the mechanics of the resource. 

Permission

We request your permission to use this resource with your child, and therefore ask you to inform your class teacher, via email, if you DO NOT wish your child to be part of the Google Classroom lessons.  

There is an email function for each username and this has been switched off – usernames, while they will be similar to email addresses, cannot in fact receive emails.  This is for your child’s safety and that of the staff engaging with this digital tool. 

Your Role:

• We ask that you email us if you do not want your child to take part in Google Classroom.   Otherwise, we will take it we can continue our training to establish Google Classroom in our school.
• In the future, we may set some work to be completed on a device at home – this will have a lengthy due-date and will depend on what practicalities exist at home.  We can loan devices but please be aware the excess on our insurance is several hundred euros per machine.
• When the child is using a resource like this, it is helpful to cast your eye over their work, just as you would their homework.  This keeps the lines of communication open and clear.
• We will complete digital citizenry lessons at school – help your child understand that they are not necessarily anonymous online, and that they are entrusted to be responsible.  They should not use language or words they wouldn’t ‘wear on a t-shirt’ or ‘tell their granny.’
• In the event of closures, we may be in a position to provide school-work via Google Classroom, but this depends heavily on progress made in the next few months. The NCTE have promised to provide us with more IP addresses, we currently cannot all log-on at the same time and the children have been so patient while we continue to wait for this necessary work to be completed.
• Webwise.ie is a helpful website that provides information and advice on many areas from social media use tips to screen-time for children.  This website is well worth a browse in this digital era.

Sincere thanks to you for your co-operation in joining us as take our first steps into a new digital world,

Le Meas,

Evanna Charlton,

Principal