Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,
I hope that you are well. It has been lovely to see the children via Microsoft TEAMS meetings this week. Our intention is for each class to have at least one weekly meeting and other live interactions will be provided as and when required. (E.g. recorded lessons, links to online video clips or live lessons.)
I have a few updates to share with you in this newsletter.
Weekly Pupil Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire
At the beginning of each week, we will email all parents and P4-7 pupils a link to a short questionnaire. Please help your child(ren) to complete this questionnaire by Friday of each week.
We ask that you do this so that we can check on pupils’ health and wellbeing and also so that we can support families and set realistic expectations of the quality and quantity of remote learning.
Microsoft TEAMS – Support
Microsoft TEAMS can enable pupils to see up to nine others on screen at a time. This only works when accessing TEAMS from the app. The app can be downloaded onto any device. If your child is using the app then their GLOW username is followed by @glow.sch.uk (instead of @dumgal.sch.uk). They use their GLOW password as normal.
When your child is in the app, they can click on ‘calendar’ then find the meeting and click on ‘JOIN’.
When your child accesses TEAMS, it would be useful to show them how to mute/unmute themselves by clicking on the image of a microphone. This helps to avoid feedback when another is speaking.
There is also a ‘hands up’ function where they can click on the hand if they wish to speak and click on it again once they have finished speaking.
There is a chat facility too. Please ensure that your child only uses this to type in responses to the discussion rather than to distract others.
If you require any support in using TEAMS then please contact Miss Emma McDonald via email at gw17mcdonaldemma@ea.dumgal.sch.uk . Miss McDonald is our Covid-19 Recovery Teacher and works between the Castle Douglas Cluster schools.
It is worth noting that we are all using different devices and some do not have access to microphones or cameras so it can be difficult to participate fully at times. It may be worth explaining to your child that there are times when there is a delay or an overlap meaning that their teacher or classmates may not respond immediately. Your child should not take this personally.
Expectations of Remote Learning
Teachers provide weekly learning grids via email, Facebook and TEAMS. Pupils can access all materials online and some activities can be completed away from devices. Some parents have asked for paper copies of materials. Whilst we are happy to provide support, I am aware that whole classes of pupils are requesting this. This results in some teachers having to come into school to prepare the packs. We are desperately trying to reduce the number of staff and pupils accessing schools so please consider whether this is a necessity. We need to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Some parents have requested additional work for their children. There are many additional activities available online and several activities that you can complete without being on a device. Miss McDonald has prepared a list of generic activities that you can access to support your child. Activities are divided into curricular levels: Early = P1, First = P2-4 and Second = P5-7.
Additional Activities if Required
Also look at the links below.
Lifelong Learning, Dumfries and Galloway Council: https://www.facebook.com/LifelongLearningDGC/
The Parentzone Scotland website:
https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/
I would like to thank you for your support. This is a challenging time for pupils, parents and staff but we are getting there! Together we are spending a great deal of time learning how to use a variety of online apps and platforms to support our child(ren). This is particularly challenging for teachers who are having to learn new and innovative ways of planning, teaching and assessing children remotely. Most of us are working from home and juggling our families too. Well done and thank you for your understanding.
Best wishes
Mary Lidstone-Scott
Headteacher
