St Joseph's Academy – East Ayrshire

Thank you to Fr Martin for sharing his second assembly.

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please remember to complete the Parental Survey on Homework which was designed by the S3 Learner Participation class.  The link has been emailed out.  The survey closes at 2359hrs tomorrow night.

Thank you.

Dear Parents/Carers and Pupils,

This evening, SQA released the following updates for young people and parents/carers.

Letter to Learners

NQ21 Group – Letter to Learners

Letter to Parents/Carers

NQ21 Group – Letter to Parents/Carers

Kind Regards

Mr Kane

Dear Parents/Carers and Pupils,

Please note that social distancing will be in place at each location.

Please find details of tomorrow’s jotter collection.

If you have yet to fill in the original form, you should use St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Joseph’s Church, Mount Carmel Church, Darvel, Galston, St. John’s Church or Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Patrick’s Church at the given times.

Anyone changing location at this stage should also use one of the above locations. In some cases, there are health reasons that necessitate delivery and/or numbers are so low that delivery to doors is more practical in some areas.

Continue Reading →

Dear Parents/Carers,

We intend to operate the same system as in April for jotter pick up.

Please complete the form below to assist us with our planning. We anticipate that collection will take place on Wednesday 27th January.

Delivery or collection of Musical instruments sits separately from this exercise and we will confirm those arrangements in due course.

Good afternoon Mr Kane,

Could I ask you to share the following email with the wider parent forum via the school website and app? Once again, thank you for the dedication and hard work of you and your team!

Gavin

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you are all doing well, and keeping safe.

I just wanted to contact all of you to share an update which Mr Kane sent to me on Wednesday of this week. Updates, communication and feedback from the Head Teacher are not uncommon. However, I feel that in these most difficult of circumstances in which we all find ourselves, I should pass on some supportive and positive feedback about the quality of work and huge efforts being made by Mr Kane and all of the staff at St Joseph’s Academy. These are, as we know, unprecedented times. The schooling of our young people is neither ideal nor perfect right now but I think there is a huge amount of credit due here. The detailed communication which the Parent Forum regularly receives through the school website and App tells me that our young people are in good hands on a local school level!

Please have a read of the email below. It gives a great insight into just how much hard work is going on behind the scenes to support our school community. Also, a reminder that your Parent Council are here to support you too. Should you need to contact us you can email at: stjosephsacademyparentcouncil@gmail.com . We will endeavour to respond at the earliest opportunity.

Sincerest thanks to Mr Kane and all of his staff team.

Take care everyone and stay safe!

Gavin Duffy (Parent Council Chair).

UPDATE FROM MR KANE 13.01.2021

In terms of in-school provision, nine pupils were in attendance today, and our daily figure has varied between a low of three and high of fourteen. Members of SLT and PTs delivered various packs to pupils studying Art and Graphics.  This will support the completion of folio work.

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Dear Parents/Carers,

As was the case during the first lockdown, our Frequently Asked Questions page is designed as a reference point for you until our building re-opens to all pupils.  This page will be updated regularly in response to questions that recur in correspondence with you. Continue Reading →

Dear Parents/Carers and Pupils,

Please see updates from EAC in respect of the planned S4-S6 January assessment diet and next steps.

Letter to Pupils

Click to access Letter-to-Pupils-11.1.21.pdf

Letter to Parents/Carers

Click to access Letter-to-Parent-Carers-11.1.21.pdf

Dear Parents/Carers,

A common question received by school staff is around how much work we expect pupils to complete when learning online.

Given that we are all working in unusual circumstances, it is not possible for all pupils and all staff to replicate a school environment when at home.

Staff have a duty to provide work that can cover the allocation of teaching time across an entire week. Where possible, we encourage pupils to follow their normal in-school timetable when working at home.

Any live lessons will always take place against the actual timetable which operates when in school. Thereafter, staff are likely to set work week to week, and be available for pupils from a class group during the times when the pupils are supposed to be with that teacher.

However, we are fully aware of the challenges that online learning can bring, not only for families but also for staff. The most important point to consider at this stage is that all pupils should respond to any emails from staff. If a teacher notices that a young person is not completing work, they are likely to email pupils directly. During the last lockdown, many staff did not receive any response. We are keen to reassure you that staff are here to support pupils. It is much better for all concerned if a pupil makes contact with teachers to say that they are struggling or cannot complete a task for a specific reason. In this way, staff can provide direct reassurance and guidance.

We also anticipate that S1 pupils may encounter teething issues when navigating glow. Please know that this is part of the process which will be less of an issue as the days progress. Staff will always respond quickly to help pupils and families.

Pupils should try their best to follow their normal timetable, but should also know that staff are not naive to the pressure online learning can bring, and will always do what is necessary to reassure and support pupils.

Kind Regards

Mr Kane