Seesaw App


How can teacher/pupil interaction take place during this time?
We use Seesaw App in our school. Pupils use it  as a distance learning tool, with great success. Pupils uploaded pictures of their work so the teachers could assess/comment on it etc. Teachers also put up some supplementary activities pupils could do. It is a safe, efficient platform for communication between teacher and pupil.
Do pupils have to use this app/website?
We understand the challenges of time, slow internet connection, lack of devices and the strain on the family unit at this time. We also understand that pupils in the junior end may not have the digital skills needed and would rely heavily on parents/siblings. Hence, Seesaw is merely an option in which we feel we could help families. It is your choice whether you want your child to upload work onto it and interact with the teacher, but from our experience it is beneficial for the pupils.

How will log ins/ access work?
Each family should have a home learning code for each child. Please email secretary@kenaghns.net if you have any problems logging in or need a new code. 
How do you sign into Seesaw?
  1. 1..Go to https://web.seesaw.me on a computer. Or install the Seesaw Class iOS or Android app.
2. Tap “I’m a Student”.
3. Type in your Home Learning code.
4. Post to your journal, respond to activities, and view class announcements.
5. Remember, this code is like a password. Keep it safe!

 Any questions?
Please contact the school email – naomhdominicns@gmail.com or leave
a message on the school phone 043-3322456.

We hope that this of help to families and that everyone stays safe during this time.
With every good wish,
Ms. Dennigan and staff of St. Dominic’s NS

How the Skeleton Stole Christmas
A St. Dominic's N.S Production
*​Creative Schools Film*

Principal's Newsletter 23rd November

We are now more than half way through our first term. We are so proud of the way our school community continues to meet the demands and challenges we face each day.
 
Our pupils are so happy to be back in the school building and definitely enjoying the structure of shared learning with their peers. They have been exemplary in adaption to the new routines in the school day.
 
Thank you for the many other ways you as parents continue to help during this challenging time:
  • Thank you for checking your children’s health each morning. Parents who called, or used the Aladdin app to notify of their child’s absence, with updates on why their child may not be coming to school that day is crucial.
  • Thanks you for updating us. This has been a worrying time for families who are being tested or awaiting results. In general if you or someone in your house is awaiting a Covid test or test result, then nobody in the house should attend school. If tests are being undertaken as part of work, you can let us know. Please continue to email principal: naomhdominicns@gmail.com or call the school.
  •  Thank you for adhering to family bubbles and social distancing at the gate before and after school. Social distancing at the gate is crucial in ensuring safety for all. Please continue to adhere to this.
 ​
Covid 19 Symptoms
We will continue to communicate any new information from the HSE/ Department of Education to you. You can check out advice for parents using our Covid 19 tab on our website. http://www.kenaghns.com/advice-for-parents.html
 
Dates for your diary:
County Photos Visit the school on Tuesday 8th December
22nd December Final Day of School Term, school closes at 12pm.
 
GAA Skills:
Seamus Hughes coaching development officer visits the school on Monday for training with each class. All covid restrictions are followed.
 
Parent Teacher Meetings
Parents Teacher meeting will take place in February this year. You can make contact with your child’s class teacher at any time using the Seesaw app or by calling or emailing the school. 043-3322456 / naomhdominicns@gmail.com
 
Credit Union Art
Congratulations to Daisy , 6th class , who was a winner in the Mullingar Credit Union Art competition.
 
Apps
Aladdin app is the main communication app the school uses. We encourage all families to download and use the app to receive noticeboard messages, input absence reasons and update your contact details at any time.
The Seesaw App is used as a learning platform for students work and is used in all classrooms. Each pupil has a portfolio and teachers are currently using it to communicate homework and other class activities.
If you have any difficulty with set up or download, please give the school a call.
 
Creative Schools
Our Creative Schools project will hopefully reignite next week. It is intended that the senior classes in the school will script and star in a film/ digital creation. More updates to follow!
 
 
Covid 19 has brought changes and challenges to our lives that we never expected.
Let us continue to work together to keep safe.
 
 
 
 
Kind regards,
 
Miriam Dennigan
Principal
 
 
 
 
 

Welcome to Junior Infants

See you all at 12:30 !

NOTICEBOARD

Our online noticeboard will be used throughout school closure for Covid 19 to help update families during this time .
Updates will also be sent by text and by email.

School Reopening

Pleae visit the school reopening tab at the top of the page for more information. 

 Plan for Confirmation 18th August 2020

A meeting of the Parish Council took place this evening at 7pm to finalise arrangements for Confirmation.The following are the  final arrangements:

  • The weather is very unpredictable for tomorrow so  it has been decided to conduct the ceremony indoors to ensure the ceremony runs to plan.
  • Children will sit in the church at a social distance from other children  while  immediate family and sponsors will listen to the ceremony outside in the car park and will have the opportunity to come in as a family unit at the anointing with chrism/confirming. 
  • Family unit is immediate family and sponsor only. 
  • Children will be confirmed in alphabetical order / by number to help with the logistics of bringing the family unit in. Each family unit will have a number from 1-25 .PLEASE SEE FAMILY NUMBER BELOW.
  • Family unit will be given their number  on entrance to the car park, this is ensure that ushers/ families know what units come in at what time   .
  • The ushers will signal when it is time for your family unit to come into the church.
  • It will run  in groups of 3 family units at a time in the church and when they exit the next group will come in. ( 1,2,3 will be confirmed and  when them families exit, then 4,5,6  family units will come in).
  • Sponsor and family will stand behind the confirmation candidate while the candidate is being annointed.
  • Photographer will take pictures of each family group as the candidate is being annointed with the Chrism
  • Family units will then move to the left of the altar to receive the Eucharist , they will then exit the church and children will return to their seats.

  • Please note:
  • All children to be there at 5.10pm at the latest
  • Group photo will be taken at 5.15pm in the church before the ceremony by photographer, these photos will be issued at a later date to all families.
  • Photographs can be taken in the church afterwards, family units will be allowed into the church in a controlled manner at a social distance, this will stewarded by the ushers at the door. 

We are hoping the  children enjoy their historic and very special ceremony tomorrow.

Kind regards,
Ms Dennigan and Ms Hughes

Family Unit Number: 
(1,2,3 will enter church together and so on in groups of 3.)

1.Leah Bawle
2.Sean Carberry
3.Lorcan Courtney
4,Niall Curley
5.Nessa Curran
6.Neasa Christina Donohoe
7.Katie Doyle
8.Mark Doyle
9.Brody Duignan Murphy
10.Eimear Farrell
11.Georgia Ganly
12.Aobh Halse
13.Grace Hennessy
14.Tori Higgins
15.Ava Horkan
16.Caragh Lenehan
17.Mark McDonald
18.Jack Molloy
19.Robin Óg Murphy
20.Kevin O'Reilly
21.Adam Percival
22.Nicole Phelan
23.Riley Rhatigan
24.Mia Rowan





 Reopening of St. Dominic's N.S.

                                                                                                                17/8/2020
                                        RE: Re-opening of St.Dominic’s N.S.
Dear Parent / Guardian,
I hope you and your families are keeping well.
As you are aware, our school building has now been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 situation.  We are now hoping to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations on Thursday 27th August 2020.

Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of the school is done in a safe manner which prevents the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of Teaching and Learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible.

We have been working on our plan for the safe reopening of the school for some weeks now and have published the DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools in the new School Reopening section of our website. 
The Response Plan gives details of:
Physical preparation, signage, hand sanitiser stations, advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all school staff and pupils, general and specific advice on how all pupils, staff, parents and visitors will prevent the spread of the virus.We have also published our COVID-19 Policy Statement under our school reopening section. 

Our BoM will keep you informed as to the progress of our re-opening plans and provide you with the information required by you to play your part in safely re-opening the school.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our children back to school and will be doing all that we can to ensure that the return to school is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children. We will be in touch with  lots more information before the school re-opens on Thursday 27th August. 
 
Le meas,
 
Board of Management, St. Dominic’s N.S.
 

Aladdin Connect App for St. Dominic's

​Dear Parent/Guardian,
 
Our school is delighted to announce that we will shortly roll out the Aladdin Schools Connect to parents/guardians of children in our classes.  
 
The school uses the Aladdin Schools software service www.aladdin.ie for administrative purposes and Connect will give you secure access to messages from the school and to details of your child’s epyaments,  attendance, test results, reports cards etc  via secure login from your internet browser or Aladdin Connect App
 
Aladdin Connect is a fantastic way to enhance a school's communication with  parents. It enables parents to stay connected and informed about their child's education by:
- Can view and pay outstanding payments for your child
- Ensuring that the school has their most up to date contact information
- Allowing schools to gather permission(s) from parents
- Keeping parents apprised of their child's attendance
- Keeping parents up to date on school and classroom news via noticeboard messages
- Allowing parents view their child's approved report card
- Giving parents the option to opt in to share contact information with their child's classmates’ parents via the Parent Privacy option for the class list.


Along with strengthening our home/school partnership, we also envisage Aladdin Connect helping the school by:
- Helping to improve attendance by allowing parents to keep track of any school days their child may have currently missed, along with late arrival and early leaving information.
- Helping to reduce the amount of class/school notes being sent home
- Helping the school/ teachers communicate with parents when the need arises
- Reducing costs by eliminating the need to send school report cards by post
- Reducing costs by reducing the number of text messages that need to be sent
 
You can rest reassured that Aladdin Schools uses state-of-the-art security to safeguard information entered by the school and data is stored and processed in strict compliance with Irish and European data protection laws.
 
In the next few days, you will receive a text/email message containing your registration link.  There will be one link per parent which will allow the parent to access information for all their children in the school from one user account. Please do not forward this text/email or share this link as this is a unique registration code for each parent for your child/children in this school.

During registration you will choose a password that will be used in conjunction with your email address to securely access the Aladdin Connect going forward. If you choose you may share your own contact details with other parents of children in the same class as your children, but please be reassured that this information will not be shared unless you choose to share it. Once you are registered you will be sent an email with links to download the Aladdin Connect App for your mobile device. The main advantage of using the App is to receive immediate alerts for app messages sent by your school. Downloading the App is highly recommended to enhance both the parent and school's Connect experience. 

In preparation for this please let the school know if your email address or phone number has changed recently.
Please note: If there are any personal concerns, or legal provisions in place regarding giving access to Connect to any parent/guardian of your child please contact the school in confidence to discuss or restrict access as required.
 
We hope that you enjoy using Aladdin Connect. We welcome  any feedback or questions you may have.
 
Yours sincerely,
Miriam Dennigan
Principal

​​​St. Dominic’s  N.S.  Book Rental Scheme


09/6/2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,
The St Dominic’s NS book rental scheme has proved a great success with an almost 100% uptake across the school. The scheme provides parents with a significant saving and the committee endeavour to minimise costs to parents each year.
We have managed to keep the book rental fee for the 2020/2021 academic year at €65, the same as last year. If you wish to register your child for 2020/2021 then please follow the steps below.

  • You will receive a text message containing a payment access link to Aladdin
 
  • Click the link to make payment
 
  • You can pay the full 65.00 payment  or pay in instalments on or before 15 August 2020
 
  • A minimum of €10.00 deposit to join the scheme must be paid before 27th June.
 
Please ensure that your child’s current books are  checked and cleaned prior to returning to the scheme over the coming weeks.
 
 
If you have any queries regarding the book rental scheme then please contact
Saundra Galvin (086 1606144 ) or
Sinead Kelly (086 3473228)
 
 
 
Yours Sincerely,
St.  Dominic’s N.S. Book Rental Scheme Committee 

Introduction of ePayment Facility 


Dear Parent/Guardian,
Our school is delighted to announce that we are rolling out the Aladdin ePayment system to parents/guardians of children in our school.

Our school uses the Aladdin software service for administrative purposes and the ePayment system will give you access from an internet browser on your computer, phone or tablet to make secure payments to the school using your credit or debit card.  The purpose of the ePayment system is to facilitate the easier payment of school money collections for parent/guardians and to reduce the amount of cash and cheques being sent into our school in line with recent central bank directives.  

Aladdin uses state of the art security to safeguard information entered by you and the school and data is stored and processed in strict compliance with Irish data protection laws.

Going forward, when money is due for any school activity that is relevant to your children, you will receive a text/email message containing your payment access link.  Please do not forward this text/email or share this access link as this link is unique for your family only. The link will bring you to a parent payment page which will contain all payments requested for all siblings in a family.  There is only one link per family ensuring you have the option to pay all amounts due for all your children in one transaction. Once you have completed your payment, you will be issued with a reference number. You will also receive an email receipt which will contain details of the transaction and reference number. Please quote this reference number in any queries you may have as regards this payment with the school.

Should it be the case that you do not wish your email address or phone number to be used to receive details relating to payment access links and new payment requests, please let us know.
We hope that you will find the Aladdin ePayments facility useful and that it is a very successful system for all. 

Yours sincerely,
Miriam Dennigan
Principal
​

Collection of Student Materials on Monday May 18th

Dear Parents,

You can visit the school grounds  on Monday May 18th from 10am-12pm to allow you to collect your children’s materials. 

We understand this is a difficult time for everyone and we appreciate that this experience is not exactly how we would like to be able to do things. Unfortunately, we have to reduce the risk of physical contact and follow the guidelines below. 

Whether you are travelling to school on foot, by car or otherwise, it is important to ensure you follow these directions in order to reduce risk and comply with government regulations. 

  1. Please bring a bag with you to make the collection of the books quicker and easier. 
  2. Where possible, please come to the school alone. 
  3. Please queue at a cone on the pathway into the school,please make sure that you uphold social distancing rules. 
  4. ‘Collection points’ will be through two ‘hatches’ i.e. front windows of the school ( Ms. Mullooly’s and Ms. Lennon’ s classrooms) .
  5. When you reach the  collection point, your child(ren)’s books (s) will be handed through the ‘hatch’. 
  6. To ensure your safety, we are operating a one-way system so everyone will have to leave through the gate in the  yard.  Please ensure that you do not try and leave the same way you came in. 
  7. Please drive out of the carpark the same way you usually do at the end of the school day.

We are relying on your cooperation for this so please ensure that you help us out by following directions.

Please email naomhdominicns@gmail.com if you need alternative arrangements or have any questions or queries. 


As always, I thank you for all your support at this time. I will keep you updated as things develop.

Is mise le meas,
Miriam Dennigan 
Principal

​

Principal's Letter 11/5/20

Dear Parents,

We hope that you and your families are well.

We are sure you are all aware at this stage that we will not return to school this term due to the continued restrictions around Covid-19 pandemic. We will complete the term using 'remote learning'- a challenge none of us expected to face this school year! 

Books/Resources 
We are aware that some books and resources of the pupils are currently in ‘lockdown’ in the school. We will be in contact again later this week to make arrangements for delivery or collection of the same from 18th May onward. 

Surveys
We are very pleased with the huge levels of engagement with our remote learning platform, Seesaw . Our recent surveys really gave us insight into how we can further develop our activities in the coming weeks. Many thanks for taking part. 

Class Blogs
This week we open our class blogs on Seesaw. These blogs are a social platform for pupils where they can leave messages, videos or show off their wonderful work to one another . It is a safe, secure method of communication and every post will be pre-approved by the teachers. 

Thank you! 
We would like to say a massive thanks to all you , we understand the pressure on every household at this time. Teachers are sending a ‘menu’ of work each week, we remind you to do what  suits your child and your circumstances.Please do not hesitate to contact the school on naomhdominicns@gmail.com with any questions or queries.

With every good wish,

Ms. Dennigan and Staff
St.Dominic’s N.S. 

​

We are.. project! 

Week 1: We are ….. Photographers!
We are already published authors this year in our We are Writers book. Each week we will have a new whole school themed project. This week We are Photographers.  Take a picture of something or someone and tell us about more details about the picture. Give the picture a name.  Don't forget to put it on Seesaw! We hope to put the photos together and have one whole school picture project for our hallways in September!


St. Dominic's N.S. Wellbeing Pack 

Links to Websites for School Closure

Notice from Principal

                                                                                                                                                          03/04/2020

​Dear Parents,
We are hoping all our families are safe and well at this time. Our remote learning platform is working well with great interaction among pupils and teachers over the past few weeks.

It appears we will not be returning to school as scheduled after Easter. We will now take a break from St. Dominic's remote learning and continue after Easter from Monday April 20th.

Please find guides for parents about talking to children about Covid-19 on our noticeboard below. Please contact naomhdominicns@gmail.com for any requirements. Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter.

Wishing you all the best until then,
Ms.Dennigan and staff of St. Dominic's N.S.

Guides for Parents 

Message from Creative Schools Committee

CREATIVE COOKING IDEAS

We would love you to continue to contribute to our Creative Schools Programme from your home.
We know that a lot of pupils are busy helping in the kitchen during this time, doing some baking and cooking. 

We would love if you could take pictures of your creative kitchen creations.
You could share the picture on Seesaw  with your class teacher , email it to naomhdominicns@gmail.com or share it with us when we return to school.

Here's some useful links: 


Devoked Cakes are doing live bake alongs every Monday at 11am on their Facebook page.

Funny Food Art 
This link here has some pictures on funny food art that you could use as ideas in your home. http://www.funnyfoodart.com/prints-for-sale


Looking forward to seeing your pictures,
St. Dominic's Creative Schools Team 



Principal’s Letter 20/3/2020


                                                                                                                                                                20/03/2020
Dear Families,
I hope that all families are keeping safe and well during this challenging time. This is an unprecedented situation worldwide and we are learning to adapt to a new normal for now.
How can teacher/pupil interaction take place during this time?
We use Seesaw App/Website in the fifth and sixth class in your school. Some pupils have used it this week as a distance learning tool, with great success. Pupils uploaded pictures of their work so the teachers could assess/comment on it etc. Teachers also put up some supplementary activities pupils could do. It is a safe, efficient platform for communication between teacher and pupil.
We are now going to make Seesaw available to all pupils in our school.
Do pupils have to use this app/website?
We understand the challenges of time, slow internet connection, lack of devices and the strain on the family unit at this time. We also understand that pupils in the junior end may not have the digital skills needed and would rely heavily on parents/siblings. Hence, Seesaw is merely an option in which we feel we could help families. It is your choice whether you want your child to upload work onto it and interact with the teacher, but from our experience it is beneficial for the pupils.
Will my child receive the same work if they are not on Seesaw?
All pupils received scheduled work last Thursday when school closed. Any follow-on work will be communicated through Seesaw AND school email so all pupils will have access to the same work schedule.
How will log ins/ access work?
Each family will receive a home learning code via text for each individual child. You will receive your text  by  Monday 23rd March.
How do you sign into Seesaw?
  1. 1..Go to https://web.seesaw.me on a computer. Or install the Seesaw Class iOS or Android app.
2. Tap “I’m a Student”.
3. Type in your Home Learning code.
4. Post to your journal, respond to activities, and view class announcements.
5. Remember, this code is like a password. Keep it safe!
Remember..
  • All pupils have access logins to Manga High website which they can use for Maths activities assigned by our teachers.
  • There are links below to lots of activities and ideas for pupils to stay active during this time.
Any questions?
Please contact the school email – naomhdominicns@gmail.com or leave
a message on the school phone 043-3322456.

We hope that this of help to families and that everyone stays safe during this time.
With every good wish,
Ms. Dennigan and staff of St. Dominic’s.

Recommended Websites for School Closure


 
                                                                                                                                                                
Dear Parents,
Please find below a number of online resources we often use in our school. These websites are freely available over the next number of weeks to use to supplement the works assigned by our teachers.
 
www.mangahigh.com
Our previous access still works so children’s previous passwords and logins should still be active.
 
www.scoilnet.ie
This is another website with a wealth of worksheets and topics for researching.
 
www.nessy.com/free-trial/signup
Nessy is offering 8 weeks of free reading and spelling, structured literacy instruction to children. Parents  may use this link to sign up .
 
www.twinkl.ie
Twinkl are offering a free month to parents. This website is incredible. It is full of printable worksheets for pre-schoolers upwards.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all classes!!!
 
www.getepic.com
Instant access 35,000 books. Learning videos, quizzes and more.
Free access for 30 days!

Principal's Letter 12/03/2020


                                                                                                                                                                12/03/2020

Dear Parents,

An announcement was made this morning by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD of the closure of schools, for a period until 29 March 2020 , to support efforts to contain the spread of Covid- 19. This will take effect from 6pm this evening, Thursday 12 March.

All pupils in our school have received a schedule of work for home over the next two weeks, along with supplementary workpacks and online activities.


This is a challenging time for all families and we hope that this preventative measure is pro-active in helping contain the threat of Covid- 19.

Le meas,

Miriam Dennigan
Principal






St. Dominic's N.S. Roll Number:  15154L                                                 naomhdominicns@eircom.net                                                                                    043-3322456                  

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