NEW Page with OLD Information

This page, set up 29th June 2020, is for parents who may want to find some information or links that we chose to take down from the Support-4-Parents page. We did that to keep the page relevant for the summer. (Some of the old-but-good info below might also be useful again for us at Talbot if circumstances change…. so don’t delete it!!) 

Here are some information/links you may have been looking for… 

  1. Tips on how to manage our isolation, from men and women who’ve had to isolate for a long time. 
    • Five people share their expertise in the Guardian newpaper. Well worth reading. Advice includes:
      • “The first thing to do is get into a routine. It needs discipline. Do the same things in the same order every day. Make the weekends different. You have to differentiate time.”
      • “Keep mentally fit as well. It’s about reading books and doing something different. This is an ideal opportunity to learn something new.”
      • “Do not begin the day by rehearsing your grievances. Begin by remembering you’re alive and there are good things still. You may have to do tough things later, but take it one step at a time. Begin with gratitude; then ask for the grace to face the day and its difficulties. Then go and address the difficulties.”
      • “Keep busy. Don’t slouch around. Get up in the morning, get dressed, have a plan. It’s too easy to fritter away your time.”
  2. Eight great tips from a woman who self-isolated for 6 months on how we can get through self-isolation with a healthy mind: #1 Keep communicating,# 2 Have and stick to a routine of some kind, #3 Make technology work for you, #4 Focus only on what you can control and don’t waste energy worrying about things outside your control, #5 Be grateful for what you have or can do, # 6 Maybe use the time now to do something creative, #7 Accept: Accept the situation as it is, and so use your mental energy on what you CAN control, #8 Embrace the future and support each other … click on link (article in The Guardian newspaper)
  3. Five ‘simple’ and great tips for self-care (from the Psychological Society of Ireland)
  4. You might like this good article from Harvard Medical School called ‘Coping with coronavirus anxiety‘
  5. There’s an easy-to-understand video for children from RTE in early March that answers many many questions lots of children had.

Resources to Help Your Child Learn

  1. Each class teacher has been posting work and support for your child. Mostly on Seesaw, which by now you know about, but also on this website. Please check out the different pages on the top of this page:  We realise every child is different, every situation is different, and we don’t want to add to any pressure or anxiety, so don’t feel you ‘have to’ do x or y. You don’t. The resources are there to help you. (Children getting extra support)(3rd class)(4th class)(5th class)(6th class).
  2. Quality advice from experience of someone who has ‘home-schooled’ her 3 children for more than 10 years. Maria Steen shares her experience of how to go about home-schooling: Don’t panic, there is no perfect way, have a loose structure, for someone to learn then ‘little and often’ is better than ‘a lot and rarely’, there’s so many possibilities, have silence for part of the day, limit screen time, get the children to do some chores, and, most importantly, be kind to yourself, you might even enjoy it. 
    1. There’s loads of ideas ‘out there’. This is what Ciara O’Reilly of the Marino Institute suggested this on the Sean O’Rourke radio show: 
      1. Sit down with your child at the start of the day. Routine is so important and so helpful. 
      2. Work together, but in short bursts. Remember that school these days involves lots of getting up and moving about: children need breaks. 
      3. Don’t think it all has to be Maths and English: Think of practical things like gardening, cooking baking, telling the time, laundry. Maybe set a task for your child like ‘Make a plan for redecorating the front room for €x: what are you going to plan? How much does each thing cost?’ Maybe ask her/him to plan the menu for tonight’s dinner
      4. Use technology. If searching for ideas, use the hashtag #edshareie. Want to listen to books on Audible for free—as long as schools are closed, Audible is making great kids books available for streaming, free. And remember if you are a member of the Library you can get more ebooks and eAudiobooks online, free, using borrowbox. 
      5. Visual timetables are great for many kids, especially younger ones. (Make your own, your way, at a level suitable for your child. Google for examples.)
      6. And then a listener called in with a great, simple idea: give your child a daily prompt (a title, for example) to use to write a short story and send it by phone to her/his grandparents to read and then talk about later in the day. 
      7. But, please, “go easy on yourself”. Don’t feel you have to do it all. You don’t. 
  4. (NEW) Trouble getting your child to engage? Here’s “5 Tips for Getting Your Child to Engage with Schoolwork during Covid-19″ (From The Irish Examiner of April 22nd in an article called ‘How to timetable school at the kitchen table’)
    1. Personalise: Tailor everything to your child: content, pace, difficulty, quantity, and learning style. Give choice. Let the work lead to success without too much struggle. Use their interests (anything: cooking, music, sports, … ), and focus on developing their strengths more than what they’re weak at.
    2. Partner Up: listen to your child and discuss and agree on general and specific goals. Focus on reducing stress, increasing enjoyment, and boosting learning. Create your own assignments. Ask the class teacher for supports.
    3. Agree on a flexible routine. Use a visual timetable. Adapt to what works best in practice. Keep work short, and have time limits. Focus not on time spent at something but on reaching the goal–once the skill is achieved, move on. Mix it all up: free play, games, technology, physical activity, revision, and new learning. 
    4. Be a model! Let your child see and hear you learn, how you struggle, persist, revise, and make progress, one step at a time. Model what you want to see: reading, writing, exercise, behaviour, reflection, prayer, attitude, gratitude, etc. Children copy parents. 
    5. Praise effort and focus and progress, not ability, so as to foster curiosity and perseverance: “The harder I work, the smarter I get.” React to your child’s failures with interest, not concern: “Here is a mistake I can learn from.” 
  1. How should we talk to our children about Covid-19?
    1. Here is an article from the Irish Times from March 3rd. Key points include: 
      • If you want to protect your PRE-school child from all the bad news, do: just turn off the TV etc when they are around. 
      • Talk to your primary-school aged child in simple, concrete language that they can understand. DO talk to them. 
      • It’s better for them to get information from you, a trusted source, than their peers whose information may be unreliable. 
      • Give them space and time to express their thoughts and feelings. Give them the message that you can handle their thoughts and feelings. 
      • Correct anything they believe/heard that’s wrong. You can direct them towards sources of accurate information. 
      • Agree on steps that you and your children can take together to lower the risk of you getting the virus. Steps like agreeing on not shaking hands with people outside the home, of cleaning the hands repeatedly (when coming in the door from school; when about to cook or eat; when you sneeze or cough into your hand) and cleaning anywhere you cough or sneeze on.  
    2. The Department of Education has now also given advice to parents and schools on how to talk to children about Covid-19. Do read the two pages; it is full of good advice, including: 
      • Remember children do not always talk about their concerns readily. Watch for clues that they may want to talk, such as hovering around while you do the dishes etc.
      • Remind them that they should not make negative comments about others in relation to the virus.
      • Maintain a normal routine as much as possible, keeping to a regular schedule can be reassuring.
      • Try to limit their access to information on the internet/television/social media that might be upsetting to them.
      • Remember factual information about the virus can help reduce anxiety.
    3. A whole collection of diverse ideas to help talk to children about covid-19 are collected on this padlet. 

Old-But-Good Info For Parents

  1. The government’s ‘Public information Booklet‘ (pdf) that should have been posted into everyone’s homes on 1st April. 
  2. Sources of Accurate Information on Covid: 
    1. Questions and Answers from the WHO (World Health Organisation)
    2. Q&A, videos, webinars, infographics from the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Control)
    3. FACTS from the CDC (Center for Disease Control, USA)
    4. The Chief Medical Officer wrote parents of school-children a letter about Covid-19 on March 2nd. Here it is. It might help answer some questions.