To the parents of our Third Year students

Dear Parents / Guardians

We hope that you and your family are safe and well.

We are planning to hold an Information Meeting on Thursday 15th April at 7.00pm with the parents of our current Third Year Class in relation to:

  1. The End of Year exams for Third Years and
  • The plans for next year’s Transition Year 2021

Third Year Assessments:

In general, the marks for each subject will be based on:

75% of the marks will be based on the results of in-class tests which will take place from Tuesday 4th May to Friday 21st May.

25% of the marks will be based on the results received in that subject at christmas of Third Year, the summer of second year and at christmas of second year.

A School Based Certificate will come from the school which will set out the following:

·       Assessment Results/ Grade Descriptors

·       Classroom Based Assessments Levels of Achievement

·       Other Areas of Learning.

Additionally a Certificate of Completion will issue from the Department of Education and Skills. This will confirm your son/daughter has completed their 3 years in Junior Cycle.

Looking forward to seeing you online at our Information Evening on Thursday 15th April at 7.00pm

Yours faithfully

Kieran Golden

Principal

Students Return to School

Dear Parent and Guardian, a thuistí/a chaomhnóirí,

We are entering our third phase of re-opening our school following the successful return of our ASD classes, our sixth year students and our fifth year students. We are now looking forward to the safe return of the rest of our school community on Monday April 12th.  We all have worked hard to minimise the risk to everyone’s health & safety.  Your co-operation in all of this is essential. 

Having reviewed all our Health and Safety procedures and to ensure that our school is ready to re-open for the return of all our students on Monday 12th April, the following is an outline of our plan to re-open our school as safely as is possible.

Please discuss the following protocols with your son / daughter prior to their return to school:

Return to School Monday 12th April – Information for Parents/ Guardians and Students

The best way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in a school is to minimise the risk of introduction of the infection into the school setting in the first place. This can be achieved with your help through the following measures:

Symptoms of   Covid- 19.  They are:

  • high temperature
  • cough
  • shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
  • loss of smell/ taste or distortion of taste. 

Please be aware that your son/ daughter must not attend school if they have symptoms or signs that may suggest Covid-19 until they have taken appropriate medical advice and testing if appropriate. Students must not attend school if they have been told that they are close contacts of a person with Covid-19.

Return to School Declaration Form

All our parents must complete a Return to School Declaration Form following student’s absence from school following school holidays.

Respect control measures in place

  • hand hygiene – there are hand sanitisers at the entrance to our school, at the entrance to all classes and in every classroom and in strategic places around our school. Please use these
  • respiratory hygiene – coughing into the inside of your elbow
  • physical distancing within the classroom
  • physical distancing outside the classroom and within the school – during breaks, students must remain 2 metres apart
  • the use of face masks at all times.
  • All rooms are well ventilated

We remind parents if a student has been out of the country that they should not attend school until 14 days has passed.

Masks must be worn correctly at all times (no snoods). Please ensure that the mask is the appropriate size to cover both nose and mouth and is not loose. Snoods are not acceptable. If your son/daughter arrives in school without any of these items, they will be sent home.

Please make sure your son/daughter arrives, wearing a face mask, at the Main Gate at 8.50am. Once in the school, please emphasise to your son/daughter to go directly to their designated room.

Food will continue to be delivered to all our students during breaktimes in their designated rooms. Hot food is available every day for all students during the big break (1.15pm – 1.45pm) Students are to remain sitting at their desk while eating and not to walk around the room with face masks down.

Full school uniform must be worn every day.

Our focus on Monday is on welcoming our students back to school and getting them back into safe and responsible routines.  

Access to the school by a parent/ guardian can only be made by prior arrangement. You must ring the school to organise any essential meetings.

Your support in getting them ready for school is very important. We really appreciate your continued support in monitoring your son’s / daughter’s progress and co-operation since the start of this school year and in our final term.

Our priority is keeping our school open until the end of this term and ensuring that our students continue to learn in a safe environment.

Yours faithfully,

Kieran Golden                                                                                    Kathleen Daly

Principal                                                                                              Deputy Principal

Click Here for a PDF of this letter.

Support Numbers

  • We have a dedicated school email at careteam@mayfieldcs.net
  • Your own GP
  • Pieta House – 021 439 5333
  • Suicide Prevention Officer – Martin Ryan – 087 299 5913
  • HSE Mental Health Helpline 1800 247 247
  • Aware have a number of resources on their website at aware.ie
  • Aware support line: 1800 80 48 48

Leaving Certificate 2021

Dear Leaving Certificate student,

In a press release, issued on Wednesday, 17th February, the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 will go ahead. You can read the full text of the Press Release in the link below:
https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2021-press-releases/PR21-02-17.html

Outline of Arrangements for 2021 Leaving Certificate
1. Written Leaving Certificate examinations will be held as outlined in the timetable published by the State Examinations Commission. A copy of the timetable is posted on our school website and can be seen at www.examinations.ie

2. Every student will be offered and can decide to avail of either or both of the following:
(a) Sitting and receiving grades in the Leaving Certificate exams including where applicable, your performance in the completion of additional assessment components (coursework, orals etc) associated with particular subjects.
OR / AND
(b) Receiving a State Examinations Commission Accredited Grade in each subject , based on the school’s estimate of the student’s likely performance in the conventional exams.
3. This Accredited Grades system, to be operated by the SEC, will be available whereby Leaving Certificate candidates can opt to have grades in some or all of their subjects (to be known as “SEC Accredited Grades”) issued to them at the same time as the examination results.

4. The elements of the SEC Accredited Grades system will include the following:
• The professional judgement of each of the candidate’s teachers which will not be subject to appeal
• A form of in-school alignment to ensure fairness amongst candidates at school level
• Approval by the school principal of the estimated subject scores
• A process of standardisation at national level to ensure as much fairness as possible amongst this year’s candidates
• A right for students to appeal in respect of their Accredited Grade which will comprise a process review focused on examining possible errors in the transmission and processing of student data, and
• Provision as far as practicable for out-of-school learners or students studying one or more subjects outside school to apply to receive Accredited Grades through the devising of an appropriate and practicable process

Indicative Dates.
The following indicative dates have been provided by the Department of Education:
• May 14th – Closing date for collection of evidence of learning from 6th year student for the purpose of establishing an estimated mark.
• May 28th – Schools will close for all students to allow the final week for completion of alignment process and data entry related to SEC Accredited Grades by schools.
• June 4th – Closing date for schools to enter/return all data from the school to the SEC relating to SEC Accredited Grades.
• June 9th – Written Leaving Certificate examinations to commence in schools.
• The SEC will issue revised dates for submission of Leaving Certificate course work
• Updates regarding the Leaving Certificate 2021 including an information video can be accessed through the following link Leaving Certificate 2021
While this announcement is welcome and will give some relief and clarity to students, a number of details still remain to be worked out and communicated to us.
As soon as any updates are made available from the Department, we will let you know as quickly as is possible.
We look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, 22nd February when our online classes continue. We will meet you at assembly on Monday 22nd February at 12.15pm. Your parents are very welcome to attend this meeting on Monday as well.
Looking forward to seeing you all on Monday.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay Learning.
Take care
Kieran Golden Kathleen Daly
Principal Deputy Principal

Pre-State Exams

Pre-State Exams

You will be aware that our mock (Pre) Leaving and Junior Cert exams are planned to begin on Monday 8th Feb. 

The pre-exam papers for both Senior and Junior Cert have been ordered, however, given the current situation and in order to support our students,  the decision has been taken to postpone these exams until after mid-term. 

Depending on government guidelines, we will continue to update you on the re-scheduling of these exams.

Students need to continue to engage in their remote classes and to revise.

Regards

Kathleen Daly, Acting Principal

Remote Teaching and Learning

18th January 2021

Dear Parents,

I am writing to you as we begin our second week of remote teaching and learning. We would all prefer to be back in the classroom working with our students and doing what we do best but for now we have to stay home to keep everyone safe.

We have learned a lot from the last lockdown and hopefully the changes we have made to our remote teaching policy will ensure a richer learning experience for the students. The daily engagement on Google Classroom and the blend of live, recorded and independent learning should go some way towards reflecting real classroom teaching.

We expect all students to engage with the full timetable each day. However, we do realise that everyone’s circumstances are different and we ask that you contact us as soon as possible if there are any issues as to why your daughter/son can not engage and we will do our best to help you. 

To support your son/daughter and monitor their engagement you can access MCS ParentPoint.  Email mcsparentpoint@mayfieldcs.net for more details.

Our Student Support team is available at all times to listen to your concerns as a student parent or guardian. Please contact us at: careteam@mayfieldcs.net

Sincerely,

K. Daly  Acting Principal 

J. McMurtry Acting Deputy Principal

STEM Virtual Industry & Career Expo 2021

STEM South West’s Industry & Career Expo is back for its 2nd year next Wednesday 13th January from 5-9pm. This free virtual event will showcase careers in tech, pharma and engineering and highlight achievable pathways for students to fulfil their career goals. There will be expert speakers, virtual stands, opportunities to interact with people who work in STEM on a daily basis, subject choice discussions, interactive Q&A sessions, tech and science demos, career videos and prizes to be won.  

Over 60 leading STEM organisations in Cork and Kerry will be showcasing their work with interactive displays and activities. The STEM South West executive committee are working closely with virtual event organisers Davis Events and platform-providers VFairs to ensure a fun and educational STEM experience for all attendees.  

Exhibition Hall 

Enjoy visiting the virtual booths in the Exhibition Hall where attendees can connect with people who work in STEM, watch demonstrations and career videos, and avail of the advice of experts in a variety of STEM areas including virtual reality, robotics and astronomy construction, mechanical engineering, software engineering, information technology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering and science, electronics, weather-forecasting, agri-technology, environmental engineering, cybersecurity and much more.  

Speakers Corner 

Visit the Auditorium and enjoy talks and presentations by STEM experts including European Space Agency engineer, Laurence O’Rourke; inspiring global sustainability expert and co-founder of Change by Degrees, Madeline Murray; and the innovative creator of Izak9 Maths, Franz Schlindwein; and many more. 

Scavenger Hunt 

Take part in the STEM South West 2021 Scavenger Hunt, follow the STEM clues and be in with the chance to win great prizes. 

Students and parents can register for free tickets at www.stemsouthwest.ie

REGISTER HERE FOR FREE TICKETS TO STEM SOUTH WEST INDUSTRY & CAREER EXPO 2021