March 12th 2020.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As you are aware, we have been instructed to close the school from this evening until March 29th. This decision was taken in the interest of public health .
This is a difficult time for all students, especially exam students and most especially, Leaving Cert pupils. We would assure pupils that there is no need to panic. All Leaving Certs all over the country are in the same position and the Department of Education will be understanding of this unique situation.
With regard to Oral and practical exams, we are awaiting advice from the Department of Education and we will pass on that information as soon as we have it. Rest assured that everyone will be doing everything possible to ensure that the Leaving Cert students of 2020 are not placed at any disadvantage because of this current situation.
Here in St. Raphael’s, all teachers have given instructions to all students about working remotely over the next two weeks. Work can be given and submitted through Outlook and Microsoft teams and teachers will continue to work with their classes while school is closed. Please ensure that your sons/daughters have downloaded outlook on their device. If you have difficulty accessing work online, please phone classmates for the information. Some work has already been given to classes to keep them busy. We would encourage pupils to follow their normal school timetable over the next two weeks and complete their work in this way. Please check outlook daily for emails from teachers.
Finally and most importantly, we hope that everyone of our school community remains safe and healthy throughout this time. We pray that God will guard and guide us through these challenging times. Please forward any questions or concerns to me by email at paul.cafferky@saintraphaels.ie or to Mr. Hardiman at john.hardiman@saintraphaels.ie
Le gach dea-ghuí
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Paul Cafferky