6th Years, a chairde,
The decision by the Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh T.D., on Friday, April 10th to postpone the timing of the Leaving Certificate was based on advice he received from many sources. This has many implications for you at this time. Your Leaving Certificate examinations were to be 6 weeks away. Now they are in three months’ time. Some deadlines for practical work and practical examinations will take place much closer to the written examinations.
Thank you for your engagement with your teachers up to this point. Most teachers report excellent engagement by most of their classes. However, your planning needs to change so as to prepare for an examination in July/August rather than June.
I make the following recommendations:
Continue to engage with your teachers from now until the end of May.
Inform them of any difficulties you have in relation to accessing the internet. (They also may have connectivity issues depending on where they live.)
Maintain a discipline to your day. Keep studying regularly. Use your timetable as a guide. Do some study in the evening also.
Consider taking a two-week break from study in June.
You need to have a healthy balance between your study, exercise, hydration, nutrition and sleep.
It is hoped that you will be in school for two weeks before the examinations. These sessions will be more likely to be study blocks with your teachers rather than the conventional timetable. We will decide on how to proceed when the dates for the examinations are set.
These are very difficult times for all 60,000+ Leaving Certificate students. Focus on what you can control and make the best of your situation. The staff of the school are here to help you.
Is mise, le mess,
Anthony Doogan
Principal