Information for Parents from the NCCA
August 27, 2013
The NCCA have published a series of leaflets for parents to help them to support their children through school. The leaflets are available in Irish and English and can be downloaded from www.ncca.ie.
€742,438 awarded for Irish Language Assistants Scheme for 2013/2014
August 27, 2013
Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dinny McGinley T.D., last week announced a grant of €742,438 for the 2013/2014 school year to run the Irish-Language Assistants Scheme.
This scheme, which was launched in 1999, focuses on enriching the level of Irish among students, and encouraging the use of the language as a default means of communication among the students. In April 2012, significant developments to the scheme were announced under the Family Language Support Programme as part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language. Under this scheme, 80 language assistants provide support services in 100 Gaeltacht schools.
For the 2013/2014 academic year, the grant will be divided between two organisations, Muintearas and Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne. Muintearas will hold responsibility for service provision in Gaeltacht schools in Galway, Mayo, Donegal and Meath, and Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne will assume the same responsibility for Gaeltacht schools in Kerry, Cork and Waterford.
This year’s allocation of funding sees the scheme reduce by 2.5% on last year’s figure of €762,378. As substantial changes were made to the scheme recently, last year’s figure represented an increase of over €150,000 on previous years. The increased funding allowed for further resources and greater contact hours with pupils.
‘Cluas sa Chlós’ (an ear in the yard), was a new initiative launched last year under the scheme to encourage the use of Irish outside of the classroom so that Irish would be the primary means of communication among students playing in the school yard. While the scheme previously focussed solely on the children in the school who did not have Irish, last year saw the introduction of supports for all pupils by providing extra contact hours to all schools located in areas where Irish is the primary language of the community.
Speaking on the announcement of the funding, Minister of State McGinley said: “When I launched that Programme in April 2012, I referred to the importance of an amended approach to the practical support of Gaeltacht families who are raising their children through Irish or who wish to do so. The grant announced today will enable the two organisations that administer the Irish-Language Assistants Scheme to continue to actively support the preservation and strengthening of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht.”
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Is Leor Beirt ar ais i gCeatharlach!
August 27, 2013
Doors to 11 new schools set to open
August 27, 2013
Tears flowed for infants and parents parting at the classroom door for the first time, but they are not the only ones marking new beginnings this week.
The doors to 11 new schools will swing open over the coming days in response to the latest baby boom. These are newly established schools, separate to new buildings that may be occupied by existing schools. Among them are seven primary schools taking in their first infant classes, five in Dublin, and one each in counties Cork and Kildare. There are two new Galway second-level schools and one each in Dublin and Meath. All 11 are multi- denominational schools under the patronage of Educate Together, local education and training boards (formerly vocational education committees), or An Foras Pátrúnachta. Many are in temporary premises until new purpose-built schools are ready to occupy, but they will only be enrolling infant or first-year classes each year, so it will be a number of years before they all need to have permanent full-capacity accommodation.
The largest new primary school is the Rochestown Educate Together National School in the southside suburb of Cork. It will eventually have a 24-classroom school although it will not be completed this year. But the infant class has already had a taste of what lies ahead in their temporary home at the Douglas Hall soccer club grounds. A play day for incoming pupils at the weekend gave children and parents a chance to meet each other and their teacher Noirín Moore. “The children were very excited to see where their new school will be. We look forward to meeting them all for their first day of school on Thursday, and having a cup of tea or coffee with the parents to mark this special occasion in the lives of their family,” said principal Alan Sheehan. While there are no faith-based schools opening this year, two new denominational second-level schools are set to enrol their first students in 2014. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn announced a year ago that a Church of Ireland school is to open in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
A new school will also open in a year’s time in the Mulhuddart/ Tyrellstown area of Dublin under the patronage of Le Chéile Schools Trust. The eight other second- level schools set to open in Sept 2014 include three all-Irish schools, in Carrigaline, Co Cork, and Balbriggan and Dundrum in Dublin. An all-Irish unit is to be attached to a new school opening in Maynooth, Co Kildare, with the prospect of it becoming an independent Gaelcholáiste if enough enrolment interest is shown in the first four years.
www.irishexaminer.com
Sharp rise in numbers enrolling for primary school
August 27, 2013
Tóin ag titim amach as an Ghaeilge mar ábhar GCSE
August 27, 2013
Irish language party in Guildhall Square
August 26, 2013
Details of the second birthday bash for a drive to get as many people as possible speaking Irish by 2015, have been announced.
In January the Sentinel reported how the Líofa (fluent) party would take place in Londonderry this year. Breithlá Líofa 2012 will be a free event in Guildhall Square on Sunday (September 8) from 1pm to 4pm. It’s now been announced Fearghal Mac Uiginn will host the party, which will feature performances from Gweedore songstress Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, traditional collective Sontas, and acclaimed Scottish singer Maeve Mackinnon who will be joined by Ross Martin and Angus Lyon. Last year Líofa’s first birthday, which took place in Custom House Square, Belfast, attracted criticism from Traditional Unionist voice (TUV) MLA Jim Allister as it cost upwards of £17k.
But Líofa supporters claim the drive has been used to bring communities together, not least at a major cross-community event in Londonderry organised by the Grand Orange Lodge and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The organisers of the the forthcoming party are inviting everyone to come along whether they can speak Irish or not. There will be traditional music from Ireland and Scotland, children’s activities and fun for all the family, the organisers say.
www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk
Dream fulfilled as Clon gets purpose-built gaelscoil
August 26, 2013
It is the long-awaited fulfilment of a dream for many families and teachers in a West Cork town.
On this Wednesday, students and teachers will march through Clonakilty town to a new, purpose-built gaelscoil. At 10.15am, they will assemble for the last time at the school’s leased classrooms in the Waterfront Buildings on Clarke St. From there, they will leave on foot, walking through the town centre to the new state-of-the-art Gaelscoil Mhichíl Uí Choileáin on Fernhill Road at the western end of Clonakilty. School principal Carmel Nic Airt said the walk should take approximately 20 minutes. “On arrival, there will be a ceremonial raising of the school flag at the new building,” she said. Furthermore, local historian Tim Crowley and wife Dolores, who run the Michael Collins Centre, will present one of a limited series of miniature statues of Michael Collins — similar to a seven feet monument erected at Emmet Square.
The miniature will be on display at the new Gaelscoil building. Ms Nic Airt said that a member of Michael Collins’ family will also be present at the occasion, as will the Mayor of Clonakilty, Phil O’Regan.
Gaelscoil Chloch na gCoillte, as it was first known, started in Sep 1994 with Carmel Nic Airt as its only teacher in charge of just 20 pupils. “Over the years it has moved half a dozen times to rented buildings in various locations around Clonakilty town as pupil and staff numbers grew,” This week, the new term will witness more than 265 pupils and 25 staff move into the new building.
www.irishexaminer.com
Rúnaí scoile á lorg ag Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha, Baile Chill Dara
August 23, 2013
Rúnaí scoile á lorg ag Gaelscoil na Giúise, Teach na Giúise
August 23, 2013
