New Laois bilingual secondary school will provide diversity in Portlaoise said Irish language patron
November 4, 2016
The Irish language group that will co-patron Portlaoise’s new secondary school say the new school in Portlaoise will provide diversity in being both co-educational and multi-denominational.
An Foras Pátrúnachta and the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board were approved as a trustee partners of a new school by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD.
Caoimhín O’hEaghra is General Secretary of An Foras Pátrúnachta.
“We are delighted to have been approved as a trustee partner for this new secondary school in Portlaoise. We look forward to working with Laois Offaly Education and Training Board who have a long history of excellent education provision in this region.
‘‘Choice is very important to An Foras Pátrúnachta and we are delighted that parents’ preferences were considered as part of this patronage selection process. The new school in Portlaoise will provide diversity in being both co-educational and multi-denominational.
‘‘Our aim is provide Irish-medium education to every child who wants it. The Irish-medium unit will ensure that there is more diversity of language provision and we will use our expertise to grow the Irish-medium unit in the new secondary school into an independent Gaelcholáiste under the co-patronage of the two organisations,” he said.
The other applicant for patronage was the Catholic Schools body CEIST.
New Portlaoise secondary school will teach in Irish and English
November 4, 2016
Portlaoise’s new secondary school, due to open in September 2017, is to offer classes in Irish as well as English.
The patron of the new school was announced today, November 3 as Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (ETB), partnered with An Foras Pátrúnachta. It will include an Irish language unit, Aonad Lán-Gaeilge.
The patron was chosen by the Department of Education, with one other submission by the Catholic organisation Ceist, which is already patron of Scoil Chriost Ri and St Mary’s CBS.
Laois TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, welcomed the announcement.
“The development of a fourth secondary school marks unprecedented progress in the education sector in Portlaoise and will ensure that Portlaoise will have an excellent suite of first class schools”
“There has been a rapid population increase in Laois which has put severe pressure on the secondary schools in the area. Construction of a further secondary school in Portlaoise will ensure that there are sufficient school places available for pupils in the Portlaoise area. The priority now is to ensure that the school building is commenced without further delay,” he said.
The school will open in temporary accommodation for first year students, with the location not yet announced.
A permanent new building is to be constructed, which once fully operational, will cater for 1000 students.
Minister Flanagan noted that many other schools around Laois need repairs.
“I am acutely aware that a number of schools around the county are in need of repair and upgrade. In addition, it is essential that the new school building for St Francis Special School is progressed without further delay. I am working with the Department of Educationto ensure that these issues are addressed,” he said.
The patron was chosen by the Department of Education, with one other submission by the Catholic organisation Ceist, patron of Scoil Chriost Ri and St Mary’s CBS. A submission was withdrawn by Educate Together following a lack of local support in their proposal.
National award for Limerick pre-school
November 3, 2016
Limerick Pre-School Naíonra na nÓg has won the title of ‘Best Indoor Learning Environment in Ireland’ at the Maternity and Infant Early Education Awards.
Now located in Shannonvale on the Old Cratloe Road, Naíonra na nÓg was established 16 years ago and director Yvonne O’Sullivan said that the award has highlighted the team’s dedication to early childhood learning.
“I’m delighted to receive the award on behalf of my amazing team and that their dedication and passion for providing stimulating, challenging, playful environments for our children has been recognized. We are always striving to improve our practice and be an Early Years Centre of Excellence so this award means so much to us.”
Yvonne’s team at Naíónra na nÓg includes Clara O’Dwyer, Bernie O’Loughlin, Sara Darcy and Niamh Breen, along with Sarah McGee and Edel Lavin of Once Upon a Time Montessori (also under the stewardship of Yvonne) which relocated to the Shannonvale premises this year from Scoil Chríost Rí Caherdavin.
A judging panel of industry experts was appointed by early years childcare experts Canavan Byrne who adjudicated the awards down to a shortlist and included a site visit by industry expert judges to the Limerick school.
One of the judges Imelda Graham said how she “loved the fact that the school environment promoted independence, self-directed learning and creativity.”
Naíonra na nÓg Pre-School was established in 2000 in Caherdavin by Yvonne, who last week graduated with a Bachelor of Education from Mary Immaculate College.
Yvonne said that their service has “grown from humble beginnings to a custom-built state of the art premises when the school relocated to Shannonvale in September 2015.”
The new school contains three large zoned classrooms of two Naíonra classrooms and one Montessori classroom that encourage children to develop holistically through play, a sports hall for physical education, and walled garden for outside play.
For more information on Naíonra na nÓg visit www.naionrananog.ie
Gaelscoil Osraí leading the way in healthy eating for children
November 2, 2016
Parents and staff of Gaelscoil Osrai enjoyed a well attended and positive evening on Thursday, when Professor Donal O’ Shea and Dietician Ellen Roche spoke about healthy eating.
The evening was part of a week-long focus on healthy eating and wellness in the school and parents were given an opportunity to hear from two of the best speakers in the country on the topic of ‘Nourishing our Children’ — focusing on the importance of and practical ways of ensuring children get the very best chance of learning to eat and drink in a healthy way.
While there are about 15 schools in Kilkenny taking part in the Healthy Promoting School programme at the moment, Gaelscoil Osrai was the first school in Kilkenny, and the first Gaelscoil in the south-east, to be recognised as a Health Promoting School. The school worked under the guidance of the HSE’s Joan Murphy, who is the National Healthy Schools Co-ordinator and also a parent in the school. The programme is based on a whole school approach, with heavy emphasis on consultation with everyone in the school community, to establish areas around health promotion that need attention.
Prof O’ Shea is one of Ireland’s leading experts on obesity. He is an endocrinologist based at St Vincent’s Hospital and is the clinical lead for the Weight Management services provided at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown, Dublin.
In recent years he has appeared on Operation Transformation and is passionate about trying to prevent obesity and caring for those who are obese and overweight.
Ellen Roche, a dietitian with locally based Nutri Vive, provided parents with tips to help manage Fussy Eaters and healthy Lunchbox Ideas.
The importance of healthy eating for children has been a cause for concern for a number of years.
Healthy eating policy
Having established a committee of teachers, pupils and parents the school devised a new healthy eating policy, and Prof O’ Shea and Ms Roche both agreed that it is an excellent policy and that Gaelscoil Osrai are leading the way in this important area.
Taoiseach and ministers to attend significant Connemara engagements
October 28, 2016
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister Richard Bruton and Minister of State Sean Kyne will be in Connemara today to mark a series of significant engagements.
These are the launch of a major new Gaeltacht Education Strategy, the turning of the first sod on a new building for Clifden Community School and the official opening of the upgraded Leenane Water Treatment Plant.
Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs Sean Kyne will attend the official opening of the upgraded Leenane Water Treatment plant at the Leenane Community Centre at 10am.
This morning’s event follows the recent completion of one million euro works to the facility, to provide safe and reliable drinking water to several hundred residents in the area.
Minister Kyne will then join Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Education Minister Richard Bruton for the launch of the Government’s new Gaeltacht Education Strategy at Scoil Mhic Dara in Carraroe at noon.
The strategy covers early-years, primary and post-primary education in Gaeltacht regions across the country.
Measures include the teaching of all subjects through Irish, not teaching English during the first two years of primary school, supports for teacher training to improve numbers and reform of the Irish language curriculum to reflect the different needs of Irish and English schools.
Minister Bruton will then make his way to Clifden, where he’ll witness the turning of the sod on a long-awaited new building for Clifden Community School at 3pm.
The project involves the demolition of the existing school and prefabs and the construction of a new two-storey and part three-storey school.
The new building has been hard sought for the past fifteen years and it’s hoped the project will be completed in about 18 months.
Taoiseach and Minister Kyne to launch new Gaeltacht education policy
October 27, 2016
The Government’s new Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017 – 2022 will be launched by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Education Minister Richard Bruton, and Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Seán Kyne, in An Cheathrú Rua, tomorrow.
The policy, which will be launched in Scoil Mhic Dara, forms a central part of the 20 year strategy for Gaeilge and sets out the Department of Education’s vision for “the provision of a quality education through Irish in Gaeltacht schools”. It is drawn from public consultation with Gaeltacht communities and research with linguistic and educational experts.
Measures contained within the new policy include supports specifically designed for and targeted at Irish speakers; new ‘total immersion’ approach whereby all subjects, apart from English, will be taught through Irish, and a specific policy of not teaching English in the first two-years of primary school; a requirement that Gaeltacht schools plan for and deliver different Irish language provision to learners who are native speakers and learners of the language; supports for teacher training to enhance the supply of Irish language teachers; introduction of dedicated continuing professional development opportunities for teachers in Gaeltacht schools; specific supports for Gaeltacht school principals and management; reform of the Irish language curriculum to reflect the different needs of Irish-medium schools and English-medium schools.
The measures will be supported by annual additional resources that will be ring-fenced for schools recognised as Gaeltacht schools.
“The continued existence of areas where Irish is the language of the community is essential to the preservation and the revitalisation of the language,” said Minister Kyne, who is also Galway West TD for Fine Gael. “Central to this is the education system in Gaeltacht areas. By supporting Gaeltacht schools, we can in turn support the use of Irish as the language of the family and community in Gaeltacht areas.”
Letterkenny announced as Gaeltacht Service Town
October 27, 2016
Letterkenny will become a Gaeltacht Service Town, it has been confirmed.
Following a meeting held on Tuesday evening, €20,000 of funding has been secured to implement a range of plans for the town to become a Gaeltacht Service Town.
At the meeting last night (Tuesday), a committee was established to implement the plans that have been discussed for a number of months by interested stakeholders.
A number of ideas were discussed at the meeting including the erection of extra bi-lingual signage and a Gaelic speaking drop-in centre.
Speaking to the Letterkenny Post, newly appointed committee member Cathal Greene said the committee would be laying plans for the next two years to promote the Irish language.
“This is another aspect of promoting Letterkenny, only it’ll be through the medium of Irish,” Mr Greene explained.
Donegal county councillor, Jimmy Kavanagh (FG), who was the only non-Irish speaker at the meeting, welcomed the formation of the committee.
“This is a good initiative that Letterkenny can only benefit from,” Cllr Kavanagh said.
“Letterkenny is well place to be Gaeltacht Service Town, it effectively already is one. More and more people from the Gaeltacht are coming into Letterkenny for different things like shopping and education, so it can only be good thing,” Cllr Kavanagh added.
Údarás na Gaeltachta and Foras na Gaeilge, have been working with relevant organisations to prepare and implement the language plans.
Under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, Gaeltacht Service Towns are defined as those towns situated in or adjacent to Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and which have a significant role in providing public services, recreational, social and commercial facilities for those areas.
(Gaeilge) Aird lucht an ghaeloideachais ar Scoil Mhic Dara ar an gCeathrú Rua do sheoladh polasaí Gaeltachta
October 26, 2016
Gaeltacht Service Town meeting to be held tonight
October 25, 2016
A meeting aimed at forming a committee to help in Letterkenny’s bid to become a Gaeltacht Service Town will be held tonight in the Gweedore Suite, McGettigan’s Hotel, Upper Main Street, Letterkenny.
The event will run from 7pm to 9.30pm.
Music and chat along with supper! Simultaneous translation shall be provided.
Everyone welcome.
(Gaeilge) An bhfuil an téarma ‘Gaelscoilis’ maslach?
October 24, 2016
