(Gaeilge) Folúntas: Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Baile Átha Cliath
February 9, 2015
Gaelscoil children have the ‘write’ stuff
February 9, 2015
Students from Gaelscoil an Chaistil have proved they have the ‘write’ stuff when it comes to near handwriting!
Last week saw pupils practising their handwriting skills in preparation for National Handwriting Day this week.
The school held a handwriting competition for each class which saw children link their love for reading, handwriting and technology. Some children chose their favourite book, favourite poems, and their favourite piece of written work to practise their handwriting. As well as using the traditional pen and paper method, some pupils experimented with a more modern and interactive method; the interactive whiteboard.
“In conjunction with National Handwriting Day, the children produced different pieces of writing and put their excellent ICT skills to use enjoying interactive handwriting activities on the interactive whiteboard,” said a spokesperson for the school.
“A winner from each class was selected and was awarded a certificate and £10 An Cheathrú Póilí, Cultúrlann, Béal Feirste voucher.
“The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition and set themselves a personal target to maintain a high standard of handwriting in work across the curriculum.”
http://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/news/local-news/gaelscoil-children-have-the-write-stuff-1-6556459
Nelson McCausland says schools letter ‘weaponised Irish language’
February 9, 2015
A letter inviting primary schools to develop an Irish language study programme shows how Sinn Féin has “weaponised” the Irish language, DUP MLA Nelson McCausland has said.
Mr McCausland said Sinn Féin was “stepping up its cultural war”.
Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, who is Stormont education minister, said Mr McCausland’s claims were “nonsense”.
Mr O’Dowd said he had no personal involvement with the letter.
‘Rant’
“It was a routine departmental matter until Nelson released his rant,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme.
“Officials confirmed to me that as part of the normal day-to-day running of the Department of Education, and in engagement with the curriculum advisory body, they sent out a letter to all schools asking them would they be interested in this project.
“There is no John O’Dowd agenda, there is no Sinn Féin agenda, there is no other agenda.”
The letter was sent by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
Mr McCausland told the BBC he had issued his press statement after being contacted by a number of school principals who raised their concerns with him.
“Principals feel very nervous about dealing with something like this because at the end of the day, he who pays the piper calls the tune, and if you’ve got a bid in for development for your school, you’re not going to go out of your way to offend the education minister,” he said.
‘Borrowed’
Mr O’Dowd said this was “complete rubbish”, and said Mr McCausland had used “disturbing language” in his statement.
“He’s attempting to intimidate schools in unionist communities away from this project, and that’s his agenda,” he said.
Mr McCausland, who is a former Stormont culture minister, defended the wording of his statement.
“We are familiar with their phrase about every word spoken in Irish being another bullet in the freedom struggle, and they also referred on one occasion to the terrorist war being the peak of the cultural revival,” he told the BBC.
“I think the language that I used was simply borrowed from Sinn Féin’s own language.”
The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment said it had written on behalf of the Department of Education to non-Irish medium primary schools “to explore the feasibility of developing a programme of support for the teaching of Irish and aspects of a shared cultural heritage”.
“This followed a previous survey which showed interest from a number of non-Irish medium primary schools in developing this area of their curriculum.
“The decision to engage in such a programme is a matter for individual schools, led by the support of governors and teachers, in line with their guiding ethos. Such a programme would only be taken forward by CCEA based on demand and available funding.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-31161394
New Primary Schools in 2015 & 2016
February 5, 2015
The Department of Education & Skills have today announced the areas in which new primary schools are to open in 2015 and 2016. The press release is below. Gaelscoileanna Teo. will be acting on this notice by consulting with the Irish-medium schools in the surrounding areas to assess demand for new provision, as well as with prospective patrons and parents who have expressed an interest in establishing schools in those areas. Further information on our progress will be posted regularly on www.gaelscoileanna.ie and we hope that the process will give more children access to Irish-medium schools in the future. The Department hope to make an announcement soon about further areas in which new provision will be made through divestment of patronage, we will send out that information as soon as we receive it. If you have any queries, you are very welcome to contact us.
Press Release:
The Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, today announced that seven new primary schools are to be established in the next two years.
Announcing the new schools, the Minister said: “My Department is predicting a continuing increase in primary school pupils up until at least 2019 in parts of the country”.
“To meet the continuing growing population of our primary school going children, we will have to establish seven new primary schools as well as extending a number of existing schools.”
Of the seven new schools, four will open in 2015 with the other three opening in 2016.
Cork, Dublin, Galway and Wicklow remain areas of a high rate of primary school going children and this is where the new schools will be located.
There will be one school in Cork, four in Dublin, one in Galway and one in Wicklow.
The basic construction costs for the seven new schools will broadly be in the region of €24m. This level of investment by the State will support some 240 direct jobs and 48 indirect jobs.
Patronage for two of the schools starting in 2015 has already been decided under a previous patronage determination process. A patronage determination process will shortly be run for the other two schools starting in 2015. A patronage determination process for the 2016 schools will be carried out later this year.
These seven new schools will be in addition to 20 new primary schools that opened since 2011. The seven new schools between them they will cater for almost 3,000 pupils when fully developed.
The schools will be established in line with the arrangements and criteria announced in June 2011 for patronage determination.
Minister O’Sullivan said: “The establishment of new schools provides an opportunity for patrons to apply to run the schools. The criteria to be used in deciding on patronage of the new schools place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. Parental preferences should be at the centre of considerations about the type of school to be recognised. The patronage arrangements in place provide that patron bodies proposing schools at either primary or second level will be asked to provide evidence of demand.”
Minister O’Sullivan continued: “This approach emphasises my commitment to ensure the implementation of the commitments in the Programme for Government on moving towards a more pluralist system of patronage at primary level. “It also builds on the work of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.”
The Department will be contacting patrons shortly to commence the patronage determination process for the 2015 schools concerned.
Details of new schools to be established in September 2015
• Carrigtohill, Co. Cork
• Pelletstown/Ashtown, Dublin
• The Knocknacarra area of Galway City
• Greystones, Co. Wicklow
A patronage determination process was previously run for the Dublin school and the Knocknacarra school.
Educate Together will be patron for the Dublin school.
Lifeways Ireland (Steiner Model of provision) will be Patron for the Knocknacarra school.
A patronage determination process will be run shortly for the Carrigtwohill and Greystones schools.
Details of new schools to be opened in September 2016
• Goatstown/Stillorgan, Dublin
• Cabra/Phibsborough/Dublin 7
• Drumcondra/Marino/Dublin 1
A patronage determination process for these schools will be run later this year.
Details on the arrangements and criteria for establishing new schools are available on the Department’s website
New Schools Establishment Group
The patronage determination process for new schools is overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group.
This Group was set up in 2011 to advise the Minister on the patronage of new schools following its consideration of a report prepared by the Department on the applications received.
The Group is chaired by Dr. Seamus McGuinness (retired senior lecturer in the Education Department at Trinity College Dublin) and also includes Ms. Sylda Langford (retired Director of the Office of the Minister for Children) and Prof. Seán Ó Riain (Sociology Department, NUI Maynooth).
Next steps
The Department will shortly inform patron bodies of the details of the 2015 schools requiring a patronage determination process. The patron bodies can then make applications for consideration. Department officials will draft a report based on the applications received for the consideration of the New Schools Establishment Group and it will submit a report with recommendations for consideration by the Minister.
Minister O’Sullivan announces seven new primary schools to be established in next two years
February 5, 2015
Le Chéile Trí Ghaeilge Grants
February 5, 2015
Television and Drama workshops with Fíbín Drama School of Excellence
February 4, 2015
We are delighted to announce that Fíbín Drama School of Excellence is back. Not only will the students be able to improve their Irish but also they will be trained up in drama skills from theatre and TV experts,
o Darach Ó Tuairisg (producer and director on Fíbín Teo)
o Mícheál
Ó Domhnaill (producer on ‘Aifric’
and director of Meangadh Fíbín
TV)
o Paul Mercier (director of Aifric and Artistic director of ‘Passion Machine’) along with other equally talented and skilled mentors.
During the workshops an emphasis will be placed on composition and writing. The students will be
advised and guided through the process by experts in these fields. A play will be produced by the students, which will be staged at the end of the two-week course, this will add to the student’s confidence. An invitation will be sent out to producers for TG4, local media, parents and friends.
Four courses will be organised with 100 students attending each one. There is a huge demand on places but acting experience isn’t a necessity, a reasonable level of Irish is though. Students will attend workshops each day, which will be run through Irish.
The students will live in the heart of Connemara; therefore they will be immersed in the Irish language. The Irish oral exam accounts for 40% of their marks. This course will give students the chance to prepare for this exam in a fun and exciting way.
As there has been a huge demand on this course in previous years the students will need to audition for a place on the course. The fee for 2014 is €625. This fee will cover accommodation, food, mentors, administration, guests etc.
If you have any questions or queries you can contact us at 091- 505855 or send e-mail to sarscoilfibin@gmail.com
View the student’s work from previous years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jUy1_y8QPE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AorenoUCSYM
(Gaeilge) `Gaeloideachas do Chách’ téama Chomhdháil an Fhorais Phátrúnachta
February 4, 2015
(Gaeilge) Fáilte roimh iarratais do Scéim na nImeachtaí Óige 2015/16
February 4, 2015
The Schools’ Collection
February 4, 2015
