Scoil na hEaglaise
“Work together, do our best, repect each other”
“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege,
than the raising of the next generation.”
-C. Everet Koop, M.D.
NEWSLETTER Summer 2016
Dear Parents / Guardian
Here is an update on what’s been happening in Eglish NS since Easter.
SACRAMENTS: Congratulations to Adam, Brian, Eddie, Ellen P, Ellen T, Laura and Nora who received their Confirmation on April 12th and to Bridget, James, Jim, Katie, Pat, Rachel Shannon and Tom who received their First Holy Communion on May 7th.
GREEN FlaG AWARD: We were awarded our 2nd Green Flag on May 18th for the great work that we have been doing on Energy conservation and our ongoing consistent efforts re Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. Well done all and thank you to the Energy Committee led by Ms. Moore.
MARIBEL’s ERASMUS VISIT: Maribel from Madrid, Spain visited our school from May 16th – May 27th. During this time she observed elements of our Education System, sharing professional ideas with staff and cultural lessons with staff and students alike. We all benefited from her visit.
Butterfly Expert’s Visit: On May 10th, Joe Duane, a ‘Butterfly expert’ from Ballinasloe visited our school to inform and educate our students regarding the many species of butterflies. Students in our Junior Room and Senior Room observed the life cycle and transformation of their own caterpillars into butterflies and then released the butterflies into our Sensory Garden. Thank you to Mr. O’Leochain for initiating and leading this project.
Viking Boat Trip: On June 01st, our Senior Room students, together with Senior Room students from Kilglass NS took an Educational School Trip on the Viking Boat on the River Shannon from Clonmacnoise to Athlone. Sincere thanks to Mr. O’ Leochain for organising this trip and to Mike, the boat driver for his kindness.
Creative School AWARD: We were awarded the Creative Schools’ Award which was presented by celebrity presenter, Síle Seoighe at a special ceremony in the Ark Theatre in Dublin on 31st of May in recognition of the Creative Process some of our students from the Senior Room engaged in while planning and writing our Irish Play this year. Well Done to Adam, Laura, Eddie, Nora, Neil and Daniel, led by Ms. Moore.
Changemaker school: Following a School Visit and a detailed interview with staff, students and parents from our school, we were delighted and very proud to be named a “Changemaking School” on May 31st. We are one of currently, only twelve “Changemaking Schools” in Ireland. This is a new programme to identify, support and connect innovative schools around the world and support them in inspiring other schools to empower students to be changemakers.For further information, check out www.ireland.ashoka.org/changemaker-schools.
Erasmus Plus: We had our third Mobility trip to our partner school in Constanta, Romania from May 23rd – 27th. 6 students, 2 parents and 2 teachers travelled. It was a wonderful cultural and educational trip where our students had the opportunity to work collaboratively with children from our other partner countries: Finland, Spain, Italy, UK, Poland, Romania. Many thanks to Mrs. Mulry for the on-going huge amount of work she is doing in coordinating this project.
AcTive School’s Week: We held our annual ‘Active School’s Week’ from June 13th-17th. Many thanks to Ms. Moore for organising it and to all the staff who went the extra mile to ensure students were very active and had the opportunity to make and sample a variety of different healthy treats. This year was the first year we held a Family Race on Sports’ Day. We plan to continue this into the future and encourage more parents and families to get involved.
‘Discover primary science award’ 2016: Our school received the ‘Discover Primary Science Award’ again this year for excellence in STEM subjects, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). To celebrate this award, we held a ‘Mad Scientists’ Day’ on June 23rd during which our students amazed us with their many creative projects. Thank you to Mr. O’ Leochain and Ms. Mulry for leading this initiative and to our visiting Engineer, Ivan Merrick for involving our students in lots of fun experiments on the day.
Healthy Schools Promotion Committee: Our Healthy School’s Promotion Committee continuing to ensure the implementation of their Action Plan have brought our Healthy Eating policy to the stage of ratification by School Management. Thank you to staff and parents for your input and collaboration and thank you to Mrs. Devine and the Healthy Schools’ Committee for their continuing great work in this area.
Fundraising: Many thanks to Mr. O’ Leochain who raised €330 for our school through the sale of calendars he had designed himself.
Farewell and Good Luck: It is with much regret that we bid “Farewell” to Mr. O’Leochain. He inspired us all with his many nature-related projects. We wish him the very best of luck in his future Teaching Career and hope our paths will cross again.
Remembering 1916 in our local community: In May, a tree was planted opposite the graveyard in Ahascragh, on behalf of Eglish NS as part of an Ahascragh Development Association initiative commemorating 1916.
Graduation: The 6th Class Graduation was held on June 22nd. Local author, Eilís Barrett visited our school to present our ‘Tiny Twinkle Award’ (Congratulations John Ward), ‘Flickering Flame Award’ (Congratulations Kate Ward) and ‘Leading Light Award’ (Congratulations Kate Martin).
Teachers for 2016-2017: Class and Support Teachers for 2016-2017 are as follows: Junior Room – Ms. Moore, Middle Room – Ms. Devine, Senior Room – Ms. Moclair, Learning Support / Resource: Ms. Fitzgerald, Ms. Mulry and Miss Conneely (shared with Caltra NS)
Facebook: Eglish NS now has a Facebook page. Please ‘like’ our page and don’t hesitate to share our good news and updates with family and friends and especially past pupils and parents. The tremendous work that goes on in our school is something that we should all, collectively, be proud of.
Contact Details: It is parents’ responsibility to ensure that the school has up-to-date contact details for you. If you change address or phone number, you must let us know.
Please be reminded, your child’s happiness and all-round educational development is our priority here in Eglish School. If you have any concerns in relation to this, please do not hesitate to let us know. To ensure that these concerns can be dealt with efficiently and in a dignified manner, please follow the steps as outlined in the Complaints Procedure Policy, a copy of which was sent home in September.
Many thanks for your support and ongoing cooperation. Wishing you an enjoyable Summer.
‘Le gach dea-ghuí’
Siobhán Fitzgerald, M.Ed. (Principal)