Find out more about St. Augustine's National School:

http://clontuskert.
scoilnet.ie


ST. AUGUSTINE'S NATIONAL SCHOOL AND CLONTUSKERT HERITAGE



St. Augustine's National School is situated in the heart of Clontuskert community. It is a three teacher school with a reputation for excellence in the area of teaching and learning. St. Augustine's has a very active Parent's Association and has forged strong links with the community in the area. It holds a Green Flag for Waste Management, two Discover Primary Science and Mathematics Excellence Awards and has been awarded the British Science Council Crest Award for participation in the FIRST LEGO© League.

It is a pioneering school in the use of digital technologies to aid the implementation of the Irish Primary school curriculum and it is the first school in Ireland to use WeDo LEGO© Robotics to facilitate cross curricular project work. Podcasting is used as a tool to aid many subjects. FIS (Film in Schools) is an annual event in Clontuskert where the children script, direct, act in and edit their own films. St. Augustine's is the only member of the Empowering Minds Group of Ireland in County Galway.

The school is linked to Oak Lake School, Manitoba, Canada and uses Digital Storytelling to develop literacy levels and encourage co-operation between the schools. Clontuskert is also linked to seven schools in England, Sweden, Spain, Estonia, France and Latvia as part of a Comenius Partnership. This Partnership is called STAGE: Seven Towards A Greener Europe and explores Green issues such as waste management and wildlife conservation. A French Language Teacher is teaching French to all classes since September 2010.

Achievements and Projects:

Heritage and History:

The school is grateful for the help and support they receive from Clontuskert Heritage Group in the implementation of project work in this area. The following projects have been undertaken with their help:

  1. Waterways of Ireland Project focusing on Poolboy Lock, Portumna Bridge and the Ballinasloe leg of the Grand Canal.
  2. Monastery Project: This consisted of a visit to Clontuskert Abbey with Joe Molloy, Adeline Finneran and Eileen Curley, members of Clontuskert Heritage Group, to learn about, photograph and film the site. The students were also invited to visit Cistercian Abbey in Roscrea to learn about modern monastic life by Abbot Richard Purcell. The students then created a virtual 3-D photo image of Clontuskert Abbey using Photosynth. This project has been nominated for a Galway County Heritage Award.
  3. Keep on Track Project: Keep on Track is co-ordinated by Clontuskert NS and Holy Spirit BNS, Ballymun. The aim of Keep on Track is to link fifteen Rail Stations and Schools on the Galway-Dublin Railway Line. It integrates all subjects of the curriculum. This Project takes place between January and June 2011. It is supported and sponsored by Irish Rail, the NCTE, the Empowering Minds Group and forms an exciting new alliance between Galway, Athlone, Portlaoise, Kildare and Drumcondra Education Centres. History and Heritage will be an underlying element of the project as Clontuskert students learn about Ballinasloe Train Station and train travel in Ireland.

Schoolchildren and the Heritage Group at the Old Abbey

Sport:

  • All Ireland Champions in Spikeball (Volleyball)
  • County Champions Spikeball
  • County Champions Chess
  • County Finalists in Cumann na mBunscol Hurling
  • County Finalists in Paddy Manton Hurling Tournament
  • Handball Coaching received from Peter Mulryan
  • Swimming after Easter
  • Tag Rugby

Learn more about Clontuskert's hardworking school team on their award winning blog; www.clontuskert.scoilnet.ie which is updated and maintained by the students themselves. This blog was shortlisted for an Eircom Junior Spiders Award in 2010.

Clontuskert Team:

  • Principal Teacher: Kate Murray
  • classroom teachers; Eimil Scott, Joe O'Riordan and Kate Murray
  • resource teachers: Nicola Burke, Karin Dooley
  • Special Needs Assistant: Angie Hannify
  • Secretary: Mary Callaghan
  • Part time Learning Support Teachers: Annette Hardiman and Catherine Burke
Clontuskert National School can be contacted at clontuskertns@gmail.com or clontuskert@yahoo.ie

Clontuskert Heritage Archive

In the course of its research into material for The Parish of Clontuskert - Glimpses into its Past, a considerable amount was collected. This included copies of the following: historic maps; land valuation records from the 1850s; the Tithe Applotment Books and Books of Survey and Distribution; historic newspapers from 1800; historic newspapers; material in the National Archive, the Registry of Deeds, the ESB Archive, the Architectural Archive; the Seymour Papers; the Pollok Papers; the Grand Canal records; historic photographs; family photographs donated by Clontuskert parishioners; research notes and audio-visual recordings taken by researchers in the Clontuskert Group; a small amount of artefacts; books used in researching the various chapters.

A repository for the safe storage of this material was therefore required. The Board of Management of St. Augustine's National School, have generously agreed to house this archive in a section of a room in the school. To this end, a suitable storage cabinet is being designed and constructed. Anyone wishing to access these records will be allowed to do so, once they have made an appointment with the school Principal.

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