St Augustine's National School Clontuskert
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 Board of Management and has forged strong links with the community in the area.
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:
- Waterways of Ireland Project focusing on Pollboy Lock and Portumna Bridge and the Ballinasloe leg of the Grand Canal.
- 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 won a Galway County Heritage Award.
- Keep on Track Project: This was co-ordinated by Clontuskert NS and Holy Spirit BNS, Ballymun. The aim of Keep on Track was to link fifteen Rail Stations and Schools on the Galway-Dublin Railway Line. It integrated all subjects of the curriculum. It was supported and sponsored by Irish Rail, the NCTE, the Empowering Minds Group and formed an exciting new alliance between Galway, Athlone, Portlaoise, Kildare and Drumcondra Education Centres. History and Heritage was an underlying element of the project as Clontuskert students learnt about Ballinasloe Train Station and train travel in Ireland.
St. Augustine's holds seven Green Flags for Waste Management, Energy Conservation, Water Conservation as well as Travel and Biodiversity It holds seventeen Discover Primary Science and Mathematics Excellence Awards and has been awarded the British Science Council Crest Award for participation in the FIRST LEGO® League.
The School has been a Health Promoting School since 2012 and is a Digital School of Distinction.
The school is currently working towards the Active Flag and promotion of sports and wellbeing has always been a priority.
St. Augustine's is the only Primary School in Ireland to be awarded Microsoft Showcase Status and works with Microsoft, 365 Learning and Wriggle to pilot OneNote and Teams in an Irish Primary School setting.
Clontuskert classrooms are innovative and transformational with students being active collaborators in the learning process.
Clontuskert was the Pioneer School in Ireland for FLL Junior, being the first school in Ireland to pilot the use of WeDo robotics in 2010. Our students begin robotics at the age of six and design thinking, construction, creation and coding are all embedded in this work. Clontuskert is a mentor school for FLL robotics in Galway. Since 2010 hundreds of other schools across the country have begun their journey in robotics.
Clontuskert is the first Climate Action School of Excellence in Ireland and in 2022 it was accepted as an international Climate Action School. This year 3.4 million students across 148 countries joined the project. In the past six years of involvement Clontuskert has been an ambassador and collaborator and the students have lobbied for and achieved national change with the Irish waste management system and the use of symbols. They even received a letter from President Michael D. Higgins praising their commitment to Climate Action.
Clontuskert is involved in innovative projects such as the Create Dangerously Art project as part of TULCA Festival of Visual Arts and in Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture.
The students are working with renowned Artist Maeve Clancy and Doctor of Philosophy Orla Richardson of NUIG to explore new ways of being creative and to carefully think through why creativity is important and what being creative means to them.
In 2022 students worked on the Fierce Close podcast with CURO University of Galway, Galway Library Services and Soundtrack and Podcast to become critical thinkers and activists on Climate Change. The project takes its title from an Irish idiom for a humid day -one where a storm is imminent. Through sessions that build their philosophical skills and a creative outcome that can be shared with their communities, this project gives voice to young people’s perspectives on climate change while building their critical thinking skills and debating literacy. The students were supported by professional philosophers to create and perform new monologues through skills-building workshops and guidance in podcast creation from Soundtrack and Podcast. This project responds to the scale of change expected in Galway City Council’s Climate Strategy by allowing young people to meaningfully explore possible solutions together.
St. Augustine's National School is a Catholic school under the patronage of the Bishop of Clonfert, which strives to stay true to the values and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. We want all our pupils to appreciate their own identities and cultures and to understand and accept other cultures and religious denominations. We promote respect, equality, fairness and justice for all.
Déanfaimid iarracht Gaeilge a labhairt agus an teanga a neartú.
St. Augustine's N.S. is a school where learning comes alive. Ní neart go cur le chéile.
Clontuskert Team:
Ms. Eimíl Scott
Ms. Lucy Dolan- SNA
Ms. Karen Conneely
Ms. Sonya Yi (German Teacher based in Middle Room up to 14-10-2022)
Mrs. Kate Murray
Ms. Deirdre Tully (Principal Release Day one day a week in Senior Room)
Ms. Teresa Nevin- SNA
Mrs. Katie Feehily SET (Special Education Teacher)
Ms. Nicola Egan- SET (Job Share Special Education Teacher)
Ms. Geraldine McCormack- SET (Job Share Special Education Teacher)
Ms. Tracy Murray- Shared SET with Raheen National School (Ms. Ciara Cormican on maternity leave)
Secretary- Mary Callaghan
Cleaner-Noreen Ward
Clontuskert National School can be contacted at clontuskertns@gmail.com
