🌲We look forward to welcoming you to Clontuskert’s Christmas Concert
🌲Wednesday 20th December 7pm
🌲Kiltormer GAA Complex
Category: Oral Language
Fierce Close Podcast Day
Today Seán and Josephine from Galway Library Services brought the Schools Library Van to the school for a very special reason as Alan and Elena from Soundtrack and Podcast in Galway were with us to help us record our Fierce Close podcast.
Over the past month we have been working with Orla and Annie from CURO NUIG to challenge our thinking, discuss our views, and form and unravel opinions around philosophical questions. Clontuskert’s critical thinkers prepared dialogues and monologues to record for the Fierce Close podcast. We look forward to sharing with you soon. In the meantime, here are some highlights from behind the scenes. Thanks to Elena and Ms. Tracy Murray for recording footage today.
*The Fierce Close Project*
The aim of this programme is to create 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. Project participants will express their ideas to one another with the support of professional philosophers and 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.
‘Climate change is a critical challenge for Galway. It will result in a range of impacts across a wide number of sectors that are likely to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Taking proactive action to adjust and prepare for anticipated changes will reduce losses, improve our environment and provide a host of community benefits.’ (Galway County Council’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024)
These young people will be engaged in philosophical dialogues, informed by Lipman’s Community of Inquiry method, to build an understanding of how and where perspectives need to shift in order to think and act productively in relation to Climate Change. These workshops will be led by community philosophers from Library partner Curo who will scaffold their acquisition of critical thinking skills. Through this process they will isolate the most important questions relating to climate action and climate justice that faces Ireland today. At its close this project will allow young people to give voice to nature itself, through guided reflection, and podcast creation workshops.
Core Outcomes:
-Participants will develop their critical and creative thinking skills through facilitated dialogue with professional philosophers.
-Participants will identify pressing questions in relation to climate change and climate justice creating collaborative answers to these by drawing on their own lived experience.
-Participants will communicate their thinking through the production of short podcast episodes that focus on emerging ideas and questions from their philosophical dialogue.
Fierce Close Philosophy and Podcasting
The aim of this programme is to create 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. Project participants will express their ideas to one another with the support of professional philosophers and 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.
‘Climate change is a critical challenge for Galway. It will result in a range of impacts across a wide number of sectors that are likely to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Taking proactive action to adjust and prepare for anticipated changes will reduce losses, improve our environment and provide a host of community benefits.’ (Galway County Council’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024)
These young people will be engaged in philosophical dialogues, informed by Lipman’s Community of Inquiry method, to build an understanding of how and where perspectives need to shift in order to think and act productively in relation to Climate Change. These workshops will be led by community philosophers from Library partner Curo who will scaffold their acquisition of critical thinking skills. Through this process they will isolate the most important questions relating to climate action and climate justice that faces Ireland today. At its close this project will allow young people to give voice to nature itself, through guided reflection, and podcast creation workshops.
Core Outcomes:
-Participants will develop their critical and creative thinking skills through facilitated dialogue with professional philosophers.
-Participants will identify pressing questions in relation to climate change and climate justice creating collaborative answers to these by drawing on their own lived experience.
-Participants will communicate their thinking through the production of short podcast episodes that focus on emerging ideas and questions from their philosophical dialogue.
Fierce Close Philosophy and Podcasting
Fierce Close
The aim of this programme is to create 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. Project participants will express their ideas to one another with the support of professional philosophers and 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.
‘Climate change is a critical challenge for Galway. It will result in a range of impacts across a wide number of sectors that are likely to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Taking proactive action to adjust and prepare for anticipated changes will reduce losses, improve our environment and provide a host of community benefits.’ (Galway County Council’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024)
These young people will be engaged in philosophical dialogues, informed by Lipman’s Community of Inquiry method, to build an understanding of how and where perspectives need to shift in order to think and act productively in relation to Climate Change. These workshops will be led by community philosophers from Library partner Curo who will scaffold their acquisition of critical thinking skills. Through this process they will isolate the most important questions relating to climate action and climate justice that faces Ireland today. At its close this project will allow young people to give voice to nature itself, through guided reflection, and podcast creation workshops.
Core Outcomes:
-Participants will develop their critical and creative thinking skills through facilitated dialogue with professional philosophers.
-Participants will identify pressing questions in relation to climate change and climate justice creating collaborative answers to these by drawing on their own lived experience.
-Participants will communicate their thinking through the production of short podcast episodes that focus on emerging ideas and questions from their philosophical dialogue.
World Book Day Flipgrid
Check out our World Book Day Flipgrid. The students from Junior Infants to 6th class dressed up and told us about their favourite books today. Thanks to our German teacher, Ms. Boyan for help recording in Ms. Scott and Mr. Gohery’s rooms.
Click here to view the Flipgrids
Please note you will need a school login to view.
Highlights of Remote Learning in Clontuskert- January 2021
Well done to all of the staff, students and families in Clontuskert who have worked so well to ensure continuity of education for all during Remote Learning in January 2021.
Microsoft Teams & OneNote have provided the backbone of our digital provision with a sprinkling of magic from our innovative and hardworking staff.
Thanks to our Board of Management and Parents for their unwavering support.
Check out our Highlights of Remote Learning in Clontuskert- January 2021 here:
Clontuskert- a School Where Learning Comes Alive!
#ClontuskertStrong
‘To the Island’ with Patricia Forde
Children’s author Patricia Forde visited the school today to introduce her new children’s book ‘To the Island’ to the infant class.
Patricia was commissioned to write the book by Galway 2020 as part of the European Capital of Culture programme.
RTÉ was in attendance to film the event for their youth news programme – News2day, which we looking forward to watching on RTÉ2 this week. As part of this news piece, the presenter, Pat McGrath spoke with some of the students and teachers to get their thoughts on the book.
The book was gifted to each of the nine junior infant students that have started school in Clontuskert NS this year, as well as all junior infant students in every primary school in Galway, in celebration of our year as European Capital of Culture.
Josephine Vahey with Sean and Aoife of Galway Schools Library Service visited with the Schools Library Van giving us the opportunity to restock our school library with some wonderful new reading material.
About the Author
Patricia Forde is a children’s author from Galway in the West of Ireland. Her first novel The Wordsmith was published to great critical acclaim in 2015. It has since been published in the United States, Australia, Denmark, Russia, Turkey and the Netherlands, and is an American Library Association Notable Book. In 2018 Patricia wrote Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth. She is married to Padraic and has two grown up children. She still lives in Galway, her favourite city in the world. Her books have won two White Raven Awards and twice been shortlisted for the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year. Bumpfizzle the Best of Planet Earth was the Dublin UNESCO Citywide Read 2019. Her picturebook Fidget The Wonder Dog will be published by Puffin in 2021.
During the last school year, 5th and 6th class read her latest novel, Mother Tongue. Patricia joined us in live Microsoft Teams classes during lockdown. She inspired our young readers to write themselves and gave them tips to improve their own creative writing. Check out some highlights from the classes here.
‘To the Island’
Fia longs to go to the mysterious island that appears and disappears out in the bay. One night a moonbeam reaches across the water and leads her there, to where magical creatures stride around and the air is thick with secrets. Based on the mythical island of Hy Brasil off the West coast of Ireland.
Summer is here with St. Augustine’s National School Clontuskert
Greetings to all of our families and friends of St. Augustine’s National School Clontuskert,
As we near the end of our Summer Term for 2020, I wanted to thank you on behalf of all the staff in Clontuskert, for your support and positivity since school closed its physical doors on March 12th.
During the unprecedented events of the past three months Clontuskert has lived up to our motto of ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile – Strength in Unity’ and proved that we are a school ‘Where Learning Comes Alive’.
We look forward to welcoming you back to St. Augustine’s N.S. Clontuskert on Tuesday 1st September 2020.
Stay safe and well,
Mrs. Murray.
Author Patricia Forde and County Librarian Josephine Vahey visit Clontuskert
Patricia Forde visited Clontuskert’s Virtual Classroom on Microsoft Teams to discuss her novel Mother Tongue which was the novel read by 5th and 6th Class this term.
Listen to her discuss her use of symbols and metaphors in her book.
Here she discusses her use of Title Cards for each chapter in her book.
Thanks also to Josephine Vahey, Galway Schools Librarian for lending the novels to the school and joining us on the call.
#ClontuskertStrong
Ballinasloe Fair Heritage Project
Today Clare Doyle from Heritage in Schools visited Clontuskert. We are working on a project with her to gather stories about Ballinasloe Fair for the National Folklore Collection. This is in conjunction with Galway County Council, Heritage in Schools and UCD. This online repository of our work will be available for everyone to view, once it is completed.
We explored a story about Blaze the Horse, where Blaze was personified and told the story of the Fair, from his point of view.
We created a map of Ballinasloe, with our own map legend and designed posters to advertise the Fair. Thanks to Clare for sharing her knowledge with us. We are looking forward to creating the bank of Ballinasloe Fair stories for future generations.
