Photo: Ballymacelligott Children Begin Their Schooldays

Posted by

Total Cleaning Supplies 1x

IT was a special day for 22 boys and girls in Ballymacelligott this Wednesday when they took their first steps into the world of education.

Scoil Nuachabháil welcomed the 12 boys and 10 girls and they took to their new surroundings with ease.

“They settled in perfectly this morning, no problem at all,” said Principal, Michael Bolger. “Normally most of them go to a preschool together just down the road so they’ll all know each other. There’s more tears with the parents than the kids!” he said.

The school, like many on the outskirts of Tralee, is a growing one and while there is just four sixth class pupils this year, the numbers are growing with 134 children for this year. The school draws its attendance mainly from within a three mile radius, although there are a few pupils from Tralee there.

“We’ve been getting in 19 or 20 junior infants for the last two to three years so the numbers look promising for the future. There’s 25 in fifth class and the rest of the classes are around the 20s,” said Michael.

The school also has a good reputation for instilling a love of the Irish language in pupils.

“While we’re not a Gaelscoil, we would very much have an Irish ethos. We would talk to the children a lot as gaeilge so they would have a very good level of Irish when they leave the school. They’re almost at Gaelscoil level,” said the Principal.

With the school growing, so too is the need for extra facilities.

“We’re waiting on news on funding from the Department for an extension to provide new classrooms and we’re also hoping to build a new school hall to help improve the already fantastic reputation Ballymac has for sporting prowess,” said Michael.

The newcomers are entering into an exciting time for Scoil Nuachabháil.

The new junior infants class at Scoil Nuachabháil with teacher Jennifer Murphy and resource teacher Laura O'Brien. Photo by Dermot Crean

The new junior infants class at Scoil Nuachabháil with teacher Jennifer Murphy (left) and resource teacher Laura O’Brien. Photo by Dermot Crean

 

Comments are closed.

image