Slane NS's role in national curriculum celebrations

Slane National School's revamped school website, which was launched earlier this year, was the inspiration for a National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) project to mark 10 years of the Primary School Curriculum. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the curriculumc and, prompted by the visual record of learning on the Slane school website, the NCCA decided to invite all schools to contribute photos and school stories of the curriculum in action. Slane NS contributed their story, entitled 'Ditching the Textbooks', which chronicled the school's journey from the constraints of using a single textbook for some subjects to the flexibility of themed learning packs. The NCCA project received hundreds of inspirational images and some great stories that provided a snapshot of how children's learning is taking place in primary classrooms throughout the country. The 10th anniversary celebrations were officially launched by Minister Batt O'Keeffe last week in St Louise's School, Ballyfermot, Dublin, where Mrs Elizabeth Sheridan, principal of Slane NS, was congratulated and presented with a certificate to acknowledge the tremendous work of the teachers who breathe life into the pages of the Primary School Curriculum. Meanwhile, Slane National School, were celebrating their Tidy Towns Regional Schools Award win this week. During the past six years, Slane NS pupils and staff have commenced many environmental initiatives and, in the past year, have worked with the wider community in Slane to improve the village environment. During the year, pupils took part in the National Spring Cleaning Week and created posters which were displayed around the village promoting care for the environment. The pupils submitted a project to the Tidy Towns Committee summarising all their activities. This year the school are encouraging BOWOW days (Bus or Walk on Wednesdays) not only as a means of improving the difficult traffic situation in the village, but also to encourage a healthier, more active life style for the pupils. The staff in Slane School are also now forging ahead with big plans for the development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) this year. Each classroom has had an interactive whiteboard installed and teachers have received training in this new technology. During the year, various classes will be undertaking different projects involving computers to expand the integration of ICT across the curriculum.