Chalk Talk Special:‘It is a lovely thing to reflect on the many happy memories people have of their time in St Oliver’s...’

PRINCIPAL'S NOTES...

‘It is a lovely thing to reflect on the many happy memories people have of their time in St Oliver’s...’

We are very proud to celebrate our 50th school year in St Oliver Plunkett Primary School. It is a lovely thing to reflect on the many happy memories people have of their time in St Oliver’s and the joy they take in reliving some of those snapshots from the past.

We hope the montage of school photos carefully chosen and presented by our dedicated Parents Association ignite happy memories and send people in many different directions down memory lane.

As the current staff of teachers and SNAs in St Oliver’s we are very conscious that we are preserving and continuing a very important legacy.

We are also very conscious that all that we represent as a school is achieved by standing on the shoulders of all the people who have contributed to this school since 1975 beginning with Fr Daly and John Howard and continuing on over the many years.

The culture of this school is very much influenced by the Boards of Management, Principals, teachers, SNAs, and ancillary staff that have worked so hard down through the years not to mention the families they have served.

Our anniversary is very much about how we got here but also celebrates the school that we are today. St Oliver’s is a Catholic School that is very proud of its ethos and role in St Mary’s Parish.

That ethos is evident in all the interactions, big and small, every day. Kindness and respect are central to the culture of our school as it has always been. Our school is a diverse place in every respect but Catholic schools are by their very nature inclusive.

Academic standards in St Oliver’s have always been high and on a daily basis we work hard to ensure that every child accesses the curriculum and we are very excited as we begin to look towards the delivery of a new Primary Curriculum framework. The opening of our Caterpillar and Butterfly Room have allowed us to develop and grow as a school catering for children in our area.

We have always been a proud sporting school and this continues with Cumann na mBunscol participation, soccer, basketball, rounders and athletics still a very important part of school life in Ollies.

There was a great tradition of the arts over the last 50 years and this continues today. School plays and summer musicals are very much part of our school’s identity.

We are currently taking part in a variety of Art projects including Creative Schools and the BLAST Arts initiative. We continue to grow every year with Chess Club, Science Club and Crochet Club developing recently. We are very proud of where we have come from, proud of the school we have at present and excited about our future.

Pádraig Farrell Principal St Oliver Plunkett Primary School