Scoil Muire Doireglinne recently held an exhibition at Oughterard Courthouse featuring pupils' artwork created as part of the Artist in the School Scheme.
The school, located four miles from Oughterard, took part in the Artist in the School Scheme during the first term of the academic year with Galway artist Martina Passman, who used lots of different media with the children including paint, clay, stencil and T-shirt printing, and a mobile printing press. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children who thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Scoil Muire Doireglinne is a co-educational, multi-grade, child-centred school, situated on the N59 opposite the Quiet Man Bridge. The school boasts one of the most picturesque settings with views of Connemara mountains, lakes, and rivers. Traditionally, the school has served the surrounding townlands but over the past 20 years Scoil Muire has welcomed more and more children from Oughterard and further afield.
The school has two large multi-grade classrooms and has a low pupil-teacher ratio with excellent SET support. Low pupil numbers allow the school to engage in a wide range of activities as a whole school which affords many opportunities for the children to design and lead projects. An active parents’ association supports the school and organises and funds both in-school and after-school activities including coding, dance, Music Generation and Fit ‘n’ Fun classes.
Outdoor learning is a valued part of life in Scoil Muire, with the local environment offering some wonderful locations for habitat and nature investigations. Whole school activities throughout the year include World Book Day, Science Week, Maths Week, and a school sports day organised and run by the children. Over the last number of years, the pupils have led initiatives to achieve Green Flag and Farm Safe Awards and an annual STEM Award. They also produce an annual school magazine, Flashpoint, which is in its 32nd year.
Children also participate in swimming lessons for a minimum of six years. The school hosts a Christmas concert every year, and two Christmas plays, one in each classroom. The school welcomes artists, music teachers, sports coaches, wildlife rangers, and other professionals to ensure the children’s experiences across the curriculum are as engaging and fun as possible.
