Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath
Cad is Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath ann?
Is bunscoil lán-Ghaeilge idirchreidmheach í Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath a bunaíodh sa bhliain 2008 ag grúpa tuismitheoirí (bunchoiste) faoin bhForas Pártúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaelacha. Thosaigh an bunchoiste ag obair i 2007 chun leibhéal suime áitiúil a thomhais, chun airgead a chistiú don scoil nauir a bhí sí ceadaithe agus chun Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath a bhunú.
I rith an tsamhraidh i 2008, tosaigh na clocha ag bogadh nuair a fostaíodh Múinteoir Eoghan mar Phríomhoide teagaisc agus Múinteoir Rita mar mhúinteoir ranga. Ag an am céanna ar shuíomh na scoile bhí na tógáilithe ag obair go dian ar an bhfoirgneamh chun gach rud a chur i gcrích roimh an gcéad lá de Mheán Fómhair. Bronnadh na heochracha orainn ar an 29ú Lúnasa 2008 agus d’oibrigh na tuismitheoirí go díograsach chun gach rud a eagrú inár ionad sealadach i bhfoirgneamh roinnte le scoil Foghlaimís le Chéile. Fuaireamar eochracha ár bhfoirgnimh féin ar an 10ú Deireadh Fómhair 2008.
Ba léir an dea-oibre a bhí déanta ag an mbunchoiste nuair a d’oscail doirse na scoile chun glacadh leis an gcéad 24 páistí idir Naíonáin Bheaga (17), Naíonáin Mhóra (2) agus Rang a hAon (5). Bunaíodh Bord Bainistíochta na scoile i Mí na Samhna agus go luath ina dhiaidh sin tháinig Coiste na dTuismitheoirí. D’oibrigh siad agus tá siad fós ag obair go dícheallach chun cinntiú go bhfuil oideachas lán-ghaelach den scoth á soláthar do pháistí na Gaelscoile agus go bhfuil na hacmhainní cuí againn chun gur féidr linn é a chur ar fáil.
Is scoil sinn ina múintear gach ábhar trí Ghaeilge i dtimpeallacht spreagúil thaitneamhach. Bainimid úsáid as an tumoideachas chun cumas Gaeilge an pháiste a fheabhsú chomh luath agus is féidir. Séard is brí leis sin ná nach múintear aon Bhéarla go dtí and dara téarma i Naíonáin Mhóra. Bíonn an Ghaeilge mar theanga phobail na scoile idir páistí, múinteoirí, bainistíocht agus tuismitheoirí. Déantar forbairt iomlán ar an bpáiste trí churaclam leathan cuimsitheach. Feidhmíonn an ghaelscoil faoi ghnáthrialacha agus treoracha na Roinne Oideachais agus Scileanna.
Tá an scoil s’againne ag fás is ag forbairt de réir a chéile le deich mbliain anuas maraon le Gaeilge na bpáistí. Sa bhliain 2017 ceapadh Rita Ní Thuathail mar phríomhoide sa scoil, agus anois tá 15 múinteoir ranga agus triúir mhúinteoir ar an bhfoireann riachtanais speisialta againn. Táimid fíor-bhuíoch dóibh siúd a thacaíonn leis is a chuireann chun cinn an meon dearfach a chothaíonn an t-atmasféar fáilteach, sonasach don fhoghlaim. Tá muid de shíor ag cur lenár gcuid áiseanna scoile, agus ag foirbairt ár suíomh scoile chun cur leis an eispéaras foghlama atá á cur ar fáil againn dár ndaltaí uile.
Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath is an all-Irish interdenominational school that was established in 2008 by a group of parents (bunchoiste) under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta. The bunchoiste began working in 2007 to assess the level of interest in the area for an all-Irish school, and to gather funds to establish the school once sanctioned by the Department.
During the summer of 2008 things started to move when Múinteoir was appointed as teaching principal and Múinteoir Rita appointed as class teacher. At the same time on the school site builders were working on a new building for September. On 29 August 2008 we were given the keys to our building, which we shared with Educate Together, and the parents worked together with us to have everything ready for our first day. On 10 October 2008 we received the keys to our very own school building.
All the hard work of the parents on the bunchoiste was very evident when we opened our doors on our very first day to 24 pupils; 17 Junior Infants, 2 Senior Infants, and 5 First Class children. The Board of Management was established in November 2008 and very shortly afterwards our parents association, Coiste na dTuismitheoirí, was formed. They have, and continue to work diligently to ensure that our children receive an excellent education through the medium of Irish and that we have the required resources to provide that standard of education.
We teach all our subjects through the medium of Irish here, in a happy and encouraging environment. We follow total immersion in the language so that the children can develop their language skills quickly. No English is taught until the children are in Term 2 of Senior Infants. Irish is the spoken language of the school among the chidren, the teachers, the management and the parents. A holistic approach is taken through the broad curriculum that we teach, and the school follows the normal rules and guidelines for primary schools as laid down by the Department of Education and Skills.
Our school has grown and developed each year over the past ten years, as has the level of Irish of our children. In 2017 M. Rita was appointed as principal and we now have 15 class teachers and three teachers on our special education team. We are very grateful to all those who support the school in promoting a positive and welcoming atmosphere that is conducive to learning. We are always striving to add to our resources and enhance our school site so that we can enrich the teaching and learning experience that we provide for all of our children.