Discover Primary Science Programme

We are eager participants here in St. Patrick’s NS when it comes to taking part in the Discover Primary Science Programme. Our pupils prove to be very enthusiastic young scientists when it comes to making exploding rockets, racing balloons or investigating their lung capacity to mention but a few. We have been taking part since 2002 and believe it is of great value to all of us in supporting the aims of S.E.S.E. in the curriculum.

Award of Science Excellence

We have worked hard at winning this prestigious award for the last four years. This involves all classes engaging in science activities & experiments throughout the year including field trips, Science Fairs and participating in National Science Week. We often invite scientists and other speakers to our school and have completed a number of workshops on Bio-diversity, Climate Change, Composting, Tree & Seed Planting, Living Things and Forces.

Science at Home

Parents and children can enjoy some of the activities experienced in class at the Discover Primary Science website which has fun links for kids. Check out  www.primaryscience.ie/

Green-Schools Programme

We at St Patrick’s have a very active environmental policy.  This great venture was started back in 2004 by Mrs. Maguire.  We are very proud of the work our staff and pupils have done to foster a respect for the environment and the need to look after it.  In response to our hard work and dedication we have been awarded six green flags to date:

1.  Litter and Waste

2.  Water Conservation

3.  Energy Conservation

4. Transport

5. Biodiversity

6. Global Citizenship

We are currently working towards our 7th Flag Global Citizenship: Energy.

National Spring Clean Initiative

We take part in National Spring Clean Initiative– Ireland’s premier anti-litter campaign. The campaign  takes place during the entire month of April and  encourages members from every sector of society to organise and actively participate in a clean up event. For more information on National Spring Clean check out www.nationalspringclean.org

Our School Garden

Our Fraughan Garden was developed in 2007 thanks to a generous contribution from the Glencullen Fraughan Festival Committee. Our outdoor classroom (a wonderful place on a sunny day) was donated by Dunlaoghaire Rathdown County Council. Thanks to Denis our caretaker and our parents’ garden committee it is maintained all year round, ready for when pupils go on a bug hunt or when seeds need planting or a quiet poetry lesson.

Our garden is a wonderful resource which enables our students to:

  • Care for other living things
  • Learn and put into practice ecological principles
  • Experience the joy of nature
  • Practice leadership skills
  • Be physically active
  • Use all their senses