Green School2022-11-18T14:14:01+00:00

Flags & Initiatives

Green Schools

We in Scoil Íosagáin care deeply about our environment and we have been part of the Green Schools initiative for many years. We have a burning desire to make our pupils hugely aware of challenging environmental issues and the many actions we can take to help.

Our primary objective is a school that creates clean, healthy, protective and green surroundings when saving energy, environmental resources and money. Scoil Íosagáin reduces its environmental impact by decreasing energy and water use, cutting back on fossil fuel used in transportation, reducing waste headed to landfill, and protecting natural habitats.

green school aghada
green school aghada ns

There are 8 themes in the Green-Schools Programme:

  • Litter & Waste

  • Energy

  • Water

  • Travel

  • Biodiversity

  • Global Citizenship – Energy

  • Global Citizenship – Litter & Waste

  • Global Citizenship – Marine Environment

Some of the themes are of one year duration and some are two years long. We have committed fully to each theme and we are currently in possession of 7 Green Flags. We are now working on our final theme, Global Citizenship – Marine Environment.

We follow a 7-step process to achieve each Green Flag.

  • Step 1 requires the formation of a Green-Schools Committee. We try to be representative of the whole school. Our committee is composed of students from each class, teachers, parents and our caretaker.

  • Step 2: Environmental Review…. Depending on the theme we are working on, we carry out an environmental review to gauge our current position.

  • Step 3: Action Plan…. We now formulate an Action Plan based on our findings

  • Step 4: Monitoring and Evaluation….We record our improvements and discuss as a group what we need to work on.

  • Step 5: Curriculum Links. …Integration with many of our school subjects forms an important aspect of our strategy to make the Whole School aware of our progress

  • Step 6: Informing and Involving. …Thursday Newsletter, Posters, Notice – Boards, General Assemblies, Class Projects and Class Visits help inform everyone
  • Step 7: Green Code…. Each theme requires a different slogan or code

aghada eco school
eco school
planting trees
planting trees

We are very conscious of our duty to help the planet and every year we undertake a programme of planting trees with Mountain Ash proving a popular choice for our students.

We have planted 30 metres of Beech Hedging which will provide us with year-round screening and colour. Biodiversity is also very important to us and so every year, we cultivate wildflower areas for honeybees and a multitude of insects to thrive in.

Every year we undertake a local beach clean-up and litter picking in the immediate environs of our school. We have several raised beds in our school garden and our students are encouraged to grow their own vegetables. We also have created a greenhouse from plastic bottles which will be a huge asset to nurturing our own seedlings.

Unquestionably the Green Schools Programme has been a tremendous success and continues to influence our students in a wonderfully positive manner.

Gaelbhratach

Funded by Foras na Gaeilge, Gaelbhratach is a scheme that supports schools in promoting the Irish language. Schools are awarded the Gaelbhratach upon successful completion of a variety of targets. These targets relate to music, art, sport, events and much more. The main aim of the scheme is to encourage a culture of speaking Irish informally within the school community and beyond.

Scoil Íosagáin has been awarded the Gaelbhratach multiple years in a row. The scheme has been really encouraging for our school and everyone is ag caint as Gaeilge way more than ever before!

aghada gaelbhratach
gaelbhratach aghada nationa school

Déanann na múinteoirí agus na páistí iarracht an Ghaeilge a úsáid timpeall na scoile. Bíonn imeachtaí ar súil gach seachtain agus eagraimíd imeachtaí chun béim a chur ar an Ghaeilge, cosúil le amhráin, bingo as Gaeilge, seó faisean, spórt, paistí ag comhrá sa rang agus sa chlós.

Ár dteanga dúchais í a leabhart!

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