BUNSCOIL NAOMH CHOLM CILLE: IRISH MEDIUM EDUCATION

Ba mhian linn fearadh na fáilte a chur romhaibh go Bhunscoil Naomh Cholm Cille. Roghnaigh sibh an Ghaeloideas agus an dátheangachas a thabhairt do do pháiste agus tá súil againn go n-éireoidh go geal libh go léir. Beidh muid ag obair go dlúth le chéile as seo amach chun Gaelsaolaíocht an Charraig Mhór a shaibhriú.

Since opening in 2003, Bunscoil Naomh Cholm Cille has gone from strength to strength and we are very proud of the linguistic diversity which the Bunscoil brings to the school.  There are currently 79 pupils in our Irish Medium Unit.  The catchment area for the Bunscoil is much wider than that of the mainstream school, catering for children from the parish of Termonmaguirc, Ballygawley (Errigal Ciaran), Pomeroy (Cabhán á Chaolhainnn), Greencastle and Kildress.  Most of the children in the Bunscoil also received their pre-school education through Irish at Naíscoil Cholm Cille which is a self-contained unit on our school site.  Currently, there are 24 children being educated in the Naíscoil.

We seek to ensure that our pupils experience not only the highest standard of education through the medium of Irish, but are also fully integrated members of the wider St. Colmcille’s P.S. and parish community. Children in the unit are involved in all of the common activities for P1-P7 such as trips, concerts, choir, sporting achievements, cultural opportunities etc. They have opportunities to play with their Irish Medium peers at break time while at dinner time they integrate with their friends in the rest of school. They also have opportunities to participate in events and competitions which are organised exclusively for Irish-Medium children. We arrange a full programme of events with other Irish Medium providers. One highlight of the year takes place in March when pupils celebrate ‘Seachtain na Gaeilge’ (Irish Week) which includes céilí dancing, art competitions, traditional songs, quizzes and poetry and essay competitions.

If you choose to place your child in the Irish Medium Unit, we can assure you that he/she will receive the same full curriculum entitlement as their counterparts in the rest of the school. The class teachers plan regularly with all the other teachers in the mainstream classes to ensure that the pupils are following the same topics in all of the curriculum areas.

English is taught formally as a “second” language from P3 onwards. Children in the Bunscoil will sit the equivalent tests to those given to other pupils throughout their years in St Colmcille’s and we would wish to stress that the only difference in their experiences will be in the language that they use.  Irish Medium Education equips children with the ability to speak two languages confidently by the time they complete their primary education.