Our Locality Week got off to a great start this morning when some 6th-class pupils visited classrooms to tell the children Monday’s Facts of the Day.Here are today’s facts: Did you know that: 1). Castleknock was once covered in a massive forest called the Great Scaldwood, where wolves roamed freely
Whiteboards and ICT and another building. 2005 President Mary McAlese visited us. The children lined the yard and waved flags. The President spoke to the 6th classes in the school GP room. ICT took a huge leap forward with the installation of Whiteboards. Teachers were given laptops to prepare lesso
The School Sponsored Walk was held on the M50 the day before it opened.1991 The Library was moved to a prefab and a year later after a large donation from Mr.Ben Dunne, the computer room was opened.A Printer was installed.1994 Mrs. Williams took over the Senior Choir and in 1996 they won Feis Ceoil
1980’s and a New ExtensionThe current Junior Building opened in 19808 bigger classrooms with toilets in each room and wet areas for artFloors were carpetedEmergency doors in each downstairs room and a fire escape upstairsWide corridorsHot waterA new Staff Room and Learning Support RoomJunior Infant
IndoorsHarry Allen walked the children up the “side road” (Beechpark Ave) to the new school on Feb 1st 1971.The children walked behind him, carrying books, maps and boxes.32 lower road children arrived by bus to join the new school in Beechpark AvenueThe new school had 8 classrooms , double the am
Worsening ConditionsAmalgamating the boys and girls Numbers in the boys’ school were falling and this led to bitter feuds between the two principals.The Infant boys attended the girls school. As sometimes children started when only 3, the girls’ principal claimed the older girls were better at mindi
A Day in SchoolWhat did the children learn at school?The subjects taught were listed as Reading, Spelling Writing Arithmetic, Algebra, Grammar, and Geography.Boys also learned Agriculture and the girls learned needlework.In the early records there was no mention of PE, Irish. or Religion.Music and C
Inside the SchoolPlumbingThere was no toilets indoors. The toilets were outside and had no running water or sinks or toilet paper.Everyday water had to be fetched from the pump for the teacher’s tea and from a water barrel across the road for washing dishes and “flushing” the toiletsThe children lov
The RoomsThe BuildingIn 1865 Mr. John Friel and Ms. Mary Friel were the master and mistress of the boys and girls and lived upstairs.The principal of the boys was called The Master and The Mistress was principal of the girls.The Junior Infants were called Low Babies and Senior Infants High Babies.In
Keeping RecordsSchools had several important booksThe register kept the names, addresses, fathers’ occupations of children and dates enrolled.Attendance was marked each day in the roll bookThe daily report book kept records of each classes’ attendance and grants the school received and teachers’ pay
The Early DaysOn May 8th 1865 boys and girls moved into the new school in Castleknock.It stood at the corner of Beechpark Avenue ( called the side road then ) and Castleknock Road. There are apartments on the site now.Prior to this the school was a little thatched house on the same site as our schoo
A smouldering, dying turf fire flickered wearily in the grubby, rusty pot-bellied stove at the top of the schoolroom, barely illuminating the dingy room. An enormous fir-framed blackboard towered over the front row of benches. It was coated in a layer of dusty chalk over which an English poem, some
A large, sooty fire glowed in the pot-bellied stove at the top of the schoolroom. An enormous, dilapidated blackboard stood next to the stove. Every inch of its surface had been written on. It was covered with nathanna Gaeilge, lots of Arithmetic and an English poem for the pupils to copy and recite
A massive, sooty fire kindled in the pot-bellied stove at the top of the schoolroom. An enormous, dilapidated blackboard stood straight and tall, commanding attention, next to the stove. Shrouded in a layer of fine, powdery, white chalk, the board was covered with nathanna Gaeilge, Arithmetic and po
An enormous, sooty turf fire blazed in the pot-bellied stove at the top of the schoolroom. A gigantic, oak-framed blackboard rested on an equally impressive easel next to the stove. It was covered with poems, History, Arithmetic and nathanna Gaeilge the children were expected to copy and recite. Tin
A gigantic, sooty turf fire blazed brightly in an old cast iron fireplace at the top of the schoolroom. Two huge wooden blackboards leaned proudly against their sturdy easels, taking commanding positions at the front of the class. Clean, gleaming slates rested neatly on each child’s bench, accompani