Have you been bullied? [advertiser.ie]
- Published: 29 June 2011
A new televison series is to highlight bullying among young people, and is seeking those who have experience of bullying in an attempt to help them share and relinquish their anxieties. The three part series is due to be broadcast in March 2012 and renowned clinical psychologist David Coleman wants to offer his expertise and therapeutic support to a number of young people who have been affected by bullying, either as a victim or as a bully.
As well as offering counselling, Coleman will use practical steps in an attempt to help these teens and pre-teens gain perspective on their bullying experiences and show them ways to build their self-esteem. His ultimate aim is to help them try to move beyond this negative period in their lives.
But there is more to this series than Coleman’s therapeutic support for these teens. He wants to explore the various forms of bullying that exist today, to help the audience understand the causes of bullying, and offer practical steps that adults and teens can use to identify bullying, address the issue, and help teens to cope with it. Coleman will also look beyond Ireland to get first hand experience of innovative ideas, being used abroad, which might work here.
Full Story: www.advertiser.ie
No school bus [drogheda-independent.ie]
- Published: 29 June 2011
Parents angry at moves SOME 180 Le Cheile pupils who get school buses are stranded this week - because their summer holidays don't start until June 30th. Many of them will not be able to finish the academic year because they live so far away from the Educate Together school which is in Mornington.
Angry parents who have been lobbying Louth VEC which administers the transport scheme, have been told to direct their views to the school authorities.
'I am a working mother and while I can take my child to school in the mornings, I don't know how I am going to get her home again. It is crazy because I know a lot of those kids will just not go to school for the last week and that means they won't get a chance to say good-bye to their friends and teachers,' said one Le Cheile parent.
Padraig Kirk, CEO, Louth VEC said it never planned school transport arrangements past June 23rd when a number of other Meath East schools close for the holidays.
Full Story: www.drogheda-independent.ie
Handful of schools to be built in Fingal in coming six years [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 June 2011
THERE are a handful of new primary and secondary schools to be built in Fingal over the next six years in a new school building programme announced by the Minister for Education.
Between 2012 and 2015 a new primary school will be established in Swords and between 2012 and 2017 there are new secondary schools bound for an area serving both north County Dublin and south Louth which looks set for the Gormanston area.
The Rush and Lusk area was also earmarked in the statement from the Department of Education as 'requiring' a new secondary school.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Digital literacy strong in Irish youths [IrishTimes]
- Published: 29 June 2011
IRISH TEENAGERS are above average at reading digital and online texts, according to an educational study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The latest volume of the organisation’s Programme for International Student Assessment measured the ability of 15-year-old students to read, understand and apply digital texts, including e-mails and websites.
It found Irish teenagers ranked seventh out of 16 OECD states – behind South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan but ahead of countries such as Belgium, Norway and France.
The above-average result contrasts with the poor performance of Irish students in traditional paper-based literacy tests, published by the OECD last year.
A striking feature of the latest study was that fewer students (12 per cent) across all participating countries had difficulties in digital reading compared with those who struggled in the traditional paper-based test (17 per cent). Ireland’s average score on the digital reading assessment, at 509 points, was 13 points higher than its average score of 496 points on the paper-based test.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
New technology a big boost for Gurteen NS [tuamherald.ie]
- Published: 29 June 2011
THE installation of interactive whiteboards and the greater use of computers is a big boost to education, especially in smaller two teacher schools such as St Kerrill’s NS, Gurteen, according to principal Ann Ward.
She says that the interactive whiteboards, in particular, make it far easier for teachers in smaller schools to give greater personal attention to multiple classes in the one room.
“The children love the interactive whiteboards and one group of pupils can be working away on projects via the whiteboard while the teacher is dealing with the work of children in another class at the same time,” says Ann.
The principal says that numbers are remaining steady at the Gurteen school and she is confident for the future, if the Minister for Education appreciates the excellent way that new technology, combined with greater personal attention, can result in a more holistic primary education for children from two teacher schools.
Full Story: www.tuamherald.ie
