The staff of Letterkenny’s Educate Together school.
Letterkenny Educate Together National School is celebrating its 8th birthday with a newly-appointed principal, Áine Fabisiak and a new school building.
The multi-denominational school opened in September 2006 with 35 pupils and two teachers.
The school has now grown to over 210 pupils with 13 teachers and four special needs assistants and this year our first junior infant class are now leaving our school as active and responsible citizens.
With its rapid increase in enrolments, the school has achieved great success in its short lifetime.
It has been awarded two Green School flags, a Discover Primary Science award, an Active School flag and a number of Pushkin awards, to name a few.
The school has been praised for its wide range of after-school programmes including athletics, soccer, art classes, dance classes and keep-fit classes.
Like most Educate Together schools, Faith Formation classes are organised in the school, after school hours, by a group of Catholic parents. During these classes, students prepare for First Communion and Confirmation, and this is done on an opt-in basis just for those who wish to take part.
The Department of Education have confirmed that they will be building a 24 classroom state-of-the-art school in 2015.
Announcing the new building, Minister Ruairí Quinn said that “the new school building will cater for the growing population of Letterkenny and its surrounding areas.”
Letterkenny Educate Together is moving towards the future with a new Principal, Áine Fabisiak (née O’Herlihy).
Áine, a Letterkenny native, takes the reins from Máire Lynam who retired in June. Áine will be accompanied on the school’s management team by the newly-appointed Deputy Principal, Catherine Lal.
A past pupil of Loreto Convent, Letterkenny, Áine said, “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed to this important post this year and look forward to working with the Letterkenny Educate Together community.
“I am honoured that the Educate Together board has entrusted the leadership of Letterkenny ETNS to me and my role as Principal now will be to ensure that the school continues to be the space for dynamic, happy, community-centred learning of which we are all very proud.”
LYIT’s president Paul Hannigan, who is also Chairperson of Letterkenny ETNS said, “I feel privileged to be the Chairperson of Letterkenny ETNS and I wish Áine every success in the future. I look forward to working with Áine in continuing the progressive, inclusive ethos of Educate Together. The Letterkenny ETNS has worked hard to raise its attainment and profile. We will build on that progress to ensure that Letterkenny ETNS pupils achieve all that they are capable of and have a really successful future. “
The school’s Community representative on the Board of Management, Pat Harvey, whose grandchild attends Letterkenny ETNS said “I am looking forward to working with Áine, her staff and the school community. Letterkenny ETNS is a very vibrant centre of learning which will encourage, guide and most importantly empower each and every one of its pupils to live the best lives they can.
“I am particularly happy with the commitment to the multi-denominational and co-educational, child centred philosophy that characterises Educate Together and its approach. I am also delighted with the manner in which democratic principles underpin the delivery of learning in Educate Together. It’s the way forward for all of us…. to learn together and to live together in Ireland.”
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