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The start of the year is a special time, with all the anxiety and excitement of seeing each other again, as well as new staff and students to show around. We hit the ground running on Monday September 6th, with 60 students and 6 staff on schedule … new cubbies and coat hooks were chosen and labelled, personal belongings stored, new toys shown and shared, bikes and boards parked, room arrangements explored, the swing rediscovered, old friends reconnected and new friendships made. It never ceases to amaze us how all this chaos irons itself out so seamlessly, effortlessly, and without too much direction (the effort is secret and behind the scenes as many of our parents, staff and other volunteers know).
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By the end of the first week already there was a settling into activities, groups, a” picking up where we left off” and a” getting to know new friends”. The atmosphere has been lovely; friendly, fun, exciting, motivating. The buzz of the new school year is familiar to us all.... but as well as the smell of ink and copybooks we have enjoyed the scents of the late summer sun on the flowers, fresh paint on the walls, and garlic and popcorn in the kitchen.
There is much to look forward to in the coming months and into next year. We have purchased some additional land and are making plans to expand the school. Stay tuned each month to stay up to date with developments, and if you would like to help in any way please get in touch.
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By the end of week two everyone was busy doing something of interest. Students have been enjoying martial arts lessons, business studies, woodwork, and lots of dodgeball and football, all with the strains of Nirvana and Måneskin coming from the music room thanks to Troy and Kevin from the Music Generation's Band programme which will run for the course of the school year.
Our younger students participated in an experimental French lesson with NAO, the social robot, where we learned a little about how this kind of technology can be used to assist learning and to help in care situations. Our older students had a very interesting presentation from the North West Simon Community on the subject of homelessness in Ireland and are very motivated to help raise funds for this worthwhile cause.
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Learning how to do an oil and filter change on a car, as the conversation ranges from car engines to surfing to pollinators and beekeeping, harvesting & cooking your own vegetables, making your own swords to play pirates, finally making progress on that TREE HOUSE, and creating your own stories and stop motion films..... that's the day to day at Sligo Sudbury School.
There are some other exciting collaborations planned with IT Sligo school of Science and The Model PUNC programme for schools, which will start shortly. We look forward to telling you all about them next month....as well as updating you on the expansion plans.. All in good time.
In the meantime, we wish you a gentle transition into the cooler days of October. It's going to be a fun year! :) Be well everyone.
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Bonjour! Meet NAO, the Social Robot
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Debbie Woodward, a postgraduate researcher at the School of Business and Social Sciences at IT Sligo visited us this month with social robot, NAO. Debbie is carrying out research into the area of social robots and how they could be used to assist teachers in primary schools. NAO helps teachers to deliver a modern languages lesson; in our interactive lesson we learned some basic French vocabulary. We are delighted to have been invited to take part in this innovative postgraduate research. The students were excited and enthralled by the charming NAO. We cant wait for NAO to come visit again.
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Sleep Out for North West Simon Community - Fundraiser
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On October 1st, a group of Sligo Sudbury School staff and students will participate in the Annual Virtual Sleep Out for North West Simon Community to raise funds to help this great cause. Your support is very much appreciated. Please give what you can to help those in need. The link below will take you directly to the iDonate page dedicated to this fundraiser.
Thank you.
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Have you ever wondered what staff at a democratic school do all day?
It's a question that we get asked a lot and it's a tricky one to answer sometimes as the role is so varied and multifaceted. Our friends at Alpine Valley Sudbury School have put together a podcast on this very question with contributions from Sudbury Schools in the US, UK, South Africa, and Ireland. It's really interesting to hear the differences and similarities in our experiences as staff, no matter where we are from.
Have a listen below
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WHY SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS?
Global Giving, thanks to the generosity of a particular benefactor, will match all new monthly donations up to $200 for a limited time. If you would like to support democracy and choice in education for our young people please consider making a monthly commitment to our fund. Now is the time to seek out new and more flexible educational environments for our children. Sligo Sudbury School offers a safe, stimulating learning space which encourages student agency and supports students in making responsible choices in the context of their lives and of the wider world. Active participation in decisions that affect us, choice, personal responsibility and consideration of the effects of their actions on others, are all elements of a Sligo Sudbury education. These are the skills our young people need. Help make this kind of school available to them.
Any amount you can give, however small, will help, or if you wish to become a sponsor committing to a fixed amount each month you could support our goal of offering more places to students whose families are on low incomes.
Thank you
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