Extracurricular
Whole School Activities
Our school comes together every Friday for assembly. Our Deputy Principal John Owen plays the guitar and sings. He also hands out our student of the week certs and sings happy birthday to staff and students. There is also a dance at the end of assembly where all students and staff get up and have a boogie together!
Classes come together for football, playtime and garden time. We also have integration with St.Marys Boys Primary and Secondary School. They come to us and we go to them. There are activities planned and the students always have a brilliant Day! We also attend Sion Hill at Christmas and in the summer for our annual Christmas Party and Sports Day! The TY students organise a present for every student in the school which they purchase themselves. There is also games, entertainment, lunch and Santa Claus on the day!
Events and Celebrations
Our school celebrates many events throughout the academic year. Such celebrations include Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day and Easter to name but a few. We hold parties, art competitions, Easter Egg hunts, Christmas concerts and many more. There is always something happening at Grosvenor School!!
Information and Communications Technology
Students have access to laptops and computers for learning. Supporting Teaching and Learning through ICT.
ICT has the potential to transform the educational opportunities and life skills of people whose special educational needs might otherwise marginalise them. Many pupils with a Moderate, Severe or Profound Learning Disability (SPLD) often rely on technology to enable them to access many areas of the curriculum. Assistive or adaptive technologies (AT) facilitate access to learning and communication for students with SPLD.
ICT is most effective with students when it supports:
-
Active involvement in learning
-
Interest and engagement in learning
-
Differentiated learning
-
Access to the curriculum
-
Assessment of and for learning
Benefits of Using ICT
The ways in which ICT may benefit students with Moderate, Severe or Profound Learning Disability is dependent on each student’s individual learning needs and abilities:
-
provides motivating and stimulating learning experiences and gives instant feedback to student’s responses
-
enables students to learn fundamental cognitive skills such as contingency awareness (cause and effect) and early problem solving
-
facilitates pupils to develop fundamental communication skills (both receptive and expressive); for some students, technology may be the only way to communicate with the world around them
-
Software programmes can provide exciting and stimulating repetition – often required to consolidate learning
-
can provide a means for pupils to work independently and therefore not continually having to rely on others
-
facilitates the development of motor skills, eye tracking and hand-eye co-ordination.
-
facilitates social interaction and turn taking skills
-
can be used to introduce simple concepts such as choosing, matching and sorting
Examples of ICT Devices used in our school include:
-
Eye Gaze Technology
-
Interactive Plasma Screens
-
iPads
-
Jelly bean switches
-
Variable pressure switches
-
Some AT devices can be used to enable and facilitate develop communication skills. These devices can augment a student’s ability to communicate and are often referred to as Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices.
Examples of AAC devices used in our school:
-
BigMack
-
SmallMack
-
2 or more communicators e.g. GoTalk
(see NCCA Guidelines, Introduction, Section 4, p. 32)
Software
Software content should be appropriate to students’ ability, preference and age, bearing in mind any additional sensory impairment the student may have. Software should be motivating and rewarding, varying from images of simple colourful shapes and patterns to everyday objects and simple stories with a good sound output. Software should have options for type of switch access, colour choice, timing and number of activities and rewards.
Dance Classes
We look forward to being able to resume our weekly dance classes once restrictions permit.
Football
We look forward to being able to resume our weekly football classes once restrictions permit.
Yoga
We look forward to being able to resume our weekly yoga classes once restrictions permit.
School Outings and trips
Teachers arrange School Trips and Outings occasionally while considering the ability and interests of the children and the curriculum being covered. School tours will be arranged by the school to present the children with a new environment in which they can have opportunities for new learning and experiences. In general, school tours will be arranged during the last school (summer) term, but incidental trips may also be arranged as opportunities arise. The school is moving towards a policy of single class outings as opposed to multi-class outings. Tours will be arranged at the discretion of the class teacher and as nursing cover and school finances allow.
Links with the local community
It is our aim to link in with the local community as much a possible. Students can often be seen taking a wander to the local Centra or to Woodies to buy plants for the garden. Students have also enjoyed taking the Luas to various locations including Carrickmines, Leopardstown and St.Stephens Green. The Dublin Horses have brought us on many a trip around town while also allowing the students to pet the horses on many occasion. We also look forward to being able to visit the Clayton for our Friday outing where they provide Chips and Sausages at a reduced rate. Our local businesses in Central park also link in with us by completed Volunteer work within our school/ fundraising for us. For example, painting rooms, gardening, providing a selection box/ easter egg for every student.