Tionscnaimh/Projects

Applications are now invited for the BLAST Arts in Education Programme for the new school year 2022-2023.

This programme is open to Primary & Post Primary Schools. CLOSING DATE: September 30th 2022. 

Please click on the following links for further information and to download the application form. 

• Information on BLAST and Application Form
• Eolas faoi BLAST agus Foirm Iarratais

For any further information please contact the Administrator on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

• The Teacher Artist Partnership (TAP) Face-to-Face Summer Course is a CPD opportunity to explore partnership through Arts-in-Education within primary schools.
• TAP also provides trained teachers with the opportunity to host a fully funded TAP Artist Residency in their school 2022/23.
• TAP improves the arts and creativity in education in Primary Schools.
• TAP improves literacy, numeracy & well-being in all schools including DEIS. TAP will be offered across the Education Support Centre Network (21 Centres) in 2022 supported by the Department of Education & Creative Ireland fund. 
• TAP is a highly motivative, innovative, creative and participant responsive programme that promotes professional learning towards partnership. 

TAP Face-to-Face Summer Course runs from Monday July 4th-Friday July 8th. Teacher Artist Residencies will be available to eight participating schools in EACH of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency. 

Click HERE for further details.  

Register HERE for the TAP Summer Course

Cnuasach Cruthaitheach/Creative Clusters 2022-2023

Closing Date for Applications Friday May 13th 

If your school wishes to apply for 2022-2023 please contact Deborah Walsh, Administrator Email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Cnuasach Cruthaitheach 2021-2022

Tá áthas orainn a bheith ag obair le trí bhunscoil áitiúil agus cúig iarbhunscoil áitiúil sa bhliain acadúil reatha seo. Más mian le do scoil iarratas a chur isteach maidir le 2022-2023, déan teagmháil le do thoil le Deborah Walsh, Riarthóir.

Ríomhphost: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

We are delighted to be working with three local primary schools and five local post-primary schools this current academic year. 

Code4Fun: Post Primary Schools STEM Initiative

New and exciting opportunities in STEM are also being promoted at post primary level through the Creative Clusters initiative and in collaboration with the Engineering Faculty in TUS. Transition Year Students from five local post primary schools have been experiencing technology, collaboration, innovation, creative thinking and entrepreneurship in an applied and practical manner during their weekly workshops in the university. The skills they are learning are those required in software development, which specifies an Agile approach to coding. Software engineers must produce functionality working code which meets the specific needs of a product owner within a short timeframe. This requires significant creativity, team work and problem solving. Code4Fun implements a scaffold learning strategy which combines elements of the industry standard Agile software design process with the Maastricht Seven Step PBL Model in order to enable students to express their creativity to solve real problems using interesting technology. Students have created innovative product oriented technical solutions which they presented recently in the college.

Their projects, which show an innovative use of arduino, micro:bits, sensors, motors and circuits include the following:

• Wireless Weather Station
• Self-Watering System for Plants
• Electric Module Toy Tank
• Air Hockey Table
• Runaway Alarm Clock
• Wallet bot to help prevent misplacing items such as keys, rings, watches and credit cards.
• Unlocker: The keyless security system for home and office doors.

Well done to the 5 Post Primary Schools involved which include The Marist College, Athlone; Coláiste Chiaráin Athlone; Our Lady's Bower, Athlone; Athlone Community College and Moate Community College. Our sincere thanks to Dr. Enda Fallon and his team in the Engineering Faculty in TUS for making this project possible. We also ackowledge with thanks the funding from the Creative Clusters Programme. 

Athlone Education Support Centre is collaborating with Ericsson Athlone  Athlone Campus to promote STEM education in the local primary  schools. This collaboration is providing invaluable learning opportunities in STEM in line with the Department Of Education’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026.

EPIC: Primary Schools STEM Initiative

Ericsson Primary Introduction to Code (EPIC) is an exciting initiative created specifically for primary schools to introduce young children to the fundamentals of computers and coding. It aims to promote STEM at an early age and encourages students to study STEM subjects as they progress to secondary school level. Athlone ESC is collaborating with Ericsson Athlone to provide a series of sessions for local primary school teachers. This programme runs on a “Teach the Teacher Approach” with software engineers from the INFUSE team in Ericsson upskilling teachers in STEM and enabling them to educate their pupils in the basics of coding. The series of four interactive sessions covers the following:

• An Overview of the EPIC Programme
• Learn basic coding and programming skills through Micro:bits
• Create interactive stories, games and animations through Scratch
• Build a simple webpage using HTML and add styling to webpage elements using CSS

Many local primary schools are attending this training and have embraced the opportunity to introduce their pupils to the EPIC Programme. Pupils in 5^th class in St. Clare’s N.S., Tubberclare under the guidance of their teacher, Ms Michelle Mc Ardle, have been enjoying sessions on micro:bits. The pupils have been logging into http://microbit.org  on their chrome books and working their way through the different sample programmes.  They have taken to it very quickly and are now creating their own programmes, with lots of collaboration, discussion and problem-solving among the pupils! The school plans to introduce the programme to other classes over the coming months.

Our sincere thanks to Barbara Quinn, Project Manager Ericsson and the Infuse Team Ericsson for making this project possible!

Gabhaimid buíochas libh as bhur suim sa tionscnamh seo. 

We are delighted to have 20 schools participating in this year's BLAST Arts in Education Project. Many thanks to our artists who have already started working with local primary and post primary schools on their creative projects. 

Tugann Scríobh Leabhar deis do pháistí bunscoile a gcuid leabhar féin a scríobh, a dhearadh, agus a fhoilsiú as Gaeilge. Cuireann an tionscadal léitheoireacht agus scríbhneoireacht na Gaeilge chun cinn i measc páistí óga.

Tá gach eolas maidir le Scríobh Leabhar 2021-22 ar fáil anseo: https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/scriobhleabhar/scriobh-leabhar-2021-2022/

Tuilleadh eolais: www.forasnagaeilge.ie/scríobhleabhar

Má tá ceist ar bith agat maidir le Scríobh 2021-22, ná bíodh drogall ort teagmháil a dhéanamh liom ag am ar bith This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Athlone Education Support Centre in collaboration with Munster Technological University & Offaly County Council is delighted to announce the launch of Vex IQ Robotics Programme in Edmonton N.S., Killucan, the first primary school in Co. Westmeath to participate in this programme. 3rd and 4th Class students are looking forward to building their robots and participating in this year's competition. Check out this year's Vex IQ challenge "Pitching In" HERE 

Is clár é Something Fishy atá dírithe ar rang a cúig agus a sé sa Bhunscoil. Tá sé mar aidhm mic léinn a chur ar an eolas agus oideachas a chur orthu maidir le cáilíocht uisce, iasc, an comhshaol agus slatiascaireacht. Anois le tacaíocht ó Iascach Intíre Éireann, forbraíodh an tionscadal ar dtús i gcomhar le Príomh-Bhord Iascaigh (CFB) agus Ionad Oideachais na Carraige Duibhe (BEC). Tá na pleananna ceachta agus na bileoga gníomhaíochta bunaithe ar an téama ‘Saolré an Bhradáin’ - Bradán. Chun cuairt a thabhairt ar an suíomh Gréasáin cliceáil ar an nasc thíos: somethingfishy.ie

Click  HERE  for further information. 

Is clár díospóireachta oideachais é Díospóireachtaí Bunscoile Concern atá dírithe ar ranganna bunscoile sinsearacha. Tá sé mar aidhm ag Díospóireachtaí Concern topaicí forbartha a chur i láthair mac léinn agus múinteoirí araon, trí na rúin, cuirfear mic léinn ag caint go poiblí agus bainfidh siad údáid as scileanna smaointeoireachta ardoird le topaicí mar Athrú Aeráide, Bochtaineacht agus Forbairt Inbhuanaithe a phlé. Tá Concern ar fáil chun tacaíocht a sholáthar do mhúinteoirí agus do mhic léinn. Faigh tuilleadh eolais faoi na Díospóireachtaí Bunscoile Concern anseo: https://www.concern.net/schools-and-youth/debates/primary-school Gheobhaidh gach mac léinn a ghlacfaidh páirt teastais.

Climate Action: Wildflower Garden April 2022

We were deliighted to welcome 4th Class Pupils from Baylin National School to the Centre on April 29th to help us plant our new wildflower garden. We planted four apple trees and a wonderful variety of wildflower seeds which should help attract lots of birds, bees and butterflies. Our sincere thanks to our gardener and award winning landscaper David Costello for his expert advice and support.

Tá Comórtas Podchraolta dár mBunscoileanna áitiúla i Meán Fómhair-Mí na Samhna 2021. Tá foirm léiriú spéise seolta trí ríomhphost chuig gach bunscoil inár ndobharcheantar. Beidh seisiúin tacaíochta le cabhrú le scoileanna ar siúl ar na dátaí seo a leanas:

• 21 Meán Fómhair
• 28 Meán Fómhair
• 5 Deireadh Fómhair
• 9 Samhain

Podcast Competition for our local Primary Schools September-November 2021.

Expression of interest form has been emailed to all local primary schools in our catchment area.

Support sessions to assist schools will take place on the following dates:

• September 21st 
• September 28th 
• October 5th
• November 9th

Please contact the Centre for further details.