Last Friday, we had a lovely addition to our weekly assembly. For the first time, a class presented a piece of work that they have been learning about in the past couple of weeks. This sharing of knowledge is an important part of our Learn Together curriculum, and we were delighted with the standard set by Bobby's clever and creative Second Class.

Bobby's class have been learning about Islam and they made a fabulous display about the Five Pillars. They then presented the information they had collected, loudly and clearly, for the whole school to hear.
We were so proud of them! Well done, Bobby's Class.
​We look forward to hearing from another class next month!

As you know by now, at Citywest ETNS, we operate a programme of educational experiences designed to increase our children’s understanding of, and appreciation for, a variety of belief systems. It is our hope that, during their time at Citywest ETNS, each child will have the opportunity to meet with a religious leader and/or visit the place of worship of each of the main world religions, as well as some non-theistic belief systems. 

So far this year, different classes in our school have had visits to a synagogue, a Buddhist centre and a church, and have been visited by speakers from Atheist Ireland and the Humanist Association. These visits provide a real-life context for the learning that is already taking place at school. Learning about the beliefs and customs of various world religions encourages understanding and mutual respect of diversity in all aspects of life. There is no faith formation element to any of these visits. The focus is on information about the faith.

Unfortunately, we have yet to establish a strong relationship with a Hindu temple. While in the past, we have had a visit from a leader of the Hindu community, we would love to make a lasting connection with a temple that we could visit. 

If you are a member of the Hindu faith, or if you know somebody who is, could you make an introduction for us? We would love to establish a relationship with a leader of the Hindu faith that is based in a local temple. That way, we will be able to arrange yearly visits to the temple for various class levels. 

So if you do have a connection, please get in touch with Aoife, via the school office!

The curriculum that Educate Together have laid out for schools to follow for Ethical Education is called 'Learn Together'. The Learn Together curriculum encompasses four strands: 

• Belief Systems
• Equality & Justice
• Ethics & the Environment
• Moral & Spiritual

Take a look at some of the work that has been going on at all levels of the school, and across all of the four strands.

Fourth Class put democracy in action by having a debate about whether to keep Class Dojo in their class!

Healthy Living Week was a great opportunity to focus on spiritual development - children in Claire's Class and Orla's Class practised mindfulness, Jenna's Class read a book about feelings. 

​Martha's Class looked at the effects Autumn in the natural environment.

As a part of the ongoing campaign for a second level Educate Together school in our area, all classes have prepared a submission to the Minister for Education. The campaign group will pass it to the Minister on our behalf. Take a look at the poster Sarah's Class put together!

In looking at world belief systems, Aoife's Class learned about various creation stories from around the globe, and put together this fabulous display about The Golden Rule in various belief systems.

As you may know, last year we made great strides in the development of our teaching and learning about belief systems and other cultures. We began to explore a thematic approach to our learning about world faiths and also established a programme that allows every class in the school to visit a place of worship, or speak with a leader of a particular belief system each year.

This year, we are looking to broaden our engagement with belief systems, and international cultures more generally.

Food is a central part of many celebrations, and we would love to use this as another window into world cultures. If you have a dish that you cook in celebration of a particular festival, or at a particular time of year, maybe you could come in and share it with a class?  

We are looking for cooks who could either

• cook a dish in advance, and then share it with a class, talking about the significance of the dish in connection with a particular festival, or
• if the recipe is simple enough, perhaps cook the dish WITH the class, allowing them to gain an even deeper appreciation of the festival

Some festivals that might lend themselves to a food-related lesson include:

• Eid ul Adha (passed this year, but please let us know if you would be interested for next year)
• Sukkot
• Diwali
• Guru Nanek's Birthday
• The Winter Solstice
• Christmas
• St. Brigid's Day
• Chinese New Year
• Nirvana Day
• Fairtrade Fortnight
• Easter
• Vaisakhi
• Passover
• Bealtaine
• Ramadan
• World Humanist Day

*Please note that these are just some examples - if you have any other dates that are culturally significant, we would love to hear from you!

Please complete the form below if you think you could get involved in this new initiative.

Last week our children in Junior Infants took a walk down to Saggart village to visit the Catholic Church there. This visit was a part of our ongoing project of visits to places of worship at all levels of the school.
Earlier this year, the children of First Class visited a synagogue and the children from Second Class visited a mosque.
These visits give the children an opportunity to see for themselves some of the aspects of each religion that we learn about in class.

Breda, a parish worker at St. Mary's was very helpful and accommodating. She showed the children the different parts of the church. The children also had a chance to explore the church with their teacher, and there was even time for a picnic before heading back to school.
Thanks as well to the parent volunteers who helped out on the day.