St Paul’s NS in Castlerea is celebrating five years of participation in the national Say Yes to Languages programme.
The programme is facilitated by Post-Primary Languages Ireland and funded by the Department of Education and Youth. As part of the five-year celebration, St Paul’s NS received a special Say Yes to Languages five-year anniversary certificate, recognising the school’s commitment to giving pupils access to a wider world of languages and cultures.
The programme gives primary school children the opportunity to experience a new language and learn about different cultures in a fun and engaging way.
Since joining in 2021, pupils at St Paul’s NS have had the opportunity to learn French, German and Spanish. The school is also a recent recipient of the Gaelbhratach award, celebrating its dedication to learning and building confidence in the use of Gaeilge.
Over the years, pupils have taken part in language lessons, language games, cultural food tasting, workshops, phrase-of-the-day challenges, teacher exchange visits and projects with Castlerea Community School.
The school has also completed the Blue Star award and worked with Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan MEP to learn about Brussels and the work of the European Parliament.
The school said pupils have used simple phrases and greetings during the school day and in the yard, showcasing their enthusiasm and new language skills.
This year marks a major milestone for language learning nationall, with the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum including Modern Foreign Languages as part of the Language Specification.
St Paul’s NS said the programme has given pupils a strong foundation and a love of learning about the wider world.
