News
Busy week with Minister’s visit and Yellow Flag award
By Michelle Crean
It was a busy week for one school last week as not only were they awarded the Yellow Flag for their work in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality - but they also welcomed in the Education Minister and a Kerry TD.
YELLOW FLAG AWARD: Education Minister Norma Foley with the Yellow Flag committee: Shauna Myers and Elizabeth O'Shea pictured at the front and Mehek Asghar Jasmine Shehabali Myassar Saleh and Daria Pokojska.
YELLOW FLAG AWARD: Education Minister Norma Foley with the Yellow Flag committee: Shauna Myers and Elizabeth O'Shea pictured at the front and Mehek Asghar Jasmine Shehabali Myassar Saleh and Daria Pokojska.
St Brigid's Presentation Killarney gave a warm welcome to Minister Norma Foley and TD Danny Healy-Rae on Friday morning last. There they met with members of the Student Council and members of the Yellow Flag committee.
The school is only one of five schools nationally to attain the Yellow Flag for their work in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality for all in St Brigid's.
Minister Foley chatted with many students and staff, visited the ASD class where Zoomer the school's therapy dog was delighted to meet with the Minister. Minister Foley's final stop on her visit was the green field site where St Brigid's future new school will be located.
"It is great to see an alumni of a Pres and CEIST school currently in the role of Minister for Education. We are delighted she was able to visit and chat with the students," school PRO, Sheree Murphy, said.
YELLOW FLAG AWARD
The ‘Yellow Flag Programme’ - made up of all kinds of people, those with different hopes, dreams, languages, cultures, beliefs and ways of life - was established in St Brigid's in 2020.
Some of the initiatives carried out by the active Yellow Flag committee include a Culture Day promoting the many cultures and ethnicities.
"We also ran a school wide diversity code competition where we asked our students to lend us their voices to design a diversity code for us to live by," teacher Cliona Hallissy said.
"There was a huge response with students displaying their creative talents through exceptional pieces of artwork and eloquent pieces of writing. We were thrilled when the Irish Traveller Movement informed us that the school had received a Yellow Flag in recognition of the work carried out to promote diversity and inclusion."
A virtual ceremony took place on Thursday last which was hosted via Zoom by RTÉ presenter Emer O’Neill. All 20 members of the Yellow Flag committee attended and enjoyed a wonderful celebration of their work.
Sixth Year Daria Pokojska gave a student perspective on what the programme meant to her and Miss Hallissy spoke from a teacher’s perspective about the importance of the ‘Yellow Flag Programme’ to the school community.
On Friday Minister Foley celebrated the students’ achievement. The national co-ordinator of the Yellow Flag Programme, Molly Brady-Martin, was also in attendance."The enthusiastic committee all received certificates recognising their participation. Students received a letter from the President Michael D. Higgins congratulating them on their commitment to a truly inclusive education."
No firm timeframe for St Finan’s masterplan
There is still no guaranteed timeline for the redevelopment of the St Finan’s site in Killarney, despite ongoing work between Kerry County Council, the HSE, and the Land Development Agency (LDA).
The issue was raised at a recent Killarney Municipal District meeting by Councillor Maura Healy-Rae, who asked the council for an update on its engagement with the Department of Housing, the LDA, and the HSE regarding the future of the prominent landbank.
Responding to the query, a senior council official confirmed that while Kerry County Council, the HSE, and the LDA are jointly developing a masterplan and infrastructure delivery strategy for the site, progress remains contingent on support.
The official stated that a funding application has been submitted to progress the masterplan and that background work is currently ongoing.
Litter bins were previously removed from Lower New Street in Killarney due to ongoing issues with people using public bins to dispose of household waste.
The matter was raised at the Killarney Municipal District meeting by Councillor Martin Grady, who called for additional litter bins to be installed along Lower New Street, specifically along the stretch from Christy Healy’s shop to Presentation Secondary School, citing a lack of disposal facilities in the area.
In response, Kerry County Council confirmed that while bins had been taken away due to inappropriate domestic waste dumping, a litter bin will now be reinstated on a six-month trial basis.
Council officials stated they will closely monitor usage over the trial period to evaluate its effectiveness and ensure it is used properly.
Litter bins to return to New Street
Litter bins were previously removed from Lower New Street in Killarney due to ongoing issues with people using public bins to dispose of household waste.
The matter was raised at the Killarney Municipal District meeting by Councillor Martin Grady, who called for additional litter bins to be installed along Lower New Street, specifically along the stretch from Christy Healy’s shop to Presentation Secondary School, citing a lack of disposal facilities in the area.
In response, Kerry County Council confirmed that while bins had been taken away due to inappropriate domestic waste dumping, a litter bin will now be reinstated on a six-month trial basis.
Council officials stated they will closely monitor usage over the trial period to evaluate its effectiveness and ensure it is used properly.
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