MONSTER FUNDRAISER: Staff members Cillian Fitzgerald, Niamh O’Shea, Colm Ó Súilleabháin (Principal), Mary Brosnan and Alice O’Brien launching ‘THE MON-ster Giveaway’ fundraiser outside the front of the Presentation Monastery NS on New Road.

Presentation Monastery NS is today (Friday) launching a fundraiser, ‘THE MON-ster Giveaway’ on November 13, to help raise funds to complete the development of new special needs classrooms, multi-sensory rooms and school hall.

The extension classrooms will cater for both children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children with two and more diagnosed learning difficulties.

The fundraiser invites the public to make ‘a small donation for the next generation’ and gain entry into a timely pre-Christmas prize draw on December 18. The draw has prizes to cater for all interests including; a stunning Louis Vuitton handbag worth €1,100, a weekend stay in a luxurious hotel, Lions captain Sam Warburton’s signed Test jersey and a signed Munster Rugby jersey, with many more exciting prizes to follow.

With help from donations, The Mon is hoping to raise vital funds in order to complete the extension to the highest standard to facilitate current needs and the needs of future generations.

The extension will comprise of two specialised classrooms, a multi-sensory room, a soft-play area and a colourful sensory-rich outdoor haven. The new multi-purpose school hall will be almost double the size of the old hall and will be able to cater for the whole school community for sports and gatherings.

“Children with additional needs benefit from a more specialised classroom set-up to cater for their individual needs," Liam O’Brien, ASD class teacher, said. "This development will help make their school environment a happy and fulfilling place on a daily basis.”

Colm Ó Súilleabháin, Presentation Monastery NS principal, added that “the new development is a necessity as school numbers have almost doubled in the past 15 years and more space is needed".

"Extending the school began in 2015 with a three classroom addition to the original building and the current extension will hopefully future-proof the school.”

The Mon prides itself in being an open, inclusive and a diverse school with students from over 30 different nationalities attending.

“Due to the shortfall in funding, we are appealing to the goodwill of the public to help us to finish the special classes to the standard that the children with the most needs in our school deserve,” he said.

“I feel many people have a deep connection with The Mon in Killarney and beyond. Some may have memories from their schooldays here or perhaps they have a son or a grandchild who will reap the rewards of our current development in years to come. We hope that this will encourage people to support the fundraiser. We are asking for a minimum donation of €10. Each €10 donated will be considered a separate entry to the draw.

Contributions can be made either online at GoFundMe: The Mon, by phone on 064 66 33687, or by dropping into the school office on New Road, Killarney.