At St. Louise De Marillac Primary School our staff encourage the children to take part in different initiatives, including projects, activities and assignments both individual and in groups, as part of and in addition to the primary school curriculum.

Under staff and parental guidance, our pupils participate in areas such as:

• Green Schools – Ireland’s leading environmental management award programme of which our school has 5 flags.

• The Brent Goose project – Over the past 3 years the pupils in 4^th class, together with their class teachers & SNAs, have taken up the challenge of being UNESCO Brent Goose Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are certified by the office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Dublin City Council Parks and Landscapes Services and Birdwatch Ireland. The project is closely aligned with educational curricular outcomes and also aligned to Global Development Goals and UNESCO principles.

• Accelerated Reading Programme (AR) – this programme is used for monitoring the practice of reading. It helps pupils to manage their reading and provides teachers with another tool for assessing reading ability.

• Maths Recovery Programme – offers a unique approach to extending children’s number knowledge, understanding and strategies. It provides a framework for individual, group or class-based instruction which is suitable not only for pupils who are experiencing difficulties but also for average and more able children.

• Aistear – Learning through Play in the Infant Classrooms and Beyond

• Kitale – St. Louise’s School, Ballyfermot, Dublin is twinned with St. Emmanuel’s School, Kitale, Kenya. We fundraise for this school yearly and the project in Kitale compliments the Green Schools theme we are learning about in St. Louise’s. 

• School Musicals – incorporating auditions, drama, dance/choreography, a choir, set design, costume and make up design and more.

• Sport – Tennis Lessons, Swimming lessons and Rowing lessons currently.

• Home School Community Liaison – it places emphasis on mutual respect and support and tries to enrich the partnership between parent and school. Throughout the year different courses are run to try to cement this bond for ex. Halloween and Christmas crafts, Yoga, First Aid and Community Awareness of Drugs.

• School Garden – The pupils greatly enjoy their visits to the garden and the learning experiences are unique and invaluable. The garden is a habitat for many creatures and mini-beasts. We have had visits from environmental experts including RTE’s Éanna Ní Lámhna.  Every year, we manage to successfully grow different vegetables and fruit. Both parents/guardians and pupils have enjoyed gardening, food growing, cooking and environmental initiatives.

• Speech Language Therapist – St. Louise De Marillac School is able to offer our pupils additional support, as the school has the services of a speech and language therapist. Children are met along with their parents / guardians in the school, during school hours, with a member of the school staff, which ensures an effective partnership between home and school.

• Junior Entrepreneur Programme – children are taught how to set-up and successfully run their own class business.

• Active Week – celebrated yearly to encourage activity/exercise and to promote different ways of taking care of our bodies ex.Yoga, Kickboxing fitness and more.

• Sensory Room / Blue Room – the sensory room is designed for children with special needs. It is equipped with a bubble tube, fiberoptic lights, ultra violet lighting, mirrors, bean bags, blankets, music and an essential oil diffuser. The blue room is a bigger space where children can interact with each other and engage in water play and sand play. This room is also equipped with lava lamps, bean bags, therapy putty, books and games.

• Seachtain na Gaeilge – celebrated each year with lots of cultural activities, a céilí (dance), tráth na gCeist (quiz), ceol agus canadh (music and singing), ‘Scríobh Leabhar’ (book writing competition), tionól (assembly), and more.

• Competitions – ex. Incredible Edibles, Credit Union Art Competition

• Droichead – Newly Qualified Teachers are now supported and guided through a probation period by experienced colleagues, who have relevant and in-depth knowledge of teaching and learning in their respective schools.

• General Activities – Dublin 10 Science Fair, trips to the local library in Ballyfermot and much more.