NEWS JUST IN!!!!

New Green School Logo and Web Link

In December 2008, the Art Department appealed to students to design an appropriate Green School Logo which would feature on the school website . A first year student, Hannah Gough claimed first prize with Kate O' Connell and Kate Mac Brearty as runners up. Hannah faced some stiff competition but after much thought and consideration it was decided that her logo was the best to form the link to our Green School web page. Hannah's logo now features on the school's homepage. An honour indeed!

By clicking on the following link it is now also possible to view our Action Plan online.

Future plans and up-and-coming events - ACTION PLAN

We are running an on-going competition for the school's tidiest classroom and we are charting the progress of the Litter and Waste theme in bi-weekly bin ‘weigh-ins'. The class group who win the competition will go to Funworld for an afternoon after the Easter holidays.

We hope to create a small garden area beside the basketball court in the new schoolyard. We are currently researching suitable plants and shrubs and aim to get planting as soon as possible. We also plan to purchase a compost bin , which will in the future, produce compost that we can use to fertilise the garden. Both the plants and the compost bin are pricey so any help, donations, advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

In April the school will be participating in Ireland 's most popular, well-recognised and successful anti-litter initiative, the National Spring Clean campaign run by An Taisce.

W e will have another Lá Glas (Green Day) at the beginning of May to highlight awareness and provide students and staff with relevant information regarding the Green Schools Programme. Watch this space!

An Scoil Glas: What is the Green Schools Programme?

Most young people care deeply about environmental issues, and wish to make a positive change in the environment around them. The Green School Programme is an international environmental initiative that provides an ideal way for fostering environmental awareness in the entire school in a way that links many curriculum subjects. A Green Flag is awarded when each stage of the five-stage programme is completed. The Green Flag is a well-established and well-respected eco-label.

Students and staff at Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh are proud to have taken our first steps in tackling the first of the five stages or themes to be addressed: Litter and Waste. The main aim at this stage is to promote the ‘three Rs': Reduce, Reuse, Recycle . The programme involves the whole school, with the students themselves playing a vital, active role. Many students come from Green Flag primary schools and are able to lend their knowledge and experience to other members of the Green School Committee .

The committee includes student representatives from each of the three years currently studying at GCL and also includes teachers; non-teaching members of staff; and management. Members of the committee decided on the school's Green Code, ‘Coiméad Snas ar do Scoil Glas' .

More recently, a number of parents are also getting involved. Our aim is to develop environmental consciousness in school, which should in turn extend to the home and the wider community, and for this reason parental participation is welcomed in the programme.

The Green Schools Programme in Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh: September December 2008

GCL kick-started the programme with a Lá Glas awareness campaign on Friday 3 October. The students donned as many green items of clothing as they possibly could and made a voluntary contribution of 2 euro. A tremendous effort was made by many students and it proved to be a successful and enjoyable day which raised a total of 281 euro. The money collected will go towards enhancing the Green Area of the school.

On Thursday October 23, the Green School Committee visited the Mr. Bin Man site here in Limerick . The students learned a lot about the recycling process and the type of recyclable waste collected by the company. One of the highlights of the trip was the up close and personal demonstration on how the bins lorries actually work!

We are very grateful to Sinéad McDonnell of Limerick City Council for coming to the school on Wednesday 5 November to launch and promote the segregation of rubbish in the cafeteria and the schoolyard. There are now four different coloured-coded bins in both recreational areas – Blue for paper and plastic; Green for recyclable empty yoghurt cartons; Yellow for compost; and Brown for ‘wet' or ‘dirty' waste that cannot be composted or recycled.

In the reception area, there is another Ionad Athchúrsála (Recycling Centre) where students can recycle unwanted mobile phones, ink cartridges and used batteries. The phones and ink cartridges will be given to the national charity, The Jack and Jill Foundation to help raise money to provide home respite for children up to four years of age who suffer from severe developmental delay and associated problems.

The school had a collection day for unwanted clothing on December 15. Lulu Sheehan came up with the brainwave and we were very proud to be involved in the scheme and grateful to Lisa and Hazel for all their help. Students were each invited to bring one item of clothing or shoes which were to be reused, going directly to children and teenagers in Russian orphanages .

D'fhoghlaim siad alán eolas nua agus spéisiúil faoi stair na háite, an méid ábhar athchúrsáltha a thagann isteach in aghaidh na míosa, cad a dhéantar leis na hábhar go léir agus cá dtéann siad amach as seo. D'fhoghlaim siad faoi na rudaí is féidr agus nach féidir a athchúrsál agus cad nach glacann na hinnill leis. Bhí an deis acu fiú cuid do na hinnill seo a fheicéal ag obair. Fuair siad go leor eolas faoi muirín chomh maith.

An rud ba mhó a thaithean leo ná na trucanna mór. Thaithin an turas go mór leo agus d'fhoghlaim siad alán toisc go raibh na próiséisí difriúla so-fheicthe dóibh.

Lá Glas- Aoine 3ú lá de Dheireadh Fómhair

Shocraigh an Choiste Glas lá gan éide scoile a bheith acu chun airgid a fháil le haghaidh rudaí a bhí ag teastáil ag an gCoiste chun an scoil a dhéanamh níos cairdiúil maidir leis an timpeallacht. Agus phioc siad téama an oiriúnach ‘éadaí glas' a chaitheamh. Bhí ar gach dalta dhá euro a thógaint isteach ar an lá. Rinne na daltaí an iaracht ag gléasadh suas ar an lá. Rachaidh an t-airgid ar aghaidh le haghaidh plandaí a fháil chun a fhás sa chlós nua agus don ‘Composter'.

On Thursday morning the 23 rd of October the Green Schools Committee visited the Mr. Bin Man site, Kilmallock Road , Limerick .

Despite the unfortunate terrible weather that morning the students thoroughly enjoyed their guided tour around the plant which lasted approximately an hour and a half .They learned about the history behind the company and the owner.

They found out some very interesting information on the amount of recycled products that is brought into the site every month, exactly how many tonnes of recycled materials leaves the plant, where it goes and what happens to it next. They also learned about what exactly can and cannot be recycled and what recycled materials are used to make again, for example the cardboard being shipped to Sweden and how the different machines in the plant work and they witnessed some of these.

They learned a lot about composting also and that from next year on householders will have the choice of a third wheelie bin for composting.

What really fascinated the students was the Mr Bin Man trucks, as they got a very up close view of them and got to see exactly how they operate.

It was a very educational and worthwhile tour for the students as it made them more environmentally aware and broadened their knowledge on Waste and Recycling by witnessing it for themselves.

Green Day

On Friday the 3 rd of October the Green Schools Committee held a Green Day for the whole school to raise money for the Green Schools Committee. Every student had to dress up in green clothes and 2 euro was collected from students. A tremendous effort was made by a lot of students and it proved to be a success and an enjoyable day. The money collected will go towards enhancing the Green area of the schools.