Irish Phrase Of The Day "Cad atá ar súil agat ?" - What are you doing?
|
 Zac the Rat and Other Stories The drop in literacy levels among secondary school kids in Ireland causes some concern. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s latest Programme for International Student Assessment, the reading ability of Ireland’s 15-year-olds was ranked only 17th out of the 39 countries that were studied. Ten years ago, this figures placed Ireland as the fifth nation for literacy skills among this age group. However these new figures should not cause alarm, since they could be affected by the influx of large numbers of pupils into the Irish education system, who do not speak English as their first language.
For Tipperary parents of very young children, note the reading of books aloud is one of the best ways you can help your child learn to read and this can also be fun for you. The more excitement you show when you read a book, the more your child will enjoy it. If you are looking for a fun way to start your child reading or to help your child to improve his/her reading skills, look no further than Zac the Rat and Other Tales.
Zac the Rat and Other Tales is a new set of books currently being hailed by Irish primary teachers, that make learning to read, learning letters, phonics and high frequency words, a fun experience for both parents and young children alike. These books comprise witty story lines and a whole host of quirky characters that will capture your children’s complete imagination.
The most important thing to remember is to let your children set their own reading pace and have fun learning.
Do The Following When Reading To Your Children
Use funny voices and animal noises. This will help your child get excited about the story.
If your child asks a question, do stop and answer it. The book being read may help your child to express his/her thoughts and begin the process of learning to solve their own problems.
Stop to talk about the pictures and ask your child to name things he/she sees in the pictures. Talk about how the pictures relate to the story.
Invite your child to join in whenever there is a repeated phrase in the text.
Keep reading to your child even after he/she learns to read.
Remember introducing your children to the world of books at an early age, gives them an enormous advantage and helps them to settle in more easily, when eventually they start at school.
Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority launched their annual Christmas and New Year campaign called ‘Crashed Lives‘ today. This year’s campaign, launched in Dublin today by President Mary McAleese, focuses on those who have been seriously injured on our roads, and all families who have suffered as a consequences of road collisions.
‘Crashed Lives‘ is a road safety campaign featuring true life case studies in which people speak about the consequences of a crash or about the loss of loved ones in road collisions and how it has changed their lives forever, robbing everyone of their dreams.
Shockingly, a total of 22,882 people have lost their lives on Irish roads since records began in 1959 and a total of 66,773 people have suffered serious life-changing injuries due to road accidents since serious injures were first recorded in 1979. The Tipperary Garda Division which covers county Tipperary north and south experienced 13 road deaths in 2009. Over the holiday season a series of television adverts will be aired, which will feature true life accounts of recent serious road tragedies.
President McAleese stated at the launch: “There is no corner of this island that has not been affected by road deaths and injury. Since I spoke here last year, 227 people lost their lives on our roads. Every single one of them could be and should be alive today. They should be with their families looking forward to Christmas. Instead, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, friends and colleagues are carrying a grief that just goes on and on. We are all gathered here, because we hope that this Christmas road safety campaign will save lives.”
She also reminded, those assembled, of the dangers faced when using the roads at this time of the year and asked everyone to remember those who have been affected by road tragedy, especially those who have been killed, the injured survivors and their family members.
The Chairman of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), Gay Byrne, stated that the campaign was about the forgotten victims of road collisions. The veteran broadcaster said: “For every death on EU roads, there are serious injuries, ranging from severe brain damage, life long disablement and spinal cord injuries and simply put, for these people and their families, life will never be the same. Our message to every household today is simple – don’t take life for granted. Stay safe on the roads and make sure you get home safely this Christmas.”
To view full statistics regarding our countries driving behaviour click here.
 Seamus O'Farrell, Mike Pearson, Wray Platt Gurteen Farm Manager, Michael White Teagasc Reps, Bill Condon, all who attended a recent Cross Compliance event at Gurteen College. Speaking at last week’s Agriculture Committee meeting, Deputy Noel Coonan questioned the Director of Teagasc, Professor Gerry Boyle, on the provision of additional staff and facilities at Gurteen College, to accommodate some of the 250 applicants that were turned down this year.
The North Tipperary and South Offaly TD said: “It is an ill wind that blows no good and the current recession has put the focus on agriculture; which is now perceived by many as the main hope to bring the country out of the mess it is in. I recently spoke with Mike Pearson, Manager of Gurteen College, who told me that he could provide at least a further 100 courses at the establishment if he had the staff and facilities to so do. While Gurteen College is a private institution, I am concerned about budget cutbacks and the inability to provide course places to young people who are crying out for them. A number of young people in my constituency were greatly disappointed when they were unable to secure a place in Gurteen and Mr. Pearson has told me that he could deliver the courses, were he given the resources to so do.”
In response to the Deputies queries, Prof. Boyle said the crux of the issue is the Government’s ban on recruitment. Teagasc’s Director commented: “I probably had representations from the people who contacted the Deputy in regard to admission to the college this year. There was excess demand for places and I regret very much that we had to turn down 250 applicants which is something we never had to do before, purely because we did not have the teaching staff to accommodate the students. The reason is very simple; it is not a policy of Teagasc, rather, it concerns the moratorium. If we were to get external funding for teachers from a generous co-operative or company which said it wanted to support a particular college and sub-vent a number of teachers; we would still not be able to recruit staff under the moratorium. The biggest difficulty we are facing is in dealing with the moratorium on recruitment.”
This means that if Gurteen College loses teachers through early retirement, illness or maternity leave for example, they now cannot hire a teacher. The local Fine Gael TD, who is a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and also F G Party Spokesperson on CAP Reform, said he will continue to lobby the Government to provide additional resources in order to keep our vibrant rural economy alive.
 Bart Simpson Activity on our Website indicates that students and parents are checking if schools are open tomorrow.
So far as we are aware at this present time and date, all schools will be open throughout the County of Tipperary tomorrow.
We have had several calls in the past hour in relation to this query. It would appear that readers are mistakenly paying attention to a blog posted on January 6th 2010.
So you students get those books and school bag ready and the homework finished. (Tell mum to cut the crusts off the bread.)
On the other hand, a little prayer, Bart Simpson style, just before bed could work miracles. Remember Lisa Simpson’s remark, “Prayer is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
Seriously: Please do check the date here at base of the original report.
 The Department of Education and Skills (DES) has just issued Circular 67/2010 outlining procedures for filling teaching vacancies that arise during the remainder of the 2010/11 school year. The procedures at primary level mean that any permanent teaching vacancies, with the exception of school principal and deputy principal posts, that arise between 1st December 2010 and the end of the school year may be filled only on a temporary basis.
This means that where the appointment process has not been completed by Wednesday next, 1st December, a permanent post will not be sanctioned by the DES.
The Circular is framed in the context of the announcement on Wednesday regarding a reduction in teacher numbers for the next school year and the consequential impact this will have on teacher redeployment panels. The CEC is holding a special meeting next Saturday to consider all the issues arising from the National Recovery Plan announced by the Government on Wednesday last.
To read full contents of Circular 67/2010 click Here
|
Support Us Help keep Thurles.info online and free of ads by donating below. Thank you.
Total Donated This Year: € 100
|
