OUR SCHOOL
St. Patrick’s B.N.S.
Strokestown
Our school is called St. Patrick’s B.N.S. It is situated on Elphin Street in Strokestown, across the road from the Garda station. We are a catholic school but we welcome children from other faiths. When you enter the school there is “Céad Míle Fáilte” over the door. This means “A hundred thousand welcomes”. Everybody is welcome in our school.
It is a two-teacher school plus a Special Education teacher. There is also a Special Needs Assistant. The school has 41 pupils from third to sixth class. Mrs. Burke teaches third and fourth class; Mrs. Tighe teaches fifth and sixth class and Mrs. McGarry is the Special Education teacher. Patti Gibbons is the Special Needs Assistant and Valerie Compton is the secretary in our school.
There are two classrooms, a staff room, Special Education room, one teachers’ toilet, pupils’ toilets, cloakroom/sensory room, store room, boiler house, office and corridor. Our school yard is small but it helps the best footballers in Roscommon to practise their skills. Not everybody likes to play football, so instead they can play other games. The veranda runs along the side of the yard. At the front of the school we have a small garden with trees and shrubs planted. We also have three flags flying outside.
At our school we take part in many activities including swimming, soccer, gaelic, basketball, cross country, art, handwriting, quizzes, plays and green schools. On rainy days we watch a DVD, play cards or play board games. We have also taken up chess. We have a sports day each year before we get our summer holidays. At the end of each school year we go on a school tour. Every year the sixth class organise a jumble sale. We usually give the money to charity. In preparation for Confirmation the sixth class go to Knock Shrine for a retreat.
Our school colours are black and amber. We love football and some of the best footballers in Roscommon began their career here in St. Patrick's. We are on Twitter @StPatricksBoys and we update our school website regularly. Even though our school is small there are good facilities. Everybody that comes to visit us, compliment us on the nice atmosphere that is in our school. It is a happy place and we are proud to be attending St. Patrick’s B.N.S.