Visitors to Our School
As part of the learning process in Ballylanders N.S., we invite
persons with expertise in certain fields to come and talk to
the children and give a 'hands-on' approach to certain subjects.
Already, this year we have had a visit from a hygienist, courtesy of the Mid-Western Health Board. She emphasised the importance of dental care, and gave us a demonstration on how to clean our teeth.
We were honoured by a visit from Botanist, Audrey Murphy, who mystified us with stories and information on sea creatures and fish life. She brought the magic of Sherkin Island into our school and kept us spellbound to the end of her talk.
Our local district nurse, Nurse Burke, visited us and spoke on personal hygiene with special emphasis on caring for our hair and spoke to us on head lice and showed a video.
We are very priviliged to be chosen by Joan McKernan, Arts Officer, Limerick Co. Council as a host school for a visit from writer, Vincent McDonald. Vincent is a well known writer of Children's books and stories. He reads stories to the Junior children and he hopes to steer the Seniors towards writing short stories. The children enjoy listening to him and look forward to his visit.
The environmentalist, Ted Cook paid a return visit to us. He led a guided tour of the school grounds -- where he observed and recorded fifty or so specimen trees and shrubs. Their value for wildlife and eventual timber uses was discussed. Both the teachers and pupils discovered the huge value to wild life of our oak trees ----- of particular interest were the oak gall varieties that comprise some of the 284 associated insects on our two native species of oak. To mark the millennium, Ted planted a sessile oak tree - which can live for many centuries and provide shade and shelter for up to 560 wild life species.
Our local Garda, John Curtin visited us and spoke at length to the children on Road Safety and the Rules of the Road.