Gortjordan N.S. is a small rural primary school nestled close to the villages of Kilmaine, Shrule, Glencorrib and Cross. We are very fortunate here to have a beautiful, bright and modern school. The building itself has three lovely classrooms, we have our own library and a lovely hall. What makes our school unique is the outdoor learning and recreational facilities we have. We have a recently refurbished playground, planting area, basketball court and pitch. We are very proud of our beautiful school garden and grounds where children can explore and play amongst our trees.
School Information:
School Hours:
9:10am to 2:50pm
9:10am to 1:50pm (all infant classes)
Childcare - Before/After School Service:
Gortjordan National School is linked to Sunny Days Childcare, Glencorrib. A bus service is provided by Sunny Days to and from Gortjordan National School. For more information contact Sunny Days Childcare on 087 2986590.
Home/School Communication:
A calendar of school activities, closures etc is sent to parents in September. Regular contact is maintained by Newsletters and text-a-parent. Parent/teacher meetings are held annually.
School Uniform:
The School Uniform consists of a navy crested sweatshirt, green crested t-shirt, navy tracksuit/skirt/trousers/shorts. A crested fleece jacket is optional. The Uniform is available from National Schoolwear Centre in Tuam or Galway or online at
www.theschoolwearcentre.ie. It is also available locally in Ballinrobe at Ken Murphy's Menswear.
What we offer our Pupils:
Free Hot School Meals:
All pupils attending our school can avail of a free hot meal ordered online through our supplier, Martina’s Homemade Foods. Each child has a unique log in page where along with their parents they can choose from a menu which hot meal they would like each day at school.
Music Classes:
Music Generation attends the school during the school day once a week. Our musician Keiff teaches the pupils how to play the Ukulele. Every year, the pupils take part in a concert with Music Generation with a selection of schools from around Mayo.
Variety of Sports Participation:
Swimming:
Pupils from ALL classes, junior infants to sixth class are given the opportunity to partake in swimming lessons for 8 weeks approximately throughout the final term. This takes place at Tuam swimming pool every Thursday.
Gaelic Football:
The school participates in Cumman na mBunscol competitions. Being a small school we are also eligible to participate in “Small Schools Day” each year.
Rounders:
The pupils are taught how to play Rounders at school during P.E. classes
Rugby:
A rugby coach attends the school for “Tag Rugby” and rugby skills during the school year for blocks of 6-8 weeks.
Wellbeing:
Wellbeing is an essential component of attending our school. We run a “Wellness Wednesday” during the school year and as part of that the pupils participate in Yoga and Mindfullness with our local Yoga teacher Eilis Wall of “Eilis Wall Wellness.”
Free School Books:
School Books, Copies, Folders etc. are all provided free by the school to every child.
Creative Schools:
Our school is a Creative School and is currently running the Creative School’s Programme through The Arts Council. Creativity of all kinds are encouraged at our school in all aspects of the curriculum.
ICT:
Every pupil has access to individual laptops/Ipads at our school.
Drama/Dance/Gymnastics:
A qualified instructor from All Stars Academy of Performing Arts attends the school . The children get an opportunity to learn dance (modern, contemporary and folk dances), gymnastics and drama. The school puts on a musical production every Christmas.
Gardening:
We are very lucky at Gortjordan N.S to have beautiful grounds for the children to play and learn in. The children participate in some gardening such as planting vegetables, flowers etc in our raised beds and Veg Pod.
First Holy Communion and Confirmation:
Children in Second Class are prepared for First Confession and First Holy Communion annually. Confirmation takes place every two years.
School Principal: Erica Gibbons
Contact: (093) 33470
Email: gortjordanns@gmail.com