Given a rich environment, learning becomes like the air - it's in and around us.
Sandra Dodd
Facilities
We have an extensive school site with a range of modern, well-equipped, innovative learning spaces that support our pupils' learning and development.
Our facilities include:
Classrooms: Our classrooms are bright and spacious, with ample natural light and LCD interactive screens. Heat recovery ventilation units provide fresh filtered air at all times. These units also help to maintain excellent ventilation and optimal room temperature in winter and summer.
Computer Room: Our computer room is equipped with the latest technology to support our pupils' learning and enhance their digital literacy skills. Among the resources are a suite of networked Chromebox computers, portable Chromebooks, a display screen and digital projector, an iMac desktop computer, iPads, BBC Microbits, Lego Wedo kits and Lego Spike Prime kits.
Art Room: Our art room is a dedicated creative space where our pupils can explore their artistic talents and express themselves through a range of artistic media.
Gym: Our gym supports our pupils' physical health and wellbeing. It is equipped with a range of equipment and resources that enable our pupils to engage in a wide range of physical activities for PE lessons. The gym floor is marked for basketball, volleyball, indoor football and badminton. We also have two indoor One Wall handball walls.
Our school gym was used as an Exam Centre when our school was a secondary school. Desks were placed in straight rows on the maple floor for Leaving Certificate exams. When the gym is quiet, remember those who sat there with pen and paper many years ago !
St Mary's, Our School, Our Story
Playgrounds and Yards: Our school playgrounds are safe and secure spaces where our pupils can socialise, play, and have fun during their break times. We are fortunate to have a large play area for each individual class level. This allows all pupils from both classes to play together. We have separate yards for Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth, while Sixth Class enjoy the All Weather court, 2 vs 2 court and an activity trail.
Soft Play Area: We have an area with a soft play surface and dedicated play equipment including a slide, two swings and towers and dungeons to help fire the imagination.
This soft play area is used by the Speech and Language Classes.
Our all weather pitch is the exact same specification as the surface in the NUI Galway Connacht GAA dome at Bekan, Mayo. It has a shockpad below the surface and the grass has a specific pile and length to allow fourteen tonnes of sand topped up with sixteen tonnes of crumb surface. It has certified specification for GAA, FIFA and World Rugby.
St Mary's, Our School, Our Story
All Weather Pitch: We have a state of the art 1000m2 3G playing surface which is used for PE and as a training and practice area for all school teams. Sixth Class have many competitive games here at breaktime !
Any ball, any wall
Any Handballer
Handball Court: We have a full sized exterior handball court, where our pupils play at lunchtime to hone their handball skills. This court has seen thousands of games over the years, Hughie Mc Entee being the undefeated and undisputed King of the Court.
Hughie Mc Entee Fergal O'Hanlon Ordnance Survey
The great Hughie Mc Entee from Park St. (Back St.) was the master of our handball court and defeated all comers. Fergal O'Hanlon was also a keen handball player. The court, as an outdoor facility is recorded on the Ordnance Survey map of Monaghan Town as Ball Court.
St Mary's, Our School, Our Story
