The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ireland
Newtown Junior School - Quaker National School
The atmosphere at Newtown Junior School strives to be unique, where the potential and talent of each child is realised within a friendly and challenging community based on Quaker principles.
The aims include:
- To encourage everyone to see that of God in themselves and others,
- To enable each child to meet creative, intellectual and physical challenges with confidence.
- To foster an active concern for the community and the environment.
- To create a friendly atmosphere within which diversity is celebrated and supported and to create a secure and caring setting with known boundaries.
Newtown Junior School also has its own website - http://www.njs.ie/
Ethos
The Quaker ethos on which the school was founded still prevails today and provides a calm and caring environment in which each individual can develop and reach full potential.Each child grows in confidence and compassion through experiences beyond the academic and illustrates that which can be achieved through a broad and balanced education, which is appropriate to children of all faiths.
A Quaker school has a gentle and relaxed atmosphere which is accepting of the individual. Correction of behaviour is carefully agreed with the children and there are no unnecessary rules since the emphasis is on individual conscience, responsibility, truth and integrity.
As every child is considered to be equal the views of pupils really matter and are frequently sought through a variety of channels. Teachers are also less authoritarian and the pupil teacher relationship can be closer as a result.
The Quaker ethos also emphasises the importance of caring for the environment which has never been more relevant than it is today.
Quaker environments produce pupils who are quietly confident, calm, thoughtful and emotionally intelligent.
Disciplinary Policy's 6 Golden Rules:
- I will be gentle: I will not hurt anyone.
- will be kind: I will not hurt people's feelings.
- I will be honest: I will not hide the truth.
- I will listen: I will not interrupt.
- I will respect property: I will not waste or damage things.
- I will work hard: I will not waste time.
Extra Curricular Activities
The philosophy is based on the notion that every child has Multiple Intelligences. In order to develop these and discover the strengths, every child needs to be exposed to 'other' educational experiences.These include swimming, basketball and football; there are classes for movement to music and dance; opportunities will be availed of to invite drams groups and environmental speakers to the classroom & competitions in visual arts and creative writing will be entered as appropriate.