ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF A.P.P.L.E. ST. PETER THE APOSTLE JUNIOR SCHOOL
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF A.P.P.L.E. ST. PETER THE APOSTLE JUNIOR SCHOOL NEILSTOWN, CLONDALKIN
Firstly, I’d like to give a warm thanks to everybody here this afternoon for the tremendous welcome I have received – and particularly to the children who formed the guard of honour as I arrived. I am very grateful to Julianne for inviting me to ‘launch’ the programme – even if it has been very successfully in operation for the last year! But then, people are always attracted by success – so I’m sure you won’t mind my coming here to meet with you – to hear about how the programme has been going – and to see some of the fruits of your labour – the children who have been benefiting from the work that you - their parents – have been putting into the programme.
In the modern world of television and video – where you can almost go through an entire day without having to communicate with another human being – where entertainment is readily available from any number of sources – the art of verbal communication is in a sense under threat. In that situation – it is all the more important that parents make a conscious effort to interact with their own children – to instill in them the values of communication and contact – and to share their world with them. In the critical early years of a child’s life – where what is “what is learned in childhood is engraved in stone” – isn’t it all the more important to reinforce the links between child and parent – and parent and child – to build a bond of understanding and respect that will last a lifetime. To do that takes time and commitment – and it takes dedication and work. But the rewards are tremendous and enduring.
Francois Rabelais - the French humanist and physician –said that “a child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit”. What you have been doing on this programme – is giving your children a spark to ignite their curiosity and ability to communicate – to allow them to explore their own abilities – to interact with others of the same age – and in the process – to enrich their lives and yours. As parents- you know you have a huge role to play in their lives – as guardians – as role models – and as teachers. And as parents – we all strive to do right by our children – to give them the best possible chance in life that we can give – to ensure that they at least get onto the starting blocks.
While we are officially launching the programme today, I see it as my main role – to give recognition to what you are doing – to affirm you in your work in the language programme – work which will enhance your own lives and your children’s lives. Thirty of you have received well-earned certificates today for completing the course – and I want to offer my congratulations to all of you on your achievement. In doing the course you have opened up new horizons for yourselves and your children – and have embarked on a course on your own lives - which can open up more doors and windows of opportunity in the whole area of further education.
Julianne has explained the origins of the programme in Canada – and how it has been adapted to suit your needs – to broaden its scope so that it is now a programme which every parent can gain from participation – and through them – their children. Something as pioneering as this does not just happen by accident. Starting the programme here - and extending it to Bawnogue and Quarryvale – has involved a number of key people in taking the idea from its inception – through all the organisational steps – and then bringing it to reality.
The Clondalkin Partnership have played a pivotal role in the introduction of the programme – and I want to pay tribute to Aileen O’Donoghue and Cathy McSorley of the Partnership for their work in seeing the project trough. I also want to commend Vivienne Byers from the Partnership’s Education Working Group – and Maureen Gardiner, Principal of St. Peter’s – both of whose early submissions are incorporated into the programme – and Julianne Hickey – the language group leader - who has put in a lot of her time and energy into making the programme the success that it clearly is.
Finally, I would like to wish every one of you continued success with this programme. I have no doubt that it will yield many benefits to the parents and children involved.