ABOUT Castletara National School
Mission
At St. Patrick’s N.S, our mission is to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment where every child is encouraged to explore, grow, and achieve their fullest potential. We believe in the growth mindset philosophy in which learning is a journey, and it is safe to make mistakes along the way.
Our commitment is to foster resilience, curiosity, and a love for lifelong learning in each of our students. We encourage all children to ‘give it a go’ under the safe knowledge that it is ok to make mistakes and we can grow and learn from them. The most important skill is to keep trying until we reach our targets. We encourage children to say ‘I can’t do it yet’
Vision
At St. Patrick’s N.S Castletara, our vision is to be "A School for All", where inclusivity and equitability is at the heart of everything we do. We will do our best to give all children a fair and equitable chance to succeed in all areas of school life.
We will dedicate ourselves to meeting the diverse needs of every child, celebrating each individual's unique strengths and backgrounds, and fostering a caring and safe environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
Principal's Message
As the principal, I am delighted to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to all our staff, students and families to St. Patrick’s N.S, Castletara. Whether you are a returning member of our community or joining us for the first time, we are thrilled to have you as part of our inclusive and vibrant school community.
Read full message
Dear School Community,
As the principal, I am delighted to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to all our staff, students and families to St. Patrick’s N.S, Castletara. Whether you are a returning member of our community or joining us for the first time, we are thrilled to have you as part of our inclusive and vibrant school community. At St. Patrick’s N.S, our vision is to be "A School for All". This means we are committed to creating an environment where every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to achieve their full potential. Our mission is to provide an equitable, high standard of education that meets the diverse needs of all students and celebrates the unique strengths and backgrounds that each individual brings to our school.
Our staff members are passionate about fostering a safe and supportive learning environment where it’s safe to make mistakes and learn from them. We believe that learning is a journey, and our motto, "We Can't Do It Yet" underscores our commitment to nurturing a growth mindset in our students. We encourage our students to embrace challenges, take risks, and view mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning.
We are devoted to the holistic development of our students. This includes their emotional, social, and physical well-being. We offer a wide range of programs and activities designed to enrich their educational experience and help them develop into compassionate, confident, and responsible young people.
We highly value the partnership between our school and our families. Your involvement and support are crucial to our collective success. We encourage you to stay connected with us through regular communication on our website, Aladdin, parent-teacher meetings, and participation in school events. Together, we can create a nurturing and caring learning environment that supports every child’s growth and success.
Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education over the next 8 years. Time will fly so it is important to celebrate and treasure all the good times we have together.
Warm regards,
Tara Brady
School Ethos
St. Patrick’s N.S Castletara makes every effort to provide a well-ordered, caring, happy and secure learning environment where the intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral and cultural needs of all our pupils are identified and supported.
Our school upholds the Catholic ethos under the patronage of the Catholic Church. We also have due recognition and respect for all other religions and beliefs held within our school community. This aligns with our school mission statement which celebrates that we are a ‘School for All.’
Schedule of a Catholic School
St. Patrick’s N.S is a Roman Catholic school, established in connection with the Minister for Education which aims at promoting the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the person of the pupil: intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual, including a living relationship with God and with other people.
The school models and promotes a philosophy of life inspired by belief in God and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Catholic school provides religious education for the pupils in accordance with the doctrines, practices and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and promotes the formation of the pupils in the Catholic Faith. The school prepares children for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Introducing ...
We now offer hot lunches and after school childcare
Our school’s Hot Lunch Provider is Cavan County Produce.
If you have a query about the Hot Lunches you can contact Aiden on
Spaces are limited and parents must contact Laochra Academy to book a space.
After-School Service Details
How to Enrol Your Child
Our School Crest
The three leaves of the shamrock represent our pupils, teachers and families who make up our supportive school community. The five fingers stones celebrate our local history and culture and gives us a sense of belonging whilst also reminding us that nature is a grounding force which can bring calmness and joy to our lives.
Our School's Impactful Contributions to Charities
Our school encourages our students to be aware that there are people and children living in our community and the wider community who need extra support and care. Every year the children raise money for charity.
Thank you to all of our parents and school community who support our charity events. We feel that it is good for children to be aware of the importance of helping others when in a position to do so. It is a feel good factor!
Cian's Kennels
"Bringing pets closer to sick children and their families." Cian's Kennels is a charity that allows hospitalised kids to have their dogs by their side for that extra dose of comfort and joy.
All of our classes performed very entertaining school Christmas Plays this year and raised €1700 for Cian’s Kennels. Well done to all!
Jack & Jill Foundation
Jack & Jill is a nationwide charity providing in-home nursing care and respite support for children up to the age of 6 with severe to profound cognitive delay.
All our pupils wore green this year for St. Patrick’s Day and raised €273 euro for the Jack and Jill Foundation. The 6th class children chose the charity and bought 2 lovely paintings from Incognito. We think they did a great job choosing the pictures which are now on display along the corridor.
Little Blue Heroes
Little Blue Heroes Foundation’s vision is to support families of children with serious illnesses in Ireland while empowering the lives of children through positive community engagement.
As part of the 6th class graduation, our 6th class pupils completed the Culcaigh Board Walk and raised €2005 euro for Little Blue Heroes. We are really proud of our 6th class for this amazing achievement.
Castletara NS
St.Patrick’s N.S Castletara is a registered Charity. Our charity number is 20204531. We welcome donations to our school and we will always ensure that the money donated goes directly on resources for the children to enjoy. Eg, Stem Equipment, playground games, sensory equipment, PE equipment, indoor games, etc.
We also have three special ASD classes in the school. The children enrolled in these classes have needs which require extra support, and their learning day looks somewhat different to the mainstream classes. We take the children on school outings once a month, organise for other activities to take place in the school, and of course the children love to bake.
We rely on donations to subsidise these costs and the more donations we receive the more opportunities we can provide for the children thus making their days at school more enjoyable and accessible.
Some of our children in the school took their own initiative and raised money to buy a sensory wall board for outside one of our ASD Classrooms. We thought this was such a kind gesture! Thanks Girls!
Our recent sponsors
Celtic Working Platforms LTD
Dunnes Stores
Cavan Credit Union
To make a donation
Our Bank Details for Donations are:
BIC - BOFIIE2D
IBAN - IE51 BOFI 9032 9332 9832 91.