We are thrilled to announce that, for the second year running, Mount Anville MJS has achieved a Curious Minds Platinum award. This award is capped at 30 schools nationwide, so it is a huge accomplishment and really highlights our excellent efforts and engagement with STEM this year. Please enjoy reading the feedback given to our application below:
Congratulations! Your school have been successful in your application for the SFI Curious Minds Platinum Award. This is the highest level of award and means you have demonstrated excellence in your STEM work during the year. Your log of evidence is testimony to the wide variety of STEM work undertaking in the school. I liked the smiley faces of the learners investigating how fur and blubber keep polar bears warm, what floats or sinks and capillary action. It was great to see learners engaging in a clean energy project, looking at Ireland’s climate targets and designing their own electric cars. All so relevant in these times of climate change. It was a pleasure to read through all the exciting work…robots doing surgery, using 3D printers to make egg cups, pencil holders and keyrings, a visit to Bull Island, designing a thermal insulator and the TG4 reamhaisneis na haimsire. Go h-iontach!. The school is a hive of budding scientists and engineers. Your decision to embrace the creative and artistic side of STEM is forward thinking and accepted as being best practice in making STEM fun and engaging for learners. Art and creativity add personal expression and empathy to a purpose. One of the important STEM skills is critical thinking but it is now accepted that this should be both analytical and creative. Learners should be encouraged to use both sides of their brain to solve problem. The reflections from the learners clearly shows how they embraced this initiative stating that ‘things should be useful but also beautiful’ and ‘designing something that does a job but is also colourful’. Teachers also saw how their teaching was enhanced by making art and creativity a focus for a STEM lesson, allowing for creativity and embracing all intelligences. Parent too saw the value in STEM art with the different home challenges. You deserve great credit for all your effort. Celebrate the Platinum Award and keep up the good work.
Thank you to all of the parents, staff, students and the PCC for all of your help in getting us to such a high standard of STEM excellence.
