Appeal made to support fundraising campaign Scoil Aonghusa in Cashel

Scoil Aonghusa, a special school in Cashel for children with Moderate General Learning Disability, Severe & Profound General Learning Disability and Autism, is holding a fundraising raffle with four amazing cash prizes.

The lucky winners will receive €10,000, €2,000, €1,500 and €1,000 respectively.
The raffle is part of the school's efforts to raise funds for the expansion of its facilities and services.
The school needs to build new playgrounds and sensory spaces for its 141 students in 22 classes.

The school provides a holistic education for children aged between three and eighteen, adapting the curriculum to meet their individual needs.

The school also offers a range of extra-curricular activities such as swimming, equestrian, indoor games and athletics. The school also has a Special Olympics club.
It is hoped that for September 2023 the school will be in a position to welcome at least 14 new students to Scoil Aonghusa bringing the total enrolment to 149 for the coming school year.
This will be possible if the Department of Education provides five new modular classrooms and these essential additional rooms would also better cater for the current cohort of pupils.

COMMUNITY
Scoil Aonghusa’s existing building on the Cahir Road has been modified and extended a number of times over the years and the school also rented a second premises off campus for six years, until October 2022, in order to provide much needed school places to the community it serves.

This rental arrangement came to a close earlier this school year and though it has been wonderful to have all of the students under one roof for the first time since September 2016 the school building is at maximum capacity with classrooms that are inadequate in terms of size, toilet/changing facilities and hoisting capabilities needing to be utilised.
However, the school’s management has an even greater ambition than the five modular classrooms on offer: it is their hope that the Department of Education will provide funding for at least ten new modular classrooms which would allow for the school to accept all of the students on its waiting list.

The school has had to refuse admission to approximately 20 students due to lack of accommodation even though these students meet the criteria of the school and require a school place for September.

MODULAR BUILDINGS
And though the Department of Education will fund the installation of whatever number of modular buildings they decide to provide it will be up to the school to fund the shortfall in auxiliary facilities such as equipment for sensory rooms and playgrounds.

And that’s the reason behind the launch of Scoil Aonghusa’s Summer Bonanza Draw.
The raffle tickets are priced at €20 each or three for €50 and can be purchased from the school office.
Staff, parents and pupils will also be out in the community selling tickets over the next six weeks. The draw will take place on June 1and will be live-streamed on the school's Facebook page.

The school’s fundraising committee chairperson, Geraldine Meagher, said: “We are very grateful to everyone who supports our raffle and our school. The prizes are very generous and we hope that they will attract a lot of interest. The funds raised will help us to improve our school environment and our students learning outcomes.”