GBMDS After-School Activities
The school, in partnership with the PA After-School Committee, offers a range of sporting, musical and creative activities outside the classroom. These activities give students opportunities to develop new skills, build friendships and strengthen their sense of belonging within our school community.
There are three types of After-School Activities (ASA) at GBDMS:
- Teacher-led activities: Activities vary each year and have previously included Art & Wellbeing, Yoga, School of Rock, Basketball, Hurling/Camogie and Comic Book Club. Teachers will contact parents directly with information about these activities.
- Parents Association activities: Organised by the Parents Association in partnership with external providers. Activities have included Soccer, Chess and Hip Hop.
- Music activities: Delivered by private music teachers, with initial expressions of interest coordinated by the Parents Association.
ASA Term Dates & Registration
Term dates and the duration of each After-School Activity (ASA) will be communicated through the School Newsletter at the beginning of each term.
An Expression of Interest Form will be made available for each term via the School Email System. Parents/guardians are encouraged to complete the form before the closing date to secure a place for their child in their chosen activity.(*Note: Dates are subject to change)
Payment: An invoice will be sent by email, with payment requested through our secure Stripe online payment system. To secure a place, payment must be received by the specified deadline before the activity begins.
Supervision: ASA tutors will assist younger children in getting to their activities and bring them to the designated Sherpa/collection point afterwards.All external ASA tutors are Garda-vetted through the school’s vetting system.
Cancellations: If an activity is cancelled at short notice due to bad weather or tutor unavailability, parents/guardians will be notified through the school’s text messaging system.
Where possible, a Board Games session will be provided by the on-site supervisor to ensure children remain supervised and engaged. For safety reasons, children will NOT be permitted to leave the school during a substitute session.Parents/guardians will be notified by email if an additional session can be arranged at the end of the term.
ASA Guidelines and Policy
- ASA places are allocated randomly following the child's class preference (1st choice vs 2nd choice, etc.) and the number of places already offered to that child (to ensure fairness across children).
- If a class is over-subscribed and your child is not offered a place in that class, you will be notified via email that your child is on a waiting list.
- Where possible, the allocation will prioritise siblings in the same activity.
- The ASAs are provided by third-party companies; therefore, once enrolment has been accepted, payment is required for the full term.
- ASA runs parallel with the school calendar and activities will not be held during Mid-term breaks, School Holidays or on Bank Holidays.
- All children attending any ASA are under the same Code of Conduct as during school hours.
- Please ensure your child arrives dressed in appropriate clothing for the activity on the day.
- Children must be collected on time. In the event your child is absent from school or cannot make a class, please notify the tutor before the class.
ACTIVITIES ON OFFER:
SOCCER
Smart Soccer Academywww.smartsocceracademy.ie
Coach: Redouane Saidi
Smart Soccer Academy takes a new approach to football, by teaching players how to understand soccer. These sessions build ABC fundamentals. Through fun games, kids receive technical instructions, which help them make their own decisions in play and enjoy soccer away from the pressure of teams and clubs. It’s the SMART way!
CHESS
Coach: April Cronin
The Chess course will be facilitated by April Cronin, former Irish Ladies No. 1 chess player and retired principal teacher. April has been teaching chess and running school chess clubs throughout her career and has a wealth of experience to share. April also teaches chess to Rang 2 students in GBMDS. The sessions will be active and engaging, with plenty of time given over to practising the concepts.
HIP-HOP DANCE CLASS
Catch Dance Academy www.catchdanceacademy.com
Dance Tutor: Melanie Berenger
Melanie is professionally trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop and Afro Dance, having trained at Sallynoggin College of Further Education. She later moved to London, where she developed dance programmes for schools and worked with some of London’s leading public and private schools.In her classes, students will learn Hip Hop foundations, weekly choreography and freestyle, while developing their flexibility, musicality, rhythm and coordination. Melanie’s classes are dynamic, uplifting and fun, creating a positive environment where children can build confidence while enjoying dance.
MUSIC CLASSES
Junior & Senior Infants and 1st to 6th Class
Tutor: Rita Garland - Guitar Lessons
Rita Garland has been teaching Guitar at GBMDS since 2005. The lessons consist of teaching children how to play classical guitar and read music and acquiring simple chord shapes to accompany songs. There are elements of song-writing and games that encourage the child to explore their creative potential while playfully learning guitar techniques.
Rita studied Arts (Portuguese and English Literature) at Universidade de Coimbra in Portugal and in 1994 came to study in Dublin, UCD with the Erasmus Programme. Rita has studied with Eamon Sweeney, Conal Rae, Cecile Berranges and Alan Grundy. AVCM Royal Victoria College 2014, Grade 8 in DIT, 2018, and a Diploma in Community & Music Group Teaching at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, 2021.
Rita has delivered music sessions with the HSE’s Community Mothers programme and DEPAUL, and has performed at festivals and events including Spirit of Folk, D8 Live and the Blue Light Festival. She is a member of the Resistance Choir and The Polytonitcs Guitar Quartet, and has facilitated music workshops for Dublin’s Portuguese-speaking community and collaborated with Balfolk Dublin.
Tutor: Arash Kazemi - Guitar Lessons
Arash has performed with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Late Late Show. He has won various prizes, such as Flood Trophy for Guitar Performance (2013) and RTE’s competition to attend a master class with the great flamenco guitarist Paco Peña and renowned classical guitarist John Williams. Arash was nominated for The Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year (2013). In 2012, Arash performed for President Michael D Higgins at the UN International Day, in Kilmainham, Dublin. Arash completed a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance with First class Honors, in 2013. Masters in Music Performance at the DIT Conservatory of Music in Dublin, 2016.
SPOTIFY LINK https://sptfy.com/arashkazemi
https://www.arashkazemi.ie/about
Tutor: Filipa Quintino - Vocal Coach
Vocal Coach and Early Years Music Teacher Filipa Quintino graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre in 2014. Filipa did 2 years of training in the 3-year teacher/singer Complete Vocal Technique course in Copenhagen, Denmark. With a passion for teaching and a broad understanding of music, she tailors each lesson to each individual/student creating an environment where you feel safe to explore and develop your voice. Jazz, MPB, Fado, Musical theatre, Pop and Rock.
“With The Flow” was Filipa’s debut album released in 2016. In 2020 Filipa released new music with wiremeproject.com in which Filipa and guitarist Chris Cole explore original music, Musical theatre, and some singer-songwriter covers creating a moment for their passion with improvised music.
Tutor: Caroline Moreau - Piano Lessons
Caroline is a French piano teacher, vocalist, performer, educator, composer and researcher in musical pedagogy. Piano Premier Prix (Marcq/Baroeul- France). Degree of DUMI (Pédagogie musicale-Diplôme Universitaire de Musicien Intervenant) University of Strasbourg. Director of “French Singing In Schools” since 2014
Tutor: Nathan Ó Maoilearca - Guitar Lessons
Nathan Ó Maoilearca began playing classical guitar at age seven, and studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Marion Hyland and Peter Katona. After graduating with BA in Music at Trinity College Dublin in 2021, he returned to complete his MPhil in Music and Media Technology in 2023.
Nathan currently plays with the classical guitar ensemble GuitaRIAM, performing in venues ranging from the National Gallery of Ireland to the National Concert Hall. As a solo guitarist, Nathan was placed first in the Feis Ceoil Classical Guitar U18 competition in 2016. He has also played in several master classes for renowned guitarists such as David Russell and Xuefei Yang.
Outside of the guitar world, Nathan is a keen music technologist. His current ventures have found him in the world of virtual reality, developing a musical solar system for the Meta Quest 2. He is also an avid composer, creating sounds and writing music for Irish short films. And in his free time, he crafts sonically strange AI-infused electroacoustic pieces.
Under the alias ‘Shnayto’, Nathan also writes and releases heartfelt ditties, peppered with Casiotone keys and dreamy vocals. He has performed in quaint venues across the UK and Ireland .
Contact Details
Queries can be sent directly to the ASA Committee at: gbmdsafterschool@gmail.com