On the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of St. David's Primary school, Ardlea, I take this opportunity to greet the pupils, parents, teachers, ancillary staff and the members of the Board of Management of the school.

The Artane of twenty five years ago was a very different place to what it is today. Like so many newly developing areas in the Diocese at the time, the dedicated service of the founding teachers, the first Board of Management and the first members of the ancillary staff of the school served as a group of people who helped to unite Ardlea Parish into a Christian community.

The co-operation between home and school in preparing the children for the Sacraments of Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation has been, and will continue to be, an important link in the building up of the people of God in the parish of Ardlea.

It is my sincere wish that the tradition of co-operation that has existed between parents, pupils and staff will continue in the generations to come.

May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless and protect all in St. David's. May Mary, the Mother of God, intercede for you all and may St. David, your Patron, be your model and inspiration.

With every good wish,

Yours sincerely,

I am delighted to offer my congratulations to all those involved in the Silver Jubilee celebrations of St. David's National school in Artane.

St. David's has played, over the last 25 years, a very important role in the community of Artane. I would like to commend the dedication of the teaching staff to the education of the pupils of the area.

I also want to extend my good wishes to the community of Artane and especially to the pupils, both past and present, of the school, the very active Parents' Association, the Principal, John McGarry, and all the teachers and general staff of St. David's.

Wishing St. David's every success in the future.

Best wishes

Niamh Breathnach, TD
Minister for Education

What do you want for your child ? And what is the best way to help him prepare for life ? And how are we to rate success, or a life well spent ?

Each child, each person has his or her own gifts, abilities, aptitudes, strengths and weaknesses, and it is our task to help them come to a true self appreciation , and that they become able to make realistic demands on themselves and others. No one group, I suspect can attend to the diverse needs of thirty or forty children.

A school is about collaborative ministry - it needs parents, teachers, special helpers and priests to continue working together for the welfare of the child. This is happening at St. David's.

I cannot help think of that first David, who was a shepherd boy, and who was later to be a King. Today we might envy his freedom, and the wide open spaces he enjoyed, and the adventures of an outdoor life, and of a boy growing up. He was rooted in a sense of wonder for his environment as is seen from the psalms. His strength as a person came from a sense of God, and of right and wrong. He could make friends, celebrate life. He loved music and did good for his people. He knew failure too.

But I think you can say he did the things of which he was capable. He co-operated with the opportunities life presented. Let us try to ensure that the children in this school continue to develop their gifts, and are able to co-operate confidently with the opportunities life offers them. Let us help them too, to come to a sense of God, that all people are equal, and that there is a right way to live and a wrong way.

It is good to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the school. It acknowledges the good that has been done over the past twenty five years by good parents, dedicated teachers and priests. Let us continue to work together for the future and to ensure to the best of our ability that these children, and those to come after them, become the persons God is calling them to be.

Yours sincerely,

St. David's B.N.S. began its service to Irish education at approximately the same time as I myself did.

The history of St. David's over the past quarter of a century shows a pattern similar to that of many other suburban primary schools. The original green field site, the advance of housing, the population bulge and school re organisation all reflect the change in the school's community.

Artane is now part of a busy Dublin suburb. Its people have access to all these amenities which once required a visit to the city. Shopping centres, hospital, cinemas and churches have all sprung up. The school has always been a focus for the developing community, it continues to be so.

St. David's has provided an education service second to none. All those involved in it - the owners, Boards of Management, Principals, staff, parents and not least the pupils - have, over the past 25 years, contributed to ensuring that the school has a first class reputation as a school of excellence.

In the INTO, this year, we are celebrating 125 years of service to Irish education. Our strength is based on the respect and trust which teachers in local schools have gained within the community. In congratulating you on your 25th birthday, I would also wish to thank all involved for the commitment, professionalism and caring responsibility which has always been the hallmark of St. David's.

Best wishes

Twenty five years in a person's professional career is an important milestone which calls for celebration. Twenty five years in the life of an educational institution is also a very important milestone which justifies celebration. When the two coincide, as in my own case and that of St. David's, it adds appreciably to the significance of the event. It is both a pleasure and a privilege for me to be a Principal of St. David's B.N.S. as we celebrate our Silver Jubilee.

During those twenty-five years almost four thousand boys have passed through the school at its various locations. It has, and continues to be, a time of change and innovation, not just in the local area but also in context of the wider Irish society. Aspirations, expectations and life styles have altered and consequently so too has St. David's.

While retaining a lot of the accumulated good of its earlier years, St. David's B.N.S. is, nonetheless, a vastly different school from what it was in that first year of its existence in prefabs at the junction of Kilmore Road and Ardlea Road. As we embark on the next twenty five years we hope to build on the experiences of the past and we look forward with confidence to helping the parents of the area in their task of educating their children for the 21st century.

John McGarry

My first encounter with St. David's school was when I was campaigning with the National Parents' Council - Primary against class size in 1987.

The Principal, John McGarry, invited me to speak to parents, There was a great 'turn out' of actively involved people who were more than willing to put the commitment and energy necessary into forcing a reduction in our class size.

I was struck even then by the strong ethos of openness and accountability to parents and to the commitment to partnership at school level which John initiated long before it a became a 'catch word' or fashionable concept.

The parents of St. David's are actively involved in their school through the Parents' Association. Over the years they have grown from a fund raising body into an Association affiliated to NPC - Primary and involved in parental issues in education. They are to be commended for their many fine achievements.

My most recent experience of parental partnership in the school was when we discussed the Green Paper on Education. It is an established fact that parental interest is the singularly most important factor in determining a child's educational attachment. Allowing for this view, the children of St. David's must surely succeed educationally as we approach the 21st century.

This school year is an important year for your school as you celebrate 25 years of excellence. Hopefully it will be an important year for education generally if we succeed in acquiring an Education Act. Whatever the future holds, perhaps we can take some example from the staff, Principal and parents of your very fine school where the child emerges as the central and most important figure.

I hope that you will all go forward into a future bright with promise and renewed with enthusiastic effort for the children in your care.