PICTURES: Children’s author officially opens new ASD classroom at Limerick school

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DOON Convent National School has officially cut the ribbon to their new ASD special classroom which has been in operation since last September.

Smiles were donned across the faces of students and teachers alike as children's author Judi Curtin, who resides in Limerick, was on hand to launch the new classroom.

Following the cutting of the red ribbon, principal of Doon Convent NS, Derek Walsh said that it was a lovely occasion that celebrated the opening of the new “special class”.

“Much thanks must be accredited to the Department of Education for establishing our first special class and also to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE),” he said.

Although the special class is already full, Mr Walsh has said that a second ASD classroom will be opening in September of this year.

“Whilst our first unit is full, we still have spaces available for our second special class,” Mr Walsh added.

Judi Curtin, who was presented with flowers on her arrival in the school, has been writing since 1999 but had her first book published in 2003.

She is the best-selling author of the Alice and Megan series, the Eva series and the Time After Time series.

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Doon Convent NS is also currently teaching its fifth and sixth-class students that the art of letter writing isn’t dead.

Students at the school were given the task of writing a letter to a notable person or celebrity of their choice in the hopes of getting a response.

So far, the task has been a major success with students receiving replies from President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal, and they even featured on Ray Darcy’s RTÉ Radio One show.

Ms Curtin was also a person of choice for student Lucy Ryan who received a response from the author before her visit to the east Limerick school.