Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we reach the end of another Academic Year I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over the last year. We are delighted that, despite the challenges, we have had a full year in school and started to return to normality.
Extra curricular activities, Evening Study, Homework Club returned early in the year. Our sports teams were back in action and students enjoyed the experience of training and participating. The U16 and U19 girls basketball teams were particularly successful. Most recently they were honoured by Basketball Ireland for winning their leagues and last weekend they were honoured at the Naas Bealtaine Festival.
We have finished out the year with our Music Evening, TY Graduation and LC Graduation. It was wonderful to invite students and their families to celebrate these important events in the school again.
At this point our 3rd and 6th Year Students are preparing for their examinations beginning on the 8th of June. Both students and teachers have been working very hard to prepare for these exams and we wish them every success over the next few weeks. Breakfast will continue to be provided for all exam students in the canteen each morning. We encourage students to arrive at school early so they can be as relaxed and as ready as possible for their exams. Students may leave once an exam is over and there is no requirement to sign out. Please speak to your young person about mobile phone use during the State Exams. Best practice is to leave the phone at home. Alternatively, if they bring a phone to the school it may be left at the main school office and collected when they are going home. This is really important. If a student is discovered with a mobile phone during an exam, it will be cancelled whether or not the student is using it.
Over the Summer we will be recruiting new teachers for September.
We also have some internal changes for September. Ms. Siobhan Dalton will be on leave next year and Ms. Joy Coleman will be Acting Deputy Principal in her place.
Ms. Niamh Doyle is finishing her 5 year term as Home School Community Liaison Teacher and will be replaced by Ms. Orla Rowan.
We are making some slight changes for the new term. Incoming 1st Years will have a new school jumper. It will replace the wool v neck and the current half zip top. This change is only for incoming 1st years and the old jumper is being phased out. Students from 2nd to 6th year may continue to wear the original style half zip top and Whelans will continue to supply these tops also.
We will be emphasising pride in our uniform for all students from September.
Please ensure your young person presents in full and correct uniform for the day.
Students may wear their correct PE uniform on the day they have PE- red crested polo shirt, black tracksuit bottoms, half zip top and runners.
Our school day will also change slightly from September. Students should be in their Tutorial Room by 8.50am and school will finish at 15.40pm from Monday to Thursday and 13.10pm on Friday.
We will be sharing our provisional calendar for 2022/23 and our return schedule in the coming weeks. We are currently planning our return schedule which will see year groups returning on a phased basis from the 24th of August, with a full timetable for all year groups commencing on Thursday 1st of September.
Also just to remind you that we invite all students to continue to join us for Breakfast Club each morning in the school at 8.15am from September, as in previous years.
May I wish all students and families a happy and restful Summer break.
All good wishes,
Caroline Herity
Principal