Gaeilge 24

On Tuesday, 13th November, students from St. Mary’s accepted the challenge of speaking Irish only for twenty-four hours. St. Mary’s was 1 of 300 schools in Ireland that took on the challenge. This was the fifth year of Gaeilge24, organised by Conradh na Gaeilge. The students had to speak Irish not just in school, but also at home and while participating in out-of-school activities such as sports. As part of the event, a sing-along was arranged in the school canteen at lunchtime. The event was coordinated by the teachers in the Irish Department and supported by the students involved in Coiste Gaelach. Participating students wore special t-shirts and wristbands provided by Gaeilge24. By participating, the students were given an opportunity to show their passion for, and commitment to, the Irish language.

New Facilities

Due to the increasing number of students attending St. Mary’s, the school has recently completed the development of a new Physics Lab and the construction of a new, modern Prefabricated area. The Physics Lab contains state-of-the-art scientific equipment and represents the commitment of St. Mary’s to increasingly invest in science education for our students. The Prefabricated area contains five new classrooms, including an Art room. A teacher has been assigned to each classroom. There is also new office space and a kitchen area for staff. A wireless projector and a Chromebook has been installed into each classroom. The teachers are utilising G-Suite to work collaboratively on projects, for example, transition year e-portfolios. This investment in ICT is the next step in the school’s plan to improve its use of digital technology for teaching, learning and assessment.

New physics lab

Classroom in the new Prefabricated Area

Maths Week

The week of Monday 15th October was Maths Week at St. Mary’s. The event was coordinated by the teachers in the Maths Department and supported by TY Maths students. Events included a Maths orienteering challenge for first year students, quizzes for second and third year students, a Maths countdown challenge for fifth year students, and a PRISM contest and a trip to the cinema to see Hidden Figures for transition year students. Finally, staff had to guess the number of sweets in a jar for their Maths Week challenge.

Academic Scholarships

A number of Leaving Cert 2018 students from St. Mary’s have recently been awarded third-level scholarships. Grace Moloney and Kate Ivory have both been awarded a UCC Quercus Entrance Scholarship. Kate was also a recipient, along with Laura Long, of a JP McManus Scholarship. Lily O’Meara and Sinéad O’Riordan were both awarded a UCD Entrance Scholarship. Well done to the scholarship recipients, their teachers and their parents.

Sinéad O_Riordan and Lily O_Meara with Yvonne Bane, Principal	Laura Long with her parents Judy and Richard
Kate Ivory with her parents Joan and Tom