October News
16/10/17 – Sporting Success
Well done to our Junior seven aside Camogie team who recently won their Munster title and now go on to play in the all Ireland final on Wednesday 8/11/17.
Congratulations to Anna Mulcahy and Aine Spain who recently won the County Tipperary Handball title beating Presentation Thurles. They were narrowly beaten by Clare in the Munster final. well done to both girls.
9/10/17 – TY Zeminar Visit
“Some of our transition year students enjoying the Zeminar in the RDS on Tuesday discovering different ways to look after your mental health.”
2/10/17 – TY visit to Dromineer Literary Festival
On Friday last, 6th Oct. a group of 50 plus TY students were lucky enough to attend poetry workshops in the picturesque setting of Dromineer Yacht Club. This was part of this year’s Literary Festival. The workshops were facilitated by Kerry- based poets ,Eileen Sheehan, and John W. Sexton.
Both writers read from their own works, including a poem by Ms. Sheehan’s which features on the Leaving Cert. syllabus for 2019. Students were given an opportunity to write too and a few brave souls read out their work. Tips on composition and advice on the importance of developing one’s vocabulary made for a very useful afternoon.
The sessions concluded with the students being given an opportunity to ask questions. We left with a more positive attitude to poetry after an enjoyable couple of hours.
25/9/17 – Third Year visit to Knock
On the 14th of September the Third Year religion students travelled to Knock Co. Mayo on a religious retreat. While in Knock the students visited all four churches. Many of the girls also did the Stations of the Cross and went to confession in the underground chapel. Students really found the day very rewarding, one girl commented, ”The silence was strange but wonderful, as you never find silence in the world of today.” Another said, “It was a great place to relax, have a moment with God.”
The third years attended a mass in the Basilica where the music students enhanced the occasion by playing music and singing hymns. Many were especially impressed by the mosaic of the appearance of Our Lady. The students prayed for family, friends and the Junior Cert. They brought holy water and medals home. Everyone would like to thank Sr. Maureen for organising the retreat and Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Hogan for accompanying us. A great day was had by all.
18/9/17 – Sixth Year Higher Options
Decision-making can be quite daunting, especially with CAO application day slowly approaching us. However, 6th year students from St. Mary’s secondary school were given a taster of the real world this week as we paid a visit to the “Higher Options” summit in the RDS in Dublin. Here we were greeted by over 160 universities, institutes of technology and colleges all under the one roof! Talks and lectures were scheduled throughout the day to cater for all of our needs and guest speakers and representatives were patiently waiting at each stall to answer our questions and tell us what their courses had to offer. From primary teaching in Limerick to astrophysics in Budapest “Higher Options” was really an eye opener and certainly taught us that the world has endless opportunities and career paths! Students travelling abroad to study were given an in-depth lecture from UniCast representatives, our school debs committee spoke with DebsIreland about their plans for the coming year and the Institute of Education even distributed samples of their leaving certificate notes. We left the RDS with much more reassurance, answered questions and a bulging bag of prospectuses to read through! “Higher Options” was certainly a beneficial, fun-filled event with a positive and friendly approach to each person’s specific needs. This experience has certainly eliminated half the stress of making important future decisions!
18/9/17 – TY Ceili
On Monday the 11th of September the Transition year students of ST. Mary’s secondary school took part in a ceili .there was a lot of excitement to show off their Irish culture. An instructor came to the school to teach the students various dances, for example the Siege of Ennis. There was lots of fun and laughter as they figured out the new steps. The students showed a great deal of enthusiasm and were very proud of their dancing. They were delighted to learn new steps, more dances and to having fun with their peers.
The girls were exhausted after an hour of practise and precision but overall felt that the day was a memorable experience.
25/9/17 – Third Year visit to Knock
On the 14th of September the Third Year religion students travelled to Knock Co. Mayo on a religious retreat. While in Knock the students visited all four churches. Many of the girls also did the Stations of the Cross and went to confession in the underground chapel. Students really found the day very rewarding, one girl commented, ”The silence was strange but wonderful, as you never find silence in the world of today.” Another said, “It was a great place to relax, have a moment with God.”
The third years attended a mass in the Basilica where the music students enhanced the occasion by playing music and singing hymns. Many were especially impressed by the mosaic of the appearance of Our Lady. The students prayed for family, friends and the Junior Cert. They brought holy water and medals home. Everyone would like to thank Sr. Maureen for organising the retreat and Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Hogan for accompanying us. A great day was had by all.
11/9/17 – Sixth Year Retreat
This week us sixth years from St. Mary’s Secondary School paid a visit to Mountshannon in the east of Clare for our retreat! We put on our life jackets and exercise gear and set off bright early on our journey along the River Shannon to the beloved Inis Cealta (also known as Holy Island) where we learned about the mesmerising ruins of those who came before us. Parish priest of Ogonelloe Fr. Donagh O’Meara and caretaker of the Island Gerard Madden guided us through the area, teaching us about the remains of the monastic churches and roundtowers that were once occupied by the residents of Inis Cealta and historical battles along the River Shannon. At each station we received an in-depth lesson about the beliefs and stories of the island and its astonishing surroundings, ending it with an enlightening prayer as we stood at the graves of the 126 monks that once resided there. This allowed us to show gratitude for the little things in life. I was in awe of the beautiful scenery and welcoming atmosphere that Holy Island had to offer. Inis Cealta was an absolute pleasure to visit and allowed us all to relax and reflect on the necessities in life before the realities of exams creep up on us! On the way home we stopped in Tuamgraney for a well deserved bite to eat. Here we also attended mass in Dun Carraig church with Fr. Donagh O’Meara where he created a link between the importance of the Gospel and the Buddhist mantras in our everyday lives. Overall it was certainly an excellent experience and we all left with smiles on our faces and fond memories of our day on Inis Cealta!
We welcome all our first year students who have completed their first day on Friday last. A great start by all our students . We look forward to our other year groups returning this week.
Back to school dates 2017/2018
Friday, 25th August 2017: 1st Years Induction – 9.30am to 12.30pm Meetings in the afternoon
Monday, 28th August 2017: 5th Years, 6th Years & LCA – 9.00am to 1.00pm Meetings in the afternoon
Tuesday, 29th August 2017: 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th Years & LCA – 9.00am to 1.00pm Meetings in the afternoon
Wednesday, 30th August 2017: Second Day for 1st Years, Transition Years return and all other classes as normal Full Day
Changes to School Day 2017/2018
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | |
| Start time | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| Finish time | 16:00 | 16:00 | 15:20 | 15:20 | 15:20 |
Dates for your Diary 2017/2018
23rd Oct 2017 6th Year Parent-Teacher Meeting.
30th Oct – 3rd Nov 2017 Midterm Break. School Closed.
7th Nov 2017 3rd Year Parent – Teacher Meeting.
8th Dec 2017 School Closed for Students.
25th Dec – 5th Jan 2018 Christmas Break. School Closed.
24th Jan 2018 5th Year Parent – Teacher Meeting
1st Feb 2018 1st Year Parent – Teacher Meeting.
12th Feb – 16th Feb 2018 Midterm Break. School Closed.
28th Feb 2018 2nd Year Parent –Teacher Meeting.
19th March 2018 Bank Holiday. School Closed.
22nd March 2018 TY Parent – Teacher Meeting
26th Mar – 6th Apr 2018 Easter Break. School Closed.
4th May 2018 School Closed for Students.
7th May 2018 Bank Holiday. School Closed.
1st June 2018 Summer Holidays