September 2007

Welcome

We welcome all our students, especially those students who are new to the school. We wish you and your families all the best for the year. We also welcome the following new teachers: Ms. Canavan, Ms. Moloney, Ms. Allan, Mr. Nolan and Mr. Kinsella.

Evening Study

Evening Study takes place from 4.15pm to 6pm , Monday to Thursday and 2 to 3.45pm on Fridays. At the moment we are unable to accommodate any further requests for places but you may register your interest in joining with Mr. O’Brien.

Night Study

Night Study, for Sixth Years only, takes place from 6 to 9pm , Monday to Thursday. Leaving Cert students are encouraged to devise a serious study programme immediately, devoting at least 20 hours per week to preparing for this very important milestone.

Junior & Leaving Certificate Results

Congratulations to all our students on their successes in this year’s state examinations. The new systems introduced last year to aid students during the examinations have proved very successful and will be retained.

Road Safety

Students are asked to use the pedestrian crossing opposite the school gates when crossing the road and to avoid congregating near the crossing, as this causes confusion for motorists. Also, students with cars are reminded to drive safely and to consider the implications of carrying fellow students, without the consent of their parents.

St. Dympna’s Hospital

It’s disappointing to find that a small number of students are persisting in using the grounds of the hospital, despite the hospital’s embargo on students entering the property. We will be forced to impose sanctions on any students congregating in the grounds.

Calendar

A small number of changes have been made to the calendar published on the web. Please note that a Staff Meeting will take place on Thursday next at 3pm. There will be no school on Monday 1 st October.

Levy

We have been able to keep the levy at €75 for the past six years due to your generosity. The cost includes the Student Journal and a Personal Accident Policy. Students are not allowed to participate in school activities unless covered by this policy. Ms. Clonan is in charge on collecting the levy, which can be paid in installments.

 

SCHOOL CALENDAR 2007—2008

 

2007

 

August 27th Staff Training on new IT facilities

Aug 28th Staff meeting & Planning

Aug 29th First Years only; Subject Department meetings

Aug 30th 1 st Years, 5 th Years and TYO, all day. Middle Leadership meeting

Aug 31st All students in school

 

Sept 27th Staff Meeting & subject planning, 3 – 5pm Students free from 3pm

 

Oct 1st No School

Oct 8th 6th Year PTM, 4.15 - 6.15pm Students free from 3.45pm

Oct 18th 1st Year PTM, 4.15 - 6.15pm Students free from 3.45pm

Oct 24th Open Night, 7 - 9pm Students free from 1.05pm to facilitate preparation of school

Oct 29th Mid-term break begins. School resumes on Monday 5 th November

 

Nov 21st 3 rd Year PTM, 12.30 – 4.00pm Students free from 11.30am

Nov 27th Staff Meeting & subject planning, 2.00 – 4.00pm Students free from 1.05pm

 

December 3 rd Mock exams begin

December 11th 5 th Year PTM, 12.30 – 4.00pm Students free from 11.30am

December 19th TYO PTM, 4.15—5.30

Dec 24th Christmas Holidays begin

 

2008

 

January 7th School re-opens

Jan 16th Staff meeting and subject planning, 3.00 – 5.00pm

Jan 22nd 2 nd Year PTM, 4.15 – 6.15pm Students free from 3.45pm

 

Feb 11th Mid-term break. School re-opens on Monday 18 th

February 26th Staff meeting and subject planning, 2.00 – 4.00pm

 

March 17th St. Patrick’s Day. Easter Holidays begin

Mar 31st School Re-opens

 

April 28th Staff meeting and subject planning

 

 

May 2nd No school

May 5th Bank Holiday , no school. All students back on May 6th.

May 30th Summer Holidays begin at 1.05pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Academy, Carlow CBS

Newsletter February 2007

14.02.2007

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Theatre Visit

Fifth year students were recently treated to a visit to the Theatre Royal in Waterford for a production of William Shakespeare’s “Othello”. As the play is a required text for the senior English course, it was a wonderful opportunity for the students to experience a theatrical performance of this timeless, universal and captivating Shakespearean play. Alan Stanford directed the production and together with an energetic, talented and creative team of actors, delivered a truly enjoyable stage drama. This trip will benefit students enormously in their understanding and appreciation of what Shakespeare is trying to achieve in this piece of drama. Students were accompanied by Mr. Storey, Mr. Maher and by Ms. Hennessy.

 

Young Social Innovators Awards

This year two TYO groups will put forward projects for the awards. This scheme encourages young people to become more socially aware and to be a voice in society, standing up for issues that concern them and those around them. On February 6 students were invited to a “speak out” forum in Waterford . Approximately 50 schools in the south east were represented. Students were required to present on stage the social issue they have decided to look at for their YSI project. The forum gives studenrs the chance to highlight in a creative way the concerns they have about society and to prepare them for the YSI showcase competition to be held on May 9 and 10 in the RDS.

The first issue our TYO students are exploring is entitled “Heh! Adults leave us kids alone”. Yhe students are looking at how the media demonises young people. Frankie Coughlan, Nathan Dowling, Leigh Shaw, Kenny Wong, Sean Farrell and Gavin Coleman make up our first project team and delivered a truly confident, genuine, thorough and creative summary of their project. The students carried a goalpost made of beercans onto the stage to highlight the media link made between alchocol and sport and the pressures on young people to drink. Just a hint of what’s to come from our first team.

The second team are looking at “Physical and mental health issues concerning young men”. They are focussing on STIs, depression, obesity and the importance of maintaining good mental health. The team wore especially designes t-shirts that were printed with the words MACHOMAN. They were exploting the importance of looking after oneself as a young male and of combating the fear of looking for help in relation to physical and mental health issues. Robert Stynes, Michael Tai, Edward Platt, Mark Nolan, Kane Kinsella and Shane Geoghegan did the school proud as they stood before 6oo people and openly discussed health issues that can be difficult to address.

Well done to all the TYO students who took part. The students were accompanied to Waterford by Ms. Hennessy.

 

Soccer

Well done to our U-14 soccer team who captured the Carlow/Kilkenny League on Friday, February 9 in an epic battle with St. Kierans of Kilkenny. The team went down 1-0 after ten minutes and trailes at the break. On the restart our lads stood up and were counted with John Nolan scoring a fantastic goal with fifteen minutes to play. We then had chance after chance burt could not hit the target. Extra time began and we again found ourselves trailing. Most teams would have bowed out but our lads struck twice in the space of three minutes through well taken goals from Cormac O’ Toole and Eoin Brennan. 3-2 up and the match was on a knife edge. Fernando da Silva then ran 25 yards to slot the ball past the advancing keeper. His celebration was just as spectacular as his goal: a spectacular flip sommersault. The matsh finished 4-2 and we now advance onto the Leinster quarter-finals. Best of luck lads

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Academy, Carlow CBS

Newsletter November 2006

16.11.2006

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

ERST

The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) is the new school body that will assume trusteeship of all Christian Brother Schools during the coming year. There will be no obvious changes in the running of the schools and you will be given information on the changeover process in the coming months.

A representative of the trustees will speak to the staff on Monday, 27 November at 2pm. School will therefore close at 1.05pm. A study facility will be provided for students.

 

New Board of Management

A new BOM has been selected to manage the school for the 2006-2009 term. We appreciate the commitment and dedication of the members. The 8-member board consists of the following:

Trustee reps: Paddy Brennan (chair), Mark Mulhern, Eoin Kehoe and Brian Broderick

Parent Reps: Mary Clare Byrne and Eamonn Brophy

Teacher Reps: Theresa O’ Neill and Shaun Moloney

We would like to thank the members of the previous board for their work on behalf of the school

 

Study Skills

Study skills will be done with all third year students on Friday, 17 November. It is important for parents to discuss the seminar and go through the handout and see how best they can encourage and support their sons.

 

Carlow Careers Day

A careers day will be held in the Dolmen Hotel on Tuesday, 21 November. Over 50 exhibitors will attend and there should be lots to interest all students. We expect all fifth and sixth year students to attend.

 

Road Safety

• Students are asked not to congregate in the railway station carpark before and after school, as well as at lunchtime. This is causing traffic problems and may give rise to damage of vehicles. This park is private property and we hope that all our students would show due respect.
• All parents/guardians are asked to encourage their sons to use the zebra crossing at the school gates, rather than walk straight across the road. There have been a number of ‘near misses’ recently because of students not using the official, proper crossing.
• We also ask students not to congregate near the school gates and the crossing, because the large number congregating may confuse some drivers. Drivers are asked not to drop their children at or near the crossing. Again this causes disruption at the crossing.

 

Leaving School During the School Day

If your son has to leave school due to an appointment, please write a note in his school journal in advance. If you need to take him at short notice, please call the school and ask to have him sent out. Recently, several students have asked to leave, claiming to have received calls from home on their mobiles. Not all of these cases were genuine.

 

C.S.P.E. Talk

3k C.S.P.E. invite in guest speakers to create awareness around World Day for the Elderly.

On 10 October two speakers from the Sacred Heart Hospital, Carlow spoke to the 3K CSPE class about care and facilities for the elderly in County Carlow. The class was surprised to find out that there are so many professionals employed in the hospital to look after the daily needs of the patients. The class also learned that there is a place called a day hospital, where elderly people can go to see a consultant or a specialist nurse instead of having to travel to Kilkenny. Here also a patient can attend a physiotherapist, a dietician or an occupational therapist. The class gained a very good understanding of what is available for the elderly after the talk.

 

Niall Mellon Foundation

School caretaker, Martin Power, takes off for South Africa on Friday to participate in the extraordinary project to build homes for the poorest of the poor in South Africa. This will be the second time for Martin to participate in the project, having described last years journey as one of the best things he has done in his lifetime. The students did their bit to assist Martin’s fundraising efforts with a non-uniform day which raised 630. We all wish him the best of luck.

 

Gaelic Football

The U-14 footballers had a fantastic 4-9 to 1-1 victory over St. Peter's of Wexford on Tuesday, 8 November, thereby avenging a defeat in the same fixture last year. The game started slowly with no score for either team until the 12th minute despite a handful; of chances to register on the scoreboard. CBS were first off the mark and were 4 points to 1 up with ten minutes left in the first half. CBS went in leading 1-4 to 0-1 at half-time. CBS did not ease up in the second half and added on goals from Graham Delaney (2) and Mark Fitzgerald. In a tremendous team performance, Jamie Kenny, Dale Byrne, Niall Lawlor and Graham Delaney were outstanding.

 

Rugby and Swimming

Congratulations to Rory Stynes and Darragh Williamson who both recently represented Leinster schools at interprovincial level. Rory had the added distinction of captaining the side. Both players efforts were rewarded with Irish trials.

Congratulations also to Andreas Nolan who completed the PADI open water diving course on 3 November. He is now qualified to dive to 18 metres. He also achieved 50/50 in the written exam.

 

 

 

 

St. Mary's Academy CBS, Carlow
Newsletter

September 2006
___________________________________________________________________________________

Board of Management
The term of office of the school's Board of Management comes to an end at the end of September. The 8-member board consists of two parent's representatives, two teacher representatives and four members selected by the trustees.

Parents are asked to nominate two representatives. A nomination form will be issued to all families in the coming days. You are asked to nominate two representatives, having checked in advance that your nominees are willing to serve on the board. The term of office is three years. Parents may serve on the board while their children are in the school. In the event of more than two nominations an election will be held.

Swimming
Sixth year student, Andreas Nolan continues to impress and make progress in swimming. During the summer he was awarded two bronze medals and four certificates in the national division 2 championships. He came third overall in his age group. Since school reopened he has won the novice section in Surf Rescue and last weekend he won the Nore Men's Race in Kilkenny. Well done and continued success.

Scouting Award

Well done to transition year student Brendan Byrne and scout with the 5th Carlow Scout Troop. Brendan has just recently been awarded with the Chief Scout Award. This is the highest award that a scout can achieve. The Chief Scout of Ireland travelled from Dublin to present him with his award. Congratulations on his achievement.

Jackets

Students are reminded to put their names on their jackets. Every week jackets are found and it is easy to return them to students if their names are on them.

Peace and Justice Committee

The committee reconvened on Monday, September 11th. The meeting began with the election of new officers, Chairperson: Darragh Dreelan, Secretary: Shane Timmons, PRO: Tony O' Reilly. The first fund-raiser of the year will be bag-packing in Tesco in aid of the National Council for the Blind. Other plans for the year include the Peace One Day project and fundraising for Bothar.

Basketball
The U-16 basketball season got of to a successful start with a hard-fought victory over Portarlington CBS. A real team performance brought home a 38:24 victory. The team's next outing will be against Colaiste Iosagain, Portarlington.

October 2006
___________________________________________________________________________________

ERST
The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) is the new school body that will assume trusteeship of all Christian Brother Schools during the coming year. There will be no obvious changes in the running of the schools and you will be given information on the changeover process in the coming months.
A representative of the trustees will speak to the staff on Monday, 27 November at 2pm. School will therefore close at 1.05pm. A study facility will be provided for students.

New Board of Management
A new BOM has been selected to manage the school for the 2006-2009 term. We appreciate the commitment and dedication of the members. The 8-member board consists of the following:
Trustee reps: Paddy Brennan (chair), Mark Mulhern, Eoin Kehoe and Brian Broderick
Parent Reps: Mary Clare Byrne and Eamonn Brophy
Teacher Reps: Theresa O' Neill and Shaun Moloney
We would like to thank the members of the previous board for their work on behalf of the school

Study Skills
Study skills will be done with all third year students on Friday, 17 November. It is important for parents to discuss the seminar and go through the handout and see how best they can encourage and support their sons.

Carlow Careers Day
A careers day will be held in the Dolmen Hotel on Tuesday, 21 November. Over 50 exhibitors will attend and there should be lots to interest all students. We expect all fifth and sixth year students to attend.

Road Safety
3 Students are asked not to congregate in the railway station carpark before and after school, as well as at lunchtime. This is causing traffic problems and may give rise to damage of vehicles. This park is private property and we hope that all our students would show due respect.
4 All parents/guardians are asked to encourage their sons to use the zebra crossing at the school gates, rather than walk straight across the road. There have been a number of 'near misses' recently because of students not using the official, proper crossing.
5 We also ask students not to congregate near the school gates and the crossing, because the large number congregating may confuse some drivers. Drivers are asked not to drop their children at or near the crossing. Again this causes disruption at the crossing.

Leaving School During the School Day
If your son has to leave school due to an appointment, please write a note in his school journal in advance. If you need to take him at short notice, please call the school and ask to have him sent out. Recently, several students have asked to leave, claiming to have received calls from home on their mobiles. Not all of these cases were genuine.

C.S.P.E. Talk
3k C.S.P.E. invite in guest speakers to create awareness around World Day for the Elderly.
On 10 October two speakers from the Sacred Heart Hospital, Carlow spoke to the 3K CSPE class about care and facilities for the elderly in County Carlow. The class was surprised to find out that there are so many professionals employed in the hospital to look after the daily needs of the patients. The class also learned that there is a place called a day hospital, where elderly people can go to see a consultant or a specialist nurse instead of having to travel to Kilkenny. Here also a patient can attend a physiotherapist, a dietician or an occupational therapist. The class gained a very good understanding of what is available for the elderly after the talk.

Niall Mellon Foundation
School caretaker, Martin Power, takes off for South Africa on Friday to participate in the extraordinary project to build homes for the poorest of the poor in South Africa. This will be the second time for Martin to participate in the project, having described last years journey as one of the best things he has done in his lifetime. The students did their bit to assist Martin's fundraising efforts with a non-uniform day which raised 630. We all wish him the best of luck.

Gaelic Football
The U-14 footballers had a fantastic 4-9 to 1-1 victory over St. Peter's of Wexford on Tuesday, 8 November, thereby avenging a defeat in the same fixture last year. The game started slowly with no score for either team until the 12th minute despite a handful; of chances to register on the scoreboard. CBS were first off the mark and were 4 points to 1 up with ten minutes left in the first half. CBS went in leading 1-4 to 0-1 at half-time. CBS did not ease up in the second half and added on goals from Graham Delaney (2) and Mark Fitzgerald. In a tremendous team performance, Jamie Kenny, Dale Byrne, Niall Lawlor and Graham Delaney were outstanding.

Rugby and Swimming
Congratulations to Rory Stynes and Darragh Williamson who both recently represented Leinster schools at interprovincial level. Rory had the added distinction of captaining the side. Both players efforts were rewarded with Irish trials.
Congratulations also to Andreas Nolan who completed the PADI open water diving course on 3 November. He is now qualified to dive to 18 metres. He also achieved 50/50 in the written exam.

 

 

 

January 2006

Happy New Year: The school staff and management would like to wish all students, parents and guardians a Happy New Year. Let's hope it is a successful and enjoyable year for everybody associated with the school.

Congratulations to Lee Geoghegan and Robert Flemming who had a very busy Christmas performing in a production of the musical "Bugsy Malone" at the Gaiety Theatre. Congratulations is also due to Tommy Murphy who has the huge honour of being an All-Ireland champion. Tommy won the u-16 tennis title at the indoor championship in Riverview. And finally to Jeff Walsh who won a Leinster title in swimming.

Visit to Newgrange: On Monday, December 19th, the senior History classes, accompanied by Mr. Ahern and Mrs. Walshe, sampled our Celtic heritage when they visited Newgrange Passage Tomb to coincide with the winter solstice. The inner chamber of the tomb is lit by the dawn sun from December 19th to 23rd. We are privileged to be one of a small number of schools in Ireland to be chosen each year to partake in this incredible event.

Setanta Student Investment Challenge: In the Setanta Asset Management Student Investment Challenge Competition, Eugene Devreux (5th Year) is currently in 72nd position out of over 12,000 entries from 2nd and 3rd level students throughout the country. Well done Eugene!

CBS Carlow Credit Union:CBS Credit Union held a school members' "Slogan" competition just before the Christmas holidays. The competition attracted a large number of entries. A 'regular savers' free Christmas draw was also held. The school CU is growing in popularity among students, the majority of savers using the opportunity to save for school trips, holidays and special occasions. This is fostering good habits among the students.
Slogan Competition Winners
1st Prize: Andrei Botezatu (2nd Year) - "One Small Drop Today, An Ocean Of Opportunities Tomorrow".
2nd Prize: Darragh Townsend (1st Year) - "Clever Boys Save".
Members Christmas Draw
1st Prize: Dermot Scully (3rd Year) - €30
2nd Prize: Shane Redmond (TY) - €20
3rd Prize: Sean Ryan (5th Year) - €10
Congratulations to all prize winners and thanks to all who entered and continue to save and make the school CU a success.

Project Work: Religious Education-3rd Year: The deadline for the project and journal is April 7th

Green Schools & Energy Awareness: The Green Schools Committee, who meet on a regular basis, have decided that the time is right to renew our Green Flag. All involved are happy with the success of the recycling aspect of our Green Schools programme. The next phase involves energy saving initiatives. The committee has undertaken a survey to ascertain the number of lights left on unnecessarily in the school. The 2R CSPE class are engaged in a poster campaign to promote energy awareness among the school population. We urge you all to make a real effort to conserve energy at home and in particular, do not leave appliances on standby.
Remember - "Turn it off or plug it out,
That's what saving energy is all about!"

Gaelic Football: The senior footballers have qualified for the quarter finals of the South Leinster Football Championship where they play Portarlington in January. They defeated Ballyfin College in their first game in Ballyfin. In their second game they lost narrowly to Naas CBS. If the lads can play to their potential in this competition, they will be in with a chance of winning the South Leinster Championship.
There are fifteen students involved in the Carlow Colleges panel this year, where we were defeated by a single point in the first round of the Leinster Championship by St. Patrick's of Navan. In the 1st round qualifiers the team was victorious against St. Peter's, Wexford with a winning scorelone of 4-8 to 2-6. They next face Moate Community College.
The u-16 team found the going tough in the top division and despite a spirited display against St. Peter's, the team had to bow out of the championship. Team mentors Mr. O' Brien and Mr. Coffey would like to thank all those who participated and look forward to a more successful year in 2006

October 2005

Best Wishes to Martin Power who leaves for South Africa on Friday next to work on house building projects for poor people. We greatly appreciate the support of students and families who contributed over €650 on the non-uniform day.

Rotary Club Leadership Awards
Well done to Edward Cahill, Gregory Watchorn and Jeff Walsh who were winners of the school awards 2005/06. Edward has the added distinction of being the winner of the individual student award.

Study Skills
A Study Skills Seminar for 3rd and 6th years will take place on November 14th. A seminar will also be offered to 1st and 2nd years during November.

Vaccinations
Second year students will be given a booster shot for tetanus on Thursday, November 10th.

School Tour
This year's school tour is to Barcelona, Spain. 48 students will be accompanied by tour leader Ms. Kennedy and her colleagues. The group will leave on April 18th and return on April 21st. The group will take in range of visits and activities, varying from a trip to historic Tarragona to the Noucamp stadium.

Carlow Careers Exhibition
5th and 6th year students will have the opportunity to visit Carlow's first careers exhibition in the Dolmen Hotel on Thursday, November 10th. There will be over 50 exhibitors including Universities, Institutes of Technology, Post-leaving Cert courses, Gardai, Army, Failte Ireland, Agricultural Colleges, FAS, Prison Officers, Accountancy bodies, Nursing, private colleges and others. There should be lots to interest all students. Buses will be available to transport students to and from the venue. Cost including transport - €5.

Transition Year
· Students attended an education seminar held at the Curragh racecourse on Monday last. Various stands from the equine industry displayed the career opportunities available in different areas of the industry. Justin Timmons, a former student of the school, spoke to the students about his experience with RACE.
· Transition Tear students Killian McGrath and Daire O' Rourke recently spent five days in Odeshog, Sweden as part of an EU funded cultural exchange program, Comenius. The students got first hand experience of Swedish life and school system. Both students acquitted themselves very well.
· Forty students were involved in fundraising for Down Syndrome Ireland on October 21st. The students worked hard from 9am to 7pm, selling honey pots, keyrings and pins.

Drug Awareness Week
Thirty 3rd Year students and 20 girls from St. Leo's participated in this year's Drug Awareness Week. The theme was "Alcohol is a drug". The students designed posters, conducted a survey and attended a talk presented by Olive Fanning from the Health Promotion Unit in the district hospital, Carlow.
Meitheal
The Meitheal group is organising a 1st Year disco in the Rugby Club on Friday, October 28th from 8-11pm.
Gael linn Irish Debating
The CBS are hosting a Gael linn Irish debating competition on Monday, November 21st in the school at 5pm. There will be a Junior section followed by a Senior section. We would like to wish both teams the best of luck and welcome the support of the wider school community.

Sport

Gaelic Football
· Senior: St. Mary's contributes 20 players to the Carlow Colleges team which has reached the final of the South Leinster League. On the way they have defeated both St. Peter's of Wexford and Portlaoise CBS, drawing with Good Counsel. The Senior B Championship starts in November.
· Intermediate: The u-16 team lost narrowly to Knockbeg in a challenge game. Training continues on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and the team is looking forward to its first competitive outing after the mid-term break.
· Junior: The u-14 team have made a fantastic start to the season with two convincing victories over FCJ Bunclody and Athy CBS respectively. This team could go far under the watchful eye of Mr. Keogh and Mr. Cleere.
Hurling
The Senior and Junior teams have had two championship outings each so far this year. They have found the going tough and so far have failed to scale the heights of last year.
Athletics
The athletics year got of to a great start with the recent Carlow Schools Cross Country held in Tinryland. Despite the severity of the bad weather, students and teachers alike had a great day. The school came third in the Junior event with the outstanding Daniel Irwin and Shane O' Rourke placed in the top three at Intermediate and Senior level. Well done to all who participated.
Golf
Senior Golfing team, James Sheerin, Brian Lord and Farrel Cuddihy, qualified for Leinster semi-finals from a field of 35 second-level students from the region.
The junior golfing team will take part in their competition on Tuesday, November 8th in Athy Golf Course. First and 2nd Year students are also competing in competitions. Best of luck to all players.
Soccer
The u-18 squad have had one outing to date, drawing 2-2 at home to Tullow. The u-16s begin the defence of their league and Leinster cup titles after the mid-term. Congratulations to Lee Buggle, Michael Mullen and Mikey Byrne who are playing with Shelbourne. Lee and Michael will soon have trials with Everton and Middlesboro respectively. Congrats also to Conor Byrne who recently attended trials with the Republic of Ireland u-15 squad.

September 2005

Welcome
We extend a warm welcome to all families associated with the school and wish you all the best for the year ahead.

Open Night
Open Night will take place on Wednesday 26th October, from 7.00 to 9.00 pm. As the school numbers have now reached capacity, a smaller number of students will be accepted for 2006/07. Priority will be given to brothers of present of past students. Please enrol your son as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Examination Results
We were very pleased with the performances of our students in the LC and JC exams. Most LC students achieved sufficient points to get their first choice college places. We are very proud of their achievements and wish them every success in their chosen career paths. Over 100 students sat the JC and a large percentage of these achieved very highly, setting very high personal targets for their LC examinations.
Congratulations to all.

Start-of-Year School Mass
Fr. Ger Ahern will celebrate the School Mass on Friday 23rd September at 12.10 pm.

School Jackets
There has been a delay in getting the new jackets to the school. We now expect delivery by September 19th. Thankfully, the weather has been very good. All students are expected to purchase the jacket. It is now priced at €45 and is regarded as very good value for a quality jacket.

GAA Teams
All students representing the school on Football and Hurling teams are asked to buy school shorts and socks, available from Jason Farrell (JF) Sports in the Fairgreen Shopping Centre.

Uniform
Full uniform is required every day. In addition, hair styles must conform to the school's policy. This means that it should be cut to between grade 2 and shoulder-length and be of natural colour. The wearing of facial jewellery is strictly forbidden, even if covered by a plaster. Students who fail to abide by these requirements will be excluded from classes.

A small number of students change into white runners to go down town at lunchtime or when leaving at 4 pm. We are very proud of how well our students look when in full uniform and are asking students remain in full uniform for the day.

Punctuality and Attendance
The school is very happy with the very positive response from students and their families in relation to punctuality and attendance.
The school is obliged to forward the names of students who are absent, with an explanation in each case, to the Welfare Board. Mr. Ahern is responsible for fulfilling the school's obligations to the board and students should provide Mr. Ahern with explanations for absences to ensure accuracy of the returns to the Welfare Board.
The Welfare Board also requires the names of any students who are taken on family holidays during term time.

Niall Mellon Foundation
Many of you are aware of the wonderful work this foundation does in South Africa, building houses for the poor. Each year squads of builders from Ireland volunteer to spend 2 weeks in SA working on the project. Our caretaker, Martin Power, has volunteered to be part of one of this year's teams. The school community is very aware of the quality work that Martin does in the school and we can be sure his talents will serve the needs of the African community very well.
To offer our support, a non-uniform day will be held on Friday 7th October and a contribution of €2 each would be greatly appreciated.
Best wishes to Martin.

Sports Day
A Sports Day for 1st and 2nd Years only will take place on Friday September 30th. It will be organised by Meitheal and its function is to help induct 1st Years into the school and to enhance socialising opportunities.

Breakfast & Lunch Club
The B&L Club is available to all students. The club opens from 8 am until 8.50 am and from 1.05 pm until 1.50 pm.

Prefabs
The school has been allocated 4 prefabs by the Department of Education & Science to cope with increased enrolment. It is planned that they will be ready for use by October mid-term. The students deserve great credit for their cooperation and goodwill, during the interim arrangements, while we await the prefabs.

Study Skills
3rd Years and 6th Years will have a Study Skills seminar on Monday 14th November. This seminar should equip students with the skills necessary to organise themselves and adopt efficient study techniques. There will be no charge for this event.

Careers Information
A meeting of parents of 5th and 6th Years will be held in the school on Thursday 20th October at 8 pm. Your attendance at this meeting would be greatly appreciated.

Careers Exhibition
A Careers Exhibition for all students in the Carlow area will be held in the Dolmen Hotel on Thursday 10th November. Representatives from colleges,/universities and from most other career areas (Garda, FAS, Apprenticeships etc) will be present. There is a charge of €5 for the event.

Projects
An increasing number of subjects have associated project work that must be submitted as part of the examinations in these subjects. The projects may be worth up to 35% of the overall mark. The project must be the students' own work and there are deadlines for submission of the projects. Teachers will inform students of these deadlines and may require your signature to indicate your awareness of the deadlines. Please help your son by reminding him of the deadlines, as it is extremely frustrating when some students fail to submit work on time.

Calendar
A number of changes have been made to the calendar already published. Please see overleaf.

Revised Calendar 2005/ 06
2005
September 23rd Start of Year School Mass
September 29th Staff Meeting, 3.20 - 4.40 pm
October 3rd No school for students
October 10th (Mon) 6th Year PTM, 4.15 - 6.15 pm, school closed at 3.45 pm
October 18th (Tue) 3rd Year PTM, 4.15 - 6.15 pm, school closed at 3.45 pm
October 20th Careers Information Night in school at 8pm
October 26th (Wed) Open Night
Mid-term Break October 31st to November 4th
November 10th Careers Exhibition in Dolmen Hotel
November 23rd (Wed) 1st Year PTM, 12.30 pm - 4 pm, school closes 11.45am
December 7th (Wed) Staff Development - no school for students
5th Year PTM, 12.30 pm - 4 pm
December 8th School Development Planning (No school for students)
Christmas Holidays begin December 23rd

2006

January 9th School Reopens
January 26th (Thurs) 2 pm - 4 pm Staff meeting, school closes at 1.05pm
2nd Year PTM, 4.15 pm - 6.15 pm, school closed at 3.45 pm
February 6th Mock Exams begin
Mid-term break February 13th - 17th
March 17th Holyday, school closed
April 3rd Staff Meeting 3pm - 5pm
Easter holidays begin April 10th
April 24th School Reopens
May 1st Bank Holiday, school closed
Summer Holidays June 2nd
June 7th State exams begin

Newsletter February 2005

Happy New Year to all

Fundraising
We greatly appreciate your generosity and support for our fundraising activities in aid of tsunami victims and our 'sister' school in Calcutta. The Lotto is realising about €900 per week for these projects. We also appreciate the support of Carlow Town Hurling Club.

Calcutta Project
A group of seven students and three teachers will travel to Calcutta on 12th March for two weeks work. This work will involve teaching street children in a Christian Brothers school and working in Kalighat, Mother Teresa's Hospice for the Destitute and Dying. It will also involve a visit to a Leprosarium, a number of GOAL projects and a shanty town.
This is the second visit by a group from our school and we know that the work will be both challenging and rewarding. We believe that the project is an integral part of the school's ethos and mission and we would like to acknowledge the support of the school and wider community.
The students travelling are: Edward Cahill, Niall Dunne, Shane Hegarty, Greg Watchorn, Conor Waldron, Jeff Walsh and Robin Hogan. They are all 5th Year students.

Mock Examinations
It is that time of the year again! Junior Cert mock examinations begin on 2nd Feb. and the Leaving Cert mocks begin on 3rd Feb. Both groups will finish on 11th Feb. We wish all the students the very best and hope that all the hard work and motivation will pay dividends.

Gaelic News
The U-14 footballers competed in the South Leinster 'A' Championship for the first time in many years under the guidance of Mr. Ahern and Mr. Hennessy. In the group stages they played St. Peter's and Good Council of Wexford. They then played Patrician Newbridge in the quarter-final, losing out in the finish in a very tight game. The U-16 footballers trained by Mr. Coffey and Mr. O'Brien had a very successful year, beating St. Peter's of Wexford. In the quarter-final of the South Leinster 'A' Championship we were defeated by Patrician Newbridge by a single point after extra time. The U-18 footballers beat St. Mary's Enniscorty and F.C. J. Bunclody in the early stages, eventually losing out to a very strong Portlaoise C.B.S. side in the semi-final. The Carlow Colleges team consisting of players from the C.B.S. and coached by Mr. Brown, competed three times in the Leinster 'A' Championship. This team had a very successful year, eventually losing out to Marist College, Athlone on Friday.

School Library
Thanks to the Parents' Council we have been able to buy lots of interesting new books for the school library. These are proving very popular with all students from First to Sixth year. Students may borrow a book between 1.30 -1.55 , Monday -Thursday through the school librarian Mrs. Williamson.

Transition Year News
Well done to Jeffrey Horahan, Wesley Watchorn, Paul Byrne and Paul Comerford who represented the school at the ESAT Young Scientist Competition. Their whose project on Obesity generated great interest, with articles appearing in local and national media. The students also were given a 15-minute slot on Carlow/Kilkenny radio to highlight the findings of their research. Sixteen students will travel to Galway at the end of February for the National Bridge Championships. The interest in bridge is going from strength to strength in the school and we have very talented players. We wish the teams success at the competition. Mrs. Gallagher and Mr. Clowry will travel with the students on that weekend.

Horizon Project
Ten students from the school's Horizon Project Group will travel to Sligo on the 4th March to attend the 4 day Annual Convention.This year the theme of the convention is Conflict Resolution and will bring 400 students from all over the 32 counties. This is an ideal forum for secondary students from all traditions to come together and build bridges of understanding and tolerance.

Soccer News
Congratulations to the U-16 soccer team who defended their Carlow/Kilkenny title successfully last Tuesday. The final against Tullow was a tough encounter but the Academy came through with a fantastic 2-1 victory. Cormac Mullen and Padraig Townsend scored the goals but superb performances by Conor Clack, Ricky Keating and Sean Gannon ensured a great result. It was great to see parents at the match supporting the team and we encourage such an active participation in the school by parents and guardians

Hurling News
Training for the U-14 Hurling is still ongoing every Friday, after school in the Hurling Club. The school is fortunate to have Brendan Hayden on the coaching team for the next 6 weeks, helping the school prepare for our first game on the 8th March against the Presentation/ Gaelcholaiste. Mr. Hogan and Ms. Morrissey are very impressed by the numbers and ability of the students that turn up for training every Friday.

School Trip to Holland
The departure date for the school trip to Holland is fast approaching (14th February) and 40 students will fly to Amsterdam to begin an exciting few days touring the country. Ms Kennedy, Ms Fitzharris, Ms Morrissey, Mr. Storey and Mr. Coffey will travel with the students.

Basketball News
First year basketball is off to a triumphant start this year. Under the coaching of Mr. Storey and Ms. Fitzharris and a gruelling series of three opening matches, we are tied in the lead of the midlands division.

Important Dates

February 1st Staff meeting 3pm to 5 pm

February 2nd Junior Cert mock exams begin

February 3rd Leaving Cert exams begin

February 14th -18th Mid-Term Break

February 15th School Tour to Holland begins

February 25th-27th Bridge Championships in Galway

March 3rd-6th Horizon Convention in Sligo

March 12th Calcutta Project begins(2 weeks)

March 17th Holiday

March 23rd Staff meeting 2pm to 4pm

March 27th Ski Trip to Italy begins

April 4th School reopens

April 27th Staff meeting 3pm to 4:40pm

May 2nd Bank Holiday

May 3rd and 4th School closed

June 3rd Summer Holidays

June 8th State Examinations begin

St. Mary's Academy
Carlow

 

NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2004

Upcoming Dates to Remember
The school will be closed on Monday 22nd November. On Wednesday 24th Nov. the First Year Parent/ Guardian/Teacher meeting will be held (12.30 - 4.00). We would like to ask parents, guardians and teachers to spend a maximum of two minutes per student in order to avoid long delays and queues for parents and guardians

Gaelic Games Update
Gaelic games in the school has put in a busy few weeks with a huge amount of energy and effort being given by our students. We have been rewarded with some excellent results, plus a few disappointments also.The senior hurlers were beaten by our neighbours Presentation/Gaelcholaiste while the under 16 team were beaten in the final by Knockbeg. The under 14 hurlers will begin training soon for next years championship.
Our under 16 football team had a fantastic win over St. Peter's Wexford while the senior team had a great victory over FCJ Bunclody. Our handball players Padraig Townsend, Sean Gannon,Colm Nolan and Luke Farrell got to the Leinster finals.

School Credit Union
The school based Credit Union is up and running at this stage. Each Tuesday morning students can lodge money in their accounts. The facility is organised by Transition Year students along with Marion O' Toole from the School Liason Office. We welcome new members, in this initiative to encourage a culture of saving and planning!! The Carlow Credit Union have generously sponsored the new kit for the schools soccer team.

Fundraising in aid of our India Project
A very successful table quiz was held in Castlecomer Golf Club on the 11th November to raise money for our India project. Over E1500 was raised on the night due to the enormous effort of Greg Watchorn and his colleagues.The winning team on the night was one of our own transition year team of James Sheerin, Brian Lord, Shane Kenneally and Cillian Coakley. On Dec. 3rd the Lisdowney Female Choir and the Castlecomer Male Voice Choir will perform in St. Mary's Church, Carlow to raise funds for the project. Tickets at E15 are available from the school or at 059-9142419.The following students will be travelling to India to work with street children in Calcutta, Niall Dunne, Greg Watchorn, Jeff Walshe, Edward Cahill, Ger Morris, Shane Hegarty and Robin Hogan. Other upcoming fundraising events are Bag Packing in SuperValu, raffle and hopefully the Wren Boys on St. Stephens Day!!

Parent Council
At a recent meeting of the Parent Council Dr. Ruaidhri Nevin gave an interesting talk on future employment trends and courses available in the Carlow IT. He outlined his vision for the IT in a changing Ireland and a developing Carlow. Mr. Nevin is Director of Carlow IT. The parents council generously donated E3500 to the school to further develop our school library.

Silver Medal in World Karate Championships
Congratulations to Aaron O' Grady who won a silver medal in the World Junior Karate Championships in Darmstadt, Germany. Aaron also won three trophies in the British Championships held in London, last weekend. We wish him every success on his journey for gold.
Soccer
Our soccer teams are performing well with the addition of Mr. Fanning on the coaching staff. Both the under 14 and under 16 teams have been successful in their first round Cup matches against tough Dublin competition. The under 16's drew with Tullow Community School in their first defence of their Leinster 'A' Champions League success of last year while our senior team were unsuccessful against Castlecomer Community School, losing by 2-0.
Television Documentary on Daire O'Rourke
The school got it's first glimpse of Holywood when a Television crew arrived in the school this week to make a documentary on Daire O' Rourke. Daire won the Texaco Art Competition twice and as such was the subject of this documentary. Congratulations to Daire and every success in his artistic career.

Mobile Phones
The school does not compensate any student for the loss of their mobile phone while in school.
School Debating
This year our Concern debating team have been very successful. In October we overcame a strong opposition from C.B.S., Kilkenny and in November we beat St. Leo's, Carlow.
In December we take on Hacketstown and hope a good performance on that night will lead to competing at the next stage of the national competition.

SRC NEWS
The student council are organising a breakfast morning for 1st and 2nd year students on Friday 19th November (tomorrow) in aid of Childline. Thanks to Avonmore, Andy Larkin, Superquinn and Mr. Hogan for their generous sponsorship. Students will be glad to know that a NO HOMEWORK day is being organised on Thurs. 25th November.

Concern Fast
Mr. Storey and almost sixty students are taking part on 24th -25th of November for the Concern Christmas Fast. There has been great support in the past and we wish to surpass last year's generous sponsorship!