Franciscan College Gormanston

Letter to Parents/Guardians

07-October-22

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we settle into a new school year, I would like to thank all our staff, teachers, SNAs, our office staff and our caretaker, for all their hard work and commitment to the school and to our students. Wonderful work takes place across the school with students who are engaged, enthusiastic, and curious and are working to reach their potential and their personal levels of achievement.

Campus Changes:

As I communicated previously to you the structural changes across the campus continue. We expect to have a new traffic system up and running by the midterm break, a pathway installed from the Stamullen gate to assist students walking and cycling to school and a dedicated bike area. The front door of the school will become the predominant entry and exit point for all our students with designated parking for parents / guardians in front of the Castle.

Sport:

We are delighted that our sports teams have recommenced. Many thanks to Mr Guiney, Mr Murphy, Mr Horan, Mr Fisher, Ms Barrett, Ms Casey, Ms Murphy, Ms Buchanan who are all back training our young athletes, our young soccer and Gaelic stars, our committed rugby players and this week, the emergence of basketball for boys and girls. Soccer for girls remains a priority. I have made it my mission to find a way to get this team started! It is wonderful to see the students prepared to represent their school. We are very proud of their commitment, effort, and attitude - and their results have been impressive too!

Library:

Our library is back up and running and very busy every lunchtime. Students come in to relax, talk to friends, do some schoolwork, or participate in the many games on offer. Chess is so popular and great to see! My sincere thanks to parent volunteers present and future who assist with the supervision of this great space for students every lunchtime.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

The Student Council are fully elected and getting ready this school year to prioritise several key projects. They have goals to aim at and I’m confident they will achieve them. The Green Schools committee, fresh from their success at achieving a Green Flag for the school are now working towards a Water Flag as part of our school’s focus on climate action.

On Thursday, this week, the Charity Committee of senior students raised over €300 euro for the charity of their choice – The Peter Mc Verry Trust. They achieved this by washing staff cars. Lots of them! Fair play to them and all their efforts. This is part of our school’s motivation for Well Being. Our students are being supported by Ms Ryan in this endeavour. Many more wellbeing activities are planned for this year.

We are also focused this year on our “One Good School” initiative where we continue to prioritise the mental health of our whole school community. Students and staff are involved led by Ms Sheridan. My thanks to all for their continued commitment.

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School Events:

Week Beginning 10th October – “Drop Everything and Read” week. Please bring a book to class. Last 15 minutes each day spent reading for pleasure! Thursday 13th October Bake Sale. Organised by Transition Year Students. Donate a book – get a cake!

Tuesday 12th October – 6th year students off to see the Scottish play!

Week Beginning 17th October - Maths Week – Games / activities / problem solving – lots of prizes!

11th November 2022 – Science Week:

1st and 2nd year students have an Exploration Dome coming to school which is an interactive way of looking at space.

3rd year students are visiting the Armagh Planetarium in December 2022.

The school has three entries for the BT Young Scientist competition.

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Primary School Visits:

Science departments are organising visits to our local primary schools. Transition year students will accompany their teachers to meet with primary school pupils and will conduct plenty of interesting science experiments!

Key Dates for your Diary:

The AGM of the Parents Association is scheduled for Tuesday 25th October at 6pm. Venue will be the Teanglann. All parents welcome to attend.

3rd Year Parent Teacher meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 26th October between 3.30pm and 6.00pm. More details of how to book appointments will follow.

CAO Information Evening for 6th year students scheduled for Thursday 10th November 2022 at 6pm. Again, more details will follow.

As parents you are our partners in education, so please do not hesitate to contact the school if you wish to discuss any aspect of your child’s education. On behalf of all the staff thanks to all our parents and guardians for your ongoing support.

Dermot Lavin

Principal

Franciscan College Gormanston

Gormanston, Co. Meath, Ireland, K32NH30
0353 184 12203
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