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Christmas Newsletter 2009
Principals Address:
God
sent a present into the world, the gift of His loving presence named Jesus.
The Gospel stories show that what Jesus gave most to others was his personal
presence, gifts that were treasures of the heart -belief in self, inner
healing, peace of mind, compassion, forgiveness, dignity and justice. This
loving presence lives on in us and is the central focus of gift-giving. When
we see ourselves as a gift holding the goodness of Jesus, who is Emmanuel,
God-with-us, it changes the way we relate to one another.
Advent, the season of Light, is an invitation to bring the light of Christ
into our own lives and into the lives of others. We can do this in simple ways
- through the ways in which we welcome each other, and through the ways we
recognise God made flesh in each human heart.
These are times when the need of Light and Hope is great. People of all ages
feel betrayed by the corruption and arrogance of power – in our politics, in
our business and in our Church. Many families are burdened by unemployment and
financial pressures. On top of financial worries many people approach this
Christmas with a sense of being let down by those they had trusted. Clearly in
the midst of all this doom and gloom we have to find reasons to be hopeful and
optimistic. We have to approach the New Year with a sense of trust and
optimism that God will bring us through these difficult times.
May
Christmas be a season of peace and joy for you and your family!
New Ross Credit Union at St
Mary’s Secondary School
St Mary’s, in association with New
Ross Credit Union Ltd., runs a branch in the school, open every Tuesday from
1.20 – 1.50 p.m. in the Career Guidance Room. The main aim of the School
Credit Union is to encourage students to adopt a regular savings habit leading
to a sound financial management practice for the future. The school branch is
run by the 6th year students Jo Bourke and Aoife Bowe under the
supervision of Ms Tinnelly. A Completed Application Form, along with an
initial Deposit of €7 or more is all that is required to open an Account. Each
saver is issued with a Credit Union Account Book in their own name. Subsequent
Deposits of as little as €0.50 per week can be lodged in The Savings Account.
Dividends will be paid on Savings as applies to all members.
Withdrawals may be made in the
Offices of New Ross Credit Union, 26 South Street, at any time, or from the
School Branch by giving a minimum of one week’s notice.
Similarly lodgements can be made
at the Offices of New Ross Credit Union at any time.
We would welcome your support for
this initiative to encourage young people to take responsibility for their own
savings and to reap the benefits of Credit Union Membership.
Lunch Time and after school Games Schedule
A comprehensive Schedule of both
Lunch Time and after school games is well underway and is proving to be very
successful.
The current schedule includes:
Monday (1.15
- 1.50 p.m.) Junior & Senior Camogie
Tuesday
(1.15 - 1.50 p.m.) 1st Year Football
Wednesday (1.15 -
1.50 p.m.) Badminton/Junior & Senior Camogie
(4.00 - 5.00 p.m.) Junior & Senior Camogie
Thursday (1.15
- 1.50 p.m.) 1st Yr Camogie Blitz/2nd Year
Volleyball
(4.00 - 5.00 p.m.)
Rugby – all Groups. Nick Murphy I.R.F.U. Coach
(4.15 - 5.15 p.m.)
1st Year Volleyball
Friday
(1.15 - 1.50 p.m.) Basketball – all year groups welcome
German Language Assistants
We are delighted to welcome two
German Assistants to our school this year. Judith Kunz hails from Dresden and
is a Student of Education, Psychology and English Literature. A keen Musician,
Judith plays the flute and guitar and also enjoys Horse Riding.
Stephanie Daraban is from Munic
and is studying English and Economics in Passau. Steffi lists Sleighing,
Tennis, Badminton and Reading among her interests.
Both Judith and Steffi are working
with the German Language Classes, providing individual Tuition to fifth and
sixth year students, offering a unique opportunity to students preparing for
their Leaving Cert. German Oral Exams.
Judith and Steffi have also
contributed greatly in preparing a group of senior students for a German
Language Debate organised by The German Teachers Association. Other
contributions included devising a Quiz on Germany for 6th year
students on our Opening Evening, which proved to be great fun. Plans are also
underway to set up a German Language Club which will encourage students to
speak German in an informal setting. On a festive note the girls hope to show
students how to make Traditional Christmas Decorations and Biscuits.
FAIR TRADE
Students lending support to the
Fairtrade campaign by Amy O’Brien – published in New Ross Standard 25.12.09
As the recession continues, St
Mary’s Secondary School students are aiming to get a fair deal for the third
world as part of an ambitious Young Social Innovators project.
Fairtrade is the subject chosen by
St Mary’s Secondary School Transition Year class 4:2 Entitled ‘It’s Only Fair’,
the students hope to highlight the benefits of Fairtrade and raise awareness of
the Fairtrade products that can be bought.
Not only do they hope to turn St
Mary’s into a Fairtrade School but also to make New Ross a Fairtrade Town like
neighbouring Wexford.
‘We really thought Fairtrade was
worth looking into,’ said Claire Rowe, a student in the class. ‘Fairtrade
guarantees the best deal for the producer, and that’s only fair.’
The students would really
appreciate the support of the people and businesses in New Ross to help them
reach this goal. They feel that, as the recession goes on, Rossonians should
spare a thought for producers of raw materials such as coffee, tea, etc, in
third world countries.
As the students explained, these
producers have never had a decent wage or working conditions and cannot depend
on their wage or plan ahead as the prices of their product fluctuate greatly.
While the average US citizen could buy a new computer with a month’s wages, the
average Bangladeshi citizen would have to work for eight years just to afford
one.
Fairtrade aims to give Third World
producers a fair price for their produce. They cut out all the middlemen and
buy directly from the producer’s local co-operative.
Fairtrade products now available
include flowers, teas, honey, hot chocolate, clothes, alcohol, jewellery,
cosmetics and much more.
Any New Ross businesses that would
like to support ‘It’s Only Fair’ or would like more information on Fairtrade
Products can contact the class at 4.2.ysi.fair-trade@gmail.com.
Soccer Star
Congratulations to Katie White
(Adamstown) on her great success with the Leinster U15 Soccer Team. Playing as
a striker Katie finished the tournament as leading scorer, helping her team to
win the Inter-provincial Competition.
Such was the impact Katie had
during the Tournament she has now been called up for the Trails with the U15
International Squad. The entire school community wishes Katie continued
success, especially her 2nd year class mates in 2.4.
Awards Ceremony
In our last newsletter
celebrating students nominated to receive School Awards we inadvertently
omitted to include Mairead Kennedy and Tara Kennedy, both from
New Ross, who are always generous with their time and considerable musical
talents as part of the School Orchestra. Sorry girls!
Operation
Christmas Child
A number of Transition Year
students recently took part in ‘Operation Christmas Child’ as part of their
Bronze Gaisce Award Scheme. The main students involved included Olivia
McDonald, Niamh Murphy, Catriona Foley, Emily Daniels and Jane Slevin, who did
trogan work over the past number of weeks.
The girl’s co-ordinated 2nd
yr students, who worked in pairs, to collect items to include in their
respective Christmas Boxes, ranging from toys, stationary to toiletry items.
These Christmas presents will be sent to deserving causes in Africa, Central
Asia and Eastern Europe.
A big Thank You to all involved,
including Ms Stafford, who oversaw the venture, all the 2nd year
students who filled the boxes with a variety of goodies for less fortunate
children from around the world, Businesses that donated items – Deegans of
South Street and Mr Rogers of Bridge Street and to Mrs Charlotte Daniels and Mr
Séan Slevin for driving the girls to Wexford to deliver all the presents.
Finally well done again to Olivia, Niamh, Catriona, Emily and Jane for their
drive and initiative in following this venture through.
Sympathy
We extend our deepest sympathy to
the family of Marguerite Brereton, The Rower, who died suddenly a little over a
month ago. Marguerite was a popular and highly regarded student of St Mary’s
for the last 6 years and was honoured at every School Awards Ceremony.
Marguerite was very generous with her time and talents and was a respected
Meitheal Leader to our current 2nd Year Students who appreciated her
gentle nature and optimistic outlook on life. A very talented artist and
musician, Marguerite contributed to every aspect of school life. Her fellow
students paid their final respects to Marguerite by participating in the Music
Ministry at her funeral and by granting her a Guard of Honour.
Religious Education
Open Night: Sample student’s
projects were on display and Ms Walpole, Mrs Howard and
Ms McKevitt were available to answer any Questions visitors might have had.
Retreats for the various Year
Groups were a major part of the Term’s activities. Transition Year, 3rd
Year and 6th year students had their respective Retreats in Mount
Sion, Waterford in October and December.
Mass in memory of all our loved
ones who have died was held in the recently renovated Lantern Hall on Thursday
26th November at 1.00 p.m.
The Liturgy was prepared by the
R.E. team and the Celebrant was Fr. Odhran Furlong. The Folk Group provided
beautiful music to mark this very special occasion, the first Mass to be
celebrated in the Lantern Hall.
Many thanks to all concerned, the
R.E. team, readers and musicians, Ms Tinnelly and Fr Furlong. The Annual Carol
Service will take place on Wednesday 16th December.
Night Classes – Autumn Term
Pilates, Bridge & Crochet, Adult
Education Classes, are coming to a close for this Term.
Pilates Classes at both beginner
and intermediate levels ran on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and proved to be
very successful. Pilates is a low impact exercise designed to strengthen
abdominal and lower back muscles in order to support the lower back and help
prevent back injuries. It also aims to increase flexibility and general
strength, and is suitable for all ages and those recovering from back
complaints. New classes will begin in January and Newcomers are welcome.
We were very lucky to have
eighteen keen adults to take beginners class in Bridge this term, and such was
their level of interest that they have decided to continue as a group in the
New Year.
There is also another beginners
group starting, also in the New Year with a number of spaces still available so
get in touch with the school if you are interested in booking your place.
Crochet was also a great hit with
the ladies who took part in what was a fun-filled group of participants.
We are always looking for new ideas
for classes so if you have something to offer or a group who would like to take
part in a particular class contact Mary Shannon through the school Office
(421637) and we will do our best to get the class up and running.
Open Night
St
Mary’s opened its doors to prospective students and their parents recently for
our annual Open Night. This event marks one of the most important occasions on
the social calendar and affords pupils and staff the opportunity to showcase
the school at its very best for our many visitors on the night.
Primary School pupils and their
parents were warmly welcomed to the school on the night by Principal Gene
O’Sullivan, while Deputy Principal Eva Duhig paid tribute to the educational
link between St Mary’s and all the Primary Schools in the locality and gave an
undertaking to continue this great tradition. Head Girl Patricia Barnwell from
Horeswood then addressed the Primary School pupils from the Student’s
prospective and received a warm reception from her audience. Exhibitions,
displays and demonstrations formed just part of this very successful night,
along with musical delights and theatrical performance, showcasing the many
opportunities St Mary’s affords its pupils through its range of subjects and
state of the art facilities. A big thanks you to all pupils, teachers and
ancillary staff for the huge community effort that made the night such a
success.
Wexford Camogie Team –
All-Ireland U.16 ‘B’ Champions 2009
Friday the 13th
November marked a special Presentation Night at the Riverside Park Hotel in
Enniscorthy for Wexford Camogie. The National Camogie League Division 1 and
Division 2 Winning Teams were presented with their medals by the President of
the Camogie Association Joan O’Flynn.
Amongst the Winners of the
All-Ireland U.16 ‘B’ Championship were St Mary’s students Katie Flynn (Rathnure)
Niamh Murphy (Cloughbawn) and Kay Mernagh (Cushinstown). We extend our
congratulations and best wishes to all involved with the Winning Teams and look
forward to continued success.
Dates for
your Diary
Thursday 7th
January : All Students return to school. Supervised Evening Study
resumes
Wednesday
20th January : 1st Year Parents Guidance Meeting
on Subject Choice at 8.00 p.m. in Lantern Hall
(Archway entrance to School)
Thursday 21st January
: No School for Students.
o
2nd Year Parent - Teacher
Meeting 9 – 11.30
o
(Archway entrance to School)
o
4th Year Parent - Teacher
Meeting 1 – 3.30
o
(Archway entrance to School)
Friday 22nd January
: No School for Students.
- 1.1
and 1.2 Parent - Teacher Meeting 9 – 11.15
-
(Archway entrance to School)
- 1.3
and 1.4 Parent – Teacher Meeting 12.30 – 2.45
-
(Archway entrance to School)
Monday 25th January
: 3rd and 4th Year Guidance Meeting on
Course/Subject Choice for Senior Cycle at 7.30 p.m. in Lantern Hall (Archway
entrance to School)
Wednesday 27th
January : 2nd Year R.E. trip to Dublin
Friday 29th January
: Closing date for 1st Year Subject Choice.
Absent from school
If your daughter is absent from school please :
Text : 0877699004 or
0872642432
or
Phone 421637
Before 9.00 a.m. to ensure our
Rolls are correct
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