News

Have a listen to one of our TY students, Cormac Butler. He composed and recorded this song during lockdown. Sounds great, well done Cormac!

Guides to LC grading for parents and for students.

Dear student/parent, please click here for links and guidance to register on the Leaving Certificate Student Portal. It is essential that all LC students confirm their final level for each subject in which they are entered before this Thursday 26th May.

Yesterday, the Department of Education and Skills announced some additional details regarding the remainder of the school year for Leaving Certificate students and the process of assigning calculated grades.

As I am sure you are aware, the Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh has announced the postponement of the Leaving Certificate Examinations 2020.

Following the decision, students are to be offered the option of receiving calculated grades for the subjects that they are studying and the alternative of sitting the 2020 Leaving Certificate examination at a date in the future when it is considered safe to hold the examinations.

Please click on the link below to read the guide document to calculated grades for leaving Certificate Students 2020.

Dear Parent/Guardian, As you are aware we are very lucky in the school to be able to provide a service whereby your son/daughter has the option of a free breakfast and a subsidised hot lunch in school each day. During this difficult time we would like to ensure that families continue to get the benefit of the scheme where necessary. The Government and the Department of Education have confirmed that the School Meals scheme is an essential service and therefore the following arrangements are being put in place to continue it. If you already expressed an interest last month, we will assume you wish to receive delivery this month also and there is no further action required. If you did not express an interest last month but now wish to do so please follow the instructions outlined below.

Students in Irish schools completing their third year of Junior Cycle in 2020 have experienced a very disrupted period of learning in 2019/20 because of the unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 crisis.

The SEC would be grateful if you would bring the following information to the attention of your examination candidates/parents/guardians:

Dear parent, I hope this update finds you and your families well. As you will be aware, under normal circumstances, post primary schools would now be planning for their end of year summer assessments which very often involve students taking written examinations during the last week of the school year. This year, due to the restrictions put in place to protect our society during these unprecedented times, schools will not be in a position to facilitate such exams and therefore, end of year assessment for each student will take place online.

You will by now be aware that the Minister for Education and Skills has announced that the Leaving Certificate examinations will commence on July 29th. We are very cognizant of how challenging this time has been for our Leaving Certificate students and families, and trust that this news provides them with some, albeit small, level of clarity.

You will be aware that the State Exams Commission, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills, notified all schools that the Junior Certificate /Junior Cycle examinations will not now take place in June. Instead they have proposed that the State Exams Commission will send exams paper to schools and students will sit the exams in September. The proposal was that these exams would not be state certified.

On Friday 24th April at 12pm there is a national ‘Drop Everything and Read’ challenge which we are encouraging all students, staff and family members to take part in. 

HSE is offering a free Stress Control programme online, which started last Monday, 13th April, which young people facing the Leaving Cert and their parents could find very helpful.

Key information regarding the School Meals Programme during this difficult time is provided in the link below.

The Coláiste Wellbeing Team have come up with the following ideas to aid parents & students come up with positive activities to keep you going while you are home. There is a wide variety of excellent ideas and links to useful sites and its designed to ensure there is something for everyone.

A joint statement by the Post-Primary Management Bodies relating to COVID-19, and encouraging students to adhere to the HSE Guidelines on social distancing.

Dear Parent, I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well during this difficult period. I know that this is a worrying time for everyone and that the closure of schools may in some instances, add to the levels of anxiety, especially for those students who may be in an Exam Year.

Since the Government announcement last week of the closure of schools until the 29th March, the State Examinations Commission has been working closely with the Department of Education and Skills on considering alternative arrangements for candidates approaching the state examinations. The planned closure period directly impacts on the scheduled dates for this years’ oral and practical performance tests. Following a review of all possible options the Minister has just now announced at a press conference that it has been decided to cancel these tests and to award candidates the full marks for the components in question.

ROBOTICS FUNDRAISERS CANCELLED: VEX have announced the cancellation of the 2020 World Robotics Championships due to COVID’19. Coláiste Mhuire Robotics Team were due to represent Ireland at the Championships, which were due to be held in Kentucky in April. Obviously, our team members are very disappointed to miss out on such a fantastic opportunity but VEX have made the correct decision at this point in time. A number of fundraisers had been organised over the coming weeks in order to raise funds for the trip. All of the upcoming fundraisers associated with the Robotics Team have now been cancelled. All students received a book of tickets for a MONSTER RAFFLE on Monday last. In many cases students may have already sold tickets. If so please ensure your child keeps all stubs, monies & unsold tickets & return to the office once school reopens. Refunds will be organised through the office.