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COLÁISTE BRÍDE NEWSLETTER
Ms Kilmartin Principal
“Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” are upon us as outlined in the famous poem Ode to Autumn by poet John Keats, a lovely time of year where leaves turn colour, our days shorten and we prepare for winter. In school, the trees on the avenue bear their red fruit, our school garden is abundant with fruit and vegetables, our school community is well settled into the rhythms of the year and so much learning, co-curricular activities, trips and initiatives are taking place. It is lovely to hear the positive feedback from guests entering the school about the beauty and cleanliness of our school environment, the silence on the corridors during classes, reflecting the fabulous work happening in classrooms by both students and teachers. Well-done everyone! The upcoming break is truly well earned and timely.
May I thank all the students, their parents/guardians and staff for the lovely atmosphere in the school, the positive relationships, the excellent behaviour and the commitment of so many students representing the school on so many teams, work experiences, community connections and leadership activities from mentor to prefects, to new Ember Faith leaders, to Active School Committee, Green Flag members, to Student Council members, Art Council members, Learning Leaders, Library Assistants, digital captains, class captains and deputy captains and so many more ways that our students develop skills beyond the classroom which will serve them well as young adults into the future. A special welcome to all our new students, parents/guardians and staff who are now part of our school community, we hope that you will cherish your time in CB and become proud CB members! Congratulations to our students from Junior Cycle 2024 who received results in early October and to our LCA Rang Tomás students who received their Session 2 results with a high number of Distinctions and Merits. Thank you to all the staff who supported the students on their journey to these achievements from subject teachers, tutors, SNAs, AEN team, Year-Heads and all their parents/guardians or family members at home. We are blessed in Coláiste Bríde, to have such a wonderful team of staff who embrace their role in living the CB motto “To Teach - To Guide – To Form”. This commitment is what underpins the work of the whole school as together we strive for continuous improvement, for helping students achieve to the best of their ability, to become the best person that they can be, to be respectful, caring and play an active role in the world around themselves. We set high standards and expectations about behaviour, uniform, attendance and respect, we are here to help students learn important life skills and lessons in a nurturing environment. I hope that through the school newsletter you get a snapshot into some of the many school activities from Bonding Days, to trips, sporting matches, lunchtime concerts and so much more. A delightful moment recently was coming across a student who began to play the piano in the GPA during Supervision and how her accomplished playing caught the audience and had them enjoying the spontaneity of the moment and showing appreciation of musical performance. It was truly uplifting. It is wonderful to see how parents/guardians are embracing our new TYRO APP which shares information with parents/guardians, alerts parents/guardians to student attendance, behaviours and is a payment path. Thank you to all our parents/guardians who have adapted so well to this. I know that our teachers have been rewarding students with positive comments, reward sheets and well done cards, reflecting the importance of the Irish proverb “Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí” which advocates for praising young people and that in return they will flourish! This is at the heart of all relationships. The 2024-2025 school year will see us plan towards the introduction of the new anti-bullying framework Bí Cinéalta and commence planning for the redeveloped Senior Cycle. These national changes will form a great deal of our school planning time and will equally be part of ongoing focus groups with students and parents too. We look forward to meeting parents/guardians at Parent/Guardian Teacher meetings, we also encourage parents/guardians to get involved in the Parents’ Council and attend information meetings that are held. Our Board of Management are delighted to inform parents/guardians that our school has been in receipt of a Department of Education commitment to build a 2 classroom Special Education extension to the school which will see us embark on a five year project. Also, a huge thank you to Round Towers GAA for their support with a successful application for Sports Capital funding for the school. Our vision is to create an active walkway around our school pitch and to upgrade the Sports Hall floor in association with Dublin Lions basketball. On a personal note, thank you to everyone for the warm welcome on my return to Coláiste Bríde, to Ms. Ronan and all members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for their continued wonderful work while I was on secondment. It has been so nice to have so many students come up to say hello from their sisters, mothers, cousins etc. We are indeed a family in CB!
Ms. Kilmartin Principal