Wellbeing Week

Last week we celebrated Wellbeing Week in our school. The importance of wellbeing cannot be overstated and taking time to highlight wellbeing within our school community helps to foster a greater sense of awareness of wellbeing and the steps we can take to help to achieve it. Throughout the week there were various activities scheduled highlighting the wellbeing indicators of Being Active, Being Responsible, Being Connected, Being Resilient, Being Connected and Being Aware. Our celebrations included dance workshops, music pop-up concerts, yoga sessions, mindfulness art classes, connective gatherings and a photo competition open to the entire school. Many thanks to our wellbeing coordinator Ms. Anne Marie Blake for organising Wellbeing Week 2023.

Abby Gooney from sixth year playing at the pop up piano recital as part of our Wellbeing week celebrations. 

‘Fun Yoga’ in our sports hall as part of our Wellbeing Week celebrations.

Pictured at our sixth year Connective Gathering enjoying tea, biscuits, card games and chats as part of Wellbeing Week 2023 are Nicola Dempsey, Kayla Hand-Rowkins, Kate Cunningham and Katie Morgan.

All-Ireland Senior B Football Final

Tickets are on sale for the All Ireland Senior B football final where our girls take on Mercy Mounthawk of Tralee in McDonagh Park, Nenagh, next Thursday March 30th at 12:30pm. Log onto our social media @rosconvent for match updates and link access to ticket sales. Captain Aisling Hanly has been busy in the lead up to the big day, heading to Croke Park for a ‘Captains Day’ pre-brief where she was interviewed by the LGFA and shared her personal story and how the entire team are ready to give leave it all on the pitch this Thursday. Team manager Mr David O’Reilly is hopeful of a big performance from the panel who have trained exceptionally hard all year. Mercy abú!   

Cracking Carbon-Climate Challenge

Transition Year students recently enjoyed the ‘Cracking Carbon-Climate Challenge’ workshop with Simon Ruddy. Students were given the opportunity to hear all about climate change, 7 steps to low emissions and climate careers to name but a few. After break the girls participated in a Multimedia Climate Table Quiz. Students learned valuable information about climate change, the impact it is having in our world today and solutions to the problem. Many thanks to Ms Michelle Cleary for facilitating the workshop.

Pictured at the recent Cracking Carbon Climate Challenge workshop were TY students Clodagh Murray, Grace Geraghty, Grainne Foley, Maria Bolger, Beatrice O’Grady and Rafaella Silva.

Second Year Music Trip to National Concert Hall

Second year music students accompanied by their teachers Mr Wallace and Mr Arnold went to the National Concert Hall, Dublin last Tuesday 21st March to see the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in concert. The ‘Music in the Classroom: Junior Cycle Music Concert Guide’ was aimed at Junior Cycle music students and featured a concert programme of varied selections from composers such as Beethoven, Sibelius and John WIlliams which centre around the Junior Cycle learning outcomes in Music. Many thanks to Mr James Wallace for arranging the trip.

Second year music students on the steps of the National Concert Hall before attending a concert last Tuesday 21st March.

TY Law Class visit the Criminal Courts of Justice

Our TY Law Class had an opportunity to visit the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin last Thursday 17th May. Accompanied by their teachers Ms Connell and Ms Keenan, they were given a guided tour of the court rooms. They even sat in and observed a trial in action, reinforcing the learning from their law module with and bringing it to life! Many thanks to Ms Niamh Connell for organising this educational and fun trip to Dublin.

TY Law students pictured outside the Criminal Courts of Justice with their teacher Ms Connell in Dublin recently.

National Flag Day at Meánscoil Muire gan Smál

175 years ago, this year, the tricolour was first raised in Waterford by Thomas Francis Meagher. The green (to represent the republican view), the orange (to represent the unionist view) and the white in the centre (to represent peace) is how our national flag is intended to be viewed. It is a flag of peace and inclusion.Every year the Thomas Francis Meagher Foundation invites schools to mark National Flag Day. We have been part of this celebration since 2016 when we were invited to be part of a national gathering in Croke Park to mark the centenary of 1916. Our school has had national success in poetry competitions organised by the Thomas Francis Meagher Foundation. Past pupil Niamh Petrie was a national winner in 2018 with her beautiful Poem for the Forgotten. We marked March 16th 2023 with a school display about the history and meaning of our national flag (organised by 3rd year history students from class 3C). The display had many interesting and, indeed, little known nuggets of information about our national flag including the fact that an Irish tricolour travelled to the moon and back on board the Spacecraft America in December 1972 and that the first Irish tricolour was planted at the South Pole in 2004. We highlighted its importance as a marker of identity for all citizens of Ireland. We formally raised the tricolour and the flag will remain flying during the St. Patrick’s Day national celebrations. Thomas Frances Meagher is an important though often forgotten figure in Irish history. To mark National Flag Day, lapel pins that highlight the true meaning and significance of the tricolour – pride, respect and peace nó mórtas, meas agus síocháin were available for all the school community. The national flag belongs to us all, it is a symbol of peace and inclusion beyond all else.

A number of first and second year history students raising the flag on National Flag Day Thursday 16th March.