Mercy Ballymahon Notes

by: Aoife Kavanagh and Ellen Kelly

Exams:

The third and sixth year students are glad to be finished their mock exams. They are now preparing for their orals, practicals and completing their different subject projects over the next few weeks.

News:

On Friday 3rd of February, our 5th years had a talk from Declan Reidy of Sligo I.T, who informed the students about the courses the Institute offer after Leaving Certificate and also about employment opportunities after qualification.

Well done to the Art Ice-cream Committee, who raised €225 last week to fund their trip to Glass Hammer Art Studios in Rhode, Co. Offaly in March.

Well done to transition year students Clodagh Lohan, Clodagh Kenny, Shauna Costello, Bronagh Gorham and Orla Kenny who sat their volleyball coaching exam last week. This exam gives the students access to the practical module for the qualification to coach volleyball in local primary schools. Volleyball Ireland will organise the practical module during next term.

Thanks to transition year students Jamie Birmingham and Lochlann Healy who help out with G.A.A coaching in St Matthews’s primary school.

Well done to the first and second year girls’ basketball teams who beat Carrickmacross on Monday the 13th Feb. Thanks to their coach Ms. Carr.

Thanks to the parents who attended the seminar provided in our school by the Triple P on Wed 15th Feb. The Triple P, “Positive Parenting Program” is a parenting intervention training program with the main goals of increasing the knowledge, skills, and confidence of parents and reducing the prevalence of mental health, emotional, and behavioural problems in children and adolescents.

Thought for the week:

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen –Claude M Bristol

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

Notes By: By Cian Belton, Kian Gilmore and Jamie Bermingham.

School Mass:

For the first time in our school’s history all our students and staff would not fit into St. Matthews Church, Ballymahon at the same time. As a result we had two Opening of the School Year Masses. We celebrated school mass for second to sixth year students on Friday September 23rd as we celebrated Mercy Day in honour of our founding sisters. This was followed on Wednesday September 28th with school mass for the first years. Thanks to Fr. Liam for celebrating the two masses. Thanks to the choirs and Ms. Malone for her work in preparing the music for both ceremonies and to the religion teachers.

Awards:

Congratulations to Conor Beirne who received a prestigious Naughton Scholarship at an Awards Ceremony in Trinity College on Saturday 24th. Conor won the award based on his excellent science and maths subject results in his Leaving Certificate exam and his personal Statement. Conor is studying Engineering in U.C.D. This is the third year in a row that one of our students has been awarded the Naughton Scholarship.

Congratulations to Patrick Flanagan who has won a JP McManus All Ireland Scholarship Award. Patrick is studying Economics and Finance in U.C.D. Patrick will receive his award on Saturday 19th November

Sport:

Congratulations to our U16 girls’ football team who got off to a winning start this year with a victory against Mercy Navan in Navan last Tuesday. Thanks to their coaches Mr. Bohan and Ms. McCann. Congratulations to our Senior girls’ football team who beat the Bower Athlone last Wednesday. Thanks to their managers Mr. Munds and Mr. Bohan.

Our U16 boys’ basketball team beat Lusk last Tuesday. Thanks to their coach Mr.Dempsey.

Two of our girls’ basketball teams played Virginia last week. Hard luck to U16’s who lost.  Well done to the U19’s who won their game. Thanks to their coaches Mr. Dempsey and Ms. Carr.

Transition Year:

Last week all TY classes had a talk from Youth Connect. Also Sadie Wheatley spoke with some transition year students about ideas for their mini companies. Two Ty classes have met with actor Alan Devin. Alan gave a Personal Development workshop which included ideas on speaking in front of other people.

All transition year students attended the Ger Carey show “Physco Spagetti” in the Back Stage theatre, on Monday 26th. This is a comic look into the life of a teenager. Thanks to their English teachers Ms. Gaffney, Ms. Daly and Ms. Towey for attending the show with them.

Thanks to Sean Donohue, Cronan Flood, Sam Maxwell and Dylan Farrell for helping out at the homework club in the Ballymahon primary School last week Also thanks to Lochlann Healy, Conall Mc Kiernan, Rory Howlin, Sean Donohoe, Cronan Flood, Dylan Farrell and Sam Maxwell for attending the Day Care centre last week.

We wish all our transition year students good luck in their work experience from 3rd to 7th October. Thanks to all the employers who support our students in providing the employment during the week.

Table Quiz Night:

A table quiz night is being organised by our Parents’ Association on Friday 14th October in the school gym. The quiz will begin at 8pm. Tommy Cunningham and Ray Dolan will be hosting the show. Tables will have four members. Each table will cost €40 per table, but a student table will only cost €20. During the interval Katie Gallagher and Caillte a band composed of past and current pupils Mark McCormack, Patrick Flanagan, Jonathan Nally, Conor Beirne, Oisín Bennett, Áine McLoughlin, Ciara Casey and Conor O Brien and Kate Beirne will be providing the entertainment for the night. There will also be a raffle during the interval. All funds raised will go to Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon.

Special visitors

Longford Ladies with Mercy Ballymahon students celebrating All Ireland win

On Tuesday 27 we welcomed some very special guests to the school- members of the victorious All Ireland winning Longford Junior Ladies Football team. They included past pupils Geraldine McManus, Claire Delaney, Michelle McCormack and Emer Dooley. Congrats to our other past pupils who were also on the team-Sarah Madden, Sarah Shannon and Michelle Noonan. It was a fantastic achievement. Congrats to all involved.

Other news:

Thanks to all the parents of first year students who attended the information meeting in the school last Tuesday 12th September. Thanks to Ms. Donohue, Mr. Walsh, Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Larkin for giving the information. Also thanks to Angela Egan from Midland Area Parenting Partnership who gave a very informative presentation on ‘Raising Competent Teenagers’..

Our first and second years attended a show called “Bin it” on Wednesday about the importance of disposing of chewing gum correctly.

Thought for the week:

The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it. John Ruskin

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

Notes By: Niamh Hanley , Cian Belton and Aisling McCormack

Welcome Back:

Welcome back to all students and staff. A special welcome to our first year students and to the new students who have joined us for the first time in other classes. We wish the new staff members Mr. Broderick, Ms. Bruton and Ms.Towey and the new S.N.A’s Claire Doyle and Kate Reilly a good year with us. Thank you to Ms. Minogue for organising the best buddy programme between first and sixth year students. Congratulations to Ms. O’Neill on the birth of her daughter Shóna recently. Our sympathies are with Ms. McManus at this time after the sad loss of her father Stephen. May he rest in peace.

Transition Year:

Thanks to Sarah Horan, Sarah Dillon, Jason Moorhead, Conall McKiernan, James Carroll, Lochlann Healy, Ciara Nally and Shannon Guy who visited the day-care centre during the last week .

The transition year students enjoyed a talk on Beat the Blues and Mental Health Wellbeing which was provided by Helen Emmerson.

Results:

Congrats to all past Leaving Certs on receiving their excellent results.  The school are very proud of their wonderful achievements. We wish them all good luck in their life ahead.

Sport:

Congratulations to Oisín Lane on winning third place in Kent in July in the Schools International Race Walking intermediate competition. Oisín was competing against race walkers from Ireland, England, Scotland and Britain. Oisín won the Connaught Junior competition, and as a result he qualified to compete in the Intermediate competition. Oisín also won the All Ireland Junior race walking competition in June  

Congratulations to Sarah Horan, Aisling McCormack, Ciara Foxe, Muirinn Claffey, Niamh Hanley, Rebecca O Kane, Cliodhna Allen, Ciara Healy, Juileann Moran, Petrina Carrigy, Áine Bannon and Dearbhaile Rooney who were part of the Longford Ladies under 16 football team who won the All Ireland C championship recently. We are proud to see Ms. McCann and last year’s U16 Girls, who were All Ireland finalists, featuring in the Lidl advert on television.

We wish the U16 and senior boys’ football teams good luck in the year ahead as they have resumed training. Thanks to their coaches Mr. Seery, Mr. O Gara and Mr. Mc. Cormack.

Good luck to U14, U16 and senior girls’ who also have resumed training under the watchful eyes of their coaches Mr. Bohan and Ms. Mc Cann.

Senior and U16 boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will be coached by Mr. Dempsey and Ms. Carr.

Mr. Burke and Mr. Broderick have organised soccer trials for U15, U17 and U19 teams.

The Green Schools Committee is also resuming its weekly meetings. 

Tip For Week:  Remember the three time rule for improving memory – Look over the topic before class, Listen in class and Look over topic after class. This is really effective, efficient way of improving your memory. It means that there is no such thing as having “no homework”.