Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 18/11/2022

Top of the Pops!

Last week our Transition Year students brought Mercy Ballymahon to life with their  “Top Of The Pops”  production. Kicking off on Tuesday night, the show was a roaring success with sell-out shows on Wednesday and Thursday night. We would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the production. Well done to all students who participated in the show, making it as wonderful as it was. From singers, dancers and musicians to impressionists, gymnasts and more, we had an amazing array of talent on display over 3 nights. A special thank you must go to the long list of sponsors who donated so generously in advance of the show. Without your support, the show could not take place. To Ms Siobhan O’Neill, Ms Katie Duignan and all other staff involved in the show, thank you for all your work in preparation for the show. Finally, thank you to the TY students who showed amazing leadership qualities in organising, choreographing and directing the show. We thank them for all the work they put in to make the show as incredible as it is!

Irish Dancing champion

Congratulations to Joseph Farrell, 3rd Year student, on winning the Leinster title in CLRG Irish Dancing last week. This is a 7th title win in a row for Joseph. Joseph has now qualified for the World Championships in Canada, April 2023. Congratulations and best wishes to Joseph in his training and preparation for the World Championships.

Sports

A reminder that our Senior Boys GAA team face Mercy Kilbeggan today at St. Loman’s GAA grounds at 11am. Best of luck to the lads and coaches Mr Jones and Mr Kenny. Hard Luck to our U19 Boys Basketball team and their coaches Mr Guerin and Ms McDonagh after a last minute 1 basket defeat against Portlaoise Community College last week. 

Subject Learning Review

5th year review meetings will take place tomorrow, Thursday November 24th.  We look forward to meeting all 5th year students and parents. 

Admissions

Application for Admission remains open on www.mercyballymahon.ie. Closing Date for Application for Admission is this Friday the 25th of November @ 5:00 PM.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 11/11/2022

Top of the Pops!

Our #topofthepops TY production is underway! Thank you to everyone who attended our opening night last night. The show continues tonight, Wednesday, and tomorrow, Thursday, bringing a huge variety of talent to the stage with all year groups involved. The production has been fully organised and directed by our TY students. We thank them for all the work they have put in to make the show as incredible as it is!

Team Hope Shoebox Appeal

Thank you to all students who donated to this year’s Christmas Shoebox Appeal. The shoeboxes were collected by a representative from Team Hope on Thursday last. This is an excellent cause and we are delighted that so many of our students got involved. 

Subject Learning Review

Thank you to all 6th year students and their parents who attended our SLR Parent-Teacher Meeting on Thursday last.  5th year review meetings will take place on Thursday November 24th.  

Basketball News

Congratulations to our U16 basketball team who had a fantastic 1 basket win against De La Salle, Waterford, on Thursday last on a scoreline of 43-41. Thank you to coaches Mr Guerin and Ms McDonagh for their work with the team so far this year. 

LGFA / GAA

Congratulations to our senior ladies who had a fantastic victory over The Bower, Athlone, on Wednesday last. Well done to the team and their coaches Ms Colgan and Ms Curley.  On Friday last our senior boys gaelic footballers faced Gallen CS, Ferbane,  in the first round of the championship securing a 1-16 to 2-10 victory. The second round is on Wednesday November 23rd versus Mercy Kilbeggan at St. Loman’s GAA grounds at 11am. Best of luck to the lads and coaches Mr Jones and Mr Kenny as they progress in the competition.

Trick or Treat

Thank you to all staff and students who took part in our annual ‘Trick or Treat’ fancy dress fundraiser on Friday October 28th.  We are delighted to announce that €783 was raised for Temple Street Children’s Health Foundation on the day. 

Admissions

Application for Admission can now be accessed on www.mercyballymahon.ie. Closing Date for Application for Admission is Friday the 25th of November @ 5:00 PM.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 28/10/2022

Open Night

Thank you to all 6th class pupils and their parents/ guardians who visited the school last Thursday for our open night. There was a fantastic buzz around the school and we were delighted to see so many in attendance. Application for Admission can now be accessed on www.mercyballymahon.ie. Closing Date for Application for Admission is Friday the 25th of November @ 5:00PM.

Top of the Pops!

Ticket sales are underway for our TY production which takes place from 15th-17th November. This year’s theme is Top of the Pops! Tickets will be available again after midterm from our school office. Make sure to check out our social media platforms to see the excitement building in the run up to the best week of the school calendar!

Trick or Treat

Thank you to all staff and students who once again made a terrifyingly good effort to dress up last Friday for our Trick or Treat fundraiser. Proceeds from the day will go to Temple Street Children’s Health Foundation! Special thank you goes to Ms Fitzmaurice who organised the event. 

Team Hope Shoebox Appeal

A reminder to all students that our Donation Day for the Christmas Shoebox Appeal will take place on Tuesday November 8th. Please bring your filled shoeboxes to school that day in preparation for them being collected by Team Hope.

Subject Learning Review

Teachers are looking forward to meeting 6th year students along with their parents at our next SLR Parent-Teacher Meetings which will take place on Thursday November 10th.  Details of review meetings for other year groups to follow.

Sports news

Our Senior Boys Gaelic footballers had a very useful challenge V Marist College, Athlone, on Friday last. This leaves them in good stead for their Championship which begins after midterm. On Thursday last our 1st year boys travelled to Clonguish GAA to participate in a Longford GAA blitz. Well done to our teams and their coaches Mr McCormack and Mr Jones. Hard luck to our U14 Boys GAA team and U16 girls LGFA team who were defeated last week by Granard and Rochfortbridge respectively. Meanwhile, in Basketball, our U16&U19 girls faced Naas. Hard luck to our U16s who lost on the day and well done to our U19s who were victorious and now progress to the semi-finals of the competition. 

Midterm

After a busy term here in Mercy Ballymahon, we hope that all staff and students are enjoying a  well-earned midterm break. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 21/10/2022

Open Night

We look forward to welcoming 6th class pupils and their parents/ guardians to our school on Thursday 27th October at 6:30 PM. Application for Admission can be accessed from the 28th of October on www.mercyballymahon.ie. Closing Date for Application for Admission is the 25th of November @ 5:00 PM.

Top of the Pops!

Ticket sales are underway for our TY production which takes place from 15th-17th November in the school. This year’s theme is Top of the Pops! Get your tickets from our school office by calling  (090) 643 2267. Make sure to check out our social media platforms to see the excitement building in the run up to the most exciting week of the school calendar!

Maths Week

Last week we celebrated Maths Week in the school. Each day Junior and Senior students took part in a problem-solving competition. A students versus teachers Maths quiz also took place on Wednesday at lunchtime as well as a variety of classroom activities throughout the week. Thank you to our Maths department for organising.

Subject Learning Review

Thank you to all 3rd year students and their parents/guardians who attended our SLR Parent-Teacher Meetings last week. Details of review meetings for other year groups to follow.

Sports News

Last Thursday marked a fantastic first outing for our 44 1st year girls who travelled to Longford Slashers to participate in a LGFA blitz. The girls played against Lanesboro Community College, Meán Scoil Mhuire, Ardscoil Phadraig Granard and Templemichael College on the day. Thank you coaches Ms Duffy and Ms Gilleran.

Mocktobers

Well done to our 3rd and 6th year students who completed their ‘Mocktober’ exams last week. We are sure you are all looking forward to a well-earned midterm break. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 14/10/2022

Top of the Pops!

Last week over 90 students auditioned for our upcoming school show “Top of The Pops”. The show, which is directed by our TY students, takes place in our school sports hall from November 15th - 17th. Ticket sales will be announced shortly. Check out our social media for a sneak peak at some of our audition footage!

Mindfest

Last week we celebrated 'Mindfest' in the school - a week which promoted the importance of looking after our mental health. Beginning on Monday 14th October, World Mental Health Day, our 5th and 6th years were given a talk by Daryl and Cormac from Wolf Academy. Throughout the week, year groups enjoyed a walk along the canal in Ballymahon and took part in Zumba classes. Staff got in on the action too with their Random Act of Kindness initiative and Staff steps challenge!. Thank you to our Guidance teachers Ms Walshe and Ms O’Neill for organising a fantastic feel-good week. 

Senior Mercy Ballymahon students pictured with Daryl and Cormac from Wolf Academy following a talk on World Mental Health Day.

School trip

On Wednesday last students from our Bláthú and Narnia classes visited Knights and Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard. Thanks to Déirdre in the centre for taking the students back in time on an interactive Norman adventure tour.

Sports news

This week our U19 and U16 Basketball boys’ teams secured good wins against Coláiste Choilm, Tullamore.  The U16 team won on a scoreline of 70-36 after a great team performance and the U19s finished on a scoreline of 44-31. On Friday our U16 and U19 Basketball girls’ teams faced Tullamore College. Our U19s were successful on the day but unfortunately our U16s missed out marginally on a win. Well done to our Senior Boys GAA team who faced Athlone Community College at home on Friday securing a 2-10 to 1-10 victory.

Ty activities

Thank you to Center Parcs Longford Forest and their HR Department members who recently visited the school to facilitate a workshop on how to complete job application forms and CVs.  This workshop also included interview techniques and mock interviews. An excellent opportunity for our students, many of whom hope to do work experience in Center Parcs. Thank you also to David, Sorcha & Brendan from Ericsson Athlone who made an engaging presentation to students on careers and opportunities in the technology/programming industry. Thank you Mr Seery for organising. 

Mercy Ballymahon TY students preparing their CVs as part of a HR workshop with representatives from Center Parcs Longford Forest. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 30/09/2022

GAA news

Well done to our Senior footballers who had an impressive start to their league campaign last Wednesday. They defeated Portlaoise CBS on a scoreline of 1-12 to 0-10 at the Laois GAA centre of excellence. Well done also to our 1st year boys who represented the school at a Longford GAA blitz in Clonguish last Thursday. Thank you to their coaches Mr McCormack and Mr Jones.

Mercy Ballymahon Senior GAA team who defeated Portlaoise CBS on a score line of 1-12 to 0-10 at the Laois GAA centre of excellence last week. 

Basketball news

Our U16 and U19 boys teams returned to the courts last week to face Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington. Well done to our U19 team who had an excellent 56-27 win and hard luck to our U16’s who were defeated 44 - 60 against a very challenging side.  

Ty activities

Last week all students participated in workshops with actor and public-speaking coach Alan Devine. The workshops helped students to work on confidence, preparation and technique when speaking in front of a crowd. TY students have now also been given their roles in preparation for our upcoming talent show. Auditions for the “Top of the Pops” show will begin this week.

History Trip

Last week our 6th Year History classes had the opportunity to travel to Dublin and take a guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol. Thank you to Ms Casey and Ms McCarron who accompanied the students on the day.

Mercy Ballymahon 6th year history classes on a visit to Kilmainham Gaol last week. 

Sports fixtures

This week our U16 LGFA team will face Scoil Mhuire, Longford. Our U16 and U19 Basketball boys teams will take on The Marist, Athlone, while our U16 and U19 girls teams will face The Bower, Athlone. Good luck to all involved.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

MSS Sports

Training has kicked off for many of our sports teams. GAA training has begun for our senior boys and U14 girls while our senior boy’s basketball team also returned to the court last week. We look forward to all upcoming fixtures and thank all staff members who have volunteered to coach our teams this year.

Drug Awareness

Thank you to Sergeant Darren Conlon who visited the school on Wednesday last. Sgt Conlon facilitated an excellent Drug Awareness talk for our senior students. 

TY Activities

Transition Year students are enjoying their various new modules. Thank you to Shelley Corcoran who will carry out a photography module with each class group throughout the year, Emmet Ray who is facilitating a Pilates module and Sean Donohoe who is teaching a Self-Defence module to the students. On Tuesday, all TYs had the opportunity to travel to the National Ploughing Championships. Thank you to our Agricultural Science Teacher Ms Murphy for organising. 

Higher Options

This Thursday our Leaving Cert students will travel to the RDS, Dublin, for Higher Options 2022. The event will provide an opportunity for students to speak with representatives from third level institutions in Ireland and abroad.

School notes - 09/09/2021

Welcome Back

We were delighted to welcome our growing staff and student body back to the school after the summer holidays. We welcome especially our 1st year pupils who begin their journey as Mercy Ballymahon students as well as all new staff members. We wish our whole school community a safe and enjoyable year. 

Leaving Certificate 2022

Congratulations to the 118 students from the class of 2022 who achieved outstanding Leaving Cert results. Two of our students attained 625 points, 25% of our students received 500 points or more, 60% of our students achieved 400 points or more with a fantastic 85.5% of our students receiving 300 or more points. We are very proud of the achievements of all of our students and wish them every success in their chosen paths. 

Best Buddies

Last week our 1st and 6th year pupils were matched as part of our Best Buddies programme. This programme enables our 6th year students to act as mentors to our 1st year pupils. Part of their role is to support their younger buddies as they settle into secondary school. 

Transition Year 22/23

Last week this year’s Transition Year classes enjoyed their first trip to Lilliput Adventure Centre. An excellent day of activities, team-bonding and fun was had by all. 

Mercy Ballymahon Transition Year students kick off the year at Lilliput Adventure Centre, Co. Westmeath.

Mercy Ballymahon Transition Year students Daniel Galvin and Carly Flood prepare poached eggs in the kitchen as part of the Future Leaders programme. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 07/10/2022

Top of the Pops!

This week, all students, in every year, have been invited to audition for our upcoming school show “Top of The Pops”. Ticket sales will be announced shortly for the talent show which never disappoints!

Basketball news

Our U16 and U19 boys teams faced The Marist, Athlone, on Thursday last. Well done to our U16s team who had an excellent 44-32 win and hard luck to our U19 team who were defeated 64 - 48 against a very challenging side.  Meanwhile, on Friday our U16 and U19 girls faced The Bower. Unfortunately both teams lost but played very well on the day. 

Gaelic Football

Well done to our U16 LGFA team who had an impressive 4 point win over Scoil Mhuire, Longford, on Wednesday last. Thank you to their coaches Ms Duignan and Ms Cribben.

Ty activities

It has been a busy week for our TY students. Firstly, Conradh na Gaeilge brought their Seó Bóthair to the school. ‘Buíochas Mór’ to Sibéal who coordinated this interactive Irish language workshop. Thank you also to Grace from Bridgeways Family Resource Centre who spoke to students about the services on offer in our local centre here in Ballymahon. Students also visited Kairos Communications, a media production facility located in Maynooth. Students got a chance to work in a recording studio and produce their own videos during a 1 day workshop.

Mercy Ballymahon TY students on set at Kairos Communications in Maynooth last week.

Mindfest

This week in the school we are celebrating 'Mindfest' - a week which promotes the importance of looking after your mental health. The week is focusing on the 5-a-day for good mental health - connect, be active, take notice, get involved & give. Students and staff are taking part in a variety of activities such as doing random acts of kindness and taking on ‘The Staff Steps Challenge’. Thank you to our Guidance teachers Ms Walshe and Ms O’Neill for organising.

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Leaving Certificate Examinations 2022

In advance of the commencement of the 2022 Leaving Certificate examinations on Wednesday 8th June please find below the Leaving Certificate Candidate Information Guide 2022.  The purpose of this guide is to provide you with further information about the 2022 Leaving Certificate. This Candidate Information Guide provides important information about what you should expect during the examinations. Information is also provided about the examinations marking process; when and how you will receive your results; and some preliminary details about the stages that follow after the issue of the results – including the information that will be provided to you about your examination results; the viewing of marked examination script; and the Appeals processes that you will have access to.  A further guide to the results and the post-results stages will be provided at the time of issue of the results noting that the results are expected to issue through the Candidate Self Service Portal.

Deferred Examinations 2022

For the 2022 Leaving Certificate, it has been announced that a second sitting of the Leaving Certificate will be provided with access strictly limited to students unable to sit one or more papers in the main sitting in June on grounds of serious medical reasons and due to close family bereavement.  For the 2022 examinations  candidates with Covid-19 or with symptoms of Covid-19, will also have access to a deferred sitting of the examinations. 

Please see below three important documents setting out details of the deferred examinations series.  These documents are:

  1. Sec Circular S34/22 outlining the Deferred Examination series

  2. Addendum to the Deferred Examination series outlining the Covid-19 criteria

  3. Information for Candidates and Parents/Guardians on the Deferred examination - (Extract from the Leaving Certificate Candidate Information Guide. The full guide will issue later this week).

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 27/05/2022

Awards Ceremony

On Monday 23rd May we celebrated one of the most important events in the school calendar, our annual Awards Ceremony. This was the first time since 2019 that all staff and students have come together in our sports hall to celebrate the occasion which gives us the opportunity to highlight the many achievements of our students throughout the year. Well done to all our deserving award recipients who were recognised for their academic success, extra-curricular success, attendance, community involvement and more. This year's Leadership Award winner is Aisling Lane, Transition Year. The Ceist Award winner is Lauren McGuire, 6th year, while the Mercy Award winner is Pheto Babedi, also 6th year. Our Leaving Certificate Student of the Year winner for 2022 is Rachel Maguire and nominees for the award were Pheto Babedi, Cormac McDonagh, Michelle Laffan, Grace Nwadike and Lauren McGuire. Congratulations to you all.

Graduation Mass

On Thursday last we celebrated our Leaving Certificate Graduation Mass for the Class of 2022. Thank you to Fr. Liam Murray who celebrated the mass, to our Religion department for organising, Ms Malone and her talented musicians for the fabulous music and to all students who participated in the beautiful ceremony. The theme of this year's mass was 'Walk in the Light'. We wish this wonderful group of students every success in their exams and in the future. 

TY Graduation

Well done to the Transition Year Class of 2022 who finished up last week. Thank you for your fantastic contribution to school life throughout the year. Thank you also to Mr Seery, Mr Dromey and all TY teachers who worked with the students throughout the year and facilitated their many events and activities. We hope you have had a wonderful year and that you have a happy and safe summer holiday.

Athletics

Well done to Aisling Lane, TY, and Robin Óg Murphy, 2nd year, who both competed in race walking at the Connacht Schools Athletics Finals at Athlone IT recently. Aisling’s 1st place performance sees her qualify for both the All-Ireland Schools Championship and the Tailteann Schools Interprovincial Games that are both scheduled for this June.Robin Óg finished in 4th place with a very good time in a strong field of competitors, narrowly missing out on qualification. Well done girls.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 20/05/2022

Minister’s Visit

It was a great privilege for us to welcome Minister for Education Norma Foley to our school on Wednesday last as part of her tour of schools in South County Longford. To begin her visit, the Minister was met by school management, staff members,  Chairperson of BoM, members of our Parents Council and, most importantly, our students. Our students led the visit on the day by playing music for Minister Foley, asking her some important questions, demonstrating their use of digital technology and presenting the Minister with some fresh produce from our school greenhouse. The Minister also visited our ASD classes and raised our Green-Schools Blue Flag on the day. We hope that Minister Foley enjoyed her trip to Longford and look forward to welcoming her back to Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon in the future.

Green Schools

Congratulations to this year’s Eco-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Award winners! TY students Aisling Lane, Kiera Dunican and Alannah Hannan won 1st prize in their category for their fantastic water conservation and awareness project. They did tremendous work, which was instrumental in our school recently being awarded our Green-Schools water flag.

Mercy Ballymahon’s Eco-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Award winners! Transition Year students Alannah Hannan, Aisling Lane and Kiera Dunican.

Intergenerational Award

Well done to our Transition Year students who were awarded a prize as part of the Intergenerational Awards, an annual competition led by the Age-Friendly University Office in DCU. The students recently took part in a Community Time-Machine project, collecting stories from senior citizens in Ballymahon Day Care Centre and creating artefacts based on those stories. Thank you to Mr Mulvihill and Ms Cribben for facilitating this. 

Mercy Ballymahon students who recently won an Intergenerational Award for their involvement in the ‘Community Time Machine’ project.

Sports

Well done to our Senior Boys who were victorious against Ballymahon Vocational School in the inaugural Ballymahon AFC’s School Senior Cup. Played in difficult weather conditions, the game finished on a scoreline of 2-1 to Mercy SS.  Furthermore, well done to our 1st year boys GAA team who took part in a blitz in Clonguish last week. Thank you to Longford GAA for organising and to coaches Mr Farrell and Mr Sammon for accompanying the lads on the day. As we are approaching the end of the academic year, last week each year group enjoyed a sports day. Thank you to our TYs, Year heads and  our PE department for organising.

TY Activities

Last week saw the finale of this year’s TY Bake Off. Well done to Muirne Ginty, Shauna Maguire and Ava O’Connor who scooped the top prize with their coffee cake. 2nd Prize winners were Róisín Conlon, Sarah Haughey and Sarah Keenan with their chocolate cake. 3rd prize on the day went to Sean Egan and Shaun Donnelly who made some delicious chocolate chip cookies. Thank you to Ms Minogue and Ms Moran for organising this annual event which brings great excitement to the school. Our TYs also visited Tayto Park last week to mark the end of their school year before graduating this week. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 13/05/2022

Green Schools

Congratulations to Grace Nwadike, Laura Szulczynska, Sophia Asiwe, Tomi Arole and Sadbh Mac Giolla Rí who were the winners of the All-Ireland Green Schools Water Video competition 2022! They travelled to Dublin last week for the awards ceremony and received a prize of €2000 for the school’s Green Schools committee. Thank you to Amber Mulvihill who also participated in the video. Congratulations also to TY students Aisling Lane, Kiera Dunican and Alannah Hannan on their recent success in the semi-final stage of the Eco-Unesco Young Environmentalist Awards.They have now qualified for the national final of the competition on May 19th. Thank you to Ms O’Donoghue who has facilitated Green Schools activities in the school this year.

Mercy Ballymahon’s Grace Nwadike, Laura Szulczynska, Sophia Asiwe, Tomi Arole and Sadbh Mac Giolla Rí scoop the top prize in All-Ireland Green Schools Water Video competition 2022! The girls are pictured here with Principal Ms Donohue, Teacher Ms O’Donoghue and Green-Schools representatives. 

Cultural Celebration 

Well done to our Student Council members and Mr O’Gara who hosted a Global Bazaar on Thursday last. The Global Village, which celebrated the 32 countries represented amongst our school community, gave some students an opportunity to showcase the culture of their families’ native countries and others a chance to gain an insight into life in each country. A fabulous event which highlighted the diversity and inclusive nature of our school.

GAA news

Congratulations to 3rd year student Sian Gallagher who captained the U16 Longford Ladies team to a Leinster C Championship title in recent weeks. The team beat Wicklow on a score of 1-12 to 1-3.  Congratulations also to all other students who donned their county jersey on the day, namely Sarah Mc Cormack, who received the Player of Match award, Gráinne Rooney, Emma Farrell, Edie Hogan, Grace Cullen, Aoife Kennelly and Eimear Dempsey. Meanwhile, hard luck to our Senior Boys who suffered a defeat to Ballymahon VS on Monday last in the Fr McGee cup semi-final.

Art Project

Well done to Ms Cribben’s 5th year art students, as well as our Bláthú and Narnia classes, who  participated in a county wide art project sponsored by the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund. Partnered with LWL and Longford Libraries,  local artists facilitated an open space in Ballymahon Library for students to express their experience of Covid-19 through art materials!  The fifth of six structures created in county Longford so far. 

Junior cycle exams

Well done to our Junior Cycle music students who completed their practical music exams this week. Best of luck to all students who continue to prepare for their exams. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 05/05/2022

Darkness into Light 2022

Well done to all students who participated in Ballymahon's Darkness Into Light event which was hosted by Ballymahon VS on Saturday last. We are so delighted that so many of you supported this fantastic event in aid of Pieta House. Well done to all involved. Well done also to Mr Jones’ 2nd and 3rd year students who participated in an awareness video competition to highlight the importance of this Darkness Into Light event. We look forward to sharing these videos on our social media. 

TY activities

It has been a fun-filled week for our TYs. All classes took to the waves in Strandhill, Co. Sligo, to carry out surfing lessons. Meanwhile, on Thursday, students went to Newcastle Woods for a photography session with Shelley Corcoran from Longford Schools Photography.

Surf’s Up! Mercy Ballymahon TY students enjoy a day of surfing at Strandhill Beach.

VHI Mini Marathon

Well done to our TY students who hosted a Bake Sale to fundraise for the VHI Mini Marathon on Thursday last. Students are also hosting a soccer blitz to raise money for the event. This year, students and staff will participate in the marathon to help raise funds for a new MRI scanner in Mullingar Hospital. Well done to all involved.

Athletics news

Well done to 3rd year students Sian Gallagher, Katie Duignan, Evie Grant and Amy Jordan who competed in the North Connacht Schools’ Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Sligo IT last week. The girls placed 5th overall in the Intermediate 4X100m relay and all put in strong performances in their individual events. Well done to Sian Gallagher who now advances to the Connacht Schools’ final later this month. 

Mercy Ballymahon’s Katie Duignan, Amy Jordan, Sian Gallagher and Evie Grant who competed in the North Connacht Schools’ Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Sligo IT recently.

Leaving Cert exams

Well done to our LCVP students who sat their written exam on Wednesday last. Best of luck to you all as you continue to study for your exams in June. 

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 29/04/2022

Religion retreats

On Wednesday last our 2nd year students, along with their religion teachers and year head, travelled to Knock Shrine for a religious retreat. Our 3rd years also took part in an in-school retreat on Thursday with ALPS representative Frank Diamond. The retreats touched on a number of different themes including faith, belief, resilience, love and the treatment of others. Thank you to our RE department for organising. 

TY activities

Last week, our Transition Year students were delighted to take part in An Taisce’s National Spring Clean. They also took part in a PAL/DDP law workshop. On the day, three barristers visited the school and students engaged in a full day workshop about how our legal system works and also participated in Mock Trials. Thank you to Mr Seery for organising. 

Mercy Ballymahon students participate in An Taisce’s National Spring Clean 2022.

Digital Learning Event

Well done to Mr Kenny and Ms Noone who participated in the Wriggle and Google for Education ElevatED event in the Google Foundry building in Dublin last week.  Both Mr Kenny and Ms Noone took to the stage to take part in a panel discussion on “Developing a Digital Learning plan to meet the changing needs of your school”, giving an insight into how our digital practices have developed and evolved over the last number of years here in Mercy SS. The school is delighted to have been part of this excellent event.

School Trip

Last week our Narnia and Bláthú classes travelled to Causey farm, Co. Meath, for their annual school tour. The students had a wonderful time seeing and feeding the animals, making soda bread and trying some bodhrán playing! Thank you to their teachers and SNAs for accompanying them on the day.  

School Tour time! Students from Mercy Ballymahon’s Bláthú and Narnia classes enjoy a day at Causey Farm, Co, Meath.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

School notes - 08/04/2022

Easter Raffle

Thank you to everyone who supported our annual Easter raffle which raised a fantastic €3102.  Well done to all sellers and the winners of our fantastic prizes! Winners: 1st Prize Shane Gavigan (Seller Ciara Gavigan), 2nd prize Dearbhla Breslin (Seller Diarmuid Breslin), 3rd prize Denny Mc Gee (Seller Donnchadh Prendergast), 4th prize Seamus Mc Guire (Seller Lauren Mc Guire), 5th prize Niamh Keane (Seller Niamh Keane), 6th prize Eimear Mc Donagh (Seller Ross Doherty). Sellers' prizes went to Lauren Mc Guire and Cathal Reilly. Thanks to our Sponsors: Maxol Centra Ballymahon, Cormicans Bookshop Athlone & Roscommon, Jolly Boys Pizza & Grill Ballymahon. We really appreciate your support.

TY news

Thank you to Tony O'Reilly, Gambling Addiction Counsellor at Extern Problem Gambling and co-author of Tony 10, who facilitated a gambling awareness programme with our TYs last week. Tony spoke openly and honestly about his own personal struggles with a gambling addiction as well as his road to recovery. Thank you to Mr Seery for organising. Also, well done to those TY students who completed their Level 1 Kayaking course with Longford Sports Partnership and received their certificates last week.

Basketball

Hard luck to both our 1st and 2nd year boys who travelled to Oranmore last week to face Calasanctius College Oranmore. Both teams lost out on the day but we commend them and their coaches Ms Duffy and Mr Guerin for their hard work throughout the year. 

Equestrian

Well done to our Equestrian teams and their mentors Mr Mulvihill and Ms Cafferkey after their excellent performance at Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Sunday 3rd April. Our novice team placed 5th while our open team didn’t place but jumped brilliantly on the day. 

GAA 

Commiserations to our U16 boys team and their coaches Mr Nerney and Shane Kenny who suffered a 2 point defeat to Rathangan in the Leinster semi-final last week. A great group of lads with a bright future ahead on the field!

Easter Raffle Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our Easter Raffle!

1st Prize Shane Gavigan (Seller Ciara Gavigan), 2nd prize Dearbhla Breslin (Seller Diarmuid Breslin), 3rd prize Denny Mc Gee (Seller Donnchadh Prendergast), 4th prize Seamus Mc Guire (Seller Lauren Mc Guire), 5th prize Niamh Keane (Seller Niamh Keane), 6th prize Eimeer Mc Donagh (Seller Ross Doherty).

Sellers' prizes went to Lauren Mc Guire and Cathal Reilly.

Thanks to our Sponsors: Maxol Centra Ballymahon, Cormicans Bookshop Athlone & Roscommon, Jolly Boys Pizza & Grill Ballymahon.

University College Dublin: Free Webinar for parents on adolescent self-harm

UCD is hosting a final free webinar for anyone interested in learning more about self-harm in adolescents including parents, guardians, or teachers. This webinar will take place online on Tuesday April 26th, 2022 from 7 - 8 p.m. and  will discuss our findings from this project and 5 things parents need to know about adolescent self-harm.

Please see the information for this event below and please use the Eventbrite link for parents and attendees to book a place in the webinar here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/311033659047

Easter Raffle

Easter Raffle

Organised by Parents Council of Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon.

1st Prize: €100 Voucher Maxol Centra Ballymahon

2nd Prize: €100 Book Voucher Cormicans Bookshop Roscommon & Athlone

3rd Prize: €50 Meal Voucher Jolly Boys Pizza & Grill Ballymahon

4th Prize: Easter Egg Hamper

5th Prize: Easter Egg Hamper

6th Prize: Easter Egg Hamper

Raffle will be held on Friday April 8th

€2 per line. €20 full card

Permit granted.