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St. Conleth's College

Senior School Parents’ Association

Newsletter

Updates on Information and Activities | March 2015

Welcome

Dates for your Diary

Girls at St. Conleth’s College

Parents’ Social Event

Our Facebook Group

You are the Parents’

Association

Exam Fever

Update on School Activities

Update on Sporting Activities

SCT Rugby League Final

Photos

Extra Curricular Activities from a

1st Year Perspective

Debating: St. Conleth's students

- World Class!

Tribute to Françoise Brotelande

School Prizes and Awards

A Very Conleth's Kind of

Christmas

We’re a Nut-Free School

And Finally...

Contents

Welcome

Hello and welcome to our second edition of the St. Conleth’s

Senior School Parents’ Association Newsletter for this

school year.

As usual the year is flying by and very much so for any exam students and their parents. The mock results are trickling in for those students and others are doing their Spring Assessments. Good luck to all.

In this 75th anniversary year of the school, the Senior School Parents’ Association continues to work towards our two objectives for this year which are: -

(1) To inform and involve parents: our class reps are the cornerstone of our parent communication and this has now been augmented with e-mail, newsletters and Facebook. We look to proactively inform you about all the things happening in the school.

(2) We’ve joined forces with the Junior School Parents’ Association to work on a One School basis. Both Associations have been supporting one another with joint student and joint parent events. We are also holding our joint Parent Social night on March 20th in the Royal Irish Yacht club—we do hope you can make it along and get to meet parents from both schools.

Of course the recent major news was the decision to transition St. Conleth's College Junior and Senior School into a co-educational school. This transition will begin with the enrolment of girls into Junior Infants next September and into First Year Secondary and Transition Year in September 2016. We very much look forward to this exciting change and we know that it will benefit the entire school.

We do hope you enjoy the rest of this newsletter and look forward to catching up with you over the next few weeks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Dates for your Diary

Check out the School Calendar

here: www.stconleths.ie/pages/

school-calendar.php

Happy St. Patrick’s

Day

Headstrong Parent Talk

Past Pupils Union

Dinner

Spring

Assessments for

1,2,5th years

Parents Social at RIYC

School Concert

Easter Holidays

Girls 40th Years dinner

Sports Day

6th Year Graduation

Prize Giving

TY Musical Evening

Parents Assoc.

Committee meeting

Girls at St. Conleth’s College With St. Conleth's College marking both its 75

th Anniversary and 40

years of Girls this year, the school has taken an important decision to

transition to a co-educational school, across both the Junior and Senior

schools. This transition will happen over a period of time, beginning

with the enrolment of girls into Junior Infants in September 2015 and

into First Year Secondary and Transition Year in September 2016.

The initiative has received broad and

positive support from parents,

although naturally there are questions

on how it will be implemented. It will

involve changes to the physical

structure, curriculum, extra curricular

activities and pastoral care. The

school has established a “Working

Group” of management, teachers and

parents to plan for the transition and

work out the details, which fully

reflects the views of parents. This “Working Group2 is focussed on the

Junior School initially and will extend to the Senior School in the

coming weeks. Once these details are finalised, the school will provide

parents with full information on all aspects of this development.

The Parents’ Associations of both the Senior and Junior schools

welcome these new changes to St. Conleth's and we strongly feel that

they will serve as a great benefit to the entire school. In speaking

about the development Ann Sheppard says “I would like to assure

parents that everything that is precious about St. Conleth’s College –

the boys, our small class sizes, our broad curriculum, the strong

rapport between teachers and the boys, our focus on education

achievements and bringing out the natural talents of every pupil in the

school, will not be negatively impacted in any way by this development.

Indeed, we are enthused that the introduction of girls will overall have a

very positive impact on all aspects of the school and the newly formed

committee will be working towards achieving this goal.”

We look forward to supporting this exciting transition and we would ask

all parents to help to promote the initiative to the wider school

community.

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Parents’ Social Event

Both Parents' Associations are delighted to

announce the details of our Parents' Social

Evening on Friday 20th March - see poster

on right for details.

Tickets are €25 each and include a Buffet

Meal, Hog Roast and Glass of Wine. They

can be bought now from the "EasyPay"

option on the school website http://

www.stconleths.ie just select the "Parents

Social Evening Royal Irish Yacht Club" item.

This will be the first all-school parents’ social

night in a long time and it promises to be a

great night, catching up with old friends and

making some new ones. We do hope that

you can make it and we’re really looking

forward to seeing you there.

We hope you’re enjoying this

newsletter, for anyone that needs a

more regular news-fix on all things

relevant to parents, guardians and

others interested in St. Conleth’s

College, why not join our Facebook

Group? Then you won’t miss all the

fun (and the useful information

too)! Just click here (or type it into

your web browser) to join:

www.facebook.com/groups/

ConlethsPA/

Our Facebook Group is a closed

group, meaning that only members

can see the content. So it is a safe

environment to make comments and

ask questions and maybe a good way

for people to try out the social media

world. You can participate in the

group or just see what others have

posted—your choice. On the left is a

sample of some recent posts over the

past two weeks.

Join our Facebook Group

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The role of the Senior School Parents’ Association (SSPA) is to provide a forum for the interaction between pupils, parents and St. Conleth's College. The association seeks to "inform and consult parents regarding school policy, plans and activities and to organise and encourage parent participation in events of common interest”.

The following are your class representatives: -

1A Ceinwen Reilly

1A Mary Harnett

1B Gina Lenehan

2A Barbara Hughes

2B Rachel McKeown

3A Martina Kelly

3B Grainne Gilleran

4A Philo Hassett

4A Alan Collins

4B Tom O’Connor

5A Cathy Coll

5B Denise Kinsella

6A Paul Allen

6B Bernard Raftery

If you need to contact anyone on the committee the details are available here>>

Your Parents’ Association

You are the Parents’ Association!

Did you know that as the parent or guardian of a current St.

Conleth’s student you are automatically a member of the Senior

School Parents’ Association (SSPA)? Every year all members of

the SSPA are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting in

October. The SSPA committee (typically 2 representatives per

class) meets every six weeks in the school to exchange

information and discuss matters of concern and interest to both

parents and the school and plan event and activities. We plan

fundraising and social events, as well as other ways to support

the school and its students. These meetings are usually attended

by the principal and the school director.

Subcommittees are

sometimes formed to:

review school policies,

organise events,

communications and

fundraising. Other

parents have stepped

forward to be available

to help out at various school events and we welcome

participation from every parent or guardian.

Future issues of this newsletter will be found in the Parents’

section of the school website. We hope it will inform you of our

ongoing work and plans. Please do let us know if you have any

questions, concerns or ideas or ways you would like help out...we

would love to hear from you!

Back: Bernard, Rachel, Denise, Barbara, Cathy, Gina and Tom Front: Mary, Martina, Paul, Alan and Grainne. Absent: Ceinwen and Philo.

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School Mock Exams

School mocks for both the Junior Cert and Leaving

Cert were recently completed. All students in 3rd

year and 6th year sat a week and a half of exams in

the hall under full exam conditions. This was a good

simulation for them of the June exams. The papers

for the mocks are set outside of the school and are

also corrected outside of school. Thus both students

and teachers get a realistic view of their progress to

date. No doubt, they enjoyed a well earned rest over the mid term. We wish them the best in their studies

in the coming months.

Practical Exams

The following are the dates

for the Junior Certificate

and the Leaving Certificate

Practical Exams, together

with the percentage of the

overall mark awarded for

these Practicals.

March 16 LC Geography 20%

March 19 JC Irish Oral 40%

March 26 LC History 20%

w/c April 13 LC French / Spanish Orals 25%

w/c April 20 LC Irish Oral 40%

April 29 JC Art 25%

May 5 / 6 LC Art 63%

TBA LC Music 25%

TBA JC Music 25%

Also JC Science 10%

JC & LC Exams Fees

The fees for entry to the 2015 Certificate Examinations

payable by candidates who are recognised pupils in

secondary schools are as follows:

Leaving Certificate €116

Junior Certificate €109

The school will be issuing the payment forms within the

next two weeks. You make the payment through a bank

and the bank must stamp the form. You then return the

form to the school (Ms. Killen is contact person).

Payment to be made by end March. Further details can be found here:

https://www.examinations.ie/exam/S05_15_Examination_Entry_Fees_2015.pdf

Junior Certificate: Higher or Ordinary?

Junior Cert students must indicate whether they are taking the Higher Paper or the Ordinary

Level paper in their exams. The deadline date for this is Friday 13th March. After that deadline a

fee of €32 per subject is charged to make a change!

Exam Fever

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In many ways this is the busiest period of the school year in St. Conleth’s. There is much administration to be completed, beginning with the Department of Education and Skills allocations, etc. for 2015/16. Preparation for next year's timetable and all that entails, along with the paperwork and preparation that goes into the upcoming June exams. Many DARE forms (The Disability Access Route to Education is a college and university admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points to school leavers with disabilities.), personal statements, reasonable accommodations, etc. all have to be completed. Everyone in the school— teachers, staff, management and students have their own deadlines which are important to them.

In short some of the events that took place during the last few weeks:

Mock exams for Junior and Leaving Cert students.

Visiting speakers on careers and further education from TCD, French

Universities, Poland and Engineering as a career.

Individual feedback meetings for all Sixth Years after Christmas.

5th and 6th Year Music classes attended The National Concert Hall.

6th Years Irish attended An Triail.

5th and 6th Years represented St. Conleth’s in Maths quizzes in Rathdown.

Debating competitions continued in all classes. Debating highlight was the

holding of the St. Conleth’s Junior Mace in the school with 72 teams taking part.

The Senior Rugby team were

defeated in the Section A Senior League Final in Donnybrook. Both Senior and Junior schools attended. A great all-school occasion.

2nd and 5th Years went on retreats.

Sticks and Stones anti-bullying programme and workshops

were introduced to 1st Year.

Dr Maureen Griffin, Forensic Psychologist gave a presentation

to all classes about Internet Safety and Responsibility. It was an eye opener for all—teachers and students alike!

Catholic Schools Week was celebrated with a whole school

Assembly at the end of January.

The entire school (Junior and Senior)

attended Epiphany Mass in Haddington Road on 6 January.

Transition Year completed their Work Experience Programme.

The pupils collected over €400 for World Cancer Day.

We have 10 Argentinians visiting/attending St. Conleth's

for the next four weeks.

Ad Astra Scholarship presented to David Hassett.

Incidental (Unannounced) inspection by Catherine O'Connell from

DES. She followed 2b throughout the day and evaluated the teaching and learning that was taking place. Feedback was given to Mr. O’Dulaing and each individual teachers.

Update on School Activities

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Update on Sporting Activities

St. Conleth’s encourages all students to participate in school sports—this is shown with the amount of

students participating in all the sports on offer athletics, tennis, and basketball, golf, hiking, fencing and

rugby.

Rugby: Rugby continues go well in the school

this year. The First and Second Years came

together while the Mocks were running to play

against Marian First and Second years. A very

enjoyable game to watch with good rugby from

both teams. St. Conleth’s came away with the

win. The Seniors got to the final of the shield. It

was played in Donnybrook but they lost out to a

much bigger and heavier St. Fintan’s team (see

photos next page). The Junior Cup Team are in

a semi-final of the Shield and will play East

Glendalough over the coming weeks.

Golf: The Golf team have been taking part in the Leinster schools golfing championship. They have

competed in the strokes and match play.

Athletics The athletics teams have had several

cross country meets. 25 students from all classes took

part in the East Leinster Cross Country Championships.

Fencing: Fencing takes place after school on Fridays

for any students are interested.

Soccer & Tag Leagues:

The in-house Summer soccer

and Tag leagues will begin in

late March.

Tennis: Tennis will be starting in the last term of the year.

Hiking: There are a number of school hikes planned place in the new year

over weekends. It is to prepare the 4th & 5th Year students who are

participating in the expedition to India in June. But these hikes are open to any student that is interested.

The first two Hikes of the year have been set:

Sunday March 8th Meeting at

Bray Dart Station @ 11am (Bray

to Greystones)

Sunday March 15th Meeting at

Spar in Stepaside Time

TBC ( Stepaside to Enniskerry)

If attending the hikes please e-mail

Gavin at maguireg@stconleths.ie.

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Basketball : First and Second Year Basketballers had a tough

start to the season with losses to St. Michael's but then a few pivotal

players returned from illness to lead our boys to an impressive double

victory away at St. Mary's in Rathmines. Captains Jamie MacMahon

(First Year) and Eoghan Fitzmaurice (Second Year) led their

respective teams from the front, but both victories were complete

team wins, with Mark Beatty, Sean Woods, Josh Mullen and Josh

Bergin, amongst several others, also coming up big when it counted.

Tough losses followed to St. Andrew’s and New Park but, in one of

the most exciting days in St. Conleth’s basketball history, the boys

recorded a rare double victory over Holy Child Sallynoggin in the

most dramatic fashion. Jamie led a spirited First Year Team into

overtime, where the battle continued to see-saw until our captain

dramatically dropped a jumper at the buzzer and all and sundry stormed the court. Second Years seemed to be

en route to a hiding, down an impossible 13-0 after the first quarter. But Eoghan Fitzmaurice and cohorts such

as Pierce Roberts and Gavin-Roche Griffin took on the responsibility for a fight-back. Jamie, one of several

First Years playing up, hit a dramatic trey and then John Kelleher, ice in his veins, sank both free-throws to go

ahead by 1 with 14 seconds left. Eoghan forced a turnover to seal it and the basketball lore of the 'Noggin had

just been lengthened two more worthy chapters! Stay tuned as First Years are set to qualify for Basketball

Ireland Quarterfinals and both teams will go through to the South Dublin Basketball League Play-offs.

Perhaps the youngsters were inspired by the U16 and U19 squads who, despite being considerably

undermanned, made it to the U16 Basketball Ireland C Dublin Plate Semis (losing on a last second shot to

Donabate CC) and pushing 'A' school St. Andrew's in the SDBL Semis at both levels. Along the way, there

were thrilling victories over St. Mark’s and Castleknock College. Captains Shane Byrne and Richard Hogan and

shot-blocking specialist Sean Pettitt led the way.

The Girls U-19 team struggled for numbers this year, but our new admissions policy should help with that! In

the meantime, Captain Saskia Dorley, Marina Bourke and Trixie Huernann led a small but spirited group on

several road trips, where the results were a bit disappointing but the craic was still mighty!

Update on Sporting Activities (continued)

Clockwise from top left: Girls team, First Year team, Second Year team

Thanks to Charles Latvis for article and photos

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The Senior Cup team took

on St Fintan’s High School

of Sutton in the Section A

Senior League Final in

Donnybrook on

Wednesday 25th. It was a

really good game of rugby,

but St. Fintan’s proved to

be the stronger side and

won 23 - 3. The score

belies the hard work and

determination of St. Conleth’s' who

played with passion and gusto right

up to the end. Here are a few

photos of the game—more can be

found at:

http://tinyurl.com/SCTConleths

SCT Rugby Section A League Final

Photos: Paul Allen

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Extra Curricular Activities from a 1st Year Perspective

RUGBY: For 1st year rugby we train on Mondays and Thursdays.

Most Wednesdays we have a match and also on a few Saturdays.

Some boys have played rugby for years and others had never played

rugby before coming to St. Conleth’s. Our rugby coaches are Mr.

Kilcommons, Mr Manners and sometimes Mr Trenier and they are

really good. On Mondays we train in Wanderers and would normally do

contact and play a short game at the end. On Thursdays we train in Old

Belvedere and only do skills because people might have been hurt in

our match the day before. I really enjoy playing rugby. We have really

good team and the matches are fun. We have won most of our

matches and I really enjoyed the one we played with 2nd year against

Marian College which we won. Peter Corcoran

DEBATING: My name is Joe and I participate in debating in St. Conleth’s. I'll be telling you about

debating for first years in the school. We debate on a Tuesday after school from about half past three to half

past four. We normally meet in one of the first year classrooms but if myself and my partner are in a debate in

U.C.D. we would move across the hallway. We practise debating once a week but if we are in a competitive

round then we might do an additional 2 or 3 sessions a week depending on when we are made aware of the

motion. Mr. Carvill organizes the teams to enter a "league" at the start of the year and from there either, Kevin,

Matthew and Chris (former students and debaters) would come in and help us structure our arguments and

give us a bit of guidance. Daniel Gilligan is also a great help because without him we wouldn't even know if we

had a round or what the motion is. The debating "league" that we enter at the start of the year is the main

competition we enter and it's great fun. All the rounds are held in U.C.D. so we don't have to travel far at

all! The other type of competition we enter is called a mace. This is a debate where you go into a room, you

are then told the motion and have 15 minutes to prepare and form your arguments. The best thing about a

mace is that you all have 15 minutes to build an argument so some people end up rushing and developing

crazy points to argue about. Aside from the fact that I have to argue with people competitively to win, I like

debating because I'm able to express my opinion about matters that affect people. I thoroughly enjoy debating

and I am glad that I got involved this year. Joe Downey

CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING: A small but committed group of First years have taken part in a number

of cross-country events this school year. Our first event

was back in November, at an invitational race held in

Blackrock. There were 35 schools represented and we

were proud to be among them. We had to contend with

typical cross-country weather but nevertheless had a

great time. Next up was the East-Leinster cross country

event at Avondale House in Rathdrum at the end of

January. Schools were represented in huge numbers

at Minor level. Distance for Minors was 1km. Weather was

surprisingly good and we had a great day out. We are

entering a team in Ireland's very first 'First Year's School

Cross Country Team Relay' on March 4th together with

6th Form students. Schools will battle it out in relay teams

of 6, over 500m. This event is in aid of Focus

Ireland. Anyone interested in participating in

future events should contact Mr. Keenan. Oisín

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Extra Curricular Activities from a 1st Year Perspective (continued)

CHOIR: The St. Conleth’s choir mostly perform at school masses in St. Mary's parish. The choir

got going this year in preparation for the 75th anniversary Mass which took place on Saturday 27th

Sept. Ms. De Bhál and Mr. Sheridan had us practising songs for 2 weeks ahead of the Mass which was a

great success attended by the whole school community. Our next event was the Mass on December

8th for the Immaculate Conception. Since then there hasn't been much activity but we hope there will be

another event soon. Manus MacGearailt

FENCING: Fencing class is on Friday after school in

the canteen From 3.30 to 4.30pm. There are about 5 or

6 boys each week. We practise moves and have fencing

matches against each other. I like it because we get to

use swords and you have to plan ahead each move in

order to defeat your opponent. The teacher is very

helpful and the class is fun. Tadhg Hartnett

GOLF: The first golf competition was in September and

it was the St. Conleth’s Cup. We played it in Bray Golf

Club and anyone in the school with a GUI handicap was

able to play. That was a really good competition and I won the junior section which I was very happy

about. Then the St. Conleth’s Junior team played in a team competition against lots of other schools, also

in Bray Gold Club. We were beaten that day. A few weeks later in October, we played in Woodbrook Golf

Club in a team against St. Andrew’s but they beat us. I hope there are more school team competitions

before the summer holidays as those I played in were great fun and it was a good way of getting to know

other people in the school. Jamie MacMahon

CODING: When I was eleven I started coding in a CoderDojo. I liked coding a lot but sadly I didn't have

time to do it because I had many other things on. When I went to the interview for St. Conleth’s I asked

Ms. Sheppard if they did coding in the school but unfortunately she said no. After two months in the

school I asked my friends Adam and Frank if they would like to code and they said they would love to and

we talked about how we’d run the coding club. After a few weeks of discussion I came to the decision to

ask Mr,. O’Dulaing if I could start up the club and he said to talk to Ms. Ni Aonghusa about setting it up.

Two weeks later we started the coding club. There was a bigger turnout then I expected and we've been

doing it ever since. I think that if people didn’t go “Ugh coding that sounds like ‘Great Fun’” and actually

tried it they would think that it actually is fun too. Samuel Butler (Editor Note: CoderDojo is a global

network of free, volunteer-led, independent, community based programming clubs for young people. For

more information see https://coderdojo.com/ )

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Debating: St. Conleth's students - World Class!

St. Conleth’s College has a long and proud debating history, stretching back to the very first years of the

school 75 years ago. One aspect of that debating tradition has been the selection of students from the

school to the Irish World Schools Debating Team following competitive trials open to all schools in Ireland.

Last year, I was lucky enough to be selected along with fellow Conleth’s students Matthew Collins and

Christopher Costigan as three of the five team members. The team travelled to Thailand in August last

year with the team coaches to compete in the World Schools Debating Championships with national teams

from 47 other countries. It was a fantastic experience to travel and meet young people from around the

world, all with different perspectives and cultures. This was only sweetened by the fact that following eight

unbeaten rounds the team made it to the Semi- Finals of the competition, only to be defeated by the

ultimate winners, that old foe - England!

Having enjoyed this experience so immensely, I am delighted to have been selected for the team again

this year. We will be travelling to Singapore in July. We undergo fairly intensive ‘training’ almost every

weekend with the help of coaches and past members of the team (consisting of a number of past.

Conleth’s pupils). The dedication of the small group of people involved in coaching the team is something

to be admired.

I have massively enjoyed my time debating in Conleth’s and the opportunities it has given me. The school

has supported the growth of debating in the school for many years, and for that, I, along with many pupils

both past and present, am thankful.

Daniel Gilligan

5th Year

Team Ireland departing Dublin Airport for Thailand, August 2014

(L-R) Irish team 2014: Sam Browne, Christopher Costigan,

Niamh Ryan, Daniel Gilligan and Matthew Collins

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Tribute to Françoise Brotelande

We were all saddened to hear of the passing of our former French teacher and guidance councillor, Françoise Brotelande. Over 200 people from the St. Conleth's wider community - pupils, parents, staff, teachers and past pupils - attended her removal and funeral, showing the great love to which she was held in the school. Ann Sheppard gave a eulogy which Françoise had asked her to do in the weeks before her death. The following is an edited excerpt of this lovely eulogy reflecting what a wonderful person Françoise was.

Françoise was born in 1960 in Normandy, one of eight children. She grew up in Gorge, a small village where her father was the Mayor. She went to University in Caen and in 1982 she came as an assistant to the Christian Brothers in Tullamore where her love of Ireland and Irish culture was initiated. She then did her H.Dip in Education in UCD working in Coláiste Éanna, followed by St Declan’s on the Navan Road, before joining St. Conleth’s in 1985. Françoise replaced a stern Breton man on an almost all male staff and she was much welcomed, bringing a touch of French chic to the school. She quickly endeared herself to staff, pupils and management. The pupils realised that, despite her foreign accent, no wool was going to be pulled over her eyes and she would take no prisoners. Her standing in the eyes of the boys grew, when she took on a rugby team that remained unbeaten for the season. Not only was Françoise the belle of St. Conleth’s but also the belle of Donnybrook where she lived. She seemed to have more sang froid and daring than the rest of us and when she got into her Morris Minor she drove with gusto. Then one evening she was chatted up by a handsome young man who she ended up marrying and they had a lovely family together – Fergus, Killian, Bérangère and Clothilde. How proud she was of them at every stage of their development and she defended and protected them like a lioness. They themselves remarked on how Françoise infused her French culture into their everyday life and how she strove to make them self sufficient from an early age (they can all cook, iron, clean, sew, knit) and how she wanted them to learn as many languages as possible. We laughed at who might have inherited her impatient, head strong, fiery traits, and I realised as I listened to them that they had all inherited her savoir faire, her poise and her self assurance. She loved the Irish for their warm welcome but hated their way of not wanting to offend, so she never knew where she stood. Françoise had strong opinions and was self assured with them; she had a strong sense of justice and we all knew about it. She loved picnics in Powerscourt, walking the beach in Portmarnock, and being in Cleggan in Connemara. She loved her 50th birthday trip to the Christmas market in Cologne, her lunch in Guilbauds and marvelled at how a country girl like her could be at the receiving end of such service. She was a philosopher, she loved words and she loved telling Fergus he was not Cartesian enough (in other words – rational). Needless to say Françoise was a wonderful French teacher and instilled a love of the French language and culture in her students. She brought them to Cholet and Monaco in France and Bundoran, also for their French. She wrote three text books – Voilà 1 and 2 and Passe-Partout. She knew her students so well; she knew how to encourage them and instil in them a sense of confidence; she worked out the best study plans for them and assured them if they listened to her in class they were guaranteed a C. As assistant principal she embraced her responsibilities so professionally but with enthusiasm and followed her motto – no point in doing something unless you do it well. In 2010 Françoise did a Masters in Educational Guidance and Counselling in Trinity College and this qualification gave her a forum to practise her innate skills of listening, guiding and minding. She was the true counsellor, dealing with her students with genuine empathy. She loved her students and so many tributes are coming in via the Past Pupils’ Union Facebook - all bearing testimony to what she did for them to help them on their way. We all have our own experiences of Françoise be it as the home maker, wife, a wonderful cook, learning how to make pig's head pate (but having to buy the pig's head first), tasting her father’s calvados at staff dinners and trying to sing Alouette afterwards, meeting her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews, hearing stories of her family in France, getting a tip for Cheltenham, giving her a bet for the big races, her quick wit, giving her the euro for the weekly lotto, going away with the students and having such a laugh, her passion for Rugby and Football, as mentor, as the person who grounded you, as the confidence builder. I read a reference written in 1984 by Br. Murray stating that Françoise was “sensitive to the needs of others” - nothing much has changed in 31 years. On Tuesday when I last saw her she struggled to talk but was engaged listening as I told her about a recent past student who was going through troubled times. Her anxious concern was immediately apparent. This was the Françoise that we were all touched by, especially her students and close friends. Right through her illness Françoise was always alert to the troubles of others and was always there to listen to us. She was so grateful for the kindness of others enjoying right up to the end, news and texts and what people were up to. She bore her illness bravely and was so well supported by Fergus, Killian, Bérangère, Clothilde, Kathleen and her close friends Roisin, Caroline, Rose and Caroline from school as well as all her other

friends and family. We will miss you Françoise, but the legacy you have left us, a legacy of love, kindness to others and looking out for the other person, will carry on especially through Killian, Bérangère and Clothilde. Que tu sois en paix!

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School Prizes and Awards

Each year in May the school awards a number of prizes for academic, sporting, projects and all round performance. These prizes have been added to over the years. Here is a list of the key prizes:

Bernard Sheppard Medal: This award is given for academic excellence in Sixth Year. It is presented to the student who attains the highest points in the Leaving Certificate in St. Conleth’s College each year. A trust fund was set up by the past pupils to commemorate the founder of St. Conleth’s. The medal was first awarded in 1959.

The Murph Cup: This award is given annually to the pupil who attains the highest marks in the Junior Certificate. It is presented in memory of Michael Murphy, former teacher 1940- 1996.

Bank of Ireland Award: This award is presented annually by the Bank of Ireland to the Best Overall Pupil in Sixth year. The winner is decided on by a vote of the students and their class teachers. The criteria used are participation, personal development, maturity, potential leadership, integration and commitment. First awarded in 1995.

John Kelly Award for Classics and Modern Languages: The award is given to a first or sixth year student for excellence in Classics to include Latin, Greek, Classical Studies and Modern Languages, based on a portfolio of written work in any of these areas. The award is in memory of Professor John Kelly who attended St. Conleth’s between 1939-1945, and later became a Fine Gael TD and Attorney General. It was presented to the school in 1992, The perpetual trophy is a bronze head of a Grecian youth cast by the sculptor Linda Brunker.

Galileo's thermometer: The award is given to a Sixth Year student for overall excellence in Science to include Maths, Applied Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology or a combination of these subjects. It was presented to the school in 2000 by Dr Brian Beveridge, one of the first pupils at St. Conleth’s. He later studied Medicine and went on to become a noted consultant in London.

Woods Bowl: This award is presented for a project done in the broad context of Celtic Studies to include History, the Irish Language, Anglo Irish Literature and Art. The award was presented to St. Conleth’s by Philip Woods in 2000. It was designed with Celtic motifs and extracts from the Book of Kells and hand turned by a member of the Woods family.

Linguist Award: This award is given to a student for excellence in spoken modern languages. It has been awarded since 2008 and a trophy was commissioned by St. Conleth’s and created by past pupil Odhran Woods in 2013. The piece is two vessels hollow turned from two separate trees. One texture maple, the other ebonized oak. Both vessels face slightly towards each other as if in conversation.

Music Award: Awarded to the pupil who has contributed most in Music to the school, this award was inaugurated by the class of 2006. In 2013 the Parents’ Association commissioned a porcelain music symbol by Michelle Hannon as a perpetual award.

AIB Maths Award: This award is given for excellence in Maths. It was presented by AIB.

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Art Award: This is awarded to a student in Sixth Year who in the view of the adjudicators, chaired by the Art teacher, presents the best portfolio of art work each year. The award is an inscribed Art Book.

Hamilton History Trophy: This is awarded to the student who gets the highest mark in History in the Leaving Certificate. It was presented by the parents of Nicholas, Alex and Ollie Hamilton in 2010.

JP McGilligan Award: This is awarded to the best all round pupil in Transition Year. The winner is decided on by a vote of the students and their teachers. It was presented in memory of John Patrick McGilligan by his family. JP was tragically killed in a bicycle accident in 1990 while a student in Transition Year. The trophy is a bronze sculpture of the flight of the doves cast by John Behan. First awarded in 1991

Geography Award: Awarded for excellence in Geography to a sixth year student. This is an inscribed glass globe which was first awarded in 2007.

Yale Book Prize: This is awarded for academic excellence and overall personal performance. It was presented by Yale Alumni Association whose representative interviews selected students from 5th year. First awarded in 2004.

Neil Quinlan Award: This award is given to a transition year student who has stood out as someone who goes out of their way to include others. It was presented in memory of Neil Quinlan by the Parents’ Association. Neil died suddenly following a Gaisce hike in Glendalough in 2013.

Sports Award: This perpetual trophy is awarded each year for outstanding achievement in sport. It was presented to the school by the 1995 Leaving Certificate Class.

Debating Awards:

The McCarthy Cup: This cup was presented to the school by former pupil Gerard McCarthy and is awarded for excellence in debating in First Year.

The O’Connor Cup: this cup was presented to the school by the O’Connor family and is awarded for excellence in debating in Second and Third year.

The Gardner Prize: Presented by alumnus Peter Carvill in 2004 in memory of Michael Gardner, English teacher in St. Conleth’s in the sixties and early seventies. It is awarded to the best team for debating at the senior level.

The Bouchier Hayes Plate: This plate for impromptu debating at the senior level was presented by the Bouchier Hayes family in memory of their son, Dermot Bouchier Hayes, who attended St. Conleth’s

Kinlen Cup: This Cup was inaugurated in 1949. It was presented to the school by Dermot Kinlen, A Conleth’s alumnus and High Court Judge. The Cup is awarded to the best individual speaker in debating at the senior level

School Prizes (continued)

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A Very Conleth's Kind of Christmas

St. Conleth's certainly knows how to celebrate Christmas in

style! Mr. Sheridan and Ms. deBhal presided over the latest

musical marvel as everyone from First Years

through Sixth Years (and several brave members

of staff) took to the stage to play, sing and dance in

a real Christmas craic-er! Some of the many

highlights were the School Choir's rendition of

several Christmas classics, accompanied by

an extraordinary string section with two harps

(Megan Jones and Ms. deBhal), two cello (Megan

Byrne and Pierce Cambay), and at least two violins

(Mr. Manners and Michael Li). Of course, Daniel Barry

was on hand, on piano and guitar, providing more

modern accompaniment, and several students bands

took his lead to give a rockish edge to the concert. We

must also mention First Year Sam Butler's a

cappella, electrifying rap which had everyone

out of their seats and the sweetly rendered love

-song triangle of Conor White, Gavin Sheridan

and Megan Jones! And following on Oisín

Carroll's juggling feats of yesteryear, we had

another amazing feat of dexterity and derring-

do, this time in the form of a Rubix-cube-and-

various-prism-athon by Tommaso Arpe and

Josh Mullen. We did not forget the charitable

side of Christmas either, as the inaugural

LCVP class of Fifth Years organised a raffle for

the Simon Community, raising over €1,200, and doing it in

style!

Thank you for supporting the Christmas Tree Sale

The annual Christmas Tree sale was held at the

start of December with all of the proceeds once

again going to the St. Conleth’s Uganda Charity.

The weather was kind to us, and once again it

was a great success, with a steady stream of

buyers from early morning until late afternoon.

As usual there were Poinsettias for sale and this

year we also introduced Christmas Wreaths which

were very well received. Refreshments were on

sale too as well as other food items brought along

by the Transition Year Students as part of their

mini-company projects. The students also offered

Christmas Cards and organised a Raffle too and

contributed part of their proceeds towards the

Uganda Charity

Special thanks to the many parents who chose to

purchase their Christmas Tree from St. Conleth’s

this year. Thanks also to the many parents who

gave freely of their time to help organise and run

the event, and to the Transition Year Students

who helped to move the trees around

and deliver them to homes in the

locality. A great team effort, for a very

worthy cause.

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We’re a Nut-Free School

Peanuts are among the most common allergy-causing foods, and they often find their way into

things you wouldn't imagine. Peanuts aren't actually a true nut; they're a legume (in the same family

as peas and lentils). But the proteins in peanuts are similar in structure to those in tree nuts. For this

reason, people who are allergic to peanuts can also be allergic to tree nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts,

walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pecans, and cashews.

The body's immune system normally fights infection. But, when someone is allergic to tree nuts or

peanuts, the immune system overreacts to proteins in these foods. Every time the person eats (or,

in some cases, handles) a peanut or tree nut, the body thinks the proteins are harmful invaders. The

immune system responds by kicking into high gear to fend off the "invader." This causes an allergic

reaction, in which chemicals like histamine are released in the body.

The release of these chemicals can cause someone to have some or all of the following problems:

wheezing

trouble breathing

coughing

hoarseness

throat tightness

stomach ache

vomiting

diarrhoea

itchy, watery, or swollen eyes

hives

red spots

swelling

a drop in blood pressure

Nut and peanut allergies can cause a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis may begin with

some of the same symptoms as a less severe reaction, but then quickly worsen, leading someone to have

trouble breathing, feel lightheaded, or to pass out. If it is not treated it can be life threatening.

If allergy skin testing shows that someone has a peanut or tree nut allergy, a doctor will provide guidelines

on what to do.

The best way to prevent a reaction in someone with a nut allergy is

to avoid peanuts and tree nuts. Avoiding nuts means more than

just not eating them. It also means not eating any foods that might

contain tree nuts or peanuts as ingredients.

Now that our school is a nut-free zone as there are a number of

students with nut allergies, it is vitally important that all parents,

students, teachers and staff in the school know about the No-Nuts

policy. This is to ensure that no nut or nut products are served in

the canteen, sold in the Tuck Shop, brought into the school in

lunch-boxes, brought back to the school from local shops or even

included in bake sales, etc. The school does have an EPI PEN

available should it be needed and is available in the staff room for

students and teachers to access in an emergency situation. This

EPI PEN is used to stop the symptoms above and crucially to

prevent a life threatening situation.

Living with an allergy of any kind can be difficult but with

good information and support from family, friends, school

etc. it might not seem so challenging!

© 2015 St. Conleth’s College Senior School Parents’ Association Our postal address: Senior School Parents’ Association, St. Conleth’s College, Clyde Road, Dublin 4, Ireland

Page 18

If you have any feedback; would

like to update your details or

include an article in our next

edition then please contact us.

This Newsletter is also available

to read or download online at

stconleths.ie

Suggestion Box

There is lots of information on

the school website and it is

regularly updated. Do check it

regularly

Home page here>>

School News here>>

The School text messaging

service here>>

Useful School Links

Parent’s Queries

We love receiving

queries from

parents which we

look to answer or

address with the

school. Please contact your

class rep who will raise the issue

and provide you with the

response. If there is anything of

general interest we will publish it

here in the newsletter.

Dr Maureen Griffin—Internet Safety

Dr. Maureen Griffin delivered a very interesting talk to all students from

6th From - 6th Year on Monday 19th January on a year-by-year basis.

This event is sponsored by both Parents' Associations. Feedback about

the talk was excellent both from students and teachers. Dr. Griffin is the

founder of Internet Safety for Schools Ireland and

has visited over 300 schools (primary & post pri-

mary) across Ireland speaking with students,

staff, Board of management members and par-

ents regarding issues around social media, cyber

-bullying and internet and mobile phone safety.

And Finally...

Next Newsletter We’ll be publishing our next edition in May. If you have any articles, photos, or suggestions for content, please send to your class representative.

Parent Talk - As a joint initiative, parents of all classes in the Senior

School and parents of 5th & 6th Form Junior School are invited to a talk

in the school on Tuesday 28th April @ 7.30pm being given by

Headstrong. The Headstrong organisation is working to change how

Ireland thinks about young people's mental health. The title of the talk is

'Supporting Young Peoples Mental Health'. A reminder email will be

sent nearer the time.

David Hassett / UCD Ad Astra Congratulations to David Hassett (Class 2014)

who was awarded a UCD Ad Astra Scholarship.

An Ad Astra Scholarship is awarded to a student

who has received six A1 grades in their Leaving

Certificate. Many congratulations to David, his

family Philo, John and brothers Michael and

Matthew (also Conlethians) and his teachers on

this remarkable achievement.