“They who work with their hands are labourers. They who work with their hands and heads are craftsmen. Some years ago, a network newsletter was circulated regularly in Loreto They who work with their primary, secondary and community schools. This publication celebrated life in hands and their heads and their hearts are artists.” our schools, allowed for an interchange of ideas and practices, encouraged St. Francis of Assisi: collaboration and fostered a sense of belonging to the Loreto family. The Loreto Network Education Committee, recognising the benefits of such a publication and the ease at which material can now be circulated efficiently and cost effectively on-line, decided to revive this initiative and is now publishing an annual eNewsletter for dissemination to whole school communities. The thematic format was inspired by a recent reflection of Pope Francis on the goals of Catholic education. We should teach three languages - those of the Inside this head (intellect), those of the heart (affection/emotions) and those of the hands issue: (activity). This eNewsletter is a compilation of stories from our schools illustrating how we are attempting to address these goals. Secondary Schools May you be inspired by what you read— head, heart and hand. HEAD 2-12 Robert Dunne , HEART 13-26 Chairperson, HAND 27-38 LNEC. Primary Schools Head 39-43 Heart 44-49 Hand 50-55 Sports 56 Debates 57 1 HEAD 2 Introduction of iPads to Beaufort – A Novel Adventure HEAD Since early 2015 Loreto High School Beaufort has been facilitating the introduction of iPads as a significant learning resource for our staff and students. Initially staff were provided with iPads and the whole school had the benefit of using a class set. In September 2016 all First Years purchased their own iPads and used them to access their textbooks and other interactive facilities. t r o f u The iPads have encouraged creativity, collaboration, communication and a e critical thinking for both staff and students. They have given our students B learning opportunities that are both engaging and fun. We believe the integration of digital technology is essential as we prepare our students to live and work in a modern society. And of course, the reduced weight of the school bag is something we have been concerned about for a long time. The iPad in the classroom has brought education to life for us. Students have endless access to valuable information such as a dictionary and thesaurus or statistics. Interactive technology makes learning more engaging and memorable. Tools such as audio and video recorders can change the way that learning takes place and homework is completed. Our iPad adventure has been an exciting and smooth journey that continues to enhance education and learning in our school. In our opinion the novelty will never wear off. Loreto Fermoy Reflection Room Last September, we proudly launched our Reflection Room. The room has been developed in consultation with our Religious Education department and in support of the new Junior Cycle Wellbeing Guidelines. The holistic development of our girls has always been to the fore at y o Loreto Fermoy and this room m r further supports the personal e F and spiritual development of each Loreto Fermoy girl. All Current 3rd year students taking some time to Representatives of Student meditate & breath in advance of their Pre Council, Mr. Liam O’Mahony students at Loreto Fermoy use examinations. & Ms Aislinn Barry the room on a weekly basis with the help and guidance of their Religious Education teachers. The room is used for varied activities and learning experiences including class prayer services, guided meditations, personal or group reflective activities, retreat workshops, class discussions and debates, mindfulness sessions and yoga. We look forward to further enhancing the Reflection Room’s capacity by investing in additional sensory enhancements later this year. 3 Loreto Navan - A new Resource. Academic achievement HEAD Accelerated Reader, a new programme introduced in Loreto Navan has raised the profile of reading among the entire school body – staff included! Teachers are sharing their reading with students and the culture of reading is quickly spreading! Our “Read Wall” provides reading recommendations and is updated on a regularly based on suggestions from what our students are currently reading. Our top reader in First Year has read 18 books so far, reading a total of almost 100,000 words! She is well on her way to becoming a “word millionaire”. Omagh - Mandarin Chinese Fifteen students from Years 9-14 are currently involved in the Mandarin Chinese Programme from YCT1 – HSK4 Levels. Mandarin Chinese Tutors from Confucius Hub at the South West College have been teaching twilight courses for the past four years. Chelsea McElroy Year 13 won the Northern Ireland heat of the Intermediate Speaking Competition held in the MAC Theatre, Belfast in November 2018. On Monday 5th February 2018 Chelsea and other Northern Ireland finalists met with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Mrs Sonya Copeland in the City Hall, Belfast. Chelsea travelled to London on 7th Feb 2018 to compete in the UK Finals accompanied by Mrs C. Turbitt, Vice-Principal. Niamh Doherty Year 14 was selected as the Confucius Institute h g Young Ambassador for Mandarin Chinese in recognition of her a outstanding achievements and efforts. She travelled to the m O Chinese New Year celebrations in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on 1st March, where she was presented with her award and a Waterstones gift voucher. These two students were also recognised for their Mrs Catriona Turbitt VP Loreto, Omagh, Chelsea McElroy and achievements in Mandarin Chinese by the South West College Mr Zhu Gongquan of the Con- fucias Institute. Confucius Hub on 21st February 2018 at a Gala Dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year. Year 11 student Amy Liu will also be recognised for achieving full marks in her HSK1 examination. St Stephen’s Green - Leaving Cert Results 2017 s ’ n e n Congratulations to all the 6th Year class of 2017 and to their teachers on their wonderful h e results in the Leaving Certificate. Congratulations to Elizabeth Bolger who achieved an p e e r amazing 8H1s. Elizabeth was one of 13 students nationwide to achieve the maximum t G S grade. t S Good luck to all our class of 2018 in the year ahead. 4 Foxrock - Academic Role Models: HEAD Loreto Foxrock is immensely proud of our Class of 2017 and their Leaving Certificate achievements. Special congratulations to our three recipients of UCD Ad Astra Awards. Eva Glynn and Aisling Walsh received scholarships for academic excellence, while Ellen Curran was awarded an Elite Sports Scholarship in recognition of her exploits on the hockey pitch. Additionally, six students received entrance scholarships from UCD and three received scholarships from Trinity College. k c Members of the Class of 2017 also recently visited the school to speak about their college o r experiences to date; something which provided lots of food for thought (and no small amount x o of humorous anecdotes!) for our current F 6th Years. On the theme of academic achievement, congratulations to Candy Bei (5th Year) who won a silver medal in the national final of the selection rounds of the International Junior Science Olympiad Competition. Candy went on to represent Ireland in the Netherlands and won a bronze medal. Over 300 students from 50 countries participated in this prestigious event. Loreto Milford Our Wellbeing Committee, encompassing our Health Promoting School and Mental Health Committees, ran a number of initiatives throughout the year to highlight the importance of positive mental health. A poster competition this year yielded some very interesting and thought provoking visual representations of mental health. d r o f l i M 5 Dúshlán Romhainn i Meánscoil Loreto, Cluain Meala. HEAD Is í 2018 Bliain na Gaeilge agus i mbliana tá ár gCoiste Gaelbhratach ag obair go dian ag iarraidh Gaelbhratach a bhaint amach don scoil. Bíonn Cruinniú ag an gCoiste Gaelbhratach uair sa tseachtain, ar an gCéadaoin, ag plé conas gur féidir an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn timpeall na scoile. Tá seanfhocal mar Mhana a againn: Labhair an Ghaeilge agus l a mairfidh sí agus is í an fhís atá againn e M ná go dtabhfar seans do gach dalta an n Ghaeilge a úsáid lasmuigh den seomra ranga i dtreo is go mbeidh muinín ag an dalta aisti i a u féin i labhairt na teanga. l C Is iomaí imeacht a bhíonn ar siúl. Tugtar cuireadh do na daltaí sóisearacha cluichí trí Ghaeilge a imirt am lóin trí Ghaeilge agus cuirtear Ciorcal Comhrá ar siúl gach Aoine do na daltaí sinsearacha. Gach Aoine cloistear Paidir Loreto thar an idirchum agus bíonn seanfhocal na seachtaine le cloisteáil freisin. Gach bliain in ár scoil déantar tionsnamh ar Mháire Nic an Bhaird (Mary Ward) i dtreo is go mbíonn tuiscint ag gach dalta ar an mbean seo a bhunaigh an t-Ord Loreto. I mbliana cuireadh taispeántas dhátheangach ar siúl, i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge. Freisin ghlac daltaí san Cúigiú Bliain páirt i nGaeilge 24 i mí na Samhna agus bhí said ag labhairt na Gaeilge i rith an lae. Ghlac ár bhfoireann díospóireachta páirt i gComórtas an Phiarsaigh a d’eagraigh Gael Linn agus cuireadh an díospóireacht ar siúl in ár scoil. Bh- ghnóthach ag déanamh pleananna don Seachtain na Gaeilge agus bhain gach éinne taitneamh as na himeachtaí. Dalkey - Creative Writing Club Our "Writer in Residence" workshop concluded recently. Dave Rudden visited the school for six weeks and worked on poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing with the group. He also gave an excellent insight into the editing and publishing industries. The participants then worked on some pieces for a writing y exhibition which will take place later in the e k term. The Creative Writing Club has also l a welcomed “spoken-word” artist, Irish Times D columnist and young-adult novelist, Sarah Maria Griffin. Sarah led a workshop on poetry writing and then treated the students to “spoken-word” poetry performances. We have teamed up with Ms Raleigh and the Art Club for this project and our display will visually celebrate the culture of reading and writing in the school. 6 Loreto Mullingar HEAD Fionnuala Maher, TY and Niamh O’Reilly 5th year took part in the Soroptomists National Public Speaking final in Ballina in March. This was an amazing achievement against tough and talented opposition throughout the whole competition. We have every faith that they will r a continue to represent us proudly into the future. g n We are very excited to be chosen as a pilot school for the new Leaving Certificate PE i l l u programme. Having offered GCSE PE to our senior students since 2012, we are delighted to M have the opportunity to provide an Irish specification to our girls. The interest in pursuing PE as an examination subject is extremely high among students and we sincerely thank our pioneering PE department for all their trailblazing hard work and dedication. Pobalscoil na Tríonóide Congratulations to Cara Griffin, Olan Coleman and Brian Ronayne from Pobalscoil na Tríonóide in Youghal, who won an EU-funded trip to Brussels as part of the EU’s ‘Meet Your MEP’ competition. They were part of a group of forty students from across Ireland to be selected by MEP Seán Kelly after each composing an essay entitled, ‘What the EU a means to me’. n l e On the 7th of December, we departed for Brussels from i d o c ió Dublin Airport. A busy but interesting couple of days lay s n l o ahead of us. We spent the first day at the European a í b rT Parliament with Mr. Kelly, discussing topical EU affairs o P such as Brexit and agriculture. That evening, we got the opportunity to visit a “classroom of the future” which we thought was very interesting. At the European Commission, we heard Commissioner Phil Hogan speak about Irish agriculture. In the evening, we had free time to Cara Griffin, Olan Coleman and Brian Ronayne explore the city of Brussels. Overall, it was a really enjoyable and beneficial trip. We learned much more from the experience rather than simply studying about it at school. On a social level it was great as we made new friends. We learned much about the EU’s work and structure and gained insights into how Brexit will impact Ireland. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Loreto Wexford d r My name is Amy Richards, a fifth year student in Loreto, Wexford. Recently, I finished in o fx second place in my category at the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition. My e W project was entitled ‘The use of Essential Oils for the control of Bacteria”. I investigated the antimicrobial effects of several plant components on E.coli and Listeria. I was then able to create my own natural antibacterial soap. 7 Loreto Letterkenny - All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad HEAD Students from Loreto Secondary School Letterkenny have been taking part in the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) for many years. This nationwide initiative aims to foster the next generation of problem solvers for Ireland. Students must develop their own strategies for solving complex problems in unfamiliar languages. Here in Loreto Letterkenny, we believe that taking part in this initiative is an excellent way of developing our students’ critical thinking skills. The school hosted a regional AILO problem solving workshop in early January, which was facilitated by a past pupil who was a finalist four years ago. Many of our students then went on to compete in the first round of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad which took place in the school on the 29th January. The girls worked hard to decipher linguistic codes and put their problem thinking skills to the test. Our girls have certainly shown that they have a knack for logic, lateral thinking and languages. We are delighted that three of our students, Erin Doherty, Vanessa Nunan and Ciara O’Malley, have qualified in the top one hundred students of over one thousand three hundred entrants and will now represent Loreto Secondary School Letterkenny in the National Final in Dublin on the 13th of March. The girls will represent their school with ninety-seven other students from schools all over the country. We wish Erin, Vanessa and Ciara the very best of luck as they compete for the opportunity to represent Ireland in the International Linguistics Olympiad 2018 in Prague in July. Gorey Community School Our Digital Journey Gorey CS is on a Digital journey to enhance Teaching and Learning. Staff have embraced the process, with many attending CPD to upskill and improve their knowledge. For too long teachers were working in isolation, creating resources and using them in class without sharing with colleagues. Staff now recognise that sharing quality resources is a valuable exercise. The school applied to pilot the Digital Learning Framework, which supports schools in developing a Digital Plan. Staff were consulted on their digital vision for the school, and y e particular areas were prioritised, including collaboration and digital assessment. The PDST r o G appointed an advisor to work with the school, providing workshop and sharing best practice for teachers to adopt and integrate into their own teaching. All teachers and students have access to Office365, dedicated school email addresses, Edmodo and various assessment tools like GoFormative, Padlet, WiserMe and EdPuzzle. These tools have helped students interact and collaborate in the class – key skills in the new Junior Cert. Teachers are encouraged to work with colleagues in their subject areas to build a Resource Library, that can be accessed by all. These subject resource libraries are stored on OneDrive which makes working together easy. Gorey Community School is in the early stages of our digital journey – but change is already happening. 8 HEAD Brookfield Dancing with the Stars of St. Aidan’s CS Variety Show Last year, the students of St. Aidan’s Community School performed in a variety show in the Tallaght Civic Theatre. The night was hugely successful with acts from right across the d school. The talent on display was incredible and it was certainly a night to remember. l e On Monday 16th April 2018, St. Aidan’s students will perform for their peers, friends and i f k families in the Tallaght Civic Theatre. Drawing from the success of last year’s show, this o o year will be bigger, brighter and even more fun. The r B students have already started a tight rehearsal schedule and the show is going to be amazing. We have singers, song writers, dancers, actors, comedians, musicians not to mention some very talented staff who will also be performing! Success does not happen overnight Our strict rehearsal schedule ensures that everyone has had ample time to rehearse and perfect their piece. We are all looking forward to seeing what the staff and students of St. Aidan’s Community School have to offer this year. X-factor- you better watch out! Loreto Cavan - Entering a new digital age The teachers in our Mathematics department are excited to be the first in our school to use Microsoft Surface Devices as a teaching n a and learning tool in their subject. They have been busy upskilling v a since September, and with the help of the Digital Leaders C program, supported by Wriggle, they have been receiving training on to use these new devices. We are very excited to see how this digital age will roll out across the school. Portmarnock Community School ‘Winners of the ‘Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup 2017 in Odessa, Ukraine’. Having won the ‘Young Social Innovators of 2016 and Category Award Winners of 2017’, k c four students from Portmarnock Community School were selected to represent Ireland at o n the SAGE World Cup held in Odessa, Ukraine August 13th 2017. r a Their project is entitled ‘Global Citizens Mapping the Future’. Global Citizens Mapping m t the Future is a non-profit Social Enterprise Project,making maps for developing r o countries. Over the last four years they have mapped Lesotho and thus have helped P tackle challenges such as Soil Erosion, Unemployment, Disaster Relief and an inadequate Emergency Service. They use a website called OpenStreetMap.org that allows them to take satellite images to record geographical information such as 9 infrastructure, population densities and land use. Over this period, more than 27 million edits HEAD for maps have been generated, which has established Lesotho as the most mapped country in all of Africa This is now an acknowledged model for other developing countries that have inadequate maps. d e 32 countries competed at the world cup in Ukraine. Ireland qualified for the finals alongside u n Chile, Canada and the USA. From this Ireland presented to a panel of 25 judges in the final, i tn all from different fields in business and education They delivered an outstanding performance o and achieved the coveted prize of First in the World! C k c o In addition to this, the team were awarded four gold awards for the Sustainable Development n Goals, as SAGE is partnered with the United Nations. r a m t r o P Dr Curtis DeBerg CEO SAGE; Ahmed Jouda; Ravikanth Gollapalli; Colin McAndrew; Luke Peyton; Rob Best COO Loreto Kilkenny - Loreto girls Ella and Jessie are 3rd in the World Loreto Kilkenny has a long tradition of entering the Young Scientist competition and has always done very well. In January 2017 however the school achieved the best result to date! The school was very proud of the achievement of two of our TY students, Ella Brennan and Jessie Oyenuga who were the overall winners of the Intermediate group section of the Social and Behavioural Sciences category. Their project was entitled “An intervention to investigate if increased education on the topic of y n osteoporosis and the importance of dairy will n e increase calcium and vitamin D intake in teenage k girls”. As a result of the success of the project Ella l i K and Jessie entered the John Hooper Medal for Statistics competition and went on to win this event which was also a great achievement. During the summer of 2017 they went on to represent Ireland in Colm Keher Principal, Ella Brennan, Jessie Oyenuga the ISLP Poster competition at the World Statistics and Tony Joyce Chairperson Board of Management Conference held in Marrakech, Morocco. The poster from the BTYSE project was called “Don’t Ditch Your Dairy” and was entered in this very prestigious competition. The posters were evaluated by a jury from five continents. Everyone in Loreto is very proud of Ella and Jessie as they came 3rd in the world in the their category. 10