14 December 2018
Christmas Week in Loreto
Monday, 17 December
- All TY students will be carol singing in town from 11.05 to 14.00
- Normal classes will proceed or all other year groups.
- The annual Academic Awards will be presented at 18.00 in the Sports Hall to students who achieved outstanding results in last summer’s 2nd and 5th year school examinations as well as the 2018 Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations.
Tuesday, 18 December
- TY Trade Fair – General Purpose Area.
- TY students will set up from 08:50 to 09:30.
- Class visits to Trade Fair, with timetabled teachers:
Year Group Class Period 1st 09.30 2nd 10.10 3rd 11.05 5th and 6th 10.50 to 11.05 break - Normal classes will proceed outside of these times.
Wednesday, 19 December
- 6th years will be involved in their Christmas Show all day.
- They will present their show twice in the Sports Hall:
- 45 to 13.05 1st, 2nd and 3rd years, accompanied by timetabled teachers
- 05 to 15.25 4th and 5th years, accompanied by timetabled teachers
- Normal classes will proceed outside of these times.
Thursday, 20 December
- Normal classes proceed until 11.45.
- Lunch will be from 11.45 to 12.45.
- Students will report to their base rooms at 12.45 and await a call over the intercom to then proceed, with their class teacher, to Clonard Church for the Carol Service that will begin at 13.30.
- Students may leave for home from Clonard Church at the end of the service. Those returning to school are asked to do so under teacher supervision. Road crossings will be supervised on the journey to and from the church.
Friday, 21 December
- No Uniform Day.
- Normal 08.50 class.
- Murphy’s Christmas Table Quiz begins at 09.30
- Venues for Table Quiz – supervised by timetabled teachers
| Year | Rooms |
| 1st | Sts. Joseph, Ignatius, Anthony, Bernadette, Maths Room 1 |
| 2nd | Selskar, Menapia, Tuskar, Religion, St. Brigid |
| 3rd | Sts. Peter, Raphael, Michael, John Paul |
| 4th | Sts. Cecelia, Anne, Ita, Teresa |
| 5th | General Purpose Area |
| 6th | General Purpose Area |
Close of school at 12.00
5th Year Trip to W.C.F.E. & WIT – report by Sophie Innes (student)
On 23 November 2018 the 5th year students headed up to Waterford accompanied by our guidance teachers and other members of staff.
Our first stop was W.C.F.E (Waterford College of Further Education). There we received information on the wide range of day and night courses available. A member of staff there gave us a brief presentation which provided us with factual information such as the fees, courses offered and the entry requirements. We were then allowed free time to explore the campus and talk with current teachers and students about the various courses. The college provides full-time courses such as Beauty Therapy, Engineering, Computing, Childcare, Sports and much more.
After we had finished looking around, we got back onto the buses and carried on to WIT (Waterford Institute of Technology) west campus. There we were afforded free time to go to our preferred talks and visit the course information stands that were set up in the multi-purpose hall. WIT offers an extensive range of CAO undergraduate courses (over 70) across a range of disciplines. Courses offered include Engineering, Arts, Law, Computing, Social Sciences, Languages, Music, Architecture. At the information stands we were given a brief overview of what studying these courses may entail. Friendly teachers and students patiently answered our questions and many leaflets were available to us with additional information. Talks were also scheduled throughout the day in order to give students a more in-depth view into programmes at WIT. Most talks spanned over a period of 30 minutes and were given by lecturers. There were talks in Business, Engineering, Science & Computing, Humanities and Health Sciences.
Our last stop of the day was WIT’s main campus. Here we were split into small groups and given a short tour of the campus. Our guides were current students of WIT. They gave us helpful information about the facilities, student areas and student life in WIT. Our trip to W.C.F.E and WIT was a huge success as it gave us interesting and beneficial information about our education options after secondary school.
On behalf of all 5th year students I would like to thank Ms. Kelly and Ms .Foley, our guidance teachers, for organising this trip and to all the teachers who made it possible by accompanying us.
Paired Reading – report by Ms. M. Jordan
Yet another successful term of Paired Reading has been completed this year. Paired Reading involves a group of TY students reading with a group of 1st year students to help them foster a love of reading.
1st Years received their certificates on Wednesday for completing the Paired Reading Programme. TY tutors will receive their certificates at the end of the year.
All the girls involved were very generous with their time, giving up twenty minutes of their lunch times from Monday to Thursday over the last eight weeks. Here are some of the first years’ thoughts on the ‘reading club’:
- ‘I now read more often and I am only a bit nervous about reading in front of the class’
- ‘It helped my confidence’
- ‘I liked taking part because my tutor was so nice’
TY students also enjoyed working with and helping the first years saying it was good to mix with a different year group and form new friendships and they enjoyed watching their first year’s reading improve as the weeks went by.
At the end of the programme, we all had a Christmas party in the Learning Support Room where we had sweets and treats. Well done to all involved!
