2 December 2022
Visit of Caroline Clarke
The school was delighted to welcome Caroline Clarke (Director of Education with the Loreto Trust) on Tuesday, 29 November. Throughout her visit, Caroline had the opportunity to meet with staff and students from the school. Her visit culminated in a meeting with the TY Horticulture class and the Justice and Peace group. We thank her for the ongoing support of all in Loreto, Wexford.
College Awareness Day
As part of a school-wide approach to Guidance provision, all students attended talks from four second level institutions as part of College Awareness Day. This gives the students an opportunity to explore and discuss their options upon leaving Loreto.
The Ark Project and Grow Wild – Report by Anna Benson, Elena Peiro-Doyle, Katie Audsley and Rebecca Hennessy
Gardening provides a sense of agency and empowerment. It is beneficial to students’ health and well-being. This statement resonated with the Justice and Peace group in Loreto so they took initiative from Mary Reynolds and the ‘We Are The Ark Project’ to create an Ark and outside classroom. This year plans have been made to extend the Ark and create a school garden. We wish to create a garden that will be a space for students to connect with nature and boost their well-being.
Our Loreto Ark started as a piece of forgotten land unused and unvisited. Justice and Peace group took an interest, in doing so they have increased the school’s eco-footprint, and bio-diversity levels and once finished will provide a safe space for every student teacher, and staff member to be at one with nature. The inspiration was got from Mary Reynolds an accomplished landscaper designer, author, and public activist. Mary’s idea for the Ark is to return gardens to nature through Acts of Restorative Kindness.
In the first step to creating the Ark we, with the help of Mary drew up a plan, including a pathway, threshold, labyrinth, and an outdoor classroom. The first step was to create a pathway, to do so we received a donation of mulch from old Christmas trees to line a path. The committee spent many Friday evenings with shovels and wheelbarrows spreading mulch to create the path. It was important to us to not create waste to do this, and for that reason, we chose to use mulch made from used Christmas trees, this not only didn’t create waste it saved Christmas trees from being dumped or burned. At the end of the year the 2022 sixth years collected stones and painted them, they then lined the pathway through the ark as a parting gift to Loreto.
The next step in creating our Ark was to begin preparation for the labyrinth. A labyrinth often compared to a maze is used for walking meditation. It is a single winding path from the outer edge in a circular way to the centre. They are used worldwide to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance, enhance creativity, and encourage meditation. The labyrinth is space for students to meditate while being surrounded by nature. With the help of Ms. J Byrne, we started to dig out the circle at the end of the Ark. The labyrinth will be the centre of our outdoor classroom and will allow students to fully embrace the calming effects of nature. We hope to finish building the labyrinth this year.
Once both the pathway and foundation for the labyrinth were completed, we built an entryway to our Ark. Two large, donated tree logs stretch along the width of our ark. We used some foraged sticks as stakes to build a fence. Sarahkate Ennis painted two beautiful pieces of wood. With that, the 2021/2022 school year ended.
In this school year, we have begun work on not only the Ark but also our new school garden and polytunnels. This new project is called ‘Grow Wild’.
The school garden will provide numerous opportunities to engage students outdoors, involve them in hands-on learning as well as provide a source of nutrition, wildlife habitat, and space for scientific observation and experiments. There are multiple variations and purposes associated with the school garden we hope to create. These will include a space for students to connect with nature, remove themselves from some of the stresses associated with school, and encourage them to take responsibility for maintaining and harvesting crops.
Our school garden will have: a fruit and vegetable garden to grow ingredients for the Home Economics department, a variety of salads, herbs, berries, etc.; a native flora garden to provide habitat for local pollinators and unique Irish species; an experimental garden where students can compare different gardening practices and inputs in including new STEM-rich technologies such as sensors, grow towers, drip irrigation, etc.; a sensory garden for students to explore the textures, smells, colours and even sounds of nature. This space will provide an educational opportunity as well as cater to students’ emotional and social needs.
Through Wexford County Council our school is receiving funding form the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme. Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme is a programme to ensure the health and wellbeing needs of our communities are supported. The Council have a close connection to the communities of Wexford. They play an important role in community development, housing, social supports, and public space. At Loreto Wexford, we are delighted to be working alongside them in the development of our school community garden, Grow Wild. We thank Wexford County Council for their valued support.
Grow Wild will work alongside the Ark in trying to heal nature and increase biodiversity.
In the entrance to the Ark with Mr. Cummins’s 3rd class history class, we planted Crocuses in the shape of the Star of David, in reembrace of the one and a half million Jewish children and thousands of other children who died in The Holocaust. The yellow colour of the Crocuses reminds us of the yellow star the Jews had to wear under Nazi rule. The flower reminds us of all the children who perished. When the Crocuses bloom at the beginning of spring, we remember the children who died. But the beautiful flowers also remind us that, even after the most terrible events, new life begins again, and we can hope that things will be better than they were before. The flowers remind us that there is still beauty in the world and hope for our future. Planting the flowers is sad, but it is hopeful too. Eventually, we hope that children from all over the world will plant yellow Crocuses in memory of all of the children who died in The Holocaust.
Brief Updates/Forthcoming Events
- Congratulations to our senior football team who secured a hard-fought draw against Scoil Chríost Rí, Portlaoise on Thursday.
- We express our thanks to all who contributed to the St Vincent De Paul food appeal.
- Our 6th Year Business and LCVP classes enjoyed a calorie laden Tuesday in Butler’s Chocolate Factory, Dublin. They got the chance to tour the factory and create their own chocolate delicacy.
- The Parents’ Council will meet on Monday, 5 December at 18.30 in the school. All parents are welcome to attend.
- The 5th Year Parent – Teacher Meeting will take place between 16.15 and 18.45 on Thursday, 8 December.
