22 October 2021
Updated calendar
Please see the updated calendar for school events through November and December, as set out below:
| November 2021 | ||
| Mon. 1 | School re-opens after mid-term break | 08.50 |
| Parents’ Council meeting | 18.30 – 19.30 | |
| Tues. 2 | CAT 4 Testing – 4th year students | |
| Thurs. 4 | Staff CPD | 15.05 – 17.05 |
| Wed. 10 | 6th year Parent-Teacher Meeting | 16.15 – 18.45 |
| Tues. 16 | General Meeting of Parents | 18.00 – 19.15 |
| Thurs. 25 | 3rd year Parent-Teacher Meeting | 16.15 – 18.45 |
| Fri. 26 | Wellbeing Day – 6th year students | |
| December 2021 | ||
| Thurs. 2 | 5th year Parent-Teacher Meeting | 16.15 – 18.45 |
| Mon. 6 | Free Day – school closed | |
| Tues. 7 | School Show – Calamity Jane – National Opera House | 19.30 |
| Wed. 8 | School Show | 19.30 |
| Thurs. 9 | School Show | 19.30 |
| Mon. 13 | Parents’ Council meeting | 18.30 – 19.30 |
| Thurs. 16 | Academic Awards Ceremony | 18.00 |
| Tues. 21 | Christmas Carol Service | 13.30 |
| Wed. 22 | School closes for Christmas holiday | 12.00 |
Details will be announced after mid-term of how the parent-teacher meetings and the general meeting of parents will operate.
Athletics Report
The school was well represented at the Leinster Schools Combined Events held at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday, 16 October.
The girls had five events to complete which included 60m hurdles, shot putt, long jump, high jump and an 800m race.
Competing at Intermediate was Eimear Halpin, finishing in 7th place with 2526 points.
The Junior girls were Cara Kelly in 11th place with 2030 points and Bronagh Boggan in 13th place with 1790 points.
The Minor girls were Ciara Laffan in 16th place with 1850 points and Leá Bolger in 14th place with 1719 points.
Inclusion Committee 2021-22
Our Inclusion Committee is back up and running with many exciting plans for the year ahead.
Ms. Pheasey will lead whole school celebrations of Stand Up Awareness Week from 15 to 19 November. November is also an important month for civil rights in Wexford with many events planned in the community for the Frederick Douglass Civil Rights Festival from 26 to 28 November which our members are keen to attend. Please see the Frederick Douglass Festival Facebook page for details of these events.
One of our members, Lilli Mai Harrison is carrying out important work for Maynooth University around inclusion issues (see separate article).
We have also decided to celebrate our annual Multicultural Festival on the week beginning 31 January with students already contacting us to represent their culture. This year we hope to return to our fun-filled in-person events.
Many thanks to Elena Ebner who has been nominated as our committee secretary this year and will keep the school community informed about all our work.
Many thanks also to Sreelakshmy Bino who has researched the dates of important religious festivals to ensure that they are acknowledged in our school community.
We always welcome new members so keep an eye out for notices about future meetings.
Committee Members, 2021-22
| Lilli Mai Harrison | Student |
| Dinah Leonard | Student |
| Mary Anne Redmond | Student |
| Kerry Kehoe | Student |
| Aoibhín Ní Gleasáin | Student |
| Alisha Sheppard | Student |
| Abbie O’ Brien | Student |
| Emma Daly | Student |
| Elena Ebner | Student, Secretary |
| Sreelakshmy Bino | Student |
| Faye Forsey | Student |
| Michelle McLean | Teacher |
| Marianne Siggins | SNA |
| Anna Culleton | Teacher |
| Laura Pheasey | Teacher |
| Tanya Whelan | Teacher |
| Michelle Jordan | Teacher, Chairperson |
Maynooth University: Youth Advisory Group
Well done to Lilli Mai Harrison, 4.4 who is representing Loreto Wexford in Maynooth University’s Youth Advisory Group.
The group is made up of secondary school students, college students and two professors who are carrying out research on how best to inform educators and youth workers about key issues such as dealing with extremism, racism and misogyny and how to create a sense of belonging.
Lilli Mai and her peers from across the country will make important contributions which will shape this research.
Professor Aisling O’ Donnell and Professor Anthony Malone from MU’s Education Department will produce resources at the end of this research for all educators and youth workers. These resources will ensure that young people across the country grow up in a more inclusive society.
Thank you, Lilli Mai, for your important work.
Warning regarding jelly sweets containing cannabis (THC)
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is urging parents and guardians to be extremely vigilant to the dangers of their children getting access to and eating confectionary, particularly jelly sweets, containing significant amounts of the psychoactive cannabis component called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This warning comes amid the ongoing seizures of these illegal food products by the Gardaí and Customs services, and a number of serious medical incidents whereby these THC-containing jelly sweets resulted in teenagers and young children suffering serious adverse health effects requiring hospitalisation. These jelly sweets are packaged to look like popular brands of jellies and have been found to contain toxic amounts of THC (up to 50mg/jelly). Depending on the concentration of THC, eating one of these jellies can mean an equivalent intake of THC that is 5-10 times higher than that inhaled from a single cannabis cigarette. Also, unlike the almost immediate effects of inhaling THC (smoking or vaping), ingesting THC through these jellies can take up to 30 minutes for any effects to be felt. However, while waiting for those effects, those who have eaten these products may overdose in the mistaken belief that they need to eat more sweets in order to feel the effects. Of particular concern to the FSAI is the inadvertent consumption of these jelly sweets by small children who may somehow gain access to what looks and possibly tastes like ordinary sweets. Unfortunately, given access to a bag of these jellies, children will rarely eat just one and therefore, overdosing is a very likely outcome as witnessed by the hospitalisation of a number of seriously ill young children in the early part of 2021.
The FSAI has become aware of reports about the availability of THC-containing jelly sweets in schools in Ireland and therefore, parents and guardians are asked to speak with their teenagers alerting them to the dangers if they eat them or if their younger siblings get access to them and subsequently suffer the serious consequences of consuming a toxic substance.
Thank you
The school is most appreciative of the hard work, commitment, flexibility and understanding of all members of its community as we reach the Halloween mid-term break.
We wish everyone a well-deserved break before we return for what will be a busy term to Christmas.
We ask everyone to take personal responsibility for staying safe and well during these difficult Covid times.
