Principal update 14th March 2025
14th March 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
What a busy few weeks it has been here at St. Colmcille's GNS celebrating two of our favourite events – Seachtain na Gaeilge and Book Week! These events provided fantastic opportunities for our students to immerse themselves in the Irish language and culture, as well as to foster a love for reading and literature. And as a bonus, the girls really got into the spirit of it, and we had so much fun at school!
Seachtain na Gaeilge:
Seachtain na Gaeilge, the annual celebration of the Irish language and culture, took place over the past two weeks. Our school was buzzing with various activities and events aimed at promoting the Irish language and fostering an appreciation for Irish culture among our students. A huge thank you to Ms. Keenan for organising such fun activities for Seachtain na Gaeilge and for our amazing teachers and SNAs who prepared the girls for so many performances and showed the children that this is a language that is worth celebrating!
Here are some of the highlights:
- Tráth na gceist: Students worked together in mixed-age groups to figure out the answers to a wide range of questions—a test of skill, but also of Gaeilge!
- Céilí mór: The middle yard had Riverdance vibes on Wednesday morning as the whole school came together to showcase our Irish dancing skills. The girls worked so hard to bring it all together—helped by their class teachers and, of course, our Irish dancing teachers, Miriam and Amal. Bhí craic mór againn go léir!
- Ceolchoirm (Cultural Performances): On Tuesday, all the girls in the school performed in either a Junior or Senior concert, showcasing the best of traditional Irish music, dance, stories, and song. We were so proud of all the classes!
- Lá Glas agus Paráid Mór: What a thrill it was to witness our very own parade in school, courtesy of the Junior, Senior, and 1st classes and their wonderful teachers. It was definitely the best parade I’ve ever attended (and no, I’m not biased!).
- Art Competition: All classes focused on learning some old wise phrases in Irish—seanfhocail—and designing art around these themes. Congratulations to all our artists.
- Frásaí an Lae: It was so good to hear all the Irish spoken by the girls all week and particularly satisfying to hear the frásaí an lae freely used in the yard and the classroom. The future of Irish is indeed very bright!
- Amhrán na bhFiann: This year we really focused on teaching the girls to sing our national anthem. It was spine-tingling to hear the whole school come together and sing it in the middle yard on Wednesday.
- Circus Skills Workshop in Irish: Juggling many balls is twice as much fun when you are juggling two languages! A big thank you to Konor Halpin from Circus Skills for the inspiration—Duffy’s Circus, watch out!
- Theatre as Gaeilge: The girls from 3rd to 5th class enjoyed attending a theatre performance in school! Sceitiminí was a huge hit, and here's to more live shows in school!
Book Week:
Book Week is an annual event that encourages reading and celebrates the joy of literature. This year, all the girls did a whole school book project around the theme of resilience, based on the Humpty Dumpty story—After the Fall. The theme of the book was “Life begins when you get back up again,” and there were activities at all classes and levels based on this. The girls all dressed in their cosiest clothes—reading books is a pleasure worth getting comfy for! Huge thanks to Ms Downey with support from Ms Cushen for their hard work in organising such an enjoyable week!
Sporting Update:
Our Senior Athletics team had their first race in Newbridge yesterday—a fantastic start to the season, with many girls placing in the top 5. As for the football team, they played their hearts out in their first match and put in a really competitive effort, even if the result wasn’t in their favour. The season’s just begun, so there’s plenty of room for growth. Wishing both teams the best of luck with their upcoming events!
Parking at the School:
We have had a number of complaints regarding illegal parking and a lack of consideration for others at pick-up time. It is so important that we maintain a respectful and safe environment around the school, especially during pick-up times when things can get hectic. We are the example our children need to see - we will not tolerate aggressive words or gestures. If necessary, relevant authorities will be informed.
I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend and gets out and about to celebrate some of the many events and parades on for the weekend!
Le meas,
Karen Burke Logue
School Principal
