We came together as a whole school community to officially open our year and we celebrated mass together on Tuesday the 24th of October. The theme of the mass was where your treasure is there your heart will be and our wonderful music and readings reflected this. The mass was celebrated by Fr Sexton. The liturgy was greatly enhanced by the music of the school choir accompanied by Mrs Beirne and musicians. Thank you to all the students and staff for their participation and every good wish and blessing for the year ahead. The head boy and girl took the opportunity to address the whole school community and Mr Irwin held a whole school assembly to congratulate students on the achievements over the last number of weeks. 

Don't forget that Religion coursework must be handed up by next Friday, 29th of April! 

On Tuesday, the 22nd of December, all the students and staff came together for a carol service. Similar to every year, a huge focus was drawn to the musical talents we have in our school community.

Ms. Beirne and the choir produced some beautiful renditions of classical hymns and more modern Christmas songs. 

The choir were well supported by the Grupa Ceoil who added a traditional Irish flare to the service. A highlight for many was Luke Murray, 3rd Year's, saxophone performance of ''Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas''.

Many thanks to Fr. Sexton, Ms. Beirne, Mr. Martin, Ms. Conaty and all the readers and choir.

​http://www.examinations.ie/exammaterialarchive/?i=108.110.91.99.94.92.109.105

Stephen, Megan, Dean, Jack and Ryan set up a lovely November stand today in the main corridor. The book of remembrance is available for all staff and students to sign the names of their deceased family and friends.

As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground in the fall, we are reminded that nature's cycles are mirrored in our lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things that have been a burden. All the religious traditions pay tribute to such acts of relinquishment. Fall is the right time to practice getting out of the way and letting Spirit take charge of our lives.

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A carry on reflection from Ms. Conaty's 5A class discussion on prioritising the important things in life :)

This is a very important life lesson that a philosophy teacher taught his students.

The teacher cleared off his desk and placed on top of it a few items. One of the items was an empty mayonaise jar. He proceeded to fill up the jar with golf balls until he could fit no more. He looked at the classroom and asked his students if they agree that the jar is full. Every student agreed that the jar was indeed full.

The teacher then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured them into the jar with the golf balls. The pebbles filled all of the openings in between the golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full.Once again, they agreed.

Now the teacher picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the mayonaise jar. The sand filled in all of the empty space left between the golf balls and pebbles. He asked the class again if the jar was full. The students agreed it was technically full.

Finally, the teacher pulled out two cups of tea from under his desk and poured both of them into the jar filling the empty space between the sand. Now the students began to laugh wondering how far this was going.

The teacher waited until the laughter stopped. "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life," he started. "The golf balls represent the important things. Your family, children, health, friends, and passions. If everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles represent the other things in life that matter, such as your job, house and car. The sand---that is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand in first, there is no room for the pebbles or golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all of your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are most important. Pay attention to the important things in your life.

Enjoy time with family. Go to dinner with your spouse. Play games with your kids. There will ALWAYS be time to clean the house or take yourself shopping.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. The rest is just sand. You are dismissed."

Before the students left, one shouted out. "You never mentioned what the tea represents!"

The professor smiled and said, "Well I'm glad you asked. The tea just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room to have a cup of tea with a friend."

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

http://www.uab.edu/ullmanmuseum/