DIGITAL NEWSLETTER
● Official Opening of LETSS Pg 2
● Exam Results Pg 3
● Art Pg 5
● Business Pg 7
● Coding/ Computer Science Pg 8
● CSPE Pg 9
● English Pg 10
● Gaeilge Pg 12
● Geography Pg 14
● History Pg 16
● Home Economics Pg 17
● Maths Pg 19
● Modern Foreign Languages Pg 21
● Music Pg 24
● PE Pg 27
● Science Pg 28
● T4 Pg 30
● TY Pg 31
● Hub Pg 32
● Wellbeing Pg 34
● Charity Work Pg 42
● Fundraising Pg 43
● Extra Curricular Pg 44
received their Leaving Certificate results - a first for the school! They did fantastic and it was wonderful to share the occasion with so many who came into school to receive their results in person. Congrats also to our TYs who received their Junior Cycle results. They did exceptionally well and we are very proud of their achievements.Inaddition,asyoureadthroughthiseditionyouwill get a taste of an array of what’s happening in the classroom across so many different subjects. Furthermore, you’ll read about the exploits of our students on the sporting field and equally in the creativearts.
We hope you enjoy reading this third edition of our newsletter Many thanks to all the staff and students for their contributions to thisdigitalnewsletter.
EoinShinners Principal
Official Opening of LETSS!
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Friday the 13th of September saw a historic day as Minister Norma Foley and TD Kieran O‘Donnell officially opened our fabulous new school.
AhugecongratstoourLeavingCertstudentswhoreceivedtheirresults!Itwas lovelytoseetheminschoolandcelebratetheirachievements.Amilestone occasionfortheschool.Weareveryproudofyouall.
AbigcongratstoourstudentswhoreceivedtheirJuniorCycleresults. Weareveryproudofyouall.Brilliantresultsallround!
ART
The Hunt Museum
6th Year Art students enjoy a trip to The Hunt Museum. An adventure that began by taking the bus from school into town. A great experience to see an original Pablo Picasso artwork from his earlier days.
Right is a drawing in crayon and ink on paper, Named the Four Cats menu card, Plat del Dia.by Pablo Picasso
Lunch timeArt Club is proving to be a massive success with these creative artists working on a giant spider as part of our Halloween theme. Thanks to everyone who participated in the spider’s den for Halloween.
ART
TransitionYear Miniature Set Design
Above:AdventureTimeTreehouse
Right: Spirited away train
Right: Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine
BUSINESS
● TransitionYear students took part in a simulated market to recognise how independent sellers can set their own prices and how prices can be affected by shocks to the economy which in turn affect supply and demand. Students got very involved in the activity with some students even getting into a bidding war over items there was a high demand for but limited supply!
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● OurTransitionYear Economics Noticeboard made some progress as students made some brilliant posters on the factors of production by investigating how a company of their choosing engages in the factors of production.
● TYBusiness students investigated and discussed the recent changes announced by the government in Budget 2025.
Coding/Computer Science
6th Year Computer Scientists have been learning about the various searching and sorting algorithms such as insertion sort, bubble sort, binary searching, etc. Students used playing cards to mimic the algorithm in an unplugged format.
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Second year students are learning how to draw and animate using Javascript. Javascript is a language that is used to make webpages interactiveandgamesfortheweb. In javascripts you can draw shapes using 4 values - x and y coordinates for location and width and height values for size. For example a square in the top left corner of the screen is drawnwiththecommand: rect(0,0,100,100); Here are some of ourcreations!
CSPE
Our1styearstookpartina‘ShowRacismTheRedCard’workshopinOctober. TheguestspeakerwhofacilitatedtheworkshopisMartonBisztraifromtheIrish ImmigrantCouncilofIreland.Ourstudentslearnedaboutracismandhowto identifyitandwhattodotopreventitiftheissuearises.
ENGLISH
Janette’s2ndyearEnglish class2Leeengageina PBLprojectintheformofa courttrialbasedon charactersinournovel’Of MiceandMen’.Students wereassignedrolessuch asjudge,prosecutor, defenceattorneysand jurors.
ENGLISH
Amy and Michelle’s 1st year English class 1 Fitzgerald completed a PBLproject on the issueofhomelessnessinIreland and Limerick. This was a pre-reading activity before we startedour1styearnovel‘Stone Cold’ in which the protagonist fifteen year old ‘Link’ finds himself homeless on the streets ofLondon.
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GAEILGE
Our Gaelbhratach Team translated our Proud TogetherInclusivityFlagfrom English to Gaeilge for each classroom.
Our Gaeilge corridor has been given a make-over with lovely Irish signs and sayings to encourage people in our school tousetheircúplafocail!
2nd Year students were learning about Bia for Healthy Eating Week where they made menus for their ideal restaurant andtranslatedourschool canteen menus into Gaeilgealso!
GAEILGE
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Siobhán Murphy came into school recently to meet our GaelbhratachTeam.Thisgave an opportunity to our Team to speaktoherabouttheGaeilge inourschoolandthewayswe can improve it. Siobhán really helps out team and we look forward to the exciting events the Gaelbhratach Team will holdthroughouttheyear!
GEOGRAPHY
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Our Leaving Cert Applied class planted bulbs for the Plaza. These will provide a beautiful colour display in Spring and also boost the number of pollinators on campus.
2ndYears testing the effect of slope on speed in relation to rivers. The bike exercise demonstratesthat thesteepertheslopeariver flows over, the faster the speedofflow.
GEOGRAPHY
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. Aselectionofourverycreative riverrevisionpostersforJunior Cycle to help our visual learnertorevise.
HISTORY
The students completed an exercise on the different types of Roman Gods, the students learned about the many gods that the Romans worshiped.
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HOME ECONOMICS
LCA 1 Hotel Catering and Tourism students were busy setting up a fast food pizza delivery service. This involved coming up with a name for their fast food outlet along with planning a menu. Students made a yeast based pizza whichtheydeliveredtotheirteachers.
HOME ECONOMICS
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5thyearHomeEconomicsstudentswereresearchinga varietyofIrishfoodbusinesses.
2ndyearsputtheir creativeskillsto thetestby preparing,baking, anddecorating Halloweenthemed cupcakes.
MATHS
Maths week was filled with excitement, mainly the thoughts of winning prizes!! Each morning we had students enter a Puzzle of the Day via QR code! We also had a whole school puzzle every evening on Google Classroom with so many students entering to win chocolate!!
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Students spent break times and lunch times using their knowledge of area and volume to estimate the number of sweets in the jar and playing Kahoot competitions, Blooket competitions and challenging puzzle competitions! We had lots of first, second and third years competing every day. First years also took part in making a maths emoji!! We had some very interesting entries and there were winners pick from every first year class. Maths Club took place at lunchtimes too with students playing games, doing puzzles, competing in challenge questions!
MATHS
TY students then became teachers! A group of TYs taught a full class to each first year maths class! They planned a murder mystery maths challenge and presented it to each class. They also made amazing videos to accompany this class and some teachers played a starring role! Hollywood here we come! Some of these videos were made in our new film studio with a green screen! Friday saw students baking - Pi Day! It was a case of ‘Bake Off’ eat your heart out! We had such amazing looking and amazing tasting cakes made with a maths theme!! We had over 10 entries and some serious creativity.
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Some of our winners and competitors in Maths Week included the following students; Yatee Borghare (2 Lee), Davan O’Shaughnessy (2 Erne), Adam Hinchy (3rd Yr), Cheok Lei (3rd Yr), Eliot Kirby (1 Cosgrove), Rishit Raikwar (2 Shannon), Hamid Angarib (1 Robinson), Shea Bourke (1 Robinson), Luke O’Dwyer (1 Robinson), Oisin Heenan (3rd Yr), Pat Meade (3rd Year), Arlen Casey (TY), Maeve Callanan (TY), Donnacha Dempsey (2 Lee), Laura Jennings (2 Moy), Kacper Plichta (2 Moy), Ainika Davis, Laura Servitova, Jessica McMahon (all 1 DeValera), Sarah Corrigan & Caoimhe NicAodha.
Vamos de Tapas
MFL
3Maeve have been working on Spanish culture and food in particular lately. One of their latest projectsinvolvedcreatinganoriginaltapasmenuandtheenactingofaroleplayinquiringabout tapas, ingredients, food allergies and prices and ordering tapas the Spanish way. Students have shown not only particularly impressive pronunciation and structure awareness but have alsodemonstratedoutstandingdesigningandresearchskills.Studentshaveresearchedabout thetapastradition,themostpopulartapasinSpainandevenprovidedprices.
Firstyearclass1McAleesestartlearningItalianandcompletedaprojecton theirfeelings.
TYBake Off
MUSIC
Students from the LETSS choir performed with past and present students and teachers for the official school opening onthe13thofSeptember.
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MUSIC
String lessons commenced again this term with the ICO Education programme. Students who signed up are learning violin, cello and double bass withTamasine everyThursday.
LETSS have formed our very first school orchestra this term, and we are excited to showcase our musical talents later this year
MUSICAL PREP
TY students participated in a dance workshop for Aladdin the musical with our fabulous choreographer Pam
Our 5th Year classes were inspired by Rhys McClenaghan and his amazing achievements attheParis2024Olympicsthat theydecidedtotrytheirhandat Gymnastics. They created a circuit including different aspects of gymnastics and had anamazingtime!
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Our 2nd years have been working on their throwing and catching skills, and decided to crank it up a notch with a very intensegameofHotPotato!
2nd
Year Throwing and Catching
5th Year LCPE classes have been busy learning about the different Stages of Learning, so they took on the task of juggling see what stage they’re in. Some students found their new party trick!
DIYDigestive System
SCIENCE
The 2nd years got creative in science while learning aboutthedigestivesystem.Studentshadtoputtheir collaboration and teamwork skills to the test while trying to develop the most accurate and informative digestive system model in the class. They were given various art materials, a couple of instructions andatimelimit…therestwasuptothem.Thiswas completed at the end of the topic so the student could reflect on everything they learnt, eg: parts of the digestive system, their functions, types of digestion,enzymes,andmuchmore.
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Our students’input
SCIENCE
DIY Sun Earth Moon/Moon Phases Model
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The 3rd years got creative by making models of either the Sun, Earth, Moon or the Phases of the Moon. Students worked collaboratively to develop a working model of the Sun Earth Moon to show how eclipses and seasons occurs. They could also design a model of the Phases of the moontoexplainwhyweseedifferentparts of the moon over the course of a month. Thiswascompletedatthebeginningofthe topic so that students could use the model toexplainconceptsthroughoutthetopic.
TransitionYear Students Try Engineering
Thetransitionyearstudentshavebeenhardatworkthisterm with their introduction to the exciting world of Engineering , here are two of the projects they have completed: handcrafted bats and time table holders made from aluminium and perspex. These pieces demonstrate the students' new skills in working with metal and plastic. The aluminiumbats,withtheirsleek,polishedfinish,areastriking example of precision and finishing techniques, while the time tableholdersofferapracticalyetstylishadditiontoanydesk.
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In the workshop, our 2nd-year Woodwork students proudly display theirclocks,eachone showcasing their growing skills and creativity. These functional pieces highlighttheirdedication and attention to detail, as they experimented with various designs andfinishes.Meanwhile,the 1st-year students are hard at work mastering the art of wood burning. Focusedandprecise, they carefully apply heat to their wooden pieces, adding unique decorativeelementsthrough intricate patterns and textures. Both groups are embracing the craft with enthusiasm,marking their progress as they continue to developtheircraftsmanship.
Transition Year so far…
TYs went on a hike and completed a 6.4km walk in Cratloe Woods! Thanks to Aisling, Brian, Misha, Sammi and Steph for organising!
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21 Students and 7 staff members took part in the Cook Mini Marathon 5/10km run in ULon October 6th. A very enjoyable and active morning had by all involved!
TYs went on a trip to Inis Oírr where they experienced what life is like on a small island off the west coast! The main differences we noticed were the horse and carts used for transport, everyone speaking in Irish, and there was no sign of Penneys!
HUB
Eoin from the Student Enterprise Program came in and gave a very informative talk to our TY students. Our hub students thoroughly enjoyed Eoin’s talk and learned lots of new things!
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HUB
Students in the Hub have been engaging in Tuesday lunchtime table tennis and bocce practice. They have been honing their skills and have shown great improvement since our first session together. They are hoping to use these skills to participate in a physical activity blitz in November in school where students from Hubs around Limerick will come and take them on in some friendly games.
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WELLBEING
All First Years received a booklet entitled Smart Moves as part of the new Smart Moves
This programme was created by the ISPCC and it aims to support the emotional resilience of young people as they make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. We hope the
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WELLBEING
TheShonaProjectisawellbeinginitiativethateducates,empowersandinspires girlsalloverIrelandandbeyondtobecometomorrow’sstrong,resilientand confident young women. StudentsinourschoolreceivedthesebeautifulShonaBookletsaspartofthe
During our First Term of the new school year, our Ukranian colleague, Olga enrolled LETSS as a School of Sanctuary. Under this initiative, our school will undertake a programme of learning, action and sharing where welcome and inclusion are placed at the heart the school’s identity. Taking part in this project encourages us to continue our commitment to creating an inclusive school environment, taking an active stance against racism and standing proudly in solidarity with marginalised and vulnerable students, their families and communities
Healthy Eating Week
WELLBEING
In September, we celebrated Healthy Eating Week in the school. We decorated a new noticeboard to highlight important information about eating healthily. A very informative display in the GP area showed us all just how much sugar is in the food that we eat. Much more than we realised!There were lots of events & activities in the schoolthatweek,allhighlightingtheimportanceofeatingwell.
Food Tasting
WELLBEING
First Years enjoyed a Food Tasting Experience in the Home Economics room where they got to sample some foods that they may not usually eat.
Competitions
WELLBEING
SPHE and CSPE Classes ran Poster Competitions and students tuned into their
Mealtime Mafia
The Mealtime Mafia were out and about around the school during the week. Anybody caught eating any healthy food or drinking a healthy drink, was given a prize! Lots of goodies were given out!
WELLBEING
WELLBEING
Motivation & Fitness
Richie Clifford (Limerick’s Mr. Motivator) visited the school on Friday also to do
WELLBEING
Let’s Learn About Drugs and Alcohol Together
Our school hosted a 2-night workshop in October for Second Year students and their parents/carers. The workshop was run by the HSE Drug & Alcohol Service and the Mid West Regional Drugs Task Force. It was great to see our young people and their parents & carers working together to tackle this important issue. Well done to all involved!
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Coffee Morning
CHARITY WORK
There was a Coffee Morning & Cake Sale in the Staffroom held by Holly and Emma as a Fundraiser for Milford Hospice in support of the wonderful work they do in our community. Of course we had lots of healthy snacks as
GOLF CLASSIC
Many thanks to all our sponsors and teams who took part in our Inaugural Golf Classic which took place in Castletroy Golf Club on September 25th. Well done to John and Brian who coordinated the day raising over €7000 towards the school's all weather pitch. Well done to Team Select who took 1st prize followedcloselybyTeamGasworksin2ndandTeamLandscape Centrewhofinishedin3rdplace.
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CLUBS & SOCS.
We are very fortunate here in LETSS to have so many wonderful clubs and societies up and running, such as…..
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CLUBS & SOCS.
….And this year we have added some new ones!
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Darts
Breakfast Club
Special Olympics
Gaelbhratach
Orchestra Dungeons and Dragons
SPORTS PEOPLE OF THE MONTH
September -RuadhánCrowleyandFayMoore
CongratulationstoRuadhánandFayonbothwinningGoldMedalsin the4000mCrossCountryChampionshipsheldinBilborecently.
October -AlexToth and Paige Morgan
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Congratulations toAlex on scoring an average of 31 points per game in schools Basketball, and to Paige on scoring an amazing 14 goals in the ETSS Football Cup held in Cork this week.
SCHOOL CAPTAINS
Congratulationstoour24/25SchoolTeamCaptains!
BackrowfromLtoR:KaylaDownesLynch,ElliotImbuschArtola,Alexie Rooney, Jack Crowley, Ohri Imbusch Artola, Joseph McDevitt, Alan Crkon, Alex Toth, Seán O`Dwyer, Alex Koyce, Jack Duggan, Jayden NamaraWilliams,PhoebeFitzgeraldSpicer
Front Row from L to R: Mya Moloney, Ryan O`Dwyer Lipper, Paige Morgan, Kate Nemes, Alex Meaney, Viktoria Golovchak, Reuben Hudson, Yatee Borghare, Charlie Guerin, Tara McHugh, Denis Medveckis,FayMoore
Missingfromphoto:AdamHinchy,YasminDuhig,ZaraKhan.
JUNIOR SCHOOL PARIS TRIP
UnejournéeàParisThedaystartedwithabreathtakingtourofallthe Paris sites, including Notre Dame, Les Invalides, Le Louvre, Place de la Concorde and the Jardins de Luxembourg. After a typical French light lunch, students enjoyed an amazing boat trip on the River Seine where they had the possibility to see Paris from a different angle. Afterwards,studentsadmiredthemajesticEiffelTowerandtook some pictures with the symbol of Paris and the olympic rings. The day will concludewithadinnerinthebeautifulChampsElysèesarea.
ETSS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
LETSS take over Cork! It was an early start for our soccer crew with our Junior Girls, Junior Boys (x2) and Senior Boys squads heading off to a 5 a side blitz in Cork at 7am this morning.There was dominant display from all our soccer teams at the blitz with the Junior Girls and Senior Boys teams both commanding the group stages and finishing top of their respective groups.They both went on to win their respective finals with scorelines of 8 - 0. Meanwhile in the Junior Boys category the group ended with LETSS 1 and LETSS 2 in first and second place. The boys decided to share the spoils rather than play off in the final.Thanks to Cork ETSS for organising and hosting and thanks to Misha, Danny and Eamonn for travelling with our squads. Well done all!
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EXTRA CURRICULAR/ EVENTS
1stYear and 2ndYear Hurling Blitz in ULWell done to our 1st and 2nd year hurling team who took part in a blitz in UL last Friday. The team won 3 out of their 4 matches and representedtheschoolexcellently.
MassiveWinsforU16&U19BoysBasketballintheAllIrelandCupWelldoneto our boys basketball teams who had two massive wins today against Creagh College, Wexford in the All Ireland Cup. The U16s finished on a score of 56-27 while our U19s saw off their opponents 53-24. This win sees them at home to Salesians Pallaskenry in the next round. Well done to both teams and their coachesBrianandÁine!
EXTRA CURRICULAR/ EVENTS
Junior Girls Gaelic win over Desmond College NCW Massive well done to our Junior Girls Gaelic Football team who had a big win over Desmond College, Newcastle West today.The girls dominated the game from start to finish and came away with a well deserved win. Shoutout to: Niamh Maher (1st Year) who was Player of the Match.
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History in the Making - LETSS first ever BOYS RUGBYTEAM History was made today as the first year boys represented LETSS in the first ever boys rugby team. The team took part in a blitz in Shannon RFC were they played CBS Nenagh, Villiers and StAilbe’s (TippTown). Well done to the lads on a fantastic achievement and to their coaches Donal and Brian also!
Girls Gaelic Football
Boys Rugby
HOCKEY & DEBATING CLUBS
LETSS Hockey Team havebeentraininghard every Wednesday evening this term, hail rainorshine!
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First win of the year for Debate Team! Our debateteamareofftoa fantastic start this year withawinoverWicklow ETSS. They proposed the motion that ‘Phones should be banned in schools’. Next up they areopposingthemotion that ‘Slang should be added to the dictionary’ with their competitors Goatstown ETSS proposing this. Well donetoallinvolved!
TY DOOR DECORATING
Our Transition Year students have been working hard on a spooktacular challenge with the Halloween Door Decorating Competition! This year students combined their creativity with a dash of fright to transform classroom doors into haunting displays using elements of school life alongside classic Halloween vibes. The competition has been a fun way to showcase their artistic talents while getting everyoneintheHalloweenspirit!
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GAISCE TALK
Transition year students participating in getting their Bronze GaisceAward had a meeting with Regional Gaisce Representative Stephen Peers. He talked to us about the four areas of the award that students participate in over the year. These are: Community Involvement, Physical recreation, Personal Skill and an overnight adventure trip. He said that keeping the motivation throughout the year to do all the challenge areas is difficult but if you do receive the bronze award at the end of the year there’s a great sense of achievement that comes with it. He also told us that the Gaisce award helps to keep students motivated to continue with their skills and sports. We are all really grateful for Stephen coming in to speak to us. Overall I think he was impressed with our progress so far!
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THE MULTICULTURAL CLUB
The multicultural club has been very busy this term to get Mac ready for his new trips. He is currently travelling to Malaysia!!!!! He is carrying plenty of Irish symbol and gifts for our Malaysian partners and we hope he has a great time there!!
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BOARD GAMES CLUB
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The Board Games Club is back in full swing, and our students are already enjoying themselves! In this photo, you can see the excitement as they dive into a lively game of Monopoly during lunchtime. The club offers a great way to take a break from the classroom, have some fun, and connect with friends over classic board games. Whether you're building a property empire in Monopoly or exploring other games, the clubistheperfectplacetorelaxandenjoysome friendlycompetition!
