Welcome to our Easter Newsletter celebrating many of our school activities and opportunities that our students experience. I hope that you enjoy this snapshot into our school community as we congratulate students, staff and parents on these wonderful achievements and insights.
It is wonderful to read the student perspective on so many experiences from our "Sister Act" musical, to wins on playing fields, courts, athletics tracks not to mention in the Old Bailey in London. Our students throughout all years are invited, encouraged to get involved in extra and cocurricular activities, these provide opportunities to develop important skills for life such as teamwork, resilience, organisation skills, time management, communication skills and confidence. We put our school motto 'To Teach - To Guide -To Form" into action on a daily basis
Recently our second years participated in the Dublin Diocese Emmanuel Concert, they were excellent ambassadors for our school. Well done to everyone involved. Causey Farm was the location for our LCA students who were highly praised by their faciliators on their excellent participation, fun and behaviour. So too our JCSP students who frequently visit local nursing homes and connect with elderly members of our community.
Our second term has built upon the great work in Term one and we saw our third and sixth years complete their mock examinations. Our third year Home Economics students have been doing their teachers proud in practising their menus for their cookery practical!
Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs) and Coursework form a large part of school classroom engagement and it is so important that students are present in school to complete the required work. Recent research shows that students who are absent for more than 10 days per year do not achieve to their potential. In Coláiste Bríde we strongly promote the importance of school attendance and we have recently been selected to participate in the 'Anseo' whole school initiative
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Our second year students all participated in our anti-bullying 'Sticks and Stones' while our first years are engaging with the 'Lust for Life' programme, these all compliment our school key messages on respect, kindness, resilience, appropriate online behaviours. Our Neurodiversity week, Wellbeing week, Seachtain na Gaeilge help showcase the great leadership of all our student and staff committees and their commitment to make school life enjoyable for all, building community and connection.
Thank you to all parents/guardians who attended Parent-Teacher meetings. A special word to all our Muslim students who completed their Ramadan fasting and recently celebrated Eid, it has been lovely to see the faces light up when I have asked about Eid celebrations. Thank you to the Ember Faith leaders who organised the trip for prefects to Nano Nagle Place in Cork as well as Ballygriffin where Nano was born. We look forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Presentation Sisters throughout the year
Safe travels to our two school tours travelling over Easter as well as our staff who will be completing training courses as part of the Erasmus + programme. I wish every success to our 6th Year students who will undertake their Leaving Certificate orals at the start of Easter
May I wish everyone a happy Easter, we are people of hope, the bearers of light to others May the Risen Christ grant us the strength and courage to share hope, peace and joy.
Marie-Thérèse Kilmartin Principal
In January, we proudly presented Sister Act: The Musical in collaboration with Moyle Park. The production was a huge success and a fantastic showcase of the talent and dedication within our school community. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the students, staff, and parents, as well as the wider community, for their incredible support in making this such a memorable event.
JCPA AWARDS
5th Year Prefects
Our prefects took part in two informative and inspiring workshops with Sheila Drum in February. They explored what leadership is, what skills leadership requires and what makes an inspiring leader. Sheila was very impressed by their participation, ideas and work ethic during the workshops and prefect feedback on the sessions was very positive. Well done to all our prefects who have been excellent ambassadors for our school thus far.
Our students recently had a wonderful opportunity to take part in a workshop dedicated to the traditional Polish dance Polonez. The event was organised by Ms. Majchrzak and held in cooperation with Moyle Park.
The workshop provided students with both theoretical knowledge of Polish traditions and the opportunity to learn the dance steps firsthand.
The sessions were expertly led by Polish Folk Dance Group Koniczyna, with support from the PPLI. Participants gained practical experience in performing the Polonez, an elegant and historic dance that occupies a significant place in Polish cultural heritage.
The workshop was a highly engaging and educational experience, enriching our students’ understanding of Polish culture while encouraging active participation
EMBER TEAM @ COLAISTE BRIDE
What is the Ember Team you may ask? We are a faith committee looking to ignite the passion and fan the flame of faith within the students at our school. We take inspiration from our founderNano Nagle.
We had to attend Ember Team training in September and you can see here a picture of our Ember Team crest we designed at our three-day retreat at the Ovoca Manor in Wicklow. We played a key role in the organisation of Presentation Day 2026; this is an important day for our school to show respect to Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters. It was important to us that we had people from different faiths and people that speak different languages say a prayers as we want everyone to feel welcomed and included within our school community We organised St. Brigids Cross Making workshops with students and teachers for St. Brigids Day after we were inspired by the "Camino Bhride" trip we went on to Kildare in December We have started doing weekly Friday prayers to leave our students with a positive message leading into the weekend. We are holding bible reading workshops in our sacred space for Lent and last week we joined the community to take part in the World Day of Prayer in our local Parish Church. We are currently planning a trip to Cork for 5th Year Prefects to learn about the history of Nano Nagle. We hope this trip will enrich these students, in their leadership roles, with a new-found appreciation of our founder Nano Nagle.
In May we will attend a graduation ceremony where we will be reunited with the Ember members from other schools around Dublin. We really enjoy being Ember members and feel that we are engthening the ethos of our school on a daily basis
EMBER TEAM @ COLAISTE BRIDE
We organised a trip to Nano Nagle Place in Co. Cork for 5th Year Prefects on Friday March 20th. We set off at 7:30am on a 'pilgrimage' to Nano Nagle's birth place and we had a great day out. As well as gaining a deeper connection with the origin story of the founding of our school we got to really bond with each other and take time out of our busy lives. We hope everyone enjoyed the trip, and the sunshine, as much as we did."
Recently, our school proudly celebrated Neurodiversity Celebration Week, an important opportunity to recognise the many different ways students learn, think, communicate, and express themselves. With a large number of neurodivergent learners in our community, this week helped us promote understanding, acceptance, and a stronger sense of belonging across the school.
Student-Led Daily Announcements
Each morning, members of our student team shared brief messages introducing different types of neurodiversity — such as Autism, Tourettes, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dyspraxia/DCD — and highlighted the strengths and talents associated with each. These announcements helped raise awareness in a positive, strengths-based way.
SPHE Lessons on Neurodiversity
Across year groups, SPHE classes focused on: What neurodiversity means How people think and learn differently
The importance of empathy and inclusive behaviour
A short student research project where learners investigated a type of neurodiversity, a famous neurodivergent person, or practical strategies that support learning Students were encouraged to share their findings, leading to thoughtful discussions and greater peer understanding.
Art Competition – Regulation Station
Students took part in a creative art competition to design visuals for our new Regulation Station. This is a calm, supportive space being developed to help students with emotional regulation. The quality of the artwork was fantastic, and the winning entries will be displayed as part of the final design.
Poster Displays Around the School
Throughout the corridors, we displayed posters featuring:
Well known neurodivergent people from history, the arts, science, and sports
Neurodivergent teachers and staff within our own school community who volunteered to share their stories
These posters helped normalise neurodiversity, promote pride, and show students that neurodivergent individuals achieve across all areas of life including here in our own school.
Bake Sale for the Fidget Fund
Students organised a successful bake sale to raise money for our new Fidget Fund. This fund supports the purchase of sensory tools and fidgets, which are currently being trialled in selected classrooms to help students regulate and remain focused during lessons. The bake sale was a great community effort and demonstrated the kindness and leadership of our students.
Why This Week Matters
Neurodiversity Celebration Week supports our whole‑school goals by helping students: Understand and value different ways of thinking
Build empathy and reduce stigma
Recognise their own strengths and the strengths of others
Contribute to a positive, inclusive school culture
Thank you to all students, staff, and families for your support throughout the week. Your involvement helps ensure that every learner feels seen, supported, and celebrated in our school.
MODEL UN
Colaiste Bride is a culturally diverse community that prides itself on looking outwards into the world As part of this vision, a group of our 5th year girls took part in the Model UN for the first time. Ava Dale from 5th Year recounts what was involved: St Andrew’s Model UN started off as an estranged idea, one we had never heard of before, but the minute we started we came to love. A group of 12 split into two delegations of 6, each representing a different country: Ecuador and Zambia It was a surreal experience, where we engaged in a 5-hour block of lobbying, took part in numerous live intense debates, and all took part in the UNs general assembly Every committee had a resolution passed in their committee, with one making it to general assembly with Ecuador co submitting and passing!
The first day consisted of lobbying and policy statements in each committee, where delegates met and re wrote their resolution in their chosen blocks. The next day, we opened with an opening ceremony with speeches from the St Andrew’s model un organiser, secretary general, and Gina London – ex White House correspondent. Debates then began; they followed THIMUN format, with discretion to the chair. The same procedure followed the next day, with the committees voting on the resolutions which should go to the General assembly, along with a little celebration of karaoke and mini awards at the end! On the final day, all delegates took turns participating in the general assembly, with the closing remarks taking place at the end with another beautiful ceremony.
TY PODCAST
Our current group of TY students is actively involved in researching and producing the third instalment of our new podcast, CBFM, which is set to be released in May. The creation of this podcast forms part of the TY programme, supervised by Ms Lawlor.
Each episode of CBFM is assembled by a different team of TY students The goal is to teach them valuable skills in research, scripting, and conducting interviews that are featured in the final show. Every student takes on a role, whether speaking on the microphone or assisting with technical aspects and publicity The podcast highlights all areas of CB life, including Sports, Extracurriculars, and Student Voice Groups. It also celebrates our school’s vibrant musical tradition, showcasing both the Choir and talented solo musicians Presented in a magazine radio format, each 35-minute episode covers a variety of topics. At present, the podcast can be found on Spotify. Each team also works to promote and expand the podcast’s audience and availability For now, you can listen by searching for CBFM on Spotify, where you’ll find the last two episodes as well as shorter podcasts focused on special events like Wellbeing Week and Team Ember
TY Mini Company
This year, four of our TY mini-companies proudly represented the school in the National Mini-Company Competition by Forógie. Two groups entered the Innovation category (PressAssured - Mae Caffrey and Sophie Howlett and Speedvault - Mawandy Mbhele) and two competed in the Business category (Decked out - Sophia Flynn and Loren Rose Kavanagh and the Jewellery Fishies - Vanessa Tang and Chloe Wong) These students showcased a fantastic mix of creativity, teamwork and entrepreneurial spirit The judges were extremely complimentary about the standard of work from all our students. One Business in particular caught their attention and has proceeded to the semi-finals, SpeedVault - by Mawandy Mbhele. Best of luck to her in the Semi-Final We are very proud of all four groups for their hard work, professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the competition They represented the school with great positivity and should be commended for their achievement.
ERASMUS+ TEACHER
MOBILITY VISIT TO AUSTRIA
As part of our commitment to professional development, myself Ms Carrick and Mr Kennedy recently participated in an Erasmus+ mobility programme in Austria. Erasmus+ is a European Union initiative that supports collaboration and professional learning across schools and educational systems.
During the visit, we spent time in a Sportmittelschule (sportsfocused middle school) in Bad Vöslau, where we observed teaching and learning in a different educational setting. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the school and greatly valued the opportunity to engage with both staff and students in such a welcoming and positive environment. The school atmosphere was notably relaxed and student-centred, with fewer formal rules and a strong emphasis on independent learning. We also gained insight into the Austrian assessment system, which differs significantly from Ireland. Students complete fewer formal examinations, mainly in Mathematics and languages, placing less emphasis on high-stakes testing. This experience highlighted both the benefits of their approach and our appreciation for the structure and routine within the Irish system.
LÁ GLAS
We were delighted to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in school this year with a very special event involving our Transition Year (TY) students and pupils from our local primary schools, scoil ide AND ST JOSEPH’S. The day was filled with fun, creativity, and a wonderful sense of community spirit
Our TY students took great pride in organising and leading a range of activities for the younger pupils Highlights of the day included wonderful performances of Irish dancing by our TY students, with some of the primary school pupils also joining in and showcasing their own talents. We were also treated to beautiful tin whistle performances, which added to the festive atmosphere.
A particular highlight was the fantastic music provided by St Joseph’s Band, whose performance brought great energy and excitement to the celebration. The primary school students thoroughly enjoyed their visit. The event was a great opportunity for ALL OF THE students to showcase their teamwork and leadership skills while embracing Irish culture and tradition.
A sincere thank you to all the students and staff involved in making the day such a success. It was a memorable celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and a lovely reminder of the strong connections within our local community
HSCL NEWS!
HSCL NEWS!
Wellbeing week was of course not just for our students. Ms Bracken hosted a Parents/Guardians Wellbeing Brunch this year and it was a huge success. Parents enjoyed a lovely breakfast/lunch while Student's Council told them all about the wonderful activities going on in school during Wellbeing Week. Parents/Guardians were presented with a lovely Wellbeing Week card to take home which was warmly accepted by all. They had been encouraged by Ms Bracken to bring in any younger children as toy corner in Thr Parents Room was in full swing! The children even got to visit our Mobile Pet Farm later that morning. A huge thank you to everyone who visited and Ms Bracken promises to reach out and cater to many more parents and guardian's next year!
After Easter Events- Ms Bracken intends hosting more fun events for parents interested- all guardians/grandparents welcome to attend any of her events. A cookery demo is being planned for April 23rd with a Community Food and Nutrition Worker. We would love to have as many of you as possible attend so please send me a text or an email to hscl@colaistebride.com if you would like to come.
Expressions of interest are also being sought for a Makeup/Beauty Workshop- please let me know if you would like to attend- date TBC
Finally, we would love to bring interested parents on a fun culture trip into Dublin city centre before the year ends- perhaps a Dublinia Trip/Viking Splash/Dublin Bus Tour or Trip into Trinity College (open to more ideas!!).... lunch will also be included and NO expense on you! Please again send me an e-mail to hscl@colaistebride.com IF you think you might like to come. It's about enjoying time out for you the parent and to engage in some educational but fun experiences. Date also to be confirmed but probably looking at week of May 18th...
Looking forward to more connections with you and thank you to all who have attended events this year, including our fantastic Christmas Fair, Coffee mornings, EAL support, Parents of Children with AEN Support Group, Wellbeing Brunch etc..
ERASMUS VISITING TEACHERS ENRICH OUR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
On Tuesday the 10th of March, we went on a trip to Rua Red in Tallaght. Rua Red is an Arts Theatre with a music recording studio, and we went there because we do a programme called Suburban Sounds by Music Generation. There are four of us who do it, Ella in 2nd year and Nevaeh, Eimear and me (Lauren) in 3rd year. In this programme, we write, record and perform songs with the help of 2 talented musical tutors, Lara and Anna. Ms. Coogan brought us to Rua Red on the bus, and we recorded our 2 songs, ‘Life of the Party’ and ‘Call the Cab’. It went really well, and we got to hear the first versions of our songs before they were fully produced.
Overall, this was a fantastic opportunity for us and we are so grateful to have this experience and to share it with you all. We will be performing our songs in Áras Chronáin on May 23rd, all are welcome to come along and support us as we perform on stage.
SCHOOL BANK
Our Transition Year students have successfully set up and launched the new School Bank. They will be available every Tuesday in the GPA, where they will assist CB students in setting up their own bank accounts. This initiative not only promotes financial literacy but also encourages independence and confidence among students.
BASKETBALL SUCCESS AT COLÁISTE BRÍDE
It has been an outstanding season for Coláiste Bríde basketball, with both our First and Second Year teams completing their group stages unbeaten and winning their quarter finals..
Second Years Reach All-Ireland Playoffs
The Second Year team put in a fantastic performance throughout the competition. Although they were defeated by Malahide Community College in the semi-final, their strong results secured them a place in the All-Ireland Playoffs on April 22nd.
First Years Into the Dublin A Final
Our First Year team continued their unbeaten run with an impressive semi-final win. They now progress to the Dublin A Final on Wednesday, March 25th, and will also represent Coláiste Bríde at the All-Ireland Finals in the University of Limerick on May 9th and 10th.
Well done to all players and coaches on an exceptional season so far. Best of luck in the weeks ahead — the whole school is proud of you!
GAA
Camogie Congratualtions to the u16 Camogie team who won the Dublin Junior league. The was on the 9th of January against Clonturk CC and the girls had an impressive win of 12.7 to 3.3. The team was led by their Captain Saoirse O’Connor who demonstrated outstanding leadership and enthusiasm on the day. This is a team built on friendship and dedication which has led to the girls to many success in Camogie as they also helped the u19 team win the Dublin Senior League before Christmas. There is an immense amount of talent and skill in this group of girls, and we look forward to seeing much more success for them. The u14 Camogie team have just advanced into the Dublin Minor Championship quarter final which will be played after Easter against Gaelcholaiste Reachrann. This is a huge achievement for this team as majority of the players are in 1st year and it also consists of girls who have just joint camogie since coming to CB! We wish you all the best in the quarter final!
Congratulations to our U14 GAA team who have go three games unbeaten in the group stages of their league. They had comprehensive wins over Coláiste Chillian and Palmerstown CC and a thrilling draw with Coláiste Cois Life. They are now through to the semi-final with high hopes of progressing to the final in the coming weeks.
MHC ATHLETICS LEAGUE
Amazing achievement by our Athletics Teams winning the Mason Hayes Curran and Donore Harriers Schools Athletics League. The girls were amazing and won loads of individual medals.
Each relay team also won first place!
Great work everyone! Thank you to the event organisers and our PE teachers Ms K h
Teambuilding day for R. Saoirse & R. Tomás (LCA 1) & R. Ceola (LCA2)
A super fun day at Causey Farm, Navan on Tuesday 3rd of March for both students and teachers. The day involved bread baking, dancing a jig, bodhrán playing, and petting animals. The highlights included a thrilling tractor ride to the bog and of course the adventurous bogjumping. Throughout the day the students represented our school with respect and enthusiasm and it was a pleasure to see them engaging positively with all activities. Well done to each student . Ms. Hogan
