St Paul's Newsletter - Summer 2023

School Newsletter

Greenhills

A message from Ms Troy

I write this short note as we close St Paul’s for the summer holidays this year. It seems no length of time since last summer. I hope you will get a real sense of all that has been happening as you read through this newsletter. It has been a very busy year as we emerged from the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, and outings and visitors to the school resumed. There were trips abroad – to France and Italy. There were trips to other parts of Ireland, and trips closer to home, in Dublin. We had many speakers in to the school during the course of the year. All of these broaden the experience of the girls, and I am delighted that these activities can happen once again.

I would like to thank the teachers and SNAs who facilitated the many activities this year, and for their dedication to ensuring that your daughters have a positive school experience. We look forward to many new positive experiences next year. The opening of our new class for students with autism will add a new dimension to St Paul’s and I am delighted that building works in that area are due to start now, once the state examinations have finished.

Thank you for your support during the past year. The Parents’ Association is a wonderfully positive group, and they provide much appreciated support at all of our in-house meetings and events. Please support them in any way you can – they are always looking for new members and volunteers.

I wish you all well during the summer holidays. I hope you will all manage some break from the busy lives we all live now. The 6th year students leave us to embark on the next stage of their lives, but I look forward to welcoming the rest of our students back, and our new students, towards the end of August.

Geraldine Troy (Principal)

SCHOOL OF DISTINCTION AWARD

We are delighted to announce that St Paul’s has, again, been awarded the School of Distinction Innovation Award 2023-24 from Trinity College Dublin.

MUSICAL BIG REVEAL!!!

The Sound of Music 2023 was an outstanding production and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended - read inside to find out what production will be on our stage in 2024!

1 2 3

CONGRATULATIONS

Well Done to our Junior Cycle students on completing their Examinations and especially to the Class of 2023 - we wish you well in all your future endeavours!

Wise Words from Sr Mary, Chairperson, Board of Management

The conclusion of the school year signals the end of many milestones. Our youngest students flourished as they navigated their first year of secondary school and this is evidenced in the booklet, “A Year full of Memories and Dreams” First Years 2022 – 2023.

The 6th years, not having sat a Junior Certificate examination due to Covid, faced their Leaving Cert. with resilience and courage. This is a great achievement in itself so congratulations and every good wish as you look forward and outwards to life beyond the school walls. Best wishes to our Junior Cycle Students as you completed your examinations – Well done!

School life is like a jigsaw, so many pieces linking together. I mention just three aspects that contribute to academic achievement and well-being, namely, Attendance, After-school study and Caring.

Attendance: The students who attend the best perform the best. Being in class is still the best formula for success.

After-school Study: I am encouraging parents to recommend to your daughter/s the supervised afterschool study in the school. This is a very worthwhile investment.

Caring: One of the core values of St. Paul’s is caring. Relationships between staff and students are genuine and respectful. Year Heads, Form teachers and each member of staff “do their best for the students” (quote adapted from Geneviève Dupuis, Foundress of the Sisters of Saint Paul). I am very encouraged by the level of care and concern shown by the staff in St. Paul’s who, every day, do all in their power to ensure success for each student in their care. When a parent/guardian is contacted by a member of staff, be assured that it is done in the best interest of the student. This is important because parents and staff need to work closely together in partnership. If there are concerns or problems, be assured that a solution is not far away once that healthy relationship is nurtured and developed between home and school – a win, win, win situation – a win for the parent, a win for the school and a win for the student and it does bear fruit! This working together gives students a sense of security, trust and ease. Sincere thanks to Ms Troy (Principal), Ms O’Shea (Deputy Principal), the staff and entire St. Paul’s Community for the wonderful learning opportunities provided for our students. All the activities and achievements outlined in this end-of-year newsletter are only possible because of the huge commitment and spirit of generosity that is so evident among the staff here in St. Paul’s. The school has so often been complimented on the high standards, politeness and good behaviour of the students during extra-curricular activities etc.

I am grateful to the Board of Management members for your support, your attendance at meetings and your dedication. Thanks to the Parents’ Association for your immense support during all school activities and events. Your willingness to organise raffles, your fund raising efforts and your being so available to the school deserve special mention. Thanks to the Student Council for bringing to our attention areas

that affect your lives in school.

We keep in our thoughts and prayers those of our school community who are ill, recovering from illness or who have been bereaved during this school year.

Finally, to all of you, the parents: I was inspired by the news of the four children lost in the jungle and their ability to survive in such precarious conditions. You, the parents are teaching your children survival skills (without you probably realising it!). How? By simply being there day in, day out, listening to them, putting up with tantrums, silence, not fighting their every battle, insisting that they move out of their comfort zone etc. This is possible because “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ... Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). Well done! Keep going! Happy and safe holiday!

ST PAUL’S WINS TRINITY: SCHOOL OF DISTINCTION INNOVATION AWARD FOR THE SECOND

YEAR

The Trinity College Schools of Distinction Award is given to schools that promote and strive for a college-going culture in their school in partnership with parents, students, staff, and the wider community. We are incredibly proud to achieve the Innovation Award for the second year.

The three core practices under which a school applies for the award are Pathways to College, Mentoring and Leadership in Learning. The judges commended St Paul’s on the many initiatives that are taking place in St Paul’s, our commitment to hearing staff and student voices and our dedication to delivering a quality educational experience for all.

ST. PAUL’S ENTRY WINS THE TRINITY COLLEGE TRANSITION YEAR MODERN LANGUAGES POSTER COMPETITION

We were delighted this term to win TCD’s Transition Year Modern Languages Poster Competition on the topic of “Why we would love to be fluent in…..”.

The “drei Gummibärchen” Alaine Aby, Joanna Shodipo and Rana Eldeep came first not only in the German category but also won the overall prize in all language categories. This competition is a Trinity initiative to promote languages at post-primary level in association with the Post Primary Languages Initiative (PPLI), a body that have responsibility for implementing key actions in Languages ConnectIreland's Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026.

The winning students and a guest for each student with their teacher were invited to Trinity College for a prize-giving reception and lunch. Well done girls!

MESSAGES FROM OUR YEARHEADS

1ST YEAR YEARHEAD - MS SKELLY

A HUGE Congratulations to all First Years on your successful transition to Post Primary School. I am so proud of you all for so many reasons, your enthusiastic participation in all school events & activities, your personal successes both inside and outside of school in sport, dance, gymnastics, art, drama etc. No doubt, settling in & down to work was not so easy, or as quick, for some students. But you did it, and I applaud your resilience and courage to pick yourselves up, start afresh, and get on with it – so, Well Done.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Parents & Guardians for all your support throughout the year. Last but by no means least, I would like to thank ALL the First Students for your cooperation.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and well-deserved break over the summer holidays… Be ‘Good’ & help at home!!

Ms. Skelly

2ND YEAR YEARHEAD - MS DENEHAN

I would like to salute Rang Doireann, Rang Dearbhla and Rang Deirdre for how they have performed this year. Second year has been a busy year for classroom-based assessments. I hope that you can look back at this year with a sense of accomplishment and that you got as much out of it as possible.

Furthermore, I hope that there were many things you enjoyed such as ice skating in Dundrum, the school sports day, and the outing to Trinity College where you were able to see the campus and get an idea of college life. I would also like to say how impressed I was with the hard work and creativity you gave to your Climate Action Projects.

St Paul's has been partnered with AWS Amazon Web Services as part of ‘The Business in the Community Programme’. Employees from AWS came to our school and spoke about their careers, college pathways, sustainability, and new technologies. For the last two years these talks have been online, but this year our guests delivered the four sessions in person. There was also a visit to AWS Head Office in January where you delivered your own presentation at the end of the programme 'wrap session'. This was a wonderful opportunity for you to showcase what you have learned from the programme and acknowledge the contributions of everyone involved. We look forward to strengthening this partnership with AWS in the next academic year.

You can now look forward to a long and well-deserved break in the summer before returning in August as 3rd Years.

I would like to sincerely thank the 2nd Year tutors; Ms. Devlin, Mr. Brett and Ms. Lynch for their support and kindness. It really did mean a lot. I would also like to thank the 2nd Year Parents and Guardians for their assistance over the year which was hugely appreciated. Have a wonderful summer, Mrs. Denehan

MESSAGES FROM OUR YEARHEADS

3RD YEAR YEARHEAD - MS COLLETON

Congratulations 3rd years on reaching a significant milestone in your academic journey! Before you embark on the final leg of your junior cycle and face into State Examinations, it important to reflect on the year that was!

The year started with a trip to Causey Farm in Co. Meath for a day of bog jumping and bread making, all 3rd years participated in a tree planting day in Greenhills Park with ‘The Stepping Stones Forest Group, they escaped to the Dáil, where they rubbed shoulders with a few VIP’s and accepted all the challenges Go Quest had to offer last month. As your year head, I am particularly proud of those students that have given up their free time, so willingly, to help at various school events. From open day, bag packing in Dunnes Stores, clothes & Christmas hamper collections, Creative Schools Initiative and much more.

A special thank you to the 3rd year teachers for always guiding, inspiring and believing in your daughter’s true potential. Thanks to Ms. Devine, Ms. Kemple and Mr. O’Toole for supporting their tutor groups so well, always having their best interests at heart.

I wish you well in your exams! As a year group you have encountered numerous obstacles along your academic journey to date, yet you have managed to overcome them, trust in yourself and all the hard work you have done this far and remember, it’s never too late to start studying!

Ms. Colleton

TRANSITION YEAR YEARHEAD - MS KING

You all embarked on this year with curiosity, apprehension, and excitement, uncertain of what the year would bring. But now, as you look back, I can proudly say that you have come a long way. TY students in St Paul’s have overcome challenges, embraced new experiences, and discovered your passions. This year has truly been a transformative one for each and every one of you.

TY has given you all the freedom to explore, to step out of your comfort zones, and to broaden your horizons. Taking part in the Musical ‘The Sound of Music’ was one such event. STEM Passport in NUI Maynooth and Community Mentoring with Trinity College introduced you to aspects of third level education. Residential trips to Northern Italy skiing and to Carlingford Adventure Centre were some of the highlights of the year. Many students got involved in programmes such as the Ember Team, the Buddy System, the Active Schools, and Global Schools. Sports with Badminton Ireland, Rowing Ireland and Water Safety. Other trips such as Cycling in Phoenix Park, Kilmainham Gaol, the cinema, Arub Engineering, Airfield, DCU and this list is endless.

The experiences you have had and the skills you have acquired will serve as strong foundations for the years to come. You have experienced a diverse range of subjects, participated in exciting projects, and made informed subject choices for Leaving Cert as a result.

I would like to thank your form tutors Ms Byrne, Ms Farrell and Mr Carroll for all their hard work this year, along with Mr Patton, TY Coordinator, for his commitment and dedication to the programme. I would also like to thank your parents / guardians for their support and cooperation. Finally, enjoy the summer holidays and see you all in September as 5th Year students.

Ms. King

MESSAGES FROM OUR YEARHEADS

FIFTH YEAR YEARHEAD - MS O’NEILL

Well done to you all on all the work you put in this year. Another school year over and now you are heading into your final year in St. Pauls’s - seniors of the school!

Congratulations to Bronagh Farrell and Shauna Fox, our new Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, I know they will do a great job in representing the student body next year. I also want to congratulate the twelve prefects chosen to assist Bronagh and Shauna.

To everyone who participated on Sporting Teams, Student Council, Ember Team, Mentoring for 2nd Years, Future You, any curricular activities, Bag-Packing, represented the school in UCD and Le Chéile and Knock Symposium - a very big thank you, you did St. Paul’s proud. Have a great summer, take a well deserved break, and enjoy your time off before the hard work next year!

Mrs. O’Neill

SIXTH YEAR YEARHEAD - MS STACEY

Dear Sixth Years,

As you end your time with us in St Paul’s, it seems no length that you stood in the hall on that first day in your brand new uniforms, anxious about who would be with you in your class, meeting your form teachers and wondering how you would cope with all the new rules and regulations. A lot has happened over the last 6 years and now you leave us as confident young ladies ready to take on the world.

I would like to thank all your teachers who have brought you on this journey to your leaving cert, To Ms Creggy, Ms O’Toole and Ms Gardiner for helping you to navigate school life and minding you during your time in St Paul’s. A very big thank you to the parents and guardians for supporting you during these important years.

Now that the Leaving Cert is finished, I wish you every success and happiness in your future years. I hope your dreams come true and remember there are many paths to those dreams. Believe in yourself and you can achieve whatever you want.

Have a wonderful Summer,

Mrs. Stacey

CHINATOWN IN ST PAUL'S!

2023, the Year of the Rabbit got off to a flying start in St. Paul’s. Chinese Week took place at the end of January. Form Classes competed against each other in The Great Wall League. These games saw students battling to earn points in races, poster making, quizzes and rabbit-hunting. We are not talking about real rabbits here! Students were set a task to find the 23 hidden rabbit pictures scattered throughout the school. At the end of the week, our 3rd Year students emerged victorious, closely followed by 5th Year and 1st Year students.

Familiar Chinese Week attractions returned; notably our Tai Chi demonstration courtesy of Kat Lee (from the Dublin Lunar New Year organisation) and St. Paul’s Chinatown. Students from all year groups attempted drawing Chinese calligraphy, lantern making and dragon dancing.

We were delighted to welcome 5th and 6th class students from Holy Spirit SNS to Chinatown again this year. Having first visited as pupils in 6th class last year, it was amazing to see our 1st Year students now exhibiting their own material with us. Hopefully we can carry on this tradition in the future.

Our class groups enjoyed creating new projects in Chinese, which will be used in a major presentation next year. Our Chinese Club have sworn me to secrecy here, but all will be revealed in due course. On behalf of our Chinese Club, have a wonderful summer.

再⻅! (Zàijiàn! Bye for now), Mr O’Reilly Meehan

CAREER GUIDANCE UPDATE

· CAO Change of Mind: Change of Mind is currently open for 6th Years CAO applications, whereby you can change the order of your course choices, add new courses or delete some course choices from your application. Closing date is 1st July 2023

· SUSI Grant: The SUSI Grant is open for applications and the closing date is the 6th July.

· REACH+: Well done to the Transition Years on completing the REACH+ programme. This programme helps students in making informed career decisions through understanding themselves, the world of education and the world of work. All students received their certificates of achievement in this programme.

· It was another busy school year in the Careers Department starting with our successful College Awareness Night last October. Students visited college information fairs, attended college campuses, attended STEM events, and speakers from colleges of both higher and further education spoke to students about courses and opportunities available to them.

· Best of luck to four 5th year students taking part in the UCD Residential Summer School from the 12th to 15th June. An amazing opportunity to experience college life while staying on campus.

· Leaving Certificate: Best of luck to all our 6th year students with the Leaving Certificate. Ms King and Ms Fleming hope you will all be very happy with your offers of college courses.

FUTURE YOU MENTORING PROGRAM UCD

This programme provides students with an opportunity to explore options for after school in third level and ask questions about the transition from second to third level education. It motivates students about their potential to succeed in third level and encourage them to make informed decisions about their future education. Students learn about the various access routes to college and various courses available to them.

Many of the mentors in UCD are recent past pupils of St Paul’s, which is a valuable inspiration for our students. This programme entailed five workshops with the college mentors and one college campus visit.

Well done to the twenty-five 6th year students who have just completed this two year programme.

ST PAUL’S CELEBRATES DIVERSITYMULTICULTURAL DAY

Multicultural Day took place this year in St Paul's on the 10th of March, the event was even bigger and better than last year. We had over 15 different Nationalities participate raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on SDG 10 'Reducing Inequalities', SDG 4 'Quality Education' and SDG 3 'Good Health and Well-being.' Our TY Global Schools class organised and promoted the event. The whole school got to visit each countries' table and learn something new about the culture, language and food! Maichaela Sombilla from 5th year took part on the day and the following is her account of her experience.

My experience from partaking in the St Paul's Multicultural day was a memorable one, It was a great opportunity for everyone to showcase their culture and ethnic backgrounds. Me and my friend met new peers that became friends from other years that helped us in creating a lively display with food from our homeland that people could try alongside with music. Many people decorated their stalls in different ways, I-Pads with PowerPoints, Jewellery and our display included a board that showed the history, geography and various facts about the Philippines. It was interesting so see the different clothing styles everyone wore as well. One of the most memorable things though was playing with students and teachers a traditional Filipino board game called "Sungka" which uses seashells, alongside with the iconic music and small chats, telling people about our second home. This day was about trying new foods, games,

Folk Group - A Year of Melodies and Memories!

Our school’s Folk Group has had a busy year of performances. From the beginning of school year mass to the carol service, the annual trade fair, mass for the feast day of St. Paul and the sixth-year graduation, their voices have filled the halls of St. Paul’s and the church of the Holy Spirit, Greenhills. Special recognition goes to Emma Healy and Bronagh Farrell, who have played a vital role in supporting Ms. Weldon in accompanying the group. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays at lunchtime, providing a welcoming space for students from all year groups to explore their musical talents. New members are always welcome. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, develop your skills and be part of a vibrant school group.

EMBER TEAM - A VERY ACTIVE FIRST YEAR

This year we launched the Ember Team in St Paul’s. Ten students were selected to join the Ember Team and they really had a wonderful year. They represented the school at the Cycle Against Suicide Student Conference. They also attended the Le Cheile Student Symposium in Knock, Co. Mayo. They graduated in a ceremony in DCU along with Ember Teams from across the Dublin Diocese. On ‘Le Cheile Day’, the Ember Team led a Prayer Service for First Years. Towards the end of the year, The Ember Team visited the Confirmation and Communion Classes in Holy Spirit Senior and Junior School. They prepared lessons to prepare students for their Confirmation and Communion. It was such a special experience. We are so proud of the Ember Team this year. Our Ember Team for next year have been selected and we wish them well for the next year.

PE Xpo at DCU!

PE Xpo is a competition that examines the science behind sport. It’s a great way to get pupils inspired about the vital aspects of physical education and takes place in the Sports complex of Dublin City University. This also gives our younger students another opportunity to experience another college campus.

Thirteen 3rd year students represented St.Paul’s this year annual PE XPO held in DCU on 29th March. The girls displayed their projects based on nutrition, history of sport and disability in sport. It was a great day out for the students and the first time the school has being involved in the event. The girls are looking forward to next year and looking at ways to improve their projects.

POWER 2 PROGRESS STUDENTS PROGRESS ON TO THE NEXT STAGE!

The Leaving Certificate brought with it the completion of the Power2Progress programme. This programme was sponsored by Zurich and organised by UCD. Forty two of our outgoing 6th Year students availed of the bene Power2Progress over two years.

They were given a Laptop to use for two years of their Leaving Cert studies. In addition to this they were given weekly grinds in two subjects. Students participated in tuition in Spanish, Irish, Biology, Maths, English, Chemistry, History, French and Business Studies.

The benefits of this programme are immeasurable. We know that the students will reap the rewards of their commitments to their Power2Progress grinds in the exams. Congratulations to Amy McNally and Kori Okeshola who won the draw for One For All Vouchers for excellent attendance at the grinds.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS TALK FOR SENIOR CYCLE

Caitriona Rhodes from Breast Cancer Ireland came in to talk to our TY, 5th and 6th Year Students on 24th January about being breast aware.

Students learned about the eight signs of breast cancer: A breast lump, Breast swelling, A change in breast size, Dimpling of breast skin, A nipple rash, Nipple inversion, Nipple discharge, Breast pain. Students also learned how to recognise these signs and how to carry out a selfbreast examination. This was such a practical and worthwhile talk.

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP -

AMAZON DELIVERS FOR ST PAUL’S!

We were delighted to continue our partnership with Business in the Community and Amazon Web Services this year. This has been the third year of our partnership. Twenty five Second Year students engaged in six sessions throughout the year. The sessions were delivered by AWS employees. They introduced the students to their college and career pathways. They then explained their jobs, and how they can progress within AWS. It is such an eye opener for our Second Year students, to show them the possibilities that are there for them in their future careers.

We were also delighted that, for the first time, we were able to have a site visit to AWS Head Offices. It was great to get a tour around and to meet the staff in their workplace. The Second Year students delivered a superb presentation about what they had learned throughout the programme. Well done to all involved and we look forward to Year Four next year.

CNP SANTANDER PARTNERSHIPONE:ONE MENTORING FOR 5TH YEAR STUDENTS

This year we were delighted to partner with Business in the Community again, but for the first time with our Senior Cycle Students. Nine students from 5th and 6th Year were selected to participate in a Mentoring Programme with employees of CNP Santander.

This was such a phenomenal opportunity for our students as they were mentored on a one to one basis throughout the year. CNP employees were from a range of professions, Accountants, Solicitors, Insurance Brokers, Finance Directors, Marketing, PR and HR. Their mentoring of our students was transformative. They guided them in College and Career paths, Skills for the Workplace, CV’s and Interview Skills. The students involved gained so much from this experience.

All sessions took place on Wednesday afternoons to protect teaching and learning time. The year concluded with a Bowling celebration in Leisureplex in Tallaght. We are so delighted that this partnership will continue next year. We wish the nine successful students from 5th Year all the best of luck.

CHAMBER CHOIR SING AGAIN

With the full lifting of restrictions on all live choral singing post covid, September finally saw the chance for Ms. Duffy and St. Paul’s Chamber Choir to begin filling the corridors with live choral music again! The Chamber Choir consists of a small group of singers who all share a love and passion for choral and harmony singing. Rehearsals take place at lunchtime and the 2022/2023 school year included many performances from our talented singers.

First performance on the agenda was the beginning of school year mass, back in the church, where the acoustics so beautifully suited the Chamber Choir’s introduction to the language of Latin and liturgical music with the song ‘Lux Mundi’.

Next, hearing that Sing Ireland wanted to encourage and promote the return to live choral singing by marking National Singing Week, The Chamber Choir decided to embark on planning a free lunchtime concert for all students and staff. This concert aimed to show the overwhelmingly positive benefits and effects singing and music making as groups has on has on our mental health and well-being. The Chamber Choir sang their much-loved Lux Mundi as well as the song which captured the message for the week, ‘This is why we Sing’. Along with choral music, St. Paul’s was treated to performances on guitar, piano, vocal trios, duets and solos from music students across the year groups. A hugely positive and successful concert finished having shown the wonderful talents of our students and lifting the spirits of all present. Well done and thank you to all performers!

Sleigh bells were then calling as exciting preparations began for our school Carol Service, led so well by our Chamber Choir singers! Soaring descants, 3-part harmonies, sleighbells, triangles, pianos and guitars all filled the hall to mark the Christmas celebration. The much-anticipated ‘O Holy Night’ made a ‘live’ return to the hall where our amazing soloists and 3-part harmony arrangement of the chorus was heard, again showing the hugely talented performers in our school.

It was then back to the fabulous acoustics of the Church of the Holy Spirit in January to mark the feast of St. Paul, where Ms. Duffy again asked the dedicated singers to return to Latin for the Offertory piece. Alleluia Gratia Deo was a haunting performance where the choir members had the chance to delve in to early liturgical music. All senior members of the Chamber Choir had a very busy time in March and April where they had the wonderful opportunity to take to the stage showing stunning vocal talent and fantastic acting skill in St. Paul’s production ‘The Sound of Music’.

As the school year began to draw to a close after the Musical, Ms. Duffy gathered the girls to announce a final important ‘gig’ and yet again the great Chamber Choir girls accelerated their music learning skills to quickly take on the beautiful arrangement of Take That’s “Rule the World” in Classical choral style. The new language to conquer this time was Italian and what a stunning high-class performance the girls gave on the night for Prize Giving ceremony. They really sang their hearts out in the hall and showed their skill in harmony singing yet again!

Ms. Duffy would like to commend the girls on such brilliant performances this year and to thank them for their dedication and commitment to the Chamber Choir. What a wonderfully successful year it has been in opening up fully to live group singing again. We can’t wait to hear what exciting performances lie ahead next year for the Chamber Choir. Auditions will be held for some new places in September.

SPORTS DAY 2023 - DEFIES THE WEATHER!!

Our annual sports day took place on Friday the 19th of May after being postponed twice beforehand. It was a fantastic day out with the weather adding to the occasion. The students had great fun with various activities at different stations. The 6th years won the teachers tug of war along with winning the teachers vs students rounders match. It was a memorable last sports day for the 6th years. The day finished with teachers getting sponges thrown at them and great fun was had by both students and teachers. A big thank you to all the staff for all their help on the day. Also, a special thanks to the amazing Mrs. Masterson for being an amazing MC on the day.

Sporting St Paul’s

It has been a very active and exciting summer term for sport within St Paul’s. Well done to all the girls who are giving of their time, energy and skills on all the different teams in St Paul’s.

Badminton

Transition year students got the opportunity to visit the National Indoor Arena at Abbottstown to watch the Irish Open alongside a training session with 3-time Olympian Chloe McGee. The girls really enjoyed the day out and learned loads. As a result of this the girls now have the opportunity to receive a coaching course through a new programme “Badminteen” in which the girls will receive a coaching qualification, along with a goodie bag which will include a badminton racket and t-shirts. We

some students as it was there first time playing for the school.

Our U-16’s team put up a valiant effort against Dublin schools. Each game saw them grow bigger and better than the last and it goes to show that they are born leaders. It was fantastic to see team sporting events return to St. Paul’s. Our students enjoyed acting as mentors to court younger 3rd year students, supporting them on and off the court. TY’s also attained valuable numeracy skills through keeping the scoreboard in check. There is no question that they will come back fighting twice as hard next season. As for the 1st and 2nd years they had some very close games and was a great experience for

Volleyball

Volleyball in St. Paul’s started up again with the introduction of a lunchtime club due to demand. The club ran every Tuesday lunchtime with big help of our 2 sports prefects Niamh Kelly and Alex Senior and was a massive success with 20 plus students turning up weekly. It’s great to see such interest in Volleyball at Paul’s. We had the wonderful coach Miriam in for 6 weeks on Wednesdays for coaching with 20 plus students turning up weekly. We hope to continue this next year and also hope to form a school team.

A group of TY students got the opportunity to go to Neptune Rowing club and learn how to row

STUDENT LEADERSHIP - A CELEBRATION OF HARDWORK!

As the year drew to a close, we celebrated the huge impact of our Student Leaders by hosting a Pizza Party. All the Class Captains, Vice- Captains, Sports Prefects, Student Council, TY Buddies, Student Mentors, Senior Prefects and Ember Team were given a certificate of Student Leadership. The contribution of the student leaders to our school community is immeasurable and we really value their commitment to their roles. We wish Bronagh Farrell and Shauna Fox the best of luck as they embark on their roles of Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl next year.

ACTIVE SCHOOL FLAG - ACT OF APPROVAL!

This year is our second year to take part in the active school flag programme. This year is the certificate year, if given the opportunity and passing the programme a school can move onto year three, which is the flag year.

Our schools mentor came to visit us on Friday 5th of May. She met the student team, co-ordinators and management. She was extremely impressed with the school and also by how the students got on with the programme. After seeing all of the work done by the school and our walkway, we were approved to proceed to the The current Transition year students will pass on the baton to the incoming Transition years of 2023/2024 and there will be big shoes to this year organised the school’s first active school flag week, set up a badminton club, organised a whole school tug of war were the on Sports Day against the teachers and a crazy/silly sock day to promote our active school walkway. St. Paul’s looks forward to the next school year of active school flag.

ST PAUL’S SIXTH YEARS LEAD THE WAY IN THEIR WORK FOR PERIOD JUSTICE!

This year we continued our successful campaign to highlight the effects of period poverty in Ireland and the impact it has on female education. Rang Tara worked with Ms Allen and the RE department to make sure that free sanitary products were available every school day in a designated bathroom. These products were purchased through fundraising carried out by Rang Tara who held an ice cream sale in September and a sweet sale in February. We would also like to thank the company Always who donated 18 boxes of sanitary towels and tampons to the school. Rang Tara also were involved in a letter writing campaign to their local TD’s in relation to the ‘Worryfree Campaign” that was promised in the Programme for Government. The students were delighted to receive responses from many Senators and TDs. The RE department plan to continue to work with our students to make sure that everyone has access to the sanitary products they need.

As part of their work relating to period justice in our school Rang Tara were inspired to help those outside of our school also. On January 16th we welcomed Mia de Faoite a guestpspeaker from Ruhama. Ruhama is a Dublin-based NGO that works on a national level with women affected by prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Mia spoke to the students about this very difficult topic and highlighted the great work the Ruhama does with the victims of sexual exploitation. Rang Tara then presented Mia with some care packs that they had created that were to be distributed to Ruhama’s services users. As a class they hoped that this would send a message to those who had been exploited that there are people who care about them.

Rang Tara continued their great work with a fundraiser that was held in aid of the Hygiene Bank Ireland. The students successfully raised €475 that was donated to this worthy charity. The students welcomed Mary Gilligan a past member of staff to our school on the 28th of February to collect the donation and also to speak to the class about the work that the Hygiene Bank does.

LIFELAB

We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to visit LifeLab in DCU with a group of Transition Year students this year.

LifeLab at DCU is an interactive educational space for adolescents to Inspire, Explore and Develop Health and Health Literacy. The girls learned about different aspects of Health Literacy such as Sleep, Food and Diet, Mental Health to name a few.

We hope to introduce our 1st year students to LifeLab from September during SPHE classes.

IN MY SHOES

The RE department decided to get behind another great charity at the end of our final term. An appeal went out to all students and staff to search their wardrobes for any sports shoes they no longer wanted and that would still be usable. The sports shoes were collected to help the In My Shoes Charity. In My Shoes is a Charity Shoe Appeal, that ships pre-loved sports shoes from families in the UK & Ireland to needy township children in Lesotho and South Africa! We were delighted to collect 80 pairs of runners and football boots of all sizes to send to Sligo to be sorted before heading off to South Africa.

MILES FOR RIAN - SCHOOL WALK FOR A GREAT CAUSE

This year along with the Active School team we decided to participate in a fundraiser along with St.Clement’s College in Limerick. Rian, was a student of St. Clements College, who developed an osteosarcoma - a type of bone cancer. After his diagnosis, St Clement’s began Miles for Rian to fundraise for Rian.

Sadly, Rian passed away on the 12th of January 2021. Rian’s parents, Debbie and Ray O’ Halloran, decided to divide the money raised between the four charities that supported Rian throughout his illness and who impacted greatly on his and his family's life during that tough period. Those involved were Milford Care Centre, The Irish Cancer Society, Aoibheann’s Pink Tie and Cliona's Foundation. We held a whole school walk in Tymon Park along with collecting donations for five amazing cancer charities. The whole school walk ran smoothly and both staff and students enjoyed the 5km walk and the weather made it even better. As a school we raised over 500 euro, which is amazing. A big thanks again to staff and students for all their donations.

FEAST OF ST. PAUL

On the 25th of January, each year, we gather as a school community to celebrate our patron saint. The feast of St. Paul mass was celebrated by our dedicated chaplain Fr. Roddy in the Church of the Holy Spirit, Greenhills. It is a wonderful opportunity for the whole school to come together as a community.

This year we welcomed Claire Kilroy from the Le Chéile Schools Trust and she offered our students words of encouragement and inspiration. The celebration ended with a double presentation of the Ethos award to two very worthy winners Aoife Mc Gee and Latifat Asiyanbi.

This Feast was an extra special celebration as the Sisters of St Paul celebrated the 175th Anniversary of its founding by Genevieve Dupuis - who gave us the great challenge of ‘Omnibus Omnia’. We took the opportunity to warmly thank the Sisters of St. Paul: Sr. Mary, Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Martina for all of their hardwork kindness and commitment to the school and its students and to present a wonderful painting by talented TY artist Alanah McKenzie.

ST PAUL’S GIRLS THINK BIG AND ACT

GLOBALLY!

Over the last number of years, we have led many awareness raising and fundraising campaigns in St Paul’s, we have also tried to deepen our understanding of the root causes of injustice, poverty, war and climate change. Our links and work with WorldWise Global Schools enables us to do so. This year WorldWise Global Schools led training for all staff on ways in which Global Citizenship Education can be embedded across all subject areas.

We also introduced a Transition Year module on GCE this year, where TY students participated in a workshop in Irish Aid; studied concepts of justice, development, power, and related them to their own lives; and critically explored how these concepts are presented to them on a day-to-day basis. Our Third Year students also undertook an introduction workshop with Global Action Plan before they embark on their GCE module next year.

GREENHILLS WAS ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC!

A huge congratulations to our Transition Year students who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of our school musical. 'The Sound of Music' took place over three nights to great acclaim. The school musical is by now an annual event here in St Paul's (see below for the big reveal for next year’s show!) and is the perfect opportunity to display the wealth of talent of our students. A huge congratulations to everyone who played a part in making this show the success it was - from set design and construction to costumes and props, from choreography, acting and music to ticket and poster design, from brilliant stage performances to a well coordinated backstage team. Take a well deserved bow. Greenhills was truly alive with the sound of music thanks to you!!

THE ARTISTS’ ANGLE - ART DEPARTMENT UPDATE

Architects in School Programme 2023

Working with our architect Claire Chawke students focused on the theme of ‘Spaces for Learning’ issued by the IFA Architects in School programme. Our design journey started with a detailed look at an enlarged map of our 1960’s school building where students were tasked with locating a suitable internal or external space to re-design. With the students of St. Paul’s at the heart of the design brief, twenty Transition Years explored the school site on foot, to capture on camera a space they could best utilise.

Students presented their initial design ideas, sketching their proposals for a group discussion. Some fantastic ideas were developed; a full re-design of the school music room, with individual pods to listen to music, an upgrade of the staff gardens, a repurposed boiler house that would transform into a student learning hub, the removal of wall and doors to expand our home economics room to include a garden where herbs and vegetables could be grown for use in the classroom. After ideas were exchanged students began to create 3D models of their new ‘Spaces for Learning’ designs.

Last month, St. Paul’s were one of 12 schools from around the country that travelled to Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library & Cultural Centre to deliver a presentation about our project to several member of the IFA association and three other participating schools. Thank you to Alaine Aby for representing St. Paul’s so well at this event.

NAPD Creative Engagement 2023

The new specification for Visual Art, introduced September 2021, encourages art students to link their areas of practice with that of a contemporary artist. When students are exposed to practicing artists, it enhances their own creative journey as they explore who they are as artists. For this reason, we invited Visual Artist Declan O’Meara to host a workshop with 14 5th year art students. Over the course of a full day workshop, students explored portraiture through oil pastels. We chose this area of practice as we wanted to build upon our school’s creative strengths and engage with new art forms not yet explored. With Declan’s knowledge and skill, we worked closely with him to design a personal and reflective portrait project. Our aim was that student’s engagement would be process driven, focusing on the importance of researching, creating and responding. This work will be on display in September at our annual Open Day.

School Musical - ‘The Sound of Music’

On behalf of Ms. Colleton and Ms. Gough we would like to say a huge thank you to the TY students that worked on the set over the past few months. It is a massive task to paint a set of this size, we had a group of very hard working students that worked tirelessly, always willing to help out and offer their time. We greatly appreciate it!

Art Competitions

Last month the whole school community was invited to participate in an internal art competition to design the cover of their school journal. Congratulations to Signe Taguba 5th year who’s design will feature on the front and Lilia Prudnecionok 2nd year will be printed on the back.

Congratulations to 1st year art students Katie Leonard and Sophie O’Connor who placed 1st and 3rd in the Dublin County Comhaltas Ceoltori Art Competition, with over 200 entries this was an amazing achievement! Well done ladies!

PILOT PROJECT FOR ST PAUL’S GERMAN DEPARTMENT

St. Paul’s Transition Year German students were amongst those from 15 schools to participate this year in the Post-Primary Language Initiative’s pilot project to introduce Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Irish secondary schools. This project explores the benefits of CLIL in order to support and reinforce language learning and to improve language proficiency by creating a more engaging learning environment. As part of this pilot, the students completed a Fair Trade module with classes being conducted only in German and students using only the target language as a means of communication throughout. We are very proud of their efforts and hope to see CLIL’s roll out in Irish Secondary schools in the future.

DEUTSCHKLUB SAY DANKE SCHÖN TO MS MEINECKE!

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to thank our fantastic language assistant Ms. Meinecke for all her hard work and efforts in the German Department this year. It has been a fantastic opportunity for us to bring the language and culture of Germany alive in German classes in St. Paul’s.

Nowhere was this more evident than in this year’s DEUTSCHKLUB where students enjoyed film, music, games, Christmas themed cookie decoration, Easter Egg painting as well as the opportunity to attend showings of Der Pfad and Klammer in the Irish Film Institute followed by a visit to the Goethe-Institut’s library. As we enter the summer, we encourage all students of German to visit their website meingoethe.de and avail of their free online library facilities where there are thousands of German language books, film, music and magazines available to borrow for free.

TRANSITION YEARS OUT AND ABOUT!

Our TYs have been very busy over the last few months. Here you can read about some of the various activities and trips the TY students have had the opportunity to do over the last term - you’ll see they definitely haven’t been idle - all while performing in the magnificent ‘Sound of Music’ photos of which you will have seen earlier.

Work Experience

Our wonderful TY got out into the world of work with our students experiencing a wide variety of careers and workplaces- from biochemistry in St James’ hospital to primary school teaching in the local schools and everything in between. The students were delighted to experience the world of work with many reporting that they had found their future career! The feedback received from employers was glowing and it was clear that the students of St Paul’s made quite an impression!

Lighthouse Cinema Trip

The whole TY group hightailed it to Smithfield for a day of popcorn, friendship and retro movies. The 00s classic 10 Things I hate About You was on the silver screen and the girls loved it! Showing us all that the classic stories remain powerful even to the new generation.

Badminton

Our Transition year students this year had the opportunity of a lifetime. The students travelled to Sports Ireland in Blanchardstown with Ms. Farrell and Mr. O’ Toole. The got to watch professional play badminton matches and got to play themselves with help from trained badminton coaches. The students were so impressive that Badminton Ireland gave the school the opportunity for those students to take part in a coaching course and receive coaching certificates. This not only benefitted the select students, but some of those students were on the active school flag team used their new skills to train other students at our new badminton club. It was set up as an action plan by the active school flag team after surveying the whole school. The badminton club was a huge success, many student’s attended and really enjoyed a new club in St. Paul’s.

RNLI - Water Safety

The RNLI popped into St Paul’s to educate our students on how to enjoy the water safely this summer. Complete with flags, buoys and tales of lives saved the team from RNLI passed on the importance of staying safe while enjoying Ireland’s beaches and waterways.

ReDiscovering Sustainable Fashion

The hectic scheduled continued with a trip to the rediscovery centre where the students learned about the move towards sustainable fashion and how they can make small changes for the better in their world. The girls really enjoyed this trip and they returned with a renewed awareness of how the fashion choices they make have a wider impact on the environment and those in countries that are less well off

CARLINGFORD

This wasn’t the end of the fun as on Monday 15th May, Transition Year students travelled to Carlingford adventure centre for a 2-night stay - filled with lots of activities and memories!

SKI TRIP

February saw the TYs set off to Italy for a six-day ski trip. 30 students along with four teachers, Mr. Patton, Ms. Fagan, Ms Heaney, and Mr Delvin landed in beautiful Verona and were whisked away by coach to the Dolomite region of Trentino. Eyes widened and the excitement was palpable as the coach winded its way through the impossibly narrow Alpine roads towards the hamlet of Folgaria - our home for the next week.

Every morning at dawn the students were awoken by our living, breathing alarm clock- Mr. Devlin and went straight to breakfast. Every day we skied from eight to eleven. Then we had a break in a mountain refuge. This gave the girls time to regroup with their friends as they got split up into different groups to ski. This was great as in the restaurant; we would have a singsong every day led by the magnificent owner Leonardo and his karaoke machine. This kept spirits high despite the sore feet and tired minds. After lunch, we skied again until three o’clock , with our instructors taking us higher and higher up the mountain every day.

On the first day, we went into the town about a 5minute walk from our hotel and we had lovely hand made Italian ice cream . The second night we went swimming. The next night, tobogganing. This was one activity everyone enjoyed, especially the teachers. The following night we went ice skating in the Olympic rink. Each day pushed us out of our comfort zone and on the final night, we all went to a restaurant in the town for traditional Italian pizza and a quiz.

On our final day before we went home, we went to Verona, a beautiful city with so much history. We got to see the amphitheatre, the piazza and the Romeo and Juliet balcony. It was truly spectacular. After plenty of shopping, ice cream and sightseeing it was time to return.

As Abbie , one of our intrepid skiers said: “This ski trip has taught us to take every opportunity and to enjoy life by living in the moment. To say the ski trip was amazing is an understatement. We had the best time with the best people. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

STUDENT COUNCIL UPDATES

The Student Council had a busy term wrapping up their end-of-year initiatives and events. During Wellbeing Week, a student Bake Sale and Staff Bake Off brought students and staff together to remember the importance of good mental and health and how to seek help by fundraising for Pieta House. Congrats to Ms Stacey (our Star Baker) and runners up Mr Carroll and Ms Gallagher and to all who took part for this generous cause.

In preparation for exams digital clocks were provided for State Exams for ease for students and extras were ordered for teacher classrooms.

For graduation, the Student Council gifted a Graduation Hat box to all 6th toolkit to prepare them for life after St. Paul's as a small keepsake. We want to take this opportunity to thank the whole school community for their continued cooperation with our initiatives and to wish all students the best of luck with upcoming examinations. Applications for Student Council will be open in the new academic year.

WELLBEING AND SMILE CLUB

This term the Smile Club organised Wellbeing Week with their liaison Teacher Ms G. O'Toole. There was a number of events and competitions for students to take part in such as Healthy Eating Quizes, Music in the Mornings, Cosy Clothes Non-uniform Day (with the assistance of Student Council), Sport's Day Tuck Shop, Friendship Egg Hunt at Easter break, Friendship Poetry Competition, Design-afriend Competition, Appreciation Stations and Karma Cards. Thank you all so much for getting involved!

FIFTH YEAR ECOLOGY TRIP

Biology students were accompanied by their teachers Ms Kemple and Ms G O'Toole to Airfield Estate in Dundrum on Thursday 11th of May to complete their fieldwork on grassland habitats. Whilst the weather may have been stormy, windy and rainy this did not dampen their spirits! Students completed their study of how to survey a habitat to discover the flora and fauna before touring around Airfield estate to discover their farming methods, sustainable actions and biodiversity protection measures - a great day for all involved.

HSCL / PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION UPDATE

The Parents’ Association have been very busy fundraising to assist our school with the additional costs associated with the provision of an Autism Room which is due to open in September, roof repairs and the purchase of fire extinguishers. The following events have helped in our fundraising efforts:

Easter Raffle

The Parents’ Association organised fantastic prizes from local businesses for our annual Easter Raffle which took place on 29th March. Tickets were sold in the school and were also available to purchase online via idonate.ie. This raffle raised €2,218 and has been our most successful raffle to date!

The Sound of Music

The Parents’ Association sourced local businesses to sponsor a page in the programme of the school musical for ‘The Sound of Music’. A donation of 25 euro secured a company logo to appear as an ad on the page. Our PA also hosted a raffle each night of the production and there were some fantastic prizes and vouchers supplied by local businesses. The raffle combined with the ads raised €1,934.

Bag Packing in Dunnes Stores, The Square

On the weekend of the 5th and 6th May, students and parents helped fundraise for the school bag packing in Dunnes Stores. A huge thank you to all students who signed up to help and gave willingly of their free time to support this fundraiser. An impressive €1,039 was raised over the weekend. Students were rewarded with a homework pass and a pizza party from Domino’s Pizza!

Classes for Parents

Parent classes were held in the Parents’ Room including Life coaching, Irish conversational classes and a Master Makeup class. We also continued our weekly Friday Fitness walk in Tymon Park and our Zumba class with the amazing Aoife McManus. There was great energy from the parents who participated so enthusiastically in all these classes.

Parents on Tour!

A trip to Glasnevin Cemetery was organised for parents/ guardians in May and it was a fantastic day out! We enjoyed a guided tour of the Cemetery and visited the graves of iconic figures from Irish history such as Daniel O’Connell, Michael Collins, Eamon De Valera and Countess Markievicz. We even had time for coffee and some lunch!

Lastly, a very heartfelt THANK YOU to the Parents’ Association for all their hard work and support. A special word of thanks to Eileen Creagh, Mairead Greene and Barbara Hayden who have been such supportive members of our PA for six years. We appreciate all the time, energy and enthusiasm each of you have invested in the PA. You will be sincerely missed and will always be friends of St. Paul’s.

SIXTH YEAR GRADUATION AND PRIZE-GIVING 2023

On Thursday, 18th May we held our first full Prize-Giving Ceremony in more than three years. This was a very special event recognising our students’ Academic Excellence, Commitment to Studies, Merit Cup, Arts Award, Leadership Awards, Sporting Awards and Student of the Year to name but a few.

The following Wednesday, 24th May we marked the graduation of our Class of 2023. Our sixth year students and their families, our staff and Board of Management gathered in the school hall for a very special ceremony as we celebrated the hard work, commitment and dedication of our students. We were delighted to welcome Fr Michael Kilkenny to celebrate our Graduation Mass, which included a very moving Ceremony of Light. Mass was followed with an address from Ms Troy. DT and Holly, Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, then brought everyone gathered on a journey through the past six years. This was followed with a handing over of the reins to our Incoming Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, Bronagh Farrell and Shauna Fox.

Congratulations to our Class of 2022 and to all our award winners. Both our graduation and prize-giving committees deserve a huge thank you for two exceptionally well-organised and beautiful celebrations.

SIXTH YEAR GRADUATION AND PRIZE-GIVING 2023

FIRST YEAR YEARBOOK - A YEAR FULL OF MEMORIES AND DREAMS

This wonderful yearbook can be accessed through scanning the QR code below:

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

The school office is closed from Friday, 30th June for holidays and will re-open on Tuesday, 8th of August.

- Friday 25th August: 2nd and 5th Year Induction, 1st Year Orientation

- Monday 28th August: 1st and 6th Year Induction

- Tuesday 29th August: 3rd Year and TY Induction

- Wednesday 30th August: Normal School Day for all students

Wishing you and your family a very safe, relaxing and well-deserved summer break!