Principal's Welcome Back, January 2024
A Chairde, 8thJanuary 2024
I hope that you are well. As we start now into Term 2 of the academic year I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy new year for 2024.
Last term was very busy and productive so we expect the same again for Term 2 as life is never quiet in school!
Here, as I did at Halloween, I have listed some of what happened in the school during the second part of Term 1 up to Christmas. You will be dizzy reading it! I hope that you talk to your daughter about these events and make sure she takes part in some extra-curricular activities in Term 2. There is so much to learn and gain from all this excitement:
The Iceland trip took place and it was a wonderful event; the GAA pitch has started and is making fast progress; Stand Up Week took place; Ski Lessons for TY students took place in preparation for the Ski Trip after Christmas; we had a visit from the National Council for Special Education; we held a fire drill; Junior Cycle full planning day for teachers took place in November; Careers Week went well, College Awareness Week brought visitors to our school from our past pupils regarding career advice, we had a talk from Apprentice Ireland too; we celebrated Science week with Science quizzes, a film, a competition each day at lunch time in Halla Lydia, dissections of body parts, poster competitions and a team in 5th year along with their teachers took part in the annual Science Quiz and represented us so well, STEM talks from our past pupils took place, other past pupils visited and spoke about many different careers such as engineering, architecture, accounting, social work and many other careers;
Study Skills by Inspire for 2nd years was excellent; the 2nd year Parent Teacher took place; Community Care week took place for TY students; school sporting photographs were taken; the Social Justice Committee finished their project on Homelessness in Dublin, in Ireland and on a global scale. They are preparing for our Intercultural Day already which will take place in March; we had a beautiful recital from one of our TY students Iris Stoicescu and 2 visiting musicians which took place in a packed St Patrick’s Hall, but it felt like we were in the National Concert Hall it was so amazing; we had a parents’ coffee morning and social occasion for parents of students in Tighín Ódhran; meetings of the Parent’s Association continued; meetings of the Board of Management were held each month; we had a day of Take 1 Sustainability which shows students how to study sustainability across all their subjects; we had our first ever Swap and Shop when students brought in worn but well-loved clothing in good condition and were able to trade these for other second hand clothing. This raised €500, which will go towards buying recycling bins for our paper and other recycling waste for the classrooms.
We dedicated one full day to Gaeilge 24 when the whole school made an effort to use more Irish in the school; the 6th year English classes went to see Philidelphia Here I Come; we had a vaping presentation from a HSE trained presenter about the dangers of this habit; we had a staff coaching introductory session in December involving 7 members of staff; we had more autism training for teachers; we celebrated Mass in the Dominican Chapel remembering those who have passed away in November, month of the holy souls; we held a staff meeting; we had all the after school clubs up and running again; we have ordered blinds for classrooms so that the sun does not block the print on the computers and the whiteboards; we had 2 students selected for the Space Settlement Contest Team involving NASA; we held the Trade Fair where the vendors exhibited their products and made excellent sales pitches to their peer customers and teachers; we had teachers training for middle leadership on Saturdays; we had Student Council meetings; we helped the local Vincent de Paul with the Parish envelope appeal for the Christmas fund; we had an Art trip; class 5C2 had a Bake off on the 14th December; we had Jigsaw training for some teachers; we had Christmas Jumper Day; we had Stand Up Sock Day; a trip for 5C2 to Blanchardstown; we had a subject planning after school session for teachers;
We held our great Carol Service to a packed audience in the Dominican Chapel on Wednesday 6th December; again we had the pleasure of the Choir singing for us in the Parish Church for the whole school on Tuesday 12th December, which was a very special and rare occasion for almost 900 pupils and teachers; we had our DEAR time (DROP EVERYTHING AND RELAX/READ/REFLECT) for 10 minutes during the last week of school term; the house exams took place for 1st, 2nd and 5th years; we have the Mock exams organised and ready for the 3rd and 6th year students towards the end of January and we wish them well with their preparations; the TY students went Ice skating; all students received a Christmas present from the school as a treat this week; Santa visited the 6th years and the staff sang Christmas songs with them on the last day of the term. This was a lovely fun occasion.
Sporting achievement: We had matches galore last term,such was our level of competition and participation. We had Basketball, Camogie, Gaelic football and Hockey matches, we had quarter finals, semi-finals and finals, we had wins and losses and disappointment and joy. Our Athletics department were crowned best overall school for the 6th year in a row and won a printer for school use.
These events happen because the teachers, SNAs, staff, deputy principals and principal care deeply about your daughter’s progress and wellbeing in a school that is welcoming and friendly. I always say we are the sum of all the parts and you as parents are an important part of this school community.
Above all I am very honoured to be principal of St Dominic’s College and proud of the school I lead and am part of. We have lovely students who are so respectful and thankful for all that is done for them. Occasionally students may make mistakes and we deal with them, but this school environment allows students to come back, learn from their mistakes and move on. Parental support is also critical for this so that home and school work together for the benefit of your daughter.
St Dominic’s College Newsletter
Please click on the above link to view the Term 1 Newsletter for lots more reading of what went on in the school.
Looking forward to working with you the parents/guardians for the remainder of this academic year 2023-2024.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Ann Cameron
Principal