St. Leo’s College, Carlow 

Annual Report

Academic Year 2006 - 2007

Mercy Philosophy Of Education

Inspired by the vision of Catherine McAuley Mercy education is committed to holistic development and to the

achievement of the full potential of each student particularly those who are disadvantaged or marginalised.

It is a process informed and influenced by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ and is conducted in an atmosphere of care, respect and

joy. Mercy education is committed to on-going whole-school development in collaboration and partnership with the board of

management, staff, parents and the wider community.

.

Welcome

Welcome to the St. Leo’s College Annual Report for the academic year 2006-2007. Once again, it has been an extremely busy year for each member of the school community and I know that you are going to enjoy reading the accounts which follow.

In June 2007, I was delighted to be appointed Acting Principal in St. Leo’s College, to replace Clare

Ryan who was granted a secondment to work with the LDS Programme. I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead the school community for a year and I have found it to be a very challenging but rewarding experience. Reflecting on that year now I cannot believe how quickly it has passed. I think as Principal one gets to see ‘the helicopter view’ of school life and I feel very fortunate to have experienced that. Schools are such lively places and like all areas of life there are sad times and happy times, victories and defeats, gains and losses and each one provides an opportunity for growth and for enhancing our experiences of teaching and learning.

As I mentioned earlier, 2006-2007 was a very busy year. The year began on a sad note as one of our

much loved and brilliant teachers and a dear friend and colleague, Fionnuala Tuite, lost her brave battle with Cancer in July. The Library and multi-media centre was dedicated to Fionnuala’s memory in December and you will find a fitting tribute to Fionnuala in this Annual Report. I’m also conscious of other members of the school community who have lost a loved one this year and I hope that we can continue to be a support to you in your loss.

It is impossible to mention here all that happened throughout the year, but among the many highlights were:

Mercy Day Mass The school’s continued fundraising and contributions to many voluntary and humanitarian

organisations The School Musical- Brigadoon The European, French and ski tours The German exchange Carols by Candlelight Winning the Senior A All- Ireland final Excellent Sporting achievements in Hockey, Athletics, Volleyball and basketball TY students participating in an Aviation Programme for the first time Receiving our 3rd Green Flag 3rd Year students participating in the Young scientist Exhibition in the RDS One of our Leaving Cert. students winning the overall prize in this year’s Foinse essay writing

competition. The Busy Person’s Retreat Road Safety talks Music Masterclass Participating in the Cork International Choral Festival 1st Year History Tour L.C. Pilgrimage Gaisce Trips Our annual Leaving Cert. Mass Awards’ Ceremony

As well as all the highlights of the year mentioned above, a vast amount of teaching and learning took place in each subject area in the school. You will find a summary of each Department’s work in the Report which follows and I’m sure you’ll agree that it makes for very interesting and impressive reading. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our teaching staff for their hard work and dedication and commitment to each of the students in the school and to the school as a whole. I’d also like to thank all of our ancillary staff whose contribution to school life and to the maintenance of a positive learning environment is vital. I’d like to pay tribute to our wonderful students whose energy and enthusiasm, hard work and dedication contribute hugely to our school. Finally, I would like to thank you the parents and guardians of the students in St. Leo’s College for your support and interest in the school. It is a vital component of a successful school. I’m reminded of an old Irish seanfhocal which says Ar scath a chéile a mhaireann na daoine’- we each live in each others shadow and I think that it is particularly true in school life. We look forward to your continued support in the coming year. Patricia Gurhy Principal (Acting)

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT Current Members: Secretary: Patricia Gurhy Chairperson: Mary Wheatley Trustee Representatives: Séamus Byrne Michael Hosey John Gallagher Parent Representatives: Pauline Lawlor Niall Rennick Teacher Representatives: Lillian Fogarty Joan Scott PARENTS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL Current Members Chairperson: Aileen Brennan Secretary: Kathleen Thompson Treasurer: Alan Whelan PRO: Helen Ryan Teacher Representatives: Margaret Farrell and Máiréad Redmond Principal: Patricia Gurhy The Council also has about 20 other participating parents and would welcome some additional members. The college is indebted to members of the Board of Management and the Parents’ Advisory Council who work tirelessly and voluntarily on behalf of the school community.

Secretarial Staff Secretaries: Claire Calvey Marian O’Brien Teresa O’Kelly Receptionist: Denise McGrath Clerical Administration: Mary Kavanagh Service Staff Caretaker/Maintenance: Derek Fagan Paul Ryan Lauren Decaux Breakfast Club & Shop Lynda Fagan Cleaning Staff Our cleaning services are provided by Murphy Contract Cleaners. Bridie is with us on a daily basis. Supervised Study Oonagh Croad Mary Wheatley Assisted Study Co-ordinated by Ms. Delaney and Ms. Kenny Supervision Caroline Brereton S.N.A.s Pauline Lacey Sheila Gaffney Landy Long Part-time Librarian Martina Lennon Canteen IQ Cuisine (Campbell Catering) Voluntary Staff Our school greatly acknowledges the immense support and commitment that it receives on an ongoing basis from the following Sisters of Mercy: Sr. Nora O’Brien Sr. Áine Cullen Sr. Kathleen Kennedy Sr. Maureen Kelly Sr. Elizabeth Maher Sr. Maureen Kehoe The hard work, dedication and commitment of these Sisters is very much appreciated. They are involved in many areas of school life including photocopying, organising books for the Book Scheme, hosting lunches for the first year classes and general activities. We are also extremely grateful to Mrs Martina Lennon who also works one day per week in the Library and has given very generously of her time to the school.

In-school Management The in-school management team consists of the Principal, 2 Deputy Principals, 12 Assistant Principals and 17 Special Duties teachers. Patricia Gurhy: Principal (Acting) Hugh Dolan: Deputy Principal Helen Regan: Deputy Principal The Assistant Principals and Special Duties teachers are members of our teaching staff. Teaching staff 2006-2007: Most counties in the republic of Ireland are represented on our staff. All teachers are college graduates and many have completed further studies in post-graduate courses. This year our Principal Clare Ryan and two members of our teaching staff were on secondment to the Department of Education and Science. There is a wide diversity of disciplines within our teachers’ qualifications, which allows the school to offer an extensive range of subjects to the students. Below is a list of all the teachers who taught in our school this year. Mairéad Breen Niamh Gallagher Ruth McHugh Anne Buckeridge John Glynn Fiona McManus Noreen Butler Tara Gooch Collette Nelson Claire Casey Margaret Holden Marie Nolan Sheila Cody Áine Hynes Mary Nolan Edel Connolly Fiona Johnson Sandra Nolan Irene Connors Leonie Keenan Tom Nolan Deirdre Colfer Fiona Kelly Elma O'Connell Kathleen Coyne Vivenne Kelly Noreen O'Donnell Cathy Cradock Elizabeth Kennedy James O'Keeffe Mairín Crowe Nuala Kennedy Anne O'Riordan Willie Cullen Sinéad Kenny Kate Redmond Ian Curran Angela Kirwan Mairéad Redmond Dearbhla Cusson Mary Kyne Anne Rennick Annie Deering Caroline Lambe Emer Ryan Valerie Delaney Breda Lloyd Joan Scott Mary Dillon Deirdre Lawlor Helena Sheridan Allison Doyle Áine Shiels Sheelagh Shore Mary Doyle Joyce Macken Anita Somers Veronica Doyle Imelda Morley Geraldine Stewart Emma Dwyer Patricia Morrissey Anne Tully Margaret Farrell Fergal Murphy Anne-Marie Winters Lillian Fogarty Patricia Murphy Jennifer Foley David McAuliffe Jacqueline Timmons Mary McHugh We also had 5 H. Dip. students on our staff for the year - Breda Brennan, Sinéad Casey, Jennifer Curran, Aoife Maher and Emma O'Brien. We wish them every success in their teaching careers. In June we said a sad farewell to one of our much loved and extremely dedicated teachers Ms. Breda Lloyd who has retired after many years of inspiring students in St. Leo’s College. She will be greatly missed but we hope that she will enjoy every minute of her well earned rest.

Head Girls (2006-2007) Sile Farrell Gillian Tierney Caitríona Kelly Sixth Year/Senior Prefects (2006-2007) Bronagh Curry L1 Orla Fitzgerald L2 Sinéad Lenny L3 Rachel Morris L4 Sandra Wall L5 Elaine Murphy LCA Meitheal Team (2006-2007) Joy Balfe Clodagh Behan Mary Barrett Fiona Brennan Sarah Costello Aisling Doyle Julie Dowling Sinéad Fennell Rebecca Jeffers Sinéad Kelly Louise Osborne Majella Quinn

Caption: Student of the Year 2006-2007, Patricia Morrissey pictured with her parents, Phil and Patricia at our annual Awards Ceremony

COURSES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS JUNIOR CERTIFICATE CYCLE The Junior Certificate is a three-year programme. In first year pupils take 12 academic subjects thus offering them a wide range of subjects. So that adequate time is available to prepare for the Junior Certificate it is important to reduce this number in year two of the Junior Certificate Cycle. The following subjects are offered: Art History Business Home Economics Choral Singing Irish Computer Science Mathematics CSPE Musicianship English Physical Education French Religion Geography Science German SPHE Technology Following the Junior Certificate, pupils may opt for Transition Year or to go straight into 5th year to follow one of the Leaving Certificate programmes: The Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

The Traditional Leaving Certificate

The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme

LEAVING CERTIFICATE The Leaving Certificate Programme is a two-year cycle offered to students. Over the two years, the courses on offer include: Accounting Choir Home Economics Agricultural Science Computer Science Irish Applied Maths Economics Mathematics Art English Music Biology French Physical Education Business Geography Physics Career Guidance German Religion Chemistry History Italian is offered as an additional language to Transition Year and Leaving Certificate Applied students. All Leaving Certificate subjects are offered at Higher, Ordinary and Foundation levels where applicable. In general, students study seven academic subjects for examination.

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme The LCVP is an enhanced Leaving Certificate Programme. Students who have specified subject combinations (as laid down by the DES) qualify to take the “link modules”- Enterprise Education, Preparation for work and Work experience. These students are privileged because the LCVP combines the Traditional Leaving Certificate with the Link

Modules. Active Learning Methodologies are the key to the success of this programme. It benefits students when entering third level and the world of work. A Distinction in this programme is the equivalent of a grade ‘C’ on a higher level paper and is therefore very valuable. Leaving Certificate Applied LCA is a modular based Leaving Certificate incorporating a high proportion of Work Experience. It is a very popular route for students who might be more vocational orientated. It is an ideal progression route to PLC Courses and is highly regarded in the world of employment. Co-ordinator: Ms Vivienne Kelly Programme Co-ordinator: Ms Mary Kyne

SCHOOL RESOURCES

Our policy statement on resources is to maximise and to use them as efficiently and as equitably as possible. St. Leo’s College, Carlow is situated on a large site in the centre of Carlow Town. The site encompasses the Mercy Convent, a main school building which comprises two large buildings linked by a corridor, three smaller buildings, an extensive sports hall, a hockey pitch with a surrounding running track, a grass pitch, two tennis courts, an outdoor basketball court, a large car park and two smaller ones. The school has 34 classrooms, 2 Art Rooms, Assembly Hall, Biology Laboratory, Chemistry Laboratory, Physics Laboratory, 2 Computer Rooms, 3 Home Economics Rooms, Craft Room, Geography Room, Language Laboratory, Library, Music Room, Photography Room, Technology Laboratory, Video Room, Resource Room, and Learning Support area. In addition to these rooms, we also have a Principal’s Office, 2 Deputy Principals’ Offices, 2 Career Guidance Offices, a Prayer Room, a Staff room, 2 Secretarial Offices, a Seminar room, a Supervision Room and a number of small offices housing L.C.A.& L.C.V.P and 1:1 support. These rooms are also used for the oral exams in March/April. There is a small kitchen within the staffroom and a large kitchen at the back of the refectory. In addition to the excellent sports facilities already mentioned, the school has the use of courts at the local tennis club, a Gaelic football pitch at the back of Dr. Cullen Park, all-weather pitches, a swimming pool in the town and the facilities of two of the town’s fitness centres. The school sports hall also has two large changing rooms with showers and a large stage at the side of the hall. This provides the venue for our annual school Musical. The hall is also a resource for the community with a variety of groups, organisations and schools regularly using it. We are committed to continually enhancing our building, and in 2005-2006 our refectory was refurbished in anticipation of the arrival of IQ Cuisine. IQ Cuisine provides freshly baked breads each morning and a variety of healthy alternatives for the student. An extensive menu is on offer each day including soups, filled rolls, two hot dishes as well as milk, juices, smoothies and fresh fruit. Our Breakfast Club caters for over 100 students each morning and is free of charge. Our school library was refurbished last year and dedicated to the memory of Fionnuala Tuite and houses a multi-media room suitable for independent research as well as teacher directed learning. New additions include a data projector, wide screen, full surround sound, new seating and worktops. The Chemistry and Biology labs were re-floored and restocked during the summer months and new floors were also laid in 2 of our 3 Home Economic Kitchens. The reception area was also modernised over the summer months by our gifted caretakers Derek Fagan and Paul Ryan and new flooring was placed in the language lab. Our lift is now up and running and work will be carried out this summer on the wiring of the school to update and modernise it and ensure it’s continued safety. Our commitment to strengthening the quality of provision for staff and students remains a priority.

ST. LEO’S COLLEGE IN 2006-2007

St. Leo’s College is a voluntary secondary school. It is an all girls’ day school with an enrolment of 884 pupils in this school year 2006-2007. We have an open enrolment system and the vast majority of our students come from the local primary schools. Students also travel from areas such as Bagenalstown, Athy, Stradbally, Ballon, Baltinglass, Hacketstown and Tullow. St. Leo’s College is a school with an established tradition of excellence in all aspects of curricular and co-curricular performance. The school is situated on the old Dublin Road. Carlow today is much different to the Carlow of 1837 when the first Sisters of Mercy arrived. Today it is a thriving town just one hour from Dublin. In 2001, the first lay Principal, Ms. Clare Ryan, was appointed. The school operates through a Board of Management under the trusteeship of the Sisters of Mercy. This brings together all the elements that form this vibrant school community: The congregation, the teachers in the school and the parents. With an open intake of students and a large school population we have a wide range of pupil abilities. We aim to cater for all levels of ability. In spite of such mixed ability we have an extremely high retention rate, and over 90% of our students proceed to third level education.

Art Department Report Department members: Marie Nolan & Tara Gooch. Provision of the subject in the school: 1st Year First years are introduced to basic techniques and materials in order to learn fundamental art elements, and acquire knowledge to make an informed subject decision for next year. Each project is designed to last approximately four weeks in duration, so a wide range of art areas is covered. Drawing Painting Graphic Design Clay Work 3D Craftwork Printing All first Year classes took part in St. Leo’s Credit Union Poster Competition. This was a school-based project on the theme of “Savings”. The competition was judged by Carlow Credit Union Officials, T.J Farrell (Promotion and Development Manager) and Marian O’Toole (Youth Officer). 1st prize was awarded to Ciara Moore, 2nd prize was awarded to Karen Fitzpatrick and 3rd prize was awarded to Rebecca Murphy. Highly recommended were Shannon Lok and Ellen Cummins. All first years entered a poster competition organised by the Carlow Lions Club. The peace poster winner was Poppy Ashmore and runner up was Sadhbh Crean. The theme of the project was ‘Celebrate Peace’. The competition encourages young people to express what peace means to them. The contest allows students to share their unique image of peace with others, so that we may all have greater tolerance and international understanding. The winners of a school based ‘Anti-Bullying’ Competition were Sadhbh Crean and Ester Kobary. ‘Puppetry Design’ Competition 1st prize: Ester Kobary

2nd prize: Allison Nolan 3rd prize: Anya Pollard 4th prize: Poppy Ashmore

Highly Recommended: Leanne Walsh & Stephanie Coakley 2nd Year Building upon skills and knowledge gained in first year, pupils are encouraged to improve and experiment with techniques and materials. Projects are longer and more detailed. Pupils are introduced to the Junior Certificate course and to the concepts of support studies and preparatory work. Pupils need to practice their figure and object drawing, in order that a good standard is attained next year. Areas covered are: Drawing – Figure and Object drawing Painting – From real and imaginary sources 3D – Construction using card and found objects, also clay modelling Craftwork – Photography, Lino Printing, Pottery and Batik (Two or three of these options) Graphic Design – Poster work and Packaging

A large number of Second Year pupils participated in the Mental Health Ireland Design a Cover Competition. This competition hopes to raise awareness among young people regarding mental health issues. This year Katie Watchorn was the overall school winner. All second year students entered a poster competition, a project which was part of the drug awareness week held in Carlow. The winners were Aine Hennessy and Fiona Cunningham. The theme of their posters was ‘say no to drugs’. They were presented with their awards at a presentation in the Fairgreen shopping centre last October. 3rd Year Pupils are prepared for their Junior Certificate examination. This involves a project, which is started in November and ends in May. There are two drawing exams in May. Project – 75% Drawing – 25%

Painting Object Drawing

Poster/Graphic Design Figure Drawing

3D work

Craft Area: Photography

Modelling

Printing

Batik

Calligraphy

Most pupils choose the honours options. The wonderful displays of projects are exhibited in the Art and Craft rooms on our Open Evening. 4TH Year Since art is an optional subject some pupils in Fourth Year may never have taken this subject before. Therefore projects are kept simple and interesting, but flexible enough for the more experienced pupils to excel. Projects this year include craft areas (Batik wall hangings), Drawing, Painting, Printing and Pottery. Set design, stage construction and scene painting for ‘Brigadoon’ Approximately ten pupils, who work under guidance, prepare the stage for the school musical. The students prepare the sets on ten canvas panels (8’x 4’) each. They design the scene changes, usually 3 different views. They then paint the images giving attention to pattern and tone. This project takes 5-6 weeks of constant work and decision-making. It is a wonderful learning experience especially for those pupils who have a keen interest in art. Students organised a trip to Grennan Mill, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny in February. The exhibition displayed various media from Print Making, Weaving and Batik, which ranged from small to large in scale. Students had the opportunity to experience the work in progress as workshops were set up in each area. The detail and craftmanship were inspiring to all pupils. We visited the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny Castle in the afternoon.

Activities Activities include set painting, Batik, large-scale painting, printing and glazed pottery work for display in the school on the Transition Year evening. This year all pupils organised an exhibition in the sports hall to showcase their wonderful creations. The paintings on display were particularly outstanding while the sets created a great backdrop for their end of year show. Two written reports are required from each Transition Year pupil 1. Career in Art. December deadline. Each pupil is given an art career to

investigate. 2. History of Art. April deadline. Each pupil researches a prescribed topic

e.g. ‘Animals in Art’! 5TH Year The Leaving Certificate includes the following History of Art 38% Figure Drawing 12% Craftwork 25% Still Life Drawing 25% History of art is introduced as a major part of the syllabus. Resources include the book ‘History and Appreciation’ and visits to exhibitions. We are fortunate to have in our department an excellent selection of slides. The Irish art section is studied during this year. Drawing – the emphasis is on figure drawing using different media. Still Life – covered mainly in sixth year. Craftwork – Three areas are covered so that the pupil can select one area to study for next year. The crafts that are covered are Printmaking, Poster work and Batik. Considerations are design source, research and drawing, degree of finish and use of technique. Pupils are encouraged to look at and respond to art works as part of the appreciation section of their course. To facilitate this, visits are arranged to museums and galleries. This year Fifth and Sixth year pupils accompanied by their teachers Mrs.Nolan and Ms.Gooch viewed an exhibition ‘all hawaii entrée / lunar reggae’ curated by the French artist, Philippe Parreno and the head of exhibitions at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Pupils also visited the National College of Art and Design (open day) and the National Museum of Ireland to view such artefacts as the Tara Brooch and the Ardagh Chalice. A school-based competition was held to design a poster for this year’s school musical – ‘Brigadoon’. Rhona Nolan was the eventual winner with her design chosen as the official poster; Christina Byrne was the winner of the programme design. 6TH Year Pupils work on a selected craft area as part of their exam.

Still Life is studied in detail during the first term. Experimentation in pencil, pastels and paint is

encouraged.

Figure drawing skills are further refined.

History of Art. Study in this area is continued in the European section.

Other activities This year a number of Leaving Certificate students worked very hard on art portfolios in order to gain entry to Art College. They are Danielle See, Rommey Delaney, Laura Brennan, Rosie Pender and Eadaoin Murphy. The pupils have been accepted to various art colleges such as the National College of Art and Design Dublin and Limerick School of Art and Design. We wish them every success in their future careers. This year the Art Scholarship was awarded to Orla McGovern. Resources Textbook ‘Art History & Appreciation’ Art Library Slide Collection Internet Visual Aids Storeroom – Art Materials Exhibitions

BUSINESS STUDIES Department Members: Willie Cullen (Department Co-ordinator), Caroline Lambe, Ann-Marie Winters, Helen Regan, Mary Kyne, Leonie Keenan, Cathy Craddock. In the Business Studies Department, we aim to instil in our students, a keen awareness of the impact of the world of business in their daily lives. As a Department, we were very pleased with the results, which students received in both Junior Cert and Leaving Cert State Exams. The uptake of business subjects at both Junior and Leaving Cert level has remained consistently high. At Junior Certificate level, the students are presented with a very wide variety of topics relevant to Business, Accounting and Economics. It is a very comprehensive course in its own right. All First Years take Business Studies as a subject. In Second and Third Year, there are six class groups of Business Studies and there are five class groups in Third Year. First Year pupils are taught three periods per week, while Second and Third Year students receive four periods per week instruction. In some instances, Second and Third Year classes are timetabled concurrently. Business studies also provides students with an excellent base upon which they can further their study of business by choosing one or more of the business related courses at Leaving Certificate level i.e. Accounting, Economics or Business. In each of these disciplines, we aim to deepen our students’ knowledge of the world of business. Transition Year: At Transition Year level the absence of the intensity of exam pressure allows us to facilitate our students to discover the relevance and practical application of business in their daily lives. We choose what we consider to be the most interesting topics from the course and we give our students a taste of the three branches of the subject – Accounting, Business and Economics. In this way, the students receive approximately eleven weeks tuition in each branch. In the Business Module, we teach students Taxation, Marketing and The Consumer. In

the Accounting Module, the topics covered are Marginal Costing, Club Accounts and Bank Reconciliation Statements. In the Economics Modules, students are taught about Inflation and Demand and Supply. All Transition Year pupils study Business Studies. The class groupings in Transition Year are entirely mixed ability and classes are divided alphabetically. During Transition Year Evening students displayed their year’s work. Teachers from the Department were available that evening giving parents the option to discuss with them, their daughter’s work. Resources: We do not have a specialist room in the school for Business Studies. However, we have a Business Studies Notice Board on the main corridor of the school. On this, we display information in connection with the subject. Each year we draw from material covered in the I.T. 2000 published in association with the Irish Times. In the Resource Room, we have a designated business shelf on which we have various books, publications and a DVD from the Labour Relations Commission. From time to time, we bring Transition Year students to the computer room, here we can ‘surf the net’ for business / economics related information such as the key economic indicators. Our Library also offers the opportunity for research and the daily newspapers facilitate further independent study. Textbooks: ‘Integrated Business Studies – A Modern Approach’ by Matt Hynes (Junior Certificate Business Studies). ‘Modern Economics’ by Spencer and McCarthy (Leaving Certificate Economics). ‘Accounting for Senior Cycle – New Edition’ by Christy Tyrrell (Leaving Certificate Accounting). ‘Business-on-Line’ by Enda Connolly (Leaving Certificate Business). Methodologies: Our methodologies include direct teaching, class discussion, group work, project work, extra notes and handouts and working extensively from previous exam papers. Assessment: Assessment includes written homework, class tests and Oral work. Each teacher is responsible for his/her own tests. All First Years follow a common programme, which includes topics such as Budgeting, Analysed Cashbooks, The Consumer, Money and Banking, Economic Framework and Forms of Business Ownership. Class tests are given periodically and these consolidate continuous assessment. First Year students sit a one-hour exam at the end of May while Second Year students sit a 1½-hour exam. In Second and Third Year, the topics taught are dictated by the syllabus and all efforts are concentrated on preparing our students for their Junior Certificate exam. In Fifth and Sixth Year, students also receive class tests frequently. At the end of Fifth Year, they sit a two-hour exam for each subject. In addition, Third and Sixth year students sit a Mock Examination in February / March. Parent-Teacher Meetings are held in the school for each year whereby teachers give parents feedback on their daughter’s progress. Competitions/Clubs: Our senior students, in conjunction with Carlow Credit Union operate a very successful Credit Union within the school. This gives the students operating it an opportunity to directly develop their business skills and a chance for the entire school community to develop the habit of saving. Transition Year students are given the opportunity to enter the Student Investment Competition, which is run by the Irish Independent. Senior Cycle: In Fifth and Six Year, students have five class periods per week in each subject. All classes are grouped according to mixed ability for the business subjects. There are three Business groups, one Economics group and

one Accounting group in 5th and 6th year. In both years, we concentrate on preparing students for their Leaving Certificate as outlined earlier. A number of students attended a Revision Seminar in Leaving Certificate Business presented by Mr. John O’Connor in the I.T. Carlow. Planning: We have a planning meeting at the beginning of the new school year in late August, and another at the end of the school year in May to review the year’s activities. A number of informal meetings may take place throughout the year. The initial meeting allows the Department to formulate and agree its plan for the academic year. Scholarships: We congratulate the following students who were awarded the Annual Business Scholarships, each valued at €100. All three students have just completed Fifth Year and have demonsrated considerable business acumen. 1 Business – Kate O’Loughlin 1 Accounting – Cora O’Donoghue 1 Economics – Ciara O’Gorman. L.C.A.P.: Sixth Year L.C.A.P. students sat a mock exam in Office Skills and Customer Care in February. They completed their practical exam in May and we wish them well in their written exam in June. Conclusions: Overall, we endeavour to nurture a positive attitude towards business in our students and in doing that foster essential skills, which will support the students not merely in school but in their personal and professional lives.

CIVIC SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATION Department members: Jennifer Foley, Sinead Kenny, Mary Nolan, Cathy Cradock, Ann Marie Winters, Ann Tully, Annie Deering, Alison Doyle, Fiona Johnson, Jim O’Keeffe, Imelda Morlet, Tom Nolan, Niamh Gallagher, Aine Hynes, Emma Dwyer and Joan Scott. Department Co-ordinators: Joan Scott and Annie Deering. Subject Provision C.S.P.E. is a compulsory subject for each class in the Junior School. Each class is timetabled for one period per week over the course of the students’ three years preparing for the Junior Certificate. In many instances, the Class Head of each class is also their C.S.P.E. teacher. An inservice in C.S.P.E. was given by Ms. Eileen Coleman from the C.S.P.E. support services in St.Leo’s to all new teachers of C.S.P.E. in March 2007. Course Content and Assessment

The C.S.P.E. Department endeavors to promote an understanding of Citizenship based on Human Rights and Social Responsibilities. We aim to develop our students’ potential for active citizenship at a personal, local, national and international level. We encourage in them a sense of belonging, a capacity to gain access to information and a confidence to participate in democratic society. To achieve this, seven core concepts are identified and explored in a variety of ways. These concepts include: • Rights and Responsibilities

• Human Dignity

• Stewardship

• Development

• Democracy

• Law

• Interdependence

Exploring these concepts through activity-based learning is important. Through the exploration of these concepts, issues such as respect, racism, human rights, global warming, pollution, voting, etc. are discussed. A wide variety of activities are undertaken over the course of the three years, leading to the completion of an Action Project, which is worth 60% of the final mark in the Junior Certificate Examination. The remaining 40% is allocated to a written terminal examination, which examines the various concepts studied over the three years. Action Projects A variety of action projects are undertaken each year, normally by second and third year pupils. Each pupil, on completion of an Action Project, must be able to show the examiner how her action project is related to one of the core concepts. Pupils’ projects may be individual, or group efforts. Some of the many activities undertaken by C.S.P.E. classes this year included: Inviting guest speakers into the school, who addressed pupils on course related topics e.g. Asylum

seekers and refugees

Visiting Dáil Éireann

Third year students holding a mock referendum with first year students

Visiting Portlaoise Midlands Prison

Visiting Mountjoy Prison

Visit to elderly people in Carlow District Hospital, where pupils put on a concert for the residents at

Christmas time. The pupils also raised € 300 and this money was presented to the matron of the hospital

Awareness day on Discrimination in our community. This involved pupils organising

guest speakers from the Travelling community, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and the physically

challenged. The pupils organised a follow up visit to the traveller training centre in Carlow from which they

compiled a report

Money was raised for some other organisations during the work on the Action project e.g. A third year

group raised €100 in aid of the I.S.P.C.A. A second year group raised €90 for the Irish Refugee Council

Actions such as these were beneficial, enjoyable learning experiences for all those involved.

Assessment Students’ learning was assessed both through oral and written assessments, throughout the year. Third year students completed their Action Projects and submitted them to the Department of Education and Science for assessment.

Computer Science Department Members: Fergal Murphy, Leonie Keenan, Edel Connlly, Mary Kyne, Angela Kirwin,

Fiona McManus, John Glynn. Network Administrator: Fergal Murphy Department Co-ordinator: John Glynn Provision of Subject in the School The school has two computer rooms, each containing 24 networked computers. The Fionnuala Tuite (O’Reilly) Library also has 10 network linked computers and a media centre which is booked by classes for presentations and for research work and is also available to students at lunchtime when supervised by Library assistants. Each student group has a password for logging on and off. Computer use is monitored by the network administrator Fergal Murphy. Anti viral and internet filtering software is installed and the use of all computer facilities is governed by our I.T. Acceptable Use Policy, the basic fundamental rule being that the school computers are for educational use only. Computer science is provided as a subject for all first year students, all transition year students and all fifth year students. First years have one class per week in computer studies while transition and fifth year students have one double class per week. The computer rooms are also timetabled for L.C.A.P. students and L.C.V.P. students who use the computer facilities to research, prepare and present task reports and projects which form part of their examination curriculum. Teachers may book remaining times to use the computer facilities for classes in their subject area. Booking forms are placed on the staffroom notice board by the Department Coordinator. Planning and Preparation Members of the Computer Science Department meet formally at the beginning and end of each year and at other times during the year as the need arises. Planning and review of curricula, assessment and computer resources, are the core issues considered at these meetings. Next year we will introduce a new syllabus for First Year students. The new Syllabus will place a greater emphasis on research techniques and the possibility of them doing the European Computer Citizen Certificate is being investigated. Revisions to the

school’s Acceptable Use Policy have been sent to the Board of Management for approval. The computer room will be rewired during the summer break and a possibility of relocating the computer rooms is being considered. The installation of four network points in each classroom is also envisaged. The provision of computer facilities for teaching and learning will be an issue for consideration by each subject department. There is such a demand for computer facilities for subject related work that a third computer room is necessary and should be considered. Sponsorship or fundraising to provide these facilities was suggested. Teaching and Learning First Year students learned basic computer skills and were given an introductory course on Internet search techniques. Transition Year students completed and were assessed in the ECDL modules; Word Processing, PowerPoint, Internet and Theory. Fifth Year students completed and were assessed in the ECDL modules; Spreadsheets, File Management, Desktop publishing, and Databases. LCAP and LCVP students used their computer skills to good effect in completing excellent projects and task reports and will no doubt be rewarded when their examination results are published. Achievements Fifth year students were awarded E.C.D.L. certificates this year. The main achievements of the Computer Department are seen in other subject areas when students use the skills acquired in computer studies to present work using the many media forms available in I.T. Transition year students used their computer skills to research and write news reports for the local media. They researched and produced numerous outstanding projects and presentations, and presented these on Transition year night. Media studies classes produced DVD films which they then cut and presented using computer software. Collages of school tour photos were stored and presented by the students. Entrants to the BT Young Scientist Exhibition used the computer facilities to research and present their project. All subject Departments use the school computer facilities in their subject area. Students have acquired sufficient computer skills to allow them avail of opportunities for learning offered by Information and Communication Technology, thus reinforcing the relevance of knowledge acquired in Computer Science classes.

ENGLISH

Department Members: Hugh Dolan, Elma O’Connell, Anita Somers,(Áine Shiels) Jennifer Foley, Jackie Timmons, Dearbhla Cussen, Alison Doyle, Valerie Delaney, and Mairead Redmond. Department Co-ordinator: Jennifer Foley. Provisions of the subject in the school English is a compulsory subject and is studied at both Junior and Senior Cycles, with many students receiving extra tuition and guidance from the Learning Support Team. During Junior Cycle and Transition Year, classes are grouped according to the principle of mixed ability. Students are streamed at the beginning of fifth year with higher level students grouped according to mixed ability higher.Concurrent senior classes are appreciated as they allow greater oportunities for shared activities and the sharing of ideas and resources among teachers. The English Department has its own cabinet in the Resource Room to house syllabii, videos, DVDs, material from the Deartment of Education and Science, inservices etc. Further space in the Resource Room allows us to keep sets of novels, plays and workbooks that can then be utilised by successive class groups. Planning and Preparation Two formal and many informal meetings were held during the year to choose texts, organise trips, plan and review work and progress. While our long term plan is in accordance with the guidelines set down by the Dept. Of Education and Science, we feel it is crucial that time be made available to revise and develop our own particular English Policy/Subject Plan, and to allow ongoing research and reviews. Texts studied this year include: 1st Years ‘Carousel’, ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry’ ‘Chinese Cinderella' ' Under the Hawthorn Tree' 'Our Day Out' 2nd and 3rd Year ‘Chrysalis’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘The Field’, ‘Across the Barricades’, ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’, ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. 4th Year ‘Titus Andronicus’, ‘A View from the Bridge’, ‘The Outsiders’, Juno and the Paycock’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest' 'Pride and Prejudice'. 5th and 6th Year Single text: ‘Macbeth’, Othello’. Comparative Study: ‘My Left Foot’, ‘Hom Many Miles to Babylon', 'Philadelphia Here I come', Death of a Salesman', 'Witness’, ‘Lies of Silence’, and 'Cinema Paradiso', 'Juno and the Paycock' 'The Plough and the Stars', 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'. 'New Explorations' and 'Language Now' were also studied at senior level. Past exam papers were utilised by the sixth and third years in preparation for the state exams. Teaching and Learning

Areas covered during Junior Cycle include creative and functional writing, media studies, fiction, drama, poetry, debating and comprehension and response to previously unseen texts. An objective of Transition Year is to afford students the opportunity to develop a more personal appreciation of the English language and its literature. While focus is maintained on reading, writing, and the study of drama, fiction and poetry, students are encouraged to select some of their own topics and texts. Some areas covered this year included review writing, debating, improvised drama, film studies and creative writing. During Senior Cycle, students concentrate on comparative studies, poetry, language genres and an in-depth study of a single text. A scheme organised by Carlow County librarian Ms Carmel Flavin gave the opportunity to all first year students to visit Carlow Library several times, where they were introduced to its services and resources. Those who were not already members took the opportunity to join. Disappointingly for third years there was no production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ this year, but all fifth years travelled to Limerick to see Second Age’s excellent production of ‘Othello’. This opportunity to see a live production added greatly to debate and appreciation of the play in the classroom. Fourth years travelled to Newbridge to attend a production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Sixth years enjoyed a special screening of ‘How Many Miles to Babylon’ in Dublin. In September all fifth years were treated to a performance and workshop on a terrific original play by Ray Scannall titled ‘CCTV’, staged by Graffiti Theatre Group. Assessment and Achievement Pupils’ work and progress is assessed through the setting and correction of home and project work and ongoing class tests. House exams are taken each summer by those not sitting state exams. The house exams are set and marked by class teachers. All third and sixth year students sat their ‘mock’ exams before Easter and most reported feeling more positive and self-assured as a result. Many competitions were held at class level throughout the year – quizzes, book reviews, poetry and creative writing – and entries presented in the form of posters or wall charts were displayed at the school’s Open night and Transition Year Evening. During term time students’ projects, reviews, poetry and media displays are exhibited in classrooms and corridors to acknowledge and celebrate their progress and creativity. The announcement in May of a poetry competition for senior students to determine the winner of the Parents’ Council English Scholarship for 2007 occasioned many sixth years to put aside their books and allow free reign to their creativity. We were delighted with the maturity, emotional range, sheer imagination and honesty evident in the accomplished submissions by so many fourth, fifth and sixth years. The scholarship valued at €300 was deservedly awarded to Emer Neenan for her poem ‘Tempestuous’. Our deepest sympathies extend to the O'Reilly family on the loss of Fionnuala. We deeply feel the loss of a wonderful teacher, colleague and friend.

French

Department members: Breda Lloyd, Joyce Macken, Emma Dwyer, Mairead Breen, Jim O’Keeffe, Niamh Gallagher, Patricia Murphy, Fiona Johnson & Colette Nelson. The Department remember at this time our colleague Fionnuala Reilly who sadly died on the 27th July 2006. General information In the classroom pupils from First to Sixth Year were prepared to become competent in the four areas of Listening and Understanding, Speaking, Reading and Writing the French Language, with a view to completing the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate (at Ordinary and Higher Level). Beginning and end of year meetings were held. Textbooks were reviewed and discussed at these meetings among other issues. Some classes used Mary Glasgow French magazines. Meetings were also held to form planning documents, plan for Paris trip, inform parents about the trip and organise the French theatre productions in the school. A record was kept of money spent by the Department. Information was passed on to all French teachers about Oral exams, school exchanges, courses and scholarships for teachers, French theatre for schools, Euro Language Colleges. Oral exams took place during the week of the 23rd and the 27th of April. Two examiners conducted these exams and pupils were happy in general with their own performance. Diary keeping in French in Transition year was used by some teachers and proved successful. It was seen as practise for Leaving Certificate written work and formed part of the end of year display. The French department prepared displays and posters for Open Evening. The pupils of French in Transition Year displayed their own French diaries for their end of year evening. Mock papers were ordered for Leaving Certificate and Third Year pupils and these exams were sent away to be corrected. The Parents Council Scholarship this year has been awarded to Sarah Conlon and Anne Marie Cullinane, Fifth years, on the basis their applications. Joyce Macken, Colette Nelson and Fiona Johnson attended the French Teachers Conference on Saturday the 14th October. The theme was “Awakening the pupils’ interest”. One of our French teachers will attend a course in Besançon in France in the summer. Joyce Macken, Niamh Gallagher, Emma Dwyer and Colette Nelson attended a workshop given by Joan Dobbyn on 14th February entitled “Writing at Senior Level”. Fiona Johnson attended an in-service in Maynooth on the relevance of information Technology to language teaching. Joyce Macken attended a course in Besan�on in France in August 2006. The course focused on the use of “familiar” French, using games and drama in the classroom and the use of songs in the learning of the language. The Department are very glad to have been informed that we will have a French Assistant for the coming year. A proposal was made to form a French club in the school. It was proposed also to get Transition year pupils involved in updating the French notice board regularly. This could be organised as part of Gaisce tasks next year.

The use and upkeep of the Language laboratory was discussed, as was the possibility of getting French television stations to the school. Travel, Exchanges and Correspondence Angela Kirwan (Irish and Maths Department) and Fiona McManus (Science Department) organised a French trip to Paris this year. The French department wish to thank Angela and Fiona for organising this trip and also the teachers who travelled with them and the 69 girls during the Easter holidays. These were Mary Nolan, David Mc Auliffe, Veronica Doyle, Alison Doyle and Deirdre Colfer. The group visited the Stade de France for the first time and also the Science Museum. These pupils had the wonderful opportunity to experience the culture of France, see many famous sites and participate in cultural and fun activities in this famous city. The Transition Year pupils, who travelled on the tour organised by Mr John Glynn, also spent some time in Paris en route for Barcelona. Teachers encouraged pupils to go to France if possible during the holidays and passed on information about exchanges, courses and home stays sent to the school by the various agencies during the year; (Eurolanguage Colleges, among others). A number of Transition Year and Fifth Year pupils will attend summer courses at these colleges this year. Other activities St. Leo’s participated for the third time in the French Debating competition organised by the Department of Education and Alliance Française in conjunction with the French Embassy. Thanks to the encouragement and work of Ms. Fiona Johnson and M J Macken, the team put in excellent performances. The team included Gráinne Dunne, Edel O’Connor, Rachel Morris and Elizabeth Westerholt. They debated against a team from Clongowes College with the motion “L’Irlande est un pays trop egoïste”. The French Theatre group “Onatti” performed in St. Leo’s for the first time. On Wednesday the 25th April they performed their play “Qu’est-ce que je vais faire?” for Senior pupils in the morning and for Transition years as their weekly activity in the afternoon. The performance about choosing a career was performed by French native speakers. It was a great success and was well received by pupils during the week of Leaving Certificate Oral exams. Retirement The French Department, along with the Irish Department of St. Leo’s, wish to pay tribute to Mrs. Breda Lloyd who is retiring this year. Breda is an inspirational teacher to her pupils and her colleagues who will greatly miss her. She promoted the teaching and learning of French in St. Leo’s by organising many other activities such as an exchange to Carlow’s twin town of Dole in Burgundy for many years. She travelled with pupils and represented the school and town on public occasions during these visits. She worked closely with many French language assistants in St. Leo’s and spoke to teachers at a National Conference as to how this programme worked in St. Leo’s. Breda’s dedication to her pupils, colleagues, subjects, St. Leo’s and the Mercy Sisters, was always an inspiration to those who worked with her. We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the management, staff and pupils, both past and present, to thank her for her commitment, enthusiasm and support. She will be missed in the French and Irish Departments but she will not be forgotten. We wish her and her family much happiness in the years ahead.

Roinn na Gaeilge Beatha teanga í a labhairt Department Members: Noreen Butler, Annie Deering, Veronica Doyle, Áine Hynes, Angela Kirwan, Joyce Macken, Jim O’ Keeffe, Noreen O’Donnell, Kate Redmond, Geraldine Stewart. Department Co-ordinator: Kate Redmond Provision of Irish in the school Irish is a compulsory subject and is studied at both Junior and Senior levels. Some students have an exemption as sanctioned by the Department of Education and this is confirmed by the Learning Support Team at the beginning of the year. First, second and fourth year classes are grouped according to the principle of mixed ability. Third year and senior classes run concurrently to facilitate movement between levels.

Planning and Preparation Time was allocated at three staff meetings for departments to work on Subject Development Planning. The Irish department met a further three times on the same subject. The result is “Clár na Roinne” which details the department’s policy in regard to the teaching and learning of Irish in the school. Jim O’Keeffe and Noreen O’Donnell attended two days of in-service training. The second part of the course was IT based and they found this particularly helpful. Teaching and Learning Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate students followed the syllabii as prescribed by the Department of Education and Science. It is aimed at developing the four key language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing according to the ability of individual students. Transition Year also focused on developing the four language skills. Students undertook to create their own “Dialann” or diary “as gaeilge”. A wide range of topics including Irish singing and dancing, folklore and history were studied. A particular emphasis is placed on Oral Irish during this year. L.C.A. students completed their key assignments in modules one and two of their “Gaeilge Chumarsáideach” course. Part of this course was a project on the Irish language in Carlow. An Fáinne Miss Macken organised interviews for a “fáinne” for all years as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge. Peadar from “Feachtas” was kept busy as over ninety girls were awarded a gold or silver fáinne. Díospóireacht

Sixth and fifth year students took part in the Gael – linn debating competition. Those on the team were Louisa Miller, Helen Fogarty and Fiona Dunne. Ms Hynes and Ms.Redmond accompanied them to a number of different venues where they debated at a very high standard and did us proud! Tráth na gCeist Ms O’Donnell brought a number of students from junior cycle to a table quiz “as gaeilge” in Kilkenny. This was part of a Kilkenny-Carlow initiative to get students from the area participating in extra-curricular events through

Irish. A great night was had by all.

Fíbín A trip for fifth year students was arranged by Ms.Áine Hynes to the Axis Centre in Ballymun. The west Galway based puppet and theatre company “Fíbín” performed an imaginative and innovative interpretation of Leaving Cert poetry.

An Triail A trip was arranged by Ms.Kate Redmond to the Watergate theatre in Kilkenny and by Ms. Noreen Butler to the O’Reilly theatre, Belvedeere Dublin. Students witnessed a powerful production of the harrowing drama that is Mairéad Ní Gráda’s “An Triail”. Seachtain na Gaeilge A range of activities were organised for Seachtain na Gaeilge. These included a poster competition for first and second year students, a treasure hunt for fourth year students, a table quiz for third year students, and sixth year students read out “seanfhocal an lae” on the intercom during this week. The following students participated in an art competition run by Foras na Gaeilge and were awarded certificates, Shauna Hand, Niamh Dooley, Ludmilla Pennyfather. Ms O’Donnell made sure there were plenty of stickers and pens with the inscription “Croí na Teanga” on them to celebrate the week. Assessment and Achievement Assessment is on going throughout the year with teachers giving individual class tests. Reports are sent out to all students at Christmas. Third and sixth year students sit mock exams in February and reports follow these. Formal summer examinations are held for first, second and fifth year students while exam classes get ready for the State Examinations in June. Foinse essay competition The Irish Department wish to congratulate leaving cert student Helen Fogarty and her teacher Ms. Joyce Macken for her wonderful achievement in winning the All-Ireland final of the Foinse essay competition. Twice over the last two years she came second in the monthly competition with titles such as “New Year’s Resolutions” and “Things are not always as they seem”. In January this year she came first in the monthly competition with the title “Christmas should be cancelled”, with which she disagreed of course! In an awards ceremony held in the Microsoft headquarters in Dublin on 8, May 2007, she was proclaimed winner of the year out of seven contestants from all over Ireland. She was presented with a personal computer and a beautiful trophy of the Children of Lir. TG4 presenter Aoife Ní Thuairisg presented the award. We wish Helen the best in her future studies and career. Díospoíreacht and Tráth na gCeist The Irish debating and those students involved in Tráth na gCeist were given special recognition on Awards Day for their participation and enthuasiasm. Irish Scholarship Congratulations to Fiona Brennan, fifth year who was awarded €300 donated by the Parents’ Council. This will contribute to Fiona’s fees for Irish College this summer.

GEOGRAPHY Department members: Valerie Delaney, Sandra Nolan, Geraldine Stewart, Tom Nolan and Annie Deering.

Department Co-ordinator: Sandra Nolan Provision of Geography in the school Geography is a compulsory subject at Junior Level while it is optional at Senior Level. The Geography Room, situated on the top floor, was a hive of activity throughout the year. The room is occupied daily by geography classes from both the Senior and Junior school. Evidence of activity-based learning can be seen in the Geography Room, where numerous projects and models are on display. At Junior Level there are three classes per week while five classes per week (three single and one double class) are allocated at Senior level. Green Schools St. Leo’s College was awarded the Green Flag in 2003, and this was retained again following an inspection on Tuesday 13th March 2007. The theme this year was ‘Water Conservation’. The school will have another inspection in 2009. The Green School’s Committee, consisting of pupils drawn from every year in the school, devised an extensive programme of events, activities and competitions, which successfully involved every member of the school community again this year. In St. Leo’s College we endeavour to promote greater involvement among our student body, utilising class representatives, which helped increase the awareness of environmental issues throughout the school community. Environmental messages were relayed home, using the school newsletter. Two plastic bins were provided in each classroom. One for the collection of paper, the second for plastic bottles and drink cans. Weekly collection for recycling takes place. The success of the Green Schools movement in St. Leo’s College has been achieved due to a combination of factors. The enthusiasm, commitment and hard work of a large number of students and staff, along with the leadership and dedication of Ms. Gurhy and Mrs. Deering, who through their own actions, strive at all times to create an environment ensuring that St. Leo’s College is a model Green School. Planning and Preparation Members of the Geography Department have attended ongoing inservice to coincide with the new Geography syllabus at Senior Level. This course was examined for the first time in June 2006. Members of the department also attended courses run by the Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland. One of our members attended the AGTI conference in Limerick in October 2006. The ICT & Geography : Interactive Maps Photographs course was attended by some members. This course builds on the skills developed in NCTE’s ICT & Geography course using the Osi Trail Master software. It is hoped to invest in a laptop in the future for the department in order to use this software effectively. Other resources that the department uses, include the Internet, videos, rock samples, maps and aerial photographs, weather station, excursions, field trips and posters. Teaching and Learning Junior School

First Years commenced their study of Geography, topics included Primary Economic Activities, Earths Crust, Physical Geography, Maps, Soil studies and Economic Inequalities. Second Years continued their studies with Secondary and Tertiary Economic Activities, Physical Geography, Restless Athmosphere and Climates, Aerial Photographs and Aid. Third Years studied Urban and Rural Settlement, Maps and Aerial photographs, Population, Urbanisation and Economic Inequalities. 4th Year Heritage - Geography Students studied Locational Geography and Maps, the formation of the European Union and its member states, and Environmental Protection Agency Resource Pack. Students completed a project on an EU country of their choice. Transition Year Pupils undertook many activities relating to Geography: These included: Visits to Dunmore Caves and Jerpoint Abbey

School tour to France and Spain, which incorporated various aspects of political, social, economic,

regional and physical Senior Geography coursework.

5th & 6th Year We had two sixth year classes and one fifth year class studying Geography in 2005-2006 We had one sixth year class and three fifth year classes this year, 2006-2007. The new Syllabus introduced in 2004 brought with it many changes. These include a change in content, an increased emphasis on geographical skills, a major change in the examination format and the introduction of a fieldwork study as a compulsory element of the course and component of the terminal exam. Fifth year pupils studied the core elements while Sixth year pupils studied the elective and optional units of the course and finished their fieldwork component visiting Kearnanstown Recycling Centre studying Waste Management Strategy. Geography Scholarship This year Tracey O’Connor, a Sixth Year Geography student received the Geography Scholarship valued at €400 for her contribution and commitment to Geography over the last six years. This was presented by St. Leo’s College Parent’s Advisory Council.

German

Department Members: Emma Dwyer, Ann Tully, Jennifer Curran (H-Dip) and Daniela Stuber (Assistant).

Department Co-ordinator: Ann Tully.

Provision of the Subject in the school All incoming pupils are offered German as a second foreign language – as French is compulsory at Junior Cycle in St. Leo’s. Incoming first years choose two subjects from the following list: Home Economics, Technology,

Art and German. At the end of First Year, students who did opt for German in first year must choose whether to keep it on for Junior Cert. or choose another of their option subjects instead. They choose two subjects from the following list: Home Economics, Technology, Art, Music, Business Studies and German. German is studied from 1st year right through to 6th year. In 4th year pupils must do German if they have taken German for the Junior Cert. Timetabling Four class periods are allocated to First, Second and Third year classes per week. Three periods are allocated to Transition Year classes per week. Five periods are allocated to fifth and sixth year classes per week. Classes may be 35 or 40 minutes long. Some senior classes will have double periods due to time tabling requirements. Pupils of mixed ability study German in the one class. Facilities We utilize the language laboratory when timetabled there and have adequate resources in the library and the resource room. Clubs: We have a German Club at lunchtime and students take part in organised debates locally and nationally. Planning and Preparation Meetings: The German Department meets informally throughout the school year and we have 2 timetabled meetings. Resources: Throughout the years we have expanded our collection of novels, short stories, maps, poetry, software, games, posters, pictures, tapes, videos, DVD’s etc. These items are stored on shelves in the resource room. Textbooks: Junior Certificate: Klasse 1, Lernpunkt 1 and 2 . Transition Year: Ausblick

Senior Cycle: Vorsprung, Hörschatz 2 and Deutsch für die Mundliche Prufung

Use of ICT The computer room is not used on a regular basis due to timetabling restrictions. Overhead projectors are used regularly. Assessment: A common programme is utilized and where possible we organize common end of the year exams. Planning: After our latest department meeting it was decided to change the book we are using in order to meet changes in the Syllabus. Teachers’ Association: We are all members of the G.D.I. Use of the Notice boards: The notice boards on the main corridor and the classroom walls are used regularly. We hope to erect a notice board outside the Language Laboratory. In-service and CPD: We attend any organised in-services and partake in the G.D.I conference held in Trinity in our free time.

Teaching and Learning The topics covered are in keeping with the German Syllabus for the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate. This year we were lucky to have a German Assistant, Daniela Stuber. She gave the pupils an insight to German Culture and daily life in her home country. We did a lot of work on the subject of German Feast Days, Festivals and Celebrations as part of the Landeskunde Programme. A German Exchange was also organized with a school in Hamminkeln, Germany. This has been very successful. Pen friends were also organised. A German debating team took part in the National Competition. Many classes enjoyed a “German Breakfast”. Assessment and Achievement Pupils are tested almost on a weekly basis. Formal tests are given at the end of a topic, at the end of the term, and at the end of the year. Homework is given and corrected daily. Oral and Aural tests are included at the end of each topic. Leaving Certificate pupils were individually given a mock oral exam during the teacher’s free time. We use German as the target language in the classroom. Students keep a diary in T.YO. and continue to make entries throughout the school year. In the classes we regularly hold competitions e.g. quizzes, posters, games etc. We enter the National Debating Competition each year. Open Evening: A display of pupil’s work is organised and teachers are present for the evening. A display of work was also organised for the Transition Year evening. As part of our celebration of German Festivals students painted Easter eggs, took part in an Easter egg hunt and these were displayed on the main corridor of the school. German Exchange: The pupils accompanied by Miss Margaret Farrell and Ann Tully traveled to Germany in April 2007 for one week. The pupils resided with their host families and attended school. They also had a very enjoyable excursion to Cologne Cathedral and Phantasialand. We believe it is beneficial to spend time in Germany. Teachers encouraged pupils to go to Germany, if they could during the holidays and passed on information on exchanges and Euro Language College. A number of pupils will attend courses at these colleges this year. A record was kept of money allocated to the Department and a statement of account was prepared for the end of the year. New resources (Books, Tapes, DVD’s, Magazines etc.) were bought. Scholarship: The Parent’s Council Scholarships this year has been awarded to Orla Canning 4A and Orla Threadgold 4B from Transition Year. German Assistant: Daniela Stuber from Coesfeld, was our German Assistant. Daniela worked closely with the German teachers in the classroom and outside. Her presence was invaluable to pupils and teachers in bringing German “live” to all language and cultural lessons. She worked closely with the German teachers in preparing a team of Fifth Year pupils for the National debating competition. The Department is delighted that our application for a German Assistant for the year 2007-2008 through the Comenius Programme has been successful. Preparations are underway to organise a timetable and welcome our assistant.

Guidance and Counselling

Department Members:

Guidance and Counselling: David Mc Auliffe and Mary Dillon Counselling: David Mc Auliffe, Mary Dillon and Regina Hennessy Guidance and Counselling is provided within a formal and an informal structure to all classes in the school. All junior classes have access to the Guidance Counsellor through an appointment. All senior classes are timetabled for Guidance for one class per week. 1st Year Induction days provided a welcome to all first years. Topics include: - Transition & orientation with a special seminar on study skills. - The role of the Guidance Counsellor and support systems are explained. - First year parents’ night. - Individual counselling when needed. - SPHE to all 1st year classes. - Care Team lunches with Sr. Maureen Kelly provided an informal setting to meet with all 1st years. 2nd Year - Individual counselling when needed. 3rd Year - Aptitude tests administered and results offered to students individually. - Class and individual guidance for options after Junior Certificate. - Individual counselling when needed. - Third Year Night for Parents & Students on “Options after the Junior Certificate”. - H.Dip. Guidance Counselling student Emma O’Brien gave a Study Skills Seminar. 4th Year - Work experience. - Career and 3rd level College Research Project. - Outside speakers from various 3rd level Colleges. - Individual appointments to discuss career/subject options for senior cycle. - Individual counselling when needed. 5th year The guidance programme includes - C.V. preparation, application letters, interview technique, occupational interest tests etc. - Carlow Career Day in the Dolmen Hotel where all/most 3rd level colleges were represented. - Guest speakers from UCD, Maynooth, National College of Ireland. - Most participated in mock interviews. - Individual counselling when needed. 6th Year - All students were met individually to discuss their career and 3rd level choices. - Carlow Career Day in the Dolmen Hotel.

- 3rd level Open Days including Carlow IT, St Patrick’s College, Carlow and Carlow Institute of Further Education.

- Guest speakers from various 3rd level Colleges. - Guest speaker from the County Council to discuss “Applying for Grants”.

History Department members: Tom Nolan, Anita Somers, Joan Scott, Annie Deering, Kate Redmond, Jennifer Foley, Tara Gooch, Mairin Crowe and Allison Doyle. Department Co-ordinator: Tom Nolan Provision of the subject in the school The subject is taught at all levels in the school. It is a compulsory subject at Junior Certificate level. It is optional at Leaving Certificate level. There were eight teachers timetabled to teach history during the past academic year. There are three class periods allotted to the subject at Junior Certificate Level and five periods at Senior cycle. This usually includes one double period. Classes at both levels are mixed ability. A small resource room is available to the Department. All resources are kept here including DVD’s, Videos, slides, books and posters. A History Society was chaired by Molly Aylesbury 5th year. Planning and Preparation There were a number of Department meetings held during the year. Some time was allotted for this purpose by management. Others were held at lunchtime. Matters discussed centred mainly on the formation of a subject plan. This process is to be completed by the end of the year. Chief History Inspector Mr. Robert Kirkpatrick carried out an Inspection review of the Department. A report was prepared for the inspector by the Department detailing the progress made on the various recommendations outlined in the Report on the History Inspection. Dr. Kirkpatrick expressed great satisfaction with the progress made. Ms. Kate Redmond was expected to attend an ICT course for History Teachers in Kilkenny Teachers centre but the course was cancelled due to lack of numbers. Tom Nolan, Kate Redmond, Annie Deering, and Anita Somers attended in-service courses on the new Leaving Certificate Programme held in the Teachers Centre Kilkenny. The Department Coordinator is a member of the HTAI and as such attended a number of lectures etc organised by the above during the year. One of these included a lecture by Padraic Harvey of the SEC on the Leaving Certificate Examination History Posters, articles, photos as well as information relating to the History Society was displayed throughout the year on the History notice board. Department members feel that this has been very important in promoting history in the school. Tom Nolan attended the HTAI conference held on the weekend of the 7th – 9th October. The conference programme was very wide and involved lectures ranging from Early Irish History to workshops on ICT in history. Patrica Gurhy attended an inservice on the study of documents held in TCD under the auspices of the HTAI. Tom Nolan, Patrica Gurhy, Annie Deering, and Anita Somers attended inservice courses on the new Leaving Certificate Programme held in the Education Centre Kilkenny. The Department Co-ordinator is a member of the HTAI. A History Notice board has been erected in the school and has proved to be an outstanding success. History posters, articles, photographs as well as History society news have been displayed there throughout the year. Teaching and Learning All Junior Cycle students completed the relevant Junior Certificate course material for their year as prescribed

by the syllabus. Students of first year studied material from Ancient Ireland, the Romans, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Second year students studied the Age of Exploration, the Reformation, the Plantations, the Age of Revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. Third year students studied Modern Ireland, International Relations and Social Change. All Senior Cycle students completed the relevant Leaving Certificate course material as prescribed by the Syllabus. 5th Year students studied the Documents question. The prescribed section came from Europe and the Wider World namely The United States and the world 1945 – 1989. Preliminary work was carried out on their Research Study. They also did some study on the topic “Dictatorship and Democracy 1920 – 45”. Leaving Certificate students completed their study of the Documents question which came from the topic “Movements for Political and Social Reform 1870-1914”. They completed their Research Study and submitted it as requested to the school authorities on Friday 27th April. They revised the topic “Nation States and International Tensions 1870-1920” and completed their study of the other two topics, namely, “The Pursuit of Sovereignty and the Impact of Partition1912 –49” and “Dictatorship and Democracy 1920 –45”. Students of Transition undertook a course in Local Studies. This included a study of famous people and places of Carlow. It also involved a study of the involvement of Carlow County in World War 1. An integral part of these studies was a walking tour of Carlow town. Tom Nolan was the guide for this tour. Students also studied the events of 1798 in Carlow. As well as Local Studies the module included a Study of Genealogy, whereby students could construct their own family tree. Students also studied Witchcraft as part of this module. Students visited the local library where they were given a lecture on research skills with an emphasis on skills of the historian. However not all classes could avail of this due to timetabling issues. Management have committed to doing all that is possible to solve the problem for future years. As part of this module a history trip was organised for Transition year Heritage students by Anita Somers and Tom Nolan. This was a trip to Kilmainham Jail and Dublin Castle. It was very much enjoyed and appreciated by the students. Assessment and Achievement Teachers followed a policy of continuous assessment with a final terminal exam with respect to first, second and fifth year students. Teachers set their own individual tests in respect of the final exam. Both 3rd year and 6th year students sat a mock history exam at Easter. Both written and oral homework was set for students by teachers with due regard paid to the Homework policy. History Week was held in the school this year during the week commencing Monday 26th March. This gave all classes an opportunity to display their projects that they had completed during the year. Unfortunately the Assembly Hall was not available for use this year and this was a drawback in terms of organising public display areas for the display of work. The Department wishes to commend the standard of work displayed by the students of J2. Winners of J6 class project were Cathy Lawler, Gordanna Scully and Maeve Hosey. Winners of the 2A class project were Elaine McDonald and Edel Kelly for their project on the Age of Exploration. Rather than a History Society trip it was decided that a History trip should be organised for all First Years. The students visited the 1798 centre in Enniscorthy and Ferrycarrig National Heritage Park. The trip was a huge success and much thanks must go to the organising teachers namely Ms Kate Redmond and Ms Joan Scott. The Department wishes to thank all the history teachers who accompanied the students especially those from outside the Department. The History scholarship was awarded to Molly Aylesbury 5th year in recognition of her work in promoting the History Society in the school. Finally a very successful and impressive array of work was displayed by Transition Year Heritage students as

part of the Transition Year Parent-Teacher Meeting held on Wednesday 26rd May.

Home Economics Department Members: Kathleen Coyne, Margaret Holden, Patricia Morrissey, Mary Nolan, and Sheelagh Shore Department Co-ordinator: Sheelagh Shore Provision of the subject in the school Home Economics is taught at Junior and Senior level, following the Department of Education and Science syllabus in both areas. The new Social and Scientific course (examined for the 4th time this year) has an in-built practical element, with Department of Education assignments recorded in a course-work journal. This is worth 20% of the Leaving Certificate mark. We had 7 first year classes, 5 second year classes, 5 third year classes, all transition year classes, 3 fifth year classes and 3 sixth year classes, as well as 1 class of Hotel Catering and Tourism in Leaving Certificate Applied year 2. Time-tabling 1st year- 1 double class and 1 single class per week. 2nd year-1 double class and 2 single classes per week. 3rd year- 1 double class and 2 single classes per week. 4th year- 1 double class and 1 single class per week. L.C.A - 1 triple class and 1 single class per week. 5th year- 1 double class and 3 single classes per week. 6th year- 1 double class and 3 single classes per week. The subject is taught at Higher and Ordinary level to Junior and Leaving Certificate. Facilities We have three equipped specialist rooms, which are used for cookery, needlework, craft and mini-company activities. Associated clubs We have a craft club for 1st year students, organised and run by 5th year students and supervised by Home Economics teachers. This takes place every week at lunchtime where they learn to cross-stitch, embroider, knit etc. Planning and Preparation Department meetings are held regularly. Minutes are recorded. There is extensive electrical refurbishment taking place in the home economics kitchens and it is our hope that all 3 kitchens will have an online facility in September 07. Resource area: We are constantly building up resources by purchasing current magazines, books and

DVDs. Textbooks: We decided on and are working with “Design for Living” with 1st and 2nd year classes. The Seniors will be working from a new text book in September as their current book is out of date. Common Assessment, Common Programme: We are working towards common assessment whilst mindful of mixed ability and special needs students. The content that we cover in 5th year is largely determined by the DES compulsory assignments.

We set a common paper when possible. Use of notice boards/posters: We used these extensively to highlight our department achievements, to notify students of upcoming competitions and to display newspaper and magazine cuttings relevant to the subject. Inservice/Continuous Professional Development undertaken during the year: A.T.H.E meetings were attended as were conferences for examining and correcting DES examinations for practicals and Journals at Junior and Leaving cert levels. Teaching and Learning We were delighted to facilitate teaching practice this year for two students; Caitriona Nolan, a final year student from Sion Hill and Martina Doyle, a 1st year student from Lough Gill, Sligo. 1st Year: Students studied a common agreed programme from Design for Living. They all

enjoyed learning to stitch creatively and all designed, stitched and completed a cushion for awards day.

2nd Year: DES syllabus covered. Term 3, craft option selected and started. 3rd Year: The option and practical - 50% of Junior Certificate mark at Higher level and 60% at

ordinary level – were examined just after Easter. All students performed very well. 4th Year: * Food Safety Certificates awarded * Agri Aware Certificates awarded

* Uncle Ben’s Cookery Competition certificates awarded. We had great success once more with this competition. SARAH BYRNE 4A was one of six finalists at national level. Sarah and her teacher, Mrs. Shore, travelled to Dublin for the final. We are so proud of her performance. Well done!

* Cookery Module * Healthy Eating project * Fashion and Design project * Interior Design project * Two crafts

5th & 6th Years: Social and Scientific course implemented over two years. Cookery assignments submitted to DES. Option C – Social Studies selected in 6th year.

Assessment and Achievement * Homework is given at the end of each lesson.

* Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate students sat mock exams this year. Both

were externally marked. Open Evening: Our kitchens are open and staff and students are on hand to meet parents and answer any queries prospective students may have. Student work is exhibited. Transition Year Evening: The exhibition of individual student’s work was extremely impressive. Parents and students looked on in amazement, and with pride!

Awards Day: On awards day, we acknowledged the achievements of competition winners. We thanked the 5th year students who organised the craft club and presented them with a gift. We presented the 1st year embroidery awards. We are very grateful to SHAWS DEPARTMENT STORE for sponsoring these awards this year. The Home Economics Scholarship was shared by 6th years, Julie-Ann Kelly and Patricia Kate Morrissey. Special Thanks To Sr. Nora for all the photocopying. It is much appreciated. To Sr. Maureen Kelly who once again entertained and upskilled us with her fantastic lesson on cake

decorating at Christmas time. She made it look so easy! Finally, we thank Patricia Gurhy, our principal for supporting and encouraging us in the department this

year.

HOME/SCHOOL/ COMMUNITY LIAISON

Co-ordinator: Margaret Farrell The Home-School-Community Liaison Co-ordinator works closely with parents, teachers and community agencies in order to support students in benefiting as fully as possible from their education. Provision in the school

Contact is made with parents through meetings in school, telephone calls, and most importantly, through home visits.

The provision of school based programmes for parents is facilitated. This year these included Computers for Beginners, Intermediate Computers, Craft and Cookery.

In conjunction with the Maths and Learning Support teachers parents were also invited to be involved in Maths and Literacy initiatives in school – “Maths for Fun” and “Word Millionaire”. Both programmes were of great benefit to the students and parental support was much appreciated.

Staff The co-ordinator met weekly with the principal and attended weekly Care Team and Year Head meetings as well as LCA meetings. Regular contact was maintained with class teachers, the Learning Support teachers and Guidance Counsellors. Community Links Links with both voluntary and statutory community agencies continue to strengthen. In addition to day to day contact with agencies our co-ordinator is currently a member of : CANDO Community Development Sub-Committee Carlow Count Council’s Social Inclusion Measures Task Group The Carlow Teen-Parent support Project Steering Committee And has recently been invited to participate in the Carlow Road Safety Together Working Group as a result of the project undertaken by the HSCL Local Committee regarding Road Safety and Parents in January of this year. New community initiatives undertaken during this academic year included:

In conjunction with Aisling McHugh of Carlow I.T. this programme was set up to introduce parents both to the facilities available in Carlow I.T. and to the prospect of their children – or indeed themselves – being able to access courses there. Visits were organised together with Noreen Reilly, V.T.T. In March a group of Traveller parents visited the college and May an integrated group of parents visited. The mornings consisted of an introductory tour of the College, an address in the auditorium, visits to the aeroplane hangar, and the television studio, and lunch was also provided. A similar visit was organised for the children of the parents who had participated and this also took place in May. Reminiscence Project St. Catherine’s /CANDO/Older Persons’ Network piloted a Reminiscence Project linking through HSCL with our TY students. It entailed a group of Transition Year pupils working with residents from St. Fiacc’s House, Graiguecullen, ‘scribing’ stories, to produce a booklet of local memories. CANDO provided the funding for this to be published and Edel Kehoe of St. Catherine’s facilitated the project. Cerificates were awarded by the Older Person'’ Network to those students who took part. It is hoped that a similar module may be used for TYO students in the future. Thanks to Community Agencies We would like to acknowledge the support of local agencies for the work of Home-School-Community Liaison in our school. Because our present Parents' room will no longer be available for use by the school from the end of this term an application was submitted, in February, to the Department of Education and Science for funding from the Dormant Accounts/Rapid funding project for a Parents’ Room to replace the existing building. We received great support from Carlow County Council who gave advice on how to approach the application with regard to the Rapid funding and from CANDO, Community Education, Adult Education, the Adult Learning Centre, Barnardos and the Youth Services all of which gave us letters of support to accompany our application. All agreed that a Parents’ Room is vital if we are to continue to give support to parents through HSCL, and that St. Leo’s Parents’ Room has been an invaluable resource in their own fields of work over these past eight years with regard to communicating with parents and supporting the educational prospects of young people. We hope to have an even better Parents’ Room than before in the not too distant future. Local Committee The Home-School-Community Liaison Local Committee is an exercise in partnership between parents, pupils, teachers and representatives of local agencies both voluntary and statutory. It identifies issues in the community which affect the educational achievement of pupils, and it seeks to find ways of addressing them. The project undertaken by the HSCL Local Committee this year was raising awareness among parents the issue of the issue of Road Safety. A Road Safety Awareness Night for parents took place on 30th January in the Cathedral Parish Centre. Pat McNeeley, of Drive Safe for Life, gave a presentation on Road Safety, John McDarby, Carlow Road Safety Officer gave information of local road safety issues and workshops were given by representatives from the Gardai, the Ambulance service and the Fire service. Those parents who attended returned evaluation sheets, all of which were extremely positive. The most interesting suggestion for further programmes was that students should be invited to attend with their parents as such an event could then be a shared family experience which could later be discussed by parents and teenagers. Cluster Meetings etc. Throughout the year the co-ordinator attended: Weekly ‘Family Cluster’ meetings with the other HSCL co-ordinators in Carlow; Monthly ‘Local Cluster’ meetings in schools throughout the South Midlands Term cluster meetings with all co-ordinators in the Midlands. This year the Term Clusters were held in Moate, Tullamore and Kildare. In November a two day Home-School-Community Liaison Conference was held in Citywest for all co-ordinators. At the conference the Department of Education’s publication “HSCL from Vision to Best Practice” was launched by Mary Hanafin, Minister for Education and one of the keynote speakers was Ms. Clare Ryan of St.Leo’s College. This year the co-ordinator also attended:

The Treoir Conference on The Criminal Law and Children First Guidelines. The launch of Carlow Drugs Awareness Week The A.G.M. of Carlow Regional Youth Services. The County Carlow Suicide Awareness Seminar Transfer The co-ordinator met parents of incoming students at the Open Night in November, and again on the day of the entrance assessment in March. Bearing in mind that often parents, especially those whose first child is transferring to secondary school, may be anxious about the move parents were also invited to attend an informal meeting on Tuesday 22nd May at which they met each other, some of the teachers and members of the incoming Meitheal team who will be looking after their daughters in September. This provided them with the opportunity to ask questions and address any anxieties they might have regarding their daughter’s transfer to post-primary school. Visits to feeder primary schools were made during April and May as part of the transfer programme which aims to make the move to secondary school as easy as possible for the incoming pupils.

Planning and Preparation / Assessment and Achievement

Planning, monitoring and evaluation are built into the structure of work for the HSCL co-ordinator who meets each week with the other Carlow HSCL Co-ordinators. In addition: Yearly plans are discussed, prepared and reviewed at Local Cluster level (Midlands). Weekly plans are made out. Monthly reports are prepared and work reviewed in conjunction with the principal. Planning and evaluation takes place with teachers re involving parents in literacy and numeracy programmes. The Local Committee also evaluates the projects undertaken on an ongoing basis.

Finally, sincere thanks to all members of the school management and staff who are so supportive of the Home-School-Community Liaison scheme; to Community Education for supporting us with funding for the parents’courses; to our tutors who are always so flexible and encouraging, and to the parents, students and agency representatives who have been part of the Local Committee, to all parents who have in any way been involved in participating in Home-School Community Liaison projects throughout the year and to all those parents who have been so welcoming when the co-ordinator has called to their homes.

Italian Transition Year Two groups of Transition Year pupils studied Italian for periods of 15 weeks. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and completed individual oral tests at the end of their course. They displayed their copies or folder of work at their end of year evening. Pupils watched the Italian film “Non ho paura”. (I am not afraid).

Leaving Certificate Applied Department Members: Sheila Cody, Irene Connors, Mary Doyle, Margaret Farrell, Niamh Gallagher, Tara Gooch, Vivienne Kelly, Mary Kyne, Joyce Macken, David McAuliffe, Patricia Morrissey and Anita Somers Department Co-ordinator: Vivienne Kelly Provision of the Subject in the School The Leaving Certificate Applied Programme was offered to fifth year students in the school. The students have currently completed Year 1 of the programme. The subjects covered this year were, English and Communications, Guidance, Hotel, Catering and Tourism, Information Technology, Italian, Leisure and Recreation, Mathematical Applications, Office Administration and Customer Care, Religious Education, Science, Social Education, Visual Art and Work Experience. There are currently 16 students enrolled on the programme. There were 3 classes per week in the following subjects: English and Communications, Guidance, Italian, Mathematical Applications There were 4 classes per week in Hotel, Catering and Tourism and Office Administration and Customer Care. There were 5 classes per week in Social Education There were 2 classes per week in Information Technology, Leisure and Recreation, Religious Education, Science and Visual Art. The students spent each Friday on Work Experience in two different placements throughout the year. None of the subjects were optional for the students. However, our chosen specialisms in Vocational Education, Hotel, Catering and Tourism, Office Administration and Customer Care along with the specialisms, Science and Religious Education were selected by the school. It was also decided to take Italian this year and study Irish in Year 2 of the course. There are currently 10 teachers teaching on the programme. All of the subjects with two classes per week are studied as double classes. Office has two doubles while Hotel has a single and a treble. This facilitates cooking tasks. Social has two doubles and a single and the remainder have all single classes. The level of ability in the group is mixed. We have a specialist L.C.A. room complete with a computer and a press filled with resources. These resources range from text books to calculators and from writing materials to office requisites. There currently are textbooks for Maths, Office, Hotel, Social, Italian and Work Experience. We have a department file, a binder, a camera and a guillotine. There is also an LCA office that is used primarily for storage of L.C.A. course work and for holding L.C.A. task interview and orals. Planning and Preparation A full department meeting took place at the start of the year. From then on, a weekly timetabled meeting took place involving 5/6 team members. All relevant information from the meeting was appropriately disseminated to the remaining staff. Consequently, the entire team was acutely aware of what was happening across the Department. Any necessary or immediate information was brought to the attention of the team verbally. The original method of furnishing written minutes to all Department members was changed as it was felt that it was

not the best way to deal with potentially sensitive and personal information. The majority of resources bought this year were textbooks. We spent some of our budget on the development of photographs of activities the students had undertaken. Some of these are displayed on the L.C.A. notice board. We also budgeted for a play that was performed by the students to great aplomb before Christmas. All of the L.C.A. resources are stored in our area or by the teacher in question. This facilitates ready access by team members. The students spend significant periods in the computer room. In addition to their double I.T. class every week, all other subjects require some form of computer use. Our students are amongst the most frequent visitors to the computer room particularly around task time. All of the students are assessed according to the guidelines outlined by the Department of Education and Science. They must have a 90% attendance record in each subject and have fulfilled all of the key assignment requirements. Students are assessed at the end of each module. Some subjects covered one module over the year while others covered two or three. Twice a year, the results are sent into the Department using an on-line service. Students were also assessed this year on three tasks completed in Sports, Mini- Company and Office. All students produced a written report and were subsequently interviewed on the content. To date, DES results have been received from the first task. Results were excellent with two students receiving maximum marks. The plan for L.C.A. is very clearly laid out by the DES and certain elements cannot be amended. However, we spent some time reviewing our programme within the school during the year with questionnaires from both the team and from students. It is hoped to further this review next year by seeking information from other stake holders such as management and parents. The information already obtained will allow us improve and develop the programme for next year. The co-ordinator is a member of the National Co-ordinators Association, which assists co-ordinators in implementing the latest strategies for the programme. A number of the team have also been involved in the examination of both tasks and practical subjects in the programme. This offers us a huge insight into how marks are allocated and how we can best improve practice. We have an L.C.A. notice board in the school which is used to display student activities. There is also a notice board in the classroom for the students and one in the staff room for all staff. This allows other staff an insight into the activities of the programme. All members of the team have been involved in in-service for the programme in the past. Teaching and Learning The primary learning that is carried out in L.C.A. is learning that is practical. Regardless of the subject, the topics all cover material that is useful for everyday life. The following are some small examples: How to prepare and cook a family meal on a budget How to write and prepare a C.V. How to answer a telephone How to check that you haven’t paid too much tax How to deal with a friend or family member on drugs How to create a personal prayer How to book accommodation in an Italian hotel The entire curriculum can be obtained upon request. The students catered for 16 staff for a three-course lunch as part of their course requirements. This received highly positive comment from all concerned and the students and Patricia Morrissey were highly complimented.

The class had several small trips this year including visits to the Seven Oaks Hotel, a Catering company, an office, Superquinn, Carlow Chamber of Commerce and to the Bowling Alley. All of these were very successful. Assessment and Achievement All students were periodically tested throughout the year in their respective subjects. A mid-term report was sent home in Term 1. At Christmas, they sat exams in Maths, English, Social, Italian, Hotel and Office. Reports from all subjects were sent home. In the summer they sat house exams in Maths, English, Office, Social and Hotel. A report was also sent home on all of these subjects. The students also had the DES oral Italian exam in May and the written and aural Italian in June. All team members were available to meet with parents at the fifth year parent teacher meeting. Several informal meetings took place throughout the year with parents. On awards day, the student of the class was Martina Cummins while Deborah Long received an outstanding achievement award in Senior Cycle from the Bank of Ireland along with a certificate from Carlow Local Committee. Deborah Long was also recognised for her work on the S.R.C. representing the L.C.A. class as their prefect.

LEAVING CERTIFICATE VOCATIONAL PROGRAMME

This is a Senior Cycle subject offered to all fifth and Leaving Certificate students who study the qualifying Leaving Certificate subjects. The programme is a two-year programme and students gain a very valuable insight into the world of work and enterprise education. TEACHERS Caroline Lambe, Willie Cullen, Jennifer Foley, Niamh Gallagher and Mary Kyne. Number of students A total of 60 students sat the Leaving Certificate examination in May and there are presently 80 fifth year students. Many students still want to do the subject but do not qualify with their subject choices. The Department must urgently review the qualifying subject options. Timetable There are presently two fifth year classes of the programme available to students and one leaving certificate class. The class times are at the same time for all fifth year and leaving certificate classes. This allows for team teaching and facilitates class visits. The computer room is available for most classes. This is essential as the students must access information, and all Portfolio items must be word processed. There is also a weekly planning time for most teachers in the programme. This weekly planning and meeting time is vital and essential for all teachers. There is also a need for the teachers to have time to correct student work. Portfolio work accounts for 60% of the total examination and considerable time is spent correcting these long Portfolios. Planning and Development

The weekly department meetings are essential. Resources have improved and valuable links have been developed with local business and

community organisations in the area. Members have attended in-service training and teachers on the programme have attended evening

network meetings both in Kilkenny and Kildare Education Centres. Teaching and Learning A practical teaching approach is applied. Students are encouraged to complete their portfolio items in fifth year. The following activities are organised for students:

Class visits to Braun, Carlow. Guest speakers from local business and charitable organisations. Visits to local community organisations including the Citizens Information Centre and Saint

Catherine’s Community Services. Students must also participate in a work experience module. Students also attend College Open Days, research information on the Internet and linked with

Career Guidance teachers. Close links were developed with the Carlow Enterprise Board and students visited the centre and

met with the local businesses in the centre. All fifth year students attended the LCVP Master Class organised by the Carlow Enterprise Board.

Presentations were given by Krith Bohanna where students were informed of exploiting the Internet to Make Money and by Liam Birkett who delivered an excellent presentation of bridging Enterprise and Education.

Assessment The portfolio accounts for 60% of the final examination and teachers spend considerable time correcting these. Teachers attend the local LCVP in-services and information on marking schemes are distributed to students. Teachers also attend their local network meeting to discuss possible case studies questions before the written examination. The final written examination took place on Wednesday 2nd May. Leaving Certificate Students also sat a mock leaving certificate examination on Friday 16th February. The emphasis on Business in the final examination paper has been discussed at in-service training programmes. Students who are awarded a Distinction in their exam are receiving 70 points, which is equilivant to receiving a C grade in a Leaving Certificate honours subject. Information to Parents and Students The programme is promoted to parents and students at the Open Evening and the Senior Options Evening attended by third year parents. The subject is discussed at Parent-Teacher meetings and information from the Department of Education, LCVP network meetings and LCVP newsletter are copied and distributed to students. I would like to thank Kieran Comerford from Carlow County Enterprise Board and Ms Orla Hanlon HR Manager Braun for their facilitation and support to the programme during the academic year.

LEARNING SUPPORT

Learning Support Team: Valerie Delaney, Sinead Kenny, Claire Casey,Vivenne Kelly, David Mc Auliffe,

Imelda Morley, Deirdre Lawlor, Colette Nelson, Jackie Timmons, Fiona Johnson, Mary Doyle, Regina Hennessey, Pauline Lacey, Sheila Gaffney and Landy Long. Provision of the Subject in the School Although Learning Support occurs in centres throughout the school, it most frequently takes place in The Learning Centre, a room adjacent to classrooms in the Junior school, easily accessed by the students. This room is equipped with five computers, a printer and software. A laptop is available for students if required. Classes are also timetabled for the Seminar Room, which is located on the ground floor, and the One To One room which is located on the second floor, above the Learning Centre. Emphasis is placed on consolidating literacy and numeracy skills. When necessary, learning support is provided for a number of pupils in additional subjects, as required. In 2006/07 an additional qualified Resource teacher was employed. Work continued in areas such as Speech and Drama, T.E.F.L., Art, Counselling And Science, in addition to the ‘traditional’ subjects of English and Mathematics. Generally teachers were timetabled to work with one class, a small group or one individual, but occasionally individual learning support teachers supported colleagues and pupils, through team teaching. Throughout the year, we worked closely with St. Laserian’s School. This initiative, the first of its kind, attempted to provide appropriate support and educational provision, accessing specialist services. Our aim was to enhance the quality of learning of specific pupils, using a dual education model. Planning and Preparation Learning Support Co Ordinators reviewed and evaluated the school’s S.E.N. Policy. Following collaboration with parents, pupils and other staff members a draft policy document was submitted to the Board of Management of St. Leo's College for their approval, in May 2007. Department meetings are held on a weekly basis enabling the coordinators to identify which areas and pupils require support. Ongoing evaluation ensures provision of resources to pupils as the need arises. Some intervention is short term as pupil’s needs are met. Informal meetings are a regular occurrence. Every effort is made to identify the changing needs of our pupils and provide the appropriate supports either within the school or by a relevant body. One class period was timetabled weekly, to accommodate department planning. The following information concerning incoming First Year pupils was sought from Home School Community Liaison Co-ordinator (H.S.C.L.), Margaret Farrell; Students receiving learning support in primary schools Students allocated resource hours in primary schools Students with Irish exemptions and/or assessed by educational psychologists. When in possession of this information, department members commenced work on the following

Entrance tests of first years were studied in September 2006. All the above information was collated and a cohort of students identified requiring learning support. Parents/guardians of each pupil were contacted and the provision of learning support was discussed with

them. Parents were happy to give permission for additional support. Information concerning second years was collated, utilising the following sources; entrance tests, teachers’

comments and concerns, summer reports, educational psychological assessments and information from primary schools.

A cohort of second year pupils requiring learning support were identified and allocated time. Information concerning third year pupils was collated, enabling teachers to identify and allocate time to

those students requiring learning support. Emphasis was placed on exam preparation and technique. Senior cycle students requiring learning support were also identified and allocated time. Learning Support Co-ordinators drew up provisional timetables to provide learning support at the most

appropriate times for the students. Assisted study was put in place. Learning Support Co Ordinators addressed parents at the First Year Parents Evening, held in September 2006. Members of the department were also available to meet parents on in-coming first years pupils (2007-08), at a coffee morning held in May ’07 organised by the H.S.C.L. Co Ordinator, Margaret Farrell. Resources Budget allocation for 2006/2007 was spent during the year on the following: English - Reading schemes and texts to build up literacy skills Audio equipment to enhance literacy skills Mathematics – Equipment, games/materials to consolidate mathematical skills Stationery Office furniture I.T. Equipment Teaching and Learning As members of this department ‘support’ pupils and colleagues alike, subject content is determined by specific requirements of the individual or group being supported consultation with subject teachers and number of periods available per week Assisted Study Every effort is made to facilitate and promote teaching and learning, both during and after school. To this end, Assisted Study was organised. Due to pressure on existing resources, it could only be offered to pupils in the junior section of the school. Assisted Study was timetabled four days each week, Monday to Thursday, 4.15-5.15p.m. Two separate centres were provided, catering for the needs of each year in the junior school. First, second and third year pupils were offered this facility. It involved providing an environment to improve study skills for those whom participated, with their parent's written consent. A qualified teacher was present providing guidance if and when required. Assisted Study ran from September to May. Such was its success that the school hopes to be in a position to offer it again next year, resources permitting. International Students The Home School Community Liaison Co-ordinator forwarded information about each international student to the learning support teachers. It was decided on an individual basis, whether or not learning support was required. The most appropriate intervention was offered. Some required individual support, while other pupils required curriculum materials adapted. All were offered assisted study.

A Referral Form was designed, to be completed when in the event of a mid year enrollment. This contains information pertinent to the Learning Support Department. Assessment and Achievement Throughout the school year, pupils involved in learning support receive positive reinforcement. A wide variety of materials produced by pupils are displayed on the walls of the learning centre. All available work was on display during Open Evening. Positive comment school cards were sent home, when appropriate A group of pupils receiving Learning Support were brought bowling, in recognition of their hard work throughout a term A group of pupils receiving Learning Support were brought to the cinema, in recognition of their hard work throughout a term Prizes were presented at the annual school Awards Ceremony to a number of pupils for their work relating

(1) Participation in Who Wants to be a Word Millionaire Project (2) Design of Numeracy and Literacy positive comment postcards to Speech and Drama

Parental Involvement Parents have been involved in the Learning Support Department throughout the year. From their initial contact with learning support teachers, often on Open Evening, through communication on the phone or at meetings throughout the year to discuss their daughter's progress, their support and co-operation is always welcome. Parents of all first and second year pupils receiving Learning Support, were invited to attend a meeting concerning “Who Wants to be a Word Millionaire” project. Those present were advised how to be actively involved in, monitor and encourage their daughter’s progress. Testing Testing occurs throughout the year in both formal and informal settings, as the need arises. Entrance Assessments In March 2006, entrance assessments were carried out on the incoming first years for the 2006/07 academic year. Members of the Learning Support department, Career Guidance teachers and other members of staff were involved in administering, marking and collating results. Entrance assessment results, were combined with the following; Information received from feeder primary schools visited by our Home School Community Liaison Co-

ordinator Information conveyed to school at time of registration Psychological reports which were furnished by parents/guardians The above information has enabled the learning support teachers to process the needs and identify pupils who

may require or be entitled to additional learning support when they enter St. Leo's College. It also ensures that we are in a position to plan our time and resources for next year. Throughout the school year a number of teachers expressed concerns about specific students who they considered could require learning support or educational assessment. Learning Support teachers met with each student and administered diagnostic tests (N.R.I.T. and N.A.R.A.), and decided if learning support would be of benefit. Some students required short-term intervention while others required long term learning support and/or an educational assessment. Individual Educational Plans Individual Education Plans (I.E.P.s) have been drawn up for each pupil who has been assessed by an educational psychologist. Each plan is based on recommendations made by the psychologist. From these recommendations, schemes of work are devised appropriate to the needs of individual pupils. The duration of the intervention will vary according to the identified needs of each individual. Special Education Needs Officer With effect from January 2005, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) took over key functions in relation to special education provision. Since that date all applications for supports for children with special educational needs, have been processed by this body through local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO). Cathy Goss was appointed SENO for the Carlow region. Lorraine Flemming–Farrell was appointed to work with this school while Cathy was on maternity leave. She is responsible for processing the school’s applications for resource teaching hours Special Needs Assistants School transport Assistive technology National Education Psychological Service The school works closely with the National Education Psychological Service. Joanne Moran replaced Mary Conroy, as the school's N.E.P.s. psychologist, and carried out two educational assessments in 2006/2007. She also worked with several students requiring intensive intervention to meet their specific needs. When necessary she also attended Case Conferences concerning pupils attending St. Leo's College. Visiting Teachers At present there are three visiting teachers working with the school. These are Visiting Teacher for the Hearing Impaired- Maureen McGrattan Visiting Teacher for the Visually Impaired- Elinor Beechinor Visiting Teacher for the Travelling Community- Noreen O'Reilly. Care Team Members of the Care Team consisted of management, Learning Support teachers, Guidance Counsellors,

Home/School/Community Liaison Co-ordinator and Sr. Maureen Kelly. Timetabled to meet weekly, and meet with the year heads of the Junior school once a month, this group attempted to identify and target pupils who may have required additional support to that which is available to all pupils. A pastoral approach was adopted in this process. Care team members were involved in drafting a Pastoral Care Policy. Learning Support Co Ordinators, as members of the Care Team assisted in the facilitation of Table Time. This project enables each first year class to interact socially with staff members one lunch time per year-lunch being provided by the school. The work of the care team was again enhanced by the appointment of Regina Hennessy, a qualified Counsellor, in addition to our two existing school counsellors. Regina was available to all in St. Leo’s College, two mornings (six hours) per week. This professional and confidential service has proved to be invaluable to many of our pupils. Yet again, it will be the allocation of resources by the N.C.S.E. that will determine whether the school will be in a position to offer this service 2007-2008. Inservice Learning support teachers attended a number of courses throughout the year. These were organised by a number of organisations, including local education centres in Carlow and Kilkenny, The Dyslexia Association of Ireland and The Association of Special Needs Teachers. These, with one exception were held outside school hours. Among the topics covered were Learning Support – an Overview Overview of Technology for Students with Special Needs Overview of ADHD Making Maths fun General Talk for Special Needs Assistants Creating a Positive Classroom Environment Spreadsheets for Teachers Down Syndrome/Moderate General Learning Disability in Mainstream School Thanks Despite being a relatively small department, the nature of our work involves the learning support team working closely with numerous departments within the school. Without the support and assistance of our colleagues our task would be much more difficult. At various times throughout the year, the Department of Education and Science/ N.C.S.E. allocated resources to the school, to provide additional support to pupils who would benefit from it. The dedication, enthusiasm and commitment displayed by staff members who ‘supported learning’ in a variety of ways is commendable. Their involvement greatly enhanced the educational opportunities available to pupils in both the senior and junior sections of the school. The school aspires to provide an equally high level of learning support in 2007/2008. This however will be dependent upon the provision of resources by the N.C.S.E. I would like to thank all members of management and staff who have been so co-operative and supportive.

Library

Library Co-ordinator: Vivienne Kelly Part-time Librarian: Martina Lennon Once again, our school was extremely fortunate to secure the services of Martina Lennon as part-time librarian. She rejoined us in the second part of the school year and was available every Friday morning until lunchtime. She proved to be a tremendous asset and spent many hours cataloguing and sorting books. She assisted various members of staff in research work and obtained several useful sections from the print media for use in student projects. Martina was a judge of the creative writing competition and she proved to be invaluable as there was a very large number of entries. She also helped the student librarians and showed great example to them. We are very grateful for the time and effort that she contributed to the school. Throughout the first two terms of the school year, the library was in full use and proved to be a valuable asset to both students and staff. It’s use included class work with various teachers, individual and team research, quiet study time, time for completion of homework and reading for pleasure. Transition year, Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving Certificate Vocational students made frequent use of the library facilities for their research on projects, tasks and portfolio work. The provision of computers and limited internet access ensured maximum use. The library was also used to host various guest speakers. Perhaps, its most common use this year, was for it excellent new multi-media centre. In the final term, a creative writing competition was held. All students were encouraged to enter and those with appropriate stories or poetry would be published in a library collection. The overall winner was Emer Neenan. However the publishing of the book has been deferred until September 2007. We had a tremendous response to our competition and are indebted to the English Department for it’s encouragement and promotion of the project. We look forward to the book launch and hope that it will become an annual event. During Open Night, the library was open to allow displays from Leaving Certificate Applied and Transition Year to be shown. The library assistants were also available to speak to incoming first years and their parents. We did not restock the library this year as we are waiting to attain a computerised system for cataloguing the books. This could also be used with the school facility system and should prove to be a reliable method of maintaining and recording our stock. This year, we were very fortunate to have excellent students from both sixth, fifth and transition year to volunteer their services as library assistants. The students undertook a wide variety of tasks and could be relied upon to monitor the use of the library at lunch time. Their presence ensured that the library remained open to students during break times. The students were also involved in keeping the library neat and orderly. They have been a tremendous asset to the school and we express our deep thanks to them.

Maths Department Members: Edel Connolly, Mary McHugh, Veronica Doyle, Angela Kirwan, Imelda Morley, Cathy Cradock, Willie Cullen, Fiona Kelly, Valerie Delaney, Sinead Kenny, Helena Sheridan, Vivienne Kelly, Deirdre Lawlor, Clare Casey and Emer Ryan. Department Co-ordinator: Edel Connolly

Provision of the Subject in the School

Mathematics is taught to all years from first through to sixth year as per the Department of Education & Science Syllabi

First and second year students follow a common programme of work aimed at Junior Certificate Ordinary Level

Classes are timetabled together for all students form third through to sixth year

Learning support is available to a number of students from the Learning Support Team

Mathematical Applications is taught to Leaving Certificate Applied students. (See Leaving Certificate Applied section)

Applied Mathematics is available to Leaving Certificate students as an additional subject outside of the school timetable New resources, such as books, software, calculators and geometry tools, were purchased for the Department School based training re Mathematical Software Two Hdip in Ed students, Breda Brennan & Aoife Maher, joined the Maths Department & worked with first and second year classes A Mathematics Board is in place on the main corridor Puzzle a Month was introduced for first, second and fourth year students

Planning and Preparation

Preliminary meetings were held in August. The outcomes of these meetings were:

The allocation of classes Review programme of work

Introduce and organise a modular programme for Transition Year Mathematics

Induction of new teachers to department

Department meetings were held at lunchtime throughout the year regarding:

Resources Maths Week Open Night Feedback from IMTA meetings Coursework & allocation of classes for 07/08 Co-ordination of assessment for end of year exams

End of year meetings were held to:

Pool the results of first, second, and fifth year exams

Draw up the expected results of 3rd year students Review the Transition Year modular course Reorganisation of 6th year class groups 07/08

Teaching and Learning

Coordination on course work covered Team teaching with Learning Support staff members Small class groups are established where possible A number of students attend the Learning Centre for individual tuition Maths 4 Fun with Parents – 4 week course Implementation of Transition Year modular course – catch-up module,

everyday mathematics module and ICT module Assessment Christman Assessment

Continuous assessment for all years based on test results from September to December

Mock Exams for all 3rd and 6th year students Summer Assessment

Common assessment for first years Second years choose Higher or Ordinary Level Exams

Fourth years display their work at an end of year open evening for Parents,

Teachers and Students

Fifth years sit a common test in their chosen level Achievement First Year

Puzzle A Month – Completing a Tangram in Silence Irish Junior Mathematics competition – Sadbh Crean, Catherine Jennings

and Aoife Kavanagh competed in the final of the first year Mathematics Competition

Second Year

Puzzle A Month – 10 Green Bottles & Mini Ice Cream Stands

Fourth Year

Puzzle A Month – Mathematical Logic Puzzles Emma Howard, Sarah Hosey and Sarah Byrne were invited to attend a

training course in UCD for the Mathematics Olympiad on the basis of their Junior Certificate results in Mathematics

MUSIC Department Members: Anne Buckeridge and Ian Curran Membership: Cumann Náisiúnta na gCór P.P.M.T.A. (Post-Primary Music Teachers Association) Music in St. Leo’s College:

� All first year students are offered one period of musicianship on the timetable with 1-2 choir periods. � Second year music students receive 2 hours and 20 minutes. � Third year music students receive 2 hours and 30 minutes. � Transition Year – 1 hour and 50 minutes. � Fifth year – 2 hours and 20 minutes. � Leaving Certificate – 2 hours and 30 minutes. Choral singing is compulsory for first, second and third years – junior cycle students receive 35

minutes – 1 hour and 20 minutes choral singing per week. � Fifth year choral singing is optional and repertoire is more demanding – 1 hour and 10 minutes per

week. Chamber Choir – competitive high-standard extra-curricular choir. Rehearsals during lunch break and after school. Folk Group – in cooperation with the R.E. Dept. this excellent group of singers and musicians provides music for all liturgical ceremonies during the school year. Traditional Group – accomplished and beginner traditional musicians meet once a week and perform at school events.

Resources: St. Leo’s Music Department is equipped with TV, DVD, Video sound system, CDs, DVDs and musical instruments. The instruments include:

� Pianos �coustic guitars

� Electric guitars/amplifiers � Electric and acoustic bass guitars/amplifiers � P.A. system � Electric keyboard and amplifier

� Practice glockenspiels/Yamaha professional glockenspiel � Violins � Drum kit and cymbals � Xylophone � Trumpet Clarinet Recorders Conga drums

It is envisaged guitar lessons will be available in September 2007. Violin lessons and beginner trumpet lessons will be available with music teacher Mr. Ian Curran. Apply directly to school in September. First Year All students in first year follow the music book Prelude, which helps them cover the basic rudiments of music e.g. instruments of the orchestra, reading music and different genres of music. The girls took part in projects, class competitions and video work. Transition Year Students organised and X Factor competition, which the girls thoroughly enjoyed. Choral work for first years consisted of mainly two-part singing. First year choirs participating in the Department of Education Choir Exams received distinction/first honours results. Second Year Second Year Music settled in immediately to their syllabus C. Of all their set works they particularly enjoyed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The girls can now confidently compose answering phrases to given melodies and work through different key signatures. They enjoyed a great trip out in November to see the National Symphony Orchestra, which helped with their aural and visual skills. Third Year Third Year Music completed syllabus B. Pressure was on to cover all topics for Junior Certificate Mocks. The girls’ practicals, which represent 25%, took place on 18th April. Third years really enjoyed their trip to the National Concert Hall where the orchestra and singers performed their set works – Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto and Copland’s ‘Hoe Down’ from Rodeo. Fourth Year Fourth Year kicked off with a lot of Leo’s young ladies heading to the highlands for Brigadoon. They were admirably led by musical director Ms. Anne Buckeridge and director Mary Doyle. Marie Nolan and team created beautiful sets, Sr. Áine and Patricia Morrissey provided wonderful costumes, Derek Fagan gave generously of his craftsmanship and many more members of staff helped and supported the production. The rest of the year was spent studying various musical genres with an emphasis on world music, film and modern. Fifth Year Girls with a broad variety of musical talents took fifth year music this year. The girls did an in depth analysis of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and the Beatles. They also studied the various musical eras, composition – melody and harmony, music theory, score reading and aural analysis. Sixth Year The Leaving Certificate Students this year were exceptional girls with wonderful music making skills. Some of these girls will definitely pursue music at third level. Their practical music exam took place on April 24th with a potential 50% achievable. Music has become a very viable subject for gaining points. Musical Activities 2006-2007

� School Musical Brigadoon, 19-21 October (See Transition Year)

Open Night, 8 October As usual, the music students were kind enough to offer all their musical talents on open night. Live music was performed at different venues around the school culminating in a concert in the assembly hall. Trip to the National Concert Hall, 13th November. Carol Concert St. Mary’s, 14th December. Piano masterclass and evening recital with virtuoso concert pianist Richard Meyrick, 6th February.

Music Practicals: Leaving Certificate Music - 18th April Junior Certificate Music - 24th April Choir Exams - 28th April Cork Choral Festival - 4th May Transition Year Night - 23rd May

Chamber Choirs The Chamber Choir, under the direction of Mr. Ian Curran, rehearsed Monday, Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes and Monday and Tuesday after school throughout the year. This year the Junior and Senior Choirs amalgamated following a successful Carol Concert in St. Mary’s at Christmas. The new Chamber Choir went on to compete in the Cork International Choral Festival where they achieved 4th place and a certificate of distinction with an overall grade 86.75% and 88% for their performance of ‘Ma, He’s Makin’ Eyes at Me’. The judges described the choir’s performance as ‘energetic, accurate, immensely secure, confident and assured’ with a ‘lovely sweet tone and a great blend’. Gillian Daly accompanied the choir on piano. Ms. Patricia Morrissey and Ms. Mary Wheatley joined the choir on their outing to Cork and all enjoyed a well-earned meal in the Silver Springs Hotel before returning to Carlow. Transition Year Evening – 23rd May 2005 Transition Years put on a great display of music projects and performed for parents and friends. The singing, playing and dancing was a tribute to the talent of our transition year students and all present thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Music Scholarship: This year the scholarship was divided between Karen Kelly 5th year and Gillian Daly 3rd year. Both are very talented girls who will continue to develop and hone their musical skills and talent. Music News for 2007 South Pacific has been auditioned and cast so we’re looking forward to sun, sea and sand…….. in October. Violin, trumpet, guitar and piano lessons will be available. Students may apply directly.

Physical Education

Department Members: Anne Rennick, Fiona Kelly, Deirdre Colfer and Vivienne Kelly Department Co-ordinator: Anne Rennick Provision of Physical Education in the school Physical Education was offered to all students in the school. In the Junior Cycle, all students took Physical Education class for a single period once a week. In Transition year, students had Physical Education for a double period once a week. In Leaving Certificate Applied, students had a double period of leisure and recreation once a week. For the remaining students at Senior Cycle, Physical Education was offered for one period a week. Students are greatly encouraged to participate in the wide and diverse programme of extra curricular activities that are on offer within the school. Please see the corresponding annual report for further information on the activities available. They were four members of the department this year as Deirdre Colfer replaced Fiona Kelly on maternity leave. All physical education classes in the school are targeted at mixed ability. The physical education department has access to the following facilities and resources within the school: A sports hall, which includes five badminton courts, 2 volleyball courts and a full size basketball, indoor soccer and Olympic handball court. The sports hall also has an area that contains 2 table tennis tables One all-weather hockey pitch One all-weather athletics track One outdoor basketball court Two outdoor tennis courts Grass outdoor pitch used for gaelic football, soccer, camogie and rounders Athletics equipment including hurdles, shot putts, javelins, discus and relay batons Badminton equipment including nets and posts for five courts, rackets, shuttles and coaching manuals Basketball equipment including indoor and outdoor basketballs Camogie equipment including hurleys, sliothars and protective helmets Fitness testing equipment including, volometers, blood pressure gauge and manuals Dance c.d.’s and a music player Gaelic football equipment Gymnastic equipment Indoor and all-weather hockey equipment including sticks, balls and protective goalie gear Indoor soccer equipment Olympic handball equipment including ball and coaching manuals Rounders equipment including balls, cones and bats Soccer training balls and bibs Volleyball equipment including balls, posts, nets, antennae and coaching manuals The school regularly use Carlow Tennis Club facilities for tennis and squash Students are required to wear a uniform for all physical activity that consists of a navy tracksuit bottoms, a white polo shirt and the red school sweat shirt. There were a number of extra-curricular clubs in our area where students could participate in a wide range of sporting activities. These clubs took place at lunchtime, after school and sometimes in the morning before school. The clubs were open to all students regardless of ability level. Please see the extra curricular report for details. Planning and Preparation

� The physical education programme in the school closely follows that as recommended by the Department of Education and Science. The aims and objectives are clearly identified.

� At the commencement of the school year, the schemes of work for all years was reviewed and

discussed prior to implementation. Departmental planning meetings took place on a monthly basis both to consider current issues that arose and plan for any developments that could arise.

� A review of the entire programme took place towards the end of the year and suggestions were made to

improve the programme content. The Department frequently buys resources throughout the year as the market produces appropriate learning aids. We recently restocked our soccer resources. Our resources are largely contained in the sports hall but we also use an area towards the back of the new school building. Students currently do not use textbooks but are given handouts or booklets produced by our department e.g. the fitness logbook used in transition year. Students who participate in the volleyball and gaelic football coaching programme have access to both instruction manuals and logbooks. I.T. is rarely used within the class situation but students often use computers to research given projects e.g. sports tasks within the Leaving Certificate Applied programme of Transition Year sports projects. Staff used computers to download teaching aids from the Internet and also to store department information. All students followed the same programme but were assessed within their own range of ability and participation. We had a physical education plan and hope to develop this in line with the proposed Leaving Certificate programme when it is published. We share membership of the P.E.A.I., which is the primary body associated with physical education in Ireland. Members of staff are also members of the S.B.A.I., the G.A.A, the B.U.I., the I.G, the H.U.I and the V.A.I. which are all governing bodies of various sports. We feel that these memberships are vital to keep up dated with all the latest developments within each area. The department had the use of a large school notice board, which is also used for extra curricular activities. We also used a section of the staff notice board for information regarding student activities. Inservice courses have been attended by staff members including the Physical Education at Junior level inservice, gymnastics inservices and volleyball inservices. Teaching and Learning The first year programme contained an introduction to the basic skills involved in basketball, hockey, volleyball, gymnastics, dance, athletics and rounders. The second year programme was a development of the skills acquired in Year 1. The third year programme introduced the activities of soccer, Olympic handball, Gaelic football, tennis, team building exercises and badminton. In Transition Year, the students were involved in the concepts of fitness testing, coaching and tournament organisation, research into sports, team building exercises, athletics and tennis. In fifth year, the programme aimed to give a taste of all of the various activities to students. It also included a course of callenetics. In sixth year, participation in leisure activities was strongly encouraged. Students were given the option to select

their activity. It is hoped that a positive experience of physical education at this stage will result in a life long love and desire to become involved in physical activity. Assessment and Achievement While we encourage sporting excellence, our primary aim continues to focus on participation for all regardless of age and ability. Assessment for most students was carried out on a continual basis of observation of participation and motivation within the class. Students in Transition Year were more formerly assessed with a project requirement of a sports research paper and also an assessment of a group of students hosting a tournament. Students of Leaving Certificate Applied were assessed on their attendance, and also on the completion of various key assignments, undertaken throughout the year. This complies with DES regulations. Students competed within the various sporting disciplines through the extra-curricular clubs. All physical education teachers were available to talk to any parents at their respective Parent-Teacher meetings. A volleyball sporting display was carried out in the hall during the open evening while a display area was made for the Transition Year evening demonstrating the range of activities undertaken by the students. A number of students received basketball and hockey refereeing certificates having completed a course from the S.B.A.I. and I.H.U. Twenty students from transition year took part in a volleyball coaching course organised by the V.A.I. and funded by the Olympic Council of Ireland as part of A Women in Sport Initiative. Forty students participated in a Gaelic Football coaching Course organised by Carlow G.A.A. Six students received sports scholarships funded by the Parents’ Council. These included players on inter provincial hockey team, on midlands basketball teams and on the Irish junior volleyball squads. The awards were in basketball, gaelic football, hockey and volleyball. A total of thirty six students received certificates and prizes for their commitment and dedication to various sporting activities. Two special awards were given to sixth year students in golf and athletics for excellence in their respective sports. The overall sports awards went to Kylie Murphy for excellence in a miltitude of sports.

Extra-Curricular Sporting Activities & Achievements Department Members: Anne Rennick, Fiona Kelly, Deirdre Colfer, Vivienne Kelly, Angela Kirwan, Veronica Curtis, Cathy Galvin, Sandra Nolan and Mary Dillon. Department Co-ordinator: Anne Rennick This year, St. Leo’s College fielded teams in thirteen different sports -Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Camogie, Equestrian Events, Gaelic Football, Golf, Hockey, Rounders, Squash, Tennis and Volleyball. Tennis and Rounders teams played within the school while all others competed in leagues outside of school. Athletics Cross Country The school had many fine performances in the South Leinster Cross Country Championships held in New Ross in February. Individual honours went to the following girls: Sara Rennick 3rd Minor Girls

Deirdre Doyle 1st Intermediate Girls Cheryl Nolan 1st Senior Girls Sinead Kelly 2nd Senior Girls In the team events, St. Leo’s had a very successful day with the Minor team finishing in third position. The intermediate girls won their team event as did the senior team. In the Leinster championships our athletes completed very well in what were artic conditions in DCU, Dublin. On the day, our intermediate team of Deirdre Doyle, Aisling Kinsella and Niamh Heffernan finished in third position and qualified for the All Irelands, alongside Cheryl Nolan and Sinead Kelly, who qualified as individuals in the senior category. Track & Field St. Leo’s were to the fore at the South Leinster Track & Field Championships held in Scanlon Park, Kilkenny. On Day 1, our Minor and Junior girls had a tremendous day with nine athletes qualifying for the Leinster championships, with the minor team storming home to victory in the relay. On Day 2, the Intermediate and Senior girls were also in fine form in their championships with seven individuals qualifying for the Leinsters alongside the senior relay team. St. Leo’s clinched four team awards at the championships, Best Minor School, Best Intermediate School, Best Senior School and Best Overall School. The girls from St. Leo’s have also got their names into the record books with no fewer than four records being set by our pupils. They were as follows: Alison Farrell Minor 75m hurdles Emma Daly Minor Shot Putt Laura Scriven Senior 800m Sara Rennick Minor Relay Team Alison Farrell Minor Relay Team Aideen Brophy Minor Relay Team Lisa Nolan Minor Relay Team The St. Leo’s Athletes has great successes at the Leinster finals. At Minor level, we had the following successes: Alison Farrell won the hurdles. Aideen Brophy got bronze in the hurdles and bronze in the long jump. Emma Daly won two gold medals, one in the shot putt and another in the javelin. The relay team won their race well, the team was Alison Farrell, Sara Rennick, Aideen Brophy and Lisa Nolan. These athletes ensured that the St. Leo's Minor team won the trophy for the best overall school in Leinster. Unfortunately there is no All-Ireland for minors. At junior level, Grace Miller won gold in the triple jump and Susan Conlon won bronze in the shot putt. At Inter level – under 17, Shauna Daly won the discus and at senior level Laura Scriven won the 800m and got silver in the 400m. Sinead Kelly won bronze in the 400m and the relay team of Sarah Conlon, sinead Kelly, Niamh Kehoe and Laura Scriven won silver. Deborah Long won silver in the senior discus. St. Leo’s won the best overall school at Leinster level. All of these athletes will now compete in the All-Ireland Schools competition on Saturday, 2nd June. Good luck to all. Lauren Scriven has had an outstanding athletics career throughout her years at St. Leo’s. While in 2nd year, Laura was selected onto the Irish Schools Cross Country team, which competed in Scotland. She has won All-Ireland school titles at under 15, under 17 and under 19 age groups on the track, with her specialties being the 400m and 800m.

At the South Leinster Schools Athletics this year, she was delighted to put her name in the record books by breaking the Senior 800m record in fine style. This year she also added the Leinster title and goes on to compete in the All Ireland finals on June 2nd. Badminton The Under 16 team represented the school at county level. The team was Tara Byrne, Aisling Mulholland, Ciara Burke, Nicole Halloran, Zoe Curran, Emma McArdle, Susan Kingston and Christine Thompson. The Under 19 Badminton team who were runners-up in the Leinster finals this year. The team was Shauna Delaney, Eimear Fleming, Ann-Marie Cullinane and Stephanie Long. Basketball The school were well represented in the midlands league this year with eight teams representing the school in the Midlands league. The Senior A team won through to the Midlands semi final, but were defeated by a strong Ursuline Thurles side. The 1st and 2nd year A and B teams all emerged from the group stages of the league, playing some fine basketball along the way. The 1st year B’s and 2nd year A & B teams were all defeated at the semi final stage in this year’s competition. The 1st year A basketball team qualified for the midlands final where they met a very strong side from St Mary’s Naas. It was a close encounter and unfortunately St Leo’s were defeated. The girls played admirably in the final and their performance did both themselves and the school proud. The team was as follows: Aisling Hayden, Stephanie Holmes, Mary Osaro, Martha Osaro, Dani Callinan, Elaine Keogh, Amanda Kinsella, Sam Poni, Ciara Phelan, Aideen Brophy, Roisin Brehany, Sara Rennick and Jane Moore. Aisling Hayden was selected on the Midlands Under 14 basketball team who took part in the Inter-Provincial Future Stars weekend in Sligo, doing herself and the school very proud with some sterling performances. We would like to congratulate Aisling on her achievement. Camogie Training took place for some students this year. The team entered in league competition and were unfortunate to lose their opening match. Equestrian Several students competed in the interschool showjumping competition, one day events and hunter trials throughout the year. Jade Lawlor, Sarah Conlon, Emma Hosey, Sarah Hosey, Aine Kelly, Fleur Browne, Sinead Brennan, Ludmilla Pennefather, Susan Conlon, Jade Douglas, Sorcha Hennessy, Sara Rennick, Leone Lacey, Aoife Hosey, Katie Mc Grath and Aoife Ryan. Mairead Whelan, a 3rd year student, competed in the junior section of the Kings Hospital One Day Event in Kildare on the 1st October last. Mairead was placed 2nd out of a large entry in this section. Gaelic Football St. Leo’s entered 4 teams in schools’ competition this year and what a successful year it was. The under – 14 A team qualified from their group to play in the Leinster Quarter Final but were narrowly beaten by 1 point by Loreto Wexford in extra time. The Junior team were also unlucky this year, having beaten Cnoc Mhuire to reach the final; the team had to replay the game due to an error in timekeeping by the referee. The girls were very disappointed to lose the replay. St. Leo’s entered 2 teams in the Carlow Post-Primary Schools Blitz and both teams reached the final. Well done girls.

However, pride of place must go to the Senior A team who were crowned All Ireland Champions when they defeated Loreto Fermoy by a score line of 3-11 to 2-5 in Cashel on the 18th April. The team was captained by Grainne M Dunne and what a fantastic captain she was. This team also achieved a 2 in a row by winning back to back Leinster titles. On the way to All – Ireland victory, the girls beat Loreto Wexford, Colaiste Iosagain, Stillorgan, Cnoc Mhuire, Granard, St. Mary’s Edenderry, Dunmore CS Galway and Loreto Fermoy in Cork. It was a tremendous year with great skill, talent and determination shown throughout. The support shown by the whole school was tremendous. Ms. Kirwan, Ms. Doyle and the team would like to thank the school for this. A special word of thanks goes to Mick Moore and Brendan Hayden for their time, dedication, expertise and knowledge throughout the campaign. The team was: Sinead Brennan Sinead Doogue Sarah Kearns Sinead Lyons Grainne M. Dunne (captain) Deirdre Doyle Grainne C. Dunne Hilary Griffin Danni Callanan Rhona Julian Aisling Kinsella Grace Miller Anna Moore Deirdre O’Sullivan Laura Corrigan Blaithnaid Wall Naomi Nolan Laura Brennan Kylie Murphy Aisling Wall Deirdre O’Shea Claire Leigh Christine Scully Katie Dempsey Deborah Long Golf The I.L.G.U. sponsored a golf training programme for 26 transition year students in St. Leo’s. The students received coaching for 6 weeks. A specially organised tournament took place on Wednesday, 2nd May. 1st prize went to Claire Grace, Catriona Byrne and Liz Lowry. 2nd prize went to Clare Leigh, Shauna Murphy and Clodagh Fitzpatrick. The overall individual winner was Claire Grace. Well done girls. Aedin Murphy (LC) was selected onto the Leinster Girls Golf team this year. In order to be selected, Aedin had to put a lot of training and spend weekends traveling and playing golf – not easy in your Leaving Cert year! Through her success in golf, Aedin has been awarded a sport scholarship in Maynooth College for next year…. This is not only of financial benefit to Aedin but she also gets 50 Leaving Cert points towards her course. Hockey Again this year, eight hockey teams competed in the South East Schools League, two teams in each level of 1st year, minor, junior and senior, with several teams being runners-up in their sections of the league, namely the Minor B team and the 1st year A and B teams. Some students completed a hockey refereeing course held over a full weekend in Kilkenny and organized by the I.H.U. These students then practiced their umpiring skills at several 1st year games. The team which had outstanding success however this year was the Inter A team. In the League they were unbeaten and scored a great number of goals in each match. They were unlucky in the final however, which was a high scoring game to be beaten by a goal. The team was: Ann Marie Kearney, Orla Fitzgerald, Christine Wall, Alex Murphy, Shauna Murphy, Amy Walsh, Rebecca Hogan, Megan Walsh, Fleur Brown, Niamh Callinan, Niamh Heffernan, Kyle Ashmore, Leanne Taylor, Mairead Dowling, Rebecca Jeffers, Joanne Dempsey, Leanne Taylor and Mairead Dowling. Rounders

A total of 36 teams took part in this year rounders competition. The referees consisted of students from fifth year. The winners were In first year – Winners J6 In second year – Winners 2AB In third year – Winners 3EA Squash Congratulations to the squash players who competed in the Carlow Schools Squash Championships on May 4th. The team of Stephanie Holmes, Roisin Brehany and Aoife Byrne won the Division 4 trophy. The team of Niamh Redmond, Miriam Boush, Shannon Larkin and Emma Blake won the Division 6 trophy. Swimming Amy Walsh, 5th year, has had many successes in swimming and represented the school in the ‘A’ finals earlier in the year, winning a bronze medal. Volleyball There were a great number of students playing volleyball this year. Several students attended Junior Volleyball trails recently and wer congratulate Niamh Kinsella, Sinear Ruth and Sinead Doogue on attaining a place on the panel. A group of 19 transition year students took part in a pilot J4 coaching course run by the VAI and sponsored by the Olympic Council of Ireland. Following training, the girls coached in three local primary schools and recently held a tournament for over 100 primary school students. Well done to all who took part. They were all highly commended by both the local schools and the VAI. The first years played in an in school J4 volleyball competition, having been coached during the year by 4th and 3rd year students. The standard of the tournament was high and we look forward to seeing the girls in competitive action next year. Unfortunately, they did not get the chance to compete outside of school. We look forward to seeing them do so next year. The second year team trained well and we had 3 teams enter the league at cadette level. At senior level, we had two competitive teams. The senior A team reached the All-Ireland Semi-final and were unlucky to lose to Claremorris in a thrilling five set match that lasted over two hours.

Religious Education Department members: Máirín Crowe, Sheila Coady, Joan Scott, Elma O’Connell, Mairéad Redmond. Department Co-ordinator: Máirín Crowe Provision of the subject in school: First Year All Junior Certificate students followed the Junior Certificate syllabus at both Higher and Ordinary Level. Each first year class would have experienced two to three paraliturgies in the school Prayer Room. All students used the textbook “ The New Religion for Living Series”. Book one by Connie Duffy.

Second Year All students followed the Junior Certificate syllabus at both Higher and Ordinary Level. All second year students were offered the opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow. All students used book two in “The New Religion for Living Series” by Connie Duffy. Third Years All students followed the Junior Certificate Syllabus at both Higher and Ordinary Level. All Journal work was completed and submitted by the 8th of May 2007. Students used book three in “The New Religion for Living Series” by Connie Duffy. As part of Journal research some classes availed of the services of the Poor Clare Sisters and the Capuchin Friary. Other resources: Throughout the Junior Cert. cycle students utilised the school’s I.T. facility to aid their Journal work. Various videos, DVD’s, posters and acetates were used as resource materials by teachers. Assessment Homework, regular class tests, Christmas and Summer House Exams, Parent – Teacher meetings. Transition Year All Transition Years pursued a programme on Social Justice, which was broken down into five modules. These were as follows: Module one – Development Education Module two – Discrimination and Racism Module three – The Environment Module four – Community awareness Module five – Fair Trade. The year commenced with a Retreat at Mount St. Anne’s in Portarlington Co. Laois for all transition year students. Other Resources “Face Up” magazine, I.T. , speakers and excursions. Students also participated in a workshop facilitated by Trócaire during Lent, Community awareness visits to Delta and nature walks. A number of students participated in the Pamoja project, Kwa Haki (Together for Human Rights), for second level schools. This project was facilitated by Trócaire in conjunction with Catherine from Malawi. The main theme of the workshop explored the situation in Malawi in relation to gender equality. Some transition year students attended the Trócaire diocesan launch in the parish centre, Carlow. A number of students attended the celebration of Carlow receiving its status as a Fair Trade town in the Carlow parish centre. Assessment Homework Every transition year student presented her own research paper on an aspect of Social Justice and was

awarded certification accordingly. Classroom displays.

Parent – Teacher Meetings. Transition Year Evening. Fifth Year All fifth years explored the following topics: “The Search for Meaning” World Religions, Morality and Moral issues. The F2 class co-ordinated and organised the Trócaire Lenten 24 hour fast,. As usual this was a great success and raised the substantial sum of 3, euros. The social issues of alcohol awareness and drug abuse were dealt with during the last term. Term. This culminated in a workshop facilitated by Cuan Mhuire, Athy. Paraliturgies All students were given the opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow. Resources “The Challenge of God” by Niall O’ Boyle “The Search for Meaning” by T.Gunning, Veritas I.C.T. Various multimedia Assessment: Homework Written reviews on workshops End of term reviews Self assessment & evaluation Parent – Teacher Meetings Sixth Years All sixth year students studied the following topics: 1. Mercy tradition (culminating in the organisation and preparation of Mercy day Mass on the 22nd of

September ’06. 2. Sixth years attended a one day retreat at Castletown Retreat Centre, Co Laois. 3. Sexuality and relationships programme. In conjunction with this a workshop was facilitated by Pure in

Heart Mission Team. 4. Prayer and Meditation As part of the Social Awareness Programme the following speakers addressed the Sixth Years: Edel McNamee, Education Officer, Goal Margot Leyden, Volunteer, Samaritans Sixth Years helped in the preparation and organisation of the annual Christmas Carol Service. A number of students participated in a pilgrimage from St. Leo's to Old Leighlin. Sixth years prepared and organised the Graduation Mass. Resources “ The Challenge of God” by Niall O’Boyle, Gill & Macmillan I.C.T. Various multimedia Guest speakers Assessment Continuous assessment

Reviews of individual workshops Parent – Teacher meetings Subject Provision All students take Religious Education in mixed ability classes. Each class is timetabled for three class periods at Junior Certificate Level and three classes a week at Senior Level. All teachers of Religion Education have access to one specialist room (prayer room) as well as access to a general Resource room. All R.E. teachers participated in a one day in-service in Kilkenny organised by the Diocesan advisors in the

South East. All R.E. teachers in St. Leo’s met the Diocesan Advisor, Sr. Ann Holton. Thanks We would like to express our sincere thanks to Patricia Gurhy, Principal for her support, care and encouragement over the past year. We would also like to thank Sr. Nora for all the work she does for us. Sympathy The R.E. department expresses it’s sympathy to the O’Reilly family on the loss of Fionnuala, an esteemed colleague and friend

Science Department members: Irene Connors, Lillian Fogarty, John Glynn, Liz Kennedy, Nuala Kennedy, Ruth McHugh, Fiona McManus, Anne O’Riordan, Anne Rennick, Mary Hande & Aoife Maher. Department co-ordinator: John Glynn Provision of Subject in the school St Leo's College has three well-equipped laboratories; one specialised for each of Biology, Chemistry & Physics. Each laboratory is fully equipped for all junior science activities. Last summer the laboratories were refurbished with the installation of non slip floors in the chemistry and biology labs and the provision of new seating in all laboratories. Junior Science is mandatory for all students. All junior science students are timetabled for four science class periods a week; 2 single periods in a classroom and 1 double period for the practical activities in one of the three science laboratories. Transition year science is made up of modules including Problem solving, Biology, Chemistry & Physics. The variety of modules available can help students with their subject choice for senior cycle. All senior level students have the opportunity to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students may pick one, two or all three subjects. The breakdown of students at senior level is as follows

Year Biology Chemistry Physics Fifth 6 Classes 2 Classes 1 Class Sixth 5 Classes 2 Classes 1 Class

Senior students are timetabled for five class periods a week; three single periods for theory, and one double period in the dedicated laboratory for the mandatory activities associated with each subject. All classes for senior students are of mixed ability and are generally assigned to their classes according to their subject choice at the start of fifth year. Laboratory Assistants have shown wonderful commitment again this year, and under the supervision of Ruth McHugh and Fiona McManus, make a great contribution to the science department. ]Planning & Preparation There have been ten departmental meetings during this academic year to discuss topics such as ordering equipment, new junior science projects, syllabus and assessment planning.

Subject Science Biology Chemistry Physics Textbook Discovering Science Leaving Certificate

Biology Chemistry Live Real World

Physics First year students follow a common science programme. This process facilitates the use of a common test at the end of the academic year. All members of St. Leo’s Science Department teaching Junior Cert Science had the opportunity to attend inservice for the revised Science syllabus on Wednesday 7th March. The morning included discussion of project work, ICT facilities and subject provision. John Glynn, Ruth McHugh & Nuala Kennedy, attended inservice entitled “Transition Year: Inspiration for Science Teachers”. It was very informative and inspirational for their teaching. Lillian Fogarty attended the Institute of Physics Day in DIT on Saturday 23rd September last. She also attended, in Kildare’s Education Centre, in service on the marking scheme of the 2006 Leaving Cert Physics paper. On the 18th of January 2007, Lillian Fogarty, Nuala Kennedy & Mary Hande brought a group of Physics & Chemistry students to Dublin for a full day of Leaving Cert practicals. On 12th January 2007 100 students attended the Young Scientist Exhibition in Dublin’s RDS. They were accompanied by Ruth McHugh, John Glynn, Aoife Maher, Mary Hande & Fiona McManus. The Science department is delighted with the new notice boards built by the very talented Derek Fagan which allow teachers to keep students up to date with the latest science news. Teaching & Learning TYPE: (Transition Year Physics Experience). 4th Year student Emma Howard was one of 30 students (30 girls & 30 boys) chosen to attend the TYPE programme the students attended physics lectures, carried out experimental & project work and improved their computational skills. They also learned about careers in physics, interacted with other students and research students working in Trinity College. BA Crest Award: A number of students from John Glynn’s TY science class are pursuing a Bronze Medal

award from CREST in the UK. BA CREST awards motivate students, build confidence and encourage them to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology. Students are involved in studying topics such as body piercing, fizzy drinks, animation, extreme sports & teenage smoking. The projects will be assessed in late May and prizes awarded thereafter at a special ceremony at a later stage. Assessment & Achievement The new Junior Science syllabus was examined for the first time in June 2006. Students sitting this exam were the first group of students to be involved in the new mandatory project work worth 25% of the final science result. The students were allocated three topics; one from Biology, Chemistry & Physics, and they carried out practical investigations based on two topics. This project work gave each student the invaluable experience of researching, designing and implementing their own experiment (without being directed by their science teacher). The science department is delighted with the excellent results achieved, in this the first year, of a new course. BT Young Scientist 2007 This year three students, Ruth Healy 2C, Susan Conlon 2C & Ellen Hennessy 2C, were selected to participate in the BT Young Scientist Exhibition. Their project, A wildlife Case Study of a Special Bird Conservation Farm Project was commended by the judges and aroused great interest in the viewing public. It was an enjoyable experience for the girls and the science department is very proud of their effort. TY Project:Each transition year student was facilitated in producing a project entitled “Careers in Science” which was displayed at their Transition Year night on May 16th. Science Scholarship: The Science Department was very fortunate to be in a position to offer six science scholarships to a summer school in Applied Biology & Chemistry from June 6th – 8th in IT Carlow. The lucky recipients will undertake experiments in many interesting subjects. The winners of the 2007 Science scholarships were Sarah Deveraux, Emma Long, Emma Howard, Charmaine Dowling, Marili Rehkli & Chloe White. We are grateful to the Parent’s Advisory Council for facilitating these scholarships. Open Evening: The Biology, Physics & Chemistry Laboratories were open and very busy as usual on Open Evening. Volunteers from various classes ably demonstrated numerous experiments providing lots of interaction with parents and prospective students. Laboratory assistants: Certificates were presented to two dedicated students who participated fully in the Lab Assistants programme taking place weekly at lunchtime. Olympiad: The Science Olympiad is a national competition run by DCU each year. Students are selected on the basis of their Junior Certificate science & maths results. This year Sinead Murray in 4B participated. ISTA Quiz: The annual |Irish Science Teacher’s Association Quiz was held on November 16th 2006. Two teams were entered composed of : Team A – Tracey O’Connor, Orla Fitzgerald & Mairead Cushen and Team B – Elizabeth Westerholt, Sarah Conlon and Helen Fogarty. Team A came sixth overall out of eighteen teams entered.

Social Personal and Health Education Department Members: Helena Sheridan, Lillian Fogarty, Joan Scott, Ann Tully, Elma O’Connell, Emma Dwyer, Irene Connors, Niamh Gallagher, Ann Rennick, Mary Nolan, Elizabeth Kennedy, Mary Dillon and Patricia Morrissey. Department Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Kennedy and Mary Nolan

S.P.H.E Provision S.P.H.E was introduced to first years in 2004 and we continued with the programme to second and third years in 2006. The course aims to enable students:

1 To develop personal and social skills 2 To promote self-esteem and confidence 3 To enable students develop a framework for responsible decision making 4 To provide opportunities for reflection and discussion 5 To promote physical, mental and emotional health.

SPHE is timetabled for one class period each week to junior classes, with a maximum number of 23 students in each class. Each student purchased a workbook at the start of the year. This workbook is published by the HSE and used in conjunction with other resources in the classroom.

First Year First year students used the Healthy Living workbook. Topics covered are in line with the Department of Education and Science guidelines. They include: Belonging and Integrating, Physical Health, Friendship, Relationships and Sexuality, Self-Management and Study Skills to the 1st year group. Second Year

The programme in second year includes topics on Growth and Development, Drug Education, Nutrition, Friendship skills. Binge Drinking, Decision Making, Trust, Personal Identity, Responsibility and Negotiation in Relationships. Healthy Times workbook was used by 2nd years.

Third Year

. In 3rd year students were introduced to Decision-Making skills and the importance of setting goals and time orgainisation was discussed. Other topics included in 3rd year include Belonging and Integrating, Relationships and Sexuality, Substance Use, Physical Health, Emotional Health and Personal Safety. Healthy Choices was used by 3rd year students. The SPHE syllabus is available on the Department of Education and Science website (www.education.ie) and our SPHE school policy is available in the staffroom.

In-service and Meetings

The Team met on three occasions during the year. We attended the following inservices.

September 2006 Level 1 Training, attended by Elma O’Connell, Helena Sheridan, Lillian

Fogarty, Ann Tully and Niamh Gallagher September 2006 Level 2 Training, attended by Ann Rennick, Elizabeth Kennedy and Mary

Nolan. October 2006 Alcohol, attended by Emma Dwyer and Irene Connors. A booklet and DVD

on this topic was provided at this inservice for use in SPHE classes.

Budget/Resources We purchased 10 HSE teacher manuals and a video covering the topic of bullying was also purchased. A DVD on Seatbelt Safety and a health DVD was also added to the SPHE collection of resources. All 1st year students received a free drinks bottle as part of the Way 2 Go Health Pack. It was decided to ask incoming 1st years to purchase an SPHE workbook, Grow Up (revised ed.) by Folens. .

TRANSITION YEAR Transition Year Co-ordinators: Angela Kirwan & Mary Kyne 125 students undertook the TY programme for 2006-2007 in St. Leo’s College. The programme comprised a huge range of exciting projects, modules and courses, which ensured a busy and fulfilling and enjoyable year for those who availed of the many opportunities presented to them. In September and October, there was great excitement and hard work involved in preparing for and performing the musical “Brigadoon. The musical was directed by Ms. Anne Buckeridge and produced by Ms. Mary Doyle. Many thanks to Ms. Anne Buckeridge, Ms. Mary Doyle and to Ms. Máiread Redmond who co-ordinated the Musical. TY students engaged in a wide range of subjects: Gaeilge, English, Maths, French, German, Heritage, Science, Music, Art, Religion, Home Economics, Social Skills, Work Experience, Activities, Business studies, Media studies, Italian, Mini-company, PE and Computers (ECDL). As usual the mini companies presented their work in the County Final at the Carlow IT. They linked in with the Carlow Enterprise Board and the following students represented the school at the County Final on the 21st March 2007; Emma Howard, Charmaine Dowling, Michelle Hannafin, Kate Fenelon, Christine Thompson, Karen Middleton, Ashling Doogue, Leona Murphy, Michelle Mc Gee, Rebecca Murphy and Rose Lennon. Congratulations to Leona, Michelle, Rebecca and Rose on winning the Best Company Report category award. Eighteen students from St. Leo’s College participated in the “Aeroscholars” in association with the Department of Electronics and Aeronautical Engineering in Carlow IT and the Amercian Experimental Aviation Association. The “Aeroscholars” module was a great success. Students attended an induction training day in Carlow IT, went flying in Kilkenny and on December 12th went on a day trip to Baldonnel Airdrome, Aeromotives and Microsoft. Two students, Michelle Hannifin and Emma Howard were awarded first and second place nationally based on final results. This year sixty students participated in the Public Access to Law (PAL) Programme. The course work was completed over three days in St. Leo’s and the students visited the Four Courts in Dublin . Congratulations to the Young Social Innovators (YSI) group on their project “A size zero is not a hero”. This group also participated in the National Showcase in the RDS on May 9th and 10th. The group focused on various aspects of Eating Disorders and the importance of positive body image and self-esteem. Their response to dealing with this complex issue included the production of a DVD to be used as an educational tool. The group also campaigned against size zero by organising a petition which is being sent to the organisers of London Fashion Week and Model Agencies. A very big thank you to Ms. Sheila Coady and the Personnel from St. Dympna’s Hospital and Carlow/Kilkenny Health Promotion Unit. Our Transition Year students also participated in the KAS (Knowledge, Awareness and Safety) Programme facilitated by the Carlow and South Leinster Rape Crisis Centre. We would like to personally thank Ms. Tríona

Daly for her ongoing support and commitment to the programme. Fourteen students also participated in the Drug Awareness Workshop with the County Carlow Drugs Initiative team from Carlow Youth Services. Students attended a five week training programme and then delivered a Drug Awareness Workshop to the remaining fourth year students. Ms. Mary Kavangh also delivered a module on Relationships and Sexuality. Two Transition Year classes participated in the First Aid course in conjunction with the Blaskrock Order of Malta. The students were delighted with this opportunity to learn a new skill and thoroughly enjoyed the two – day course. Certificates were presented to those who participated by the Order of Malta. All students participated in a Drive for Life module in the Road Safety programme. Well done to all fourth year students who participated in the Uncle Ben’s competition this year and especially Sarah Byrne 4A who was the county winner. Sarah went to Dublin where she cooked her dish at the Board Bia Centre. She was one of six national finalists and though she was not outright winner, her dish was highly commended. Sarah won a voucher for 150 euro and 150 euro for the school. Well done Sarah, Ms. Sheelagh Shore and the Home Economics department. St. Leo's College was delighted to be one of 12 schools invited to showcase its experience of the Transition Year Programme at the inaugural Transition Year Conference held Friday 19th April in the Osprey Hotel, Naas. Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin TD officially opened the conference. In her address she acknowledged the special features of the 12 schools present. St. Leo’s Transition Year students spoke to Ms. Hanafin about their involvement in the schools TY programme and in particular their participation in the Knowledge, Awareness and Safety programme. They also informed the minister of their participation in this years Aviation Course and the wonderful training they received as part of the County Carlow Transition Year Peer Education Programme. St. Leo’s Transition Year was represented by Principal Ms. Gurhy , teachers Ms. Sheila Coady, Ms. Angela Kirwan and Mrs. Mary Kyne, and students Jade Lawler, Aoife Carroll, Emma Howard and Michelle Hanafin. Transition Year students also had the opportunity of doing the transition year Irish Board of Public speaking Exams on May 16th. Our thanks to Ms. Mary Doyle for facilitating our students and for kindly organising the official examinations and for facilitating mock examinations on Monday 23rd April. Students also participated in the following fundraising activities; Down Syndrome Ireland Carlow Branch in November, St. Fiacc’s House, Special Olympics and Happy Heart. Sixty five students participated in a Personal Development, Personal Etiquette, Career Planning and Personal Grooming programme on May 22nd. Every Wednesday Transition Year students were involved in the activities programme organised by Ms Edel Connolly. Trips to Altamount Gardents, Dunmore Caves, National Stud, Bowling, Reptile Village with the annual Transition Year trip to the Zoo organised for Thursday 17th May. Other activities included four self defence classes for each student, Yoga, guest speakers and a beautician and life coach workshop. Twenty students from Transition year took part in the Volleyball coaching course organised by the VAI and funded by the Olympic Council of Ireland as part of “A women in Sport Initiative”. Forty students participated in a Gaelic Football coaching course organised by Carlow GAA. Fourth year students also had the opportunity of attending golf lessons organised by the Carlow Golf Club and the ladies Golfing Union of Ireland. We would like to thank Ms. Carmel Roche, Ms. Helen Regan and Ms. Colette Nelson. Eighteen students participated in Pamoja Kwa Haki which means “together for human rights”. Pamoja is about young people who are concerned and interested in human rights, who come together to create awareness and mobilise people to act in the defence and promotion of human rights. The title of the project completed by the students for Lent 2007 was “Gender, the struggle for equal participation”. Many thanks to Ms. Máirín Crowe and Ms. Aine Shiels.

Twenty three students received their Gaisce Bronze Award, many of whom will go on next year to do their silver. As part of their venture section of the award twenty three students went to Glendalough on a walking expedition (35km) on the 20th and 21st of April. Another group of nine students participated on a similar walking expedition including staying in tents overnight organised by 33rd Battalion of the Reserve Defence Forces. Three other schools were represented on that weekend. Special thanks to Ms. Ruth Mc Hugh and Ms. Colette Nelson. Forty Transition Year students were invited to the Seven Oaks Hotel on Tuesday 5th December. This Development Education Iniative in association with the CBS Carlow, CBS Portlaoise and Self Help Development Internationalial provided workshops for our students in the following: Poverty and Human Rights delivered by Mr. Colm Regan, Gender and Inequality Dr. Monica Gorman Conflict Mr. Darren Irvine. These students also attended a follow on workshop in NUI Maynooth in May. We would like to personally thank Mr. Joe Clowry CBS Carlow and Patsy Tolan, Dáithí O háodha and Mary Whelan Self Help Internation. Transition year students also attended educational tours organised by the heritage, Art and English departments. The highlight for most students was the annual European Tour organised by Mr. John Glynn. Barcelona was the highlight with a trip to Eurodisney en route. Our thanks to all the teachers that went on the trip. A number of Transition Year students were involved in a Reminiscence Programme facilitated by St. Catherines’s in conjunction with the Older Person’s Network and CANDU. This programme encouraged volunteering and intergenerational understanding. Students visited St. Fiacc’s House and meet with the residents as part of the course. Thank you to Ms. Margaret Farrell for co-ordinating the programme. Wednesday 23rd May was the annual Display Evening and was a great showcase for the vast amount of work and activities undertaken over the previous nine months. The year culminated with the presentation of Certificate Portfolios to students on Thursday 24th May. Students were presented with certificates marking their involvement in such diverse activities as Italian, Mini-Company, Charity Collections, Uncle Ben’s, PAL and Religion.

Technology

Technology Co-ordinator: Fergal Murphy Provision of the Subject in the school Technology is currently provided to Junior Cert level. The Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, announced in 2006 that Technology would be introduced Nationally as a Leaving Certificate subject. This is a very welcome development and we look forward to its introduction in St. Leo’s. Technology is an optional subject for students entering 1st year in St. Leo’s College. At the end of 1st year, students must choose between a number of subjects, including Technology, to decide which they want to take to Junior Certificate Level. First Year Second Year Third Year Class Groups 3 1 1 Theory 1 period 1 double period 1 double period

Practical 1 double period 1 double period 1 double period The technology lab consists of a classroom area, a workshop, and material stores. The classroom area is used during theory classes, as well as for design work during practical classes. It is equipped with a well stocked design library as well as an electronic circuit production area. The workshop has a large range of hand tools as well as power tools and bench machines for working with wood, metal and plastic. This year the Department of Education and Science has provided extra funding to purchase extra equipment, including a specialised vacuum forming machine. From September this year, the technology lab will be moving into different accommodation. Planning and Preparation During department meeting times over the year, the writing of a long term plan for Technology was completed. The computer rooms were used during the year for project research by students as well as for designing houses, testing electronic circuits and examining production methods used with plastics. Teaching and Learning First Year During the practical class, the students learnt how to use a lot of the hand tools in the workshop and designed and made a number of projects including CD racks, pencil holders, keyrings, bracelets, mobile phone holders and “buzz off” games. These projects were made from a range of materials including metal, wood and plastic. During the single period students designed the projects they would make in the practical class, as well as learning the correct way to use tools, safety in the workshop, structures, basic electronics, and the design process Second Year In the practical class students designed and made more advanced projects both individually and in groups. The emphasis this year was on original designs and on power tools and materials that students had not used before. Some of the projects made this year included lamps and clocks on the lathe, jewellery boxes, bird houses, and tables, among others. In the theory class, topics covered included mechanisms, electronics, design,, materials, tools and joining methods among others. Third Year The emphasis to the Halloween break was on theory, covering the parts of the course not previously covered such as CAD, technology and society, transistors, compound gearing, etc. Project titles were issued by the State Exam Commission after the October break as part fulfilment for the junior certificate. Students had to research and manufacture a project during class time, for a completion date of May 3rd. This project, along with an accompanying design folder, accounted for 50% of their total marks in Technology if taking higher level, and 60% if taking lower level. The remainder of term 3 was taken up in revision for the written exam which was a 2 hour paper comprising of short questions, a design question and some questions relevant to the theory covered during the course and worth the remainder of marks for technology. Transition Year Students in transition year have a triple period of mini-company each week, during which they form companies and produce items for sale. One of the specialist rooms available to them is the technology lab where students this year produced items such as picture frames, locker accessories, door plaques, etc. Some of these students had not had experience of technology before and learnt the basics as well as the safety rules before producing their items. Assessment and Achievement Any projects that students produce during the year are evaluated by themselves as well as being graded by the teacher before the student takes them home. Written exams were held at Christmas and the end of the year and students’ grades for school reports were a combination of project work during the year as well as the written exams. Third years sat mock exams for the written component of their junior certificate in February. Parent teacher meetings were held during the year for all classes. During Open Evening, a number of third year students displayed projects and equipment relating to technology in the refectory.

Fergal Murphy, the technology teacher has been involved in t4, the technology subjects support service during the year. He is one of six teachers nationally who have been chosen to train other technology teachers in the new Leaving Certificate Technology course. This work involves holidays, weekends and some school days. The experience and course materials received during this work has also benefited the current students of technology.

CONTENTS

Message from the Principal ………………………… page Board of Management, Parent’s Advisory Council …….. page Ancillary Staff …………………………………………… page Teaching Staff …………………………………………… page Teaching Staff for 2006/2007 ………………………… page Head Girls, Prefects, Meitheal Team, Student of the Year..… page Academic Courses available in St. Leo’s College ……… page School Resources ……………………………………………. page About St. Leo’s College …………………………………… page Department Reports Art ……………………………………………………… page Business Studies …………………………………………… page Civic, Social and Political Education ………………… page Computer Science …………………………………… page English …………………………………………………… page French ……………………………………………………… page Gaeilge …………………………………………………… page Geography ……………………………………………… page German …………………………………………………… page Guidance and Counselling …………………………………… page History …………………………………………………… page Home Economics …………………………………………… page Home/School/Community Liaison ……………………… page Italian ……………………………………………………… page Leaving Cert.Applied Programme ………………………… page Leaving Cert.Vocational Programme ………………… page Learning Support …………………………………………… page

Library …………………………………………………… page Maths ……………………………………………………… page Music ……………………………………………………… page Physical Education …………………………………… page Extra-Curricular Sporting Activities & Achievements …… page Religious Education …………………………………… page Science …………………………………………………… page Social, Personal and Health Education ……………… page Transition Year …………………………………………… page Technology ……………………………………………… page

Fionnuala Tuite R.I.P The death of Fionnuala Tuite on July 27th 2006 left a vacant seat in the staffroom and a void in our hearts. Although she had been seriously ill her passing is still difficult to believe. Always the optimist, always the positive person she had planned on coming back to St. Leo’s. Alas it was not to be and so we mourn the loss of an inspirational teacher, a devoted colleague and a loving wife and mother. Fionnuala was born in Oldcastle, Co Meath 42 years ago. She received her Primary and Secondary education in that historic town. After brilliant academic studies in Trinity College she graduated with a B.A and H.Dip in Education. St. Leo’s was privileged and fortunate to welcome her to join its staff in 1987 as a teacher of French and English. In the words of one of her students “Ms. Tuite was a brilliant teacher”. She loved her subjects; she loved her students. Her classes were never boring but filled with the imparting of knowledge, the interplay of lively intelligent minds, the cut and thrust of debate and the pursuit of the highest standards. Fionnuala’s love of reading was evident both from her conversation and her teaching. Pupils were enthralled at her vast knowledge of literature and so were encouraged to read for themselves, a habit they now enjoy for the remainder of their lives. The English language she saw as a rich mine to be explored and to be used to its full capacity. She was never at a loss for a word and especially for the most effective one. In her role as spokesperson for “Parents for Justice” she left many a journalist floundering as her command of the English language was superb. In addition to her proficiency and excellence in her chosen subjects Fionnuala also brought to her classes a genuine interest in her pupils. They were not mere empty vessels to be filled to the brim full of facts but she saw in them young people with their worries, their anxieties, problems and difficulties. Her kind words of encouragement and her sympathetic approach helped to ease their burdens, calm their fears. Discretion and total confidentiality were her hallmarks. No wonder so many pupils and past pupils thronged Askea church for her obsequies. She was like a mother or an older sister to many of them. Everyone on the staff recognised and valued Fionnuala as a friend. Her razor-sharp mind, her vast fund of knowledge, her sense of impish humour and her eloquence ensured conversations were never dull or trite.

However it was her thoughtfulness, her kindness, her sympathetic approach and her capacity and willingness to listen that endeared her to her colleagues. Many a troubled person came away unburdened having spoken with Fionnuala. Her experiences of life made her advice all the more valuable and worthwhile. We valued her integrity, her judgement, her wisdom, her common sense. However it is as a wife and as a mother that Fionnuala will be most sadly missed. Her love and devotion to Bernard, Margaret, Tony and Joyce were inspirational. To them, to her sister Cindy and to her extended family we offer our deepest sympathy. Fionnuala will never be forgotten. She holds a special place in our memories. For generations of staff and students to come the plaque in the school library will give public appreciation to this remarkable woman who was “inspirational teacher, colleague and friend”.