It was great to see the turnout of 1st Year parents/guardians yesterday despite the inclement weather conditions! Many thanks for sharing your time with us. 

We were delighted today to have a brand new set of jerseys presented to Jenny, Sports Captain, and Rebecca, Junior Camogie Captain, generously sponsored by Faughs GAA who were represented by Ger Nagle and Dave O'Shea. #communitylinks #womeninsport 

Please note that the Admissions Notice for 2024-25 is on the school website: here

Applications for siblings of current students must be submitted in the three week Admissions Window if not already on the waiting list. 

The Admissions Window commmences on Monday 2nd October, 2023. If this information is relevant to you, please read more about the admissions process on the school website: here

Many thanks.

Congratulations to Caoimhe Mooney for winning the library poetry competition for Friendship Week. Her poem "What We Are"  is inspirational, please click on the pdf attached to read it.

5th Year Lighthouse mentors had a great leadership training session with facilitator Pat Murphy yesterday and we look forward to seeing them bring their great energy and positivity to the 2nd Years throughout the year!

We were delighted to be invited guests at past pupil Professor Orla Feely's inaugural lecture as President of UCD on Monday. In the words of our 6th Years, Professor Feely's words were 'inspirational' - what a role model from and to our school community!

6th Year LCVP class visited Butlers Chocolate factory today as part of their Leaving Certificate Portfolio. Students enjoyed an insight into how Butlers make their chocolates and enjoyed a full view of the factory floor. A tasty morning was had by all.

We look forward to welcoming all 1st Year parents/guardians on Wednesday 27th September (as per school calendar) at 4pm in the GPA for an information session relating to 1st Year. There will be tea and coffee served afterwards in Lourdes Hall (which will allow a good look at the inflated Sports Dome!) followed by the Parents' Council AGM at 5.15pm. Original birth certificates and a parents' reports of CAT results will be available for collection at sign in.

The Parents' Council are looking forward to hosting the 1st Year Parents "Meet and Greet" gathering tonight. This social evening is an opportunity for all 1st Year parents to meet, chat and make connections. Please see the attached PDF for information. We hope to see as many of you as possible this evening!

The Parents' Council will be hosting a "meet and greet" reception for all 1st Year parents in Buglers Ballyboden House in Rathfarnham on the evening of November 22nd. This informal reception will be an opportunity to chat and get to know other parents in 1st Year and to further build on the strong community at OLS. Please see the flyer attached for further details.

Please read the attached letter regarding this meeting which is on Tuesday, October 3rd. It contains important instructions for you to follow in order to book appointment slots with your daughter's teachers.

Many thanks.

This week the TYs are continuing to settle in with their new classes and sign up for new activities. Make sure to keep an eye on the busy Google Classroom - new announcements and sign-ups are posted everyday, so make sure not to miss anything. You only get out of TY what you put into it!

Opening Year Mass

B5 organised a brilliant Barbie-inspired Opening Year Mass for the school on Thursday. The whole school was involved as we walked together to St Pius X Church to celebrate the start of the year. The theme of “Get your sparkle on, show the world where you belong” was strongly linked with the day’s Gospel: “Let your light shine”. Father Pat McKinley led the welcoming mass as we all looked positively towards the new, and very busy, school year. Well done to the readers, choir and musicians for performing so well, and to all those involved during the Liturgy.

TY Motto

On Tuesday during Pastoral Care this week, the TY motto was announced. Well done to TY1 whose motto will represent the year - “Never back down, never give up”. This motto was chosen as it represents the house values of courage and community, and the Le Chéile value of inclusion. The motto represents our hopes and ambitions for the busy year ahead, as we “never back down” from any of the challenges or activities of Transition Year. 

Debs

On Wednesday evening, the LC Class of 2023 had their Debs ball. They gathered at Terenure Rugby Club before heading off to the party venue. We hope all in attendance had a fabulous time!

Bank Of Ireland

Congratulations to last year's TY School Bank team who were presented with a cheque from Bank of Ireland's local branch manager Anthony Egerton on behalf of the school. 

This presentation represented the students' organisation of the School Bank, the Money Smarts Competition and TY's participation in BOI's financial literacy programme. We wish this year's Money Smarts class the very best of luck with the School Bank and the Money Smarts Programme. Later in the year they will represent OLS in the BOI Money Smarts Competition with the top prize being €25,000 for the school.

TY Reminders

Carlingford Rooms

A reminder to all TYs to fill in the Google Form for the Carlingford roomings before the end of today. Any non-submitted entries will be placed in random rooms for the trip. 

Active School Flag

Please ensure that you have completed the ASF form on the TY Google Classroom by the end of today. This is to help the school work towards an Active School Flag this year.

Subject Rotations

A reminder that all TY students will be rotating Science modules at the start of next week. Please make sure you know where you are going for these classes! This week's app photo was taken by the TY Psychology class who today engaged in reinforcement tasks through the use of clapping as the only form of communication. TY’s are really getting a flavour of the TY specific modules on offer. 

TY Hoodie

There is now a Google form on the TY Google Classroom for students to vote on hoodie colours and to make a say on what can be done to improve the design. We ask you to fill this form out ASAP as the design needs to be finalised so an order can be placed soon.

Paris Google Classroom

To all TY students who are going on the Paris trip, please join the group’s Google Classroom. You can find the code on the TY Google Classroom page.

Hockey Coaching

For any transition year students who are interested in coaching hockey in the school for first years, please sign up on Google Classroom. A great opportunity to help fill Gaisce hours! 

Maths Club

If any TY students wish to be a Maths Club helper, please sign up on Google Classroom. Maths Club will take place each Thursday during lunchtime in Room 43, and you can help support the first year students who come to the club. This is also another way to fill in volunteering hours for the Gaisce Community Involvement.

Computer Science Course

Check out Google Classroom for the chance to participate in a Computer Science course at Trinity College. Applications are open until mid-September and all successful candidates will be contacted by November. We highly recommend applying as the course can be very useful in the future!

Coming up…

Butlers Chocolate Factory

On Wednesday 27th September, the TY Enterprise Class will be going to Butlers Chocolate Factory for a tour along with the 6th Year LCVP class. Here they will get to experience how the chocolate is made, along with lots of tasting! 

TY Development Days

On the 29th September, the TYs will be taking part in the first Development Day of the year. Each class will take part in a different activity; these activities will be very beneficial to the students as they bond with their classmates and learn new skills. TY Development Days help to grow each student’s independence and friendships. See below for your development days schedule. All details relating to next Friday's activities have been released on Google Classroom. 

TY 1 First aid

TY 2 Retreat

TY 3 Town tour

TY 4 Self defence

TY 5 Dublin Zoo

That’s all for this week, we hope the sunshine continues!

TY Reporters: Ciara Brereton, Freya Eggen, Kate Smyth

Our U16 and U19 basketball teams began their Dublin league campaigns with a win for both sides against Colàiste Bríde this week. Congratulations to all players and coaches on a fantastic start to the season. A reminder that U16 and U19 basketball training takes place every Tuesday and Friday, after school, in the sports hall. All students eligible are welcome to join.

Our Hockey season is well under way with some teams beginning their league matches next week. This Saturday morning we have the following fixtures scheduled both at home and away:

Away at Loreto Beaufort

Senior 1 -v- Loreto Beaufort @9am

Senior 3 -v- Loreto Beaufort @10am

Home at Our Lady's School

Minor 2 -v- Loreto Beaufort @9am

Minor 3 -v- Loreto Beaufort @10am

Minor 1 -v- Junior 1 @11am.

Finally, a reminder that it is not too late to sign up to any sport. Please speak to Mr Sothern if you have not yet signed up to any sport but would still like to!

Have a great sporting weekend!