Message from the Principal
Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.
Winnie the Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
June 2010.
Dear Parents/Guardians
Having time to just Do Nothing is a gift given to Ms Barton, Mr Campbell and Mrs Gibson this year, as their long and distinguished professional careers come to an end. We are always sorry to see our Sixth Years leave us but this year’s end of year ceremonies were tinged with a particular sadness to know that these three veritable institutions had decided to move to the next stage of their lives. So many words have been said, so many stories, humorous and moving, have been told that in this letter I remark only on the common thread that linked the three - care. Be it in the Art Room, with a kind word for the aspiring artist on a bad day, the Canteen with a warm cup of tea for a first year with ‘schoolitis’, or in the last 100 metres for the reluctant athlete, Mr Campbell, Mrs Gibson and Ms Barton knew and valued each student as unique, sometimes imperfect but always a work in progress. I will sadly miss their support, friendship and example.
The exams are drawing to a close as I write to you. This morning sees our Leaving Cert and Junior Cert students forgoing the magnificent sunshine for the joys of all things Spanish. Very appropriate weather! The girls have been fantastic throughout the exams and seem ‘unfazed’ by the minor error on papers made so dramatic in the media last week and even the baffling Accounting paper yesterday with the whole of one section and a ‘bit more’ missing, was taken in their stride, albeit very disconcerting.
The Board of Management reaches the end of its term of office. Board members work, as you know, in a voluntary capacity. Their generosity with time and expertise ensures that the school is the best it can be. I would like to thank the Parent Representatives Mr Vincent Flynn and Ms Edel Owens; teacher representatives Ms Marian Stenning and Mr Des Fitzgerald and Trustee Representatives Sr. Eileen Randles, Mr Ralph MacDarby, Ms Aileen Bunyan and Mr Bryan Smyth. The Parents’ Association (and in particular Ms Catherine Ghose) organised a very efficient selection process for the new Board of Management – its first meeting is in October. It is a tribute to their organisational skills that response from parents was excellent. It is very gratifying to see such interest. Emerging as your representatives were Ms Anne-Marie Taylor and Mr Owen Sorensen. From the staffroom election came Ms Ann Marie Smith and Ms Sandra Moran. To each I offer my thanks for making this very generous commitment in terms of time and energy. The Trustee Representatives will be appointed later in the summer.
The staffroom will see some changes too. As well as our retirees we had to say goodbye to Mr Patrick Flanagan, Ms Claire Leggett and Ms Ciara Smith who take up appointments in other schools and we welcome back Ms Roisín McGarry who returns from maternity leave. There will be one or two other new faces too when the interview process is completed in July. To all the teaching and librarian staff who cared for your daughters throughout the year and who prepared them so well for examinations and beyond, I offer my sincere thanks. In both welcomes and farewells the warmth of the relationship between teachers and students at this school is evident. The ‘parties’ organised for our retirees spoke volumes of the ethos of the school far more than any plaque, emblazoned with a mission statement. Karl Jung’s assertion that ‘the curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soil of the child’ is so obviously true. We have it in abundance here at Loreto.
In many ways Reception is the heart of the school. I am always delighted to see students and parents take a moment to say thanks to Muriel, Birgit and Catherine at the desk and Mary in the accounts office; they make the school ‘tick’. Visitors to ‘the Green’ comment on our lovely Georgian building. The afore-mentioned Mrs Gibson and her team keep it looking lovely, ably helped by Jim and Christy, always at hand to answer to our every whim!
Congratulations to the newly appointed Head Girl, Kayla Flynn, Deputy Head Girl, Louise Murphy and Caomhnóir, Chloe Prendergast. We all look forward to working with what promises to be an excellent team. And, of course, they have a hard act to follow. My thanks to Hannah, Clare and Sarah who, with their Committee, brightened all our lives last year.
Each sixth year group has its own particular characteristic and from the class of 2010 we learned the importance of maintaining a childlike enthusiasm for life, despite the inevitable trappings of sophistication. A request for a Harry Potter day ‘for 6th Years only’ gave me some insight into their thinking!
So for the class of 2010 and for our ‘retirees’ all embarking on a wonderful new voyage I ask, courtesy of ‘the Master’, that
God bless and keep you always
That your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young.
Finally may I wish each family a fantastic summer. I really hope this glorious weather continues and that we all get to enjoy it! Please remember in your prayers all our community touched by illness, bereavement or loneliness and I pray that sunshine brings solace to all.
School re-opens on 25th August………….a date for your diary.
Tríona Barrett