Maryfield College students discussing the issues that matter to young people and making positive changes at Dublin Comhairle na n’Og

Well done Ms Farrelly and her prefects. More details and photos to follow.

The First Year Spooktacular Activities took place on the Friday before the midterm. Great fun was had by all.

The Active School Flag team organised a Wretched Walkway today. Class groups were brought around the school for some scares, riddles and Halloween themed exercises! A great time was had by all.

The Student Council recently held elections for 1st Year students to join the Council. Well done to all the students who took part and congratulations to our newest members of the Student Council – Rabia Tanhan in 1K and Patrizia Cimpoesu in 1S.

Today we hosted Japanese ambassador, Mr Maruyama. Some students played Irish music to welcome him and we asked some questions. At the end we made an origami box together.

Congratulations to all our pupils receiving their junior results today. You made us all very proud!

The Senior School Prefects were commissioned yesterday during the opening of the Year School Mass. We wish them every success in all their endeavours this year. Ms Farrelly

On Tuesday 9th October we gathered as a school community to celebrate the opening of school year mass in St. Vincent De Paul Church, Marino. Fr. Tom celebrated the mass with us.

During the mass we reflected on the principles of Kintsugi-the ancient Japanese art of repair. We welcomed our new first years, acknowledged the commitment of our sixth year prefects and the work of the five students that participated in the Dublin Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Thank you to all our wonderful readers, singers and instrumentalists who enhanced the Liturgy.

The Music Department were busy yesterday preparing for our Open Evening. Here’s Young Hearts Run Free

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It has been a good start to the year for two of our basketball teams. Our U16 team beat Portmarnock CS by 11 points while the U19 team recorded a 47 point victory over Santa Sabina. Well done, everyone!

Pictures from trip to Henrietta Street as part of history class.

Today was Relays Takeover Day! This whole-school event was a runaway success and a great time was had by all. Well done to the Active School Flag team for organising.

LOURDES  (Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2024)

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5^th: (Emily)

I’ll never forget the day I volunteered to assist a group of sick pilgrims on their journey from Dublin to Lourdes. As a lifelong Catholic, I had always been drawn to the spiritual significance of the pilgrimage site, but nothing could have prepared me for the profound impact this experience would have on my life.

Our journey began at around 2 pm and we hit the ground running. Emily, Isabelle, Millie, Rocha and Cliona. The excitement was palpable as we gathered around Ms. Seery, who was all set to guide us through this special pilgrimage to Lourdes. There were people of all ages and backgrounds, each with their own unique story of illness and suffering. Some were confined to wheelchairs, while others required constant assistance. Despite their physical challenges, their spirits were filled with a remarkable resilience and faith. This was so inspiring.

As we helped the pilgrims board the plane, I was struck by their courage and determination. Many faced long hours of travel, often enduring discomfort and pain. Yet, their faces were filled with a sense of hope and anticipation, as they looked forward to the healing waters of Lourdes. Many had travelled before and were just dying to get back over there.

Before getting on the plane, I had the privilege of spending time with several of the pilgrims. I listened to their stories, learned about their lives, and shared my own experiences. Some spoke of their struggles with chronic illnesses, while others recounted their personal journeys of faith. I was in awe of their openness and the strength they found in their beliefs. They all told me I was in for an amazing next few days and they were dead right.

One memory stands out. I was wheeling an old lady onto the plane and her name was Bernie. She used to be the principal of a secondary school but is now in a nursing home. She had such a fire in her heart, and she was consumed by my words when I spoke. She gave such attention and comfort to me when I spoke. I met her multiple times over in Lourdes and each time filled me with joy. We really connected and I feel so privileged to have met her along with many other special pilgrims.

Throughout the journey, I was constantly reminded of the power of compassion and the importance of human connection. The pilgrims’ resilience and faith were a source of inspiration, and their stories touched my heart in ways I never expected.

As we arrived in Lourdes, I felt a sense of peace and tranquillity. The special atmosphere is indescribable. My favourite moment was the torchlight procession as it’s somewhat magical. As everyone walks around with their candle it creates a blanket of light and support amongst us all.

My experience helping these pilgrims to Lourdes was a transformative one. It taught me the values of compassion, empathy, and human connection. It reminded me of the power of faith and the importance of supporting those in need. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of their journey, and I will carry the memories of their courage and resilience with me forever. I look forward to returning to Lourdes someday.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6^th: (Cliona)

Our arrival at Lourdes airport on Thursday night had brought a little stumble to the perfect unfolding of things so far. We were waiting at the carousel for our luggage, but unfortunately Isabelle’s case did not arrive. After a brief panic, we all rallied into the bus and helped Isabelle to remain calm and gave her what she needed. Ms. Seery managed to get practically everything that Isabelle needed. It was moments like this that truly highlight the bond of friendship and how well this team was able to support one another. It was late when we arrived at our hotel, which was very welcoming and had prepared food for us. We checked into our rooms, and we were happy to be there, and we looked forward to the next day.

Friday morning began with a gentle wakeup call at 6.30am, followed by breakfast at 7am, where there was lots of laughter as we fuelled up for the busy day ahead. Fr. Paul, the school’s chaplain led us in morning prayer, reminding us of our mission as “BLUESHIRTS” to serve with kindness. We then moved to the Acceuil (The Hospital- where the Sick pilgrims stay), and we began our training on reception duty. This duty involved helping our VIPS (Sick pilgrims) move from their wheelchairs to the very distinctive Blue Voitures that are familiar part of Lourdes. It was heart-warming to assist them, and we then accompanied them to the Grotto to join the entire Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage for Mass at the Grotto, where the atmosphere was serene and filled with hope. After Mass there was a group photo for all the pilgrims taken at the front of the Basilica.

Before lunchtime we helped return all the sick pilgrims to the Acceuil and we went for lunch in our hotel. Mealtimes were a welcome opportunity for us as a group to check in with each other and see how we were doing, we also shared our experiences and reflections.

In the afternoon we went to the Holy Baths and participated in the “Water Gesture” where pilgrims wash their face, their hands and drink the holy Lourdes water, just as Our Lady had asked Bernadette to do. This was a beautiful experience.

That afternoon we carried out the second of our “Duties” which was Hotel Support. This involves going to several of the hotels and picking up any pilgrims who need assistance to get to the ceremonies in the Domain at Lourdes. As we navigated our way around the streets of Lourdes pushing wheelchairs with pilgrims, we had many lovely conversations with them.

At 5pm, we gathered in the underground Basilica for a procession of the Blessed Sacrament.

We returned our pilgrims to their hotels, and we made our way to our hotel for dinner.

Every night finishes with prayer and reflection led by the different schools from among the Blueshirts. Fr. Paul refers to this as “PRAIRIE”. The schools are given a different theme each night and asked to lead their peers in a meaningful prayer experience. Maryfield led the Blueshirts with a theme of “To Help and Serve”. As part of this we all sang a song, “Hands” by Jewel, and Rocha accompanied us on the guitar.

That night we all took part in a fun table quiz making up many teams and mixing all the schools. It was a lot of fun, and Emily was on the winning team, after a tense tie breaker had taken place. This was a great fun way to unwind and mix with all the Blueshirts from the various schools. We headed home to our hotel to get some sleep before the next day of service would begin.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7^th: (Rocha)

After breakfast we began our morning with Fr Paul and the other schools at morning prayer. After this we went down to our reception duty at the acai for 9am. Our reception duty was one of our favourite highlights of this trip, we all felt great reward helping down at the acai.

At 10am we all met Ms Seery and went down to St. Bernadette’s church for penitential service which was a beautiful ceremony. After lunch we joined the red shirts in hotel support duty. Hotel support was a wonderful way for us to communicate and talk with the pilgrims staying in the nearby hotels. During hotel support we brought the pilgrims to the anointing of the sick mass which was an amazing experience we shared with everyone in the Dublin diocese. After mass we had teas on the lawn for all the pilgrims where we could get together and to just sit and talk with everyone there.

After dinner the Diocese had organised, a wellness talk for all the school groups in Lourdes which was very insightful and interesting. It was one of the many things I know that the girls and I really enjoyed. At 8:30pm we all headed to St. Bernadette’s cathedral to sing as a part of the folk group for the medal’s ceremony. This was a touching experience as we saw volunteers with 3 years’ service all the way to 25 years of service in the diocese actively volunteering in Lourdes. It was honestly an inspirational ceremony to be a part of.

At 10pm Ms Seery, the girls and I made our way to outside St. Bernadette’s cathedral for our daily prairie. Tonight’s theme was the Sacrament of Reconciliation. One of the school’s groups got everyone involved in a singsong of oasis’s ‘Don’t look back in anger’ which I think perfectly described the theme. It was an enjoyable moment where everyone was just together singing. It’s one, I will never forget.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8^th: (Isabelle)

Our third day in Lourdes as volunteers was one that truly stood out, blending real enjoyment and a deep sense of fulfilment with moments of pure fun. The day began early, with a 7am wake-up call for breakfast. Despite the early start, the group was in good spirits as we gathered for morning prayer at 8:15am with Father Paul.
By 9am, we were already at reception, performing our duties of welcoming pilgrims and assisting them as needed. Though we had settled into the routine, this day was different – we left reception earlier than usual, around 10am, for something special: singing at the Youth Mass. Taking part in this mass as part of the folk group we had become involved in was a real joy. The experience of singing with and for the pilgrims felt uplifting, and the sense of togetherness during the mass made the whole moment feel even more meaningful.
The Youth Mass was a special time to celebrate us Blue Shirts in Lourdes, and the whole experience was one of joy.
After mass, we helped bring the pilgrims we were assisting back to the hospital before heading back to our hotel for a well-earned lunch at noon. The meal gave us a chance to refuel and share stories from the morning with each other, but we knew the best part of the day was yet to come.
At 2pm, we made our way to the “Solitude Hotel” for what would become one of the day’s highlights: a lively singsong with pilgrims and students from other schools. The room was filled with laughter, music, and a genuine sense of connection. Singing with others who were there to support the same cause was a heartwarming experience, and it was clear that both pilgrims and volunteers were thoroughly enjoying the moment.
Dinner at our hotel was at 7pm, and afterwards, from 8pm to 9pm, we supported the pilgrims once more as we brought them around the beautiful torchlight procession. This was a serene and moving experience, as the soft glow of the candles illuminated the path, and a deep sense of peace settled over us all. Guiding the pilgrims during this procession was a humbling and profound way to end the day.
After bringing the pilgrims back to their hotels, we gathered for a final prairie with Father Paul, closing the day in reflection. The day’s balance of service and fun made the day a truly unforgettable one, filled with moments we will carry with us long after we leave Lourdes.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9^th: (Millie)

We woke up bright and early at half six to be down for breakfast at 7am. All the Blueshirts had to be at the Sanctuary of Our Lady for 7.45am for a group photo. Once that was taken, we did morning prayer on the steps too. When that was over, we headed to the Accueil for our morning duty at reception. This was our last morning of reception, so we really tried to enjoy it and have a bit of fun in between helping the pilgrims with the other Blueshirts and some of the White Shirts too! The stations of the cross were on for the pilgrims that morning which was presented outside the Accueil. This started at around 11am and was very handy for us as it meant we did not have to wheel them far. After that we headed back to our hotel as lunch was a little earlier than usual because of our busy afternoon. At 2.30pm we all headed back over to St Bernadettes church as this was our time to do Liturgy duties during mass. Some of us were on collection and some were on drapes, (carrying them in a procession to the main altar). Both were very simple, so we picked up what we had to do quickly. The farewell mass started at 3.30pm and finished at about 5pm. As soon as that was over, we promptly were given a pilgrim each to bring to the grotto for the passage through the grotto. After that we brought our pilgrims back to their hotels as hotel support was our afternoon duty. Dinner was at 7pm. After dinner we quickly made our way back to the Accueil as there was a farewell party on the fifth floor. This was for pilgrims, Blueshirts and White Shirts. We all loved this as the mood was so positive! One lady almost had everyone in tears at one point as she told her story of coming to Lourdes and by happy accident got sitting beside her best friend from primary school who she has not seen or heard of since they were little, this was so special. At half nine we had prairie back over by St Bernadettes church. The last night of Prairie was so lovely as we all agreed the schools that night really captured the theme of light in their presentations, and we even got glowsticks!! Our final grotto visit was at ten. On our way over we had a private group chat with Ms Seery which was so lovely. Then we light our own special candles, our big school candle and the four candles for the four girls that volunteered last year. We all found this emotional as this marked coming to the end of our pilgrimage in Lourdes and none of us wanted to leave as it is such a special and magical place. Words genuinely cannot describe it and the feeling you get when you are there! We all headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and fall into bed after our very exciting day!

Our time in Lourdes came to an end, we experienced so much including floods and lost luggage (30 cases overall had gone missing!). We worked hard to serve the pilgrims and to represent Maryfield College. Our school motto “In Fide Stabilis” was evident constantly throughout the pilgrimage. We prayed for all who connected with our school, and we take this opportunity to thank all those who supported our fundraising efforts during the moths before we travelled. It is our hope that we will return and serve again in Lourdes. Until then, we will carry Our Lady, St. Bernadette and all the pilgrims in our heart.

Thank You.

Our TY Active School Flag enjoyed an ASF cluster day today. They met like-minded sports fans and built up networks of practice, all while exercising their student voice. Thanks to ASF and Colaiste Bride for hosting!

This Friday is Relays Takeover Day. The Active School Flag class is organising competitive yet fun events to celebrate the recent success of Irish relay teams. It is also part of European Week of Sport.

The 4th years had a great outdoor pursuits trip to Flynn Park yesterday! Lots of fun for all involved!

The hugely successful Griffith Mile will take place on Sunday, 22nd of September. Bring your family and have fun doing something healthy!

Maryfield were delighted to perform at the launch of ‘Marino 100′ last weekend. They sang the Waterboys’ ‘The Whole of the Moon’ and performed ‘The Marino Waltz’. They were fantastic!

Places Visited:

Today was sports day! Ms Farrelly and the prefects organised a whole-school, competitive and fun series of events, enjoyed by all in the glorious sunshine. Well done to everyone involved!

Our medal-winning sports stars were treated to a delicious pizza lunch today to celebrate their achievements. Delicious!

Well done to Ariana Silvestre of 3R (pictured on the right) who finished 6th in the long jump at the Leinster championships with a leap of 4.56m.

The sixth year art group visited the Olivier Cornet Gallery on Denmark for a look at the fascinating exhibition ‘What do we want’  with art based on the current global climate and political situation. Students got a very good talk and sat to sat sketch the work.

4th Year Law Ed.: Visit by a Practising Barrister

A barrister and a past pupil of Maryfield College came to talk to us about a career in law. Asma  explained to us  the path she took to becoming  a qualified barrister.

She explained  clearly the difference between a barrister and a solicitor. She told us about the different levels of courts and the qualifications and experience to practice there.

As a junior barrister she was working in the district court. She specialised in the criminal  court.

She told us about the difference between a junior and senior council and the distinction made between the robes worn in court. Silks were senior barristers with vast experience and knowledge . They worked in the higher courts such as the circuit and high court .

Asma explained how she did her primary degree in law and then went to study in Kings Inn for two years . During that time she followed a practising barrister in the courts gaining valuable knowledge and experience. This process is known as “devilling” .

When she was  finished her final exams she is known as  a junior council. She will spend at least ten years as a junior council until she moves up to practice in the higher courts .

We found listening to Asma very interesting and we were given the opportunity to ask questions . We loved to hear about the types of cases she dealt with  and she had her robe on to show us the type of clothing she wore. It was a brilliant opportunity to hear first hand the life of a barrister in law.

4^th Year Law Ed. Students

In a long and honoured tradition, the 6th years take on the teachers in a rounders challenge match. This year, our 6th years put in excellent individual and team performances but still came up short. Well done but hard luck everyone!

Here is a lovely video from the Rainbow Run, organised by Ms O’Sullivan and 4S.

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On April 22nd, 4K and 4R accompanied by Ms.Seery and Ms.McAuley took part in a Walking Tour of Dublin Churches . The group departed from Maryfield early that morning and visited the following churches:
St.Francis Xavier’s, Gardiner Street.
St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral
St. Teresa’s, Clarendon Street.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Whitefriars, Aungier St.
St. Audeon’s, High Street.
St. Michan’s, Church Street.
St.Michan’s Halton Street.
St. Saviour’s Dominick Street.

The history of Dublin is in the bricks of its churches. Churches are very much part of the fabric of the city and testify to it’s rich spiritual and architectural heritage. These famous Churches are landmarks for the city and hold a special place in the hearts of many Dubliners and tourists. The stories through the centuries connected with these churches tell us about invasion, repression, persecution and above all how the faith has both survived and thrived.
These churches tell the story of how Dublin is a place of welcome for immigrant communities e.g. St.Saviour’s / Spanish Community and St.Audeon’s/ Polish Community.
These churches continue to celebrate key moments in the lives of their parishioners- baptism, communion, marriage, funerals etc.
These churches offer a place of prayer ,refuge and comfort for those in need. They provide many outreach programmes and activities serving the local,national, and international community.
These churches are places of interest, places of worship, places of music , art and architecture.
During our walking tour, we stopped at Christ Church Cathedral to pause at the famous sculpture of the “Homeless Jesus”, and we enjoyed a tasty lunch from Burdock’s, the oldest chipper in Dublin.
We also visited the relics of St.Valentine, and paused many times to light candles at shrines, and remember our intentions through prayer.
The day was a lovely experience for our well-being, as we walked, talked, and spent time together as we journeyed. We had a little time out from the normal routine of our day.

Class 2L’s pilgrimage to Glendalough .
The class had a lovely day travelling to Glendalough and learning all about this ancient sacred place of pilgrimage. We were blessed with good company, good food and good weather. A great experience was had by all.

Congratulations to the u14 camogie team who were crowned Dublin champions today! It was a tough match against St Colmcilles’s in blistering heat but our girls triumphed by 1 point, scored right at the death! Well done, girls!

Second Year Pilgrimage to Glendalough. Students experienced a time of peace, prayer and reflection while walking in St. Kevin’s footsteps. They learned about Monastic Life and appreciated the beauty of the tranquil surroundings.

Photos of 3rd year work for Green Schools’ sustainable travel theme . The three girls  did powerful work. Isabella Kessie Kehoe , Heidi mcHale and Taniya Justin.

-Ms Coleman

It’s day 5 of Active School Week, ie. #DANCETAKEOVERDAY! Our pupils enjoyed a Wake Up Shake Up Just/Dance in the assembly hall.

It was a very enjoyable week and well done to the TY Active School team who organised and ran the events! Have a great long weekend, everyone.

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It’s day 4 of Active School Week! Our 5th years enjoyed a rounders tournament as part of the fun and games.

Our first years have gone to the zoo. They are enjoying themselves, learning about conservation projects as they walk around admiring all the animals.

Today is day 3 and the pupils had a smashing time at the Rainbow Run! Pupils also engaged in basketball on the Wellbeing Walk and the sixth years had a delicious healthy lunch.

Team Maryfield contested the East Leinster athletics championships today and last Monday. A special mention to Ines Jauny and Ariana Silvestre who won a bronze medal each in the 100m and long jump respectively.

It’s day 2 of Active School Week! We have healthy lunches planned, a rounders tournament and here are some photos of pupils engaging in Drop Everything and Move!

The second years enjoyed a benchball tournament at lunchtime and the third years had a delicious healthy lunch provided for them.

Welcome to Active School Week! Our ty Active School team welcomed everyone at the door as our launch event. Next, pupils were treated to a talk on healthy living and they did a Drop Everything and Move in class. They were brought around the Wellbeing Walkway also. Then our first years enjoyed a rounders tournament at lunchtime.

Here are some 4R students doing driving skills today.

On Saturday the 20^th of April, the Parents’ Association took part in an Taisce’s National Spring Clean. This year we were very lucky with the weather and a great group of volunteers came together to help on the day.

We would like to thank –

• All the volunteers, both parents and students.
• The Principal, Dr O’Rourke, Alan and John the school caretakers for all their help on the day.
• The bakers who treated us to some homemade scone and cakes.
• An Taisce and Dublin City Council.

Some of the jobs that were carried out –

• Painting of benches in Courtyards.
• Painting of handrails, entrance gates and sports hall door.
• Weeding, raking, and planting of flower beds in front of school.
• Litter picking of school grounds.

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Well done to the first year basketball team who competed in the All Ireland championships. They are the first group from the school to represent Dublin and they played with passion and courage. Well done to everyone involved, including pupil coaching team Ciara, Sophia and Joyce.

Le Cheile Student Symposium in Knock

Ten students went to the Le Chéile student symposium during the week. They left Dublin early in the morning and enjoyed the long bus journey to Knock, Co. Mayo. On arrival students were welcomed by the Le Chéile team and then got to participate in various faith based workshops.

After lunch students gathered in the Basillica for Mass and another workshop with Jim Deeds. His presentation “finding God in the mess” encouraged students to seek out faith in their own lives.

All students are to be commended for their respectful participation throughout the day, you are a credit to your school community. “The trip to Knock was a great experience. It was lovely to meet new people and to hear about the stories and history of Knock.”

“We went to Knock and had a memorable experience. We got to visit the Basilica, the museum and wander the beautiful grounds.”

Our TY Active School Flag classes are proud to announce that we have created a Wellbeing Walkway! This is a signposted route around the school designed to encourage exercise, mindfulness and learning on the move.

Our student council members attended the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) annual assembly in Liberty Hall last week.

Daltaí na 6ú bliana inniu ag an gCiorcal Cainte, ag cur snasa ar a gcuid Gaeilge. Guímid gach rath oraibh sna Scrúduithe Cainte- Ádh Mór oraibh agus Beirigí Bua.

Staff and students had a wonderful day today participating in Wear Red Day organised by Immigration Ireland; it was a day of action to raise awareness about racism.

A huge congratulations to the first year A basketball team. They bounced back after yesterday’s disappointment in the final to beat King’s Hospital 24-12. This qualifies them to represent Dublin in the All-Ireland championships, the first time Maryfield has gotten that far. Well done girls!

Well done to the u14 badminton team who did so well at the All Ireland championships today, coming third behind Ulster and Munster. They won four of their matches and had a great time! Go Meerkats! Well done and thank you to Trisha Fernandes from 1K for making the banner!

The third year music class had a lovely time at the National Concert Hall.

A huge congratulations to the first year A basketball team who beat Le Chéile SS by 11 points in the Dublin semi-final. They will face Alexandra College on Tuesday in Oblate Hall. Well done, everyone!

Fourth year students took part in the annual Emmanuel concert in the Helix on Wednesday. Emmanuel is a celebration of liturgical music and it is organised by the Archdiocese of Dublin. Schools all over Dublin take part in the Emmanuel concert.

The fourth years represented Maryfield well by singing their hearts out and getting involved in all the activities. It was a spiritual day where students got a chance to pray, reflect and sing. Two students sang beautiful solo pieces and shone on the main stage.

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 Yesterday 4K organised an Irish Dancing  display at lunchtime. Students were invited to come along and share in Irish culture. 4K painted faces and handed out treats as part of the fun! 

Thank you to all the talented dancers who took part in our celebration of Irish Culture.

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Fifth year retreats Last week fifth year students took part in class retreats in the beautiful Ruah Retreat Centre. It was a day of prayer, reflection and discussion. It is important to take time out of every day busy lives to rest and reflect.

Congratulations to our two U14 badminton teams who contested the Leinster badminton championships! The A team triumphed and our B team proved gallant runners-up. The A team will represent Leinster on the 20th of March.

Fourth year students have had a very busy week which included four performances of their musical! The week began with all fourth years taking part in the Young Social Innovators (YSI) speak out in the Mansion House, Dawson Street.

Each of the four YSI teams had to present their YSI action project on stage in front of hundreds of other students. The students represented their school with enthusiasm, energy and an awareness of social justice.

Maryfield’s YSI guides were incredibly proud of all the students and their commitment to effecting positive change in the world. Well done everybody. Shout out to our dance representatives who performed a snippet of the musical ‘Legally Blonde’ to win the dance battle! 

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Celebrating Le Chéile Day and the Gift of Gratitude in Maryfield. Le Chéile Crew welcoming everyone to school this morning with a sweet treat and a gratitude card.

Our Le Chéile Day celebration continued with face painting, treats for staff at break time, appreciation certifications given to students who show commitment to Le Chéile values and gratitude activities and prizes given to classes throughout the afternoon. Thank you to our whole school community for taking part in our celebration of Le Chéile Day in Maryfield. A special mention of thanks to the “Le Chéile Crew” and Sheila.

It was the second years’ turn to compete in the Maryfield’s Fittest Class competition and 2R emerged triumphant by one point over rivals 2K and 2L. Well done to all who participated and the girls in 4S who organised it.

Congratulations to our u14 A and B badminton teams who played each other in the Dublin final. The A team was victorious but the matches were hard fought. They will both represent Dublin next week in the Leinster championships!

Maryfield College pupils are just back from a Performing Arts trip to London where they visited Pineapple Dance Studios where they enjoyed a Matilda dance workshop. They did a Queen walking tour, saw Matilda the musical and enjoyed London by night tour.

Our fourth Years are representing Maryfield by participating in the Emmanuel Concert in the Helix on Wednesday 13^th March. Tickets are available here

The results are in after three days of Maryfield’s Fittest Class; 1S and 1R came in joint first place. There was a huge level of participation and support so congratulations to all involved. Well done and thank you to the 4S Active Schools Flag class for organising.

Lynchs-Maryfield_College_School-A5-LR

Safer Internet Day (SID) is an EU wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people.

It is promoted in Ireland by Oide Technology in Education and Webwise.

Safer Internet Day 2024 will take place on Tuesday, 6th February 2024 with the theme “Tech in our World”.

Our girls have been hard at work creating projects to promote Safer Internet Day. Please check back regularly to see what they have created.

Click here to see some of their work.

As part of our Human Rights campaign day, we raised 370€ for Amnesty Ireland and engaged in whole school awareness raising on Human Rights. Congratulations to all of the students involved!

Congratulations to the winners of our Human Rights Poster Competition.  These wonderfully creative posters are displayed around our school to celebrate the importance of Human Rights.

Congratulations to the winners of our Human Rights Quiz.  The prizes were beautiful, reusable bottles from Amnesty Ireland.

We are delighted to inform you that Jigsaw is hosting a webinar on the topic of Friendships and Mental Health. It is for parents and teachers and will happen on February 6^th at 7.30-8.30.

In this webinar parents and guardians will:

• Consider the impact friendships can have on their child’s mental health ​
• Explore ways in which they can support their child to build positive friendships ​
• Learn supportive strategies to navigate conversations about friendships with their child

Sign up and registration is through the OGS Learnupon portal and the link is in the poster

How to register:

1). Go to One Good School Learnupon 

sign up and log in.

2) You will be asked to select your school from a drop-down range of options. When you have selected your school and the “parent” option, you will have access to the course. You can get started by selecting the down arrow to the right of the dashboard button, then selecting Catalog- you will then see the available course on the Courses tab.

Friendships and Mental Health Webinar for Parents and Guardians

The results are in for Week 1 of Maryfield’s Fittest Class (first years). 1S has raced into the lead! Well done to everyone involved.

The ASF Maryfield’s Fittest Class challenge began in earnest today with 1K and 1S battling it out for each available point. Well done to each participant and to the girls from 4S who organised it so effectively.

The TY Japanese group went to our local Japanese restaurant to try the food as part of the module.

Ms. Keating arranged a trip to the 60th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS for all 1st years.  Students should be praised for their excellent behaviour and a really enjoyable day was had by all.  Thanks to the teachers who attended.

Sixth years sang Christmas carols for the first years. There were a few surprises along the way. Merry Christmas, Maryfield!

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Click here

Some pictures of the Transition year students making Christmas Yule Logs 🎄

Here is our December winner of the Green Schools Nature Competition… Katie Walsh from 1K. Well done, Katie!

Prefects’ Christmas fundraiser for the children of Gaza

A great time was had by all!

First years sing carols and make an advent symbol.

Class 3R enjoying a hot chocolate and some very special “Christmas Post”.

A huge congratulations to ty pupil, Michelle Shocan who got a bronze medal at the U19 Portuguese International. Brilliant stuff!

Our 4K Active Schools Flag team organised a basketball blitz today. This inclusive and fun event was well run and a great time was had by all.

The Irish Times has published their Feeder Schools List for 2023 today. Read the full online article here.

We had the best time at our Bake Sale for Amnesty Ireland to celebrate Human Rights Day. Thanks to all the wonderful students who baked delicious treats for the day!

TY students presented at special assemblies for 1st, 2nd & 3rd years to celebrate Human Rights Day. We also welcomed Alice from Amnesty Ireland  to speak to the students.

4L made book angels in RE class while reflecting on what faith means.

Our ASF team made a presentation to senior management about the results of the whole-school questionnaire; topics included pupils’ levels of physical activity, active travel, barriers to exercise, suggestions for improvements and action planning. They did an excellent job and it was a very productive meeting. Well done, everyone!

The 4L Active Schools Flag organised a Christmas Just Dance event. There was an excellent turnout and participants had a great time while exercising.

december Timetable

Maryfield College Student Council members having their voices heard at Dublin Comhairle na n’Og

Maryfield College students discussing the issues that matter to young people and making positive changes at Dublin Comhairle na n’Og.

https://epicchq.com/a-festive-evening-with-sing-ireland/

Maryfield College Student Council taking part in ISSU Regional Council

Maryfield College Student Council members discussing how young people can get involved in activism and increasing student voice as they represented Maryfield College at the Irish Second Level Students Union Regional Council Meeting

Dave Swift from cliaomh.ie delivered a talk to our third and sixth years about the 1916 Rising.

Maryfield is delighted to announce its involvement in the Olympic Council’s Dare to Believe programme. This programme helps students to connect to the values, life skills and the biological, psychological and social benefits of sports. https://daretobelieve.ie

Prefects Halloween fundraiser in aid of Bumbleance.

Ms Farrelly

On Thursday 26^th October, Irish Ambassador to Japan, Damien Cole along with Irish Peacekeeper Captain Eoin O’Brien from the Irish Defence Forces visited Maryfield  College.  They spoke to Politics and Society students, members of the student council and members of the global justice group about their important diplomatic and peacekeeping work abroad.  The students had an opportunity to ask questions and engage with Ambassador Cole and Captain O’Brien about the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the life of an Ambassador and a Peacekeeper as well as the importance of gender equality in representing Ireland abroad.  Ambassador Cole presented Dr. Maree O’Rourke with an UN Flag as a symbol of Ireland’s important work peacekeeping abroad and in recognition of the outstanding work done in Maryfield in global justice education.

There has recently been a tap installed outside the PE hall but today saw a different type of waterworks in action. Our U19A basketball team beat Lusk C.C. in a close and hotly contested match. The team comprised mostly of sixth years and this was the their last ever match…. so there were hysterical tears and general blubbery at the final whistle! Well done and thank you to all our senior citizens, namely Sarah Preston, Louise Hennessey, Ava Cleary, Grace Cleary, Anita Sibi, Holly Graham, Emma Venables and Rebecca Maguire. Fifth year Alannah Kinsella and Holly McEvoy also played (but did not cry).

Our opening of school year mass was celebrated on 11th October in St. Vincent de Paul church. Mass was celebrated by Father Tom Noone. The theme of our mass was taken from Pope Francis’ address to young people in Lisbonduring the summer, we are called to “be surfers of love.” We prayed for our school community and those marginalised throughout the world. We took part in a wonderful liturgy that encouraged us to be of service to the community around us in Maryfield College and beyond.

As we approach the month of the Holy Souls the ‘In November We Remember’ resources have been published at the link below:

https://catholiceducation.ie/catholic-schools-week-2024-communities-of-service/

The 6th year Japanese class went to the Lighthouse cinema to watch “Your Name” and went to Yamamori for lunch with Mount Temple 5th and 6th years last Friday.

Well done everyone!

A 1^st Year Internet and Online Safety Workshop was provided today by Zeeko.  The workshop covered cyberbullying, your digital footprint, inappropriate content online, online relationships and excessive internet use. A 1^st year parent seminar follows this evening at 7 pm.

The TY Japanese class learned the etiquette for eating with chopsticks today. They then had bean eating competitions prior to the Japanese restaurant visit before midterm.

3rd and 6th Year Midterm Assessment 2023

Here is a photo montage of the TY Barista workshop with Dublin Barista School.

Table Tennis Takeover! 

Report by Lily Nolan -4R

On Friday the 29th of September, the Transition Year students hosted an exciting whole-school table tennis takeover as part of the Active Schools Flag (ASF) scheme. The event took place in the cafeteria and went on for the whole day, taking each year group at different times. The objective of the event was for everyone to have fun and for everyone to be included. 

At the beginning of this school year, Maryfield College became a participant in the Active Schools Flag pilot scheme. The aim of the scheme is to “enable schools to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community”. Originally the scheme was only available to primary schools, but our school has been lucky enough to have the oppurtunity to take part in a new ASF process developed for post primary schools.  

The programme gives each student a voice and the ability to change things in their school community. It includes the whole school, challenging every student to find fun and inclusive ways to get everyone active with many different strategies. ASF depends on student leadership and student voices to promote physical activity. To actually achieve the Active School Flag is a three to five year process. Throughout each school year events will be held, such as the one on Friday, to get the students in school together and active. 

The first Active Schools Flag initiative that our school took part in was the Table Tennis Takeover. The Transition year students were the main organisers during the planning and execution of the event. Each of the four transition year class groups were assigned to a year group to be in charge of during their allocated time on Friday. They kept spirits high and told the students about the games that they would be playing, which included single matches, double matches, and round robin. 

In the end it was a lively day filled with enthusiasm from every student involved. We are looking forward to organising the next ASF event. 

Another September, and once again

Four sixth year students – Holly Clarke, Ciara Gill, Grainne Murray, Rebecca Maguire along with Ms. Seery volunteered looking after the sick and elderly pilgrims.

Due to all their hard work and efforts, many pilgrims had a very memorable and meaningful experience at Lourdes. The Maryfield girls along with their peers “The Blueshirts” and all the other helpers involved in the pilgrimage worked above and beyond their duties, taking on extra duties due to flight delays etc.

The Maryfield girls were mainly involved in the duties of ward support and refectory. They were full of enthusiasm for every task they were involved in.  They showed great kindness and compassion to those in their care, and work well as the Lourdes Maryfield Team, within the great big team that is the Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. On one evening the girls were stewarding at the Torch Light Procession which is a very beautiful act of prayer. They also sang in the Folk Group at Lourdes during the many liturgies and ceremonies that take place during the pilgrimage.

They also attended the medal ceremony, where Ms. Seery was awarded the silver medal for completing five years of service to the pilgrimage. Many volunteers are awarded each year by the Archbishop of Dublin for their various lengths of service to the pilgrimage.

On their last night in Lourdes, the Maryfield Team headed to the Grotto to light their special large pilgrim candle for all the intentions of the Maryfield Community and for anyone who asked for us to remember them in our prayers. The girls also lit four candles for last year’s volunteers and wished them every success in their new endeavours.

Lourdes is an amazing sacred place. We ask for the guidance of Our Lady and the courage of St. Bernadette to bless us all in this coming academic year ahead. May we take this opportunity to thank all those who supported us and help us to fundraise. We remembered you all in our prayers at the Grotto. This was a life-changing opportunity for our girls, one that they will remember forever.

Irish secondary schools have been invited to take part in a Walk to School competition as part of European Mobility Week, which takes place from 16^th to 22^nd September.

Dublin City Council is partnering with An Taisce’s Green-Schools Travel Programme to encourage as many students, parents and staff to walk to school any day during European Mobility Week.

They are inviting schools across Dublin City to, where possible, walk some of part of their way to school if they can during this week, and to submit entries to their EMW Walk to School competition. Participating schools will be in with a chance to win a €200 voucher for PE gear or an opportunity to take part in a promotional video!

More information can be found here.

Do you walk to school or will you walk during European Mobility Week? How does it make you feel? What do you see on your journey? Who do you meet along the way? Do your friends join you on your walk or is it a solo adventure?

Secondary school students are invited to create a poster focused on the positive aspects of walking to school. This isn’t just a normal poster, we want you to get creative! Posters should display the most fun fact or that highlight the benefits of walking to school in the most imaginative way.

Green Schools have a number of Fun Facts on Walking that can be used as inspiration for your poster!

The school with the best poster will win!

Why participate?

• Exploring your local area through this activity will help students develop a better understanding of their surrounding environment.
• To provide an insight of student experiences on the way to school
• Participating in this competition is the perfect way to gear up for the Green-Schools National Walk to School Week 2023 where schools all over Ireland will be celebrating walking to school with Green-Schools during National Walk to School Week from October 2nd to 6th.

How to Enter

To take part in the competition send in your school’s worksheets and / or posters by Friday 29th September.

Send a photo of each entry from your school to sustainablemobility@dublincity.ie

Our pupils will soon do a survey about their level of physical activity.

We are delighted to be introducing a new school meals service with Food Village for 2023-2024.

Food Village will visit the school on Friday 8^th September to ‘onboard’ all students and students are required to bring their mobile device with them to school that day. Full service will then commence on Wednesday 13^th September.

In advance we request that all students have the Food Village app downloaded and their account registered prior to the onboarding day on the 8^th of September.   Please use this link to view specific information relating to our school, the unique registration code and to view the menu.

https://foodvillage.ie/mrfc/

We are delighted today to launch our new school app.

Through the app we will keep our whole school community updated on school events, activities and students’ achievements throughout the year and events section will remind parents of important dates in the school calendar.

We continue to use VS Ware for all attendance information, school reporting and VS Ware Mail as our main method of communication with parents.

We hope that you find the app a useful way to stay connected to the school community this year.

The validation code has been sent through VS Ware Mail & text and student email.  

App Installation_Guide

Return to School Message for Parents and Students – this is a pdf letter

Return to School 2023-2024 – Message to Parents and Students

Best of luck to all our junior and leaving certificate candidates who begin their journey today. We know you will do us very proud! In fide stabiles!

An samhradh buailte linn agus bliain iontach eile don Ghaeilge i gColáiste Pháirc Mhuire

Ghlac daltaí (thart ar 140 dalta )agus múinteoirí ó Choláiste Pháirc Mhuire páirt i nGaeilge 24 arís i mbliana ar an 15ú Samhain 2022 . Is dúshlán é Gaeilge 24 chun daltaí scoile a spreagadh chun labhairt as Gaeilge amháin ar feadh 24 uair an chloig. Tá an dúshlán á eagrú ag Conradh na Gaeilge agus deis iontach ba ea í do na daltaí a gcuid Gaeilge a feabhsú agus a chur chun cinn sa scoil. Bhí bricfeasta Gaelach againn ar maidin chun fuinneamh a thabhairt dúinn don lá fada lán le Gaeilge agus don dúshlán a bhí romhainn. Bhí an ceaintín dubh le daoine agus an Ghaeilge á labhairt ag gach duine le chéile. Ghlacamar páirt i dTráth na gCeist Beo ar Zoom. Bhí na mílte ar fud na tíre ag glacadh páirte chomh maith. Bhí céilí mór ar siúl san iarnóin agus bhain chuile dhuine spórt agus spraoi as! B’iontach an rud é teanga álainn na Gaeilge a chloisteáil ar fud na scoile ar feadh an lae.  Bronnadh teastas orthu siúd a ghlac páirt san fheachtas tábhachtach seo. Comhghairdeas leo go léir. Mar a deir an seanfhocal “Beatha teanga í a labhairt”.

1 An samhradh buailte linn agus bliain iontach eile don Ghaeilge i gColáiste Pháirc Mhuire[47]

The Parent Association of Maryfield College would like to share with you news of their activities throughout the school year, please read our newsletter for all the updates.

PA Newsletter May 2023

6th Year Prefects enjoyed a sweet treat at tea break today in thanks for their student leadership and contribution to school spirit this year.

Well done but ultimately, hard luck to the 6th year pupils who took the teachers on in a game of rounders today. They played well but were no match for their older but wiser adversaries.

It’s a time honoured tradition and the teachers are currently undefeated after nearly 80 years.

Congratulations to our TY Class of 2023 and Ms Ryan, Ms Clancy, Ms Cooney, Ms O’Toole, Ms O’Mahoney and Ms McLoughlin for a wonderful end of year celebration. Thank you to all parents who attended the presentation this afternoon.

Maryfield College Choir had an amazing night at the Bord Gais Theatre as part of Sing A Song of Docklands. Thanks to Dublin City Council, Creative Ireland and Sing Ireland for the unforgettable experience! Well done to all the girls, they sang beautifully.

Students from the Enterprise Club were out harvesting some salad at lunchtime to take home to eat. We have lots of organic rocket, spinach, lettuce and mixed oriental leaves growing nicely in our polytunnel.

Well done to Ines Jauny of 2K, who came second in the 100m and third in the long jump at the East Leinster athletics championships. She will represent Maryfield at the Leinster championships on the 17th of May.

The 5th year Japanese class has been making cranes with origami to wish world peace. This is going to be sent to Hiroshima as behalf of Irish secondary school Japanese students. Well done for the beautiful work!

Our One Good School Peer Educators graduated today! They taught our pupils about mental health and wellbeing. Well done to Emily and Sabrina!

4K are National finalists in the YSI Now competition, and their published book has just arrived in time! Well done, girls and Ms McLoughlin!

4K are National finalists in the @YSInow competition, and their published book has just arrived in time! #inclusion #diversity Well done, girls and Ms McLoughlin! pic.twitter.com/Ap1hp3YNSt

— MaryfieldCollegeDublin (@MaryfieldDublin) April 28, 2023

Posing in Portomarin! The Camino tour started their journey today, the first 25km walk starts tomorrow!

Despite the rain, the Parents Association and students from Maryfield College were out in force celebrating World Earth Day by hosting its annual Spring Clean of the school’s grounds. It was a busy morning weeding, pruning, cutting back brambles, clearing moss, litter picking and planting new plants. A big thank you to all the parents, especially the students who volunteered, the school caretaker Alan Redmond and principal Dr O’Rourke.  A big shout out to Dublin City Council who provided us with bags, gloves and litter pickers and Tully Nurseries in Ballyboughal who supplied us with some planting. 

The Maryfield Book Club enjoyed a visit from KPMG volunteers today. Students took part in a cover design competition and enjoyed discussing the book ‘Be Wild Little One’ by Olivia Hope. Students are loving taking part in the Junior Juries programme for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards.

Today was also the final day of the Couch to 5K programme. Congratulations to all the girls who have worked hard to improve their fitness and wellbeing. Keep up the good work!

Today is Rainbow Friday! Our One Good School team invited Ollie Bell, a guest speaker from Shout Out, an LGBT+ charity. We sold rainbow pins to raise money for Shout Out also. A Find the Flag scavenger hunt completed the activities.

A massive congratulations and thank you to everyone on the One Good School team for all your hard work and achievements this week. You’ve really lifted the mood and made a positive difference.

Today is “Anti-Bullying Thursday”, Day 4 of Wellbeing Week. Our pupils were delivered a presentation about our school’s policy about bullying. A quiz competition completed the events.

It’s day 3 of Wellbeing Week and because the theme is “Give”, we had a bake sale at lunchtime. No money was involved though; our currency is kindness! We gave out cakes and treats in exchange for positive messages written on paper love hearts! 

Maryfield’s top runners were out bright and early this morning for the Maryfield Mile, part of our Wellbeing Week programme.

Our whole school did a Drop Everything and Move activity as part of Be Active Tuesday, an integral part of Wellbeing Week.

A Just Dance event was also part of the fun and games for Be Active Tuesday.

A lot of fun was had by everyone!

We were visited today by a representative of Jigsaw, the youth mental health organisation. Emeir talked to our pupils about Jigsaw and mental health in general. The girls then listed what they’re grateful for on our gratitude noticeboard.

Click here to learn all about this special day.

Students learn by doing hands-on activities. Worth 20% of LC geography exam.

Tree planting by green schools committee  during tree week in March.

First year winners of green schools committee photo competition ‘wildlife in our school’.

Our girls were consistent throughout the tournament, reaching the semi-final.

The Japanese embassy organised the film screen of “Suzume” in the Lighthouse cinema and invited a teacher and 3 students who study Japanese for the event.

Two of the transition year students reached the final of the relove fashion competition on Thursday in Ballymum.

Here are some pictures of the two students Sarah Elders and Isabelle Graham with their outfit that they made from recycled jeans.

The final had 22 finalist out of 200 entries from all schools all over Ireland.

5K on retreat this week in the Ruah Retreat Centre in Drumcondra. All fifth years are participating in class retreats this week. It is a day of discussion, reflection and prayer. Fifth years will be encouraged to think about the theme “I’m ok, You’re ok and that’s ok”.

Our second year CPSE class 2R created a beautiful welcome wall that celebrates our school’s diversity and makes all students feel valued and included. We recognise the importance of providing a supportive environment for our EAL students, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all students feel empowered to succeed at Maryfield College.

Our 5th year Japanese students went to our neighbour school, Mount Temple to see a Japanese Hockey team. They learned Irish culture, language and sports together and spoke a lot in Japanese. They also made it to Drumming workshop in UCD with them. Had a great day!

https://twitter.com/MaryfieldDublin/status/1636002402452094977?s=20

LE CHEILE SCHOOLS TRUST STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

“LIVING OUR CATHOLIC FAITH”

On Monday 13^th March, ten students along with Ms.Seery took part in the very first Le Cheile Faith Symposium. This was a wonderful gathering of Le Cheile schools from all over the country.

The symposium was held at Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo. the students took part in various workshops including the following:

• The story of Knock (Museum)
• The “Mosaic” story (Basilica)
• Faith sharing
• Recovery from addiction through faith, with members of the Cenacolo Community.
• Positivity of music in prayer
• Meditation

The students had the opportunity to reflect on prayer and faith in their own lives, and on how they live out the Le Cheile values within their own school communities.

The afternoon began with a special celebration of Mass in the Parish church, where various representatives from the schools took part in the liturgy, and everyone joined in the wonderful music.

There were some presentations from schools about the work of their “Ember” teams. This is a peer lead faith leadership group within the schools which aims to help school communities to live out our Catholic Faith.

The students really enjoyed the opportunity to link with students from so many different schools throughout the country, who are all part of the Le Cheile family. It was particularly lovely to meet up with the teachers and students from our sister/school – Cross and Passion, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare.

At the closing session, there was an invitation from the Knock Youth Ministry for students to participate in some summer volunteering at Knock Shrine (16–18-year-olds). Please see the noticeboard outside Room 27 for further information or speak to Ms. Seery

Maryfield can be very proud of the students who went to Knock this year. They were terrific ambassadors for their school. They completed a very long day from early morning to late in the evening, and entered very enthusiastically into the whole event. Well done girls!

We look for to this event being the first of many gatherings that will take place in the years to come.

After attending the Regional and National sessions of European Youth Parliament Ireland, I was selected to attend an international session in Tromsø, Norway. The session had 300 participants from all over Europe, and over 9 days we came together in committees and created resolutions to tackle problems facing Europe currently. The resolutions we wrote will be sent to policy makers across Europe and hopefully influence positive change.

Our u14 badminton team contested the Leinster badminton championships last week, finishing credibly in 4th position. Well done to Janani, Alice, Taniya and Olivia.

We’re delighted to announce that Jigsaw is offering a Friendship webinar for parents. It’s on Tuesday, the 14th of March at 7.30.

#EmbraceEquity– the theme of international Women’s Day 2023. /Strike a pose.

First years during Ms O’Sullivan’s SPHE class living the dream and incorporating some physical activity into their day. Students came up with six exercises and then rolled the dice! #embraceequity #internationalwomensday

Lynchs-Maryfield_College_School-A5-LR

Lynch’s website- Maryfield section

Last Wednesday March 1st, the TY students took part in the EMMANUEL Concerts at the Helix. This is an initiative between schools and the Dublin Diocese. It was great to take part again in this wonderful event after  the Pandemic, and it was so inspiring and uplifting to see and hear so many young people singing. The concerts promote wonderful music that can be used in our schools for Liturgy.

Well done to our u16A badminton team who played in the Leinster div 1 badminton championships. They played very well and came second. The team consisted of Michelle Shocan, Mishalini Gopi, Jose Rayna and Cheryl Nakka.

Dear Le Chéile Community,

Our first Lenten Space for Grace takes place today at 13:20 online, the entire Le Chéile community are invited to join us for 20 minutes of prayer and reflection. Please circulate with more members of the community as you feel fit.

We will have in total three Space for Grace online reflections, today, March 15th & March 29th all at 13:20. This is in collaboration with other Trusts and Organisations – CEIST, Spiritan Trust, Loreto Trust, Dublin Diocese & Marino Institute.

We acknowledge that schools & workplaces are busy places therefore we will be recording the reflection and will place it on our website later today so that it can be viewed at another time for those that want it.

Please see attached the advertising poster and below the zoom link for all three Space for Graces

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81491929432<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F81491929432&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cec739d2ac52240cf9f3908db1a396374%7Caf5d9931d1e44a28a9fd75359ef98ab4%7C0%7C0%7C638132606111529708%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=9UQeUQv%2B3hZoBPEmGrdaAwhAs0w77PMX%2FTX9XCQdSJg%3D&reserved=0>

We hope you can make time for your own faith journey this Lent and join us.

Warm wishes,

Claire Kilroy
Ethos Leadership Officer,
Le Chéile Schools Trust CLG.

The TY Japanese class went to a local Japanese restaurant today to try a bento box to finish off the module. They all enjoyed it very much. Well done to Ms Mika McLoughlin.

The 6^th Year Music students enjoyed their trip to the National Concert Hall this Tuesday to see the National Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. They loved experiencing their Set Work live!

Here is a video from the 6th year's trip to the National Concert Hall. pic.twitter.com/bqZOi7FwjH

— MaryfieldCollegeDublin (@MaryfieldDublin) March 1, 2023

Information to follow.

Here’s a video of the Maryfield ski trip, compiled by Ms Cooney: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/696e59af-320d-40ae-ba8b-d5cad08d71f0

This week, two of our fifth years are delivering classes to their peers about mental health and wellbeing. It is part of Jigsaw’s One Good School programme. Well done, Sabrina and Emily!

Commiserations but still well done to the u14 badminton team who were narrowly edged out in their Dublin final today against St Mary’s, Naas. Our girls fought bravely but succumbed to a 4-2 loss. Our team of Olivia, Taniya, Alice, Janani and Inès did us proud!

Our 4th and 5th years went skiing in Andorra over the midterm. A great time was had by all!

“Thank you to a wonderful group of 6th years who were a pleasure to bring to Edinburgh and the Highlands last week and we all had a great time”- Ms Carroll.

It’s Safer Internet Day 2023! Our pupils are hard at work, designing presentations and posters to help their peers stay safe online. Here are some posters produced by our first years. The theme for today is promoting respectful, inclusive online communication. #SID2023

On Thursday February 2^nd, the Fifth Year Politics & Society students of Maryfield College visited the Houses of the Oireachtas at Leinster House. We were greeted by the Parliamentary Education Officer, Conor Reale, who informed us about the role of the Dail and Seanad, before we met with Social Democrat TD Cian O’ Callaghan. Deputy O’ Callaghan discussed issues such as how the role of a TD is changing, his work in the Dail committee on Housing and why young people should get involved in politics. He then took part in a very engaging question and answer session where he listened and responded to every question that we asked of him.

We then watched the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, give a joint address to both houses of the Oireachtas. This was a unique opportunity for us to witness as she is only the second women outside of Ireland to be given this honour. After the President’s address we were then escorted to a room upstairs were we had the privilege to take part in a question and answer session for over twenty minutes with President Metsola and Deputy Leader of Seanad Eireann, Senator Regina Doherty. During this meeting we discussed a wide range of topics such as the difficulties female politicians face, increasing the power of the European Parliament, how the rule of law is under threat, and future challenges facing the European Parliament.

President Metsola took a great interest in our lives as young people in Ireland and asked us what changes we would like to see in our education system and in the society that we are growing up in. She stressed the need for a pragmatic approach to issues but also encouraged us to push for the change that we want to see in the world and she has inspired many of us to follow in her footsteps as future political leaders.

Fifth Year Politics & Society students meeting with the President of the European Parliament

A group of 5th years is currently engaging in Jigsaw’s One Good School Peer Education programme training. These volunteers will deliver workshops to teach the junior cycle pupils about mental health and wellbeing.

You can follow what our religion department is getting up to on: @REmaryfield

All first years took part in class retreats this week in the parish centre in St. Vincent De Paul Church, Marino.

The RE department would like to thank the first year students who participated so well together each day.

“We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

Scout’s experience of retreat

“The Theme of the retreat was Self- esteem. Self-esteem is believing in yourself and loving yourself the way God loves you. I enjoyed all of the games that we played because now I know the people in my class a bit better. I found it difficult to meditate at first but when I got into the flow of it I found it relaxing. I had a really fun day.”

Our U19 team reigned supreme in the U19 Dublin final with an emphatic win over Castleknock Community School. The pitch was frozen over at the start of the match but that did not put off our girls. Captain Ava Lambe of sixth year lifted yet another trophy, in what has proven to be a very prolific colleges camogie career. We will now represent Dublin in the All Ireland championships. Well done everyone!

It has been a triumphant return to badminton for Maryfield. Our U16A badminton team has been crowned Dublin and Region champions after a home and away victory over St Mary’s, Naas. The quarter, consisting of Michelle Shocan, Mishalini Gopi, Rayna Jose and Cheryl Nakka, will now represent Dublin as they contest the Leinster championships in March. Well done, girls!

As part of Maryfield’s Whole-School Wellbeing strategy, we will introduce a couch to 5K running programme, beginning on Monday, 23^rd of January. Each pupil is welcome to participate, regardless of fitness levels.

We will meet after school up to three times a week and the aim is for participants to be able to eventually run for 5km without stopping. It starts off with a manageable combination of walking and jogging and progresses towards running only. The plan doesn’t just include running- there will be some general cardio and strength training to help build up muscle and stamina. If you are interested, please sign up on the sports noticeboard. You must also obtain a parental permission form, available on the window ledge across from the sports noticeboard.

Please find attached a PAR Q questionnaire (Physical Activity Readiness ) for anyone interested in participating. If you answer yes to any of the questions, please consult with your doctor before you begin the programme. If any of symptoms occur while participating, you must cease immediately and seek medical help.

We will use a Couch to 5K app (C25k) to keep track of progress. You can complete parts of the programme in your own time. 

The programme will take place on school grounds. Pupils are to wear their own sports gear so their PE tracksuits will still be available for PE classes. Please note, your clothes and footwear may get muddy on occasions.

Our U19 team had a resounding victory over Portmarnock C.S. in their semi-final with a scoreline of 6-9 to 1-1. They will play their final on Friday in Trinity College Sports Ground, Santry at 10.15. Well done, girls!

Well done to our U16A and 14 badminton teams who played St Mary’s, Naas today. The U16s won 4-2 and the u14s lost 4-2.

The u19 camogie team beat Hartstown CS in their quarter-final by a scoreline of 7-14 to 0-0. They will face either St Dominic’s, Cabra or Portmarnock CS in their semi-final. Well done everyone!

Transition Year Musical – High School Musical

Tickets now on Sale

Tickets for 24^th January

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-school-musical-tickets-505927822737?utm_campaign=post_publish&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_content=shortLinkNewEmail

Tickets for 25^th January

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-school-the-musical-tickets-505978614657?utm_campaign=post_publish&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_content=shortLinkNewEmail

TY Musical 2023 High School Musical Promotional Flyer[7]

Ministers Foley and Ryan welcome progress on Schools Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/86414-ministers-foley-and-ryan-welcome-progress-on-schools-decarbonisation-pathfinder-programme/

The Prefects and Ms Farrelly wish to thank all Staff, Students and Parents for their generosity during the Prefects 2nd fundraiser .A very generous €1046.30 was raised for Sonas, which will be used to provide refuge for Women and Children in distress.

It is a longstanding tradition that sixth year students sing carols for the first year students here in Maryfield. This afternoon the sixth years encouraged the first years to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and the need for peace in our world. We sang carols together and listened to readings.

There was a special visitor and we also sang some Christmas favourites. Thank you to all the sixth years who planned and participated in our carol service. A special mention to the stars of the show and to Mary-Kate for her impeccable compere skills.

Thanks to Ms Seery, Ms McCarron and Ms Cooney for their help in preparation of our carol service.

Happy Christmas Everyone

Ways to help young people who are struggling with their mental health

by Naomi Lungu, Jay Muteba, Juliet Murphy and Zoe Lenehan

One Good School

Ms Ryan has captured some beautiful views of Maryfield this Frosty Friday!

The Music Department and Parents Association held a Christmas Musical Evening last Monday night. Thank you to all the students who took part! You are magic!

TY pupils Complete the CPR 4 Schools programme

TY students took part in a “Book Folding” craft workshop as part of Transition Year RE. The workshop took place in the Margaret Alyward Faith Centre in Glasnevin.

On 1^st December the sixth years gathered in the assembly hall for a day of reflection led by our special guest Gerry Keegan. Gerry shared aspects of his own faith journey and encouraged the sixth years to take time to reflect on their own lives and experience. Gerry sang songs and shared his story through examining the lyrics. There were plenty of games and interactive music general knowledge quizzes, correct answers were rewarded with enthusiastic cheers.

It was a powerful experience to be witnessed. Thank you everybody for your respectful participation and sense of  fun throughout the day.

A special word of thanks to our personal Adele act! 😉 Hope you enjoyed the pizza lunch.

The RE Department

Video

It’s that time of the year again and to mark the start of the Christmas Season at Maryfield College, the Parents Association have sponsored the Christmas tree in the school’s courtyard. Thanks to our committee members who helped decorate the tree which looks great alongside the five new benches that the association purchased last month for the school.

Here’s some photos of the 4th yrs. with the gnomes they made in a craft workshop run by Ms Mahoney and Ms McLoughlin. Well done everyone!

Congratulations to all our 2022 Junior Certificate candidates who received their results today! Our girls performed extremely well and made the school very proud.

1st Year Elections 

On the 25th of October the First Year elections took place 

1. The assigned student council members met at the assembly hall after break time. 

      2. They were assigned temporary roles for the election and were explained how to carry out these roles. 

      3. Four assigned members of the Student Council went to collect the first group of First Years and  brought them to the assembly hall where the elections took place. 

       4. After all the groups of First Years voted, all the members were taught how to count votes. 

       5. The elections went really well, and the First Years Student Council members were elected: Lily   Moran from 1R and Abigail Aju from 1L. 

Here is a photo of the prefects not wearing Halloween costumes!

The TY Japanese Class enjoyed a visit to Senbazuru Japanese Restaurant in Fairview with their teacher Ms O Loughlin yesterday.  They all enjoyed their Bento Lunch and using their newly learned Japanese greetings.

Here’s some pics from the Taekwondo National Championships in Limerick last Saturday. Ai Lin got a bronze🥉for 1st Dan patterns and gold🥇in the black belt 1-3 Dan U18 -61kg sparring. Winners will be selected into the National Team and the girl that got silver for sparring is the reigning World Cup Champion! Congratulations, Ai Lin!

Congratulations to Fiona Joby 1L who bought the winning raffle ticket at the Halloween Sale on Thursday 27th of October. Enjoy your prize 😊

Our first years enjoyed a Halloween extravaganza in the pe hall today! Spooktacular!

Fifth years Holly and Rebecca ran a best fancy dress competition with Ms McCarron’s 1st year classes 1L and 1K. Winners were Alisha Alim and Anna Binoy.

5th Year Students enjoyed a morning of teamwork and problem solving at Go Quest in Carrickmines on Friday 14th October. They challenged themselves with a mixture of  mental, physical and skill based ‘quests’ to gather as many points as they could for their team. Enjoy the photos from the day!

Mr Smith, parent Patricia Mulligan and pupils, Sarah O’Rourke and Kayleighann Burgess attended the One Good School Assembly in Croke Park on October 19th. It was an event to celebrate the good work that has been done so far by the participating schools.

The event was organised by Jigsaw, who provide help for young people from the ages of 12 to 25.

Former Irish President, Mary McAleese, was a guest speaker, she spoke about the influence one good adult can have on a student.

https://twitter.com/JigsawYMH/status/1582672319192834048?s=20&t=8uYGmzh6RS3BQPlw0qepMw

Ai Lin Sun (4th year) flew the Irish flag high at the VIII ITF Taekwondo World Cup in Koper, Slovenia. She earned two bronze medals – for individual and team sparring.🥋 A massive congratulations, Ai Lin, on this huge achievement!

Here's Ai Lin in action at the World Cup in Slovenia… she's wearing the blue of Maryfield! pic.twitter.com/9rQnP0mcyb

— MaryfieldCollegeDublin (@MaryfieldDublin) October 19, 2022

CLANG is Jigsaw’s campaign to help us all learn about and look after our own mental health and wellbeing. From Monday, 10 to Friday, 14 October, we’re asking you to join us in doing five simple actions proven to help with your mental health and wellbeing.

1. Connect
2. Keep Learning
3. Be active
4. Take notice
5. Give back in support of Jigsaw

Ways to connect

• Connect over lunch, featuring special treats brought in by the students or free pizza.
• Digital detox day, where students and staff don’t use their phones for a whole school day. There’s nothing like removing devices from your day to promote connecting with those around you.
• A screening. Use a room with a projector in and screen a film or game. A love of sport and film can bring people together like nothing else!

Ways to keep learning

• Presentation in school, college, or the student union by one of the organisers, explaining the Five a Day for Mental Health and its benefits.
• Webinar or completion of online course. See what courses we have available on jigsaw.ie
• Learn a new skill. Research a skill such as knot tying, cooking a particular meal, origami, etc. Then teach this new skill to each other!

Ways to be active

• Organised run, walk, or hike. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Pick a nice location locally or further afield and go for a run, walk or hike there.
• Interschool or intercollege sports game. What about students versus teachers or lecturers or a match against another school/college/society?
• Board game evening. So why not organise an evening where people can bring in their favourites?

Ways to take notice 

• Guided meditation There are lots of great guided meditation resources online. Have a look on YouTube and see if anything would suit your group.
• Nature walk around the school or college grounds. Are you near a nice park or located out in the countryside? Why not find a nice spot and go for a relaxing walk as a group?
• Litter pick up around the local area. There are few things more relaxing than taking a stroll and cleaning up your local area.

Ways to give back in support of Jigsaw

• Bake sale. Get a few talented bakers together, make some cakes and treats, and sell them. There’s nothing like a home baked brownie to put a smile on someone’s face.
• Non uniform day/costume day. Let everyone express themselves through their own choice of clothing in exchange for a modest donation. A classic!
• Sponsored run, walk, or hike. Keep things simple, pick a challenging location for a run, walk or hike and get sponsored by friends and family.
• Charity night out, gig or concert. Pick a venue, pick a form of entertainment to offer, and charge for tickets. Maybe throw in a raffle and there you have it!

CLANG with Jigsaw: Team challenge

The TYs travelled to Russborough House in Wicklow last Thursday where they participated in Archery, Zip-lining, High Ropes, Bushcraft and Rock Climbing. They then canoed across the Liffey Reservoir to their campsite, and braved the elements as they camped outside. A great time was had by all, where they learned to work as a team and bond with their year group! Many thanks to their teachers Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Devlin, Ms. Keating and Ms. Cooney for travelling with them!