Our School Ethos
Moment of Reflection
During the Halloween break, the Christian Church will celebrate the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls. It is a time to remember all those who have died and have made our world a brighter place. Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights also takes place during midterm and symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness. Let us be grateful, for all the people in our lives who have been our guiding lights and also those who continue to be our lights in times of darkness.
TY Prayer Service
TY students held class prayer services on the theme of “Harvest Our Thoughts” in our school chapel. The students reflected on releasing all negative thoughts and planting seeds of hope for the year ahead. The students participating in the Pope John Paul II Awards helped to coordinate the prayer services.
First Year RE
First year RE classes are learning about the five major world religions. They participated in an information poster competition on a world religion of their choice.
Spórt ar Scoil
U17 Boys Soccer
Scoil Mhuire secured a hard-fought 4-2 victory against Moville Community College in an exciting U17 Boys' Football match at Bayfield. Joe Lavery and Tadgh McDaid delivered outstanding individual performances playing key roles in the team's success. Goalscorers on the day were Joe Lavery, Tadgh McDaid 3F, Ethan Soal 5F & Blake McCarron 3C. This is the second game of their league campaign with a home match against local rivals Crana College to follow after the Mid-term break. Scoil Mhuire abú! Thanks to Mr. D. Doherty for accompanying the boys.
Girls Basketball
Well done to the U16 Girls Basketball Team who played in their first blitz of the season. For many of the girls it was their first competitive game for the school and they enjoyed competitive games against Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair and Crana College. Abi Dreyer 3E, Hannah Duffy 3E, Erin O' Sullivan-Doherty 2B and Angel Ferguson 3E all gave standout performances.
Golf
Day 2 of the Northern Schools Donegal League saw the schools visit North West Golf Club, Buncrana on Monday, 14 October. It was a beautiful day and the course was in fantastic condition. We would like to thank Brian McElhinney for allowing the schools to play at the course and for being so accommodating.
As it was their home course, Scoil Mhuire were favourites and won the day with a team score of 143 points. William Doherty 5C won Category 1 with a fantastic score of 39 points. Thanks to Mr. N. Doherty for accompanying the boys.
For County and Province
Congratulations to our PE teacher Mr. Thompson who was one of only two players from the Donegal Senior Football Team to be selected to represent Ulster at the recent inter-provincial matches to road test the Football Review Committee's rules enhancements. Maith thú, a Chiaráin!
5th Year Art Trip
5th Year Art students recently visited the Creevykeel Court Cairn and the Model Gallery in Sligo as part of their preparations for the visual studies section of the art curriculum. Thanks to Ms. R. Deeney for accompanying the students.
Bake Club
The first after school bake club took place on Friday, 4 October. Students learned how to implement the creaming method by baking raspberry and white chocolate muffins. A very successful first bake club. Well done to all students involved and thanks to Ms. L. Doherty for taking these students after school.
French in Scoil Mhuire
Domhnall Doherty attended a prize-giving in the Belgian embassy for third place in a Belgian Quiz. Felicitations Domhnall. 5th Year French class celebrated European Day of Languages with some French pastries and a quiz. Felicitations to Agueda & Daniela who won first place. LCA French students sampled French cheese during class this week. Bon appetit!
Maths Week 2024
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Maths Week Quiz at Scoil Mhuire. Congratulations to Daisy O'Donnell 5B and Niamh Devlin 3D who won the student quizzes. We also wish to congratulate Ms. Ní Dhochartaigh who won the teachers’ quiz. The Maths Department wishes to thank all students and staff who participated in the quizzes.
Halloween Cupcake Competition
Last Wednesday we held our annual Halloween Cupcake Competition. We were blown away by the culinary and creative skills displayed by our talented students. The judges had a very difficult task of choosing the winners. The overall winner was Sophie McLaughlin 2B. The runners-up was Saoirse Ferguson 1B and Clodagh McDaid 1B. Well done to all the participants and we look forward to seeing more from these students in the future. Many thanks to the home economics department for organising this fantastic event.
Spanish Exchange
Scoil Mhuire is planning the annual exchange to San Sebastian, Spain. Any student in TY or 5th year currently studying Spanish is invited to participate. Full details about the exchange can be found here.
Road Safety Awareness
Our 5th Year students recently attended the RSA road safety event in ATU Letterkenny. Our thanks to their Year Head Mr. Fitzsimons and the other members of staff who accompanied the students to such an important event.
History Trip
Our 3rd year students enjoyed a lovely day recently visiting the Doagh Famine Village as part of their history curriculum. Thanks to Ms. Houghton and SNA Ryan Kelly for accompanying the students.
TY News
First Aid
Our TY students took part in CPR training recently that was facilitated by Buncrana First Responders. The training was really engaging and informative and the energy in the room was brilliant. This lifesaving skill is something that will stay with these students for the rest of their lives.
Changemakers
Our TY Changemakers recently worked on their final speeches. They practiced delivery in front of their peers, focusing on audience engagement, relevant content and telling their story.
Sleepover for Focus Ireland
A massive congratulations to all TYs and their teachers who were involved in the charity sleepover to raise much needed funds for Focus Ireland as part of the charity’s ‘Shine a Light’ campaign to raise awareness and funds for homeless people all over Ireland. They have fundraised a massive €800!
LCA News
Congratulations to our LCA 2 students who recently received outstanding session 2 results. They are now half-way through their LCA course. Well done everyone!
Open Evening 2024
We look forward to meeting prospective parents, guardians and students on Wednesday, November 20th 2024 and showing them the amazing staff, students and facilities that Scoil Mhuire has to offer. More information will be made available closer to the date.
Enrolment
Enrolment for the 2025/2026 school year will commence on Monday, 2 December. Our annual admission notice for 2025/2026 can be found here.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
Our parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) take place once per academic year. The dates for the PTMs as well as other key dates for parents/guardians and students can be found here. If you wish to speak to us about your child’s progress outside of PTMs, please contact the school anytime and we would be delighted to hear from you.
Teachers give valuable feedback at PTMs on a student’s behaviour, academic progress, and their social and emotional development. This allows parent(s)/guardian(s) to support their child’s growth at home.
Attending these meetings fosters a partnership between parent(s)/guardian(s) and teachers. This partnership ensures that both parent(s)/guardian(s) and teachers are aligned in supporting the child on their educational journey.
You will be reminded of your child's PTM by text and via the school app. If you cannot attend please let us know.
Uniform Review 2024/2025
We are currently undertaking a review of our Uniform Policy. Parents and guardians will be invited to participate in this review in due course.
Home School Community Liaison
Coffee Morning
We recently held a very successful coffee morning to welcome some of our new students to the Scoil Mhuire community. Scoil Mhuire is a faith community of welcome and hospitality where Gospel values are lived and where there is special care for those most in need.
Baking Class
Our baking class for parents/guardians which began on October 2nd is still running. Many thanks to Ms. L. Doherty for facilitating the class.
Helping your child with Junior Cycle English
- English for parents of 1st years starts Tuesday 5th November 7pm-9pm
- English for Parents of 2nd years starts Wednesday 6th November 7pm-9pm.
Attendance Matters!
As part of our ongoing efforts to improve school attendance, we will be entering students will full attendance into a draw for a voucher and we will have a separate draw for students with the most improved attendance.
Social Media
Keep up-to-date with the latest news from Scoil Mhuire on our social media accounts.
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Facebook
Instagram
Upcoming Events
| Friday 25 October |
School closes for Mid-Term Break
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| Monday 4 November |
School reopens after Mid-Term Break
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| Monday 4 November - Friday 8 November |
Anti-Bullying Week at Scoil Mhuire
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| Thursday 7 November |
6th Year Parent-Teacher Meeting. 16.15-18.45. 6th Years must attend
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| Monday 11 November - Friday 15 November |
Inclusion Week and Science Week at Scoil Mhuire
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| Thursday 14 November |
3rd Year Parent-Teacher Meeting. 16.15 – 18.45. 3rd Years must attend
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| Monday 18 November |
College Awareness Week at Scoil Mhuire
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| Wednesday 20 November |
Open Day and Open Night for incoming 1st years
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| Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 November |
1st and 5th year Christmas Exams
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Friday 29 November – Tuesday 3 December
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2nd Year Christmas Exams
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| Wednesday 4 December |
School closed for staff training
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| Friday 6 December |
School Trade Fair
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| Thursday 12 December |
1st Year Parent-Teacher Meeting. 16.15-18.45. 1st Years do not attend
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If you have something that you would like featured in our school newsletter, please email micheal.clancy@scoilmhuirebuncrana.ie and we'll do our best to have it included in our next issue.