As most of you are aware the Leaving Certificate results arrived in the school on Tuesday. The majority of students were very happy with their results. Most students achieved adequate points for their college and career choices. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all involved. A major thanks to your teachers and your families who supported you on your journey through The Mon.
There will be some changes to staff next year. Ms. A. Walsh and Mr. J. Kiely have both retired. I would like to acknowledge both of them for their contributions to the school over the past number of years. We will be joined by Mr. C. Stephenson, Ms. M. Shostak and Mr. R. O’Brien, who we welcome with open arms. You may be aware that Mr. Mitchell will be out of school for a short while. In the period of his absence Ms. Barry will be taking up the reins as Deputy Principal. I wish her well in her new role in the knowledge that she will be an excellent addition to the senior management team in the school.
We will also be joined by a new student cohort. We are welcoming fifty-seven students into First Year, two students into Second Year and two new students into Transition Year. If you are aware of any students looking for a school place for next year, we have places available in most year groups subject to potential students meeting the entry criteria.
Last year we introduced a series of changes to our administration department. As a result we expect all payments to be paid through pay path (with exceptions for school tours depending on the organisers). Please ensure that you have set up your account correctly and paid the appropriate fees as we will be unable to distribute books etc to students who have not settled their accounts.
We also introduced Vsware to the school. Parents will be given access to this service at the start of the year. This will allow parents access to large amounts of data relating to their children. We will discontinue texts home if a student is absent as you will be able to check attendance records on your own account. In the event any parent/guardian would like to be informed by text please inform the office.
We will be starting the development of our all-weather sports facility in the next few days. We have allocated a room to be used as an exercise suite where students may do their PE classes during inclement weather. I would like to thank Ms. Moriarty and Mr. F. O’Brien for their effort in getting this room ready.
At the commencement of my second year as Principal of your school, I would like to thank everybody for their support over the past year. Please God we can all continue to work together for the continued success of the school in terms of student outcomes.
Mick Walsh