A Message For Christmas from Principal, Diane Birnie - Lucan ...
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22 December 2022
A Message For Christmas from Principal, Diane Birnie
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
As we prepare to close the school for a much anticipated Christmas break I
wanted to wish all of our school community, staff, students,
parents/guardians, families and the wider Lucan community a very happy
Christmas. We are all hoping that 2022 will be a better year for us all.
While our usual Christmas concert and face-to-face assembly could
not take place again this year (and we will really missed our parents and
past pupils who regularly attend our Christmas events), Ms. Conway and
team produced a lovely event for our school community which was broadcast using Teams
Live. This was streamed into our classrooms on Wednesday 22nd and students enjoyed it in their
base class with their tutors.
At this time of the year it is usual to remember those we have lost or friends/family
experiencing illness or bereavement. We are thinking of you during this season in a special way.
Please remember that Lucan Community College is a strong, supportive community and we
urge our students and parents to ask for help when needed.
A very big thank you to every staff member running an extra-curricular activity or event. Well
done to students who are getting involved and who step up as leaders in so many ways. It is so
wonderful to have our curricular and extra-curricular programme running so smoothly despite
all of the challenges we are facing. This would not happen without the commitment and
generosity of our wonderful staff. I know you will join me in sending them good wishes to all of
our staff for a happy and restful Christmas.
Thank you parents/guardians for ensuring that your children are attending school regularly and
punctually, in full uniform, with all necessary equipment including a face-mask and with a polite
and positive disposition and readiness to learn.
Thank you students for being so wonderful. In a large organisation such as our school, we will
always have a few challenges and some disagreements, but what outlasts and outshines those
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are the smiling faces and eyes, the words of thanks, the
positive attitude and the many acts of kindness. Keep it up
- we are all very proud of you.
Have a happy, healthy and joyous Christmas and come
back safe and sound and well rested in the New Year.
Diane Birnie (Principal)
Our Year Heads Send A Christmas Message To Students
First Year Head: Ms. Mc Kelvey
Our first-year students have had a very busy first term in Lucan
Community College getting to know a new building, new
subjects, new friends, new teachers and not to mention their
wonderful tutors and Gluais team, and so much more. I would
like to take this opportunity to wish all the first-year students,
their families, their teachers, tutors, Gluais Team and Ms. Brady
a Happy Christmas and safe and healthy Happy New Year. See
you all in 2022.
Second Year Head: Ms. Clarke
Dear Second-Year students.
A very happy and healthy Christmas to you all. It has been a busy term for everyone. Thank you
for being wonderful students and for each of you making our year group so special. It has been a
pleasure working with you and seeing you each day in school. Always remember to stay safe and
be kind to each other over the holidays, which I know you are all looking forward to. Take time
to relax with family and friends over the coming two weeks and always be mindful of looking out
for each other. Thanks for thinking of others and writing the Christmas cards to the elderly in
Lucan. They will be so delighted to receive your lovely Christmas greetings and messages. A
wonderful act of kindness on your part.
It has been great having many of our extra-curricular activities back on track and thanks to all
your teachers for facilitating these engaging events for you. It has put a pep to your step and
made you into a more rounded person by being involved in activities outside the classroom.
Remember it is important for your well-being and has helped many of you socially and is an
opportunity to get to know others in your year group.
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We were fortunate to be able to have a virtual assembly last week. Glad to get to talk to you all.
On behalf of all your wonderful tutors – Ms. Bean, Ms. McGeever, Mr. Mac Grianra, Ms. L. Quirke,
Ms. Flynn, Ms. Healy, Ms. Shannon, Ms. Duggan and Ms. Flanagan and your link Deputy Principal
– Mr Brett, and me, Ms. Clarke your Year-Head…we wish you all a very Happy, fun-filled, and safe
Christmas. See you in January in 2022. We would also like to wish your parents/Guardians a very
Happy Christmas.
Third Year Head: Ms. Casey
Dear 3rd year students,
As we draw closer to the end of the first term, the 3 rd
year management team and I wish to commend you
on your exceptional cooperation with all the Covid
protocols and regulations for Covid 19. It has not
been an easy term but you continue to rise to all the
challenges that you face. Well done 3rd years. It has
been a very busy term for you! We congratulate you
on completing so many CBAs and tests and achieving
such a high standard in your work. You attended,
engaged and gave your best effort. We are proud of
you. I know you and your parents will want to extend
a big thank you to your teachers who gave you huge
support and encouragement throughout the past
months. For a few students who, for whatever
reason, may not have reached their full potential this
term, remember stay focused and don’t give up!
Over the next few weeks, as the mock exams approach, you may want to draw on some of the
tips from the Boost Your Wellbeing workshop that you attended in November. Your teachers
may give you some work or revision to complete over the holidays. Use the time well and try
and keep a balance. You need a break too!
Your reports have been completed and hopefully, by the time you read this, they will be
available on VSware. There were some outstanding results!
We congratulate all of you who competed and participated in extra-curricular activities and we
are very proud of Amy Wade and Aoibhe Fleming as they compete at international level.
Congratulations also, to Sophie Rankin who was selected to play in the U18 national soccer
team. A brilliant goalie. Very inspiring young ladies!
We look forward to meeting 3rd year parents at the PT meeting on 25th January 4.15-6.45pm (it
will probably be online).
Mocks commence 31st January for two weeks and we wish all students , 3rd and 6th years, the
very best of luck.
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We wish Ms. Mc Kelvey much luck in her new role as 1st Yr year head. We thank her for her
outstanding contribution to the team over the past years. We know class Gonzalez will miss
her.
A big welcome to Ms. Gregory and Mr. O’ Donnell who have joined the team.
Finally, a big thank you for your good humour, care and kindness towards each other. That’s all
that really matters in the long run.
Have a lovely break.
Happy Christmas from your tutors, Ms. Byrne, Ms. Clifford, Ms.
Conway, Ms. Gaffney, Ms. O’Gara, Ms. Cunningham, Ms. Mulhern, Ms.
McCarthy, Ms. Gregory, Mr. O’ Donnell, your DP Ms. Malone and me.
Transition Year Head: Mr. Grimes
It has been a very busy term for our Transition Year students. They
have been participating in a wide variety of activities and events. The
long list includes: Team Building Activity hosted by Team Works,
Radio Broadcasting Activity, Reptile Workshops, Tenderfoot
Information & Placements, Group Trip to Causey Farm in Co. Meath,
Online German Exchange, Work Experience Session 1, Develop Me
Activity, Language Connects Activity, Poetry Slam Workshop, Urban
Orienteering, Voluntary Community Work Placements,
Supplementary Work Experience Opportunities, Microsoft Office
Training and numerous Extra Curricular Activities.
A huge thank you to Ms. Higgins for organising and co-ordinating such a fantastic programme in
challenging times and to the tutor team for all their work and encouragement. Thanks also to
the teachers who deliver such a varied curriculum and well done to all our students who engage
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas.
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Fifth Year Head: Mr. Carey
Sixth Year Head: Mr. O’Connor
We have completed the first term of your final year in Lucan CC. We are glad to say that it has
been a positive and productive term for most of you. We can look forward with confidence to
the mocks coming up at the end of January as an opportunity to show the great work that has
been done by teachers and students.
We have posted some key advice from the recent Brainbox workshops regarding how to best
approach study and preparing for exams, it may be useful to refresh your thoughts in relation
to this. Essentially the advice is to have a plan, a study strategy and to maintain a balance
between the need to prepare for the exam and to look after your well-being. The focus on well-
being is particularly important given the difficult circumstances in which we have worked over
the last two years.
So, very best wishes for this Christmas season to one and all. We look forward welcoming you
back refreshed and ready to face into the new year with positivity and confidence.
The Sixth Year Management Team
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Term One From Our Student Journalists!
1st Year
Report by Ben Graham and Aisling Fleming
We were all very nervous starting into first year. It got a lot better once we got used to
everything around us and got to know our teachers’ names. It can take a little while to settle in,
but when you do it's not as bad as you think. Taking part in extra-curricular activities really
helps!
In the first few days we were given a tour of the school and got our locker keys. We also got to
decorate the doors of our classrooms. We had some great events in our first term including the
TEAMWORKS workshop, the movie day and the non-uniform day for Stand-Up week. We also
got to wear our Christmas jumpers on the last day of term!
We have been here for nearly four months now and have just
finished our Christmas exams. It has been great the way
members of staff check in on you every now and then and
make sure you are not being overwhelmed or swamped by
work . Thanks to all the people who have helped us settle in –
teachers, parents, all school staff and of course the Gluais
team. Starting secondary school can be challenging but Lucan
CC is a great school and it feels like we have been here for
more than just four months. We are definitely part of Lucan CC
now!
2nd Year
Report by Bobby Laycock and Ben Heffernan
That’s all the Christmas tests done now! The first term was very busy for 2nd years – both inside
and outside the classroom. Many of us have been working on our Classroom Based
Assessments. One of these CBA’s involves doing a tapestry for Home Economics. Outside the
classroom there have been plenty of extra-curricular activities. Some of these activities are
soccer and basketball. Our Year Head, Ms. Clarke does
Badminton with us every Tuesday lunchtime in the
hall. Some of us have also been doing step aerobics on
Friday mornings at 8:20! There is still time to get
involved in extra-curricular activities so talk to the
relevant teacher. Thanks to our Year Head, tutors and
all teachers and staff of Lucan CC.
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3rd Year Recap!
Report by Róisín Duddy and Annabell Nabulele
It’s off to a good start for 3rd years here at LCC. With CBAs, exams
and extra-curricular activities, this term the students have been
continuously working hard towards their Junior Cert. Our
geography CBA was on Geography in the news. We got to research
natural disasters and understand their geographical significance.
Bushfires, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and more were all
featured in our class’s CBAs. The history CBA was titled the past is
my place. This CBA was particularly interesting as we got to
research our local or family history. We found loads of primary
sources such as maps, census records and photographs in our
research that helped us link ourselves to our past. Lucan Demain,
Lucan Spa hotel and the very church that is featured on our school’s
crest, St. Finian's, were among the topics chosen.
Our Business CBA helped us to develop our speaking and
presentation skills. It was fascinating to discover more about the
entrepreneurs we chose. Science CBAs were varied throughout
our year. Some classes did a research project while other classes
did reports on experiments. Luckily, nothing exploded! (That we
know of anyways). There were many other CBAs during this
term, such as Art, Tech Graphics, Technology, and Woodwork.
After Halloween, 3rd years had their November assessments.
They went on for a week. It was good to get feedback from our
teachers on our progress this term.
Extra-curricular activities were not neglected, with a wide range
of sports and clubs adding variation to our daily routines.
Basketball, hockey, GAA, football, athletics, choir, and other
activities related to the upcoming Christmas concert video made
our first term of third year an enjoyable experience. Some of our
third years have also been taking part in a video to welcome
incoming first years! The video will be released in the upcoming
weeks. We wish 3rd years a lovely well-deserved Christmas
break! Thanks to all our teachers for teaching us, helping with
subjects, extra-curricular and more.
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Transition Year
Report by Akeisha Craig
We had lots of great activities during the first term – workshops, work experience, trips etc. but
the Transition Year musical is always one of the highlights of the year. The TY musical
practice for 2022 has begun and it’s been a ball so far!
The students auditioned a few weeks ago for characters from the musical, “Little Shop of
Horrors” including Audrey, Seymour and Mr. Mushnik and since then we’ve been singing
and acting with Ms Conway and dancing with Ms Geraghty.
Practice every week has been great fun and we can't wait to keep it going after Christmas! A big
thanks to Ms. Conway and Ms. Geraghty for organising the production and making sure
everyone enjoys it.
Here are some pictures of the students dancing and enjoying the festive spirit with great energy
and style!
5th Year
Report by Jessica Power
The Fifth Years have been very busy the past few weeks!!! Their
Christmas Exams were on over a span of two weeks, but now that
stressful time is over!!! Some of our Fifth Year Students taking part in
the BTYSTE, Jessica Power, Keelah Sisk, and Clodagh McDonnell,
organised a bike clinic, in an attempt to promote cycling to school.
This was all with the help of fellow students Oran Fitton, James
Talbot, Conor Walsh, and Luke Trunk!
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Some of the Fifth Year students have also been helping out
with this year’s Christmas Carol Service, organised by Ms.
Conway, and it was great to hear how much each class
enjoyed listening to it with their tutors.
Other Fifth Years are working away so that they can achieve
their Silver Gaisce Award, and they 5th Year Gluais Team have
been organising lots of fun events for the first years!
6th Year
Report by Caoimhe Corrigan
The first term of sixth year was strange but exciting. In spite of semi-suffocation from wearing
masks seven hours a day we have all settled in well. Our year head Mr. O’Connor organised a
well-being study seminar. This was really helpful to us. Once supervised study began many of us
got started on our preparation for our Leaving Cert exam. The strive for good grades appeared
again as we completed our November Assessments and prepared for the parent-teacher
meetings.
As much as sixth year is an academic focused year we
also wen on class trips. This was a brief but refreshing
break from all the work. In October Biology students
went to Dublin Zoo. This was to help with our Science
studies – and see the adorable penguins!!
Geography classes went on a field trip to Kippure . This
helped us learn more about our Geography course and
was also quite good fun – a good combination!
As the first term comes to a close and Christmas approaches all sixth year students and their
teachers deserve a break. Stay safe, enjoy yourselves and enjoy!
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Other News From Lucan CC
Transition Year Leisure Pursuits
Our TY Leisure Pursuits class were very fortunate to take part in a boxing programme organised
by Ms. Geraghty and led by Ed Griffin from Esker Boxing Club. This gave all students a once off
opportunity to acquire new skills, develop technique and improve their fitness levels. The TY
students involved were excellent, maintaining a positive energy each week and showing real
talent and potential in their skills and abilities. They pushed themselves each week and were a
credit to themselves and to LCC.
Last Friday they were presented with their well-earned medals and certificates. A big thank you
to teacher Ms. Geraghty and to Ed for providing this experience for the students. They
thoroughly enjoyed it and gained new skills from this exciting programme.
10Know Your Rocks
Winners from the "Know your Rocks Quiz" were Holly, Mirela and Nathan.
After completing their studies on Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks, class Valentia
had great fun guessing the classification of rocks Ms. Gallagher had on display. A fun way to
learn indeed! Thanks to Ms. Gallagher for making sure that Geography class rocks!!!
11BTYSE Bicycle Clinic
Well done to Clodagh McDonnell, Jessica Power and Keelah Sisk, 5th Year students who were
involved in the BTYSTE Bicycle Clinic Initiative on Thursday 16th December 2021. These
entrepreneurs are trying to promote students to use 'green methods' to travel to school and
hence to decrease the amount of Nitrogen Dioxide which is emitted from car exhaust fumes.
Nitrogen Dioxide is a major source of pollution to the atmosphere and our lungs. The students'
project which has been accepted for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is
entitled 'How the Pandemic has Positively Affected the Air Quality in Lucan and What We can
Do to Sustain these Levels'.
We wish these students the very best of luck over the next few weeks as they prepare for the
virtual exhibition in January 2022. They would like to thank all the staff and students at LCC for
supporting their project and a special acknowledgement to Oran Fitton, James Talbot and
Conor Walsh who assisted greatly in the servicing of student bicycles. Well done to all and
thanks to teachers Ms. Healy and Ms. Walsh!
12Christmas Art
Our first year students have hung their personalised Christmas decorations courtesy of the Art
department on the trees in the memorial garden making the school even more cheerful this
year. Wishing everyone a Merry and Bright Christmas from all the first year team!
Ms. Byrne's first years also tried their hand at some sculpture making Christmas ornaments
after completing their self-portraits! Highly talented group, excited to see how their work
progresses next term!
Ms. Byrne's Second year Art class have also been busy making Winter inspired sculptures
and tea lights, excellent work being produced by the students. Well done! Thanks to
teachers Ms. McKeever and Ms. Byrne,
13Celebrating Human Rights Day. Report by Ruby Crocker-Dunne
December 10th was world Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the signing of the UN
declaration of Human rights and the Lucan CC Amnesty group, consisting of senior students,
organised a variety of activities to celebrate the day.
Senior students and RE dept took part in Amnesty Global Write for Rights campaign, taking action
in solidarity with 4 young people, Janna Jihad, Rung Panusaya, Mikita Zalatarou and Ciham Ali.272
letters/messages of support were written and sent off to the embassies of each of the countries
that the activists are from. The campaign was continued on the groups’ Instagram and twitter
accounts.
1st yr CSPE students and the CSPE dept raised awareness of the declaration of human rights,
through the “ Shine a light on human rights” candle competition. Students designed classes in
their CSPE class. Winners were Rachel Jez, Class Valentia, Nadia Malinska, Class Dalkey, Joint
winners from Elsie Morrison and Andrew Condron from Class Clare, Piotr Majchrzak, Class Ratlin,
Pratibha Sing, Class Achill and Ruby Colgan, Class Toraigh.
Thank you to all who participated and to the LucanCC Amnesty group for organizing.
This reflection was read on the day over the intercom by Rebecca and Joel.
“We would like now to reflect on these comments on human rights spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt,
who was key in creating the Un Declaration.
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places close to home, so close and
so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world, yet they are the world of the
individual person: the neighbourhood he lives in: the school or college he attends: the factory,
farm or office where he works, such are the places where every man woman and child seeks
equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.
Unless these rights have meaning there they have little meaning anywhere, without concern
citizens action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger
world”.
A huge thanks to teacher Ms. Mc Carthy and the Amnesty Team for organising these events.
These photographs give us an insight into the celebration of Human Rights in Lucan Community
College:
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Transition Year Maths
Ms. Suttle’s Transition Year Maths class put their maths knowledge to good use this week! The
students went outside in early morning to capture some images. They used the golden (1.618) to
make the most of their photographs. The students made sure that the sections of the photograph
were split in this ratio - this makes it look in proportion and is an easy guide to taking good photos.
Thanks to Ms. Suttle for showing students one more way to use maths in everyday life!
Beautiful photographs taken by Transition Year students
16Message from St. Vincent de Paul
We recently held our annual secret bag collection for St.Vincent de Paul. It was lovely to receive
this message from Betty Burke of St. Vincent de Paul:
“Thank you so much to all the student's in the Community College who so generously helped
the Saint Vincent de Paul again this year. It was a great privilege to accept the money and the
beautiful hampers, it will certainly make a difference to the families we serve. You should be
very proud of yourselves, we are. On behalf of the Vincent de Paul I would like to wish each and
every one of you a very Happy Christmas, keep safe and keep up with the good work you do,
Betty Burke”
Christmas Concert. Report by Ruby-Rose O’Hara
On the last day of term we were all treated to a wonderful Christmas Event. The weeks of
preparation were very clear as we all sat in our Tutor Rooms with our tutors to watch the magic
unfold. There were fantastic pieces from the Lucan CC choir and some amazing soloists . When
the Choir sang Winter Song they were really amazing! It was great to see so many teachers and
members of our wider Lucan CC family take part. The music, Art Work and spoken messages did
much to fill us all with great joy!.
I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! But don’t take my word for it – why not pop along to
our school website and watch it for yourself here
Many thanks to all who took part and especially to teacher Ms. Conway who worked so hard to
co-ordinate it all.
17Best Wishes to the entire Lucan CC community for Christmas
and New Year. We leave you with a look back in pictures at the
first term of 2021-2022 in Lucan Community College.
The next edition of the Newsletter will be published on Wednesday
19th January, 2022.
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