As the Christmas holiday period approaches, the Met Office has forecast sub-zero conditions again over the weeks ahead.

Last year many schools experienced the inconvenience of suffering frost damage to heating systems and water pipes.

We have compiled some basic advice for schools on best practice to prevent damage and disruption to your school over the coming Christmas Holiday period.

It has been a widely shared desire when a teacher joins a CEIST school that we would offer them a form of induction experience that would deepen their awareness of the special kind of school they have joined.

We are happy to have reached a position where we can now offer a Welcome Forum to teachers new to our schools. Our office has been in contact with schools to determine the numbers of teachers who have joined the network of CEIST schools since 2009. We are gratified at the welcome our principals have given to this initiative and we are confident that it will be a valuable and formative experience for our teachers.

We hope that new teachers take this opportunity to join us at the Sheraton Athlone Hotel on January 21st when we are providing a welcome forum, to inform staff about the CEIST Trust, roles and responsibilities as well as the Catholic Voluntary sector into the future.

On January 27th 2012 CEIST will be hosting a national seminar on Catholic school leadership at Renehan Hall, Maynooth College.

The presenter is Dr. Ronald Nuzzi who is Director of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) School Leadership Programme at The University of Notre Dame.

The title of Dr. Ronald's seminar is "Raising the bar in Catholic school leadership".

It is our hope that a broad representation of our Trust including Trust members, Board Directors, School Principals, Chairpersons of Boards of Management, Board members and others will be able to attend what promises to be a challenging and rewarding experience.

Show Racism the Red Card is calling for teachers, tutors and youth workers to register their groups to participate in the Anti- Racism Creative Competition 2012. Deadline for entries will be the last Friday of February. The competition is open to primary and secondary schools and also youth services and youthreach centres. An awards presentation will take place in the AVIVA stadium in April.

Once a school registers, the Show Racism the Red Card DVD with links to the 28 page education pack, downloadable interactive activities and other resource material will be forwarded which will help the school promote learning around racism in the school. When the young people have watched the DVD, they will then be challenged to create their own written, visual or audiovisual piece arising from the themes of the DVD.

The CEIST Faith Development team have added some resources for advent to the CEIST website, which we hope you will both enjoy viewing and find useful.

On Monday 12th December 2011 the Sisters of Mercy – and the Mercy “family” throughout the world celebrated 180 years since the Foundation Day of the Congregation.

It was on this day 180 years ago that Catherine McAuley, together with Mary Anne Doyle and Elizabeth Harley, took their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, in George’s Hill in Dublin.

On Saturday 19th November, the religious magazine 'Reality' presented Sr. Assumpta Collins with a 'Special Recognition Award'.

The Award was given to Sr. Assumpta in recognition of her many years promoting the Redemptorist magazine Reality.

In presenting the Award, Fr. Gerard Moloney, Editor of Reality, said: "Redemptorist Communications relies on a large network of volunteers throughout Ireland to help promote and sell Reality".

The community of Mercy Sisters in Charleville, Co. Cork are celebrating 175 years of the sisters in Charleville this year.

There was a capacity congregation at Holy Cross Church for the special Mass on the last Friday in October to celebrate the coming of the Mercy Order to Charleville 175 years ago.

Presentation Secondary School celebrated their 140th Anniversary in Ballingarry on November 21st.

A Mass was celebrated in the school attended by past, present, Principals, Deputies, Staff and Students.

On Thursday 1st of December six students from the Presentation Secondary School, Waterford received the Presidents silver Gaisce award at the Bru Boru Centre in Cashel.

This award was presented by Lt. Commandant Roberta O’Brien, Cork woman of the year.

The 6th year students who received this prestigious award were Vikki Caulfield, Tara Fennelly, Tara Mooney, Jenna Norris, Aimee O’Neill and Emma Walsh.

On a Cape Town site where snakes slither in the grass, the school crest from Cork’s Mount Mercy College now graces one of the houses completed by the volunteers with the Niall Mellon Township Trust.

Students Niamh O’Shea, Aoife Brady, Eimear O’Callaghan and Grace Kelleher recall, in diary format, a recent week spent with their teacher Alex Savage in the township of Witsand.

The girls joined over 600 volunteers in building 165 houses.

St Mary’s College in Naas is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.

Celebrations occurred during the week of the 19th - 23rd September.

St Mary’s college in Naas celebrated its 75th anniversary on that week with a number of events to mark the occasion.

Our Lady of Mercy College, Beaumont, Dublin has very kindly shared the following recent news and events within the school.

The school celebrated their International Day and also held a School Market Day.

St Mary's Secondary School, Mallow, Co. Cork kindly shared with us the following student achievements.

Caoimhe McGuane was recently awarded an Entrance Scholarship to UCC based on her outstanding Leaving Cert results in St Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow.

Nicole Murphy from Dromahane and Karen O’Leary were among the top 6 students out of 3,200 students in Ireland to achieve the best Leaving Cert Applied results.