Principal’s Address
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Summer 2018 edition of the Presentation Secondary School Newsletter.
Our Mission Statement reminds us that
‘We aim to assist in the development of the full potential of each girl in a pleasant and safe environment, where the dignity of each member of the School community is recognised, affirmed and valued’. It is my sincere hope that we, as a school community, honour that statement every day.
This year marks three hundred years since the birth of Nano Nagle. The Presentation Sisters in New Zealand, Zambia, India, Rhode Island, Manchester and Ireland continue to dedicate their lives to Nano Nagle. We, as a Presentation School are tasked with ensuring that we continue to share the story of Nano Nagle. We have reviewed the roles and responsibilities of our Management and Leadership Team this year and have appointed an Ethos Coordinator who will lead our ethos activities within the school and with the parish.
If you are in Cork City, consider visiting the newly regenerated buildings of the South Presentation Convent and schools, now called Nano Nagle Place, a beautiful heritage, education and spiritual oasis in the heart of Cork City.
This year has been an engaging one on a number of levels. We are embracing the continued roll out of the New Junior Cycle with Classroom Based Assessments and Assessment Tasks. Well-being is now an important aspect of Junior Cycle. We have, over the years, always prioritised well-being activities for our students but the New Junior Cycle has given it a place on the curriculum. This year we took part in an action research project called ‘Forbairt’. The teachers involved reflected on the well-being of their students and classroom culture. We have appointed a Well-being Coordinator to coordinate the various curricular, cocurricular and extracurricular activities. These extracurricular activities have taken on a new importance with the introduction of the ‘Other Areas of Learning’ on the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement Certificate. Students are now being asked to list activities in which they have been involved in, outside of the classroom, over the three years of their Junior Cycle.
The Board of Management met with the Student Council in May. The girls gave a very comprehensive report to the Board. We are very mindful of the importance of student voice in the school. In 2018-2019 we will be looking at ongoing reporting on student progress and assessment. We hope to discuss the systems and structures that we have in place to encourage genuine engagement, offer clear communication on a broad range of achievement and be sensitive to the self-esteem and general well-being of the students.
I am grateful to the Board of Management, Margaret Walsh, Deputy Principal, the teaching staff, Special Needs Assistants, Geraldine, Jayne and Bridie in the office and Johnny Ryan, our Caretaker for their care, commitment and dedication to our school. We are all committed to the Mission Statement which states:
‘We aim to awaken our girls to their true dignity and role as women in present day society. Inspired by these values we dedicate ourselves to the continual development of our Presentation School.’
Kind Wishes Eileen Kennelly
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