March 10th 2017

Grandparents Day

2017

The St Colman's Calendar of events is certainly a very busy one! One of the most special and enjoyable events has to be Grandparents Day. For a number of weeks now, Ms Healy has been busy organising this wonderful occasion. Prayers were written, children were chosen to represent every class in the school, phone calls were made to willing grandparents and much more besides. Today, the culmination of all Ms Healy's hard work came to fruition.

At 11am, all children and staff, grandparents, parents and friends gathered in St Paul's Church. Fr Paul began by inviting four students to the altar. Zoe, Dunni, Alfonzo and Lucas welcomed everyone in Irish, Nigerian, Portuguese and Spanish, reflecting the multi-cultural nature of the school. During the Procession of Symbols, pupils accompanied by their grandparent brought symbols of our faith, our time in school and the love we have for each other, to the altar. Students from third to sixth class brought candles to the altar in the Procession of Light. Seventeen candles were brought, one for each class, to remind us of God's light and presence in our lives. Each part of the service was interspersed with beautiful hymns sung by the school choir.

There were some funny moments when some of our younger students spoke of their love for their grandparents and told of the things Granny or Grandad let them do that perhaps Mum and Dad might not know about! There was also a very poignant time when four of our third class students read self penned letters to their grandparents in Heaven. The letters were well written and beautifully read and brought a tear to many eyes. To close the service, the boys and girls from our junior and senior infant classes gathered on the altar to sing a surprise song for all the grandparents present! Afterwards, everyone was invited back to the school for refreshments and a chat. Thanks to Ms Healy for organising this very special event and thanks also to all staff and parents who helped out with teas/coffees, baking and of course the cleaning up. A truly joyous occasion that was enjoyed by all!

March 7th 2017

First Confession

Congratulations to the 68 boys and girls from First Class and the 3 boys and 1 girl from Second Class who made their First Confession tonight in St Paul's Church. I'm sure they're all pleased to have taken the first step on the road to making their First Holy Communion.

February 1st 2017

St Brigid's Day 

Today is St Brigid's Feast Day, also known as Lá Fhéile Bhríde and it marks the first day of Spring. St Brigid was born at Faughart near Dundalk, Co Louth and is one of Ireland's patron saints, along with Patrick and Columba. Although St Brigid may not be as well known as St Patrick, she was one of the most powerful women in Ireland. After refusing an arranged marriage, she went on to found several convents whose schools provided an education for thousands of young women.

One of the traditions associated with St Brigid is to make a St Brigid's Cross from fresh rushes. Some believe that the crosses have the power to protect the owner's home from harm.

Ms Healy's Third Class are pictured below with the St Brigid's Day crosses they made today.

January 30th 2017

Catholic Schools Week

2017

Catholic Schools Week 2017 takes place from January 29th - February 4th. The theme this year is 'Catholic schools: Learning with Pope Francis to care for our common home'. Today and every day this week, students will read prayers over the intercom at a chosen time and the entire school will be joined together in prayer.