A Chairde, tá súil agam go raibh briseadh taitneamhach agaibh ar fad agus go bhfuil sibh réidh agus ag tnúth leis an téarma deireanach. Táim ag iarraidh eolas tábhachtach a roinnt libh anseo faoin téarma ós ár gcomhair.
Tomorrow we will face into the final term of the 22/23 school year and we want to draw your attention to a number of important matters before the term begins.
Eide Scoile-Uniform
We have sent a number of reminders and information texts regarding our school uniform and while the majority are adhering to our uniform policy, a minority are unfortunately not as compliant. Students are permitted to wear their sports uniform on-
- Days of double PE or when Oide Dearan tells our Junior students that they can wear it for the single class also.
- Days when your son or daughter have a game or event in any sport with the school.
- A day like a sports day or the day of a specific school event but these are obviously rare.
Apart from those days students are expected to wear the full uniform. We are very proud of our uniform and the design of it in GCM and the rules we have allow students to wear the sport’s uniform for at least one day a week and the normal uniform for the other days. Our policy on trousers was changed a few years ago to allow girls wear the trousers if they wish. If your son/daughter are asking you to write them notes with an excuse to allow them to wear their sports clothes we are appealing to parents not to do this. Notes with various excuses wont be accepted anymore, if some unusual or unforeseen situation arises parents will have too ring the school to discuss and explain. Any students not adhering to the uniform policy will be placed on detention and parents will be contacted and asked to bring the proper uniform into school. As an extra note on this if people have uniforms at home that are now too small we would be happy to take them into school to have as spares and to offer to incoming students or students looking to move up in sizes. We appreciate your support on this matter.
Vápáil-Vaping
Vaping is a growing habit in the country particularly among young people. In the last year the Government changed the law to make it illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase vapes or e-cigarettes. Unfortunately this law hasn’t had the desired effect as teenagers and children the length and breath of the country are still acquiring vapes and vaping with them. Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, and there is still much that is unknown about the long-term health effects of this behaviour. However, we do know that vaping can have serious consequences for young people, particularly those who are still developing physically. Schools are finding it very difficult to deal with students who bring vapes to school and who vape on school grounds and indeed GCM is struggling with this issue for the past few months.
Some male and female students are vaping in the toilets of the school and for obvious reasons we are finding it very difficult to deal with this problem as toilets are a supervision blind spot. While it is important to acknowledge that the majority of students aren't involved in anyway with vaping we are eager to deal with the students who are.
The chemicals found in e-cigarettes and vaping products can damage the lungs, cause respiratory issues, and lead to long-term health problems. Furthermore, the use of vaping products in school toilets presents an additional risk as it compromises the cleanliness and safety of our facilities. We believe that our school toilets should be a clean and safe environment for all students, and vaping in these spaces undermines this principle.
As a school, we take our duty of care towards our students very seriously, and we are committed to addressing this issue in a proactive and constructive manner. We will be working with our staff and students to increase awareness of the dangers of vaping and to ensure that our school policies are enforced consistently and fairly.
We urge parents to discuss this issue with their children and to discourage them from vaping or using e-cigarettes. We also ask that parents monitor their children's behaviour and report any concerns they may have to the school.
Any students found to be vaping or with vaping paraphernalia on them in school will be suspended immediately as per our Polasai Smachta- Code of Behaviour.
We believe that by working together, we can create a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter and look forward to your ongoing support.
Lá Céiliúradh -Celebration day.
To date the 22/23 school year has been arguably the most successful school year we have ever had in GCM on many fronts and we still have a term to go. We are currently planning a day of celebration to mark and celebrate our achievements this year - most notably our outstanding All-Ireland successes in Soccer and Debating. This will happen towards the end of the school year and we are currently finalising the details.
An Foirgneamh Nua - Our New school building
My time has been dominated in the last few weeks with negotiations and discussions with TDs and representatives from the Department of Education around our new school building project. Thankfully as you may have seen on the news an initial nationwide pause on new building projects has now been lifted and our project is back on track to begin construction in the coming months. We are very excited to finally see this project progressing and eagerly await the day when the sod is turned on what will be an extremely modern and well equipped educational facility that will rival anything of its kind in the country. Please click the link below to view some images from the plans.
Foirgneamh nua GCM
I thank you for taking the time to read through this information and I thank you sincerely for your ongoing support.
Míle buíochas agus le meas i gconaí,
Tony Ó Murchú
Príomhoide