One month to go...exam classes in their final flurry of study to face into the trials and tribulations of June and exam season. Meanwhile, there is sunshine to be enjoyed, tours to be embarked upon, graduations to be planned and ice-creams to be licked. May is always a busy month in schools!
We were absolutely delighted to achieve the status of
Champion School of Sanctuary at the start of the month. The monitoring committee, headed by Sive O'Connor from
Schools of Sanctuary Ireland, and including Aidan Harte and Roisín Birch from
University of Galway, Paul Fallon from
Galway City Council, Tara Broderick from
Galway Educate Together Secondary School and Cathy Joyce from
Galway City Partnership, were very impressed with our presentation, highlighting all the hard work our Schools of Sanctuary committee, under the excellent guidance of Ms. Maura Geoghegan, have put in over the last couple of years in order to demonstrate that our school is indeed a welcoming sanctuary for the diverse range of students we have.
The monitoring featured presentations from our students, including some lovely cultural music and dancing from Africa, Ukraine and a wonderful rendition of Grace from first year student Amy O'Donovan. Our Home Economics Department, under the watchful eye of Ms. Caoimhe Dowling, really pushed the boat out with some delicious home baked treats featuring the cultural cuisine of many of the countries represented by our student bakers.
Our principal Ms. Betty Hernon, spoke about the way we unite as a school, enveloping the many different cultural backgrounds we encompass, Ms. Claire McLaughlin gave a very informative talk about our Neurodiverse students and our Sonas ASD units, while Ms. Fionnula MacAonghusa spoke enthusiastically about the work the Behaviour for Learning initiative does for students with difficulties. We were also delighted to have Ms. Marta Wilczynsko as a representative of our Parents' and Guardians' association.
Our school caters to a very diverse cohort of students, with a very caring and involved staff, and we in CMMG are delighted to accept the award on their behalf.
A massive thank you to All Star Security, who sponsored gear for the lads, as well as funding their expenses for the trip to Dublin. Hugely appreciated
Our senior and intermediate athletes enjoyed a sunny day out at the South Connacht T&F finals at Dangan, with quite a few qualifying for the Connacht finals. Next up were the minor and juniors, where there was again some excellent performances on the day
The Transition Year students recently participated in an overnight visit to Petersburg. The activities undertaken included kayaking, swimming, a boat ride on Lough Mask and a lakeside campfire, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed by the students. We extend our sincere appreciation to Ms. Stephanie Duane, Ms. Jackie Dockery, Ms. Sybil Sheridan, and Ms. Liz Loftus for their dedicated supervision of this trip
Twenty six creative and enthusiastic students participated at SciFest hosted by
Atlantic Technological University, representing CMMG with thirteen projects from various science disciplines. Every single one of them received high praise from the judges for their interest, and the communication skills they portrayed in outlining and explaining their work.
To top it all off we also emerged with some prizes, making it a very successful day for science in CMMG. The SciFest Chemistry award was won by fifth year students Tiffany Djoukang, Julia Matysik and Ada Axenti, who won over the judges with their use of an Iodine Clock to measure the effectiveness of various drinks and juices as anti-oxidants. First year students Liya Walsh and Crystal Quinn followed up their BTYSTE success when taking the second place prize in the EirGrid Cleaner Climate category with their project investigating the abilities of Moss to act as an electricity producer. Another very successful first year student was Muhammed Ashir Anwar whose brilliant project, NeuroSync, where he designed a special headband programmed for the early detection of strokes and seizures, won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices award, and the opportunity to present his project in the national finals next September.
For many of our students this was their first time competing at this level, and hopefully will be the start of many more. Well done to each one, and their teachers for all the guidance and help over the past few weeks while they prepared their projects, and all at
SciFest and ATU for their organisation of the event
Class 2B recently undertook a visit to the incredibly interesting and historic Forthill Cemetery. We extend our sincere gratitude to the caretaker, Mr. Tony McDonagh, for his kind assistance in facilitating this visit for our students
Meanwhile, Our third year students enjoyed a great trip to Dublin as part of their history studies. While there they enjoyed a ...
Tour of the National Museum of Ireland where we learned about the Vikings & role of the archaeologist
Tour of Glasnevin Cemetery where we learned about everything from the Famine to the Free state. Students visited graves and learned about prominent Irish figures like Eamon De Valera, Countess Markievicz, Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, and most importantly... Michael Collins!!
and, finally, an extensive shopping trip in Liffey Valley
The students were highly complimented and represented the school very well. Their super history teachers, Ms. Gallagher and Ms. Loughnane are super proud of their subject knowledge and interest
A huge thank you to Bridget Cullagh in the Physics Department of the
University of Galway for hosting our fifth and sixth year Physics students for a lab session on Thursday. Bridget has been so supportive of our school and students down through the years. The students had a fantastic morning, and they were delighted with the learning experience.
Representatives of our student body travelled to DCU on Wednesday to take part in a Ceist Student Leadership Conference. The students heard stories based on this year’s theme Creating Community and participated in workshops to hear all the great work happening by students and student councils right across the country.
We conducted some STEAM workshops with Junior Achievement Ireland programme Futurewize with 2nd Years. The delivering volunteer was Colomba Vellotti who works with Mathworks.
In the first session, students worked together to build the fastest rocket!
In the second, they learned about renewable energies and endothermic/exothermic reactions, using baking soda, vinegar and water to make a chemical reaction releasing Carbon dioxide to power their rocket
Then, in the third, they played a health and wellbeing board game.
The students really enjoyed their sessions, which were brilliantly organised and really well delivered.
Our Transition Year Students, Zofia Gorska and Oliver Suniar recently attended the ‘Thomas Francis Meagher Foundation’ Flag Day Award Winners Lunch in Leinster House at the invitation of
Senator Mark DalyThey were presented with an award for Best Social Media production recognising their contribution to promoting pride and respect in our National Flag.
They were honoured to enjoy this Lunch in the Company of
Cllr Níall McNelis , Deputy Mayor of Galway City and Martina Harrison Kinane Cathaoirleach of Galway County.
Marian Shrine| May is the month of our Blessed Mother Mary
Special thanks to Shauna, Martin, Lillian and Deniza for their diligent efforts in cleaning the Marian shrine located on the school grounds. Your commitment to maintaining this sacred space is commendable and deeply appreciated
Our first year cohort got great mileage (literally!) Out of the good weather as they made their way to the summit of Diamond Hill. Great fun had by all on a fantastic day out, well done to yearheads Ms MacAonghusa and Mr. Bell for organising it all,and to the teachers who accompanied them
Wellbeing Active Week
In the middle of May students enthusiastically engaged in a variety of activities, designed to get them up and moving about. These included spirited games of rounders and soccer, games of no mans land, obstacle courses, plank challenge, revitalising stretching exercises and invigorating walks on our beautiful school grounds, and to the adjacent Millennium Park, while our First Year students undertook a climb of the magnificent Diamond Hill with their Year Heads on Thursday. We finished the week with a competitive game of dodgeball where 1B took on the Leaving Certs. The beautiful weather undoubtedly enhanced the enjoyment of these events.
The benefits of such active engagement extend beyond mere physical exertion, significantly contributing to overall wellbeing. Participation in physical activity is known to reduce stress, elevate mood, improve sleep patterns and enhance cognitive function. Furthermore, engaging in outdoor activities, particularly within natural environments such as our grounds, Millennium Park and Connemara National Park offers additional advantages for mental health, fostering a sense of calm, reducing anxiety and promoting a greater connection with the natural world. The opportunity to move and breathe fresh air can lead to increased energy levels and a more positive outlook.
The Wellbeing Team is to be commended for their invaluable assistance in organising and facilitating this enriching week. Their dedication has undoubtedly contributed to the positive impact on our students' physical and mental health.
Although we brought a very small team, we had considerable success for our athletes at the Connacht Championships, coming away with two golds and two silver medals, with three qualified for the All Irelands which will be held in Tullamore at the start of June. Senior athlete Lemar Lucciano Gabriel captured both the senior 100m and 200m, recording phenomenally fast times of 10.83 and 21.91s respectively. Mahmoud Diarrasouba finished a close 2nd in the Intermediate 200m, while Joshua Kawekwone took the silver medal in the Junior 100m. There were also good runs from Odhran Mooney Johnstone and Yanis Toussenou. Best of luck to each one in Tullamore.
Our second years a wonderful day out in Eile Mental Activity Park in Furbo ...laser tagging, frisbee throwing and enjoying the sunshine
What a fantastic day we had when students and teachers from schools around Galway city and county gathered in the grounds of
CMM Galway for the second staging of the Galway Bay League. It was a wonderful celebration of achievement, caring and friendship, highlighting nothing but positivity.
The day brought together an extraordinary group of people from Autism Classes and Moderate Learning Difficulty Classes, with the students participating in a range of diverse activities, from penalty shooting to sack racing, wheelchair basketball to frisbee discus, badminton to wellie throwing. Students then gathered for deserved refreshments in the canteen, before attending their medal ceremony recognising their brilliant achievements.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so successful, with a particular shout out to our wonderful fifth years and staff who made everyone feel so welcome and included
Our LC Graduation ceremony was a great celebration of what you have brought to our school, of your talents and personalities, of your achievements and success.
We wish the class of 2025 the very best of luck with your chosen path as you leave us and head off out into the world, following in the footsteps of so many who have gone on before you.
We have enjoyed your company, your wit, your enthusiasm and your commitment to our school, and will miss you in our classrooms, our corridors, our canteen and around the grounds.
We truly hope that you have enjoyed your time in CMM (and before that in St. Mary's College and Our Lady's College!!), we hope you have made friends that will stand by you on your various journeys, we hope that you have built memories that will let you smile out loud when they hit home, and we hope that although there were some times when you were frustrated you will come to realize that schooldays were actually not that bad!
Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, grab life and enjoy every minute of it.
A message from our BOM
The Board of Management of Coláiste Muire Matháir has announced the appointment of Ms Claire Mac Loughlin as the College’s new principal.
Ms Mac Loughlin is a Galway native who spent much of her twenty-five-year teaching career in Dublin. During this time, she served in various leadership roles. Claire is an experienced teacher with multiple qualifications in educational leadership and coaching.
Welcoming the appointment Bishop Duignan co-patron of the College with CEIST said “I would like to thank Ms Betty Hernon for her leadership of the college since its foundation and wish her well in her retirement. I welcome the appointment of Ms Mac Loughlin and pray that her evident enthusiasm for education and her commitment to the faith inspired ethos and spirit of Coláiste Muire Matháir will deeply enrich the college during the years ahead. I very much look forward to working with her. May God bless her and be with her on the road ahead.”
Ms Siobhan Quinn, Chairperson of the Board of Management expressed the excitement of the college community in welcoming “Claire to our Senior Leadership. Claire brings a clear vision, a deep commitment to our Catholic ethos and to student success. We look forward to working with her and the dedicated staff of the school to continue building and inclusive, supportive and academically excellent school environment for the students under our care. On behalf of the Board of Management I wish to thank our outgoing Principal Ms Betty Hernon for her excellent leadership of the college since its inception.”
Speaking after the announcement Ms MacLoughlin said: “It is an honour to lead such a dedicated and talented team. Here at Coláiste Muire Matháir, our aim is to nurture and challenge our students and contribute to the creation of a society where everyone is valued and respected for their own contribution. I look forward with excitement to the journey ahead and have the utmost confidence that we will continue to build a centre of educational excellence in the heart of Galway City.”
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ms. Claire Mac Loughlin as the incoming principal for
CMM Galway. Claire will take up her position at the start of our next school year and we very much look forward to working and learning under her leadership. Congratulations Claire!