What a super bunch of 5th years I have – it’s a small group but they are all working well on our topic of ‘morality’. Adam, Auguste, Cormac, Darragh, Dylan, Leigh, Jamie, Joe, Kate, Niamh, Sean, Shane and Simon are proving to be exceptional in terms of hardwork, participation, manners and more – just look at their amazing report after one full week of school:
5th Year Religion First Week
Super job, 5th years!! Now let’s hope it stays at 100%!
Thanks to the inspiration of Miss Cullen’s blog in St Oliver’s in Drogheda, we here at Franciscan College Gormanston are going to give Class Dojo a go. At the moment, 2A1, 3A2 and one 5th year Religion class are involved.
Class Dojo is a great tool for tracking student progress in terms of participation, homework and behaviour. At the end of each day, students are awarded positive or negative points and these points are combined to give the class an overall positive or negative rating. Each student can track his or her own individual points at home (and no-one else’s) and also see how the whole class is faring. It is also possible to email a report card to the students’ parents at regular intervals.
At the end of each month, I will post the overall chart for each class on this blog. Since we are just starting this new initiative, I am going to post the chart for each class at the end of this first full week back at school. (After that, I will post the overall report monthly.) Class Dojo will hopefully be a fun way to keep students motivated and involved in their own progress. Let’s hope it works as well here as it seems to be in St Oliver’s.
5th Years – welcome back to school after the summer holidays! I hope you are all well.
After the talk I gave on Tuesday (28th Aug), you are all aware that a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago will be taking place at the end of March 2013. This is an exciting and most rewarding opportunity for those who will take on this venture
The preliminary information that you need before you consider whether this trip is for you or not is in the prezi below. This information will also be of interest to your parents and those helping you decide if this is for you.
Please look back at the other blog posts in relation to the Camino – you will find them by selecting the category “Topics of Interest” or by choosing the tag ‘Camino”.
Beautiful Scenery
I’ve just returned from a 31-day walk across the north of Spain. It was a fantastic experience. Walking alone, walking with others, praying in the countryside, praying in the churches, carrying everything I need, sharing when others need, feeling blisters and sore muscles, great albergues and hospitaleros, early mornings, early nights, the sounds, sights, smells, and silence of nature, enjoying the company of others, listening, talking, laughing, sharing, caring… and the list goes on. Arriving in Santiago was one of the highlights; realising that that is when the Camino really begins was one of the insights.
Camino Companions
Walking the Camino taught me to be grateful for the real things in life – people: family, friends. We are all walking on the path of life, sometimes alone, but always together, making a journey in different ways but arriving at the same ultimate destination. People everywhere are really all the same – simple needs required by us all: kindness, sharing, respect, a chance to speak, a time to listen, the need to give and receive love and friendship, a place to rest and sleep, a simple meal shared with friends (or strangers who will become friends). This is what is true for us all. Let us give thanks for the beauty of the world around us, the glory of God and the people who travel our journey with us.
Fifth years, watch this space – in September you will hear more….
Here is an animoto slideshow that captures a few images of my journey in June.
Many thanks to all who sponsored my walk (done on behalf of Gormanston) and donated money to the Jack and Jill Foundation. Nearly €1800 has been raised and still more to come!
A rare occasion in Gormanston but one of great joy and pride is the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Under the guidance of our rector Fr Ulic Troy, eight senior students were confirmed on Thursday last by Bishop Fiachra O’Ceallaigh, the only Franciscan Bishop in Ireland. The ceremony took place in the private oratory of the Franciscan Community in the castle connected to the College. The students have been preparing by attending confirmation lessons with Fr Ulic since before Christmas. The group being confirmed composed of 5th and 6th year students from Spain, Germany and Austria. It is traditional in these countries for young people to be confirmed at 16 plus. Gormanston College was honoured to provide the facilities and opportunity for such a service.
It was particularly fitting that Bishop Fiachra (Emeritus) was available to perform the ceremony. The Bishop was ordained a priest of 2 July 1961. He was appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and at the same time by Pope John Paul II on 7 June 1994 at the age of 61. Prior to his appointment as bishop, he had been provincial of the Franciscan Order in Ireland and was the first Franciscan to become a bishop in Ireland for over 170 years.
After the ceremony, the students, Fr Ulic, Bishop Fiachra and the sponsors had a celebratory meal in Whytes of Stamullen.
Congratulations to the students – (pictured below) Alejo, Jaime, Jaime, Javier, Gabriel, Mario, Philipp, Pablo on this great milestone in their lives. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them now and always. Many thanks to Bishop Fiachra for the lovely ceremony and to Fr Ulic for the preparation involved.
As many of you may know, I am going to walk the Camino de Santiago following the ‘Camino Frances’ or the ‘French Way’. I will undertake this journey in June to pray for the students in my 6th Year Religion class who will be sitting their Leaving Cert while I am scaling the Pyrénées. In addition to this prayerful intention, I have decided to fundraise for Jack and Jill Foundation. The College has been supporting this very worthy charity all year long. A number of fifth years wanted to be involved, and I am very appreciative of their interest. However, due to the last minute nature of the event, I will end up going alone on behalf of Gormanston College.
I plan on walking 800km – from St Jean Pied de Port in France, across the Pyrénées, through La Rioja, Burgos, Leon and into Santiago de Compostela – starting on the 2nd of June and hopefully finishing early in July . I’ll post the odd up-date on Twitter(@Kate_e_Ryan), Facebook and the Gormanston Religion Blog – so you can see my progress – both the pain and the pleasure!
Here’s a short video that will give you a taste of what the journey might be like:
The symbol of the scallop shell represents the journey pilgrims make in honour of St James the Apostle. His tomb is said to be in the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in northwest Spain.
There are several routes along which to make this pilgrimage, the most popular being the Camino Frances – or French Way. This route has been made famous by pilgrims and tourists alike and most recently by Martin Sheen in the movie ‘The Way’ as well as Peter and Natasha Murtagh in their book ‘Buen Camino’. It is the most popular route among international travellers possibly for its scenery and relatively manageable terrain.
This journey is taken for many reasons ranging from the spiritual to the bodily. I will undertake this journey in June to pray for the students in my Religion class who will be sitting their Leaving Cert as I am scaling the Pyrénées. Others are welcome to join me on this trip.
Here is a short prezi that gives a brief introduction to the Camino Frances:
Check out this prezi that highlights some issues that we explored in class when discussing the death penalty.
Still working on my prezi skills, but am quite enjoying the learning process.
By all accounts the 6th years greatly enjoyed and had a very positive reaction to the retreat in Emmaus on Monday 14th. Here are a few photos that show some of the seniors in great form. (Apologies if you don’t appear here, but either the camera or the photographer had a faulty moment and a blurry picture was produced – sorry!)
“Come away by yourself and rest awhile.” Mark 6:31
6th Years, your retreat is just around the corner. It is a well-needed opportunity to take a break from the hectic pace and the relentless demands of life as a Leaving Cert student.
The aim of the retreat is to create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere where young people can find space to be themselves. The team tries to help students reflect on the kind of people that they are as well as the relationships that are in their lives; always accentuating the positive. In a non-threatening way the team highlights the link to, as well as the importance of, the spiritual dimension of life. An appropriate prayer experience will be provided for the students. Utilizing the elements of discussion, drama, art, video, personal reflection and more each retreat is tailored to the particular needs of the group.
Half of you will go to Emmaus Retreat Centre near Swords on Monday 14th 
November and the other half will go on Tuesday 15th. The programme for the day begins at 9.45am and finishes at 3.30pm. Embrace this valuable chance and make the most of the day. Please bear in mind that the Franciscan Community at the College is offering the retreat to you as a gift; students at other schools pay for themselves. A great debt of gratitude is owed to the Friars for their generosity.