Vol 31 No 13    12 Dec  2025

Leinster League Rugby Semi Final

The High School Senior Girls Rugby team recently reached the semi-finals of the Leinster School Girls League wich is a fantastic achievement. We faced a strong Coláiste Chríost Rí side from Portlaoise who, despite our best efforts, advanced to the finals. 

Throughout the match, there were incredible moments of skill and determination. The leadership shown on the pitch ranging from clean catches under pressure, line speed, powerful carries, to clearing and protecting possession at the ruck. There were also challenges that held us back, but reaching the semi-finals showed just how far we have come from the beginning of the year. It's great to finally face a team that pushed us to our limits and demanded more from us, both individually and as a team. 

Although the result was disappointing, it has given us a new goal to work towards. As a team, we know the potential we possess. With stronger connections, trust in one another, and belief in ourselves on the pitch, we are confident that we can progress even further in our upcoming matches. We could not be prouder of one another and remain excited to see what the rest of the rugby season brings.  
Elisa MacGabhann

TCD Entrance Exhibitions

We are delighted to have been advised by Trinity College, Dublin that five immediate past pupils of The High School have been awarded Entrance Exhibitions in recognition of their high levels of performance in the Leaving Certificate examinations.  The awards are made to Junior Freshers who achieve the highest points among entrants to full-time undergraduate degree courses at the university from their respective secondary schools.  In 2025, Ella Davey, Ben Hewston, Ciara Morton, Pearl Sweetman, and Maebh Thornton (all HSD, 2019-25) achieved this notable distinction and were awarded Entrance Exhibitions at Trinity College, Dublin.  We offer these and all recent past pupils of The High School our warmest congratulations on their achievements and wish them every success in their academic careers.

Ireland U19 Squad Selection

Congratulations to Robert O'Brien (5AS) on his selection to represent The High School and Leinster on the Ireland U19 cricket squad at the International Cricket Council Men's Under 19 World Cup to be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia next year.  We wish our pupil every success as he competes for further honours at international level.
Mr Barnard

NCH Bursary Award

The National Concert Hall has announced the winners of its three bursary awards for 2025. The €10,000 Young Musician Award for String Players will be shared between three musicians including The High School's first violinist Scarlett Xu. The awards were made following a call for submissions in January of this year. A shortlist of performers was then invited to perform for a panel of judges. 
Scarlett Xu began her violin studies with David O’Doherty at TU Dublin Conservatoire. She has been leader of the TU Dublin Sinfonia for the last three years and is also a member of TU Dublin Philharmonic and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. A leader of The High School Orchestra and co-leader of the Dublin Youth Orchestra Symphony Orchestra, she has won a number of awards at the Feis Ceoil and other competitions across Ireland.    

Kilcoole Music Festival

Congratulations to all members of The High School Orchestra as well as the Senior Quartet - consisting of Scarlett Xu, Darryl Ng, Faye Trench Thornton, and Marco Gonzalez - who were awarded first prize in the Senior Orchestra and Senior Ensemble competitions at the Kilcoole Music Festival and were awarded the Senior Cup and Druids Glen Trophy, respectively.  We wish our pupils every success as they compete for further honours in future competitions.
Ms Phillips

Karate Ireland Selection

Congratulations to Asha Reen and Ellen Oldrey who were both selected to represent The High School and Ireland at the World Karate Federation Youth League in Italy last week.  We wish our pupils every success in future international age grade competitive events.
Mr Hart

National Cross Country Championships Success

On 7 December I competed in the U17 National Cross Country Championships at Abbotstown. I had to qualify from the Dublin Championships, also held in Abbotstown, to participate in the National Championships. During my race on Sunday, I performed exceptionally well, finishing 8th in Ireland, 3rd in Dublin, and securing the 1st position for Dublin County. The course proved to be extremely muddy, slippery, and hilly. The competition was fierce throughout the race.
Ewan Kennedy

Form 4 Barnardos Talk

On 4 December a representative from Barnardos visited The High School to speak about the organisation and the importance of supporting children and families. The speaker, Jo Garry - who is a Fundraising, Events, and Community Executive - explained the vital role childhood plays in shaping a person’s life and why protecting and supporting children is at the heart of Barnardos’ work.

Barnardos is one of Ireland’s leading children’s charities. Founded in 1962 it now provides 56 services and operates seven shops across the country. Their work focuses on supporting children affected by trauma such as poverty, abuse, addiction, and other difficulties within the home. They also address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and work closely with schools, families, and local communities.

Every year Barnardos supports around 35,000 children, families, and individuals. Their mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable children by working not only with the young people themselves but also with the adults in their lives. Barnardos stays with families for as long as needed, offering direct support and essential services. Some of their key services include birth history support, Guardian ad Litem work, Roots of Empathy programmes, bereavement support, post-adoption services, and training.

We can all help Barnardos by fundraising or raising awareness of their work.
Anyone interested in getting involved can sign up to their mailing list at www.barnardos.ie.
Eva Lei

Swimming Club

The High School Swimming Team is diving into action with a special charity event: Swim a Mile for a Smile. Pupils are taking to the pool to swim one mile in support of the Dublin Simon Community, helping to raise vital funds for people experiencing homelessness. We are proud to support the Simon Community’s incredible work. Join us in cheering on our swimmers who are supporting an excellent cause by pressing the enclosed  link or scanning the QR code: all donations will go directly to the Simon Community.
Ms Campion and Ms Jones

Plant a Planet

The High School's Green Schools Committee is running a campaign called 'Plant a Planet'. They are encouraging every family to purchase a tree for just €4 to combat global warming. These can be ordered easily from the HSD app until 16 January 2026. The trees will be delivered to the school in February, when pupils will be notified that they can collect their family's tree(s).  There are a variety of sizes and species available - one for every space!
Olivia Leonard

Ireland U18 Team Selection

Congratulations to Conor O'Reilly who was selected to represent The High School and Ireland at the FIDE World Youth Championships hosted by the International Chess Federation in Durres, Albania.  We wish our pupil every success in future international age grade competitive events.
Mr Hart

Form 4 Christmas Cards

This year’s Christmas card fundraiser, organised by the Form 4 Enterprise class in partnership with the Transition Year Programme Art classes was a great success. Once again, our pupils demonstrated outstanding creativity, teamwork, and community spirit as they designed, produced, and sold festive cards in support of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin. Thanks to the enthusiastic support of pupils, staff, and families, sales were steady throughout the week. We are especially grateful to the Doggett Group, whose generous donation of printing services ensured that every euro raised went directly to CHI. Their continued support has allowed this project to make a genuine impact year after year. Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraiser—your generosity truly makes a difference.

Model United Nations

On 5 and 6 December, a group of pupils from The High School Model United Nations (MUN) club attended the Catholic University School MUN conference. Two delegations were sent: Sweden and Panama. After the opening ceremony, delegates separated into their committee rooms to debate various different topics, ranging from reforming the UN sanction system, regulation of digital currencies, ocean acidification, and everything in between. We really enjoyed contributing to debate and discussion by chairing committees, making speeches, and asking key questions on the different resolutions.  On Saturday after more time in committee, we participated in General Assembly to debate and vote on different resolutions from each committee. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time there, both learning more about the UN and meeting new people!
Emily McAdam-Kavanagh

Home Economics Festive Spirit

This week pupils from Form 1 embraced the Christmas spirit by making delightfully festive mince pies in their Home Economics class. The air was filled with Christmas spices; icing sugar fell like snow. An excited hush circled the room as they carefully opened their oven doors, and someone said they heard the sound of distant sleigh bells! 

Form 4 Geography

As part of our Cultural Geography module, Form 4 pupils had the opportunity to explore global traditions through food. Each pupil brought in a dish from a different part of the world. We were lucky enough to sample Jollof Rice, a vibrant Nigerian rice dish rich with spices and flavour; Plankton crisps; warm cinnamon rolls; classic chips and salsa; traditional Irish barm brack and tart; delicious brownies; and, of course, the ever-popular packets of Tayto crisps! It was a fantastic way to bring our Geography syllabus to life and celebrate the diversity within our school community. We are already looking forward to our next food-themed lesson with Ms Gray - and to discovering what new flavours and cultures we’ll explore next!
Conor Cahill

Jane Austen's 250th Birthday

The 250th birthday of beloved author Jane Austen will be marked at The High School on Tuesday 16 December. To celebrate there will be quizzes, games, and activities in The W B Yeats Library - and in some lessons too - as we explore all things Austen, from Georgian life to her enduring literary legacy. So dust off your Austen novels and get ready to celebrate the life and work of one of the greatest writers in the English language!
Ms Wiggle
W B Yeats Librarian

Term Reports

We are excited to update you on the recent progress in our assesment and reporting process. Our dedicated teachers have been diligently working on completing progress reports for Form 3, 4, and 6 pupils. Additionally, they have been grading examinations for Forms 1 and 2 while also preparing detailed reports for these pupils.

We are pleased to inform you that progress reports for Forms 3 and 6 have already been published online. We understand the importance of timely feedback and aim to ensure that all remaining reports will be available online by the end of the Autumn Term.

DARE and CAO Information Evening

On Thursday 20 November the Guidance Department hosted a DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) and CAO (Central Applications Office) evening for Form 6 parents. We were pleased to have two guest speakers in attendance. Ms Laura Creevey from Maynooth University discussed pathways to college, how to apply to the CAO, an understanding of the points system, CAO offers, and the importance of the CAO Statement of Application Record.

Ms Anne O’Connor, Head of Service for the Disability and Learning Support Service at Dublin City University (DCU), guided parents through the DARE application process, eligibility criteria, and required documentation. Parents were reminded of the importance of submitting applications early and ensuring that pupils research their options thoroughly, using resources such as college websites, open days, and guidance counsellor support. The Guidance Department appreciate Form 6 parents ongoing support as we work together to support the Class of 2025.
Miss Lowry 

Locker Clearance

A reminder to all pupils that they should empty their lockers and bring all personal belongings home before the end of the Autumn Term to allow for routine maintenance.

LGBTQ+ Quality Mark Closing Survey

We are in the final stages of our accreditation journey for the LGBTQ+ Quality mark. Achieving this benchmark is an important statement in terms of our core commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community for all.

A lot of hard work has gone into the project over the last year and a half by both staff and students.  Our last step is to complete our stakeholder follow-up surveys to assess our progress over the project lifecycle and make our final accreditation submission before the Christmas break.

The survey is short and can be found here Parent/Guardian Quality Mark Inclusion Survey We need to have a minimum response of 50% of parents.

The support of parents/guardians has been vital to this project. Together we have achieved a lot. 

• staff completion of both online and in-person training 
• the addition of a further gender-neutral single occupancy toilet
• establishment of an Equality Club
• Consultation meetings between SMT and student leadership
• the development of staff guidelines on supporting LGBTQ+ students
• planning tools for supporting LGBTQ+ students personal support needs
• inclusion of specific reference to the prevention of LGBTQ+ bullying behaviour in our new Bí Cineálta procedures
• an amazing student-led bullying prevention campaign
• incorporation of FUSE anti-bullying resources into our SPHE lessons
• establishment of an LGBTQ+ Support Team
• a fantastic Stand-Up week
• reviewed and updated our school policies to be more inclusive
• availability of information and posters about LGBTQ+ support services
• a 'stop homophobic/transphobic language' poster campaign

We look forward to your response and thank you again for all the support that you have given to this initiative.
Thank you!
The Quality Mark Project Team

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