Click on the appropriate link to see the book list for the coming year.
Book/Uniform new & second-hand sale is on Wednesday, 19th June from 7pm-8.30pm. Please leave items, with an envelope attached, to sell for yourselves or for charity; empty boxes will be left in main reception. Prices will be decided for you. Money can be collected up to one week after the event. Booklists will be available on the 12th June and on this school website. Please only give books/uniforms in good condition and all books must be on a school booklist.
The summer holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to catch up on some reading. Throughout the school year, life can become very busy and some of us neglect reading for pleasure. Now is the time to remind ourselves of some of the classics of literature and to discover some of the recently-published treasures. Your teachers look forward to hearing what you thought of our recommendations and welcome suggestions you may have for us after the holidays.
Happy holidays!
Mini Marathon: That time of year has come around again! On Monday 2nd June, 25 students along with Ms. Holohan, Ms. Savage and Ms. Corry will take part in the Dublin Women's Mini Marathon. This will be our fourth year in a row to participate as a fundraising activity and we would like to extend a huge thank you to the students involved who have raised a fantastic €605 for the North County Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Jack Beatty Animal Welfare Essay Competition: This annual competition is always greeted with a great response from our students. It is kindly sponsored by Marie O'Byrne of the NDSPCA. Thank you to all students who entered and we would like to congratulate this year's winners:
1st prize – Aoife Keogh (2nd Year) and 2nd prize – Eleanor McGuane (5th Year).
Both students' names will be engraved on a plaque in our school library, joining those who have won in previous years. Congratulations girls!
Cake Sale: On Tuesday 30th April, classes 4.4, 1.1 & 1.4 ran our annual animal welfare cake sale. This year's event was run in conjunction with the 'Dominican College Cup Cake Bake Off'. Lots of delicious cakes, brownies, buns and biscuits were baked by our students and over €400 was raised in aid of the Kildare Animal Foundation and their Wildlife Unit. Thank you to Ms. Concannon, Ms. Holohan and all the classed involved who helped make the day an enormous success.
Book Recommendations
By Sarah Owens, 4.1
Charmed Life, by Diana Wynne Jones (1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th Year)
Siblings; Gwendolen and Cat Chant are both invited to live with the mysterious enchanter: Chrestomanci. Gwendolen, a young witch, is determined to draw Chrestomanci’s attention to her magical talent, even if it means doing a few drastic spells. Her naive brother Cat, who has no magical gifts, is unsure how to put an end to her magical wrong-doings. Things begin to crumble at Cat’s feet and he must endeavour to find the power inside him to put things right before Gwendolen has a chance to ruin things forever.
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (3rd or 4th Year)
Little Women is a heartfelt classic, written by the wonderful, Louisa May Alcott. The story focuses on the lives of the four March sisters, who are all beginning their lives as young women. Their father is away at war and though the family doesn’t have very much money, the sisters make the most out of what they have. Meg is the eldest sister, Jo is an aspiring author, Beth finds it hard to cope with the demands of society and Amy can be quite troublesome. They all look out for each other and we see how each one of them struggles, when they begin life’s journey. It is a story about the good times and the bad times that all families have and how we must all try to keep our heads held high, even when things seem a little dark.
The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott (1st, 2nd 3rd or 4th Year)
The Alchemyst is the first book in a series of six books by Michael Scott. It is about teenage twins; Sophie and Josh Newman, whose lives have gone from normal to mind-blowingly mythical in one day. Nicolas Flamel, the ancient alchemist lives but his recipe for eternal life lies between the pages of an important book that he must dutifully protect. It is the Book of Abraham the Mage and if, in the hands of the wrong person, it could potentially have the power to destroy the world. This is why Dr John Dee seeks the book and due to an ancient prophecy, it seems Sophie and Josh must be the ones to save the world. Prepare for a magical adventure of a lifetime!
The Name of This Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch (1st, 2nd or 3rd Year)
This is the first book in a series of five page-turning books. This book is about two eleven year old children; Cass and Max-Ernest. Cass likes to be known as a survivalist; she always carries a backpack and her motto is ‘be prepared’. Cass’s two grandfathers own an antique shop. One day, when Cass is in their shop, an estate agent named Gloria comes in, with a box of stuff that she has cleared out of a magician’s house. In the box, there is nothing unusual and Cass begins to lose interest but there lurking at the very bottom of the box, is another box. This box has the words ‘The Symphony of Smells’ engraved on it and it contains lots of little vials, which have different scents in them. Cass becomes friends with Max-Ernest, a talkative boy, through school and together they go to the magician’s house to investigate! This is the book, where their journey begins.