PROSPECTUS - Gorey Community School - 2023/24

POBALSCOIL GHUAIRE SCHOOL

GOREY COMMUNITY

Excellence in teaching and learning

Principal’s Welcome

I am delighted to welcome you on behalf of the GCS community to Gorey Community School, the largest second level school in the country. Please take time to familiarise yourself with some information about our school.

Gorey Community School was established 30 years ago following the amalgamation of the three existing second level schools in the town, Loreto Abbey, CBS and Gorey Vocational College. We are currently under the patronage of the Loreto Education Trust and Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB).

GCS Leaving certificate Students Cristina Prida and Doireann Tallon were among the 125 highest achieving students in the country to receive the JP McManus sponsored All Ireland Scholarships on September 16th, 2023, in The University of Limerick. Cristina is studying maths in UCD and Doireann is studying medicine in NUI Galway. Pictured here with Principal Michael Finn.

A Happy Environment

GCS is a vibrant, active and happy school and our many achievements as a school community are underpinned by the significant levels of support we offer our students and staff. Our school offers a vibrant, friendly learning environment for all students who are supported and challenged in pursuit of the highest standards of achievement and academic excellence. The school offers a broad curriculum combined with a wide range of facilities and extra-curricular activities, affording students the opportunity to be the best version of themselves on their learning journey with us. We foster equality, respect and integrity in our school while embracing diversity and recognising that everyone is unique and has a positive contribution to make.

GCS gave me a wealth of Knowledge, friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.’

Ruairí Martin 6th year 2023.

Our Staff

All staff at Gorey Community bring great commitment and professionalism to their teaching and in caring for our students. Our teachers and Special Needs Assistants are deeply committed to the wellbeing of all of our 1627 GCS students.

Many of our teachers ae well-established practitioners and bring a great wealth of experience and knowledge to the students. Many of our teachers are Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examiners for the State Examinations Commission and use this valuable experience for the benefit of the students.

The school is proud of the fact that 20% of our teachers are former Gorey Community School students. Indeed, it is also of note that our staff enrol their own children in the school, such is their confidence in the educational opportunities on offer.

We look forward to working in partnership with you and hope that your child will be very happy to take the next step in their learning journey with us.

Our Mission

Our school is a vibrant, friendly, learning community where students, teachers and parents are encouraged, supported and challenged in pursuit of the highest standards of achievement and academic excellence. We foster equality, respect, and integrity in our school. We embrace diversity and recognise that everyone is unique and has a positive contribution to make.

Michael Finn Principal, Gorey Community School

Mr. Michael Finn Principal

Mr. Rory McCarthy Deputy Principal

Ms. Linda McEvoy Deputy Principal

Mr. Maurice O Toole Deputy Principal

What can GCS offer your child?

Academic Excellence

Every year many of our students achieve the top 625 Leaving certificate CAO points with approximately 50 students gaining points in excess of 500. Annually many of our Leaving certificate students rank with the top Leaving certificate results in the country, and of course a significant academic high was reached a number of years ago when GCS student, Mark Berney achieved an amazing 9A1 grades. The top result in the country at the time.

Annually, GCS is proud to attend the various award ceremonies in DCU, UCD, TCD to join the students

and their families. This year the principal was delighted to be invited to attend an award ceremony in The University of Limerick when two GCS Leaving certificate students were awarded the prestigious JP McManus funded All Ireland School Scholarships which are presented annually to 125 high achieving students nationwide.

Our Leaving certificate Applied Programme is an unqualified success with a large number of our LCA class of 2023 gaining Distinctions.

Academic Tracking

Students will be tracked academically from entering the school in First year right through to their leaving certificate year. This system will monitor students’ grades from their primary School Report, in-house exams and Junior Cycle results. Students not reaching their potential will be identified and appropriate supports will be put in place.

The Senior Maths Quiz Team who represented GCS in the 2023 national finals.

Broad range of Subjects

As we are the largest school in the country, we are fortunate in being able to offer the broadest range of subjects possible.

At leaving certificate level the students can choose, among others, the newly formed Computer Science and Leaving certificate PE.

Leaving Certificate Applied

The LCA is a distinct, self-contained, two-year Leaving Certificate Programme aimed at preparing learners for adult and working life. It emphasises forms of achievement and excellence which the established Leaving Certificate has not recognised in the past and offers specific opportunities to students to prepare for and progress on to further education and training at third level.

In GCS our LCA Students are prepared for the demanding transition to adult and working life. We recognise the talents of all our learners and the LCA programme allows us to respond to our students’ abilities, needs and interests through its flexibility. Students are provided with opportunities to develop in terms of responsibility, self-esteem and self-knowledge while working on their communication and decisionmaking skills. The LCA programme helps our students to achieve a more independent and enterprising approach to learning and life.

Additional Information about the range of subjects on offer to leaving certificate students is available at

Extra-Curricular Activities

We are proud to offer a huge range of extra-curricular activities to our students here in GCS. Our state of the art facilities and dedicated staff allow for a wide variety of choice in areas such as sport, music and clubs.

We encourage all students to take part in extra-curricular activities allowing them the opportunity to flourish as individuals outside of the classroom. We firmly believe in the benefits that extra-curricular activities provide for our students which include allowing them the opportunity to embrace diversity, celebrate their positive contributions and prove their hard-work, commitment, and efforts in ways that they may not otherwise display in academic settings.

We offer a wide range of sports including:

Athletics Basketball Camogie

Cricket Gaelic football Golf

Hurling Rugby Soccer Volleyball

We work to develop positive social conscience in everyone in our school community and are proud to offer our students the chance to partake in Green Schools, Celebrating Multiculturalism, Yellow Flag and Amnesty International to name but a few. Students are also invited to join a range of clubs and activities such a Chess Club, Maths Club, Debating, Reading/games Club, Equestrian Club and Choir.

Throughout the school year our calendar is punctuated by many special events and celebrations. There is something for everyone and the whole school community is invited to take part in all occasions. Inclusion Week, Maths Week, Creativity Week, Seachtain na Gaeilge, Get Active Week, Science Week, LGBTI+ Week, Multicultural Week, School Musical, Bene Merenti, Literacy Week, Awards Ceremonies and Graduations are just some of the special events you will find on our calendar. Our German/French/Spanish Exchanges and the Erasmus Plus Programme, allows our students the opportunity to study and collaborate with other students, as well as the chance to experience life in another European country.

Educational Tours

The GAA USA Cultural trip

Here in GCS the students are given the opportunity of a lifetime and travel to New York, Washington, and Boston on the annual GAA cultural trip.

Hurleys and helmets are packed and the students play a number of games in Gaelic park in New York and in the Irish Cultural centre in Boston.

Classical Studies

The Classics department travel to Greece and Turkey to explore places of interest and brings the worlds of Homer and The Iliad to life.

Home Economics

The annual Home Ec. Tour to Italy has become a must for all food lovers with Italian Cooking Workshops being a main attraction.

Supporting Our Students

Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our students is paramount as wellbeing is central for students to achieve their full potential. We recognise that incoming first years might find the transition hard and have many supports to help them. Each year group has a Guidance Counsellor who provides students with personal, educational, and vocational support.

Language Tours

The French, German and Spanish department travel to the relevant country annually in a tour of exchange. This allows the students and staff to actively experience the language and culture at first hand.

Mentors

All First Year Tutor Groups have trained 5th Year mentors to support and provide them with a ‘buddy’ in the early months of second level school. The First-year classes also have the support of TY Wellbeing Ambassadors

Students also have a Wellbeing Class which helps them to realise their potential and be resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of life. There are also themed weeks in the school that create a

great atmosphere and outline the importance of looking out for our mental health. Our annual Wellbeing Week has proven to be a huge success for both students and staff.

In GCS positive relationships with peers and teachers help make students feel safe, connected and supported. We also celebrate all student’s achievements with award ceremonies and Star Journal Awards.

Guidance Counselling

The Guidance Counsellors in GCS are integral in providing our students with personal, vocational and academic guidance. Students are assisted in Careers classes to develop self-management skills which will lead them to making effective and informed choices about their lives. Students are also supported in making transitions to their choices, in class, in small groups and through one to one appointments. Our Counsellors provide personal counselling as necessary and provide both students and parents with information and support throughout their time with us here.

The Guidance Department also arrange the Study Skills workshops for 3rd, 5th and 6th year students.

Our goal is to ensure that all students feel safe, connected and supported so that they may reach their potential in all facets of life’.

Ms. Carol Ann O Neill, Guidance Counsellor

First Year Induction Week

Upon arriving in GCS, our 270 new First Year Students follow a bespoke Induction Programme for three days which supports and reassures the new students as they navigate the transition from primary to secondary school.

Topics including Organisational Skills, Friendships, Coping with Change and Improving learning from Homework and Study among others are covered and the programme allows the students the opportunity to adapt and ‘find their feet’.

Special Educational Needs

Our school has a highly qualified team of Special Education Teachers and Special Needs Assistants who work tirelessly to optimise the teaching and learning process for our students with Special Educational Needs. The team work closely with students, parents and subject teachers to ensure that these students can maximise their achievements in personal, social and academic spheres.

Transition Year

Transition Year is an optional one-year programme which links Junior and Senior Cycle and gives students the opportunity to develop individual talents and skills while sampling a variety of Senior Cycle subjects. Our TY Students are given opportunities to discover and develop their own individual gifts and strengths. TY encourages independence and responsibility and provides our students with the time to mature and develop resilience and confidence to face senior cycle, third level education and life in the working world.

Creativity and entrepreneurism are nurtured during TY within our caring, considerate community where students can become articulate and confident young people. Our approach is a cross-curricular one with inter-linked projects and activities.

The TY Students’ achievements throughout the year culminate in their TY Portfolio. Students also receive numerous certificates from external agencies throughout the year, for example, First Aid, Leinster Driving School, Build a Bank Programme, Gaisce etc.

The highlight of the TY experience is the Four-day Outdoor Education programme which takes place in Galway. Here the TY students embark on a range of activities ranging from kayaking and abseiling to hiking and raft building.

The Italian Exchange programme which is offered to TY students has been in place in GCS for 25 years and is a popular option where students get to savour the experience of living in the home of an Italian family. The Italian student in turn comes to Gorey to experience our school and Irish life and culture.

Student Voice & Student Leadership

Student voice plays a pivotal role in our school. Everyone is responsible for it and it makes learning fun. Students and teachers work together as part of our student voice team, on the school’s teaching and learning projects.

Student Council

Gorey Community School’s Student Council is a committee that gives a voice to our students. Each member is elected by their peers in hotly Contested Student Council Elections to represent their class. The voting process is ably assisted by the Leaving certificate politics and Society classes.

The Student Council meets regularly and works closely with the school leadership team to ensure that our school is a safe and enjoyable place for all members of our school community. The Council strives to construct a positive learning environment for our students and gives them a platform to use their voice to raise issues and implement change.

Our Student Council values the importance of student’s opinions and concerns which motivates them to bring about change.

Gorey Community School Parents’ Association

Dear Parent/Guardian,

On behalf of our Parents’ Association (PA), I would like to welcome all students and their families to Gorey Community School. Our purpose is to support and promote the educational and general welfare interests of all students and to act as an advisory body of parents on School activities and policies. To help advance this purpose, there is a subscription of €10 per family (regardless of the number of children in the family attending GCS). This funding is used to support activities that impact positively on all students at some point within their GCS journey, including:

• Student mental health and wellbeing initiatives

• Educational material and equipment both inside the classroom and beyond

• Awards and refreshments for events that celebrate or support student success

• Contributions to School societies, sports and trips

In September, you will receive an invitation to attend the Annual General Meeting of the GCS PA; please do come along. If you are interested in becoming a GCS PA committee member, or if you would like to help out, we meet on a monthly basis and you will be invited to express an interest at the Annual General Meeting.

Thank you in advance for your subscription and do please get involved if you can.

Kind regards

Jane Montague Peters Chairperson , GCS PA Committee

parentsassociation@goreycs.ie

GCS has given each of my children the chance to find their own individual interests and subjects, and great friends on the way

Miriam Walsh GCS Teacher and Parent.