Welcome Back!
We were delighted to welcome all of our pupils back after the summer holidays to a new academic year in Our Lady of Mercy N.S. We especially hope our new Junior Infants who are beginning their journey in education with Ms. Kiely. The boys and girls in Junior Infants have established a lovely school routine and are making new friends. They are exploring and learning a lot too! We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new staff members – Ms. Anna Geraghty who is teaching 2nd and 3rd class and Mr. Stephen Griffey who is teaching 4th and 5th class. We look forward to working together
Junior Infants Open Day
We are delighted to invite all prospective families to our Junior Infants Open Day on Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00am to 11:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit our classrooms, meet the teachers, and experience the warm, welcoming atmosphere of our school. All future enrolments are very welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!
Student Council Elections
At the beginning of the school year the Student Council elections were held. Students from 1st to 6th class participate each year. Each student displayed admirable confidence, determination, and creativity in their campaigns and whether or not they were elected, every candidate can take pride in their efforts – speaking in front of their peers is no small feat, and each candidate represented themselves with courage. Our Student Council plays a vital role in allowing students to have a voice and actively contribute to school life. Congratulations to the following students who were elected for this academic year- Méabh and Ryan; Hugh and Ava; Mila and Fionn ; Evan and Éabha; Úna and Ryan; Oisín and Seán.
SNA Appreciation Day
Thursday September 25th marked Ireland’s second SNA Appreciation day. To mark the event we would like to extend a huge thank you to Colette and Mary who play a vital role in our school. They always attend to their duties with enthusiasm. They enhance the learning for all children in our classrooms.
GAA News
All classes enjoyed two weeks of Gaelic Football coaching with James Lacey. The children developed their skills and took part in matches during the sessions.
Meanwhile, Mr. Walsh and Mr. Griffey were busy training the boys and girls in advance of the mini 7s and the 11 aside primary school league.
The boys and girls teams played against Scoil Naomh Gobnait, Coolnasmear and Scoil Náisiúnta na Rinne in An Rinn on Friday, September 26th.
All the children can be very proud of their performance and how they represented the school. On the day, the boys emerged victorious and progressed to the next stage where they played against Glenbeg N.S. in Cappoquin on Wednesday, October 8th. The boys were delighted to secure another win and progress onto the Western Final which was held in Dungarvan GAA Grounds on Saturday, October, 18th. The boys’ team won another hard-fought match against Tallow, coming out strong in the second half to turn a close match into a well-deserved victory. They now progress to the county final.
On Wednesday, October 22nd the boys’ and girls’ teams also took part in the Mini-7s Blitz which took place in Bohadoon. Both teams qualified for the next stage. We are all thrilled with both teams’ success and congratulate them on their hard work and determination. The next round will be held after the mid-term break.
Congratulations to all the boys and girls who took part this term. Thank you to Mr. Walsh and Mr. Griffey for their coaching and continued dedication to the school teams.
Athletics: Cross Country
West Waterford AC hosted a wonderful athletics event for all schools on Friday, September 19th. Our Lady of Mercy brought a strong team of athletes. The children wore their school singlets with pride. Well done to every single child who competed for us. Huge congratulations to Niall (5th class) who came first in his race, Dan (6th class) who came in second place in his race and Kenzie (5th class) who came in 2nd place in her race also. Warm congratulations to the 5th class boys who won a team medal on the night.
Music Generation
We are delighted that all the boys and girls can continue to be part of the Music Generation Programme this academic year. Many of our pupils have benefitted richly from this programme. A sincere thanks to Danny Pullman who is so patient and enthusiastic when teaching all our students. The children in our school are lucky enough to be learning the recorder in class and Danny also takes small groups for tuition in learning the saxophone, clarinet and flute.
Summer Reading Stars
A massive congratulations to our Summer Reading Stars who received their certificates and medals from Sarah Fraher, our local librarian. The children availed of the fantastic services of the library over the summer and read many books. Keep up the reading and visits to the library!
Maths Week 2025
Maths Week 2025 was celebrated in school from the 13th-17th October. The children were busy crunching numbers and used their mathematical skills to take part in a variety of activities, riddles and estimation tasks. Prizes were won for those who guessed most accurately. Great fun was had by all completing the following challenges- Guess the weight of the pumpkin; Guess how many cups of water fill a container; Guess how many jellies are in the jar; Guess the eldest team of teachers and the tallest group of teachers; Come up with as many sums as possible using all the digits on the teachers’ car registration plates.
SOLAS Schools For Life #GoOrangeForSolas
This year our school took part in the fundraising event organised by our local SOLAS Centre- Solas Schools For Life #GoOrangeForSolas. The Solas Centre supports people affected by cancer, their families and carers in Waterford and the South East. On Friday, October 10th all the students came to school wearing something orange to support this wonderful, local charity.
A total of €716.20 was raised by the school community. Thank you!
Spook-tacular Halloween Fun!
There was lots of excitement around on Friday as the children came to school in their Halloween costumes. The children displayed an incredible variety of innovative costumes and everyone enjoyed the Halloween themed fun on the day.
Our Lady of Mercy Parents’ Association Sponsored Walk
On Friday, October 24th all the children took part in the sponsored walk organised by our school’s Parents’ Association. This was an incredibly well supported fundraiser. The Parents’ Association raise money for specific school projects and activities which take place throughout the school year such as swimming lessons, buses to matches, school trips and the 6th Class hoodies. We would like to thank all the children, their families and the members of the Parents’ Association for their generosity and continued support towards the school.
Baking
Ms. Mitchell’s 5th & 6th class students have been enjoying developing their culinary skills this past term. The students have made raspberry and banana buns and no-bake crunch bars. The children have enjoyed working in teams to create delicious food that they can enjoy.