Summerhill College

9th November 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Fáilte romhaibh go léir arais go Coláiste Chnoch an tSamhraidh. A belated welcome back to all our pupils for the 2010/2011 school year. I hope that at this stage all have settled down to the serious hard work which is vital to achieve the good results we all want at the end of the year.

This year has seen many changes put in place in Summerhill College. The new senior management team is in place, and on behalf of the Deputy Principal Margaret Dowd and myself as Principal, I wish to thank you all for the support and encouragement you have given us since we initially took up our positions on a temporary basis last January.

It is important and essential that such support continues if we are to successfully work as partners in the education of your sons. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to all the teaching and ancillary staff in the College. Their hard working ethic has been instrumental in reinvigorating the true Summerhill spirit of work and friendship which is so necessary for a successful teaching and learning environment.

A new Pastoral Care system has been put in place where the needs of all our pupils will be well catered for. This is based on the class Tutor system and central to the system is the school journal/diary which is mandatory for all pupils. The diary is a most important communications tool between teachers and parents/guardians.

Our new timetable, with the nine period day and the shortened lunch time, is also in place and working well. In accordance with the Whole School Evaluation report we have brought in a mixed ability teaching system for the 2010 intake of pupils and this will continue on into second and third year in the coming years. Mixed ability teaching is already in place at senior level in many subjects.

I thank all parents/guardians for ensuring that our pupils are properly “kitted out” in full school uniform each day. The Parents Association 2010-11 Committee were elected at a public meeting on October 18 and the officers are – Chairperson: Julia Fox, Vice-chairperson: Maria Mulligan, Secretary: Dolores McDonagh, Treasurer: Frank Morrison and P.R.O. Liam Henry. Monthly meetings are held in the College Staff room with notice of these meetings sent by text to all homes. I urge all parents/guardians to get involved and support the activities of the Parents Association.

A new Board of Management for Summerhill is now in place and the members are:
Bishop’s nominees: Rev. Dr. Michael Duignan (chairman), Sr. Patricia Tomlinson,
Fr. Gerard Cryan and Mr. Eugene Toolan.

Parents’ Nominees: Ms Mary O’Hehir and Mr Liam Henry. Staff Nominees: Ms Teresa Kelly and Mr Derek Wynne. Secretary to the Board: Mr. Tommy McManus. The Board will serve for a three year term.

New School

The tenders submitted by the pre-qualified builders are currently being processed and it is hoped that a contract will be signed in the near future. We hope to see bulldozers on site shortly to prepare for the temporary classrooms. When these are in place, we will ‘decamp’ from the70’s block which will then be demolished. This will be a busy but exciting time for us all and we will need your support to ensure a smooth transfer. The projected date for the completion of the new building is autumn 2012.

New Technology
We have got 32 new laptops and data projectors to aid teaching and learning with additional I.C.T. equipment to follow from a further D.E.S. grant. All of these along with the provision of 100 Mb Broadband access will make learning more interesting for your sons.

The results in both the Leaving and Junior Certificates were among the best ever in Summerhill College and this was due to the hard work put in by the pupils and the teaching staff.

Appeal To Parents/Guardians:
As part of the provision of our new school building, we must contribute €64,000 from the projected €14 million cost. This has to be provided from our school funds over this and next year. Along with this, we have large outgoings on Insurance, electricity, heating, phones, water charges and printing costs. Insurance alone costs €43,000 a year. Unfortunately, the capitation grant we receive from the Department of Education and Skills falls short in covering these costs and so I, reluctantly, appeal to you as our partners in the education of your sons for financial support so that we can give them every opportunity to succeed in the competitive world.

I am fully aware that the current economic climate in our country has placed an enormous strain on households. We in Summerhill College are extremely grateful to those of you who have made voluntary contributions to the college this year and in the past and we appeal to others to follow their good example and leadership and play their part. I urgently appeal to you to support this request as your son will be the beneficiary.

Please note the following for your calendar:

November 25th - 2nd Year Parent Teacher Meeting 3.45 to 6.15pm

December 8th - College Feast Day - No class.


______________________
Tommy McManus
Principal