office@sjtbb.ie
| 061-312 411
Congratulations to the boys in 6th Class who have now graduated from our school. The boys came to us in 2018 with Ms. Gormally as their teacher. They then had Ms. Crowley from 3rd Class all the way to 6th Class!
Our Graduates:
Callum Leahy, progressing to CBS
Keith Ryan, progressing to CBS
Liam O’ Shaughnessy, progressing to Educate Together Secondary School
Shane Troy Mason, progressing to CBS
Samuel Ward, progressing to CBS
Philip O’ Driscoll, progressing to Castletroy College
Damien Keane, progressing to Newport College
John Keane, progressing to CBS
A Message from Ms. Crowley
Time passes by so quickly, change happens all around us every day whether we like it or not, enjoy the moment while you can because one day it will just be a memory. Time is a funny thing, it feels like just yesterday I was standing here saying goodbye to the previous sixth class……..this is a day i have dreaded for some while, after a very long time together, it is time for us to finally say our goodbyes.
I want to start off by acknowledging the really unique experience we have shared together, there aren’t many students or teachers who have been together for 4 years, little did we know we know when we meet in 2019 that we would be sharing our school experience for the next 4 years together. 4 years was a long time to have with each other and id be lying if i said i didnt want to kill you at times, but there was something so comforting and relaxing coming in to school and seeing the same faces every day. We really got to know each other and the time has allowed us to make a great bond. we have shared lots of experiences and of course we have had our bad times too….We have had pandemics, school closures, online school, returning to school, living with covid, we have had family losses, lost loved ones and we have all shed a tear with one another…..but we also shared experiences that made us happy…like all the school closures,happy times with our families, you all made good friends in school and there hasnt been a single day we have come to school where we havent been howling laughing.
I am honoured to have the privilege of working with you all, and I want you to know that you have a special place in my heart, there’s no other class I would have wanted to have 4 years with, i also am very sorry if you didn’t like me and had to listen to me for 4 years.
I often joke with the boys that when they come to my class we are a big family and I am school mom, admittedly i chase them around saying mama to their horror and to my amusement. I put my whole heart into this class and i’ve tried my best to make them feel loved and appreciated like any family would, our family isn’t complete without our fabulous SNAs, Ms O Doherty, Ms Fleming, and Mrs Kinsella. We are a team and I have to commend them on the level of care and love they show the boys always. We worked hard to create a nurturing and loving environment and to support the boys in any ways we could. The boys loved going up for tea and chats with the girls, especially on the cold winter mornings.
Speaking of family, I have to thank the amazing parents, it makes my job so much easier when the parents are as approachable and supportive as you have been, i am truly grateful and appreciate you all. The boys are a credit to you, you should be so proud of yourselves for rearing such fabulous children. Thank you for everything.
Boys I am honored to have had the privilege of working with you all and I want you to know that you have a place in my heart always. I want to express my appreciation for you all as individuals. If I could give you one thing in life , i would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are;
Keith you are constantly laughing, theres not much that wont make you laugh, i only have to make direct contact with you and you are gone. if i am ever giving out to someone ….which happens alot, i can see keiths shoulders going, and I have to avoid making eye contact with keith when i’m correcting the class because otherwise he will start laughing, then ill start laughing mid giving out and before you know it the whole class is in hysterics. keith is also quick to tell me Ms Gormally was his favorite teacher.
Damian you are a completely different child to the one i met years ago, you were so quiet and barely spoke….oh how things have changed. Damian is always making jokes and silly faces and noises and has the boys laughing from when they come to school to when they are heading home
Sam you are such a kind and caring child, Sam joined us last year and the class wouldn’t the same without him now.
Shane- where do I even begin…your antics has us in stitches every day, you are an absolute character and have a story to tell about everything, and you might not admit it but you have the biggest most caring heart ever.
Callum- you always have a smile on your face when you walk through the gates in the morning and it’s lovely to see, you have become very quick witted and you often burn me with a good comeback…and of course i have to mention your homework copy with some of your questionable sentences….for everyone else it’s a you had to be there moment, but all i’ll say is fancy suit, and rock climbing
Liam with your cheeky smile you came to us in fourth class and you were so small and quiet and too cute with your black glasses, you fitted in straight way and you are such a huge part of the class, you always speak your mind and you are very appreciative which i admire
John you make me laugh always, I will miss your many jokes and I can’t imagine not hearing your wheeze laugh every day, although im looking forward to not hearing a certain story where you met me outside school enjoying a beverage..i’ve heard this story nearly once a month for the past few years….i won’t miss that
Philli, I still remember our first conversation, i was so nervous starting in my school and meeting the class, you introduced yourself and said the names Philip but you can call me Philli, and i knew then you would be a character also…..you have a caring side and such a big heart but the question remains……do you really have a racoon?
in our time together, we have had tears, tantrums and screaming, and that was just me….but every single day you put a smile on my face and we always had a good laugh, you taught me just as much as i have taught, and i am forever grateful for all of our memories, like picnics, trips to the park, hot chocolate parties, harry potter marathons, getting the classroom ready for christmas and what i loved the most was all of our chats and how much we learnt about one another and our lives . I’ve genuinely never been as close to a class as i have been with you.
Boys this is your day and I want to say congratulations to you, you finally made it to the end, today is a day to celebrate, I could talk for hours about all our memories and the fun we have had over the years, so i’ve taken the past 4 years and i’ve condensed it into 8 minutes, thank you to Mr Hally who helped me to put our memories into a beautiful video.
finally There is a quote that says “life is like a book, some chapters are sad, and some exciting, but if you never turn the page then you’ll never know what the next chapter holds”…so even though this goodbye is difficult i know it necessary because it’s the beginning of your new chapter….on that note, best of luck with everything and thank you for being you. Remember don’t limit yourself, you can go as far as your mind lets you, what you believe…you can achieve! So dream big …and believe in yourself always.
Love Ms Crowley.
A Message from the Principal, Mr. Nicholas
Today is a celebration of all that is good about our students, teachers and the School but particularly our 6th class!
It is wonderful to look and observe that positive energy that comes on Graduation Day. Thank you to father Frank for serving a lovely mass that encompassed everything that’s special about this day
I am excited about the future for each of you. Seeing all of you here today is a testament to your achievements and to the care and support you have received over the years from our wonderful staff, parents and the whole school community, including Tommy Lynch, Anne Harrington, Diane Smith.
Each of you have grown in a way that you should be very proud of and are now ready to transition to a new exciting chapter in your lives. It is not all about the academic achievements but rather about embracing all the various opportunities you had here, including: sport, music, IT, Well being etc. and most importantly for me personally, the relationships that you all built with eachother and the staff along the way. You’ve been a credit to our school!
When you were in third class we were very fortunate to gain a lot of new staff here but you along with Linda, Caroline, Margaret, Alan and Deirdre were the foundations that we all began with and you can’t build anything without good solid foundations!! You as the solid foundation and the high number of excellent staff – both old and new- allowed us to get to where we are today with you leading from the front. As someone who was new to principalship at the time, I will never forget you for your support and your calm, respectful ways and your willingness to adapt as we all set out on our journey to give you the best possibilities that we could! You did an amazing job at leading by example this year and have had a tremendous positive impact on the school.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents for your tremendous support and willingness to support your child’s education in our school. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you over the years and I hope we meet you again outside of school which I’m sure will happen due to Limerick being so small. I would like to offer a special thanks to the Parents’ Association along with Sheena Kinsella and Hannah Fleming, who have done tremendous work in raising money this year and have kindly bought hoodies for each of the boys that they will get to keep forever more.
Thanks to all of the teaching staff and the support staff.
Like any production, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Ms Crowley has been extremely busy, along with Sheena, Hannah and Linda, preparing for today and as you can see they have done a fantastic job. Ms Crowley always forms such an excellent relationship with her class and the parents which is very evident today and the boys are very lucky to have you as their teacher. I know that they’ll miss you as much as you’ll miss them! Mr Joyce joined us two years ago and had a real positive impact on the school, establishing the ASD class. Along with Jess and Mairead, they formed excellent relationships with Philly and John for two years. The boys have made amazing progress while in your class and again I know you will miss them dearly. It is a privilege for me to work with this staff who are creating a calm, unique and respectful school that we all value so much.
And finally, over to you….To all of our students here, the future is where you will spend most of your lives. You are at a very exciting time in your life where you get to manage what you want to achieve…. Be it a football player, a teacher or working in IT. Reach for the stars- you are capable of achieving anything once you put your mind to it!. Of course there will be challenges ahead however when you are determined to succeed you will make the right choices! My advice is to surround yourself with positive people and friends who pick you up in order to reach your full potential and invest in them! Remember you ‘reap what you sow.’
Please don’t forget us on this journey as you’ll always be part of St John the Baptist BNS.
On behalf of the School Managers and staff, thank you for giving us great memories which won’t be forgotten and for making our jobs so rewarding.