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This week we celebrated Seachtain na Gaeilge in school. Each day there were different activities organised for all students in every year to participate in.

Students were encouraged to learn and enhance their knowledge of Gaeilge throughout the week.
Some of the activities that took place throughout the week included:

Tráth na gceist
An Cic Fada
Tae agus Plé
Comórtas na bpostaer.

Seachtain den scoth a bhí ann!

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Class Act Awards 2023 Adjudicator Anna Walker with Best Actor Conor Morgan, -16

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Naas CBS recently took part in the inaugural ‘Class Act’ Drama Festival which was proudly hosted by The Moat Theatre, Naas on Wednesday, 29th March. ‘Class Act’ is a one-act play competition for secondary schools which this year included schools from Kildare as well as Cashel Community School from Tipperary. A delighted audience was treated to a wonderful evening of entertaining  and innovative drama.

Our club is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and respected. We encourage all members to participate in club events, share their knowledge and insights, and support each other in our journey.

All students welcome!

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Class Act Awards 2023 (l to r) Brian Lyons, festival director, cast of 'There's been an Accident',  Naas CBS, Runners-up best overall play, Adjudicator Anna Walker -19

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Naas CBS Walks for Pieta House

On Friday, May 5th, Naas CBS’s Amber Flag Committee
organised our school’s version of Pieta House’s Darkness
into Light Walk. Students in each year group participated in a
class walk during a class, giving our school community an
opportunity to connect and to bring hope to people who have
been impacted by suicide. Students and staff wore the colour
yellow and kindly made donations to raise vital funds for Pieta
House’s life-saving work which includes free counselling, and
free text and phone services all year round.
A big thank you to our school community for supporting this
important initiative and well done to our Amber Flag Committee
for their organisation of the walk and quiz.

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Religious Education promotes respect and understanding among students.

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Religious Education promotes respect and understanding among students.

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Teaching students about different cultures and religions in the junior cycle Religious Education (RE) curriculum can help to promote respect and understanding among students. By learning about other cultures and beliefs, students can gain a greater appreciation for diversity and develop a more open-minded and accepting outlook.

One approach to teaching about different cultures and religions in RE could be to incorporate a comparative approach. This involves exploring the similarities and differences between different religions and cultures, and highlighting the shared values and beliefs that underpin them. For example, students could compare and contrast the beliefs and practices of Christianity and Islam, or Buddhism and Hinduism.

It is also important to approach the teaching of different cultures and religions in a respectful and sensitive manner. This can be achieved by ensuring that the material presented is accurate and unbiased, and by encouraging students to ask questions and share their own perspectives. Teachers should also be aware of any cultural or religious sensitivities, and be respectful of these in their teaching.

In addition to promoting respect and understanding, teaching about different cultures and religions in RE can also help to foster critical thinking skills. By exploring different belief systems, students can develop their ability to evaluate and analyse ideas, and to think critically about their own beliefs and values.

Overall, teaching students about different cultures and religions in the junior cycle RE curriculum can be a valuable way to promote respect, understanding, and critical thinking among students.

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Pieta House is an Irish charity that provides free counselling and support to people who are struggling with their mental health or have been bereaved by suicide.

The Darkness Into Light walk is an annual event in Naas CBS. This year, we have organised students in their class groups to go for walks in their SPHE and Wllbeing classes. It's wonderful to see students coming together as a class group to participate in this event, as it not only raises much-needed funds for Pieta House, but also helps to reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage open conversations about this important topic.

In addition to supporting Pieta House through the Darkness Into Light walk, there are many other ways that students can promote mental health awareness and well-being within their school community. This could include organizing talks or workshops on mental health, creating posters or artwork to display around the school, or even setting up a mental health support group for students who may be struggling. By working together, students can help to create a supportive and caring environment that promotes good mental health and well-being for everyone.

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It's wonderful to hear that our Global Citizenship class is addressing issues of gender inequality in Ireland and around the world. It's essential to educate students about these issues, especially in a male school with a female-dominated staff, as it can help create more compassionate and well-rounded individuals who promote gender equality.

Respect and compassion are fundamental values that are important in promoting a culture of gender equality. By educating students about gender inequalities and promoting respectful and compassionate behavior, you are taking important steps to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

By promoting these values and creating an inclusive school culture, we can help to create a more equal and just society, where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and thrive regardless of gender.

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Welcome to our Chest Club! We are a community of students who share a passion for the game of chess and welcome players of all levels and backgrounds.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, our club is a great place to improve your skills, meet new people, and have fun playing chess. We believe that everyone can benefit from playing chess, regardless of their learning background or experience with the game.

Our club is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and respected. We encourage all members to participate in club events, share their knowledge and insights, and support each other in our chess journeys.

We organize regular chess tournaments, practice games, and strategy sessions to help our members improve their game. We also host social events and team-building activities to help members get to know each other and build lasting friendships.

So, whether you're a seasoned chess player or just starting out, we invite you to join our Chest Club and become part of our community. We look forward to meeting you and sharing our love of chess!

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This year was bumper year for our honey. Our beehive on site here in the school produced over 7kg of natural, pure honey. This also included a fabulous batch of IVY Honey. Every year our bee-keeping project with an on-site hive gives many students the chance to learn about bee-keeping and  honey production.

We were the first and still one of only a few schools in the country with such a beekeeping project with a hive on school grounds. Every year we produce amazing honey full of the flavour and goodness of a  variety of local flora. Truly Naas Honey!

This was an excellent opportunity for some of our Students from Ukraine to become involved in the school community. We were very lucky that they had plenty of experience in the area of collecting honey. Thank you for sharing your expertise and donating your time over the Summer break.

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Some of our students getting to work on creating designs for our School of Sanctuary display area!

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We have decorated our assembly area and School of Sanctuary display to represent the cultures in our school and other cultures around the world!
Pictured here is Ms. Prendiville proudly showing off our flag display!

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We updated our school app to share our achievement of our aim to become a champion school for School of Sanctuary.

We now have a School of Sanctuary section on our website which discusses our journey of becoming a School of Sanctuary.

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School of Sanctuary: Updating our School App 

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School of Sanctuary: Updating our School App 

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After all of our hard work to become a School of Sanctuary champion school, we want to make sure any future CBS students know that they will be joining a school that is a place of sanctuary.

We linked in with our guidance Counsellor, Ms. Costello, who visits local schools and talks about what to expect when they join our school.
To share the great news about our aim to become a School of Sanctuary, Ms. Costello updated her resources so that every prospective school knows about our safe and inclusive school!

We cannot wait for students to join the fantastic group of students we have and continue to expand our School of Sanctuary ambition!

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One of our amazing fifth year students researched all of the nationalities that are living in County Kildare. We are proud that we represent many of these nationalities in our school.

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On Friday, 31st March Naas CBS celebrated our first "Wear Red Day". This initiative was set up by Stand up Against Racism.
Students learned about what racism means and learned about how people can be impacted by racism. Students also learned how to support their peers should racism occur. Inclusion and acceptance is a huge part of our school life and we are delighted to have successfully campaigned our first Wear Red day.

Our students also tuned in live to the Wear Red Day Webinar. Students found the webinar very informative and educational. Students had fantastic conversations afterwards about racism and how they can help to promote inclusion among all both inside and outside the classroom.

A huge well done to all!

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We are so thankful to our fantastic art department and teachers Ms. Masterson and Ms. Cowper who gave their art students the task of creating a piece of work for our School of Sanctuary stand to highlight the many different cultures in our school.
Look how fantastic the piece turned out!

A huge well done to our fantastic art department!

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We updated our School of Sanctuary display in the assembly area by adding flags to represent each culture we have in our school.

We also got students to create posters to reflect the language of all those reflected in our school society. These were placed around the school with pride.

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From competing this survey, we learned that students in our school speak over 12 languages and we have 11 different ethnic backgrounds in our school.

These are:
1) Irish
2) Polish
3) Lithuanian
4) Asian
5) Scottish
6) Spanish
7) Zimbabwean
8) Afrikaans
9) Bangladeshi
10)Moldovan
11)Libyan
12) Ukrainian

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As part of becoming a champion School of Sanctuary, we wanted to learn about and celebrate the diversity within our school.
We conducted a survey with all students to find out what languages they can speak and what cultures they associate themselves with.

We then integrated these cultures within our school life, celebrating and raising awareness of important religious festivals, important days and so on.

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We are so proud to share the news about our School of Sanctuary journey on our school website,highlighting our aim to become a School of Sanctuary and looking back on our journey from 2020 to now.

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We created a virtual tour of our school to prepare future incoming students both near and far from our community in Naas, particularly to our Ukrainian students in advance of their arrival.

By creating this virtual tour students get an insight into academic life in Naas CBS and also see the many social aspects our school has to offer.

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Our School of Sanctuary committee is ever-growing and we are so proud to have these fabulous bunch of students represent our school in our pledge to become a School of Sanctuary.
This committee, made up of staff, students and the wider community represent what our school stands for and have worked hard to earn our accreditation of becoming a champion School of Sanctuary.

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175th Anniversary Flying the Irish Tricolour Flag 

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175th Anniversary Flying the Irish Tricolour Flag 

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Today, Wednesday 8th March 2023 is the 175th Anniversary of the 1st flying of the Irish Tricolour Flag.

When in 1848 Thomas Francis Meagher spoke of the meaning of the 'white' panel at the heart of the flag joining the green and orange, his dream was that all people of Ireland, be they Catholic or Protestant, would be united in a lasting peaceful brotherhood.

We celebrate his vision today - where young people of all backgrounds , ethnicities, cultures, genders and sexual orientations have pride in, respect for and live the Irish Tricolour's message of peace and inclusion.

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Over the course of our journey to becoming a School of Sanctuary champion school, students have learned and invested a lot of time and effort into giving back to our school and the wider community.

Second year CSPE classes used their knowledge and skills to organise 'Thousands Perish for Clothes That You Cherish'. Students wanted to highlight and raise awareness of 'Fast Fashion', and supported the Clothes Swap Shop of class 2C.

Second and Transition year students brought in clothes they no longer wanted or needed and received tokens which they could use to 'buy' other clothes. Students could also buy tokens on the day.

All money raised on the day was donated to our local St. Vincent De Paul.

Below are three projects which inform you about Fast Fashion and some ideas how to move away from Fast Fashion.

A huge well done to all on such a successful event!

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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A number of our 1st and 2nd year students attended the Cycle Against Suicide
Students Leaders Mental Health Congress in the RDS on February 9th 2023. This
was a contact-based education day that encouraged students to practice self-care,
develop self-efficacy and adopt positive coping skills. The boys heard from speakers
who examined the factors which impact on mental health and wellbeing. Speakers
included Bob Carley, Dr Bobby Smith, Bodywhys, Webwise, Rory O’Connor, John
Doran, Jodie Rogers and many others. Talks examined the factors which impact
on mental health and wellbeing with the aim of:
Developing young people’s ability to act on behalf of personal wellbeing and
that of others.
Developing students’ confidence and competence to act in support of
wellbeing and mental health.
Increasing students’ self-awareness about the attitudes, values and beliefs
that underpin health, personal lifestyle behaviours and choices.
Fostering students’ capacity to empathise with others through a greater
Understanding of different life experiences, motives and feelings of other
individuals.

Students also had access to and were freely able to engage with information stands
on the day for many support organisations like Bodywhys, Barnardos, Childline and
the Samaritans.

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This year was our school's first year taking part in Wear Red Day!

Wear Red Day is an important opportunity for our school and students alike to send out a strong message that we as communities welcome diversity, celebrate it, and take a stand against racism in all forms.

Our SPHE and Wellbeing classes learned about what racism is, understanding racism and understanding diversity.

On Friday, March 31st staff and students wore red to show our support to diverse and inclusive communities.
We look forward to continuing this event every year. It was a huge success.

Well done to all involved!

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Naas CBS has been very fortunate to welcome a number of Ukrainian students to our school. We are aware of the difficulties and challenges these students have been faced with and want to make their transition from Ireland to Ukraine as smooth as possible.

Our school got in contact with the local girls secondary school, St. Mary's College, Naas, and arranged a weekly time where our Ukrainian students could meet, connect and form links with the Ukrainian students in St. Mary's college. Each week, staff and students would meet down the town for a coffee and a catch up. We were so delighted to help the students form these connections with each other especially forming a link with St. Mary's College, Naas.

It was a huge success. Well done to all involved!

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Jason Brady17 - School of Sanctuary - project 

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During the School of Sanctuary module with transition years, students completed individual projects on School of Sanctuary in Naas CBS. Students showcased what they had learned throughout the four week programme and presented their projects to the class. Students also outlined thoughts on how we could further the School of Sanctuary programme throughout the school.
Below are some of the projects our Transition Years presented. Well done to all!

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TY School Of Sanctuary Project_ Criteia 

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The mission/ethos of the school is to provide Catholic education in the Edmund Rice tradition. We strive to create a school atmosphere where faith and Christian values of respect, justice and integrity are nurtured. A feature of our school is the warm, welcoming atmosphere where positive relationships between our staff, parents and students are highly valued and of utmost importance to us.

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We are very lucky to have received a number of Ukrainian students into our school. This was a very difficult and challenging time for these students. To help them in every way we could, the School of Sanctuary team came together to come up with a plan on how to best support these students.

We came up with an induction pack for Ukrainian students, written in Ukrainian and Russian. This contained basic information such as school start and end times, uniform, etc. Each student was given one of these once they arrived to school.

Our students made posters in support of Ukraine and placed them around the school in support of Ukraine and to help settle our new students into school.

Our guidance department worked closely with these students and helped them through their introduction process. They are there to assist these students with anything they might need.

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We want to support each and every student strive to meet their potential in Naas CBS. We offer evening and night study to every student after school and also Saturday study.
This is available to every student should they wish to participate. It is ran by our teachers which we are very thankful for.

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This is our third year supporting Stand Up Awareness week. We are so proud of our staff and students and how we are progressing and expanding this very important message every year.

The theme for Stand Up Awareness Week 2022 is Choose Words that Heal Not Hurt. Tackling the issue of homophobic language.

This year, we raised our pride flag outside.

As always, we had a RAG Day to celebrate all of our students and support the LBBTQ+ community.

A huge well done to all involved!