Le Cheile Secondary School, Ballincollig

Monday 12 Jan marked a milestone for our school: the first Senior Speak Up competition 🗣️ Hosted at Le Chéile, students from several schools spoke on topics from humorous to hard-hitting. Congrats to winner Gavin (BCS) 👏 & to our Connor Knapp & Gabi Nawrocka as highly commended!

A little time out for our parents! ⏰ At our next Parent’s Association meeting on Tuesday 20th January our PA presents guest speaker Sarah Woulfe Mindset - Life Coach, on Emotional Resilience for Parents 🧠 💭 All parent’s and guardians are welcome to attend 🤝#ParentsAssociation

Second & Third Year students attended the Stripe Young Scientist event in Dublin last week 🔬✨ Exploring STEM through interactive exhibits and innovative projects 🚀🧠 Huge thanks to Ms McCarthy, Ms Murray & Ms Ronan for a long but rewarding day 👏😊

Crochet Club at Le Chéile 🧶 Looking for a creative lunchtime activity? Crochet Club runs every lunchtime Thursdays in Room 13 - new members always welcome! Last term, students made plushies, blankets, tote bags + more. No experience needed. Thanks Ms Heffernan for leading this✨

🎄📘 Our BUMPER Le Chéile Christmas Chronicle is live! Volume 5: Issue 1 celebrates an incredible term of memories, milestones & community spirit. Thank you to students, staff & families. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 🎄✨ drive.google.com/drive/u/1/fold… #LeChéileChronicle2025

🎄✨ Our Christmas Carol Service on 19th Dec was a highlight of the year! Student performances included In the Bleak Midwinter ❄️, O Holy Night 🌟 & Winter Song 🎵, ending with a joyful school-wide sing-along 🎶🎅 Thanks to all who made it special! ❤️🎁 #ChristmasCarolService

So proud of our 1st Year Wood Tech students 🎄🪵 They’ve completed their 2nd project: a beautifully crafted Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar! Fantastic creativity, innovative designs & workmanship 👏 A festive project to enjoy year after year!

Le Chéile Secondary School Ballincollig was proud to support our Christmas Food Appeal for Penny Dinners and Clothes Appeal for Don’t Give Up ❤️🤝 TY students met Judy McGill (mum of Joshua 5th Year) on Fri 19 Dec to present generous donations. Thank you to all who supported!✨

🎄🏆 Our Christmas Awards Ceremony celebrated the amazing achievements of students across all year groups! Awards recognised effort, improvement, academic success & living our motto Welcome-Wisdom-Witness ✨👏 Congrats to all recipients, especially our Year Head Award winners!

Le Chéile got into the festive spirit with our whole-school Christmas Jumper Day! 🎄 Students and staff donned their most cheerful jumpers to spread holiday cheer and support a great cause. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised over €400 for charity this Christmas season 🎁

The big Le Chéile Christmas Quiz took place last week and was enjoyed by students and staff alike 🎅🎄 Hosted by Mr Kelly with festive rounds and shout-outs 📻✨ Well done to prize winners & House point earners 🏆🎁 Thanks to all involved - now an annual tradition! 🎄🎉

🎄 Huge cheers to Ms Griffin and our TY elves for spreading festive joy with their Candy Cane fundraiser! 🍬🧝 Hand-delivered surprises brought smiles, kindness, and Christmas spirit to our school community this past week ✨🎅 A simple idea, beautifully done for a great cause!

What an unforgettable afternoon at our Le Chéile Variety Gala last week! The stage was alive with talent, creativity and energy, showcasing the incredible spirit of our students and staff 👏 A truly proud moment for our school community as they shared their talents with us!

Keira, Grace, Leah, Aisling and Pilar received certificates recognising their fantastic Halloween fancy-dress fundraiser. They raised over €1,000 for the @CrannCentre in Ballincollig. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and generosity in supporting our local community 👏

Huge thanks to Hayley from ShoutOut for delivering an inspiring inclusion workshop with our TY and LCA students 🤝 Her session stood out for its energy, clarity and practical strategies for building a more inclusive school community. Students really enjoyed the walking debate!

Le Chéile students showed great grit and spirit in this year’s Debut Debates, going head-to-head with strong hosts BCS. Keira, Peter and Grace delivered a sharp, confident defence of “Money can buy you happiness.” They may not have won, but they made us proud! 👏🗣️

Ahead of our Christmas House Cup Quiz, 1st year students were officially placed into their Houses! 🦊🦅🐺🦌 Excitement has been building all term. Huge thanks to Ms Stavrou and the LCA class for organising such a fun and engaging event. Festive spirit is truly underway! 🥳

Gliding into Christmas! 🎅🏼 Last week, our Transition Year students enjoyed a fun-filled ice-skating trip to the Marina Market. From beginners to pros, everyone gave it their best and shared plenty of laughs. Thanks to Ms McCarthy and Mr Harrington for a great day out! ❄️⛸️

Best of luck to the @BallincolligGAA Camogie team as they take to the pitch in Croke Park this Sunday for the All-Ireland Intermediate Final! 🏑 Everyone in Le Chéile Secondary School is so proud of their incredible journey and dedication. We’re all behind you - up the Village!👏🏻

A huge thank you to our Le Chéile community for making Sunday’s Christmas Market such a joyful success. Your generosity and festive spirit made the day special. All funds will support new ICT facilities, helping us enhance teaching, learning, and digital opportunities! 💻🎄