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Carol Service
The annual Royal School ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service will take place in Cavan Parish church on Tuesday the 20th of December at 7.30pm.  We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas together as a school community again so please join us for a truly festive occasion.

Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Well done to the many pupils who have been busy preparing shoeboxes for delivery to Eastern Europe and Africa. In many cases these gifts may be the only one these children receive this Christmas and are therefore much appreciated.

Mini Companies
There are 16 mini companies operating in the school this year. Many of these will attend craft fairs and sales over the Christmas period where they will learn invaluable lessons such as interpersonal and marketing skills. We wish them well.

Boys’ Football update
The RSC Football season is very much up and running in November. The Senior team were beaten in their 1^st game against Largy College, but they are seeking to improve in their second outing. The U17 team beat Breifne College 4-0 in their 1^st game while the U15 team had a thrilling 3-3 draw with Monaghan Collegiate in their first outing.

Girls’ Football Update
The U16 girls team won their first friendly game 2-0 v Breifne College. They face into competitive matches in the coming weeks.

Rugby
The U16 Boy’s Rugby XV began their season with a narrow 14-12 defeat at home to Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. This match and the other challenge games will prove vital preparation to the team as they head into the U16 Ulster Schools Pollock Cup later this year. Thanks to Co. Cavan Rugby club for their ongoing support with our Rugby teams.

Badminton
RSC attended the Cavan Schools Senior Badminton tournament in late October. There were over 200 participants from all over the county and RSC won the Boys’ section through the pairing of Graeme Garland and Andrew Clarke while Amy Bleakley and Louise Eccleston were runners up in the Girls’ competition. Well done to all players and thanks to Mr. Grimes who is coaching Badminton and Table Tennis this year in the school. They are looking forward to a senior and Junior match versus Wilson’s Hospital School in late November.

Homework Club
A new Homework club has started for 3^rd and 6^th year pupils in RSC on Monday evenings and Friday afternoons. This gives pupils an opportunity to complete homework or study for upcoming exams in a quiet, supervised environment.

Christian Union
We are delighted that CU has started up again this year after a COVID induced break. We were glad to welcome diocesan youth workers Warren and Annalyse Humphreys to the first meeting in November and we look forward to many more exciting meetings and activities over the coming months.

Subject Trips
In early November Ms. Forde brought the senior English Classes to Athlone for a production of Macbeth while the Senior Technology students accompanied Mr. Patterson on a Tour of the Boxmore factory in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. Trips such as these help to bring learning alive for pupils.

TY Killary Adventure Trip
The TY pupils really enjoyed their trip to Killary Adventure centre in Co. Galway in early March. They stayed 4 days and undertook several challenges such as team building, hiking, bog jumping, high ropes, archery and much more. They were blessed with fabulous weather and the whole trip was a very memorable experience. Thanks to Mr. McHugh and Ms. Kelly for accompanying the pupils.

Art Department Activities
The Art students in RSC have enjoyed several new initiatives this term. They enjoyed a visit to an exhibition by Margot Quinn in the Town Hall in Cavan (pictured). They also hosted an Art lecturer and some students to learn more about Art in 3^rd level. As part of the Creative Schools initiative, they have enjoyed working with a drama facilitator, with whom they are planning to produce a drama as part of a wider RSC Creative Exhibition in the Town Hall theatre, Cavan in May.

TY Activities
TY students recently completed the Aware Life Skills Programme, Concussion Course and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind virtual programme. They are also learning the very important skills of First Aid and CPR. They completed their first week of Work Experience in February with their second week coming up in April.

Theatre Trip
Form 3 pupils enjoyed their trip to the Mill Theatre, Dundrum to attend their production of Romeo and Juliet. Thanks to Ms. Bates and Ms. Buchanan for organising this trip.

Christian Union Dinner Dance
On Thursday 31^st March senior pupils are planning to attend the annual CU dinner dance in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. They will be joined by pupils from Monaghan Collegiate, Armagh Royal School and other schools.

Languages and Cultures week
During the week the school hosted a ‘Cultures Expo’ where pupils from different backgrounds were invited to display their home countries flag, food and culture. This is a great way for pupils to broaden their experience of various cultures.

Seachtain na Gaeilge
A full schedule of events took place for pupils during this fortnight in March. Form 1 enjoyed a table quiz hosted by TY pupils and a poster competition. The Pop up Gaeltacht proved to be a very popular activity with all pupils and teachers participating in this event ”Beatha teanga í a labhairt’ (You give life to the language when you speak it). The pupils here at the Royal School are always encouraged to speak Irish on a daily basis and their efforts are recognised by awarding the pupils with a Certificate entitled ‘Gaeilgeoir na Seachtaine’ during Seachtain na Gaeilge (Irish speaker of the week). This year we were very lucky to have a Cavan/Monaghan based group called Music Generation visit our school to teach our Transition Year and Form 5 pupils Bodhrán skills also.

National Music Award
Congratulations to Jacob, a 6th Year Music student who was awarded 1st Class Honours in the over 17 solo singing competition at the Interschools Music Festival held at Wesley College Dublin on Saturday 5 March.

Christmas News Wrap Up
The School was beautifully decorated before Christmas and each class got into the spirit with the ‘Deck the Hall’ competition where they had to decorate their classroom door in an imaginative, festive fashion. As promised, the winning entry is pictured here.

Fundraising Totals
Well done to all pupils on their fantastic fundraising efforts prior to Christmas. The Christmas card sales and Shave or Dye challenge raised €2,000 for the Donal Walsh #Live Life campaign and the Christmas jumper day raised over €1,000 for the Children’s Health Foundation. Also, the pupils were thrilled to be able to revive the annual tradition of Carol singing in the town in aid of Concern. This year they raised €781.

Football Matches
We were delighted to have competitive football matches back before Christmas. The Senior boys’ team had a comfortable win in the Ulster cup quarter final against Monaghan Collegiate before ending up on the wrong side of a 3-2 score line against Colaiste Ailigh from Letterkenny in the semi final. The U17 team were unlucky to lose their first game 3-2 against PCC Falcarragh. The U15 team had two challenge games before Christmas. They lost narrowly 3-2 to St. Clare’s College, Ballyjamesduff and then won comfortably against Monaghan Collegiate. At the time of writing, they are preparing for their Ulster quarter final. The U16 girls’ team had their first outing against Monaghan Collegiate also, losing 3-1 on the day.

Rugby Match
Well done to our U16 boys’ rugby team who won their challenge game against Monaghan Collegiate. Sincere thanks to Co. Cavan Rugby club who have again partnered with us to help with the coaching and allow the use of their facilities. At the time of writing the team are preparing for their Ulster Cup draw and matches.

Rugby Blitz Win
A massive well done to all 35 RSC girls who took part in the tag rugby blitz in December. A huge thank you to Cavan Ladies Rugby Club for doing such an incredible job of both organising and running the event that had over 100 girls participating, it was a fantastic experience and event. Everyone enjoyed the lovely catering after the matches and one of our teams even managed to take the Cup home!!

Confirmation
Congratulations to all the Form 3 & 4 pupils who were confirmed by the Bishop in Cavan Parish Church on Sunday 16^th January.

Other Extra Curricular Activities
We hope that our Hockey fixtures will resume in the coming weeks and we are also looking forward to athletics starting back up. Some indoor activities such as Badminton, Table Tennis, Chess, Christian Union & Choir are still difficult to plan for due to the pandemic.

Formula 1 in Schools
F1 in Schools is the fastest, most exciting STEM competition for secondary school students. Students learn how to design, race and build their very own miniature Formula 1 car. This year’s RSC Team is called ‘Eersta’ and is comprised of Nicole Cassidy, Zarah Peeters and Shayna McCaffrey. Best of luck Girls!