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St. Joseph's Secondary School

Welcome to the St. Joseph's Secondary School Web site.

St. Joseph's Secondary School is an all-girls school situated in the picturesque village of Doon, Co. Limerick, Ireland.

St. Joseph's is a Catholic school in the Mercy tradition, under the Trusteeship of C.E.I.S.T. We subscribe to the philosophy of the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, founded by Catherine McCauley in 1831.

Volleyball Championship

After St Josephs great success in 1st year and 2nd year spikeball losing the All Ireland semi final to Naas by 1 Point in UCD, this talented bunch of students officially put Doon on the map in the volleyball world, but were looking for their next challenge. On the advice of the Volleyball Association of Ireland they transferred their skills into full volleyball. They were entered into the Irish Junior Volleyball competition for the first time in the history of the school. This was a big step to take as the competition is usually dominated by volleyball schools, but the students were delighted to get the opportunity. Starting out, myself included, factors like rules and regulations, training methods, court size, the number of players on a team, etc were all alien to us and required a great deal of hard work and understanding. Using the community hall and the school hall we trained 3 or 4 times a week at lunchtime as well as after school, it slowly started to come together and make sense. We even used the geography departments trundle wheel to measure out the correct size and dimensions of the court! The first day of competition arrived, so with knee pads, jerseys and balls, we headed to Thurles VEC. As it was our first volleyball outing we went with an attitude of hope rather then real expectation. We played Thurles, Ennis and Fethard and to our suprise we won all games, with a fantastic display of volleyball. The opposition coaches were highly complimentry of the ability levels and attitudes of the girls, as they did not expect St Josephs of Doon to have much volleyball prowess. This put us straight into the All Ireland Junior Cup. The second round of competition took place in Loughrea, one of many volleyball strongholds. We played Louisburg Mayo and Loughrea themselves, and over 4 sets we won both matches. Again more compliments  were directed at the girls. This string of wins has put us into the All Ireland Junior Cup semi final, to be played next week. Our semi final opposition includes St Raphael's, Loughrea and Presentation Kilkenny, with our arch nemesis Naas in the other semi. We are the only team to qualify from outside of leinster. We will go to the semis with all guns blazing and attempt to win. This is yet again just another step towards firmly placing Doon on the map! Fingers crossed!! The semi finals will be Thursday 25th April in Tipperary Town.

Back left to right: Kristina, Mary O Reilly, Lisa Leonard, Cathy Maher
Front left to right: Julie Shortt, Saoirse Barry, Aimee O Brien (captain), Grainne Regan, Aoife Barry. (Missing from photo: Ornaith Hennessy)

Commemorative Book

St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Doon after providing a service of education to generations of girls will be closing in June 2013. However while St. Joseph’s as we know it will cease to exist it’s staff and students will become part of an amalgamation together with St. Fintan’s CBS in Doon and St. Michael’s College in Cappamore to form Scoil na Trionode Naofa.

To mark this historical event the Board of St. Joseph’s are writing a commemorative book which will recount the school’s origins and history as well as provide a snapshot of what life was like in a boarding and day school. With that in mind we would be delighted to hear from past pupils or family members of past pupils at home or abroad who have photographs or memories to share about their time in school.

Contact can be made with the school via email at deputyprincipal@stjoseph.ie or by writing to the school to Deputy Principal, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Doon, Co. Limerick. 

Pastoral Care

Class Teachers & Year Heads

St. Joseph’s Secondary School prides itself on looking after its students welfare. In keeping with the Mercy tradition and ethos, we strive to cater for all students , especially those in need. Our Pastoral Care policy is currently under review and a Pastoral Care Policy will be published in the near future.

At present each class has a special teacher assigned to it with a pastoral care role and this teacher is called the ‘Class Teacher’. The ‘Class Teacher’ keeps a watchful eye on his or her class and is usually the first port of call for a student experiencing difficulties. Each year group also has a Year Head whose responsibility is to monitor behaviour and attendance within his or her year group.

 

 

 

Peer-Mentoring

Newly enrolled First Year students are paired with a student in Leaving Certificate or Leaving Certificate Applied whose role is to mentor and assist the new student in the transition from primary to secondary school. These senior student-mentors are referred to as ‘Buddies’. The ‘Buddies’ meet with their younger peers on a regular basis and advise them on how to adjust to life in secondary school.

 

Learning Support

Students who are experiencing difficulties with learning may avail of learning support in certain cases. St. Joseph’s Secondary School caters for students with learning difficulties by giving extra tuition in Mathematics and English. Please contact Mr. Oliver Ryan (Learning Support Co-ordinator) if you have any queries.

 

 Special Needs

Its only recently that students with special needs have begun to attend their local secondary schools. In the past many of these students attended special schools, usually located far from their family home. Like many second-level schools, St. Joseph’s Secondary School is now beginning to become accustomed to these changing circumstances. Please contact the Principal to discuss any concerns you may have relating to Special Needs.

 

 

 

Contact Details

Address: Doon, Co. Limerick
Telephone: 061 380378
Fax: 061 380265
Email Office: secretary@stjoseph.ie
Email Principal: principal@stjoseph.ie
Email Deputy Principal: deputyprincipal@stjoseph.ie