office@maristdundalk.ie +353 42 9339977
St. Mary’s College is a Catholic school in the Marist tradition and reflects the Marist education and religious philosophy. The educational community continuously develops and maintains effective communication and mutual respect between the trustees, management, staff, students and parents/guardians. As a responsive school it responds to and caters for the particular spiritual, personal, social, academic and vocational needs of its students and potential students.
If you would like to study in the university in the heart of the city that focus on changing the world for better to morrow, you’re choosing the right place. We do not use special formulas to select students. We look at every single applicant’s application, academic and personal, to select students who suit to our community.
St Mary’s College believes in providing a support system which allows students to develop their maximum potential intellectually, socially and emotionally. The College employs two Guidance Councillors who seek to provide personal educational and careers advice to the student population.
The Guidance Faculty aims to:
Students experiencing personal difficulties may also avail of counselling with the aim of helping them to discuss, understand and cope with any problems they may experience.
St Mary’s College aims to provide an environment of excellence and care for each member of its school community, based on Christian values. We value an ethos of pastoral care whereby pupils feel that they can approach staff and that staff will respond to such pupils in a caring Christian manner. More than anything else we seek to nurture positive relationships as the core resource in developing a pastoral approach.
We demonstrate our valuing of each person through respect, truth, compassion and challenge. We in St. Mary’s College have concern for the whole person throughout the life of the school. We strive to have a good network of relationships in the school. We aim for a physically safe environment by having an evacuation plan, fire drills, fire exits and fire extinguishers and fire blankets. We aim to enhance psychological safety and well-being through the provision of SPHE, CSPE and RE programmes.
We provide policies and structures that enhance psychological safety. These include pastoral care policy and structures, bullying policy, first year buddy system, school completion and rainbow/spectrum programmes.
Staff members are released for in-services relevant to psychological well-being and safety. Workshops and staff talks are provided on relevant topics.
Subject Teachers, Year Teams, Year Heads, The Learning Support Team, Chaplains, Pastoral and Guidance Counsellors and the Principal and Deputy Principals all work together to offer pastoral support to students.
We recognise the central role which parents play in the education of their children and we place a priority on establishing and maintaining strong relationships with parents/guardians. We aim to involve parents in school life and keep them informed of their child’s progress by means of exam reports, comments in the pupil journal, parent teacher meetings, text messages and telephone calls when appropriate.
The chaplains in the College assist in the co-ordination of religious education, faith development and the promotion of the Marist ethos in St. Mary’s College. They liaise with all staff, the MEA, the Diocesan Advisor and local parishes in relation to faith formation. The chaplains organise liturgical events in the College and work with students, their parents/guardians and other members of the College community individually and/or in groups. A chaplaincy team of students assists the Chaplains with Morning Prayer, Chaplaincy Corner Newsletter, Thought for the Month, displays, liturgies and other faith development activities.