Monday 28 December 2015

Redsokz Christmas 2015

Christmas Redsokz 2015


Christmas Supervised Study

Christmas Supervised Study

Tuesday December 29th
Wednesday December 30th
Thursday December 31st
Monday January 4th
Tuesday January 5th

9am - 4.30pm

 
‎€5 per day

Study included in boarding options

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Christmas Carol Service Videos


Villiers Choir - Pie Jesu



Villiers Choir - Oh come all ye faithful

Walking in the Air
Holly Sturton
O Holy Night
Eoghan Kavanagh & Ms. Janet Woods

The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Emma Gordon & Sinead O'Donnell-Stolz




Sunday 20 December 2015

Suggested Christmas Reading - Senior and Junior Students

Suggested Christmas Reading – Senior Students

A Brief History of Seven Killings                         Marlon James
A Little Life                                                           Hanya Yanagihara
The Grass is Singing                                              Doris Lessing
The Book Thief                                                      Markus Zusak
A Spool of Blue Thread                                         Anne Tyler
Did You Ever Have a Family                                 Bill Clegg
Lila                                                                          Marilynne Robinson
Endgame: The Calling                                            James Frey
Into the Wild                                                           Jon Krakauer
Statin Island                                                            Tom McCarthy
Sleeping on Jupiter                                                  Anuradha Roy
The Chimes                                                             Anna Smaill
City of Bohane                                                        Kevin Barry
The Fisherman                                                        Chigozie Obioma
The Green Road                                                      Anne Enright
An Eagle in the Snow                                             Michael Morpurgo
The Illuminations                                                    Andrew O’Hagan
The Moor’s Account                                               Laila Lalami
The Year of the Runaways                                     Sunjeev Sahota




Suggested Christmas Reading – Junior Students

The Art of Being Normal                                        Lisa Williamson
Before I Die                                                             Jenny Downham
Game Changer                                                        Tim Bowler
The last Leaves Falling                                           Sarah Benwell
We are all made of Molecules                                 Susin Nielsen
Noughts and Crosses                                               Malorie Blackman
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas                               John Boyne 
Spotlight on Sunny                                                  Keris Stainton
The Kite Rider                                                         Geraldine McCaughrean                                                                     
Seven Days                                                              Eve Ainsworth
The Honest Truth                                                    Dan Gemeinhart
The Hunger Games                                                 Suzanne Collins
This is Not a Love Story                                         Keren David
Lost on Mars                                                           Paul Magrs
The Fellowship of The Ring                                   J R R Tolkien
Stone Rider                                                             David Hofmeyr
The Big Lie                                                             Julie Mayhew
Finding Violet Park                                                Jenny Valentine



Friday 18 December 2015

Villiers Christmas Dinner 2015


Christmas Dinner 2015

As always, our Christmas Dinner was a moving and special occasion in the School Calendar. It’s a treasured ‘Villiers Family' event, there’s no better way to celebrate a sense of family than to eat together. Head Boy, Conor Ryan, with his usual poise, made a remarkable speech and captured the true spirit of Villiers, extracts of which are below:



"…I am in this school is because my dad wanted me to have the same experiences as he received. He wanted me to learn how to become a man of manner, confidence, maturity and most important of all, he wanted a son who knew how to cook some fine rashers!

He wanted me to be someone who will give their all going through life. He wanted me to be taught how to think, not what to think. And so going into first year I adopted the notion of giving everything 100%, which has become one of the best decisions I have ever made. This idea was reinforced one evening when Janet turned to me and said, “As with anything, you only get out of Villiers what you put into it.” I find this very true. And there is no doubt that there's a strong student-staff relationship which helps students make the most of their time here in Villiers…

…It's not often that you see a teacher who is an ex-Aussie prop forward take to the pool like a natural and play a game of bulldog against the whole rugby team, and still manages to win. He was just too quick on his feet and out paced us all. The fact is that we all get along with our teachers, something which is quite special nowadays…

…Going through Villiers has happened so quickly that you really have to cherish every day. Sometimes, you just have to stop, and take a second to really appreciate everything that is going on around you. Whether it is Mike and Dimitri fixing almost anything, or our newest member of staff, Sam the dog, bringing Ms.Storey for walks and keeping her on her toes. It was only yesterday when one member of the housekeeping staff came into Ms. Moriarty’s office with practically no voice and refused to go home because she needed to prep the dining hall for the Christmas Dinner. This just shows the dedication that is shown to Villiers School…

…It could be said that Villiers is more than the sum of its parts. Each and every one of us contributes something to make the wheel turn, and once we do, the system functions and collectively, we drive forward to achieve great things. In my time here, I've heard Villiers be compared to many things, such as a clock, a wheel and even chapters of a book. But I like to think of this school as a system of intricate gears, working collectively to drive Villiers on. The teeth on each gear are the members of the non-teaching staff, and what if those teeth are missing? The gear slips and the system breaks down…

…I am privileged to be the head boy standing in front of you with the opportunity to thank these important people in the Villiers family. But I am very conscious that I do so on behalf of all the Villiers students who are deeply appreciative of what each and everyone one of you do.

Now my English teacher always said I needed to include a quotation in a speech, so I’m going to leave you with one. “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”
Tonight my job has been to put the student’s appreciation into words, and on that,
I'd like to wish everyone an early merry Christmas and best of luck to those of you doing exams next week.

Thank you."