TY Student Visits the European Parliament

Shane Lynch, a transition year student, has received the opportunity to go to Strasbourg for four days next year. He will visit the European Parliament and will take part in Euroscola, a youth parliament, and participate in discussions on a number of topicsabout the European Union. This prize was sponsored by the European Parliament. Shane took part in a quiz on Graduate.ie. Graduate.ie holds free online competitions for secondary school students to take part in and learn about topical issues. A huge congratulations to Shane on this achievement!

Product Design

This year I started a new subject called ‘Product Design’, with Mr. O’Brien. This subject is a new one for me going into transition year. Product design clashes with enterprise at times which I feel is good as you can use the two strengths from each subject to make something useful out of the subject. So far in product design, we have learned to sketch properly, which is a must when it comes to product design as you must be able to accurately draw what you intend to eventually turn into a product, so the more accurate you are the better. We have also looked at things such as different artists abroad taking a different approach to their line of work, which I felt benefitted me hugely as it made me think about designs for various products differently. Overall I am glad that I am able to do product design this year, and I look forward to doing more of this kind of thing in the future.

Thanks to product design, I have been able to find a new interest and is something I would have an interest in when I leave school

By Daragh McHugh

The Ploughing Championship 2018

Originally, we were meant to go to the Ploughing Championships on Wednesday the 19th of September. However, due to the weather conditions it was called off and we had to turn back after driving for 3 hours. It was frustrating but we went the next day instead so it turned out alright. We departed the school at 8am on Thursday the 20th of September. It was a very wet windy day so we made sure to wear suitable clothes. It was quite a long journey and there was lots of traffic but the wait was definitely worth it. We arrived at about 11am and straight away were blown away by the spectacle. The sheer size of the area was unbelievable and there was an amazing variety of stalls and shops. There were stalls selling food, drinks, clothes and countless other things. There were many machines and vehicles also. The food was delicious. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. After about 5 hours we left at 3pm. We arrived home at 7pm. It was a great experience and something I would recommend to everyone. By Joe Sayers

Home Economics

Since the beginning of transition year we have been doing home economics on a Thursday afternoon for a double with Ms. Moore. So far we have made carbonara and a cake. We have also looked at staying healthy. It is something new and that’s what I like about TY - you get to try new things. I would highly recommend it! By Steven Morgan and Ben Thomson

你好 - nĭ hăo

We are doing Chinese as a language this year with Ms. Sheridan. we learn about the Chinese culture, the foods and the history of the country. We are learning about the different roles in Chinese society. To date, we know the numbers, the days of the week, the months of the year and family. It is a great experience! By Cormac Meegan

Achill

From the 10th - 12th of October we went on a trip to Achill Island just off the Mayo coast. We departed the school at 8:30 on Wednesday – with a 5 and half hour bus journey to Achill. When we arrived we were warmly greeted by the instructors and the Bean an Tí’. We handed up our mobile phones. We participated in activities such as, bog snorkelling, surfing/body boarding, river walking. Every evening we had a céilí and we learned some dances and had a dance off with the other school that was there. A favourite activity was the bog obstacle course, the bog was up to our necks and it was very fun to try complete the course. The teachers joined in with the fun and did the activities with us (Ms. Conlon, Ms.Bugler, Mr. Graham, Mr. Farrell). We left early on Friday due to the storm. It was a great trip and everybody enjoyed it!                                                                                                                                              By Donat Sabjan, Cillian Tracey and Johns Roice

Claire Byrne Live

Last Monday on the 21 st of October, we got the chance to go to the Claire Byrne Live show in the RTE studio, with the 5th year politics class. It was very informative and a great opportunity. When we arrived we were seated and it was explained to us how the show would be run. Topics discussed that night were the effects of a marathon on the body, gender influences and deportation. We were all immediately interested as there was a lot of heated debates. One student in 5 th year had the opportunity to ask a question, which we later found out was disused on Twitter. It was an excellent trip and it was good to be in the RTE studio and see how shows are these shows are organised.Huge thanks to Ms. Hackett!

Exchange Students

Hi! We are Alejandro Repiso and David Carulla, and we are Spanish exchange students, one from Valladolid and another one from Mallorca, we are studying here this year. We are really enjoying our time here so far; we are so happy with the school and it is very different from our schools at home. We are in Transition year, so this year is about gaining new skills and trying out a range of different subjects. Our English is already improving!  We are so happy with all the students and teachers, they help us with anything that we may need. At this moment we couldn’t be happier! Thank you so much!

The India Project

For many years now groups of mainly Transition year Students with their teachers have visited Schillong in North East India and helped develop and support a school for underprivileged children from its humble beginnings. The school provides academic and life changing skills for children who otherwise would have ended up on the streets. The India Project is fundraising again and we would really appreciate your support at any of the following events.Bag Packing in Dunnes, Scotch Hall on August 10th & 11th. We will be bucket collecting at the Fleadh on August 15th. We are having a coffee Afternoon will be held in Termonfeckin Credit Union at 2pm on September 8th. We are having a table quiz in The Westcourt Hotel at 8pm on Friday September 7th. All are welcome! We will be having a clothes collection in the school (date to be confirmed). Any old clothes can be donated.

TY Presentation Night

A large crowd attended the Transition Year presentation night on Tuesday 23rd May 2017 in the school. Ciaran Brennan, Neil Holdcroft and Peter Finegan all made presentations about the Erasmus + project, including the work they carried out and their trip to Italy in early March this year. Students were presented with a gift bag commemorating their participation in the project, which contained pens, a USB key, notepad and mouse mat. Following the presentations all attendees were invited to the Physics lab where some of the student’s projects were on display.

Sustainable materials for Insulation

Transition Year students in Mr. McDonagh’s class are investigating the uses of sustainable materials as insulation. The students created a timber model of a house, complete with cavity in the external walls. The students will add layers of different materials as insulation and record the temperatures within the house. Results of this experiment will be shown at the Transition Year Presentation night at the end of the month.

Hot Boxes for sick animals - Ireland

Over the past two months, Mr. McDonaghs Transition Year Science class have been researching, designing and constructing hot boxes for sick animals. It is hoped these boxes will increase the body temperature of any young animal that is unwell. To do this, the box will need to retain the body heat produced from the young animal in the box. By keeping the animal warm it is hoped to speed up the young animal’s recovery. The boxes are made from Eco Slates and Sheep Wool Insulation. Eco Slates are made from recycled plastic, manufactured by the company Athy EcoSlate in Ireland (http://www.athyecoslate.com/). The slates are light, unbreakable, fire resistant and durable. The outside of the boxes are covered in sheep wool, produced by the company Sheep Wool Insulation Limited in Ireland (http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/). It is 100% pure wool, which makes it an environmentally friendly and sustainable product. The students have three different types of hot box designed and all three designs will be tested for durability and fitness for purpose once completed.