Ballinrobe Community School 094 9541777

Ballinrobe Community School

Easter 2016 Newsletter

Concern Silence and Fast

On 25th and 26th of February TY

students took part in a fast or silence for

Concern. The students were given

sponsorship cards and tried to raise as

much money as they could for the

charity. It was a worthwhile experience

for the students which gave them an

insight into life for the

people who face

poverty and starvation.

www.ballinrobecommunityschool.com

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Maggie Varley

and Ante Masnic who recently

made their Confirmation. Thank you

to their families, Fr. Gilligan, their

teachers and students who helped

to prepare them for the Sacrament

and make their day special.

Aware Talk On the 26th of February, all Transition Year students had a talk delivered to them by Colm from the organi-

sation ‘Aware’. Aware is an organisation that was founded in 1985 to help people cope with depres-

sion. The talk was very beneficial and taught the stu-dents coping mechanisms that they may find useful during exams or stressful times in their lives. Colm

also spoke to the students about the signs and symp-toms of depression and all students said they found the talk very informative On behalf of all Transition Years we would like to thank Colm from ‘Aware’ for coming into the school and taking the time to talk to

the students.

Marian Harkin

Visit

Irish politician and

MEP Marian Harkin

came to the school

to talk to students

in Transistion Year

and Leaving Cert

about her job and

how she became

successful. She

answered the

students questions

and took photos

with some of the

students and

teachers.

Mock Examinations The Mocks were recently held in B.C.S. for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate students. We hope the students received their desired results and it proved a learning experience in preparation for the main ex-ams in June.

National Flag Presentation On Monday March 7th, three

Transition Year students,

Brianne Hayde, Alanna

McGrath and Laila Egerton travelled to Croke

Park to represent the school at the National

Flag Presentation. During the ceremony,

which was hosted by Ryan Tubridy, members

of the defence forces presented second level

students with the National Flag and a copy of

the 1916 Proclamation. President Michael D.

Higgins was also in attendance and delivered

the key note speech.

Daffodil Day On Friday the 11th of March TY students on be-half of the Irish Cancer Society sold Daffodil Day pins in Ballinrobe. Each daffodil pin cost €3. There was a large num-ber sold by the TY’s who were delighted to be in the position to help such a worthwhile cause.

The Addams Family Musical Congratulations to Ballinrobe Musical Society who embraced the Halloween

atmosphere in February by launching their 2016 production ‘The Addams Family’.The talented cast, including Michael Coen as Gomez, Niall Conway as Lurch and Siobhan Campbell as Alice, took to the stage from February 14th to February 20th. With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, the musical was a side

splittingly funny show that brought the audience through a roller coaster of events. The show itself was weird and wonderful with fantastic lead actors

supported by an equally amazing chorus of ‘ancestors’. The performance was full of comic humour and had explosions of song and dance.The Addams

Family was a major succes in Ballinrobe, selling out almost everynight to halls full of people.We are already looking forward to their next show!

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TY Ski Trip 2016

On the 6th of February the TY students and their teachers set off on their long day travelling to Prato Nevoso, Italy.They flew to Milan from Dublin Airport and from there they travelled by bus to the hotel. In the mornings the students enjoyed

breakfast at 8 am and then afterwards they took part in two hour long ski lessons at 9am. At 11 am the TY’s enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then headed back to the

slopes for another two hours of ski lessons. There were a number of highlights for the students on the trip. On the second night

in Italy everyone went ice skating and seemed to really enjoy the experience. On the fourth night we all went tubing.The TY’s thoroughly enjoyed that and the great

night was caped off with delicious crepes before we went back to the hotel. On the fifth night at the resort there was a sing along with Mr. Conlon. Again

everyone had a great night and the Italians seemed to have really enjoyed it too. Day six was our final day of skiing. It was a sad day for the TY’s as we all had to say goodbye to our instructors. The staff of Scuola Ski ZeroNove and Bump Cafe

organised a party for our final night for all the Irish students. We enjoyed it imensely and were very sad to leave.

At their final dinner in Italy the TY’s had a sing-a-long for the staff at the restaurant and at 3 am the next morning the TY’s and their teachers left the hotel and set off

for home. It was a long journey. Overall it was an amazing experience and most of the TY’s wish they could do it all

over again and would thouroughly recommend the trip to all new Transition Year students!

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Trip to Ambassador Theatre 1916 Revolution

A group of TY and 5th year students went to Dublin on

Monday 7th of March for the centenary anniversary of the

1916 Rising. The group went to the Ambassador Theatre

with Ms Flynn. They spent time going around the theatre

looking at all the different exhibitions. There were many

different paintings depicting the main women of the rising.

Each painting had a short biography on the women and

what their impact was on the rising. The students then

continued to where there were pictures and biographys of

both men and other women involved in the rising. There

were old uniforms and medals on display belomging to

the people from the rising. They also had other items

such as guns that were used. Michael Collin’s car was

another item on display in the theatre. A short

documentary was shown to the students which focused a

lot again on the women involved in the revolt and showed

footage of the rising itself. There was a reconstruction of

Kilmainham jail and it showed where the signatories

would have been executed in the yard at Kilmainham jail.

There was also a reconstruction of a house that

contained a letter from Joseph Plunkett to his wife Grace

whom he had married while in jail. The students learned a

great deal about the rising and what it was like for the

people involved. The day was enjoyed by all!

TY Sleevez Student Enterprise Awards

On Tuesday, the 1st of March, five transition Year students, Shauna McDonald, Orna Walsh, Cara Moran, Allannah Duffy and David Hughes, took their Mini Company product, ‘Sleevez’, to the Student Enterprise Awards in Hotel Ballina.

There were a total of 25 schools who were also there all competing to get through to the National Finals of the competition in Croke Park on the 21st of April. It was a great day for all the students and for Mr. Gallagher, who was deputising for their Mini Company, Teacher Ms Costello and Andy Walsh, their driver for the day. The students got the chance to promote their product on Midwest Radio when Midwest’s very own Tommy Marren interviewed the students about their product for all the Midwest Radio listeners. The students, who were all kitted out in their Mayo gear and their ‘Sleevez’ product, had to impress two very intrigued judges in order to win that golden ticket to Croke Park on April 21st. Unfortunately, the students were unlucky not to get through to the National Finals. However, they did not come away empty handed. The students brought home the the “Most Innovative” Award and they were all thrilled with the achievement. However, this is not the end for Sleevez as the group are continuing the promotion of their product both in and outside of the school and will continue to grow their unique and innovative company to new levels. We want to congratulate the group on their achievements thus far and we wish them all their very best of luck in the future with Sleevez from all students and staff at Ballinrobe Community School.

5th Year Agricultural Science Trip Fifth Year Ag Science students donned their wellies and their raingear for a recent farm visit to Mountbellew Agricultural College. The farm con-sists of 200 ha of land and has a number of enter-prises run as farmlets on a commercial basis. Stu-dents were given a tour of the farm buildings and shown the dairy, beef and sheep enterprises. This trip provides practical experience for the students as well as material for inclusion in project work – worth 25% of their final grade.

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This Easter edition of the school newsletter was brought to you by Editor, David Hughes and Assistant Editors Orna Walsh, Cara Moran and Shauna McDonald.

Thanks to the TY1 Students who contributed.

Driving Instructing

On the 3rd and 4th of March, the T .Y’s took part in a driver safety tutorial .Here, the students learned

about driver safety, replacing a flat tyre and checking the oil in a car. Each student got the

opportunity to sit behind the wheel and for some it was a new experience. Students also learned of the dangers of drink driving through the wear-

ing of ’beer goggles’. These goggles allowed them to experience what a driver under the influ-ence might experience and students quickly be-came aware of the dangers of this decision as

even the easiest of tasks became quite difficult. It was an enjoyable and interesting demonstration.

5th

Year Biology Trip

On Wednesday 24th Febru-ary and Thursday 25th Feb-ruary the 5th Year Biology Classes accompanied by Mr. Connaire & Ms. Burke

and Mr Murphy & Ms McGrath travelled to Dublin

Zoo.

The groups were attending a Conservation Module or-ganised by the Zoo which allowed students to learn about endangered species and the role of modern day Zoos.

All Island ‘Decade of Centenaries’ History

Competition

The best of luck to Anna Campbell and Ellie Walsh,

5th Year, who entered the All Island ‘Decade of Cen-

tenaries’ History Competition on behalf of the school.

The girls entered a project for the Regional/Local Stud-ies Theme, 1916-1922 cate-

gory of the competition based on their research and study of the Tourmakeady

Ambush of 1921.

Proclamation Day

On Monday, March

14th, Ballinrobe Com-

munity School will be

hosting Deputy Eamonn

O’Cuiv as Proclamation

Day is celebrat-

ed. Proclamation Day

will allow the school to

reflect on and commem-

orate, the events of the

1916 Rising as well as

showcase the range of

projects that students

have undertaken over

the past few

weeks. Students will

also have the opportuni-

ty to take part in a num-

ber of activities which

will be focused on the

1916 Rising in the run

up to the Easter Break.

German News

Congratulations to Sibéal Finnerty, TY, who did exceptionally well in her Junior Certificate German Exam. As a result Sibéal has been invited by the German Embassy to attend an Interview in the Goethe Institute, Dublin, in April. This interview will be conducted entirely in German, and if success-ful, Sibéal will be eligible to participate in a scholarship programme to Ger-

many for three weeks during the summer. We are all very proud of Sibéal’s great achievement and wish her the very best of luck.

Viel Glück Sibéal!!

Congratulations Junior boys!

Well Done to the Junior Boys football team who reached the Connacht

Final after beating St.Endas of Galway in

the Semi-Final on a scoreline of 5-10 to 3-8

in the Centre of Excellence in Bekan on Wednesday, March 9th.

The Final will be played on the 11th April where

they will come up against St.Aloysius

College of Athlone. We wish Mr. Egan and all

the lads the very best of luck!

Junk Kouture On Wednesday the 9th of March three Transition year students, Allannah Duffy, Amy Keane and Roisin O’ Brien went to the TF in Castlebar for the Western Regional Finals of the Junk Kouture Fashion Competition. The odds were in the girl’s favour as they had recieved a silver ticket to the event and had come in the top 5 designs out of eighty on the online votes. The show in the TF featured all eighty designs on the cat walk with a choreographed dance routine to their chosen song. Unfortunatley it wasn’t to be for the girls that night. They did not get selected in the top 19 to progress to the National Finals in the 3 Arena, Dublin. They had a great experience though and thoroughly enjoyed the day.