Blessington Community College
MOCK EXAMS
Our third and sixth year students are almost finished the daunting task of their Mock Junior and Leaving Cert exams. They have been steadily writing for almost two weeks and will be deserving of the mid-term break ahead. We remind them to mind all aspects of their health in these stressful months facing them.
INCOMING FIRST YEARS
The college welcomed over 90 sixth class students on Saturday, February 11, to our Enrolment morning. The principal addressed all gathered at noon to allay fears and give information relevant at this time. Further induction will take place in June and August.
GET ACTIVE TEN AT TEN
In common with thousands of schoolchildren around the country, our students, who were not sitting exams, left class at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 10, to walk around the football pitch for 10 minutes. Thankfully the weather was kind to us and most of our students and teachers got a welcome shot of fresh air into their day.
SCIENCE FUTUREWIZE
First year science students have been participating in ‘Junior Achievement Ireland’s Futurewize ‘programme, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland and Fidelity Investments.
During the programme the students learned about the Solar System and how to build a rocket. They learned how to make healthy food choices and developed practical skills for reading food labels. They were introduced to the chemistry behind forensic science as well as gaining an introduction to HTML. They were also given the tools to begin planning potential careers.
The programme involves local business volunteers acting as mentors and expert guides which aiming to enhance students un- derstanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) areas.
We thank the co-operating Science teachers, Ms Maeve Harbourne, Ms Susan Jenkins, Mr Kevin Logan and Mr Declan Thornton. SAFER INTERNET DAY
To coincide with Safer Internet Day on February 7 and its theme of ‘Be the change: Unite for a better Internet’, all first year students received a talk from Cybersafe Ireland. The hour-long discussion-based session started off with a quiz to remind students of the basics of Internet Safety. They covered safety around social media apps that are popular with young people and explored the topics of peer pressure and cyberbullying. The speaker, Cliodhna Curley also hosted an interactive session with parents to complement the work done with their children. Our thanks to Cliodhna.
DROICHEAD PROGRAMME
the Droichead process is a support programme for Newly Qualified Teachers, laying the foundations of subsequent professional growth and learning for the next phase of their career. Blessington Community College is registered as a Droichead school and on February 14 our team finished their training. We are happy to participate in the process of supporting our new colleagues professionally and look forward to this work. The members of the team are the principal, Mr Kieran Burke and four teachers, i.e. Ms Teresa Ball, Mr Philip Curley, Ms Margaret Kavanagh and Mr Ian Swan.
Rory McKernan kicked off the show as the teacher in fairytale school. He was joined on stage by Snow White (Shannagh Goetelen), Rapunzel (Dervla Byrne) Peter Pan (Seán Tompkins) Wendy (Arlene Kinch) Gingerlocks (Amy Maher and Superman (Ruairi Tompkins) to name but a few. Tensions ran high from early on when the hilarious ugly stepsisters (Eoin Byrne and Jake Hickey) clashed with their teacher and landed themselves in detention.
The trouble really escalated when the Gingerbread Man (Kevin Joyce) demanded the poor Magic Mirror (Darragh Whelan) take him to reality and we knew trouble was afoot when an ensemble of fairytale characters landed straight into the set of Grease. Matters became even more complicated for sweethearts Danny Zucco (Jordan Tallon) and Sandy Olsen (Julia Lambert) when Prince Charming (Ryan Byrne) and Cinderella (Daisy Sharpe) fell out and went in search of new partners. Danny’s T-birds (Eoghan Byrne, Luke Doyle, Noel Byrne and Ben Meehan) looked the part in their skinny black jeans and leather jackets and their style was matched only by the pink ladies (Fifi Crawford Collins, Alex Fitzachary and Caley Dear Kelly) who were determined not to let the ugly step sisters steal their men.
Order was eventually restored by an unlikely hero from each school. The Woodsman (Colm Keogh) made sure Patty Simcox (Kelly Hooper) won the class elections in Grease much to the relief of Grease’s Principal (Luan Christiansen O’Niallain), who was horrified at the prospect of the ugly sisters taking control.
The students danced to all the classics of the 80’s on the night. Hits including Footloose, Grease Lightning, and We Go Together ensured the atmosphere was electric. As always, the final details were worked out in an original music sketch, composed by the class and compiled by Alex Hawkins. Backstage help was provided by Seán Daly, Aaron Candy and Nathaniel Fer.
Coláiste Eoin extends their sincerest thanks to the entire Coláiste Eoin community and surrounding communities for their continued help, support and generosity. Once again, due to the students and staff of Coláiste Eoin, two great nights entertainment were enjoyed by all. Congratulations to all who were involved.
Next week 30 students will travel to London to engage in a dance workshop, attend a West-End show and see the sights of the British capital accompanied by Ms Barker, Mr Power, Ms Ní Éadeáin and Ms. McGrath.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Well done to the junior girls’ soccer team who beat Clane Community School last week with a score of 4-1. Great efforts made and a well-deserved win for the team.
KWWSPCA VISITOR
Mr Campbell organised a visit from the KWWSPCA last Friday. 3 Green and 3 Blue raised money and collected pet food in aid of the organisation and we presented it to them last week. The students raised €265 and collected a good supply of pet food. The KWWSPCA expressed their thanks and brought in Hazel (a rescue dog) for the students to meet.