Coláiste Chraobh Abhann
YOUNG SCIENTIST
Two third year CCA students Alex Brady and Jack Brady had a wonderful time presenting their project in this year’s Young Scientist Awards in the RDS the two cousins’ entry focused on health and safety on the farm, where they designed and created a catch mechanism for a trailer gate that will help farmers as they are loading livestock. If the animal kicks out, the mechanism locks the gate automatically, potentially preventing serious injury for the farmer.
Jack and Alex went through three rounds of intensive interviewing by the judges, where they were required to explain the creative planning stage of their design, the technical mechanism of how it works, as well as how they see their design being implemented. There was also great interest shown by the media, with the two boys appearing on TV3s’ ‘Ireland AM’ and RTÉ’s ‘Ear to the Ground’. Thanks to their teacher Ms Corrigan and all the Science department for their support and guidance they showed to the students who submitted projects this year.
EDUCATION TRUST
Congratulations to CCAs Ligita NaJulyte who was a successful recipient of the 2018 Michael Sweetman Educational Trust competition. Each year, the Michael Sweetman Educational Trust (MSET), with the assistance of the Education and Training Boards and the support of the European Parliament, assisted by European Movement Ireland and the Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), awards a trip to Euroscola in Strasbourg, France to 24 Leaving Certificate Applied students, attending an ETB School, college or Centre.
On January 25, a group of Leaving Certificate Applied students from ETB schools and centres around Ireland will participate in the Euroscola programme, organised by the European Parliament. These Irish students will get together with their European counterparts to experience EU decision making through debate, negotiation, amending, voting and finally adopting resolutions on real European Issues.
Well done Ligita on achieving such a prestigious award and we hope you enjoy this experience. Thanks to Ms Cowap for all the advice and support she gave to Ligita in her application.
GAELTACHT TRIP
Thirteen sixth year students from CCA attended a weekend trip from the fifth to January 7 to the Gaeltacht of An Cheathrú Rua in County Galway. The students attended morning classes which were run by educators from National University of Ireland Galway, before visiting various places of interest in the afternoon including Patrick Pearse’s cottage in Ros Muc.
The students benefited greatly from this language immersion which will give them extra confidence during the Leaving Cert Irish Oral Exams. Thanks to Ms Phillips and Mr Ryan for both organising and attending this trip.
TY MOTIVATIONAL TALK
Marc Mulligan visited Coláiste Chraobh Abhann on Monday, January 8, to give an interactive workshop to the TY students on the best ways to prepare for public speaking. Marc is the author of the book Do it Today, a self-help guide for anyone who feels anxious and nervous about getting up and speaking to an audience. Marc gave examples from his life experiences to show how he conquered his own fears regarding speaking in public. The students found the talk both engaging and very beneficial in preparing for their own public speaking presentations in TY.
COURTS VISIT
4RLS visited the Criminal Courts of Justice on Thursday, January 11, where they learned about the day to day function and practise of the Irish court system. The class had the opportunity to discuss the procedures of the court with a practising barrister, before participating in a mock criminal trial of their own, where the students played the roles of judge, barrister, solicitor, accused, witness and juror.
The students then attended a real life trial where they could see the procedures of the court in practise. This was a very informative trip and we hope all our students gained a valuable insight into how the Criminal Courts of Justice function.
TY FRENCH FILM TRIP
On Friday, January 12, the French TY classes visited the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray to watch the Swiss-French Oscar nominated animated film Ma Vie de Courgette which is an adaptation of the 2002 novel by Gilles Paris Autobiographie d’un Courgette. The film is part of the IFI Schools Programme. The students enjoyed the day out and will be exploring some of the themes raised in the film during their conversation classes.
BEEF COMPETITION
This year five Transition Year students, Oisin Cullen, Sam Ireland, Dylan Symes, Chloe Crean Tighe and Kelianne Coughlan formed a group to enter the Irish Angus Certified Irish Schools beef competition. The competition involves the promotion of Angus Beef meat in schools and in the local community. The group completed a three minute video entry and their hard work paid off as the group have now made it through to the interview round, which takes place in Mullingar on Wednesday, January 17. Many thanks to Ms Kehoe for working with the students on this competition.
We wish them the best of luck in the next round.
1ST YEAR PTS MEETINGS
Coláiste Chraobh Abhann’s first year Parent/Teacher/Student meetings will take place on Thursday, January 18. The meetings take place from 4.15 p.m. to 6.45 p.m. We look forward to seeing you and discussing your child’s continued progress with us.
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
The first BOM meeting of the year will take place on Monday, January 15, from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. in Coláiste Chraobh Abhann. We would like to welcome Ms Walsh to the board following her successful nomination.
ARTS WEEK
We look forward to celebrate CCAs Arts Week which will take place from Monday, January 15, to Friday, January 19. Displays, presentations and project work from all the practical departments will be on show throughout the school for everyone to enjoy.
HPS TEAM
The Health Promoting Schools Team wish to announce that they have now rolled out all the actions for 2018. These include the Meditation Room being available for students before school, mindfulness activities taking place in the PE hall throughout the year and lunchtime walks for junior students.