Blessington Community College

WELCOME

We are delighted to welcome our new first year cohort of students, almost 100 young people, to our school community. They began with an Induction Morning to reinforce our Familiarisation Day experience last May. Our Student Centred Wellbeing programme, which starts the day for every student in the school, is very focussed in first year on their specific needs.

We are also happy to welcome new faculty members to the college: Mr Brennan teaching Engineering and DCG; Mr Purcell teaching Spanish; Mr O’Sullivan teaching Construction and DCG and Ms Quinn teaching Home Economics.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Leaving Cert Results: We are very proud of the achievements of all of our graduating class of 2018. Three of our students achieved over 500 points with everyone else chasing their heels. Our former students are about to embark on courses including Law, Business, Teaching and Science in universities ranging from Trinity, UL, DCU, UCD and St Angela’s NUIG. We wish them well in their studies and future careers and hope to welcome some of them back as speakers at our Awards ceremonies.

Junior Cert Results: Last week our Junior Cert students celebrated success in their exams. High grades were well distributed among them with a large number achieving the highest grades across several subjects. Equally important are the successes of students for whom exams pose difficulties – we are delighted with the success achieved by all of our students.

Cycle Against Suicide Ambassador Schools’ Awards: Ms King and Ms McKeon, accompanied by two students, Rigan Roche and Sarah McKechnie, representing the TY Personal Development Group and the Student Wellbeing Committee attended the above awards ceremony in the Honorable Society Kings’ Inns on Wednesday, September 12, They were presented with a beautiful plaque by Junior Minister for health, Ms Helen McEntee for their work in BCC throughout the year. The highlights of the events organised by the students were the Schools Go Orange day, healthy breaks where fruit and vegetables are given to the students in an atmosphere of fun and Chill Out Tuesdays where games etc. can be played in a calm atmosphere. We hope to continue and expand on these awareness-raising activities in the year to come.

TRANSITION YEAR

Our TY programme has begun with a bumper crop of more than 70 students. Their induction took place over a couple of days. Their first day in school was orientating them for the new and exciting approaches to learning that lie ahead of them. Two days were spent in Baltinglass Outdoor Education Centre last week with the class bonding over diverse physical challenges. Already on the horizon for them are workshops by the Mountain Rescue service and in Martial Arts, as well as a trip to the National Ploughing Championships.

HIGHER OPTIONS

Our sixth year students, accompanied by Ms Lillis, the college Guidance Counsellor, joined the estimated 25,000 students who were expected to attend Higher Options 2018, which took place at the RDS Simmonscourt last week. We hope this aids them in their goal-setting exercises as they prepare to make key decisions about what and where they will study upon completing the Leaving Cert. We hope that our class of 2019 will continue with determination and ambition, following in the successful footsteps of those who have gone before them.