AVS School Notes 20th January 2017 - Abbey Vocational School
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AVS School Notes 20th January 2017
School Gymnasium
Following excellent work from our fundraising committee and the support of many members
of the community in the surrounding area we are in the wonderful position of commencing
work on our changing rooms in the gymnasium. A committee was formed some time ago and
they work tirelessly in order to support our school and indeed the many members of the
community who use our gym in our efforts to improve the sports facilities in the school. We
are now happy to announce that work will commence immediately. We are getting all of the
changing rooms upgraded. Thanks to the Sports facilities fundraising committee of Keith
Anderson, Orla Carr, Patrice Rooney, Paul Diver, Michael Meehan, Mary Canavan, Michelle
Harvey and Mary Coughlin for raising funds for this project. We are indebted to them for
their work. Thanks also to our Parents Association who also provided funds from their
fundraising events in order to assist with this project. The Hall is still in use but there are new
changing arrangements in place.
Health Promoting Schools Project
On Thursday 19th January the launch day for our Healthy Schools project took place. All
students in their tutor classes were shown a video made by the Health Promotion team in the
school to illustrate the aims of the project and make them aware of the importance of healthy
choices. The homework journal was used to highlight the aims and the various elements of a
“Health Promoting School”. Students and staff wore sports gear on the day to promote the
project. All students on the day donated €2 to help support extra-curricular projects that are
running in our school. €700 in total was donated in order to assist extra-curricular projects for
the AVS. Each year group participated in walking or running three laps on the track. The
guidelines are present in the school journal for parents to view. Fruit and bottles of water
were given out for free at break time and lunch time to promote healthy eating.
‘Couch to 5k’
The main element of the project is for as many members of the school community as possible
to become more active. To facilitate this we are holding a “Couch to 5K” event over the
coming 8 weeks. Registration took place in the gym at lunchtime on Thursday 19th with the
first training on the school track at lunchtime. Training will then continue each Monday and
Thursday at lunchtime. We encourage as many students as possible, regardless of fitness
levels, to take part in this ‘Couch to 5k’ event. Other events for staff and students will also
take place throughout the year. Over 120 students have signed up for the ‘Couch to 5k’
project.
The AVS have a wonderful Health Promotion team who will be organising events throughout
the year. A huge thank you to our school committee for organising the successful event. The
committee is made up of students and staff:
Students: Ailbhe Donnelly (4th); Brian Gallagher (3rd); Kyle O’Neill (3rd); Ellie
Muldoon (4th); Aine McGroarty (4th); Erin McCafferty (4th).
Staff: Mr S Murrin, Ms R Myers, Ms A Dunnion, Mr K Clarke, Mr B Carty, Mr L
McLoone, Ms E O’Mahony, Mr J Daly.
We would be delighted if some parents came on board – please contact the school office if
you are interested.
1Mock Exams
Students in Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate will be sitting their mock examinations
next month. Paper one in English, Irish and Maths for 3rd and 6th year students will take
place on: February 16th and 17th. Following the midterm break the rest of the exams takes
place from 27th February to March 3rd. We wish all of our students well in preparation for
these exams in the coming weeks.
State Exams
Every Junior and Leaving Certificate student have been given their official timetable this
week. The students have also been given a timetable for project due dates. In addition, the
2017 Leaving Certificate timetable can be viewed on: www.examinations.ie.
Evening Study
Evening study has now commenced for this term. Letters and application forms can be
collected from the school office. Please complete and return same as soon as possible.
JCT Closure Training Day
The staff will take part in a Junior Cert training day on Monday March 6th. The school will
close to students on that day. There will be an Information evening for parents on the new
Junior Cert in early February. All parents are welcome to attend on this date. A confirmed
date will be communicated in the coming notes.
Option Talks for 3rd year and TYs
There will be an information evening for TY and 5th year parents regarding options for the
academic year 2017/2018 on Tuesday, February 7th. This will include information on the TY
programme at 7 pm and information on subject choices at 7.30 pm. It is important that
parents attend on this evening please. All students are currently discussing these choices with
the Career Guidance Department in their classes and will receive a similar formal talk in the
coming weeks. TY Talk: 7.00 pm – 7.30 pm. Subject options for those going into 5th
year: 7.30pm – 8.15 pm.
Leaving Certificate Information Evening
On Wednesday 18th January an Information evening took place in the school which parents
and guardians attended. The aim of the session was to inform parents of the challenges of
third level, the settling in period, how finances, accommodation, assessments work etc. The
topics covered on the night were: the CAO application process (Nicola Dunnion), the
transition from second level to third level (Michael Margey) and student support services
available in third level Institutes (Roisin McCormack). Thank you to LYIT for providing
such an informative session.
Events for incoming first year students
Over the coming weeks, our Deputy Principal Mr Doherty will visit all of the primary
schools in the local area and distribute our enrolment packs to all of our incoming students.
We will then hold an open evening here in the school on Wednesday 15th February from 5pm
to 8 pm. All of our incoming students are welcome to attend with their parents. All persons
under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. An induction day will also take place on March
14th where all students will follow a day in the life of the Abbey Vocational School.
Incoming first years - IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Enrolment Deadline – Friday, 24th February 2017
Induction Day for 6th class pupils – Tuesday, 14th March (Approx. 9.30 am to 2.30 pm)
Information Evening for 6th class parents – Wednesday, 15th March (7.00pm – 8.00pm)
2Jigs and Reels
The Abbey Vocational School will be hosting Jigs and Reels on the 24th March in the Abbey
Hotel. The couples dancing will consist of one student who has experience in Irish dancing
and the other who has never stepped before. Auditions will be held between the 23rd and 27th
January.
The Gambia Schools Project
The Gambia Schools project committee wishes to say a big thanks to the school community
at AVS for their great generosity to us at Christmas. The carol singing at Supervalu brought
in €370 while the collection at AVS Choirs at the Church of Ireland raised €730. Then our
cake sale brought in €295 and our raffle at the Christmas concert raised an additional €150
making a total of €1545.
Alec Reid, one of the founders of the project stated: “this is a great start for Gambia in 2017.
The project costs between €4500 and €6000 annually. We have the total running of our
‘flagship’ school, IRIDU Junior School to take care of, namely teachers’ salaries and the
upkeep of premises. There were unexpected repairs carried out in 2016. In addition, school
uniforms for every child, one school meal per day, for many students this is their only meal
and teaching materials.
This is the first school we built in Gambia. We have helped build and repair several other
schools and continue to support them when we have the means. The Ebola outbreak in the
recent past and now political upheaval makes it difficult to visit these schools at present but
we have partners, Vrienden van Gambia, mostly made up of retired Dutch teachers who keep
a daily eye on the project for us. Last year, Tricia Britton of Donegal Town, who is with a
group of retired INTO teachers, traveled to Gambia regularly to train teachers and visit our
schools. She hopes to visit again this month, conditions allowing”.
Thank you to everyone who was involved in this wonderful project. We are preparing
pictures for AVS website at the moment – do watch out for them. Alec also looks forward to
our help again this year.
Skipathon
170 first year pupils will take part in a Skipathon event on January 30th from 2 - 4pm. The
students will attempt to jump the equivalent distance of Malin to Mizen Head, 659km within
2 hours. This is a sponsorship event in aid of the school’s extracurricular activities and bus
expenses. It will be held in the gym along with a live DJ and lots of spot prizes to be won on
the day. Skipping competitions will take place along with single person skipping and multi-
person skipping on a longer rope.
Sleeping Beauty
Rehearsals for ‘Sleeping Beauty’ take place Saturday and Sunday in the Bosco Centre with
Ms. Carr. The Panto will take place on Friday 21st to Monday 24th April. The following
students from the AVS are involved: Jenny Green, Aoife Breslin, Daniel Gallagher, Aidan
Mc Hugh, Aaron Friel, Kevin Canny, Gerard McIntrye, Ellen Mc Groary, Aine Mc Groary,
Siofra Mauerhofer, Ella Duffy and Ciara Joyce.
Scratch Module
Ten 1st and 2nd year students are taking part in an after school ‘Scratch’ module. The module
offers an introduction to code and gaming. Scratch is a programming system where students
can create their own games and stories online.
3John Paul II Awards
A number of our students are involved in the John Paul II awards. The Award is non-
competitive, flexible and voluntary and requires an ongoing commitment. Awards are earned
by taking part in parish and social activities – 1 hour per week over 8, 14 or 20 weeks. There
are 3 Award levels – Gold, Silver & Bronze”. (www.popejohnpauliiawards.com). The
following students are taking part: Phillip Myers, Marguerite Mac Hugh, Eoin Gallagher,
Grace Mc Callig, Cliodhna Thomas, Aidan Mc Hugh and Shaun Campbell.
Cardiac First Responder Course
On Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th January TY, LCA’s and 5th year students will be
completing a Cardiac First Responder (CFR) course. This course aims to train students in all
aspects of CPR, dealing with a choking casualty and use of the AED. Since 2012
approximately 420 students have been trained to CFR level at AVS.
Transition Year:
TASTY Project
On the 17th January TY students received a talk from Dr. Seán Duffy (Head of School of
Tourism, LYIT), Mr. Conor Daly (Hive), Mr. Enda O'Rourke (The Village Tavern) Ms.
Emily Browne (Smugglers Creek Inn), Mr. Zack Gallagher (Irish Food Guide), Ms. Eve
Anne McCarron (Donegal Local Enterprise Office) and Mr. Donal Cox (Operations Manager
Solis Lough Eske Castle Hotel), on an initiative that is being set up in conjunction with our
school.
This project involves approximately 35 Transition Year students and 7 local hotels and
restaurants. During this project the students will be split into teams and they will be allocated
to a specific hotel or restaurant. The teams will then work with the staff from their assigned
establishment in order to make a savory or sweet food product that is suitable to be sold in
Hive, an artisan shop in Donegal Town.
At the end of this event, there will be a gala evening in Solis Lough Eske Castle where the
groups will present their food product. Friends and family will have a chance to sample the
food before picking a winner. As there were a large number of students interested in
participating in this project, interviews were held this week to select the participants. Before
the students begin working on the food project with the hotels and restaurants, they will
attend a series of lectures on Food Product Development at the LYIT School of Tourism
Killybegs.
Health Promotion Photo Competition
As Healthy Schools launched this week the TY’s will also be running a photography
competition to promote the health initiative. The theme is ‘healthy living’ and prizes will be
given to the top three photographs.
LYIT Taster Day
On 19th January fifty TY students attended LYIT’s Taster Day. The students attended
lectures in design & media, sport, business and other subjects. This gave students an insight
into student life. The students found this day beneficial as they learned about the campus and
the structure of lectures and programmes.
Occupational Therapy Talk
Rachel Crawford came to our school on January 18th and delivered a talk about her job, as an
Occupational Therapist. She explained the work of an OT and what they do in order to assist
4others on a daily basis. Rachel has worked in the U.K. and was able to share her experiences
with the students. She also had some of the tools used to help people that have had a hip
replacement and demonstrated their use. She also discussed study options and reviewed
career options that are available once you qualify. This was an interesting and beneficial talk
as students learnt about the work of an OT.
Art Trip
The TY’s are visiting the Model Arts Centre in Letterkenny on Thursday 26th. They will be
participating in a workshop based on the exhibition called ‘’Reconstructing Memory’ by Cléa
Van Per Grijn. They will also watch a film in the Centre.
Ceílí dancing
Every Friday for the next couple of weeks TY students are attending Ceílí dancing lessons
taught by Clement Gallagher. These lessons are energetic and are a fun activity for all
involved.
Texaco Art Competition
A number of students are working on their entries for the Texaco Art competition. The
entries are due in Dublin for February 28th.
Sport:
Hurling
U16 and U14 hurling training will take place Friday evenings on the All–weather pitch from
3:20 – 4:30 pm.
U14’s Gaelic
U14 boys’ training continues every Monday and Thursday at lunchtime.
Senior Boys’ Soccer
The senior boys’ soccer team are playing in the Ulster semi-final on Monday 23rd January in
Drumkeen against St. Eunan’s at 12pm. We wish the team best of luck.
U15’s Soccer
The AVS U15 soccer team visit Milford next Friday in the 2nd round of the U15 Schoolboy’s
Cup.
Basketball
The senior girls’ basketball team are going to Monaghan on Monday 23rd January for the All–
Ireland play-offs against Loreto, Crumlin and Coláiste Oiriall, Monaghan.
Rugby
On Tuesday 17th January our AVS U16 boys’ rugby team took on St. Columbus in
Ballybofey in the local Donegal Town rugby club pitch. In the dry but windy conditions, it
was a very tough game for both teams with neither side scoring at the start of the game. St.
Columbus eventually scored a converted try which put them up to a 7-0 lead. AVS hit back
with a converted try from Victor Joe Mitchell. Unfortunately, St. Columbus were the stronger
team and won the game with a score of 31-9.
5Sports Nomination Awards
Four AVS students have been nominated for sports awards. They are: Peadar Mogan (6th
year), Caolan O’ Callaghan (past student), Sophie Carr (2nd year) and Mia Mc Calmont (3rd
year). We wish all the nominees the best of luck.
Athletics
Our first year boys and girls athletic team have both qualified for the County Final in Deele
College next week. The top eight schools in the country will go head to head in events such
as indoor.
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