Chickens Return

On Wednesday Oct 28th we were delighted to welcome our chickens back to St Mary's after their extended summer holiday in the Sammon household. The chickens had a fabulous holiday and have returned looking healthier and happier than ever. A massive thank you to Abby and Jessica Sammon in 1K and their dad, Sean, for looking after the chickens all this time.  Our animal stewards ; Rachel Steele, Aisling Coyle and Blanaid Sharpe have been working hard since September cleaning the  coop and ensuring we were fully prepared for the chickens return.

TY October Events

4H- Kairos.

On the 6th of October, 4H went to visit Kairos in Maynooth. Through good teamwork and Communication, they successfully produced the first episode of The Philoquisha show.

A lot of TY'S helped out with the open night on the night of the 6th of October.  Most helped out with Sport demonstrations- Laura Aherne, Emily O'Rourke and Laoise Lynch were amongst some of the girls demonstrating Volleyball, Ciara Friel and Madeline Herney demonstrated Basketball, Clodagh Cagney and Aoibhionn Fitzsimons helped with Badminton, Lucy McCormack,  Emma Martin and Ann-Marie Freely helped with hockey and Mia Sherry and Emily Merrick helped with the table tennis.

On the 13th of October, 4H had their self defence seminar, while 4F had their first aid talk. 4H had a great time learning to defend themselves from their instructor. 

On the 16th of October, the TY’s participated in the Math’s quiz! It was organised and co-ordinated by Eimear Ryan, Laura Fallon and Liadán Smythe, along with help from maths teachers Ms. Fallon, Ms. McAssey, Ms. Ramsey and Ms. Sheehan. The girls had some pretty tough questions! However the winning team managed to edge ahead with a single point from the runner-up’s, and got a prize of vouchers to Eddie Rockets!On Thursday the 22nd of October, all Transition Year’s took part in the Harvest festival. This festival included a prayer service, music and small plays put on by some of the TY’s demonstrating old traditions used to celebrate the harvest festival. 

On display were the scarecrows made by each of the girls, and also some other items associated with the Harvest.

Newgrange Trip

  Newgrange Trip

We gathered under the clear skies outside St Mary's College eagerly awaiting our trip to Newgrange. The time spent of the bus went unnoticed due to our excitement.. The shuttle bus brought us directly to the Newgrange site. The tour guide lead us through the narrow path inside the tomb. In the centre of the monument she indicated to us the burial chambers and showed us ancient designs and even some graffiti! She also displayed a light show which demonstrated what happens during the Winter Solstice in the monument. It was fascinating. After showing us the roof box's feature she guided us out of the monument and we meandered around the grounds while pointing out multiple less magnificent passage tombs that are scattered around the Boyne Valley area. After the tour we returned to the shuttle bus and went to the interpretive centre which contained even more information about the site. We were all very disappointed returning back to the bus for our journey home. We spent our bus journey reflecting on all the new information we learned in Newgrange.

-Eimear Ryan and Sinead Walsh

Transition Year Jelling Trip

Transition year 2015-2016 kicked off with the gelling trip on September 3rd, at six o'clock in the morning. Needless to say not everyone was all smiles, more like all yawns.
We took the boat  to England, and our first destination was the Museum of Science and Industry. There was plenty of interactive experiments to take part in, which for some was a blast. After this we headed to the Trafford Centre, one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe- every girl's dream!
  Friday morning we toured  Cadbury's World. There was nothing like waking up to the aroma of chocolate. We also got to experience  a 4D cinema while in the chocolate haven, which all of us found delightful. That afternoon we trekked around Strafford Upon Avon, a beautiful town that dates back years. There are buildings still standing from the Medieval Ages. We explored Shakespeare's home, and we then strolled around the town. The sun was shining the entire time we were there, which made the day more enjoyable.
And finally, to end our trip on Saturday, we went to Alton Towers. All the thrill seekers came to life here! Everyone went on at least one heart-pounding ride. Those who weren't so keen on the crazy rides were able to go on the cable carts that took you around the site. The area was beautiful, and really was a sight to behold.
Unfortunately, the boat ride home wasn't as smooth as we hoped. We had to turn back an hour into our journey, as one of the passengers got terribly sick. We didn't arrive back in Naas until 2:50 am. However, despite the delay, everyone absolutely adored the trip to England, it was a great way for all of us to get to know each other, and a fantastic way to start this Transition Year.