Save the date! The Coláiste Bhaile Chláir school choir will be performing at the Youth Mass at Claregalway church on Saturday 23rd May 2015.
#1 in Connacht #2 in Ireland
MATHletes Ireland—12,639 competitors, 700 Provincial finalists, 160 All-Ireland finalists. All students competed from Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, producing 27 Provincial finalists, 4 All-Ireland finalists, and Avril King (2nd year) coming first in Connacht. Students at Coláiste Bhaile Chláir had a very successful MATHletes year. The MATHletes Challenge is a free tournament to transform how we learn and teach maths in Ireland with Khan Academy.
The 4-month Challenge develops students’ confidence and competence in maths using Khan Academy, the global leader in free online learning. Students and schools from 4th class to 5th year (ROI) and Primary 6 to Year 13 (NI) are eligible. The uniquely competitive and engaging experience culminates with top scorers advancing to in-person playoffs, where over €20,000 in prizes and the title of MATHletes All-Ireland Champion.
Mathletes Finalists (L–R): Katie McCallig 2nd year, Avril King 2nd year, Dáire Leonard 1st year, Sinéad King 1st year.
Three first year students Sarah McHale, Mark Roe and Paul Costello also competed in the final of the Irish Junior Maths competition on Saturday 9th May in Dominican College, Taylor’s Hill.
Athletics
35 students competed in the first ever Connacht Indoor schools event held in Athlone IT. This event gave our athletes the opportunity to compete on the indoor track and had their results timed.
Students from Coláiste Bhaile Chláir who participated in the first ever Connacht Schools indoors at Athlone IT.
Coláiste Bhaile Chláir performed very well and the event helped to prepare our Athletes for the South Connacht Schools Track and Field finals held at Dangan on April 30th.
Some of the students who participated in the South Connacht Athletics Track & Field in Dangan.
Seven students are competing in the Connacht Finals at Athlone IT on Thursday 14th May.
- Diarmuid Kilcommins—Minor Boys 100m
- Kristan Flaherty—Minor Boys 800m
- Mary Duggan—Minor Girls 100m
- Aubrey O’Brien—Long Jump Minor Boys
- Aaron Brennan—1500m Junior Boys
- Darren Costello—200m Junior Boys
- Darragh Berthez—200m Junior Boys
- Brandon McMenamin—100m Junior Boys
Go n-eirí libh!
Spanish Exchange
27 second year Spanish students from Coláiste Bhaile Chláir will travel to Spain on Saturday the 16th of May as part of the exchange programme organised with IES Torréon, a secondary school in Ciudad Real. 27 students studying Spanish will leave in the early hours of Saturday morning with their teachers for one week. They will be staying with host families where they will be fully immersed in the Spanish language and culture. We hope they have an unforgettable experience.
Cookery Demonstration
by Leah Flynn and Leah Grealish
On the 28th and 29th of April Louise Lennox, a well-known pastry chef who features on TV frequently came to our school, Coláiste Bhaile Chláir for a cookery demonstration. Louise demonstrated chocolate covered profiteroles with homemade crème patissiere filling inside and coloured chocolate decorated marshmallows.
The ingredients required for the homemade profiteroles were margarine, cold water, eggs, water, double cream and milk chocolate. While the pastry of the profiteroles were cooking the homemade crème patissiere (custard) was made.
The next item to be demonstrated was the homemade marshmallows. We were given the choice of raspberry or vanilla flavoured marshmallows. She also showed how to get a two toned marshmallow effect. The ingredients required for the marshmallows were gelatine leafs, cold water, granulated sugar, liquid glucose, egg whites, vanilla extracts, oil, corn flour and icing sugar.
While the marshmallows were cooking, she taught us how to make coloured chocolate. This was very exciting as she showed us how to make unique designs using white chocolate to decorate the marshmallows using a homemade piping bag.
Louise took us through each stage of the demonstrations one step at a time. We found it interesting and thought it looked delicious! Louise brought different volunteers up. When Louise finished cooking we were all hoping for a taste and each student tasted a homemade filled profiterole and a chocolate topped marshmallow! It was a fascinating cookery demonstration enjoyed by all.
Night at the Dogs
Many thanks to the Parents Association, Local Businesses, Parents, Staff and Students who supported the Coláiste Bhaile Chláir Night at the Dogs held on Saturday the 9th of May.
Campa Gaeilge an tSamhraidh
Coláiste na nGael Óg will be providing classes on the following dates.
Second Level students/ Daltaí Meánscoile:
- Cúrsa/Course A: 15–26th of June/Meitheamh
- Cúrsa/Course C: 20–31st July/Iúil
Primary school pupils/Daltaí Bunscoile:
- Cúrsa/Course B: 6–17th 0f July/Iúil
- Cúrsa/Course C: 20–31st of July/Iúil
The camp will run daily from 10am–3pm. The camp will follow the same format as previous summer camps with Irish lessons, drama, sport, dance and music. A tour and t-shirt is included in the fee.
Suíomh/Location: The Irish camp will take place in Claregalway College.
Clárú/Registration: Registration for classes will take place on Tuesday May 19th 2015 in Claregalway College from 5–6pm. Registration forms will be provided on the night.
Táillí/Fees: Total amount of €90 per child to be paid at registration on the 19th of May.
If your child has not been with the college before please bring them with you so we can assess their level of Irish.
Is iontach an deis é seo cur go mór leis an dul chun cinn iontach a rinne na scoláirí a d’fhreastal ar na campaí an bhliain seo caite. Is cinnte freisin go gcuirfidh sé le dul chun cinn na scolairí sin atá ag clárú leis an gColáiste den chéad uair.
Coláiste Bhaile Chláir Girls Basketball
On Tuesday the 5th of May the first year girls’ basketball team departed from the school along with a group of supporters for schools first ever All Irelands Finals. After arriving in the National Basketball Arena, Tallaght, it was straight into game mode. The girls went straight into their warm-up after coming out of the changing rooms.
We got off to a shaky start with Niamh Egan going down with an injury within the first minute. Throughout the game there was a very low score from both sides. As the game entered the last quarter the Cork girls pulled slightly ahead. The team knew entering the last quarter that it was their last chance to make it through to the final, so the pressure was on. In the last 7 minutes Claregalway scored five baskets, more than what they had scored in the previous three quarters put together.
Unfortunately it was heartbreak for Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, as the final score line read 18–20.
It was a great achievement to reach the All-Ireland semi-final stage after winning the Western Region for a team in early development. Hopefully this is start of great things to come! Congratulations to all players for all their hard work and commitment throughout the year.
Prizes Abound at Scifest
by Sinead King
All the students entered in the Scifest competition from Coláiste Bhaile Chláir gathered at the school at quarter past eight on Thursday the 14th of May. After loading the bus, we departure the school and arrived at the GMIT, in time so we could all set up.
All the groups found their stalls and were quickly set up and ready to begin. All the competitors were called in to a lecture hall were the organisers called out the day’s schedule. The judges slowly made their way around, with each stall being visited by at least one judge. After 2 hours the competitors went to get lunch. After lunch we were once again called into the lecture hall and we listened to three talks.
When the talks were over, the competitors had a chance to ask questions, with Aoife Ryan, a 1st year Claregalway student won a prize for the best question. After a patient wait the organisers started announcing the winners. The first group from Claregalway to be announced as a winner was 1st year girls Ciara Mitchell, Aisling Killilea and Jennifer Hopkins scooping the Space Award.
Next to win a prize were 2nd year boys, James and Aidan who won the Sustainable Energy award. Another prize for Claregalway was won with the project Sensor Guide by Alaidh Fox and Deirdre Hughes who won the Boston Scientific Medical Device award. The last win for Claregalway was won by teacher Ms Nolan for the discover space teacher award.
Overall it was a great day for Coláiste Bhaile Chláir winning many awards and showing great interest in STEM by all students involved.
Projects included:
- Autistic Communication App: Megan Dowd, Precious Adeymi, Aisling Murphy
- Sensor Guide Vibration/Noise Stick for blind: Alaidh Fox, Deirdre Hughes
- Statistical analysis of the relationship between students’ times spent on the online maths study aid Khan Academy and test results—Does spending time on Khan academy improve Students test results? Sinéad King, Louise Mahoney and Aine O’ Hanlon
- Anaerobic Respiration: James Skerrit, Aidan Owens
- Plants for Space Travel: Aisling Killilea, Ciara Mitchell, Jennifer Hopkins
- Colonising Mars, Which Plants to Eat—Space Spuds: Patryk Kaz and Cathal Brady
- Investigation of the possibility of using compost and slurry as possible energy sources: Rachel O’Hare, Katherine Gallagher, Aoife Ryan
- Simulating Martian gravity: Liam Molloy, Simon Coyle, Killian Goaley
-
- Students Naimh McCullagh and Ruairí Gallagher organised a table quiz for first year students to raise money for Hand in Hand, Childrens Cancer Charity.
