News
October 2010
A Busy term at Portlaoise College:
French teacher Alex Longiewka with Euro college students Gintare gruspelkytr and Joe Picard.
Portlaoise College has had a busy start to the academic school year with a wide range of activities and events taking place.
Over the summer a selection of students from Portlaoise College took part in the UCD Summer School Programme. Here the students had the opportunity to observe first hand what college life is like. The students involved took part in study groups and lectures within the university. The summer school programme provided an excellent revision tool to recap on the work carried out during the year.
Two students, Gintare Grusplekyte and Joe Picard attended the Euro College in Galway. Students spent three weeks at the college studying French. The students had an enjoyable time at the college and returned with increased fluency and confidence in the language in preparation for the Leaving Certificate.
Leaving Certificate Biology students recently travelled to Bull Island in North County Dublin as part of their Leaving Certificate Course. The biology students undertook a field study of the area where they collected and analysed a large variety of plant and animal species. These species were analysed using a variety of laboratory equipment and techniques.
The school choir preformed for the IVEA Conference earlier this month at the Heritage Hotel Killenard. They gave an excellent performance and were well received by the audience.
A prayer service and information evening was held in September for the parents of first year students within the school. The evening was a valuable experience for all first years and their parents. This evening ensured the transition for students into secondary education was as smooth as possible.
The school choir with teachers from Portlaoise College and deputy principal Noel Daly
Leaving Certificate Honours Maths students visit UCD
Leaving Certificate Higher Level Maths Students recently attended an engineering open evening at UCD. The evening included a selection of talks on the various disciplines of engineering programmes available at UCD as well as the fascinating but not always obvious career paths that engineering can lead to. An open forum was also a feature of the evening for parents and students to voice any queries they may have.
Leaving Certificate Students attended the Higher Options Conference in
Students of Portlaoise College recently had a visit from a member of the Air Corps, Mark Hegarty. Mark outlined the entry requirements the recruitment process and the length of training. He gave an insightful description of the role of the Air Corps and what the job entails. He finished the talk with a question and answers session where students had the opportunity to clarify any queries they have in relation to the application process.
September 2010
Students at Portlaoise College enjoyed excellent Junior Certificate Results
Congratulations to the pupils of Portlaoise College on attaining an excellent set of Junior Certificate results recently. The pupils excelled in many subjects keeping in line with the national average and exceeding it in some areas.
The Principal Ms Dunning and the Deputy Principal Mr Noel Daly were both delighted with this year’s results. “It was great to see the students that worked so hard get their just reward. For ourselves as management and for the hardworking staff it is reassuring to see a record number of students taking higher level this year in all subjects and in particular in Maths and Science. Although a lot of students did very well with A’s and B’s at higher it was nice to see so many reaching their potential.”
“We would also like to thank the parents for their effort and commitment to Portlaoise College and their child’s success.”
The students should be extremely proud of their achievement and can look ahead to the senior cycle with renewed optimism.
James Kennelly with Principal Colette Dunning. James obtained honours in all subjects including an A in Honours Maths
Noel Daly with Valentina Alexandrova. Valentina received all honours in higher level subjects in her junior certificate
Portlaoise College and Gaelscoil Portlaoise join forces:
Portlaoise College recently purchased a new defibrillator. With an expanding student population and a large number of students involved in extracurricular sporting activities, it was felt a defibrillator would be a valuable to the school. The defibrillation machine was supplied by Pat Reid and his company First Aid for Life. Pat is a registered instructor/examiner with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and The Irish Heart Foundation. Pat is also a provider of First Aid training in many of the Post Leaving Certificate courses in Portlaoise College.
Due to the close proximity of Gaelscoil Portlaoise, Dominic ó Brosnan, school principal was delighted to accept the invitation to become involved in the defibrillation training.
As the defibrillator is now displayed in a prominent position in the school foyer it is only appropriate that the local schools can avail of the defibrillator in the event of an emergency.
The defibrillation training took place in the early days of September. Members of staff from Portlaoise College and Gaelscoil Portlaoise attended the training. The training went into all aspects of CPR, dealing with emergencies and the use of the defibrillator. The training was a huge success and both schools were delighted to avail of such important lifesaving knowledge.
Gaeltacht Success for Portlaoise College
Portlaoise College achieved great success this summer when five students attended the Gaeltacht at Colaiste Aodain, Galway. Each student was awarded a scholarship after proving successful in an interview process earlier in the year. Their success continued in Galway whereby Jamie Ryan achieved the ‘An Gaeilge is Fearr’ award, Shelley Carroll was awarded another half scholarship and Amy received the ‘An duine is spoirtúil’ Award, but more astoundingly she was awarded the coveted ‘Príomhoide’ Award. This resulted in Amy being awarded the most outstanding student of the course. She has also been offered the position of ceannaire next summer. This will definitely aid her pursuit of Primary Teaching, in St. Patricks College, Drumcondra. Go n-eirí ata lei. All students involved have shown improved confidence and fluency in the language since their return. Well done to all students involved.
Also The 2nd years in Portlaoise College enjoyed an end of year trip to Manchester in June 2010.
This was a Trip organised by Brenda Tynan and Keith McClearen which included a tour of Old Trafford Stadium and grounds. This went down well with the many Manchester United fans in attendance. They also visited the Alton Towers Adventure Centre which was a very enjoyable experience for all.
April 2010
Portlaoise College Parents Association Fundraiser
Portlaoise College Parents Council recently held a Fundraiser to help in the development of new canteen facilities in the school.
The Draw was a big success with a top prize of €1,000 and also student prizes. Students who sold a full book of tickets were eligible for entry into the Draw for HP Lap tops.
The Parents Association would like to thank every one who contributed and particularly to all the students who helped sell tickets.
The School Management and Staff in co-operation with parents and students are looking forward to these new canteen facilities. With students now not being allowed off campus at lunch time, the new canteen with hot food at 11.00 a.m. and lunch time will be one of the many new changes taking place at Portlaoise College.
February 2010
Portlaoise College Students test their Business Knowledge
Portlaoise College was one of 21 midland schools to participate in the 2010 Tipperary Institute Sunday Business Post Business 2000 Table Quiz. Eight 2nd year students were selected by their teacher Ms Duggan to represent the school at the Mid West Regional round of the table quiz which took place in the Tipperary Institute Thurles campus on Thursday 11th February.
The event is in its 3rd year and creates a forum for business students to work together as a team and to test their business knowledge. The learning of business in Portlaoise College is supported with events such as table quizzes, revision seminars for students, yearly Irish Times Business 2000 schools resource pack, a Sunday Business Post weekly resource supplement, County Entreprise Board sponsored speakers and Spirit of Enterprise schools resource pack. All of these aim to ‘connect business to the classroom and improve learning for students’
January 2010
Large numbers attend Portlaoise College Open Night
The Portlaoise College Open Day held on Tuesday 1st December followed by an open night on Wednesday 2nd December was a huge success.
For the Open Day sixth class students from all local primary schools visited the college with their teachers. They were divided into groups and they followed a timetable where they had the opportunity to take part in classroom activities in Science, Home Economics, Pe, Computers, and Music etc. Students were then brought on a guided tour of the school where they could see the school in action and here they had the opportunity to discuss the various subjects with the teachers.
The Open Night ran on the Wednesday night from
During the tour everyone got the opportunity to meet with the schools new Principal and Deputy Principal Miss Colette Dunning and Mr Noel Daly
The Principal Colette Dunning addressed the parents and gave a presentation on the changes that have been implemented since she was appointed over a year ago and her vision for the school and its future developments.
One major change welcomed by all parents was that students were no longer allowed off the school premises for lunch. Lunches were now provided in the school.
Miss Dunning spoke about the vast curriculum on offer and how it was the only Co education secondary school in Portlaoise. She praised staff for the outstanding results they are helping students to achieve and the amount of time they spend developing students’ extracurricular interests. She also highlighted the fact that
Parents were also encouraged to read the information packs they were given on arrival which also contained the 1st year enrolment form.
Miss Dunning then thanked everyone for attending and invited them to remain after their tour for refreshments.
Because of the increased level of interest this year and the large numbers attending the open night Portlaoise College is holding a separate Enrolment Night on Thursday 21st of January 2010 from 7-8 pm followed by an information session on School policies etc.
The application forms can be obtained by down loaded it from the web site “portlaoisecollege.ie”or from contacting the school at 057 8621480.
December 2009
Click here to see Portlaoise College Christmas Newsletter
A busy term of fundraising at Portlaoise College
Students from Portlaoise college have been involved in a number of charity fundraising events this term. Third year CSPE and sixth year students recently had a guest speaker from the charity
As part of their Leaving Certificate sixth year students organised to have a representative from a charity organisation come to the school to talk to them. Their aim – to learn more about the workings of a voluntary organisations and specifically the Irish charity organisation Bóthar.
Sixth year students recently organised a Teachers vs Students Volleyball match. The event took place during lunch break and students were asked to pay an entry fee on entering the event. The proceed of this was given to St. Vincent de Paul.
Finally Music students along with their Music teacher Ms. Spencer and Religion teachers Ms. Bergin and Ms. Costello organised a carol service for all secondary students. The event was a huge success and a presentation of food hampers was made to St. Vincent de Paul at the end of the carol service. Well done to all students involved.
November 2009
Portlaoise College Students Gain hands on Experience:
Leaving Certificate Biology and Geography students from
The Geography students examined the coastal landforms and how they were affected by erosion. The trip was organised by Ms. Sweeney and Mr. Hamm. Both teachers felt this trip was a very worthwhile experience for the students as they gained hands on experience in conducting a field study as well as the necessary laboratory skills required for this. This trip will be of huge benefit to the students when they sit their Leaving Certificate exam in June. It also gave the students an insight into the skills required for pursuing a career in this area of expertise.
Leaving Certificate Students receive Award for Perfect Attendance:
In this photo:
Mr. Gallagher (class tutor)