As today marks the final day of blogging for the bloggers I would just like to say a huge thank you to all our loyal readers for reading and commenting on our posts which have been updated constantly throughout the year. Don’t despair, next year there will be another batch of TY’s trying to fill our enormous boots and although they might not have the same touch of class as ours I’m sure they’ll keep you updated on everything that’s happening in Transition Year 2017/18.

Until our paths cross again take care and slán go fóill. (Liam Kelly O'Rourke)




I really enjoyed my experiences working on the ty blog. I found the classes very helpful, it helped me with my typing and my ability to write essays.
I gained a lot of new skills and a greater appreciation for article work

1. Typing skills
   
2. Punctuation
   
3. Interest in media
   
4. Computer skills
   

I think it was a very helpful class and a good experience and I would recommend other students to get involved in it. (Josh Kennedy)



This year in TY Blog class has been great as I have expanded my English language, punctuation, typing skills and much more. I really hope that this class will continue into next year as it gave everyone in the school community an idea into what TY’s get up to throughout the year. This class wouldn’t have been done without the help of Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Staunton. They gave us the motivation and ideas into what to write, how to write and why to write. Hopefully the blog will keep the high standards that we have shown. Thanks for reading, good luck. Bloggers 2016. (Sean Dowling)




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On Friday 28th April all Ty students made their tp the St. Patrick’s Parish centre in Loughboy for the annual mustard seed retreat. The retreat was more spiritual than religious as pupils got the opportunity to take part in meditation. Before that it all kicked off with a game where students had to make a circle, link arms and were known as the teeth. 4 students were selected to be dentists and had to pull students out of the chain, once a pupil was pulled out he became a dentist as well. This proved to be a great bonding experience as well as good for both their mental and physical health.

After small break students were split into groups of 7 and wrote down their worries, what makes them happy and what makes them angry. The results were quite humerous as this exercise allowed some students to get to know each other a little better. Finally in the afternoon as I eluded to earlier we took part in meditation, this was a brand new experience for students but a highly enjoyable one.

Overall this retreat proved a treat as students got to know each other a little better.

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​At around 10;05 on Wednesday the 3rd May, all Ty students headed down to the Watergate theatre for a 2 hour talk about Road Safety. Most schools from Kilkenny went to this talk to make themselves more aware of the dangers of the road. We were met there by Callan CBS. One of the Sergeants from the Gardai gave this presentation. At the start he showed us a few videos about the dangers on the road and what would happen in certain situations. The presentation really showed us what happens after crashes or accidents. One girl’s car was hit by a man who was texting on his phone, the car skidded on the road and ended up killing the girl’s parents and left her paralyzed on the right side of her body. He then spoke to us about another danger on our roads ‘Fatigue’. Being tired in a car is very simular to drink driving. Being tired: 1 - Lowers your special awareness, 2 - Slows down your reaction time,  3 - It impairs your peripheral vision, 4 - Makes you drive very sloppy and not to the best of your ability.He showed us a great example of the effects of fatigue with a video a taxi driver. He was asleep at the wheel on a busy highway in America, you could see he was swerving  from the road onto the layby which initiated a roll, he was launched from the front seat backwards, crushing his head between the rear passenger window and a tree. This at first was amusing to everyone but after the Guard said you just witnessed the last ten seconds of someone’s life then it really hit us. When the presentation ended I think everyone was really affected by it. It showed us people who died, paralyzed peeple, minor injuries, life changing injuries and many more. It gave us the realisation of the fact the road and driving are very dangerous and don't get the really respect they deserve. We walk out of the Wategate with a different attitude to when we came in. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is learning to drive

On Tuesday the 2nd of May students from Ty’s 1,2,3 and a minority from 4 completed their e-portfolio interviews. Ty  students were given the Tuesday off to complete any last minute changes to their sites. Each student was given an interview time by year head Mr. Morrissey. Interviews were 15 minutes in length beginning at 8:45 and ended at 3:40 pm. Overall the feedback from both teachers and students were positive and we wish pupils the very best of luck in reviewing their results.

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