NEWS – MAY 18 2015

PLC Graduation Night at Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré

The Post-Leaving Certificate programmes celebrated their Graduation ceremony last Thursday evening.  The students, together with their families, gathered in the gymnasium for a very moving ceremony to mark the end of their studies.  Mary McGrath, PLC Co-ordinator, congratulated the graduates and applauded their tremendous achievement on completing their courses.  She acknowledged the different reasons each had for taking a PLC course.  Some students wished to use it as a gap year after their Leaving Certificate or use the qualification to progress to Third Level.  Others, particularly more mature adults, took the opportunity to upskill or retrain and embark on a new career path.  The College is planning to introduce a Community Development with Youthwork PLC programme in September so it was very fitting that John Lupton was asked to be guest speaker on the night.  Mary McGrath indicated that John represented the “essence of volunteerism” in our community.  He is currently Regional President of St. Vincent De Paul, Chairperson Of Roscrea Community Development Council (RCDC), Treasurer of North Tipperary Community and Voluntary Association (CAVA) – to name but a few.  John gave a very engaging talk and acknowledged the value of education and training not only for the development of the individual but for the impact that the individual, in turn, can have on their own communities.  Mr O’Brien, the Principal, acknowledged the work of the PLC team in the College and wished the students every success in their future careers.

 

Personal achievement awards at PLC Graduation in Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré

Pictured below are the PLC students who achieved 100% attendance record during their course of studies at Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré.

Front row: Elise Byrne (Early Childhood Care and Education), Siobháin Regan (Early Childhood Care and Education), Breda Quinlan (Business Administration with Technology) and Caroline Robson (Nursing Studies)

Back row:  John Lupton (Guest Speaker), Paula Nolan (Tutor), Mary McGrath (PLC Co-ordinator), Ingrid Condell (Tutor) and Gerard O’Brien (Principal).

 

The Early Childhood Care and Education PLC programme at their recent Graduation in Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré

The Advanced Administration with Human Resource PLC programme at their recent Graduation in Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré

Green-Schools Committee Colaiste Phobal Roscrea Visit to Cloughjordan Eco Village

On Monday, May 11th, the students from the Green-Schools Committee in Coláiste Phobal Roscrea visited the Eco village in Cloughjordan, along with their teachers, Ann-Marie Mullen and Billy Newman.

We met our guides, Brenda Ainsworth and Deirdre O’Brolchain in the Resilience Centre, at the entrance to the Eco village and they explained a little to us about the history of the project and the concept behind it.  Our presentation lasted an hour and we were encouraged to think about ways in which we can conserve water, both at home and at school.  Water was our theme, as we are working towards our third flag, the water flag.

Some of the things we learned are simple and easy to do.

  1. Turn off the tap while brushing our teeth.
  2. Fix any leaks that we might have at home or in school.
  3. Use any water that we might have left-over in a glass or a bottle to water our plants.
  4. Fill the kettle with the required amount when making a cup of tea or coffee.
  5. Use a stopper in the sink when washing your hands.
  6. Use a basin in the kitchen or Home Economics room to wash the dishes – don’t let the tap run!
  7. Buy fewer plastic bottles as if they are not recycled and they end up in landfill, they take hundreds of years to break down.

After our presentation, we visited the Eco Hostel, Django’s, where we met with the friendly owner, Pa Finucane.  We then walked on through the eco village and got to see inside the Fab Lab of the WeCreate centre.  It is possible for students to do workshops here in digital fabrication.  Students get the opportunity to design and produce their own models and work scientifically and creatively.  We then finished our tour of the Eco village at the farm, where all of the food is grown organically and sold to members of this Community Supported Farm.

After lunch we visited the Heritage Centre where we met our guides Shay Hannon and Jim Casey.  They gave us a tour of the Heritage Centre and we watched some short DVDs on Thomas MacDonagh and the 1916 Rising.

All in all, we had a very enjoyable day in Cloughjordan and the students look forward to visiting again next year!