Hazelwood College

TY@Ballyhass

Hazelwood College Transition Year students participated on an induction programme at the Ballyhass Lakes Activity Centre. Students participated in a series of physical challenges in order to build bonds and to prepare them for the unique challenges and learning environment offered by Transition Year. The programme is designed to instil individual confidence and independence, while strengthening the group’s identity and awareness. The development of both the individual and group confidence are key in the TYP, where students are encouraged to become self-directed and autonomous learners, able to work collectively and individually on practical and academic challenges, without the pressure of state exams.

Picture 1: The TY class of 2017/18 are pictured with Ballyhass Instructors Cillian O Riordan and Jason Sheahan who are also past pupils of the Hazelwood.

Picture 2: TY students L-R Nicole Murphy, Fiona Wright and Aisling Shanahan enjoying their TY team Building trip in Ballyhass Lakes

Junior Certificate 2017

The halls were bursting with excitement, the mobile phone ban temporarily lifted as anxious parents get the call they have been waiting for all morning-it’s Junior Cert results day!! We couldn’t be prouder of our students this morning as the fantastic results were handed out. Congratulations to you all on the great results.

Here are some pictures from today.

New Beginnings

“We all have an opportunity to find real happiness in our lives, in developing everything that is noble” Philippians 4:4:8

A wonderful spiritual celebration today as Fr O Dea celebrated the school mass. Well done to all who participated.

Welcome 1st Year 2017

Class 1A pictured with School Principal Mr Brendan Burke and Class teacher Ms Sinead Clarson

Class 1B pictured with school Principal Mr Brendan Burke and class teacher Ms Grainne Phelan

Class 1C pictured with school Principal Mr Brendan Burke and class teacher Mr Alan Noonan

Class 1D pictured with school Principal Mr Brendan Burke and class teacher Ms Marie O Connor

We won’t forgot the rest of the student body who returned after a well earned summer break.

Traffic Management Update

The safety of all students is paramount while on the school grounds.

Parents should note that the policy of only allowing staff cars and buses onto the campus re-introduced last year will be continued on a permanent basis. To facilitate this a new barrier has been installed on the entrance gate to the school.

It was never intended in the original design of the school that parents would drive on the grounds of the school. The intention was parents would let their children out of the car in the drop off zone outside the gates and students would walk on the paths into the school and thus not meet any cars.

Parents are not permitted to enter the staff car park to collect their students and must remain outside the school gates. Parents may wish to consider other collection points for their children such as ‘the square’ in the village. Parents should not attempt to tailgate staff cars through the barrier or enter the premises if the barrier is still open/not fully closed. Parents should not wait/stop at the barrier blocking the entrance to the school until a staff memember arrives to open the gate to gain access to the premises.

Construction works will still continue onsite for a number of weeks during September; the side gate, when open, is exclusively for use by construction traffic and school buses. Parents are not permitted to enter the premises via the side gate.

Parents continuing to enter the school grounds and attempting to turn their cars while students are entering/exiting the building puts other students at risk.

French Breakfast

Hazelwood College Second Year students (from left to right) Sean O’Connor, Ben Mulcahy, Dylan Murray, Jamie Hennessy, Liam Power, Ruairi Hanningfield, Ronan O’Connor and Jack Long are pictured participating in a recent ‘French Morning’, where students were able to indulge in the the culture, customs and cuisine of France.

Picture 2: Second Year Hazelwood College students Lauren Morgan (left) and Ciara O’Callaghan (right) are pictured participating in Hazelwood College’s French Department organisaed French Morning.

Picture 3: Hazelwood College students (from left to right) Keri Murphy, Anita Tynan, Sarah Singleton and Nicole Power participate in the recent French Morning held by the French teachers.

Picture 4: Hazelwood College Fifth Year students from left to right Lorna Donegan, Noreen Collins, Orlaith Hennessy and Bríd Flanagan participate in the recent Hazelwood College French morning.

Picture 5: Hazelwood College students Andrea Suarez, Aoife Kiely, Marguerite Nolan, Íde Cunningham and Laura O’Connell are pictured participating in Hazelwood College’s recent French Morning.

Top Leaving Certificate Results

The long wait is over for our Leaving Certificate students as they finally received their results following years of hard work.

There were exciting scenes at the school this morning as anxious students opened their envelopes. Thankfully there were smiles all round as it became clear that many students had achieved above and beyond their expectations.

The class of 2017 at Hazelwood College exceeded last years national average points by over 120 points reflecting the continued success of the school. A record number of students achieved above 500 points including students achieving over 600 points.

The success of one student, Laura Stack, made national headlines by being one of only thirteen students in the country to achieve 8 H1’s.

The management and staff of Hazelwood College are extremely proud of all the students’ efforts and wish them every success in their future endeavours.

Here’s what the Limerick Leader had to say about Laura’s success

Limerick camogie player scores top marks with 8 H1s in Leaving Certificate

A LIMERICK minor and senior camogie player from Dromcollogher has achieved one of the best Leaving Certificate results in the country.
Laura Stack, who sat her exams at Hazelwood College, got 8 H1s – the equivalent of 800 points – in the final state exams.
“I wasn’t expecting it whatsoever, I thought it was a wind-up this morning,” Laura told the Limerick Leader from her home in Dromcollogher.
“I kept (sport) up until the beginning of May, and then I stopped it to put the head down. I was probably more stressed coming up to the results than I was for the exams.
“The month of June was stressful but throughout the year it was grand,” said the 18-year-old star pupil.
The maximum number of CAO points a student can claim is 625, from the six best subjects – and Laura’s first choice is Management Science and Information Systems in Trinity College Dublin.
“I like all my subjects, but I like business and maths – they’re my favourites,” said Laura, who went to Broadford National School.
“I suppose the best piece of advice is to do it properly as you go along, because I found out that you can’t really do a lot at the end of May and start of June,” she added, laughing.
Hazelwood College principal Brendan Burke congratulated the student and said that she has always been “an excellent student”.
“She participated fully in sport right up until the end. She’s on the Limerick senior and minor camogie panels, she has an All-Ireland club medal for camogie with Milford, and she was in the All-Ireland football final with Dromcollogher-Broadford,” he said.
“She has senior camogie and football medals with the school, and she won the Munster camogie final this year with the school. Hurling, football and handball are her sports. She’s a real all-rounder,” said Mr Burke.
“She was always good – we weren’t surprised this morning, we were delighted. There are 13 people who got 8 H1s in the country, out of almost 60,000. We are very proud of her, she is a great ambassador for the school and always has been,” he added.

Hazelwood College County Champions 2017

Congratulations to the Hazelwood College team on winning the U14 B County Football Final playing in Mick Neviile Park in Rathkeale on Monday the 29th May at 12.00 pm in glorious sunshine. The final score was Hazelwood College Dromcollogher 4:22 Colaiste na Trocaire Rathkeale 0:5. The team and panel of players was as follows Mark Kelly (Killeedy) Pat Curtin (Drom/Broadford) Ian Kelly (Feenagh/Kilmeedy) Thomas Sheehan (Killeedy) Robert McCarthy (Drom/Broadford) Sean Scanlan (Drom/Broadford) Steven O’Flynn(Milford) Oliver O’Dell (Newtown) Steven Long(Feenagh/Kilmeedy) Edward Brennen (Drom/Broadford) Ryan Reidy Captain (Drom/Broadford) Kenny Lynch (Drom/Broadford)Thomas Curran (Milford) Ciaran O’Sullivan (Milford) Mark Buckley(Dromina)

Scorers on the day were Edward Brennen(1:6), Ryan Reidy(0:2) Kenny Lynch(2:5) Thomas Curran(0:5) Ciaran O’Sullivan(1:4)

Replacements/Subs: Cian Nash (Feohanagh/Castlemahon), Fionn McCarthy (Drom/Broadford), Jamie Reidy (Newtown), Colm Tynan (Newtown), Seamus O’Donnell (Newtown), Eoghan O Gorman (Milford), Kevin Normoyle (Feohanagh/Castlemahon), Darragh Reidy (Drom/Broadford), Jack Shanahan (Drom/Broadford), Eamon O’Kelly (Drom/Broadford), Adam Cotter(Drom/Broadford), Shane O’Riordan(Newtown), Darren Fehan(Newtown), David O’Riordan (Newtown). Conor Heenan (Feenagh/Kilmeedy)

Junior Life Sciences

Hazelwood Junior Cycle Science students Tara O’Brien (left) and Lauren Moran (right) who came third in the Competition for their project on Migraine Awareness in recent Regional Sci-Fest Final.

Ruairí Hannigan (left) and Ronan O’Connor (right), Hazelwood College Junior Cycle Science students are pictured after winning the Irish Science Teachers Association Award for their Scifest Project, which was an investigation into the production of Selenium enriched dairy products with commercial potential. The group project by Ruairí, Ronan and Liam Power, (absent from picture) also won second place in the Junior Life Sciences Competition.

Transition Year Science students form Hazelwood College, Ava Mullane (left) and Mary Kate Fehin (right) are pictured with their award for ‘Best Project in Behavioural Science’ for their project ‘Accents: The Unspoken About Prejudice’

Hazelwood College students Jamie Hennessy, Sean O’Connor and David Noonan are pictured with their award for Best Project in Waste Prevention and Source Efficiency Competition for their project ‘Poo Power: An Investigation into the Use of Different Manure to Determine which Produces the Highest Energy Content.

Kolkata 2017

The Trip of a lifetime – Kolkata April 2017

During the Easter holidays 2017, three teachers and four students travelled to Kolkata, in India to witness the work of the Hope Foundation. The Hope Foundation rescues thousands of children from the streets and slums of Kolkata helping to improve their quality of life and give them a better future. Funding over 60 projects, Hope reaches out to the most forgotten and vulnerable. We visited some of the projects the Hope Foundation funds such as boys and girls protection homes, the Hope hospital, the slum and dump crèche, the further education and training facility and the night ambulance service. It highlighted the importance of fundraising for the Hope Foundation and the fantastic work they are carrying out in Kolkata. It was uplifting to spend time with our four Transition Year students, Neasa Fahy, Mary Kate Fehin, Ava Mullane, and Blaithin Matthews and see how mature, caring and passionate they were about these projects and the children they met. It clearly is an invaluable trip for any TY student to go on. Finally, we would like to express a huge thank you for the kindness and sponsorship from our local community, businesses and school, whom without this trip would not have been possible.