Credit Union officials presenting a sponsorship
cheque to the school in support of the forthcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof
Tickets
For Fiddler on the Roof on Sale
Tickets for the forthcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof
went on sale on Wednesday morning with over 350 seats sold in the first 20 minutes. At
this early stage we wish to advise that there are only a small number of tickets still on
sale for the Friday night. As with recent years we will be holding back some tickets for
sale on the door on the Friday night, mainly to accommodate past students who are away at
work or in college and who traditionally attend the show on this night. Over the next few days tickets may be purchased at
the morning break.
Details are being distributed today also for the
cabaret night – on Wednesday 6th Dec.
This new departure has proved very successful since its introduction two years ago
and is a particular favourite with families and groups who wish to attend the show
together. If you wish to reserve a table for
this night please return the booking form to school before Friday next – Dec. 1st.
National
Forum on Europe
The Galway final of the National Forum on Europe Public Speaking
Competition for Transition Year students took place in Loughrea on Thursday (23rd). This competition has been sponsored by the M.E.P.s
and Sean O Neachtain has organised the Galway finals with Sinead Ní Neachtain who is the
local co-ordinator. Our team was made up of
Clare Killeen, Paul Abberton and Sarah Conboy and they spoke on ‘Globalisation: is
the European Union our best defence?’. Clare
gave a thorough account of the institutions that were set up by the E.U. and Paul
concentrated on defining the issue of globalisation and how the E.U. structures help to
alleviate it. Sarah then dealt with specific
issues like Kyoto and natural disasters.
The team were elated when they defeated Presentation College,
Tuam, who spoke on Peacekeeping: a lead role for the European Union. The judges were very impressed with our
team’s research skills, their presentation and the overall structure of the three
speeches. Because of our participation the
school has automatically been entered into a draw for two language scholarships that will
take place on the 30th of November during the visit of the President of the
European Parliament, Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Clare, Paul and Sarah would like to thank Mr. Coughlan for
helping them with this particular project.
Congratulations to our County Champions!
Junior Girls
Soccer
Please note that the
Junior Girls Soccer match against Ballinasloe on Tuesday will be played on a grass pitch
so please bring your boots (not runners) and shin guards.
3rd
Year Retreat :
Third years are to
meet in the Social Area on Monday at 8.45 a.m. sharp.
Celtic Trip
A meeting of the
full group travelling to Glasgow will take place in Room V on Wednesday at 11.20 a.m.
Fr. Abe
Give
Blood and Join Ireland’s Most Extraordinary Club
If you are feeling fit and healthy; between the
ages of 18 and 60; and are over 50kgs in weight then the chances are you can save a life
by giving blood!
Blood donors are always needed! Did you know?
3,000 blood donations are needed in Ireland every
week as Blood cannot be frozen or stored for longer than 35 days and more than 70,000
people will receive a blood transfusion this year as part of life saving operations.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service board
will be coming to the Shannon Oaks Hotel,
Portumna on Wednesday, 29th November.
The Blood
Donation Clinic will be open from
3 to 4.45 pm and from 7 to
9.30 pm.
It is simple and safe:
They help you fill out a health questionnaire,
answer any questions you have and do a simple pin-prick test on your finger to check
you’re not anaemic and you can then become a blood donor! The actual donation will take about 10 mins but
you will rest for a while and will be given light refreshment after donating. (An average adult has between 10 and 12 pints of
blood - a blood donation is only 470 mls, just slightly less than a pint.) Your blood will be tested and processed in their
laboratories, usually within 24 hours, after which it is ready for use in hospitals.
It’s good to give blood.
Did
You Know.......
s 7% of a person's body
weight is made up of blood.
s Human blood
travels 60,000 miles per day on its journey. through the arteries, arterioles and
capillaries and back through the venules and veins.
s Blood
carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.
s Blood
carries carbon dioxide and other waste products back to the lungs, kidneys and liver for
disposal.
s There are
about 1 billion red cells in two to three drops of blood.
s The most
common blood group in Ireland is O positive (47% of the population) and the rarest blood
group in Ireland is AB negative (1% of the population).
s One in four
people will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives and over 1,000 Irish
people receive transfusions every week in Ireland.
s One car
accident victim may require up to 30 units of blood, a bleeding ulcer could require
anything between 3-30 units of blood and a coronary artery bypass may use between 1-5
units of blood.
A careers
night will be held in the School on Wednesday, 13th December, from 7 p.m.
– 9 p.m. for all Senior Students (T.Y. to 6th Yr.) and their parents.
Many colleges from
Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford, Sligo will be here along with career Professionals such
as doctors, Physiotherapists, Engineers, Vets, etc. This
will be a good opportunity to find out about courses and careers.
Credit Union:
The school’s Credit Union will be open every
Friday from 1.30pm to 2.00pm for students wishing to deposit money into their Credit Union
account.
Irish Red Cross:
The
Portumna Branch of the Irish Red Cross meets every Monday Night at 8 pm in Na Calaí on
Abbey Street. They are inviting you to Join
them, learn a life skill and add a world recognised certificate to your CV. Help them to help others.
Careers –
Open Days – Nov.
25th
– Cork IT & Crawford College of Art and Design.
26th
– Senior College, Dun Laoghaire
28th
– Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown
29th
– National College of Ireland. 30th
– NUI, Galway.
1st
Dec. – Athlone I.T. and Clonakilty Agricultural College.
You’re
A Star
Shane Downey from Mullagh, who is a cousin of some past students
and nephew of Frank Downey, will be taking part in the You’re a Star competition on
Sunday (26th) – RTE1 at 6.30 pm. Please
support.
Junior Camogie
Portumna
C.S. travelled to Loughrea on Wednesday (22nd) to play the first round of the
Connacht Schools Championship against St. Brigid’s V.S., Loughrea.
The
teams were even at half time but Portumna went on to win by 2 goals and 4 points. Well done girls!
Jerseys
For Africa
On Thursday and
Friday a group of second year students collected old sportswear e.g. jerseys, socks, togs,
etc. The sportswear will be going to Garbally
College and then on to Dublin from where it will be shipped on to Africa to be distributed
to children who play soccer. Thanks to
Heather Starr, Aoife Warde, Jacqueline Lewis, Joanne Lyons, Cassandra Dervan and Ms.
O’Sullivan. In particular we would like
to thank David Keane and Sinead O’Hara who gave a lot of old sports gear.
Cassandra Dervan & Jacqueline Lewis.
Tesco’s
Schools Vouchers
Thank
you to all the students and teachers who collected Tescos vouchers and brought them into
the school. We collected 1677 vouchers –
a voucher is issued for every €10 spent in Tescos so that means €16,770 had to
be spent for us to collect what we did!
Sports equipment for the school has been
ordered with the vouchers and should arrive in February.
L. O’Sullivan
Dates for your Diary: (25th Nov. – 1st
Dec.)
· Mon. 27th – 3rd
Yr. Retreat to Esker. Leaving at 8.45 a.m.
– back at 4 p.m.
· Mon. 27th –
T.Y. Concern Debate Vs Birr C.S. in Birr at 8 p.m. Leaving
at 7 p.m.
· Thurs. 30th –
Senior Camogie Vs Pres., Athenry in Marion Park.
· Fri. 1st –
Glasgow trip – group depart at 12 midnight.
Nov. 17th
Tickets For Fiddler on the Roof on sale Next
Wed.
Tickets for this year's school musical, Fiddler on the Roof, will go on
sale on Wednesday morning next (22nd). To facilitate the anticipated huge
demand we have decided to extended the break on this occasion to 25 minutes to allow for
as many students as possible to purchase their tickets.
As with the practice in previous years seats will be allocated according
to the tickets purchased, so get yours early to ensure a good seat – i.e. nearer the
stage. Before approaching the ticket desk on Wed. please be fully sure
of the particular tickets you require to facilitate the issuing process. The word is that
this year's show is going to be a real treat so we hope that everyone will turn out for
this unique event.
In addition to the Thursday and Friday night performances there will also
be a matinee on the Tuesday for Primary schools and the hugely successful Cabaret Style
performance on Wednesday night for adults.
We will be issuing letters about both of these events next week.
Senior Girls Soccer
On Tuesday last our Junior Girls Soccer panel travelled to Mervue,
Galway to play Elphin in the second round of the Connacht League. Portumna played with a
significant wind advantage in the first half and found it difficult to hit the target
until Michelle Donoghue scored a great opening goal after eight minutes. Both teams had
some good opportunities to score during the rest of the first period but failed to
capitalize, leaving the half-time score 1-0 to Portumna. The 2nd half remained
scoreless until one of the Elphin forwards broke through the Portumna defence to equalise
after 15 minutes and went 2-1 up five minutes later. Not happy with the way things were
going, Michelle Donoghue decided to break through the Elphin defence for her 2nd
goal to level the match again. Sinead Corcoran, from the full back position, decided to
move up to strengthen the forward line and manufactured a lovely shot to put Portumna
ahead once again. In the final minute of the game, Tina McLaughlin, battered and scarred
from previous incidences, set up a solo attack from the Portumna half back line and
meandered her way through the entire Elphin back line to score the final cracker of the
match. This was a spirited display by the Portumna squad and a joy to watch. The final
score was Portumna 4, Elphin 2. Well done girls.
3rd Year Retreat
A letter has been sent to the parents of all 3rd years re
their annual retreat in the Youth Village, Esker, on Monday, 27th from 9 am
– 4 pm. The cost of the retreat is €25 which covers retreat team and a full
lunch. The bus is being sponsored by the Diocese of Clonfert. Please have money in an
envelope with your name on it by Wednesday 22nd at the latest. Many thanks.
Bishop’s Visit
Bishop John Kirby will come to our school on Wednesday, November 22nd
@ 9.30 am for his annual visit. He will address all Leaving Certs in two group sessions:
the first group from 9.35 – 11.20 am and the second group from 11.35 am – 1.25
pm. There will be an open forum at the end of each session where students will have an
opportunity to question the Bishop re his address or other relevant issues.
Fr. Abe
Comhghairdeas
Congratulations to the T.Y. Irish Debating team who have successfully
advanced to the next round of the Gael Linn Competition after beating a very strong
St. Flannans team. The motion was "Tá praghas ro-ard ar chlú agus
cáil" and Portumna was proposing this motion. The team consisted of Áine
O’Meara (capt), Veronica Burke, Blaithín Conroy and subs: Julia Larkin, Niamh
Molamphy and Kate O’Meara. They performed ‘ar fheabhas’ and did the school
proud. We look forward to many more victories from them. ‘Go n-éirí an t-ádh
libh’. Thanks to their mentors, Mrs. Connolly and Ms. Kinneen and also thanks to Mr.
Coughlan.
A special thank you from Mr. Connaire to all of the T.Y. students who have
been working on the stage set. The achievement so far is spectacular and your enthusiasm,
energy, goodwill and good humour are much appreciated.
Senior Camogie
Portumna C.S. Senior Camogie team who had a comprehensive win
over Banagher C.C. on Wednesday. It was a good performance on a very wet day. Tougher
battles lie ahead!
Reminder:
Parent/Teacher meeting for Leaving Certs (6th Yrs.) and
Leaving Cert Applied 2 classes on Wednesday, 22nd Nov., commencing at 4.15pm.
Credit Union:
The school’s Credit Union will be open every Friday from 1.30pm to
2.00pm for students wishing to deposit money into their Credit Union account.
Youth Café:
For anyone interested in becoming a member of the 2006/07 Youth Café
Committee an information session for new and existing members will be held in Room K on
Tuesday, November 21st @ 4pm. For further information contact Susan @
(086) 205 1346.
Irish Red Cross:
The Portumna Branch of the Irish Red Cross meets every Monday Night
at 8 pm in Na Calaí on Abbey Street. They are inviting you to Join them, learn a life
skill and add a world recognised certificate to your CV. Help them to help others.
Careers – Open Days – Nov.
22nd – Letterkenny IT.
23rd – Institute of Technology & St. Angela’s
College, Sligo.
24th – Institute of Art Design and Technology.
24th – NUI Maynooth & Pontifical University,
Maynooth.
25th – Cork IT & Crawford College of Art and Design.
For further information contact Ms. Hanley.
Community Newsletter
Na Calaí CDP are in the process of putting together a Community
Newsletter and invite groups to submit a small piece (about 5 – 6 lines) about your
organisation i.e. your activities, achievements, up coming events, etc. The newsletter
will be distributed to all the Parishes in South Galway. This could be a good way to
inform the community about your group and perhaps recruit some new members. We will need
to receive all articles (by email if possible nacalai@eircom.net) by Friday, 24th
November. For further information contact 090 9741887.
Junior Rugby
Last Tuesday the Portumna C.S. Junior Rugby team travelled to Ferbane
for another league game. After a strong win over Ballygar our side knew we had a chance.
Ferbane started off the match strong keeping the ball in our half but after a quick break
by the backs, a penalty was awarded and Frank Lillis put 3 points on the board with a
great kick. The second half was a better performance from our team winning line-outs and
stopping the Ferbane side twice on the line. It looked like Peter Donoghue was going to
get a try but the Ref gave a Ferbane scrum for a knock-on 5 metres out. We turned over a
play getting a second penalty and with another good kick from Frank Lillis the final score
ended Portumna 6 – Ferbane 0. Our next match will be a home game against Calasanctus
College, Oranmore, next Friday.
Brian Gordon
Panel: K. Callagy, B. Gordon, S. McDonagh, J. O’Halloran, J.
Cormacan, C. Leahy, B. Dolphin, N. Finnegan, M. Lawrence, F. Lillis, G. Headd, M. Dervan,
C. O’Meara, P. Donoghue, J. Breheny, D. Duffy, B. Duffy, D. Devine, N. Dervan, P.
Loughnane, T. Fitzpatrick, M. Dalton, R. Carter, B. Mannion.
Reminder: Training Monday evening at 4.05 sharp.
Junior Hurling:
The Junior hurlers played their second match on Thursday against
Presentation College. Athenry.In the first half Portumna were well on top with goals
coming from Shane Moloney and Martin Dolphin. Portumna were up 2-8 to 1-3 with the wind at
Portumna’s back to look forward to in the 2nd half.Although the wind died
down, Portumna’s performance didn’t. Shane Moloney got his second goal early on
and Frank Lillis got another to leave the final score 4-10 to 2-8. Portumna’s next
match is against Loughrea V.S. which must be won in order to reach the final.
Panel: D. Grady, R. Royston, M. Casey, G. Horan,
K. Moloney, C. Duggan (0-1), C. O’Meara, J. Brehony,
C. Starr (0-4), M. Dervan, N. Killeen, F. Lillis (1-0),
R. Hayes, M. Dolphin (1-0), S. Moloney (2-5),
E. O’Toole, N. Smyth, P. Breheny, C. Leahy, D. Duffy,
S. O’Meara, K. Callagy, E. Finnegan, C. Glynn,
J. Duggan, S. Byrne, S. Tully, C. Treacy, C. Robinson,
R. Lagana, D. Larkin, S. McDonagh, C. Coughlan,
B. Dolphin, N. Finnegan, K. Masterson, P. Donoghue.
Dates for your Diary: (18th – 24th Nov.)
Mon. 20th – Senior Hurling Vs St. Brigid’s Loughrea @ 1.30 pm in
Loughrea..
Wed. 22nd – Bishop Kirby’s visit to Leaving Certs.
Wed. 22nd – Junior Camogie Vs. St. Brigids, Loughrea @ 12 noon (away).
Wed. 22nd – Parent Teacher Meeting for Leaving Cert 2 and LCA2 parents
@ 4.15 pm.
Fri. 24th – Junior Rugby Vs Calasanctius College, Oranmore in Portumna.
Transition
Year students with their Operation Christmas Child gifts ready for collection - many
thanks to Aine O' Meara and her family for organsisng this
News - Nov.
10th
School Musical
Preparations
are well underway for our annual school musical.
This year’s offering, first staged in the school in 1994, is the superb
‘Fiddler on the Roof’. Already a
huge amount of work has been invested by the producer, Mr. Coughlan and Musical director,
Ms Kelleher and their cast of Transition Year students – so it is all systems go.As
with previous years there will be a special matinee performance for all local primary
schools which will take place on Tuesday, 5th
December. Following the huge success
of last year’s Cabaret Night it has been decided to repeat it again this year on
Wednesday (6th). We will have
further details regarding bookings for these dates later.
The two public performances will take place on Thursday (7th) &
Friday (8th) and Tickets will be on sale in the school during lunchtime from
Wednesday, 22nd November. Please
note that seats are pre-booked so buying your tickets in advance is advisable, i.e. first
tickets sold will be closest to the stage. So
please keep these dates in your diary.
November
Remembering
Thanks to all who joined
in our Mass this morning for our loved ones who have passed away. Mass next week will be on Thursday morning at 9
a.m. to facilitate students who will be on work experience on Friday.
All are welcome.
Celtic Trip
The final
preparations have been made for our weekend in Glasgow – 2nd/3rd
December. All of the places are now filled
with 25 male and 20 female students together with 5 teachers who will be accompanying
them.
For those travelling
please ensure you book whatever sterling you need with the bank this coming week.
Senior Girls
Soccer
Our Senior panel
travelled to Oranmore yesterday to play the
home team on the community all-weather pitch. The
game started in beautiful sunshine and Portumna played with a slight breeze in their
favour. The game remained scoreless for the
first 15 minutes, then Oranmore opened the scoring with what could be considered a lucky
goal. Both teams rallied up and down the
pitch to within two minutes of half time when Oranmore scored two goals in succession
leaving the score 3-0 to Oranmore at the break.
The first 15 minutes of
the second half saw both sides with some good scoring opportunities, during which Patrice
Keane made some fantastic saves. Shauna Grady
was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions and there were a couple of other missed
opportunities. However, with 10 minutes to
go, Oranmore broke through for the only goal of the second half, leaving the final score
4-0 to Oranmore. Our next game will be
against Ballyhaunis and we will be looking forward to a better result from that game. Well
played girls.
Fr. Abe
Good Luck
We wish the Killimor Minor Camogie team the best of
luck in the County Final this weekend.
Junior Rugby
The Junior Rugby panel resumed their league campaign after the
break with a 22 – 5 victory over St. Mary’s College, Ballygar. Portumna started
the match off strong putting the Ballygar defence under pressure. John Breheny opened the scoring for Portumna with
an excellent individual try. Resulting from
good play by the backs Peter Donoghue broke through the opposition defence to score under
the posts. After a disallowed try by Craig
O’Meara, Colin Leahy intercepted a pass and burst through the opposition to score our
third try. After half time Portumna forwards
turned over a Ballygar scrum to set Micheal Dervan up for a try and great conversion kick
by Frank Lillis. Portumna’s backline
played exceptional rugby against a strong Ballygar side.
The Portumna side now look forward to their next game on Tuesday next (14th)
against Gallen Community School in Ferbane.
Panel: K. Callagy,
B. Gordon, S. McDonagh, J. O’Halloran,
J. Cormacan, N. Finnegan, C. Leahy, B. Dolphin, M. Lawrence,
F. Lillis, M. Dervan, C. O’Meara (Cpt), J. Breheny, P.
Donoghue,
G. Headd, D. Duffy, R. Carter, D. Dervan, T. Fitzpatrick,
B. Duffy, S. Morris, P. Loughnane.
R. O Tuairisg
Congrats
Congratulations
to the Lorrha Junior Camogie Team who won the
Tipperary County Final on Saturday. The team
included Catherine O’Meara, Sinead Corcoran, Roisin Cahalan, Megan O’Meara, Aine
O’Meara, Jessica Kelly, Ceara Bergin and Niamh Bergin,
Congratulations
also to the Lorrha Minor Hurling Team on winning the County Final on Sunday last. The team was captained by Michael O’Meara. Other members of the team included Ciaran Duggan,
Conor Glynn, Ronan Moore and Colm Hough.
Credit Union:
The school’s Credit Union will be open every Friday from
1.30pm to 2.00pm for students wishing to deposit money into their Credit Union account.
Junior Hurling:
Match next Thursday, 16th November at 12.30pm Vs
Pres. Athenry in Marian Park, Portumna
Support welcome.
Reminder:
A meeting of the Portumna & District Gaelic Games
Development Committee will be held in the Shannon Oaks Hotel, Portumna, on Monday, 13th
November, at 9 pm.
Parents of children attending Portumna Community School are
encouraged to attend this meeting.
O. Duggan.
Gaelic Football
Training: Training for Junior Girls continues on
Tuesday (14th) at the usual time after school.
Anyone new interested in taking part is welcome to come along.
Operation
Christmas Child
A reminder to
all Transition Year students to bring their Operation Christmas Child shoebox in by
Monday, 13th, at the latest as we will be unable to send away any boxes
received after this date. The Boxes will be
collected during Tutor class.
Aine O’Meara.
Youth
Café Committee:
Are you interested in becoming a member of the
2006/07 Youth Café Committee? An information
session for new and existing members will be held in Room K on Tuesday, 21st
November. For further information contact
Susan @ 086 2051346.
P.L.C.
Graduation
Congratulations to
the P.L.C. class of 2005/06 who were presented with their certificates on 7th
November in the Shannon Oaks Hotel.
Celebrating
Community
&
Creativity
Would
you like something to do in the evenings, get involved in the community or wish to join a
club?
Well
if so, then come along to the Shannon Oaks Hotel on Sunday (12th Nov.) from 2 -
5 pm.
Here you will find Information on how to join or help out the various Clubs, Volunteer
Groups, Organisations and Services in the Portumna Area. This afternoon is being hosted by the Portumna Arts
Group (sub-group of Na Calai C.D.P.) and also includes the launch of the Leargas Youth Arts Project |