Open Night 2023
A sincere thank you to all those who visited our school for Open Night on Thursday, 12 October. Open Night provides an opportunity for parents and students to visit our school and gain an insight into school life in Coláiste Chill Mhantáin. Our students and teachers were there to describe the teaching & learning environment in CCM. Thank you to our Prefect and Mentor teams who welcomed our guests and offered them guided tours of the school; they were wonderful ambassadors for us all. Please visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for extensive coverage of this event.
Leaving Certificate Geography Fieldtrip
The Leaving certificate Geography Fieldwork took place last Friday, 6 October, at Glendalough. The class enjoyed fine Autumn sunshine and ideal conditions to collect data on river erosion which forms the basis for their Leaving Certificate projects this year. The day was enjoyed by all, and the students experienced river processes first-hand by gathering data in an ideal environment. The trip was both enjoyable and very productive for all students involved.
Concern Debating
On Monday evening, 9 October, we had our first concern debate of the season! Our motion was "Africa will regret its reliance on China" and we opposed the motion. The team did a fantastic job and worked really well together! We are awaiting our results. Our team consisted of the following: Captain: Raphael Balisi Geoghegan; Second speaker: Abbie Mai Delaney; Third speaker: Sam Coffey; Fourth Speaker: Cathal Cannon; Time keeper: Sophie Ferguson; Chairperson: Aoife Treanor
Wicklow Youth Mental Health Initiative - Gr8 2 B Yng
On Monday, 9 October, all Transition Year students travelled to the De La Salle Pastoral Centre in Wicklow to participate in a mental health workshop. The students took part in a two-hour workshop delivered by Pat & Keith from 'Suicide or Survive'. 'Suicide or Survive' (SOS) is a nationwide Irish charity that focuses on breaking the stigma associated with mental health and ensures that those affected have access to quality recovery services. Their aim is to build a society where everyone embraces their mental health and those with difficulty are treated with dignity and respect. The students received some useful tips to use when faced with stress in their everyday lives. The students also partook in some mindfulness activities. Well done to everyone involved.
World Mental Health Day
On Tuesday, 10 March, CCM celebrated World Mental Health Day. The theme for the day was ‘Mental Health is a Global Human Right’. The students started their day with a mindful moment, writing themselves a self-affirmation and goal for the day. They were reminded about the importance of protecting their mental health and minding themselves by TY students, Bailey Crean and Caoimhe Doherty. Each student was given a list of mental health supports and tips to mind themselves by their Tutors. At lunch, many students visited the ‘chill out’ room where we had healthy (and some not!) snacks, games, chats and mindful colouring. It was really nice for students to hang out and just take a break from the stress of school life. Kathleen Barry declared herself the Jenga champion of the school, much to Sam Conyard’s disappointment! It was a wonderful day to just remember to give ourselves a bit of self-care. Please do take a chance this weekend with your children to talk through mental health and do something for yourself to mind your own mental health.
Young Entrepreneur Bootcamps
Our TY classes recently took part in the Young Entrepreneur Bootcamps. This was a week-long workshop where they learned the skills needed to be a leader and what it would take to get a business or an idea up and running. On the final day of each workshop, each group took part in a Dragon's Den style presentation with the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.
Presentations focused on product development and sustainability with winners in the areas of Best Overall Pitch and Best Research. The students displayed huge confidence and their detailed preparation shone through in excellent presentations. All participants deserve great credit for their work and engagement and all teams were presented with certificates for their efforts. Well done to all involved.
Winners:
The Eco Homes - Best Overall Pitch
Kelan Massey, Isaac Conway, Liam Phelan, Robert Gallagher, Nathan Dromgoole
Porta Panels - Best Research
Caitlin O'Connor, Ellen McCarthy, Halim Topal, Seth Hogan, Conor Williams
Aquaclean - Best Market Research
Conlan Bruwer, Andriy Kravchenko, Jack Reid, Daniel Daly, Kelan Lorenz and Jack O'Mahoney.
Plushies - Best Presentation
Freya Boyce Hackett, Katie Kenny, Mark O'Shea, Aaran Czawlina, Eoghan Levins and Kayleigh O'Gorman.
Earthy Essences - Highly Recommended
Scott Elliott Doyle, Mason McGovern, Stell Qi Wei, Fiona Fernandes, Alexi Xanthea Mendez and Jack Thomas Byrne.
Junior Hurling
CCM 5-10, Selskar College 3-5
CCM junior hurlers had a good win over Selskar College in Wexford on Friday, 6 October. CCM got off to good start with two early goals and were leading well at half time. However, the second half was a much more closely-fought battle as Selskar got two goals back and also forced several big saves from goalkeeper, John Lynch, who was outstanding throughout. Some good long-range points and hard work from the backs and midfield put CCM back in the lead again. Well done to all the players on a great team effort and Adam, Liam, Senan and Eoin for helping out.
Junior Cup
CCM 3-2 Dunamase College, Portlaoise
CCM kicked off their Junior Cup campaign with a tough first-round tie against Dunamase College on Tuesday, 10 October. Although CCM started really brightly, it was Dunamase College that found themselves in the lead with an audacious effort from forty yards out. It was a somewhat fortuitous goal for the visitors, and CCM now needed to fight hard to recover the deficit. Rocco Goodship, who was playing as a striker for CCM, got his just rewards when he found the back of the net on the twenty-fifth minute of the game.
As CCM approached half time, it was Dunamase College that struck again to make it 2-1 going into the interval. A change in formation and the introduction of 6 substitutes meant that CCM weren't ready to exit the Cup quite yet. A rallying effort was made by all of the players involved and it was Rocco Goodship who found the net again as the game approached the final ten minutes. With the game finely balanced at 2-2, CCM continued to play patient and effective football and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would strike again. The winning goal came in the dying stage of the game with only three minutes left in normal time. Daniel Coffey struck an incredible strike at goal from 35 yards and found the top corner to give CCM a much-deserved lead and victory overall.
A hard-fought game that warranted victory in the end means a clash with TempleCarrig, Greystones in the next round of the Cup is on the horizon.
U19 Girls' Basketball
On Tuesday, 11 October, CCM U19s squared up against local rivals, EGS. The team was slow to start, having a few weeks off since their last match. They showed big improvement in their defence and keeping the fouls low. Brilliant performances on the day from Hollie O’Connor, whose poise kept us in the game in the final quarter, and Laura Fitzgerald, who managed to steal the ball from the opponents cleanly every time.
However, on the day, CCM really struggled to get the ball through the hoop, which saw them lose the match.
U16 Girls' Basketball
Also, on Tuesday, 11 October, the U16s squared up a very different EGS U16 squad and it was neck-in-neck for the first half. A few too many fouls from CCM saw EGS take some pivotal free throws and turned the entire tide of the game. We had stand-out performances from Molly Higgins and Hanna Wynne who took down several rebounds and brilliant defence from Holly Doyle, Bobbi Bushe and Millie Phelan. It wasn’t to be their day though and EGS took this one too.
Well done to all the girls on their grit, resilience and improvement on the day.
