Just what happened29th August

School Reopens7th Sept

DEAR for 1st Years13th Sept

Supervised Study commences14th Sept

Junior Cert Results DEAR for 1st Years

26th SeptCoffee Morning in aid of Hospice

All 5th years 5DE, 5DI, LCA1 and

Transition Years go to the Racecourse to view the

Careers Expo 201129th SeptemberSoccer U19’s

Vs Crescent Comprehensive

30th SeptSoccer 1st Years

Vs Sexton St CBS

Welcome to St. Nessan's Community CollegeMay I take this opportunity to welcome you all back to St. Nessan’s Community College for the new academic year 2011/2012. In particular I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all 1st Year students. I hope that you all settle in well and join with us in making St. Nessan’s Community College the best school in Limerick.I wish to congratulate our Leaving and Junior Certificate students on their fantastic examination results. All of the hard work has finally paid off. I also wish to thank their teachers who worked so hard to bring them to this level and I hope that our current 6th and 3rd year students will work as hard and match this achievement.Finally, we will continue to strive to provide the best facilities for all staff and students within the college and I hope that you will all make a valuable contribution to the college over the time that you are a student here. Eugene O’Brien, Principal.

Nessan’s Newsletter

Junior Certificate Celebrations

A selection of photographs from the day of the Junior Certificate Results. The staff would like to congratulate all the students on their success on their results.

September Edition 2011

A Fond Farewell

St. Nessan’s were very saddened to have to say farewell to two fantastic and much loved members of staff. Ms. Moroney taught art in St. Nessan’s for over 26 years and we wish her all the best in her retirement. Ms. Moroney continues to be an inspiration to students past and present and we will miss her creativity and friendship and hope her retirement is a long, happy and healthy one. Due to national cutbacks of Special Needs Assistants in schools, a much loved and well respected SNA Irene Martin had to leave us. We thank her most sincerely for her outstanding contribution and dedication to the students of this school over the past 7 years and hope we get the opportunity to work with her again. Mr O Connor/Ms CoffeyStaff Zone

Welcome new staff members

We’d like to welcome Ms. Murphy to

St. Nessan’s C.C and wish her all the best in

her new role.

Opening NightOn Wednesday the 12th of October, St. Nessan’s

C.C will host their opening night at 7pm.

Milford Hospice€72 raised from

Coffee morning for Milford thank you, Maí

We’d like to wish a happy birthday to Ms. Dwan,

Ms. Dunne, Mr. TreacyMs. Aherne and

Josephine

D. E. A. R. returned to St. Nessan’s in September with a trial run for all our new 1st Years.This is a great way of promoting reading across the whole school. The idea is that, at a set time on a certain day everyone stops what they are doing and reads for a class period. It is a shared experience, which gets students talking about books and reading while conveying a strong message that the school believes in and supports reading.I have explained the programme to all, and they are ‘reading ready’ to use JCSP jargon!I have left book boxes in their base classrooms but all have been to the school library and have books. All classes have regular visits to the library and are now quite familiar with it. This along with D. E. A. R. should motivate and entice students to read, the more time a student spends practising reading the better the readers/he becomes.Ms M Toomey.

Drop Everything And Read

On Monday the 19th of September, Claire McInerney From Lero The Irish Software Engineering Research Centre in UL visited the School to Talk to our TY Students about Scratch Programming. Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy for everyone, of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, to program their own interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations – and to share their creations with one another on the Web. The Idea is to increase awareness and encourage students to discover and learn about computing and software development.Scratch has been called “the YouTube of interactive media.” Each day, Scratchers from around the world upload more than 1000 new projects to the site, with source code freely available for sharing and remixing. Claire introduced Scratch to the Students and showed them games which used dance mats, scratch boards and sensors.Ms M Toomey.

Scratch Programming for Everyone

Not a PoemI don’t like poems, I don’t like them at allRhyming, stanzas, what’s the point of it all?I just can’t write poetry, try as I mightThe words on my page just will not go rightSo I won’t write a poemI won’t make my words rhymeI’ve got much better thingsI can do with my timeAlliteration’s not needed, not nowIn fact neverWhat are metaphors, but a mountainA verbal endeavourSimiles are like lectures,Boring as a brick wallYou’ll never get a poem out of meNot at all

Well done to all the students who entered the CUISLE Young Poet of the Year Competition especially all TY students.Still accepting entries for the Competition, all TY have entered this competition and it is open to all years- It is a good way to get students interested in poetry and the poems can be about anything, anything that matters to you, things that happen in your life; special occasions or everyday events. This competition is promoted by Cuisle,Limerick City International Poetry Festival. Winners will be invited to read during the festival in October and prizes will be awarded at a special award ceremony at the end of the month. M.S.Reading Programme begins again at St. Nessan’s this month, this motivational reading programme is open to 1st,2nd 3rd Years. It is a sponsored read for students and encourages students to read while raising money to help people with MS.Ms M Toomey.

St. Nessan’s visits Mid-West Careers Exhibition

CUISLE Young Poet of the Year Competition

All the Fifth years, LCA 1, Transition Years, 5DI and 5DE attended the Mid-West Careers Exhibition in Limerick Racecourse on the 27th September 2011. Our Year Head, Ms. Patton, and our Guidance Counsellor, Ms. O’Sullivan, Ms. Nally and Ms. O’Connor came with us on two buses. We had to pay €5 for the ticket and €10 for the bus. We left the school after assembly at 8.55am, took the new tunnel and we arrived at the centre at 9.15am. There were lots of buses parked outside and hundreds of students from all the other Limerick schools. We got a ticket and a floor plan for the visit on the bus from the teachers.When we got in we all headed for the Tote, the ground floor where there were many interesting stands, for example, the Red Cross, the Army, the Navy, the Guards, Limerick College of Further Education, Central College Limerick, Bellissimo Salon and companies like Atlantic AirVenture. I had already been out there on a summer camp trip this year. They do school visits for €20 a student and you can practice flying a plane in a simulator. This was my favourite stand and I also like the Red Cross and the Army. The guidance counsellor introduced us to the two Cadets at the Navel stand, Eoin Lyons and Mark Hogan because they are past pupils of St. Nessan’s. They were very nice and invited us to visit the Naval College in Cork. Ms. Patton and Dylan O’Donnell took photos with them. We are now doing a Guidance Key assignment on the visit in LCA 1. It was well worth the money and we enjoyed ourselves as well. By Anthony Quinn LCA 1

Dylan O Donnell meets former students Eoin Lyons & Mark Hogan.

Transition year Students are busy at present thinking of innovative ideas for making money. This is for the Limerick City Enterprise Final which will take place in February. Students attended an Enterprise day on 6th October where leading entrepreneurs gave them some guidelines on setting up their own Company. This was an intense day but took place in a very relaxing setting in the Strand Hotel. We look forward to hearing their plans for making millions in the newsletter! Ms. O Brien

Enterprise at St. Nessan’s Community College

Transition Year News

Transition Year Students and Leaving Cert Applied Students recently availed of a Road Safety Awareness Programme . This Programme was facilitated by the Irish School of Excellence and was carried out over two days by Rob, Shane and Kieran. Students learned the rules of the road, how to insure a car, watched a dvd on the consequences of a road accident, learned how to change a tyre and were each given a driving lesson. It was a very beneficial day for all involved and it was also good fun. The day was arranged by Nicola, Raymond and Stephen from the LCA class as part of their Social Education Task. The Students would like to thank Thomond Community Funding who financed the Programme. Their support is much appreciated for this very worthwhile project. Ms. O’Brien

There was an old man who lived in a little old green house in a little winding street lined with humongous green, green trees! The old man lived all alone in his little old green house. He did not care very much for doing his dishes everyday, he let them build up and up and up until one morning, he went into the kitchen to have his usual bowl of porridge for breakfast but there were no bowls left in the cupboard. He turned around to the sink and what did he see? A great big pile of dishes, they were stacked SO high, they nearly touched the ceiling! “Oh, no!” he cried, “I can’t wash all these dishes, I’m so hungry what shall I do?”Imagine the follow up of this story, write it, submit it to Mme Andre, you could be selected for your story to be printed in the newsletter next month…Madame Andre

The Man Who Couldn’t Wash The Dishes

We would like to wish James Corless, also a former student of St. Nessan’s Community College all the best with his newly opened JC’s Barber Shop located in the Caherdavin shopping Centre. James is looking forward to seeing both students and teachers from St.Nessan’s C.C dropping in over the next few weeks.Mr O Connor

A Cut Above NORTHSIDE LOCAL EDUCATION COMMITTEEA NORTHSIDE STORY 2011

Roddy Doyle’s THE GIGGLER TREATMENT

As part of the literacy festival, week beginning 10th October will be…..

COOKIE BAKING & SHARING WEEK(Yummy!)

We’re inviting all community groups, homework clubs, schools to bake cookies & deliver their batch to a community group in the vicinity!Contact: Debbie Rooney 087-7977027 or 061-458750 for further information and a laminated card to insert with your batch

The Giggler TreatmentThe Northside Local Education Committee held the launch of their second Literacy Festival on Friday 30th at Watchhouse Cross Library. A copy of the book has been given out to every house in Moyross, Ballynanty & Kileely. Cookie Competitions, Tablequizs, Poster Competitions, Drama, Reading Buddies, Puppet Show and a Treasure Hunt will all be taking place over the next month of October so get reading - It’s another Northside Story. Ms Coffey

On Friday 7th October, Limerick climber Mark Quinn visited St. Nessan’s C.C. This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to meet and talk to Mark who has become the youngest person in the State to summit Mount Everest. The TY CLASS welcomed Mark to the school and praised his endeavour as “awesome”.Mark showed the students lots of photographs and his climbing equipment. At the summit, he placed a Limerick City of Sports flag and a badge of the Shane Geoghegan Trust in the snow. His achievement comes almost eight years after another Limerick man, the late Gerard McDonnell from Kilcornan,scaled the 8,848 metre mountain in 2003.Mark spoke to the students about how he spent nearly a month at the base of the highest mountain in the world, how his body acclimatised to the sub-zero temperatures and high altitude. In response to questions about the ‘death zone’, Mark explained that this is where the level of oxygen drops dramatically, blood thickens, the risk of frostbite increases and brain function decreases as your body begins to shut down.

Mark talked to the students about determination, a desire to achieve and that this just doesn’t happen overnight. Hard work is required and lots of it. Mark encouraged the students to make school their own and to make the most of all opportunities and resources in school, “you can still make a great impression where it counts just do not get distracted by too much of the fun stuff ”. After the talk, Mark spoke to individual students and showed them his climbing gear and base camp equipment. It was a great experience for all involved and I think we were all a little lost for words when you think that he spent over a month at one of the world’s most inhospitable places where more than 250 climbers have died, surviving on a diet of “soup, noodles and anything that melts”!!

Ms M Toomey.

On top of the world

Sports Update

2011/2012 sees the French department welcoming a French assistant. Elle s’appelle Mademoiselle Despois. Elle vient de Paris. Elle habite a Limerick jusqu’à mai 2012. Bienvenue à St Nessans!!!!!!Students of St Nessans will see the Parisian sky during Easter break in 2012. The school tour will include tuition, visits of Paris and a full day in the infamous Eurodisney amusement park. Lots of fun and learning to look forward to this year!!!!Another event to look forward to this year: French Week will rock this school year with lots of surprises…. Dates and programme will be announced soon…

Welcome back to St Nessans and have a fantastic school year!!! You are reading, writing and studying your way to your Junior or Leaving Certificate…Madame Andre

News from The French Department

Omelette Recipe(serves 1)Ingredients2 large fresh eggs1 tablespoon of milkpinch of salt and pepperknob of butterMethod1. Crack the eggs into a jug and mix together with a fork. Add salt, pepper, milk and beat again.2. Put a knob of butter in small frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter starts to melt pour the egg mixture into the centre of the pan and cook for approx 1-2 minutes until egg mixture is set.3. Cook the omelette for approx 1 further minute then loosen the edges of the egg using a spatula. Lift and fold the omelette in half. Tilt the pan and slide the omelette off onto a warm plate.Madame Andre

Let’s cook simply!!! La cuisine française! Yummy Yum

SoccerThe month of September hasn’t been the kindest of months regards St.Nessan’s C.C on the soccer field. Our u15’s lost their first competitive match to Colaiste Ioseaf from Kilmallock and their focus will now shift to the North Munster 1st Year Cup. It’s the inaugural year of the North Munster 1st Year Cup and as such should provide some interesing games as schools compete to be the first winner of this new competition. St. Nessan’s group for this competition contains Gort C.B.S, Salesian’s Secondary in Pallaskenry and Shannon Comprehensive.The u19’s also cruelly lost their first game of the season 1 - 0 to Crescent Comprehnsive, in what proved to be an entertaining match. Hopefully, the month of October will bring a change of fortune on the playing field as the games start to mount up during this busy period on the soccer calendar. The 1st years make their competitive debut on Monday the 10th of October against Gort CBS and will be hoping to start with a win. This will be followed by a 1st year blitz on the 19th of Octobet at the Crescent Comprehensive where they will compete against various schools from Limerick City and County.Soccer training will continue to take place on the pitch at the front of the school every Tuesday for the u15’s and every Thursday for the 1st years from 15.30 - 16.45. Mr O Connor

Keith Earls, a former student at St. Nessan’s C.C is taking the world by storm at the Rugby World Cup. Keith was selected in Ireland’s final 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand. He started on the wing against US Eagles in Irelnd’s first Pool C game, and again against Australia during their historic 6-15 victory over the Wallabies. He was switched to outside-centre against Russia and scored two tries. He returned to the left-wing for Ireland’s final Pool C game against Italy and, on his birthday, scored a brace of tries in the 36-6 win. So far, unbeaten Ireland have enjoyed a near-perfect tournament, topping Pool C while playing some magnificent rugby. Adding to the mood 2011 could be Ireland’s year is the fact several decorated senior players, among them Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara, are playing at their last World Cup. It is a belief shared by Earls. ‘It’s strange, I have this feeling,’ said Earls, the Lions and Munster winger. ‘Speaking to my father and family members back home, I have this strange feeling inside me where it feels like everything is going right. Everything went right in the group and everyone is so happy. I keep imagining ourselves in the final. ‘I’m concentrating on Wales but it is a strange feeling I have.’ (Metro.co.uk) . All at St. Nessan’s C.C will be roaring on Keith and Ireland when we play Wales on Saturday and hope his strange feeling about that final comes true on the 23rd of October. Mr. O Connor

Keith scores against Italy

Former student takes world by storm

The happy Kennedy family celebrating The Daly Cup won by Na Piarsaigh GAA. Padraic (Second left), Ms. Kennedy’s son was the goalkeeper on the day. Also in the team were past pupils of St. Nessan’s Brian Hartnett and Paul Downes. Ms. Kennedy

Na Piarsaigh GAA win The Daly CUP

Newsletter Design and Layout: Michael O Connor Newsletter Editor: Marie Toomey

1st YearSoccer BlitzThe 1st year soccer team will compete in a soccer blitz to be held on the 19th of October at Crescent Comprehensive. The table below shows the fixtures and times for the day. Mr. O Connor

Pitch 1 Division 1 Section 1

Pitch 3 Division 2 Section 1

11.15 Crescent A v St Caimin’s B Crescent C v St Caimin’s C

11.40 St Nessan’s A v St Clement’s A St Clement’s B v St Nessan’s B

12.05 Crescent A v St Nessans A Crescent C v St Clement’s B

12.30 St Caimin’s B v St Clements A St Caimin’s C v St Nessan’s B

12.55 Crescent A v St Clements A Crescent C v St Nessan’s B

1.20 St Caimin’s B v St Nessans A St Caimin’s C v St Clements B

1.45 Semi final 1st Section 1 v 2nd Section 2

Semi final 1st Section 1 v 2nd Section 2

2.15 3rd place playoff 3rd Section 1 v 3rd Section 2

3rd place playoff 3rd Section 1 v 3rd Section 2

2.40 Final Division 1 Final Division 2