Vol 29 No 07     13 Oct 2023

Senior Geography Field Trip

Last week Form 6 Geography pupils went on a field trip to Shankill beach to carry out our Leaving Certificate fieldwork project.  The task this year was to investigate the role played by the processes of erosion on the formation of one landform in a coastal setting.  We chose to focus our investigation on the landform of a beach. We chose Shankill as it offered us the ideal setting to carry out our experiments.  It gave everyone a first-hand look at what we are learning about in class.  We enjoyed ideal weather conditions and we successfully completed all our experiments. It was a great opportunity to develop our field skills.  We are now ready to get started on our Leaving Certificate research projects.  Thanks to all our teachers who accompanied us on the day. 

Simon Community Home Run

Last weekend pupils and teachers participated in the 40th anniversary of the Simon Community Home Run which is a fun "race" that anyone can take part in by walking, jogging, or running around a beautiful 8 km track.  The event raises money for the Simon Community - an incredible charity providing homeless people with housing and treatment services all across Ireland.  We met in the Phoenix Park at 9.00 am where there was a wonderful, inclusive atmosphere.  Thirty minutes later we made our way to the starting line and race began.   All sorts of people participated at all sorts of speeds.  It was great fun and everyone enjoyed a wonderful rush of endorphins by the end.   At the finish line we were greeted by the upbeat playing of The Walkeleles, a colourful ukelele band who entertained us with cheerful tunes.  There were plenty of snacks and drinks for available for everyone.  Overall, it was a fantastic morning which created a lovely sense of community.  The Simon Community Home Run is a great way to raise awareness and make a difference to those who are in need of our help.  It was a really enjoyable experience overall and I would highly recommend it.  Should anyone like to donate you can do so here.  Thank you to all the teachers, especially Ms Hutchinson Edgar, who helped make this happen.
Ruby Hart

Dáil Éireann Visit

On Thursday 5 October the Form 6 Politics and Society class made a trip to the Dáil Éireann, kindly organised by our Head Boy Eoin Kelly.  We took the bus into town and walked round to Leinster House.  We were guided through to the main chamber where we observed a few members of parliament and the Ceann Comhairle already seated.  It was a great experience to finally see our class work in action!  We then were lead through to see the rest of the house with the previous Taoiseach’s portraits hung at the top of the main stairs.  We then followed the usher down to see the Seanad where there was a debate already in motion.  We noted the beautiful ceiling: if you ever pay a visit - look up!  After a very informative tour, we met with the Leader of the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik TD.  She kindly allowed us another few minutes inside the chamber to listen to ‘Leaders' Questions’ ahead of Budget 2024 which proved very interesting.  The group of pupils from The High School was welcomed by the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin TD, who said: "We thank them for their presence here and hope that some of them will emerge in the not-too-distant future as members of this House." Overall, the trip was a great success.
Sophie Donnan

Space Week

Last week, during Space Week at The High School Form 3 pupils studying Science solved different puzzles and riddles as part of an imaginary scenario. The idea of this activity was that we were trapped in space and the only way out was to solve these difficult problems.  Pupils helped each other in groups to arrange the different riddles and challenges that determined the final sentence and would ultimately help them escape.  Each task was equally as tough as the next which we resolved using different mathematics and English skills.  It was an exciting activity and something great to do during Space Week.  All pupils had an excellent time and enjoyed working and helping each other!
Cian Lynch

Rugby Representative Success

Congratulations to these pupils who were selected to represent The High School on the Leinster Metropolitan U18 team in a fixture against South East Leinster.  We wish them every success as they compete for future selection at interprovincial and international level. 

Charity Knit

St Vincent's University Hospital is in need of volunteers to make twiddlemitts for patients with dementia. Twiddlemitts are tubes of knitted, crocheted, or sewn material with buttons, beads, or ribbons attached to keep hands busy. They provide comfort to patients and prevent them from pulling out tubes they need for their treatment.  Here are some links to websites that have guidelines on how to make them: here and here.
Clara O'Hanlon

Art Exhibition

High School past pupil Owen de Forge (HSD, 2007-13) is a visual artist from Dublin. He creates emotional compositions of moments from life that emphasise connections between humans and animals, nature and the built environment, waking life and dreams.  Much of the work appears on hand-cut shaped surfaces.  Playing with the frame allows him to expand on what is seen and respond gesturally to the variety of feelings that arise while processing memories.  His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout Ireland, including, Will we go look for a mole hole? (The Dean Art Studios, 2023), The Hennessy Craig Award Exhibition (RHA, 2022), and You breathe differently down here (Draíocht, 2022).  His work is in public and private collections, including the OPW Irish State Art Collection at the Casino in Marino, Northern Ireland Civil Service Art Collection, and he has a piece on display in the Arts Block at Trinity College, Dublin as part of their Art Collection.  He has a piece on exhibition and for auction at Studio 10, Wicklow Street which opens on Friday 13 October.  A more substantial collection of his work is on display at 78 Meath Street, Dublin throughout October. 

Form 6 Studyclix

All Form 6 pupils at The High School have access to Studyclix premium accounts until end of state examinations in 2024.  Studyclix.ie is Ireland’s largest online learning community and will help you manage your own learning outside of the classroom.  The following are instructions regarding how to set up your FREE Premium+ access:

Any pupil with an existing Basic account should login and go directly to step 3

1. Go to Studyclix.ie and select “Join” in the top right-hand corner.

2. Follow the registration process (we recommend using the Google/Microsoft options and your school email address)

3. You can enter your code at the end of registration. Alternatively, find the “I have a code” button on the homepage or pricing page and enter your code, which was provided by your Form Teacher.

What’s included?

● Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate questions by topic and marking schemes

● Maths solution videos

● Unlimited subject/topic quizzes

● Flashcards

● Collections: save questions for later

● Community discussion forum

● Daily chat support with subject/study experts

● Junior Cycle CBA & subject guides

● Print past papers & marking schemes

We should like to extend our gratitude to the Parents' Association and The High School for funding this excellent resource.  We wish all Form 6 pupils the very best with their studies this year.
Ms Connolly
Deputy Principal

P.S.  If you have some information or news that you think we could feature in our school newsletter, please let us know.  Click here to get in touch.
Ms Burrowes 
Communications Coordinator