Welcome to the Christmas edition of The Coláiste Chronicle, we hope you enjoy the read!

Notaí Maith Comortas # 2- October

WINNERS: Rang Duffy! Superstars of First year!

Hallowe’en Story writing competition

Winner, Kristina Magakova

The Not So Haunted House On Halloween night in New York City 3 boys where celebrating Halloween together by

watching a horror movie. While they were in front of the TV with a blanket over them

munching on popcorn, all of the power went out all over New York. There was nothing

they could do to get their power back. “No!! At The Best Part!!” screamed Jason. Jason

loved his horror movies. He was pale with black choppy hair and long bangs in his face, he

was skinny and about average height for a 14 year old boy. “I know!! What are we gonna

do now?” said Michael with frustration in his voice. Michael had brown curly hair sort of

like an afro but not quite, he was tall and played a lot of football. “I know it sucks guys.”

replied Danny. Danny was average size for a 14 year old boy, He has a similar haircut to

Jason but he looked a lot less like a ghost, he was tan and had dark brown hair shorter than

Jason.

After 1 hour of boredom Jason suggested they went to the woods and explore for a while.

Everyone thought it was a great idea, got their shoes on and went. It was about 1 am when

they got to the woods. “Guys, are we really doing this?” asked Michael a little worried.

“Yeah, Why? Are you scared?” asked Jason taunting him. “No!” answered Michael.

After a medium discussion about if Michael is scared or not, they walked into the forest.

Danny went first with Jason behind him and Michael walking last. The moon was full and

all the leaves have fallen off the trees creating scary looking shadows on the ground.

Something rattled in the bushes which made Michael jump. “WHAT WAS THAT?” asked

Michael worried. His scream made a bunch of bats with red eyes fly out of the bushes and

right into their faces. They all screamed and ducked down covering their faces with their

shaking hands.

After the flock of bats flew away into the bright, full moon, they walked on deeper into the

forest, where they found a huge black house with a tall tower on its left side, a pointy roof

with loose and broken tiles, the moon could be seen clearly on the right side of the house.

The trees around the house all seemed dead and a howl could be heard in the distance and a

grave yard was in the back of the house as a back garden. Michael started to shiver as he

felt a cold breeze run up his spine. Jason stoop there in awe so happy to have found this

amazing creation, running to get a closer look while Danny stood there staring at the house

in amazement and a little worry.

“Jason! Get back here!” whispered Michael. “No lets go get a closer look!” answered Jason

running closer to the house. Michael said nothing, just looked at Danny. Danny took a deep

breath and took a step forward. Michael watched him walk away slowly and then started

walking after them.

Jason stood there waiting at the porch staring at the door. The door had bloody handprints

and smudges all over it. Michael and Danny came and stared at it too. Danny swallowed

hard and pushed the door open. All 3 walked in at the same time.

The house was messy and had a light breeze. All you could hear was the noise of the wind.

There was a small lamp with a half burned out candle inside. Jason took out a match from

his pocket and scraped o the battered wooden table to light the candle. Danny lifted the

lamp and walked down the hallway. The wallpaper was torn and had smudge of blood on it,

the floorboards squeaked and the furniture was smashed.

“Guys this doesn’t feel right, maybe we should head home now…” said Michael with is

voice shaking. “Are you kidding?! Lets go check this place out! It looks just like a a horror

movie in here!” said Jason with enthusiasm running slowly down the hallway. “that’s why

we should leave… people DIE in horror movies” replied Michael scared

Suddenly the door swung shut and something rattled in the cupboards. Michael screamed

and the rattling stopped. “Be quiet Michael” said Danny. “Let’s go explore for a bit and go

home.” And that’s what they did

They slowly tiptoed to the kitchen to make sure no one heard them. The Kitchen had ripped

curtains and knives stabbed into the counters with blood dripping from them. There was

blood dripping from the fridge door and some meat cut up into cubes. “Please tell me that’s

not human..” commented Michael. “Yeah it smells really bad in here, let’s go somewhere

else.” Said Jason and that’s what they did

While walking up the squeaky stairs they heard footsteps upstairs. They went into the

bedroom. The bedroom had a big double bed with ripped up sheets and curtains, the mirror

was smashed wardrobe was battered. “woah” commented Jason. Then noise came from the

wardrobe and the door swung shut. Michael tried to open the door but it was locked. The

door of the wardrobe slowly opened and 2 red dots appeared. All 3 of the boys gasped and

leaned against the door. Then a growl came out of the creature’s mouth and he hairy beats

bounced out at their faces screaming. The boys all covered the faces and crouched down

slightly. Danny opened his eyes and looked at the creature. Its scream was being replayed

over and over again and its mouth kept opening and closing, then he noticed the strings. It

was a puppet. The lights came back on and they saw the whole room was just a set up. A

man and a woman came out from the door next to them. They were both painted like

skeletons and they were both laughing. The couple unlocked the door and let out of the

room.

When they were at the porch again they noticed the medium sized pumpkin filled with

sweets and a small note beside it saying “Take One Please”.

They went home laughing at themselves for being so silly and scared (Especially Michael)

when it was just a couple who go all out on Halloween.

When they got home they finished their horror movie and ate more popcorn. The whole

time they talked about the forest and the “haunted house” and how they would do that again

next year.

A new first year joined CNI for one day only

Debating

After four gruelling preliminary rounds with over 250 speakers, the top 80 debaters in

Leinster have been selected to take part in the Leinster Finals’ Day of the Junior Debating

National Mace. Included in that list are two first year daltaí from the Coláiste – Ellen

Harbison and Peter Phelan. This is a phenomenal achievement for the two students, as the

top 80 represents students from first to third year. Well done to both, along with second

year Eve White, who we look forward to seeing compete in the finals in the New Year.

Article from Droghedalife.com

http://droghedalife.com/791/160740/a/colaiste-na-hinse-student-wins-best-first-year-

speaker-at-national-debating-comp

Peter Phelan from Colaiste na hInse, Bettystown had his first big win recently when he was

chosen as the best first year Speaker at the preliminary round of the Matheson Junior

Debating National Mace at Wesley College, Dublin which attracted 100 young speakers

recently.

The speakers spoke eloquently on a diverse range of topics from “Banning Violent Sports”

to “Believing the Media Should Respect the Private Lives of Public Figures”.

Loreto College St. Stephen’s Green, Loreto Beaufort, Castleknock CC and Kilkenny

College came out as the top teams after four rounds.

After a great final about parents’ rights to exempt their children from religion classes

Loreto St Stephen's Green were crowned champions.

All schools are now keeping their fingers crossed for a place in the Leinster Final.

Teaching and Learning Week 2nd - 6th November

Study aids as suggested by the guidance department

Khan Academy

For: Desktop, iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Subjects: Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, History, Economics,

Despite it being focused on the US curriculum, Khan Academy allows you access to more

than 4,200 videos covering a wide range of subjects and topics. Certainly handy if you want

to learn about something in greater detail.

Toggl Time Tracker

For: Desktop, iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Learning type: N/A

Probably one of the best time-management apps out there, Toggle allows you to break

down your schedule into manageable chunks. Want to spend 30 mins on Maths and then an

hour on Irish? Sure thing.

More importantly, it also allows you to see where you’re losing time in case you’re having

problems sticking to a schedule.

CleverNotes

For: Desktop

Cost: Free

Subjects: English, Irish, Maths, French, German, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,

Business, Geography, History, Home Economics.

Another useful site for Leaving Cert students, CleverNotes breaks down all subjects into

manageable summaries. Handy for when you need some clarity on a specific topic.

Maths

IXL Maths Practice

(iPad/iPhone, Android, free)

Possibly the most relevant of all maths apps for Irish students. This carefully tracks the core

curriculum from junior infants right through to sixth year of secondary school. Five-year-

olds will count the number of dots on the screen, while those in fifth year will be looking at

logarithms and trigonometry. There’s plenty of visually engaging material and word

problems. On the downside, however, much of the content is perhaps too close to the

curriculum, so it might be a bit dull for some users, particularly older pupils. The app is free

for limited use, but IXL membership offers added benefits. See ixl.com for details.

Suitable for: all primary and secondary school pupils, as well as adults who would like to

improve their maths skills.

Math Tutor

For: Desktop

Cost: Free

Another handy maths resource which breaks the subject down into seven main areas. The

text sections can be a little heavy to read (especially in PDF format), but video tutorials,

tests and exercises means it’s worth taking a look.

Math.

For: iOS

Cost: €8.99 (First five lessons are free)

Covering both school and college level maths, Math. contains lessons, video examples and

multiple-choice questions and worksheets to ensure you get enough practice in.

Math Workout

(iPad/iPhone, Android, free)

A few years ago, brain-training games were in vogue. Interest has waned somewhat, but

adults should try and keep their reasoning and logic skills sharp, and maths is a great way

of doing it. Math Workout was inspired by the Japanese Kumon education method, which

is becoming increasingly popular in Ireland and across the western world. It features daily

brain-training exercises and maths drills.

It’s easy to see why this hugely addictive and enjoyable game is so popular. You’ll be keen

to beat your own scores and improve; I’ve been skipping coffee during the mid-afternoon

slump and playing Math Workout instead.

Suitable for: teens and adults

Physical exercise

SuperStretch Yoga HD

(iPad/iPhone, free, developed by the Adventures of Super Stretch)

An introduction to basic yoga. It’s good exercise that can be done indoors, is good for the

mind and a good way for kids to relax after school. Parents and guardians can join in too.

Suitable for: children under 14 and families.

My Home PE

(website, developed by Brenda Cassidy)

Not an app (not yet, but don’t be surprised if this changes soon) but an online interactive

“PE homework” tool for children aged four to nine, which aims to boost physical activity

outside school hours. My Home PE provides physical activities for kids and parents to take

part in, from jogging on the spot during TV ad breaks to going for a cycle or dancing to

videos that are free to download.

Suitable for: children and families.

The PE Geek

(iPad/ iPhone, Android, free, paid versions with additional features, developed by The PE

Geek)

A comprehensive app for teachers and parents who want to learn more about the latest

technologies in physical education.

Suitable for: teachers and parents.

Nutrition and life skills

Yummiloo Rainbow Power

(iPad/iPhone: €1.99, developed by Night and Day Studios)

How to get kids to eat? The bright and colourful characters in this game are called Yum

Yums, and they’re off to their annual carnival. On the way, they learn all about nutrition

and food identification, gathering fruits and vegetables and learning how to compost.

Suitable for: children under seven.

Headspace

(iPad/iPhone, Android, free, but in-app purchases available, developed by Headspace

Meditation Ltd)

A popular and accessible meditation app. Forget your notions about how meditation is for

hippies: the science clearly shows it works and can improve concentration, mental health

and general wellbeing.

Suitable for: adults and teens.

Languages

Duolingo

For: Desktop, iOS, Android

Cost: Free

It’s tough to mention languages without mentioning Duolingo, a service that’s become

synonymous with language learning on the go. The main languages are covered here:

Spanish, French, German, etc., and you can take a comprehension course which will

present lessons that are better suited to your ability.

Also a more important element is the Irish course is now available on its site. It’s in beta

meaning it’s not perfect yet and for now, it’s only on desktop, but assuming it will be

officially released by December, if not sooner, it will be an invaluable companion for

learning.

Babbel

(iPad/iPhone, Android: free, with in-app purchase options)

DuoLingo’s main competition. While it does cost some money, it is particularly useful for

building up conversational skills or for people going on holidays or travelling and who need

to build up a few phrases. There’s a decent selection of languages, including French,

Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish,

Turkish and Indonesian.

Suitable for: everyone.

EnjoyIrish

(iPad/iPhone: €1.99, Android, €1.68 developed by Maithu)

An affordable app for adults who want to brush up on their Irish-language skills.

Suitable for: ages 14 and over.

Sraith Pictiúr

(iPad/iPhone, Android, free, developed by PokeTheBear)

An app for Leaving Cert students, broken down into simple sets of discussions, vocabulary

and useful phrases. It’s written by expert teachers and recorded by native Irish speakers in

high-quality sound. Excellent and recommended.

Nemo Irish Gaelic

For: iOS, Android

Cost: Free (Full version costs €8.99)

If you can excuse the app title, Nemo Irish Gaelic is an app that specialises around phrases.

Designed to be dipped in and out of every now and again, it mixes flashcards and spoken

words to help improve your accent.

The free version is quite limited and you will need to get the full version if you want to

move beyond basic phrases so download first before you decide to pay for it.

Irish Grammar App

For: iOS, Android

Cost: €3.59

An app developed by Wicklow teacher Aine McGillycuddy, Irish Grammar App does

exactly what it sets out to do. Breaking down each section and providing a written quiz for

each section, it’s a handy resource should you need a way of refreshing your knowledge

about tenses and prepositions. Although it should be noted that the app is viewed solely in

landscape mode so the bigger a smartphone screen you have, the better.

English and Literacy

Shakespeare Online

For: iOS, Android

Cost: Free (Pro version costs €8.99)

Practically all the works of Shakesphere are here, with full text, notes and explanations to

help you out. There’s a pro version if you’re particularly serious about learning everything

there is about King Lear or MacBeth if you’re so inclined.

Rory’s Story Cubes

(iPad/iPhone: €1.99, Android: €1.79)

Developed by Irish woman Anita Murphy and her husband, Rory O’Connor, this is one of

the most popular education apps out there, and deservedly so. Rory’s Story Cubes is a game

designed to spark the imagination and can be played with equal relish by children and

adults, together or separately. It can be played in a group or alone. The game consists of 54

images on nine cubes, with each cube generating an image that will feature in a story,

which helps build creativity, critical-thinking skills, problem-solving, and literacy

development. And it’s fun. Almost three million story cubes have been sold worldwide.

Suitable for: all ages.

Dyslexia Quest

(iPad/ iPhone,€1.99, developed by Nessy Learning Ltd)

One of the best apps for young people with dyslexia, unfortunately confined to iOS

platforms. Dyslexia Quest consists of six games that develop learning abilities and can

email results to teachers and/or parents. It talks users through difficulties and shows where

improvements can be made.

Suitable for: three age ranges: seven to 10; 11-16; and 17 and up.

BBC Skillwise

(website)

Not an app as such, but a useful website full of practical literacy skills for adults, including

how to discern between fact and opinion; the sounds of English; recognising letters and

words; and reading for pleasure. See also the National Adult Literacy Agency for further

Science & Technology

Pocket Physics

For: Android

Cost: Free

An easy to use resource that’s handy to dip in and out of whenever you need help on a

specific area. The text can be a little small at first glance, but you can zoom in if needed and

the information provided is solid.

Physics X

For: iOS

Cost: €4.49

An app designed mainly for college students, but has enough use for Leaving Cert students,

it’s comprehensive and provides a number of MCQs and videos tutorials to help you

understand each section.

Sky Safari

(iPad/ iPhone, Android, from ¤2.99, developed by Simulation Curriculum Corporation)

Probably the best of the astronomy apps, and one the entire family can enjoy. The app

shows the roughly 46,000 stars visible in the Earth’s night sky and an accurate version of

the sky from any place on the planet – now, and 100 years into the past and future.

It also features the main comets, asteroids, nebulae and galaxies, hundreds of images from

the Hubble Space Telescope and Nasa space missions, with more features available on the

more expensive versions.

Suitable for: everyone.

Skeptical Science

(iPhone/ iPad, Android, free, developed by Shine Technologies Pty Ltd)

For when you know the anti-vaccination, anti-fluoride, pro-homeopathy person or climate

change denier sitting opposite you, or fighting with you on Twitter or Facebook, is talking

nonsense. This app puts the latest peer-reviewed science at the touch of a button. It’s fun,

witty and provides an evidence-based comeback for well-intentioned or utterly stupid

statements on contentious scientific issues.

Suitable for: ages 12 until death.

TED

(iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, Kindle, free, developed by TED Conferences)

An online archive of some of the most interesting and digestible science and technology

talks – although almost any subject you can imagine is covered here. It’s a well-designed

app and there’s content for students sitting exams as well as adults who just want to expand

their minds.

Suitable for: various ages.

VideoScience

(iPhone/iPad, Android, free, developed by Object Enterprises)

Close to 100 useful and inspirational videos of hands-on science lessons covering a range

of topics, with a focus on experiments that can be produced at home and in the classroom.

Suitable for: all ages.

CargoBot

(iPad, free, developed by TwoLivesLeft)

Coding is an important and under-taught subject, but there are plenty of apps and sites to

teach the skills. Coding is a technical skill but, more importantly, there’s arguably no better

way to develop logical thinking, problem-solving and creativity. CargoBot, a game where

you teach a robot to use crates, is a relatively challenging and surprisingly efficient app for

learning about coding and how to think like a computer. The game itself was programmed

entirely on an iPad. It’s engaging, fun and just a little addictive for children and adults.

Suitable for: ages 10 until death.

Memory Lane Photography, 4th February 2015

School photos are being taken on this date. Proofs will be distributed soon after. Please

ensure full uniform is worn on the day.

Cead bhliain Turas (First Year Tour)

Destination Carlingford Adventure Centre, Tholsel Street, Carlingford, Co. Louth

Tour Dates Friday 20th - Saturday 21st May 2016

Tour Length 2 Days/ 1 Night

Tour Price €145

Return bus from Coláiste na hInse on the morning of Friday 20th, returning Saturday evening at 7pm.

2 days and 1 night in fully supervised dorms. A number of teachers will accompany the students on their

turas.

Friday: Morning activity, lunch, afternoon activity, dinner, night activity

Saturday: Breakfast, morning activity, lunch, afternoon activity.

Deposit due on or before January 8th 2016 (payable through wisepay only).

First Year Boys Soccer

League and Cup:

The first year boys’ team have had a fantastic start to their season. The beat Gormanstown

7 - 0 in the first round of the Leinster Cup and have topped their League group to advance

to the semi-final with victories over Boyne CS Trim (4 - 0), Marist Dundalk (4 - 1) and

rivals St. Oliver's Drogheda (2 - 1).

Futsal:

The boys also won the Meath Futsal Championships. They progressed to the Leinster Finals

where they went undefeated. They were the only team not to concede a goal and scored

twelve in total in four group games. They were very unlucky to lose on penalties to winners

Dublin Oak Academy.

The First Year Boys soccer squad who beat St. Oliver’s Drogheda.

Oiche Roghnacha (options night)

SVP Hamper collection

Special mention must go to Rang Dagger (most content in their hamper) and to Rang

Corrigan (best presented hamper). Your completed hampers were a credit to you! The effort

you put in was most appreciated as was the effort of all daltaí who brought in food items to

give to those in need. Nollaig shona Daoibh.

First Year Club

This year has seen the creation of a brand new games club for first years. The cub

takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays in A27 and is a safe space for the daltaí to play

fun games such as Uno, draughts, card games etc, eat their lunch and beat me quite

regularly at connect 4 especially (ehem Alex Geraghty and Dillon Ryan!!).

The club will recommence in January- all are welcome!

Lá Dearfachas

The whole clann was rewarded for an excellent first two terms with a big Christmas

day out. The first year daltaí went to Funtasia, Drogheda and enjoyed skyclimbing

and bowling.

Notaí Maith Comortas # 3- December

WINNERS: Rang Corrigan– well done team! A great performance.

Realta na Miosa December 2015

Rang Dagger- Winner: Vilte Trinkunaite. Nominees: Alex Gerahty & Nikoleta Rogovska

Rang Campion- Winner: Jack Murphy. Nominees: Sarah McDonnell & Alexandria Boyle

Rang Hession- Winner: Kate Ward. Nominees: Filip Szymanski & Áine Gallagher

Rang Breatnach: Winner: . Nominees: & Aisling Murtagh, Leigh Murphy and Deirdre

Keogh.

Rang Corrigan- Winner: Eoin Mulvaney. Nominees: Niall Kelly & Kiko Zhang

Rang Duffy- Winner: Emily Murray. Nominees: Ryan Mullins & Kane Prendergast

Nollaig Shona Daoibh