Road Safety

The S.P.H.E Department in Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré is this year running a campaign on road safety. Earlier in the year a guest speaker from the R.S.A. spoke to students regarding road safety and also showed the students video clips dealing with road safety. On Tuesday 17^th of January the R.S.A. Road Shuttle Bus and Roll-Over-Car visited our school. The local fire brigade also visited and demonstrated their equipment. We are grateful to John Lee and all those that participated. The students benefited immensely from the displays and the discussions.

The main aim of the Road Shuttle Bus is to provide students with the chance to interact with various road safety campaigns and to spread the message about the importance of road safety.

What can you do on the Shuttle?

• practice your driving and hazard perception skills on simulators (car, motorbike, bicycle)
• enjoy a fully interactive road safety educational experience
• experience simulated virtual situations in our virtual reality pods and experience first-hand the dangers of driving and texting and driver fatigue
• practice safe cycling skills on a bicycle simulator
• See how driving environments and speed affect your braking distances on the brake reaction timer
• practice the driver theory test on board
• Test your fancy footwork by dancing to the Safe Cross Code in the activity zone
• Take a road safety quiz in the activity zone
• Learn about tyre safety.

Roll Over Car

Accompanying the Shuttle Bus the R.S.A. has a Roll-Over Car.  This simulator is highly effective in encouraging people to use safety belts.  The simulator is a car body fitted to a rotating hydraulic platform.  Participants sit into the simulator and experience a half or a full rotation.  The ‘simulation’ demonstrates how it would feel if you were in a car which turned over in a collision, and the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seatbelt should this occur.

We are looking forward to the return of the Shuttle Bus and Roll-Over-Car in March when more students will be given the opportunity to view their excellent displays and demonstrations. Well done to Miss Connolly Hogan for organising the event.

Soccer League

In December our 5th year LCA group ran an indoor soccer league for almost 100 1st year students in Coláiste Phobal. This was part of a project they are doing for their Leaving Certificate. There were medals and prizes given out for the winners and runners up and some spot prizes too! The event was a super success, the students had a lovely day and this group of LCA students also managed to raise €141 which they have donated to the Adams Gift fund in memory of past pupil Adam McAndrew. Well done to our 5th year LCA group for achieving this, they worked very hard to make it a thoroughly enjoyable day! Well done to Miss Burke for helping the students to organise the event.

H.O.P.E. Week

Monday23rd-Friday 27th marks H.O.P.E week in Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré. The idea came about when some senior students approached the pastoral care team last October. Their proposal idea was to run a positive mental health awareness week in our school community.

Hence H.O.P.E. (Heroes of Positive Engagement) was born. Each morning, a positive praise of hope will be read over the intercom in different languages used in the Coláiste. The aim is to face into the day on a positive note. People have been very kind in their support for H.O.P.E WEEK e.g., Tesco will be sponsoring free fruit, our art students have made a symbolic “pillar of strength” to raise a sense of hope.

We are delighted that ‘H.O.P.E’ week is being launched by Finbar Walsh from the Donal Walsh Foundation. Donal was a real voice of hope speaking with sincerity and realness about his illness, mental health issues, suicide and ways of supporting others in our communities around the country. Finbar has continued to make his voice of hope heard and will speak to all our students Monday.

We are delighted to have Oonagh Hogan from Aware speak to our senior students on Tuesday and Wednesday. Aware have a ‘ Beat the Blues’ campaign designed specifically for secondary schools.

As well as speakers during H.O.P.E week we are delighted to have some fun lunchtime and after school activities. A ‘Wish Gig’ hosted by former students will be in the gym lunch time Monday, followed by a ‘Clear Your Head Walk’ after school.

Tuesday has an acoustic gig in the oratory after school, hosted by present students. There’s also a free yoga session open to staff/ students. Senior students will also lead the juniors with a fun ‘Dreolín’ in the junior social area.

Wednesday has the Aware talks continuing throughout the day. Free hot chocolate will be available during the 11 o clock break. Many thanks to Darren for this. After school on Wednesday a free mindfulness session led by Edel McCormack will take place. The focus of the session is to look at techniques on how to reduce stress and anxiety.

Friday is a ‘Bright Colours Day’, a free non-uniform day where staff and students will wear their brightest colours. Friday also marks a physical fun day, led by the P.E. Dept. and volunteers. We aim to finish H.O.PE. on a fun, positive note. On Friday all classes will be visited by the local B.O.P group (Bubbles of Positivity). They are a local young person’s positive mental health group. Their first initiative was to bake cookies for the leaving cert students when they finished their recent Christmas exams. They may have another trick up their sleeves!

We are very grateful to all who helped in relation to H.O.P.E week. To all who have supported our school we say thanks, and may “hope” follow you and yours.