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TY Newsletter: Keep up to date with all the goings on in the last semester.

TY Newsletter Document

TY Newsletter January-Easter 2026



Welcome to another update on our TY class of 2025/26. The TY students have been very busy this term. The TY programme has been filled with exciting workshops and activities over the last few months, including the following:

Rubbish film festival
Our TY students recently took part in The Rubbish Film Festival, a dynamic learning experience that enhanced their curriculum with creativity, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship.
This festival provided the perfect platform to blend digital media skills with climate education.
The students were guided through the filmmaking process and now better understand sustainability, appreciate the power of storytelling, and have learned that their voices truly matter. Through making their movie the TYs have helped to shape a greener future.

Jiving
This term our TY students learned to jive through weeks of fun and engaging lessons. Learning to dance is a powerful tool for personal growth, self-expression, and community building. The benefits of dance for young people positively impact physical health, emotional wellbeing, social skills, and academic success.

DNG TY PROGRAMME
On the 26th & 27th of February our TYs experienced a real look inside the world of property. This included learning about ‘A day in the life of an estate agent’, Online auctions, New Homes, 3rd level college presentations and the DNG Auctioneering and Property Services apprenticeship programme.

Music Workshop

Music Generation is a national partnership programme whose mission is to create inspiring experiences for students and young people through music. They strive to transform young people’s lives by giving them opportunities to create, play and perform music in their own communities and on their own terms.
Music Generation programme offers students the opportunity to develop Ukelele skills, This programme of study also incorporates learning musical notation and a range of music skills in a fun environment, with well-known ukulele tutor Laura, who is renowned for her excellent work with schools and groups.

Cat 4 Tests
Our TY students completed their CAT 4 Tests. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) is a diagnostic assessment that is designed to help students and their teachers understand how they learn and what their academic potential might be. It assesses how students think in areas that are known to make a difference to learning.
The Cognitive Abilities Test is an assessment of a range of reasoning skills. The tests look at three types of reasoning: words, numbers and shapes or figures, i.e. verbal, quantitative and non-verbal reasoning. ... In other words, students who are high achievers score higher than above average. The results of these tests were given out at the Subject Choice Evening which took place recently in the school. Those who did not attend will receive their results in the post.

Media Week
Shannon-side radio put on a week-long work placement programme for TYs starting on the 23rd of February. During this programme students got the chance to have a behind the scenes experience of radio transmission, created their own material for broadcasting, presented along with some of the well-known presenters at the station and much more.

Safe Pass Course
The TYs were given the opportunity to complete a one-day health and safety awareness programme which improved their knowledge and awareness of health and safety standards and practices in the construction industry. They covered the following learning units: Introduction of Site Safety, Legislation and Site Safety, Site Accident Reporting, Introduction to Risk Assessment, Electricity, Excavations and Confined Spaces, Working at Heights, Accident Causation, Site Safety and Construction Equipment, Site Safety and Construction Vehicles, Noise and Vibration, and Personal Health and Welfare.

TY Garda Programme
Our TY students were given the opportunity to take part in the TY Garda Programme. This included visits to Garda College, Templemore, Portlaoise Prison, and the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. The students also experienced a Virtual Reality Road Traffic Collision simulation, a live RTC response display from Longford Fire Brigade, and received CPR training from Longford Civil Defence.

Dream Big Programme
The TY students took part in a flagship regional initiative designed to inspire, engage, and empower senior cycle students to pursue exciting futures in advanced manufacturing. Delivered through a dynamic and collaborative partnership between local authorities, leading industries, educational institutions, and innovation centres, the students had a unique experiential learning journey. Over the course of five immersive days the students visited leading manufacturing companies across the Midlands, learned first-hand about globally recognised products and cutting-edge innovations made locally, discovered the real-life stories of the people behind the region’s manufacturing excellence, and took part in professionally led, hands-on workshops.
Each day blended industry exposure with interactive activities that brought theory to life and allowed our TY students to visualise themselves as future STEM leaders and changemakers.

Student Council
Our Student Council is a representative structure, working in partnership with school management, staff and parents for the benefit of the school. TY students continue to represent their class and school as members of the student council.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Under Mr Feeney's guidance, some of our TY students created a marvellous Snake for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Lanesborough.
Ms. Fallon and Mariia walked with the TY students and 1st years in the parade and despite the pouring rain the students soldiered on under the giant green snake. St Patrick/Franz managed to stay in costume for two hours and nodded in acknowledgement to the appreciative crowds lining the streets of Lanesboro and Ballyleague. The students did such a good job they took home the trophy for most creative float and a prize of €60. Well done to all the students for their commitment to this project.

STEM Passport
STEM Passport for Inclusion Programme: A number of students elected to take part in the STEM Passport for Inclusion Programme, this is run by Maynooth University and supported by the Longford County Council. It is a 3 day course that introduced the world of STEM to our students. They had mentor meetings with people working in the sector and many opportunities to learn about coding and AI. They are currently working on their final assignment and look forward to graduating with a level 6 accreditation next year.


Gaisce
TY students are continuing to undertake their Gaisce Bronze Award. Their 25km walk and overnight stay will take place from April 30th to May 1st. Students will camp overnight in the school, prepare their dinner in the Home Economics room and engage in a number of activities in the evening as part of their Adventure Journey.

Work Experience
The TYs completed their second work placement from March 16th-27th. This term the students chose a wide range of workplaces including farms, factories, restaurants, dog-grooming, construction work and schools. This is an integral part of their TY programme. We are indebted to all the businesses/employers in Lanesboro, Roscommon, Longford and the surrounding areas who facilitated us and provided our TY students with a wonderful learning experience.

As well as all these extra-curricular programmes the Transition Year students also continued with their subjects such as:

English
The TY English class have been enjoying plays by Sean O'Casey, John B. Keane and Brian Friel. They have been reading extracts aloud and engaged really well with the material. This gives them a concrete knowledge of the Irish play and enhances understanding of drama for further studies.
“Oscar Watch”- Following on from the recent BAFTA awards, where the film “I swear” returned the best emerging actor award for Robert Aramayo, we turned to Netflix to watch this amazing film about John Davidson who grows up with Tourette syndrome in 1980s Scotland. He faces a society that does not understand his condition and eventually becomes a campaigner to increase public awareness.
Robert Aramayo not only scooped the best emerging actor Bafta but also won best actor at the 2026 BAFTAs, defeating Leonardo diCaprio and Timothée Chalamet.
This is an excellent film for raising awareness about Tourettes Syndrome and the daily challenges that sufferers face.

Music
Using Soundtrap Digital Audio Workstation on their laptops and mobile phones the TY students were taught how to make multiple tracks of Rhythm, Melody and Harmony to produce their own creation in any style they like. They also learned to add various studio effects like REVERB, DISTORTION and COMPRESSION. Each student produced and submitted a named multitracked piece of music containing all of the above.

History
This term we looked at Music and History and Conspiracy Theories. Students examined a number of historical references through music. Students then picked out three references from "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel, conducted research and presented to their peers about three different decades in class.
Students then had an opportunity to research a conspiracy theory of their choice to examine the reliability of sources. They had to then either prove or disprove said conspiracy theory. Some examples were the Assassination of JFK, the Moon Landing and the Death of Princess Diana.

Politics
This term we looked at different systems of government throughout the world. We compared socialist, communist and democratic systems of government and researched the advantages & disadvantages of each. Students had to present arguments on why their given system was better than others. We then studied the US War in Iran in line with current news events and researched the impact it was having on Irish society and driving up costs of fuel, oil and transport costs. Students then had to examine different articles on the ongoing news event to determine if certain news channels around the world covered the events with a bias.

French
The highlight of these past weeks in French was the viewing of the IFI (Irish Film Institute)
French film for 2026 “En Fanfare.” This year, the senior French film was about a marching band of striking miners and a world-famous conductor as their worlds collide. When prestigious orchestra conductor Thibaut discovers he is adopted following a serious diagnosis, he connects with his biological brother Jimmy. The seemingly juxtaposed brothers find their connection through Jimmy’s marching brass band. A heartwarming and comedic tale of community marching brass band. This film was thoroughly deserving of the César awards it has received and was enjoyed by all.


Home Economics
A new module was started in Home Economics Practical cooking for life. Ms Flood and Ms Fallon made Cookies for Seachtain na Gaeilge and Chicken tenders, oven chips in this starting module. A number of very helpful volunteers assisted Ms Fallon in the setting up and running of a COMORTAS BACALA for Seachtain na Gaeilge last week. This involved a lot of weighing and organisation to ensure the participants could enjoy the baking and decorating of their cookies and cupcakes. The TYs assisted the students in class too which was very useful as not all the students study Home Economics. Well done to all the wonderful helpers from TY. A special thanks to Sophie who also kindly prepared some Vegan protein balls to add to the festive food for Lá Glas.

German
In German we have continued studying aspects of German history. We have looked at the First World War and the highlight of the term was watching the award winning movie, “Im Westen nichts neues”, (All Quiet on the Western Front) set during this period of German history. All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film won four Academy Awards at the 2023 Oscars. They were Best International Film, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and Best Score.

Enterprise
Three TY students, Dan Casey, Sean Collins and Oisin Dillon proudly represented our school at the County Final of the Student Enterprise Programme, which took place on March 11th in the Longford Arms Hotel. Their enterprise, Specs and Tail, focused on designing and selling practical holders for reading glasses.
As part of the competition, the students demonstrated impressive entrepreneurial skills. They brainstormed their initial business idea, carried out detailed market research, and were responsible for the full production, marketing, and sales of their product. In addition, they submitted a comprehensive business report outlining the development and operation of their enterprise. Their hard work, creativity, and dedication were evident throughout the entire process, and they were excellent ambassadors for the school.

Chinese
The students celebrated the Chinese New Year by crafting bright red lanterns and then shifted to history, exploring the Cultural Revolution and how it shaped modern China.

Physics
The students explored the world of nuclear energy this term. They compared ionising and electromagnetic radiation, using detectors to test real samples and see how different sources behave.

Computer Science
This term the micro:bit took centre stage. Students built a light sensor, programmed a working compass, and even linked two micro:bits by radio to steer a small robotic car.
Climate Action
The students have been focused on Greenland in their Climate Action module. Students examined why its glaciers are melting so rapidly and discussed what that means for the planet’s future.
Gaeilge
Rinneamar staidéar ar chósta na hÉireann.
Leanamar an tsraith teilifíse Ailte ar TG4.
Seachtain na Gaeilge
The TY students accompanied by their Irish teachers Ms. O'Brien, Mr. Tanian and one of our SNAs R Rutherford visited the Coleman Music Centre in Gurteen Co. Sligo. We were given a warm welcome by Sandra, John and the team. We had a bodhrán lesson and an Irish dancing lesson. The students really enjoyed the activities. We learned about the history and development of Irish traditional music. We were also treated to a session by three wonderful musicians Maureen, Michael and John.
TY student Killian bravely volunteered to assist Maureen as she demonstrated the céilí dances to the group and it wasn’t long before we were all on the floor dancing the Siege of Ennis and Shoe the Donkey.
Three of our own students Franz, Alice and Ríona gave an outstanding musical performance before our departure.
Bhain gach duine taitneamh agus tairbhe as an lá.



We wish all our TY students and their families a Happy Easter and look forward to a busy, productive and fun-filled next term!