Week 2 of Transition Year 2016-2017

Wednesdays in Transition Year
We started off our first week of Transition Year  slowly and tiredly, mostly we went to and from class, settling in and getting to know our teachers.
Activities, however, began with a bang on Wednesday morning!
After some sassy modelling in the morning time we had the pleasure of meeting the commendable Jonathan Irwin, founder of Jack and Jill Children's Foundation. The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation provides direct funding, to families of children with brain damage up to the age of 4 who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay, enabling them to purchase home respite care. He revealed to us why he decided to set up Jack and Jill Children's Foundation. He recited the harrowing story of how his son, Jack, had become brain damaged at 2 days old. He went on to explain to us that at that time there were no services in Ireland to nurse sick children at home and how him and his wife were advised to abandon Jack as it would be such a strain on their lives, however they decided to bring him home and nurse him at home. People from all over their town offered to nurse Jack, there was a full community to nurse him around the clock and this is what inspired Jonathan to set up the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation. Many of us got tearful as it was such a tragic story. We all were inspired by Jonathan also, the fact that he had received so many blows in his life, with Jack acquiring brain damage and sadly passing 22 months later, he managed to turn it into a positive thing and now helps over 200 babies with brain damage throughout Ireland with nursing and financial needs. Transition Years are now collecting Lego pieces to raise money for the Jack and Jill Foundation, if anyone would like to help out and donate, there will be a box in Ms. Duggan's prefab.
Later that afternoon we gathered in the Activities Room for a fun filled afternoon of bingo. Yet this was not any ordinary bingo, we played bingo in all the languages of various TY students. We firstly did an English round, which was called by Cathriona and Chloe, who knew all the bingo lingo, and then an Irish round, which was called by Amy and Elizabeth. We then moved onto German and French, Lystus and Mackenzie called the German round while Shantel and Colleen called the French round. Then we had a Polish round, called by Patricia and Natalia and a Russian round which was called by Laura. We all got incredibly competitive especially because there was prizes up for grabs! This activity was great because we were exposed to other languages and showed us the diversity of our year. 

​Kathlyn McVeigh 4C

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