Science week - The Escape Room Challenge

5th year Biology students as part of science week took on the escape room challenge.

The Digestive System was the theme where students having answered a series of questions had to solve the associated puzzles to crack the code. It was tense for a while as teams criss-crossed the lab, collecting the information they needed to solve the puzzles.

Well done to all the participating teams.

Science Week in SCS

Second years have been busy in science, designing and engineering energy transforming devices.

As part of science week they tested their devices. Similar designs were pitted against each other in a race or test. Prizes were presented to those who excelled in their design and build.

Well done to all students. Outstanding work overall.

Science Week

As part of Science week class 1B got a chance to dissect a lambs heart with help from 4th year Applied Science students.

5th year Biology students learnt all about the urinary system and got a chance to dissect a lambs kidney. They also made models of the kidney to help them in their understanding of how it works. 

Bin To Win

A reminder to everyone to please use the correct bins to dispose of our waste:

Black bin – general waste.

Green bin – dry, loose, clean recyclables only.

Brown bin - food waste only.

Re-turn yellow wheelie bin – bottles and cans with the ‘Re-turn’ logo. Help raise funds for SVP charity between now and Christmas and be in with a chance to win canteen vouchers!

·       Use a marker to write your name and class on a plastic bottle/aluminium can.

·       Place it in the Re-turn bin.

·       We will have a lucky dip once a week and the winners will receive canteen vouchers a €7.50!

TY Students Keeping Skibbereen Tidy

Pictured are some of our TY students litter picking today.

‘Using Food to Produce Food’ - Initiative

We are delighted to announce a big drive to improve separation and correct recycling of waste in SCS. This initiative has resulted from a collaborative project involving our TY Sustainability, Sustainable Joinery, Home Economics, Green Schools Committee, Agricultural Science, and LCA Horticulture students.

A survey conducted by last year’s TY Sustainability students revealed unsatisfactory levels of waste separation within the school. The students designed new bin units which would include three compartments for general waste (black), recycling (green) and food waste (brown/orange). Students built these units with the help of their Woodwork teachers, Mr. O’Driscoll and Mr. O’Shea. These have recently been completed with the finishing touches provided by our Engineering dept. and are now operational in our canteen area. We also have two new ‘Re-turn’ wheelie bins which will raise funds for charities and our school.

Last year, the school purchased a MyGug anaerobic digestor. On Friday, students and staff welcomed MyGug creator and CTO, Mr. Kieran Coffey to the school. Kieran explained the environmental benefits of anaerobic digestion and the nuts and bolts of how to operate MyGug. When organic matter is not separated, it ends up in landfills where it generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Biogas helps mitigate methane emissions that would otherwise escape from landfills.

When MyGug is ‘fed’ food waste, we can use the methane biogas released from the decomposing organic matter to cook in class also using less conventional natural gas which is obtained by drilling into the earth.  A second product of the MyGug process is a rich organic liquid fertilizer which will be used by LCA Horticulture students in the school’s polytunnels. Ms. Ní Chárthaigh has been maintaining MyGug up until now. Daily feeding and maintenance tasks will now be carried out by students who have volunteered for the role!

Our Green Schools Committee also have plans to operate a school compost bin which would work in conjunction with MyGug as certain foods such as orange skins, banana peels, coffee grounds, tea bags etc are better suited to a composter. With MyGug, the basic premise is ‘If I can eat or drink it, MyGug can eat or drink it!’.

Many thanks to BAM for working with us to support the ‘Using food to produce food’ initiative.

Agricultural Science Trip to Drinagh Feed Mill

The 5th Year Agricultural Science and some LCA students enjoyed a fantastic visit to Drinagh Feed Mill on Thursday to kick start Science Week at SCS. The trip brought their classroom learning on animal nutrition and livestock production to life.

The morning began with a warm welcome from Drinagh CEO, Seamus Daly, who outlined the Co-op’s rich history. He traced its origins back to Fr. John Crowley and local farmers in 1923, giving students a strong sense of Drinagh’s enduring role in the West Cork agricultural community.

Drinagh now operates 15 outlets across West Cork, employs over 300 people, and supplies Carbery, whose dairy products are marketed worldwide. The Co-op collects 212 million litres of milk annually from over 520 suppliers and has more than 2,000 shareholders — a testament to its continued success and importance in the region.

Students then heard from Dr. Lorna Twomey, who spoke about milk production in West Cork and the importance of Ireland’s grass-based dairy system. She also discussed the modern challenges facing farmers and the innovative solutions being developed to address them, offering students a valuable insight into the dynamic nature of modern agriculture.

Donal Murphy, Mill and Operations Manager, then led a tour of the feed mill and delivered an informative presentation on animal nutrition. He explained the science and precision behind each feed formula, highlighting Drinagh’s comprehensive range for both ruminant (dairy, beef, sheep) and monogastric (pig and poultry) animals. Seeing the technology and scale of feed production up close was a real highlight for the students.

The visit concluded with tea, coffee, scones, and treats, kindly provided by the Drinagh. Each student received a goodie bag to take home — a thoughtful touch to end an excellent morning of learning.

A sincere thank you to Donal Murphy, Lorna Twomey, Seamus Daly, David Shiels and all at Drinagh for their hospitality and for sharing their expertise. The experience offered our students an enriching and memorable insight into one of West Cork’s leading agricultural co-operatives.

Studyclix Newsletter

Welcome to the Studyclix newsletter!

As one of the main contact's for your school's licence and as a follow up to your licence set-up pack, this newsletter is here to keep you updated on new content, features, and resources to share with staff, students, and parents. We’re excited to kick off the 25/26 editions with you and hope you find these updates useful.

Helpful resources for this time of year:

Now that the dust has settled on the new school year and students prepare for their Christmas assessments, it's a great time to remind them about their Studyclix access. Feel free to use these resources in your reminders:

✨ New content releases ✨

2026

2027

Sraith Pictiúr for 2026 & 2027 oral exams

Audios, videos & H1 standard notes for all 20 sraith pictiúr to help students prepare for the 2026 and 2027 Irish oral exams.

Take a look

New Sample Answers

Our content team is always busy working with real state examiners to add to the range of examiner-annotated sample answers available across a range of subjects. Subjects with new sample answers include LC Music, Politics & Society, Home Economics, Geography, Art and French.

All subjects with quizzes

New Quizzes

The effort to improve and add to the range of topic-specific quiz questions never ends here at Studyclix. These can be used in the ready-made topic quizzes for students or in quizzes created by teachers using Quiz Builder. New questions have been added to JC Engineering, LC Economics, French & Computer Science.

🖥️ Free webinars for parents and students

As part of our continuous effort to improve and build on the service we provide students and their parents, we are delighted collaborate with Dr. Richard Hogan on a series of live webinars throughout this school year.

The first webinar on the "back-to-school" period for parents was a huge success and can be watched or listened to here:

Back to school webinar with Dr. Richard Hogan

Our next webinar with Dr. Richard Hogan takes place on Monday November 10th at 7pm. More information that you can share with parents is below:

📢 Free webinar for parents: In Their Corner - A Parent's Guide to Study and Motivation

 

Have questions about how to help your child get exam-ready? Worried about where to start? Join our webinar where Studyclix CEO Luke Saunders will be in conversation with author, columnist and family psychotherapist Dr. Richard Hogan to answer parents' questions on how to help students get started with study and to motivate them throughout the year.

📆 Monday November 10th at 7pm

⚠️ Limited spaces - register today

👉 For more information and to register, follow this link: https://www.studyclix.ie/parent-webinar

We're also delighted to be working with some subject experts to deliver free live webinars for students. Kicking off with LC Maths and LC Biology, you'll find all the info below:

 

📢 Free webinar for senior students: 10 ways to get better at Leaving Cert Maths - a Studyclix masterclass

Studyclix is hosting a free LC Maths masterclass to help students feel more confident in Maths. The session will be led by Stephen Begley, a Leaving Cert Maths teacher and state examiner. Stephen will explain clear, practical ways to avoid common mistakes, approach exam questions and score higher.

 

📆 Tuesday November 11th at 7pm
▶️ Live on YouTube

Students can tap “Notify me” on YouTube to get a reminder before it starts: https://www.youtube.com/live/DHno9tp8RJ0?si=7EvrXdsQdnki2DRr 

📢 Free webinar for 6th year students: How to score higher in Leaving Cert Biology - a Studyclix masterclass (for 6th years only)

Studyclix is hosting a free LC Biology masterclass focused on clear, practical ways for students to improve their exam technique. The webinar will be led by Liam Hennelly, an experienced Biology teacher and state examiner. Liam will explain how to avoid common mistakes, understand what examiners look for and write answers that earn more marks.

 

📆 Monday November 17th at 7pm
▶️ Live on YouTube

Students can tap “Notify me” on YouTube to get a reminder before it starts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ0mRSkIp4E 

👩‍🏫 Book your teacher and student training

If you haven’t already, make sure to avail of the teacher and student training sessions included in your school's licence. They take place over Zoom and we give an overview of the website's key features to make sure your students and teachers can make the most of the access that is available to them. 

 

👉 Get booked in for a time that suits you by emailing schools@studyclix.ie

 

If you don’t have time to fit these sessions into the school day, we have pre-recorded versions that you can share with teachers and students to watch in their own time.

Study skills & Studyclix overview for students

Studyclix for teachers in licenced schools

If you have any questions about this newsletter or anything else, don't hesitate to reach out to the team at schools@studyclix.ie

 

Until next time,

the Studyclix schools team. 

TY Students at Cara House

Pictured here are our TY students helping out at Cara House.

Thanks to Ms. Aine Minihane, Mr. Aaron O’Riordan, Mr. Conor Uhl, Mr. Tom Foley and Ms. Gretta Burchill for organising.

Boys Basketball

Hard luck to our U19 & U16 Boys Basketball Teams who were beaten by Coláiste Choilm this week.

Junior Ladies Rugby

Hard luck to our Junior Ladies Rugby Team who lost to Sacred Heart Clonakilty in the league today.

The team showed great heart and determination.

Cumann na Bòl - Schools Road Bowling Championships

Well done to all our students who participated in the Cumann na Ból Schools Road Bowling Championships in Shannonvale today.

Results:

2nd in Senior Boys (Tom McCarthy, Fionn O'Regan and Steven O'Neill).

3rd in Senior Boys (Michael O'Leary, Shane McCarthy and Niall O'Driscoll).

3rd in Junior Boys (Harry O'Leary, Aiden Brownie and Bill Kingston).

Stand Up Week 2025

StandUp week 2025 takes place from November 3rd to 7th.

The theme for Ireland’s Stand Up Awareness Week 2025 is preventing homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying through the implementation of the “Bí Cineálta” (Be Kind) policy.

The campaign, run by Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland aims to make schools and youth services safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ young people by focusing on education and empathy to prevent bullying before it starts.

The New facelift to the main school staircase displays the LGBTQI+ colours interlinked with kindness quotations in English & As Gaeilge along with the Words “Bí Cineálta” in English, French, Spanish, Polish & Ukrainian. This is to instil the overall message of the new preventing and addressing bullying policy “ Bí Cineálta” which was developed by the Department of Education which is to be kind to one another

Skibbereen Community School would like to extend a big thank you to WALSH Print & Graphics of Clonakilty with special thanks to Diarmuid O’Sullivan who helped with the design & Richard Noble who laid it down. They were a great company to deal with and we here at SCS are very happy with the end result which will facilitate our school in instilling the message of our New Preventing & Addressing Bullying policy “Bí Cineálta”.

Munster Irish School Golf Championship

Well done to D.Crowley, 3rd Year who represented Skibbereen Community School in the Munster Irish Schools Boys Scratch Championship at Monkstown Golf Club recently.

Happy Halloween Everybody!! Freaky Friday, Oct 24th 2025

And some of the Winners were!!! Pictured receiving their prizes from our Principal were!!

"Open Night and Enrolment Evening", Oct 23rd 2025

Welcome to our school. Fáilte Romhait Isteach!!