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Kerry Education and Training Board’s pioneering Parents Forum

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Kerry Education and Training Board recently held its fourth and final Parents Forum for the 2017/18 school year. Parents attending this forum are representing members from their respective parents councils. The forum was first established in 2006 to promote effective liaison and consultation between schools and parents and to promote the interest of the students in the eight ETB schools.

This year’s agenda covered areas such as the Kerry ETB Strategy, ICT advancements, physical education priorities, mental health awareness, new Junior Cycle curriculum developments and discussions on healthy eating and well-being. Of major interest was the feedback from the first online applied maths curriculum that was piloted in Kerry ETB Schools this year. This involved fifth year students undertaking online classes via Skype on Tuesdays from 6-8pm with professional teaching support delivered during Saturday classes hosted in the IT Tralee. This proposal came from the Parents Forum last year. Ann O’Dwyer, Director of Schools thanked the Parents Forum for suggesting this initiative and for generating new and pioneering ideas.

At the forum Jeremy Wrenn, Schools ICT Support Officer from Kerry ETB, introduced the new Junior Cycle ICT course that is planned for Kerry ETB schools in 2018/19. Its introduction is further proof of Kerry ETB’s commitment to giving it students the most up to date ICT skills that will ensure they are fully equipped with the relevant 21st century educational tools when they leave school after Leaving Certificate. The Parents Forum welcomed this new course and were also offered places on a Technology for Parents course that will be delivered free of charge by Kerry ETB in September.

At the conclusion of the Parents Forum the importance of parents coming together to share their ideas and experiences from their respective parents councils was reiterated, as was the necessity of parents having their voices and opinions heard by the Kerry ETB management.

Rosari O' Connor, Chairperson took the opportunity to sincerely thank David Musgrave (Killarney Community College), Helen O’Brien (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí) and Cathy O’Donovan (Coláiste na Sceilge) for their outstanding service as their tenures on their parents councils have now come to an end. The agenda for the 2018/19 school was set with the forum looking forward to continuing its great work next year.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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