Davis College has secured free online access to the SORA app for every student and teacher. The app gives students access to a selection of texts tailored for the Irish curriculum. Texts range from basic readers suitable for 1st year SEN and EAL all the way to scholarly works, ideal for challenging even the most advanced Leaving Certs. There is an impressive fiction catalogue as well as non-fiction, manga and magazines. Audio-books are also available through the app and there are multiple settings so students can adjust their screens to their own personal preferences. There is even a font for students with dyslexia. Students can borrow up to three books at a time and place orders on books that may not be available, so in many ways it functions like a traditional library. This is a fantastic resource for students in the school and is being rolled out by co-ordinator Mr. Eric McCarthy.
HOPE trip to Calcutta
Five students from Davis College are travelling to Calcutta this week to work with the HOPE foundation. This charity works to take children off the streets in the city of Calcutta or Kolkata in northern India. The region is exceptionally poor and thousands of children live and work on the streets in a variety of industries. They contend with awful conditions on the streets and this takes its toll in terms of personal safety, physical and mental health, life expectancy etc. HOPE operates creches, medical centres, pre-schools and shelters for these children and aims to improve their lives on a permanent basis. It is a privilege for students to be able to experience this side of life, and puts our first world problems in perspective. Best wishes to Liam Healy, Donogh O’Connell, Darragh Cronin, Lily Jane O’Connell and Amanda Chavez, along with their teacher Ms. D. O’Sullivan.