Introduction to TY
As in the Junior cycle most of your time will be spent in class. The classes will be in the mainsteam subjects (Irish, English, Maths, French/German); modules in Leaving Cert subjects such as Physics and Chemistry; and a wide range of non exam subjects such as Judo, Japanese, Sound Engineering, Cookery, Drama…..
Also in TY there is emphasis on personal development, teamwork and confidence building. TY should broaden your experiences and your awareness of the world.
Your Transition Year will run for nine months, from September to May.
Advice for TY students
Make the most of it while it lasts.
The year will give you many opportunities and challenges.
Be involved!
Do your best!
Your form teacher will help you along the way, he/she will pass on information about events and activities, so make sure you are on time for morning roll call.Also check the TY notice board in the mall regularly.
For those of you who make the most of it, TY will be a great experience. I anticipate that by May 2009 you will feel more confident and independent, have more friends, know your teachers better, be more socially aware, be more of a ‘team’ person and have lots of good memories. Carpe diem!
Activity Weeks
For a weeks in October and another in December, there will be no regular TY classes.
Instead, there will be a variety of courses for pupils to opt into (e.g. First Aid, Sailing, Film-making, Soccer Skills). Full details of the activities, including costs, will be provided well in advance.
It is compulsory for pupils to participate.
Actiontrack
Actiontrack is an exciting theatre-in-education group based in the UK. They work with approx. 40 pupils for a week, during which they create, rehearse and eventually perform a musical play.
Actiontrack will be in Mount Temple twice during the year, in October (in Activity Week) and in the spring (during the second Work Experience).
Assessment
Pupils will receive half-term marks in first and second term and a Christmas report as in any other year. Successful participants will receive Work Experience Certificates and Transition Year Certificates. There will be exams in the core subjects in May.
Attendance
Good attendance is vital if you are to make the most of the year. Poor attendance and/or punctuality mean that you will miss out on information, events, activities, and assignments.
Collecting for charity
Occasionally, groups of TY pupils collect for charity, usually by selling ‘flags’ in the city centre. A permission form from home is always required.
Organiser: Mr. Lawler.
Community Work
All Community Work is voluntary. Pupils are encouraged, but not required, to be involved. It is possible to have a community placement as part of your work experience. A rota of TY pupils helps out in the following:
- Nazareth House Retirement Home (3 minutes walk from the school). Pupils chat to the residents and do some minor chores. (Organised by Mr. Lawler)
- Sheriff Street Creche. Pupils spend approx. two hours per week helping in the creche, under supervision.(Organised by Ms. Nic Ruairi)
- Central Remedial Clinic, Clontarf. Under supervision, pupils help disabled children during swimming lessons one morning per week. (Organised by Mr. Tubridy)
- Peer Tutoring in Mount Temple. Spending time in G4 with younger pupils.
Deadlines
A deadline is a deadline! Every year some TY pupils miss deadlines for signing on for activities or handing in Projects or Portfolios. You may miss out on the activities or have your work rejected if you miss the deadlines.Be warned!
Debates
Some senior pupils in Mount Temple become involved in school debating teams and competitions. TY is the best year to begin!
D.C.U. Web Design Course
A Web Design Course in the Computer Department of Dublin City University will be on offer in January or February. A group of approx 20 pupils will spend a week in a computer lab in D.C.U.
Exchange Trips
French and German exchanges are organised for Transition Year students.
First Aid
During each Activity Week, there will be a basic First Aid course, run by The Irish Red Cross or The Order of Malta. Certificates valid for 3 years are issued to the successful participants. This is an optional course but we strongly recommend pupils to participate. The cost is approximately €80.
Gaisce President’s Award
Gaisce, or the President’s Award, is a national prize for personal achievement, based on set challenges, e.g. learning a new skill, doing community work or going on an extended hike. Organiser: Mrs. Quinn.
Gaeltacht Trip: Turas go dtí an Ghaeltacht
The annual Gaeltacht trip takes place in May each year and 70 or so Transition Year students head off for five days of water-based activities on the coast of Mayo. Surfing, sailing and windsurfing as Gaeilge are the order of the day. Coláiste Uisce, perched on the Atlantic coast is our destination and Gaeilge is our language of communication for the duration of the trip. It is always a memorable trip for all and is certainly one of the highlights of the Transition Year.
Graduation Night
At the end of the year, there will be a TY Graduation Night to which parents and guardians will be invited. A range of certificates (e.g. First Aid, Work Experience, Sailing, Hockey Coaching) will be presented.
The most important certificate is the Transition Year Certificate, which will be awarded to the majority of the year’s TY class.The certificates are awarded at three levels – Distinction, Merit, Pass.
Leaving Certificate Subject Choices
There will be Guidance classes to help pupils make these choices. Choices are made in the spring. There will be an evening meeting for parents on this topic.
Mini-Med School
In 2009 The Royal College of Surgeons ran a week-long introductory course to medicine for TY pupils. A number of Mount Temple pupils attended.
Modules
A module is a subject that lasts half a year! Indicate on your timetable the length of each module. After Christmas you will switch to a different module. It is impossible to give each pupil his or her first choice for each subject/module. Participate to the best of your ability in your classes. This will be a key factor in deciding on the level (Distinction, Merit, Pass) of your Transition Year Certificate.
Oral Presentation
As part of your English class, you will be required to make a formal oral presentation (i.e. a prepared speech) to your class at least once this year.
Outings
Various outings are organised by individual teachers or subject departments. Permission forms and money (if required) must be paid at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. A pupil who misbehaves on an outing may be excluded from other outings.
Parent teacher meeting and Parents’ Night
There will be an Information/Discussion evening about TY in September and a parent-teacher meeting later in the year.
Penalty Points
Penalty points will apply this year as last year! TY pupils are not immune from detention.
Projects
Certain subject/modules will require you to do projects.
Warning! Do not allow the project work to pile up so that you are frantically trying to complete 2 or 3 projects at the same time. (Read the Deadlines section again…)
The largest assignment you will be required to do this year will be your Year Project, an in-depth project on a topic of your choice. You will be given some guidelines and advice on how to do it but you will still need to use lots (repeat, lots!) of your own initiative. The deadline for the Year Project will be in April.
Portfolio
Before Christmas, you will be required to hand up a portfolio of your term’s work consisting of five pieces of work from any subjects/modules, but no more than two from any one area.
Project Theatre Partnership
This is a great opportunity! The Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar is at the cutting edge of the arts in Ireland. Mount Temple has a special relationship with them which allows pupils to attend shows at very low prices and participate in workshops of dance, drama, clowning…
Organiser: Ms. Doak.
September
September is a ‘settling in’ month for getting back to school, starting new subjects and modules, meeting new teachers and getting the Junior Cert results… The ‘big’ TY events are further down the road.
Speakers
There will be a number of guest speakers for TY during the year. The talks will generally be on social and health issues.
TY Play and Musical
The TY Play is always a main highlight of the year for those involved!In recent years we’ve had Modern Comedy, Shakespeare, plays devised by the pupils – what will it be for your year? A fantastic opportunity to make new friends, develop self-confidence and have possibly the best experience of your time in Mount Temple! The play will take place in the second half of the school year.
Work Experience
Work Experience is a major element of TY. You will have a Work Experience class once a week but the onus is on you to organise your placements.
Each year, as part of the Work Experience course, Transition Year students spend two periods of 2 weeks on work experience.
Where possible, students find placements in work related to the career in which they have a special interest. It is the responsibility of each student to make his/her own appliction and to find their Work Experience Placement as this is an essential element of preparation for the world of work.
Students are not paid for work experience. Students are monitored by the school and assessed by the employer.
At the end of work experience each student is required to complete a Work Experience Portfolio.
If you have a business and you would like to provide the opportunity for one of our students to do work experience please contact Ms. Ward on 086 047 4714.
Note: To gain a Work Experience Certificate at the end of the year, you must complete the assignments set by your work experience teacher. Incomplete Portfolio = no Certificate!
Work experience 2010-2011
All TY students this year will complete three weeks of work experience. Some students organise an additional week outside of these dates and this is permitted provided the school are informed. Part time jobs are not permitted to be used as their placement and Volunteer work should be included as a option. All relevant insurance is in place and each person receives a copy of this along with diaries and employer report forms for the employer the week before their placement begins.
