Assessment

Pupils will receive reports as in any other year coinciding with our assessment cycles. Successful students will receive Work Experience Certificates and Transition Year Certificates. There will be formal examinations in the core subjects in May of TY.

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 bag packing in local grocery stores. A signed permission slip from home is always required.

Deadlines

A deadline is a deadline! Every year some TY students miss deadlines 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!

Debates

If you haven’t already participated in the ‘Debut Debates’ or ‘MACE Debates’ competitions so far in Junior Cycle here at Le Chéile we would encourage all TY students to become involved in debating. Participating in debating during TY enhances critical thinking, public speaking skills, and confidence, providing invaluable preparation for future academic and professional challenges.

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 expedition.

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, will be presented.

The most important certificate is the Transition Year Certificate, which will be awarded to successful TY students. The certificates are awarded at three levels – Distinction, Merit, Pass.

LC Subject Choices / Subject Fair

There will be Guidance classes to help students make these choices. Choices are made in the spring of TY. There will be an evening meeting (subject fair) for parents/guardians on this topic where they will have the opportunity to meet with subject teachers and help their son/daughter to make informed subject choices.

Modules

Modular subjects are studied aside from your curricular subjects and they run for a specific amount of time; a term, half a year or maybe for the duration of the academic year. 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.

Outings

Various outings are organised by individual teachers or subject departments. A pupil who misbehaves on an outing may be excluded from other outings.

Discipline

TY pupils are not immune from any usual school-imposed sanctions including detention, suspension etc. It is each individual student’s responsibility to follow Le Chéile’s Code of Behaviour as normal.

September

September is a ‘settling in’ month for getting back to school, starting new subjects and modules, meeting new teachers, receiving the Junior Cycle results and our ‘overnight bonding trip’ will happen too! Other TY events are further down the road.

Guest Speakers

There will be a number of guest speakers for TY during the year. The talks will generally be on social and health issues.

Work Experience

Work Experience is a major element of TY. You will have guidance from teachers around Work Experience but the onus is on students to organise their own placements. There will be two individual weeks of experience and a third week which will consist of a community care placement.

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 their own application 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.

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!