Information Evening for Parents &
Guardians of First Year Students
 Introduction
 Advice
To Aid Transition (PrimarySecondary
 Subject
 Third
Choice
Level Requirement
•Promotes:
Decision-making
Self-Awareness
Interpersonal communication skills
The ability to plan
Personal and social skills
Problem solving
Personal
Decisionmaking in
relation to:
Course, Subject
&Level in 2nd
level
Assists students with
decision-making in:
Student
Educational and
Training choices
Job search skills
Educational
Careers
Study Skills
Employment
opportunities
Exam Technique
Interview skills
Work and life
The Transition from Primary to Post
Primary
A significant life event
New
Subjects.
There
is a subject change every forty
minutes and with it a change of teacher.
A child
may meet as many as nine
different teachers on a daily basis.
Do
not allow the timetable to cause
difficulties.
Be
Proactive - make multiple copies of
the timetable and put it on the fridge, the
bedroom door, in the car anywhere and
everywhere!!
This
is a skill....
Check
the bag every night with your
child to ensure the right books and copies
are ready for at least the first 3 classes
the following morning.
Finding the right balance between:
Homework.
Extra
curricular activities there
importance cannot be over emphasised.
Homework
will increase when students
enter secondary school it is expected that
students do1 ½ - 2 hrs per night.
Have
a look at the Homework Policy.
Getting
involved in extra curricular
activities is very important.
Taking part builds confidence and gets
them mixing with others and will aid the
transition.
It is a great way for teachers to get to
know your child in different light.
Encourage them to try out everything.
When
your child gets his / her locker key
it is a very good idea to get a copy of the
key cut so there will always be a spare.
Core Subjects
 English
 Maths
 History
 Religion
 Irish
 Science
 Geography
 C.S.P.E
 S.P.H.E
 French
 German
 Business
Art
Music
Home Economics
Study Skills**
Studies
 Tech Graphics
 Metalwork
 Materials Technology(Wood)
Benefits of the
various subjects....
 How
to speak in the language.
 The
skills of listening to, reading and
writing in the language.
 The
grammar of the language.
 Information
about the countries where
people speak the language, and their way
of life.
A foreign language is useful for
many careers including:
Translator, Interpreter,
Tourism, Journalism,
Management, International
Marketing.
Cadets &
Defence Force
NUIM
RCSI
NUIG
UCD
UCC
NCAD
St.
Angela’s,Sligo
Shannon College
of
Hotel&Catering
You do not have to have a third Language to go
to the following colleges:
 UL-
University of Limerick
 DCU- Dublin City University
 TCD – Trinity College Dublin
 Any of the Institutes of Technology
 Engineering
& Agricultural courses at UCD.
 Engineering
and Science courses at NUI Maynooth.

Engineering and Science courses in NUI Galway.
 University
language.

of Limerick (UL): English & another
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) accepts a “language
other than English” e.g. Irish.
 Institutes
of Technology accept English or Irish for
entry purposes.
 Follow
recipes and cook dishes, in pairs and on
our own.
 Carry out projects on foods.
 Hand and/or machine sew to make small items.
 Become more experienced at managing your
resources and your time.
 There
are many jobs and careers that you can
work in, e.g. chefs/cooks, catering, fashion and
textiles, child care, teaching, food industry,
tourism, and health and nutrition.
 Music
has a very important part in many
peoples’ lives. Most of us will take pleasure in
listening to music and many people will enjoy
singing or playing an instrument throughout
their lives.
 Music
related careers: career in music in areas
such as education(teacher, lecturer), business
(sound engineer, lyricist, reviewer, therapist)
and performance (composer, performer,
conductor).
 Learn
a variety of new crafts.
 Learn to work in 3-D e.g. culpture or clay
work.
 Learn about the design process and how to use
it to create new design object and images.
 There are many career opportunities in Art areas such as: photography, illustration,
interior/industrial/fashion design, education
and architecture.
 Business
Studies helps you to make wise
decisions about saving and spending your money
now and throughout your life.
 Introduce
you to many possible careers such
as: accountancy, finance, sales, marketing,
and management.
 It
also gives you a good foundation for the
three Leaving Certificate business subjects.
 Work
with metals and other materials such as
wood and plastic.
 Assemble these materials into useful and
interesting items.
 Learn how to apply a finish to your project.
 Careers: Construction, Craftsmanship,
Engineering
 Some
topics in Metalwork overlap with
Materials Technology Wood.
 Many of the practical skills learned in
Metalwork are similar to those learned in
Wood.
 Technical Graphics will help you to
understand drawings and diagrams that you
will be using in Metalwork.
 You will also find some of the same topics
coming up in Science and Geography.
 Materials
Technology Wood (MTW) is one of
the technology subjects offered at junior cycle.
 In MTW students will learn: to design small
projects; and the skills required to use tools and
equipment to make their designs.
 Students will work mainly with wood but also
with other materials.
 Students will learn about wood as a material
and how it is produced.
At Leaving Cert -Construction Studies
•
•
Construction Studies introduces students to the
knowledge and skills associated with
construction technology, materials and
practices.
This is done through theoretical study and
practical projects.


At Leaving Cert Higher Level 79% of students get
A,B,C
At Leaving Cert Ordinary Level 58% of students get
A,B,C
 (79% of students take Higher level)
 Can
be studied on its own or to compliment
another Technical Subject
•
In Technical Graphics students will learn how
to represent 3-D objects on paper and on
computer.
•
Students will develop problem solving and
creative thinking skills through the solution of
graphical problems
 Technical
Graphics builds on skills learned in
mathematics for example: 2-D and 3-D
shapes, lines and angles.
Is it difficult:
 At
Junior Cert Higher level 71% of students
get A,B,C
 At
Junior Cert Ordinary level 79% of students
get A,B,C
 At
Leaving Certificate, you will be able to
study
Design and Communication
Graphics.
 In
this subject there will be a greater
emphasis on computer graphics and freehand
sketching.
 The geometry that is learned in Junior
Certificate will be further developed.
At Higher level 77% of students get A,B,C.
At Ordinary level 71% of students get A,B,C.
 This
focuses on Maths and English.
 For students who may find it difficult in taking
on 3 choice subjects.
 It is on the same band as the Languages, hence
it is not possible to do a Language and Study
Skills.
Subject Websites:
www.scoilnet.ie
www.education.ie
www.skoool.ie
Career Websites:
www.qualifax.ie
www.careersportal.ie
www.careerdirections.ie
Junior Certificate course books.
New Website
Subject
Teachers
Current Pupils
Parents/Guardians, Older
Brothers & Sisters
Guidance Counsellor
 Do
I like this subject?
 Am I good at it? How have I
performed up to now?
 Is there a chance I might need
it for further study/career?
 Am I keeping my options
open?
We do not have a crystal
ball to see into the
consequences of our
decisions but we tend to
be happier and more at
ease with our decisions
when we have done our
work!
 Partnership
between home and school is vital
 An
open honest dialogue with ‘the school’ is
essential
 If
there are any difficulties let us know:




Year Head
Tutor
Guidance Counsellor
Senior Management
Your son/daughter must list their subject choices in
order of preference....The one they would
like/want to do the most must be put down as
NO. 1....
4 subjects are chosen from the list and each student
will be assigned to 3 of those subjects.
Students have the option to tick the box to indicate
they are flexible around their 3rd/4th preference.
SUBJECT-CHOICE RESTRICTIONS

SOME SUBJECTS (FRENCH, GERMAN) REQUIRE
PREDOMINANTLY SINGLE CLASS PERIODS, WHILE
OTHER SUBJECTS (MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY (WOOD),
METALWORK, ART, HOME ECONOMICS, MUSIC) REQUIRE
PREDOMINANTLY DOUBLE PERIODS. SUBJECTS ARE
GROUPED ACCORDINGLY ON THE TIMETABLE AND, AS A
RESULT, CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE:

NO MORE THAN ONE OF THE MODERN LANGUAGES
(FRENCH, GERMAN) MAY BE CHOSEN.

NO MORE THAN TWO OF THE PRACTICAL SUBJECTS (MT
WOOD, METALWORK, ART, HOME ECONOMICS, MUSIC)
MAY BE CHOSEN.

JUNIOR CYCLE OPTIONAL SUBJECTS


ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN
METALWORK

BUSINESS STUDIES
MUSIC

FRENCH
STUDY SKILLS

GERMAN
ECHNICAL GRAPHICS

HOME ECONOMICS
MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY (WOOD)
PLEASE SELECT, IN ORDER OF YOUR PREFERENCE, THE OPTIONAL SUBJECTS WHICH YOU WISH TO
STUDY FOR THE JUNIOR CERT. EACH STUDENT SHOULD INDICATE 4 SUBJECTS, FROM WHICH THEY
WILL BE ALLOCATED 3. EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO ACCOMODATE STUDENTS, THOUGH NO
PARTICULAR COMBINATION OF SUBJECTS CAN BE GUARANTEED.

STUDENT’S NAME: _______________________________________

CLASS: _______

1ST CHOICE: ____________________________________________

2ND CHOICE: ____________________________________________

3RD CHOICE: ____________________________________________

4TH CHOICE: ____________________________________________

IF YOUR 3RD AND 4TH CHOICES ARE EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE TO YOU, PLEASE INDICATE BY TICKING
HERE ________

STUDENT SIGNATURE: ____________________________________

PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: _______________________________
TUTOR: ________________________________