St Joseph's Secondary School First Year 2021/2022 - Core Subjects Option Subjects Wellbeing Junior Cycle Assessment
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
St Joseph’s Secondary School Newfoundell, Drogheda, Co. Louth First Year 2021/2022 Core Subjects Option Subjects Wellbeing Junior Cycle Assessment 1|Page
What core subjects will I study in St Joseph’s? All students study the following subjects in first year and continue then for 3 years as part of their Junior Cycle; Subject Maximum Number of Students in Each Class English 30 Irish 30 Maths 30 History 30 Geography 30 Religion 30 Science 24 What are option subjects? In St Joseph’s, every student chooses three option subjects from the list below. They study these for 3 years as part of their Junior Cycle. Typically, students choose a continental language (French, Spanish, German) and two other subjects from the list below. Subject Maximum Number of Students in Each Class German 30 Spanish 30 French 30 Classics 30 Business Studies 30 Applied Technology 24 Wood Technology 24 Graphics 24 Visual Art 24 Music 24 Do I study ICT (Computers) in St Joseph’s? Yes. All first years have 2 computer classes each week. They will learn how to use Microsoft Office, as how to code using a BBC Microbit and get an introduction to Robotics. These skills are very valuable to allow students to solve every day problems and form a key component of our STEM subjects in the school. 2|Page
Why is it suggested that I choose a continental language as one of my 3 option subjects? College may be a long way away when you are entering secondary school for the first time. However, a small number of NUI colleges require you to have studied a continental language to gain entry to courses in that college/university. By studying a continental language from first year, you are giving yourself the option of studying in one of these colleges when you leave school. Choosing a continental language is not compulsory – you do not have to pick a language if you don’t want to. Can I put off studying a continental language until I choose my subjects for my Leaving Certificate in 5th year? No. If you choose to study a continental language for your Leaving Certificate, it is not at beginners’ level. It is a continuation on from three years of study at Junior Cycle. Therefore, it is not possible to choose French, German or Spanish for the first time in fifth year. We recommend that each student studies a continental language for Junior Cycle and then makes up his mind whether to continue with it or not in fifth year. Parent: My son has an exemption from doing Irish because of AEN. Should he still do a continental language as one of his option subjects? No. If your son has additional educational needs and has an Irish exemption as a result, we don’t recommend that he chooses French, German or Spanish as one of his options. If your son has additional educational needs, please contact the school to arrange a meeting with our AENCO (Additional Educational Needs Co-ordinator), Mr Crummey. Mr Crummey will advise you on what subjects best suit your son’s needs. What is the Option Subjects Video? Each year, we normally bring our incoming first years into the school for a day to sample each of the 10 option subjects. This is not possible this year because of Covid. Therefore, we are making a video which showcases each of the option subjects. The video will allow incoming first years to watch the subjects being demonstrated and see the teachers speak about them. We hope that this will help enable you to make an informed decision on which 3 subjects you pick. The video will be available on the school website www.droghedacbs.ie at the end of January and we will text parents when it is ready. How do I choose my option subjects? You will be sent a form in the post to fill in to choose your option subjects. We will post the form to parents once the video is on the website at the end of January. The 10 subjects will be on the form and you must place a number from 1 to 6 beside the 6 subjects that you like the most. Number 1 will be your favourite subject and so on down to number 6. 3|Page
Why do I have to choose 6 subjects when I will be doing 3? When you enter 6 subject choices, the school uses software to generate 3 option lines. The software works out the option lines so that the majority of students get their top 3 choices. A small number of students may not get one of their top 3 choices. This means that instead, he will be offered one of his 4-6 choice subjects. What are the subject option lines? The software generates 3 lines of roughly 5 to 6 subjects based on the demand from the students. Every student does one subject from each of the 3 lines. The option lines are based entirely on student demand and are not altered after the software generates the best solution so that the majority get their top 3 choices. Once the option lines are generated, they are final. The following table is the 2020 option lines. This is for illustrative purposes only. The 2021 option lines will be different. Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Applied Technology Applied Technology Business Studies Business Studies French Applied Technology Classics German Visual Art Graphics Spanish Spanish Music Graphics Wood Technology Spanish Wood Technology Wood Technology Wood Technology Wood Technology Can there be more than one class of a certain subject? Yes, as you can see in the table above there can be more than one class of a certain subject, such as Wood Technology in Line 3. This is based entirely on student demand. When you choose your options, we will look at the numbers that want to do each subject. That will then determine how many classes of each subject we will run. This changes from year to year based on the demand at the time. Why is the deadline for returning the option forms to the school so important? As you saw on page 2 of this booklet, there are maximum numbers of students that can be in each class. We cannot add any more students above the maximum for each specific subject. When the forms are sent back to us, some classes will fill up and become full. We assign students to classes whose forms are sent back on time first. If your form is sent in after the deadline, then it is possible that a subject that you want to do could be full and you may miss out on studying it. Therefore, we strongly recommend, to avoid disappointment, that all forms are sent back to the school before the deadline, which is 3pm on Friday February 12th . 4|Page
Please note that the time/day before the deadline on February 12th, in which forms are sent back to the school will have no bearing whatsoever on your son getting a place in a class. However, late forms may do. Completed forms must be returned to the school by; • Posting it to the school in the stamped address envelope. If any parents are self- isolating and cannot make the journey to the post office, please contact the school at info@droghedacbs.ie and we will accommodate you. Is it possible to change an option subject in September if I don’t like it? Yes, it is possible to switch a subject if you don’t like it. Every student must give the subject a go and we don’t allow students to move without consulting with the teacher first to see what the issue is. All students and parents should be aware that it may not be possible to switch subject in the new school year. If you look back at the table of subjects, you will see that there is a maximum number of students allowed in each class. In the new school year, many of these subjects will be full and it will not be possible to move. The option lines will be formed at this stage and it may not be possible to move to a subject that you like on the same line. It is highly recommended that students consider this when choosing their subjects to avoid disappointment. 5|Page
Wellbeing What is Wellbeing? As part of the new Junior Cycle, every student must receive 400 hours of Wellbeing across the 3 years of Junior Cycle. The school’s Wellbeing policy is available on the school website www.droghedacbs.ie and clicking on the ‘Reports & Policies’ tab. We advise that all parents read this policy as it contains a lot of information on the various care structures that exist in the school. Wellbeing is comprised of the following subjects; Subject Number of Classes a Week PE A double class SPHE 1 class a week CSPE 1 class a week Wellbeing A double class First Year Wellbeing PE 1 double class a week 45 hours SPHE 1 class a week 23 hours CSPE 1 class a week 23 hours Managing the Transition from This programme introduces students to St Joseph’s. Primary to Secondary School Students are given tours of the school and shown the 8 hours offices of their year head, principal and deputy (5 double classes) principals, as well as the guidance counsellor. They are shown how to use their locker and lock. They will be taught how to use their student journal effectively. The teacher will go through the school rules in the code of behaviour and draw their attention to the school’s rules on no physical fighting, anti-bullying procedures and the mobile phone policy. Get Up Stand Up This is a personal development /social skills programme 8 hours for young people, developed by NEPS. It explores the (5 double classes) skills they need to understand themselves and to respond well to others. It covers topics like getting to know myself, friendship, dealing with emotions, resilience and coping skills, teasing, bullying and intimidation and decision making skills. The 6|Page
programme includes discussion and stories, class room activities, Group work and targets the students can set themselves to assist them in different situations. Swimming & Life Saving Students enjoy an additional hour a week of fun, 8 hours physical activity which develops their confidence, (5 double classes) friendship groups and feeling of connectivity to the school community. There is a developing group and advanced group within the session. Pupils learn anything from the basic front crawl strokes right up to butterfly. They also have the time to play at the end enjoy a little water polo in the pool. Students learn basic life saving techniques, such as information about cold water shock, floating when in danger and pulling somebody in using a pole. The swimming module costs €40 per student for the 5-week course. First Aid & CPR This course introduces students to First Aid. They will 8 hours learn the basics of First Aid, as well as how to check a (5 double classes) pulse rate, how to treat somebody with a nose bleed, how to put on a sling and how to put somebody in the recovery position. Students will be introduced to the CPR4schools programme which is run by the Irish Heart Foundation. CPR 4 Schools is a programme for post primary schools supported by Bank of Ireland. CPR 4 Schools gives students the confidence to perform hands-only CPR, use an AED and know what to do when someone is choking. Nutrition & Healthy Eating This course allows students to understand the 8 hours importance of food and diet in making healthy lifestyle (5 double classes) choices. They will learn about the food pyramid, the sugar content of foods, food allergies and coeliac disease. Choir This course introduces students to singing as part of a 8 hours choir where they emphasis will be on having fun and (5 double classes) participation. It will be led by one of the school’s music teachers and aims to allow students to participate regardless of musical ability. Singing as part of a group enhances teamwork and collaboration. 7|Page
The Junior Cycle Programme The new Junior Cycle spreads assessment throughout the three years of Junior Cycle giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning away from the exam hall. Classroom Based Assessments explained What is a C.B.A? Classroom-Based Assessments will provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their understanding and skills in a way which would not be possible in a formal examination. The tasks will cover a broad range of activities including oral presentations, written work of different genres, practical or designing and making activities, artistic performances, scientific experiments, projects or other suitable tasks. A particular purpose of the Classroom-Based Assessments will be to facilitate developmental feedback to students in a timely manner to reinforce their learning and aid them in reflecting on their progress. Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) are best described as the occasions when the teacher assesses the students using the specific tasks set out in the curriculum specification for each subject. They are completed within the teaching time allocated for each subject. All subjects with the exception of Gaeilge will have their first CBA in second year and their second one before Christmas in third year. Gaeilge will have both CBAs in third year. In deciding the level of achievement for the Classroom-Based Assessments, there are four level descriptors of achievement for each CBA. Teachers use the Features of Quality set out in The Assessment Guidelines for each subject to decide the level of achievement in each CBA. The Features of Quality are the criteria used to assess the student work as best fitting one of the following descriptors: EXCEPTIONAL; describes a piece of work that reflects the Features of Quality for the Classroom-Based Assessment to a very high standard. While not necessarily perfect, the strengths of the work far outstrip its flaws, which are minor. Suggestions for improvement are easily addressable by the student. ABOVE EXPECTATIONS; describes a piece of work that reflects all of the Features of Quality for the Classroom-Based Assessment very well. The student shows a clear understanding of how to complete each area of activity of the investigation, and the work is praised for its rigour. Feedback from the teacher might point to the necessity to address some aspect of the work in need of further attention or polishing, but on the whole, the work is of a high standard. 8|Page
IN LINE WITH EXPECTATIONS; describes a piece of work that reflects most of the Features of Quality for the Classroom-Based Assessment well. It shows a good understanding of the task in hand and is free from significant error. Feedback might point to areas needing further attention or correction, but the work is generally competent and accurate. YET TO MEET EXPECTATIONS; describes a piece of work that falls someway short of the demands of the Classroom-Based Assessment and its associated Features of Quality. Perhaps the student has made a good attempt, but the task has not been grasped clearly or is marred by significant lapses. Feedback will draw attention to fundamental errors that need to be addressed. NOT REPORTED; describes when a student has not submitted any piece of work for assessment It is important to acknowledge and affirm that it is not only the grade that matters but also what the students have actually learned about themselves throughout the CBA experience. In particular students should reflect about how their project work, experiments or presentations have helped them engage with their subjects and how the feedback they have received will enable them to progress further in the future. Does the CBA count towards the SEC grade at the end of third year? CBAs do not form part of the SEC component. The Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement will document achievement in CBAs and for the SEC component separately. The SEC component includes student achievement in the Assessment Task and the final assessment towards the end of third year. It should be noted that ‘The Assessment Task’ is directly related to the nature and focus of the second Classroom-Based Assessment, which will vary in each subject. Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) The JCPA reports on the broad spectrum of student learning and experience over the three years of the Programme. Although there are plans by in place by the State Examinations Commission to expediate this, it is currently awarded in January of TY/5 th year. CBAs: Classroom-Based Assessments. SEC: State Examination awarded grades (90% from the terminal exam & 10% from the Assessment Task). WELLBEING; has become a core part of the Junior Cycle programme. This area of learning includes, amongst others, Physical Education, Civic, Social and Political Education, Social, Personal and Health Education and Guidance as well as a vibrant Wellbeing programme which is established here in St. Joseph’s. OAL: Other Areas of Learning 9|Page
10 | P a g e
New Grading system explained With the rollout of the Junior Cycle a new language of learning has been introduced which takes the emphasis off grades-based achievement for students. As well as formative assessment and feedback language being a core aspect of the classroom experience, the final award is described in a different manner. Please see the table below which breaks this down for you. The core subjects (English, Irish and Maths) are assessed at Higher and Ordinary Level and all other subjects are now assessed at common level for all students. The L1LP (Level 1 Learning Programme) and L2LP (Level 2 Learning Programme) programmes are also available to some students. State Examinations Classroom Based Assessment • Distinction (90 -100%) • Exceptional • Higher Merit (75 – 89%) • Above expectations • Merit (55 – 74%) • In line with expectations • Achieved (40 – 54%) • Yet to meet expectations • Partially Achieved (20 – 39%) • Not reported • Not Graded (0 – 19%) For further information, please see: www.curriculumonline.ie www.jct.ie www.ncca.ie www.stjosephscbs.ie 11 | P a g e
General Questions What time does the school start and finish at? 1st/2nd/TY Class & Break Times Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri 8:45 - 9:25 9:25 - 10:05 10:05 - 10:45 10:45 - 11:00 11:00 - 11:40 11:40 - 12:20 12:20 - 13:00 13:00 - 13:40 13:40 - 14:20 14:20 - 15:00 15:00 - 15:40 3rd/5th 6th Year Class & Break Times Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri 8:45 - 9:25 9:25 - 10:05 10:05 - 10:20 10:20 - 11:00 11:00 - 11:40 11:40 - 12:20 12:20 - 13:00 13:00 - 13:40 13:40 - 14:20 14:20 - 15:00 15:00 - 15:40 12 | P a g e
Are students allowed to leave the school at lunch time? No, students are not allowed to leave the school at lunch time. We are operating a ‘closed school community’ during the day as part of our Covid safety measures. Small break for 1st years is 10:45 to 11:00. Big break is 1:00 to 1:40. Does the school have a canteen? Yes, the school has an excellent canteen and is extremely popular with the students in the school. The canteen service run by the company Get Fresh and is available at lunch break each day. Get Fresh have a new pre order and pre-pay online service for students. It is a cashless system using a card given to students by Get Fresh and this makes using the canteen safer as it will be a cash free environment. The canteen is not open at small break and students must bring their own snack and drink to eat then. How long should students spend on homework each night? Students should spend 2 hours on homework each night. This includes homework that is given by teachers on a day to day basis, as well as studying for tests and assessments. Every student has a homework journal to write his homework in and to help him keep organised. The school runs a supervised homework club from Monday to Thursday each week for first years who need support doing their homework. The school also runs supervised after school study each evening for 2 hours Monday to Friday. Do students have lockers? Students currently don’t have lockers because of the Covid restrictions. All students in first year currently have a plastic box in their base room where they can keep their books and coat. What are the Drumcondra Tests? All incoming first years sit the Drumcondra tests before starting school. The date for this year’s Drumcondra Tests is postponed until further notice. These used to be known as entrance exams. They are not entrance exams and have no implication whatsoever on your son getting a place in St Joseph’s. The Drumcondra tests assess student’s literacy and numeracy and give us a picture of what learning supports may be needed to put in place for students when the start in September. Are classes in the school streamed? No, first year classes in St Joseph’s are not streamed. All classes are mixed ability and there are no top, middle or bottom classes. Students are assigned a class which will be one of 13 | P a g e
1F/1N/1R/1S/1T/1U. There is no distinction between any of the classes. Students will be streamed in Maths and Irish in second year based on their assessment results in 1st year. All other classes are mixed ability. How will he be assigned to one of the classes named above? The Drumcondra tests allow us to see what a student’s broad ability in literacy and numeracy is like once he completed the test. We form the classes so that there is an equal mix of students based on the Drumcondra tests in each of the first-year base classes. Therefore, we obtain each of the base classes as being equal in terms of ability and learning needs. What is the St Joseph’s School Uniform? Junior Cycle Uniform (1st/2nd & 3rd Years) • Grey Trousers • Light Blue Shirt • School Tie • Grey Jumper with the school crest • Navy Blue School coat • Black or Brown Shoes or Runners. No white soles or markings on runners are allowed. Senior Cycle Uniform (TY/5th & 6th Years) • Grey Trousers • White Shirt • School Tie • Grey Jumper with the school crest • Navy Blue School coat • Black or Brown Shoes or Runners. No white soles or markings on runners are allowed. The school jumper/coat/tie can be purchased at any of: • Loop Clothing (beside Greenhills School), • Bestwear on Shop Street • The Children’s Shop on West Street. • The shirt and trousers can be purchased in Tesco, Penneys etc. There is no PE uniform. Students can wear their own sportswear to PE class. Can I monitor my son’s attendance when he is at school? Yes, we use the VSware administration system in the school and parents have their own VSware mobile app. This can also be accessed on the laptop or computer. Parents can monitor their son’s class by class attendance and submit absence/late notes to the school 14 | P a g e
via the app. Parents can also receive messages from the school, view their son’s timetable and term reports on the app. How does the Book Rental scheme work? St Joseph’s operates a comprehensive Book Rental Scheme and is open to all students in First, Second and Third Year. To avail of this service, parents pay a rental fee of €100 each year. In contrast with other schools, where only the textbooks of core subjects are included in the scheme, in St. Joseph’s, textbooks in every subject and in all levels, up to Third Year, are included. This means that there will be no booklist issued to parents before your son starts in September and parents do not need to worry about buying textbooks. The school looks after buying all of your son’s textbooks and they will be distributed to them in September. Some subjects may have specific equipment or supplementary texts, such as novels in English, that are not included in the book rental scheme. The teachers of these subjects will inform you of what needs to be bought in September. What type of copies do I need to buy before he starts school? The small A5 softback copies are the best ones to buy. Some teachers will ask the boys to have specific types of copies. We don’t recommend buying hardback copies for each of his subjects, as these can make his school bag very bulky and heavy. Small copies which can fit inside his textbook are fine. How can I pay the Book Rental and other fees? All parents of incoming first years have been set up on way2pay. This is the method of payment which we use in the school and it works well for all other small miscellaneous fees that may occur over the course of the school year. Way2pay generates an electronic receipt for each payment processed. The link to way2pay is in the Parents section of the school website www.droghedacbs.ie. The school office is not able to accept credit/debit card payment. Fees can be paid in cash, however due to Covid, we are trying to keep the number of cash payments and contacts at the office to a minimum. Please pay with way2pay if you can. How do I return the forms and documentation to the school? You can post the forms to the school office for the attention of the school secretary. The address is at the bottom of the homepage on www.droghedacbs.ie. We are asking all parents to please post the forms in at this time, if possible, in order to reduce the number of contacts at the office. Thank you for being understanding in this regard. 15 | P a g e
My son has an exemption from doing Irish. What will he do when Irish class is on? If your son has an exemption from doing Irish, then he will do two classes of literacy (English) support and two classes of numeracy (Maths) support each week when the 4 Irish classes are running. These classes are taught by English and Maths teachers and will be completely separate from the Irish class. He will not be sitting at the back of an Irish class doing his own work. He will receive homework and assessment in these classes in the normal manner, just the same as every other subject. We also offer EAL support (English as an additional language) during this time for students whose first language is not English and would benefit from extra help in this area. If your son has an Irish exemption and would benefit from EAL support, please email us at info@droghedacbs.ie so that we can put this in place for him for when he starts school. My son does not have an exemption from doing Irish, but he has mild dyslexia (or any additional educational need). Will he get any supports in school? Mr Crummey, our Additional Educational Needs Coordinator is currently liaising with the primary schools to ascertain which students will need support when they start in August. Mr Crummey will contact parents of these boys over the coming weeks to ascertain what their level of needs are and discuss with parents what supports can be put in place for your son when he starts school. If your son has any additional educational needs, please email the school and Mr Crummey will give you a call. Please don’t adopt a ‘wait and see how he gets on’ approach before letting us know. If you would prefer for us not to put any supports in place for him initially, that is no problem. However, it is better that the school is aware of your son’s needs, so we can monitor his progress and then, if necessary, make any interventions in consultation with parents. Mr Crummey’s presentation from the Information Evening is on www.droghedacbs.ie. My son is anxious about starting secondary school. Will there be any supports in place to help him settle in? First years settle into secondary school at their own pace. Some students need a little more time and help than others. Some may be anxious that they do not know anybody else in the school, or that their friends have gone to a different school. There are several supports that we have in place in the school to help each of our first years settle in. The school’s Pastoral Care Policy goes through each of these supports in detail. This policy can be accessed in the Incoming First Years section of the school website www.droghedacbs.ie. One programme designed specifically for first years is the Cara mentoring programme. This programme has been set up in the school to help first years to settle into their new school environment. The Cara team agree at the beginning of the year to help initiate our first years. This team consists of a group of fifth year students. Each fifth year Cara Mentor is assigned approximately five students to look after. They meet each of their students on 16 | P a g e
their first day in August and at regular intervals throughout the year particularly during the first term. The beginning of secondary school can be difficult for first years with so many new subjects and new faces to get used to. The Cara team aim to help first years with any concerns they may have at this challenging time and indeed, throughout the year the Cara team are present in the school to assist with the needs of their assigned first year group through group or individual sessions. They also assist in the preparation and organisation of school- based pastoral activities. Ms O’Doherty’s presentation from the Information Evening is on www.droghedacbs.ie. What platform does the school use for remote teaching and learning? The school uses the GSuite (Google) platform which is sanctioned for use in the school by the Board of Management. Every student has his own school Gmail address which ends in @droghedacbs.ie. He will be given this email address when he starts in first year and keep it until he leaves the school. Google Classroom is the main feature that is used for remote teaching and learning and it is very user friendly and easy to use. Teachers use Google Meets for delivering live classes. Your son will be shown how to use each of these features in his Computers class at the beginning of first year. How do I get set up on VSware to view my son’s attendance? The school office will write to the parents of incoming first years in August to set you up on VSware. The office will send you instructions on how to access your log in details. Your son’s timetable will be available for you to view a few days before he starts school and we will notify you when it is ready. What Covid-19 safety measures are in place in the school? The health and safety procedures that we put in place for the return of all students to school at the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year will continue to apply to all students when they return in August 2021, subject to any adjustments that may need to be made closer to the time. These are available to read in the parents’ section on the school website www.droghedacbs.ie. The school recently had a Covid-19 compliance inspection from the Department of Education in December and received a report stating that St Joseph’s is compliant in all areas of the safe provision of schooling. The report is also on the school website. A full cleaning rota is in place and will continue next year. Windows will also be open in all classrooms to provide ventilation as per government guidelines. We will write to parents to inform you of the safety measures that will be in place in August before your son starts school. When will the incoming first years begin school? The school calendar for the new school year will be made available to parents in late May/early June. The calendar will contain the start back dates for each year group. The 17 | P a g e
school will reopen on the week beginning on August 23rd and each year group will be brought back on a phased basis. First years will be brought in on their own on their first day (to be confirmed in June). This is to give them a chance to settle in and get their bearings. They will be given a tour of the school, meet their Cara mentor and get their journal and timetable. How can I stay informed of everything that is going on in the school? The school uses VSware messaging and text message to communicate with parents. The school website www.droghedacbs.ie has a huge amount of information about the school, as well as an archive of past newsletters. We also use Twitter @Droghedacbs to post good news stories in the school and to celebrate our students’ achievements. 18 | P a g e
You can also read