| For TY, who climbed Coumshingaun in thick mist, this is what it looks like at 2/3 way up on a clear day. |
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Calcutta.
It was a blustery, October day when Rockwell College’s TY group descended on Mr.Egan’s classroom. Cramped and uncomfortable, the students listened intently to Ann Copplestone as she spoke to them about the HOPE foundation. She told them all about the extreme poverty experienced by people living in Calcutta. She told them of the drug dealers, the prostitutes and the street children. Her speech transported the students right there, to the blood and sweat and heat of the world’s poorest city. After her presentation Ms.Copplestone asked any students who were interested in travelling with her to Calcutta to remain behind. Twelve students stayed back. They were told they had to raise €3,700 each. Startled looks were exchanged and some students dropped out there and then.
Within the week three students remained; Páraic Ryan, Aisling Hally and Emma Buckley. The trio began raising money immediately. Chocolate bars were sold, bag packs were organised and a school disco was held. After four months the students had enough money raised to send themselves and Mr.Egan to Calcutta.
However, within a few days Dermot Maher, another Rockwell student, announced his intentions of travelling to Calcutta. People heard jaws dropping miles away. Dermot had two months to raise his money. With the support of his fellow students, the mass marketing campaign orchestrated by his mammy and a few bag packs along the way Dermot raised just enough to push him across the line. So three became four and everything was ready. Money raised, injections gotten and tickets bought. In total over €20,000 has been raised and its estimated that this money will provide enough to run four small schools in Calcutta for a year. We wish to thank everybody who helped us to raise this amount and to everybody who made sacrifices to make this happen.
Next comes the hard part. On the 28th of March the students will travel to Calcutta to meet the children and see what their hard work has resulted in. I wish them the best and hope that their journey will open their eyes to the world around them; to poverty, to disease and the degradation of human life, but also to hope.
Good luck.
Transition Year Overview
Click Here for a glimpse of Transition Year in action in the outdoors and at dance.
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Toastmasters Night.
Thursday, February 26th was the night of TYA’s Toastmasters Open Night. The students had been preparing for ten weeks, rehearsing speeches, evaluating friends and keeping times. The morning of the big day began with the students practicing their speeches with Mr. Egan and Mr.Corcoran. Everything ran smoothly and hopes were high that the night would be just as successful as TYB’s had been. At 6:15 the parents began to arrive, ambling around the school in search of Mr. Egan’s elusive classroom. Finally, when everyone was seated and the rowdy TY’s at the back were under control, Micheál Butler, Chairperson, rose out of his seat and began the night.
What followed was an engaging, interesting and altogether enjoyable night. The speeches were performed fantastically, each one excellently written. Highlights included Joanne Irwin’s “Bridesmaid’s Speech”, “The History of Rockwell Rovers” by Micheal Barron and, of course, “My Struggle to Learn English”, a brilliantly funny speech from Eduardo Gomez. The speeches were followed by Grammarian, Dermot Maher; Time Keeper, Conor Holland and Ah Counter Francisco Ruiz. The evaluations came next and they proved very insightful . Next up was Topicsmaster, Jack Jeffries. His topics were excellently done and they provided a few talking points during the night, including the appointment of Dermot Maher as Leader of the Free World. The night drew to a close with kind words from Mr. Egan and Mr. Corcoran who congratulated the students before handing out the certificates. All in all, the night was a great success and TYA certainly did themselves proud.
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Transition Year Programme 2008/2009
Rockwell College
Transition Year Programme
2008 – 2009
Aims of Transition Year
- To prepare students for the Leaving Cert cycle by giving them a good academic grounding and allowing them to make informed decisions about their future by giving them a taste of the subjects on offer in Fifth Year.
- To promote the self confidence of all students by encouraging them to express themselves in new ways.
- To promote a healthy lifestyle among students by encouraging them to develop and maintain good fitness levels.
- To achieve education for maturity with an emphasis on social awareness, and preparation for adult and working life.
To ensure all students enjoy their Transition Year.
Special Programmes
Overseas Aid Project: Each year we hope to raise a significant amount of money to help with a development project overseas. This year we have chosen to raise money for the Hope Foundation in Calcutta. On March 28th 2009 it’s planned to send at least three students and a teacher out to Calcutta for a week of work with street children. Our target sum of €16,000 will raise enough money to keep three schools open in Calcutta for a year while highlighting the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves.
German Student Exchange: Our students will be given the opportunity to study in a German school for up to four weeks as part of a new exchange programme. Students will subsequently host a German student for a similar period. This is a very cost effective way of developing the linguistic and social skills of our students.
Gaisce: Each student will be given the opportunity to enrol for a Gaisce Presidential Award. To achieve this, students must learn a new skill e.g. public speaking, get involved in regular physical recreation e.g. play on a team, complete an endurance task e.g. walk 30km over two days and undertake community service e.g. work with the elderly. Each of the aforementioned tasks are an intrinsic part of our T.Y programme.
Two day visit to an activity centre: We visit Birr Activity Centre early in the academic year. Students undertake outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing, kayaking and orienteering. This activity encourages teamwork amongst students and helps new students of the college to integrate with their peers.
Song School: This is a two day music workshop where students are encouraged to bring in their own musical instruments and write and record their own music onto a C.D.
Dance School: This programme is designed to encourage non dancers to be comfortable on a dance floor for any occasion while also challenging accomplished dancers to further improve their skills.
Driving School: This one day driving course teaches students the very basics of driving. Students are given the opportunity to drive a car around the college grounds in the presence of a qualified instructor.
Car Safety Awareness: This two hour course highlights the safety features of modern vehicles while giving practical tips for driver and passenger safety e.g. how best to wear a seatbelt. It also highlights dangerous driving practices and their consequences by looking at case studies.
Social Awareness: There are a number of social services provided in the Cashel area. Each week, Transition Year students are given the opportunity of working with some of these services providers. Scoil Chormaic and the Nagle Centre provide assistance to children and adults with learning difficulties. Rockwell students help these in a variety of ways, both academically and recreationally. The Cashel Day Centre provides a service for elderly people who live alone, but who come to the Centre once a week. Here again the students help in whatever way they are required. Over the years, the students have gained an enormous amount from the couple of hours spent at these Centres. The programme enables them to become more sensitive to the needs of others.
Fashion Show : Students will help to organise, promote and star in a Fashion Show in aid of Operation Smile. This raises money to enable people in the developing world to have life changing operations to repair cleft pallets and cleft lips.
Portfolio Development: Each student is required to compile a portfolio of his/her work undertaken throughout the year. This builds into a valuable record of activities undertaken and lessons learned. This collection will be made up of written accounts, various recordings including songs or films produced as well as pictures of the various activities being undertaken.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
GAEILGE:
Transition Year offers an opportunity to focus upon improving spoken Irish in the Classroom. Pupils are encouraged to develop aural and oral Irish skills while they prepare for interviews similar to the Leaving Certificate Programme. We visit the Gaeltacht during the final term to facilitate the experience of conversational Irish in everyday life.
We also use the TURAS TEANGA language programme to prepare students for essay writing, vocabulary and literature studies at the core of senior cycle.
ENGLISH:
Content: Comprehension, Creative writing, Literature, Media Studies and analysis, Oral work.
AIMS: To increase the pupil’s awareness of language and communication in a variety of forms, to increase proficiency in writing and comprehension.
A Transition Year Newsletter is also produced while a solid grounding is given for Leaving Cert cycle by studying a major Shakespearean work
MATHS:
We aim to develop the pupil’s knowledge of maths at a functional level.
To demonstrate the practicalities of maths to the pupil in such topics as probability and differentiation. The course aims to provide a solid grounding for the Leaving Cert cycle.
MODERN LANGUAGES: Students will get the opportunity to study any two of the following languages
- Spanish
- German
- French
We aim to promote an awareness and understanding of modern European language and culture, to assist pupils in the practical application of language skills, to develop ability and a confidence in their use of languages. This gives the students the opportunity to make an informed choice for the Leaving Cert cycle.
HISTORY:
We conduct a study of key figures in history, including Arafat, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Lech Walesa, while studying the political climate faced by of each of the personalities.
We also do a study of Northern Ireland 1922 – present. We study Genocide in the twentieth century and we cover three case studies. This gives an invaluable insight into the Leaving Cert syllabus.
GEOGRAPHY:
We study natural disasters, their consequences and causes. We complete a major field study while sampling topics that occur on the Leaving Cert cycle such as geoecology.
BUSINESS STUDIES:
A practical insight into business, accounting and economics with a focus on topical issues and issues of relevance e.g. interest rates, examining and analysing accounts, management skills and structures. This gives the students a taste of each of the three business subjects for Leaving Cert.
MUSIC:
We aim to develop musical awareness and ability through the Production of a school musical. Its hoped to encourage participation and a positive attitude to musical performance, to develop social skills and team work through the production of the musical. We also learn to play a Bodhrán. This syllabus is designed to give the student a good grounding for music at senior cycle.
ART:
Students learn the skills of clay moulding, self portrait, bag making, set design and construction for the college musical. Students are given an appreciation of the many facets of Art and Art History. This gives students a good grounding for Leaving Cert Art.
RELIGION:
To heighten awareness of issues affecting young people and society in general, to examine social responsibility, to apply information gained on world religions in the Junior cycle to practical examples in modern society.
COMPUTERS:
To facilitate pupils in the use of computers on a practical level, to develop skills of word processing, to introduce the practicalities of spread-sheets and basic accounting, to facilitate the use of computers as an effective research tool. This will give students the basic skills that will be needed in the workplace in the future.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
We aim to develop skills in a range of sports, to develop a confidence and a willingness to engage in sport, to gain an understanding of the importance of P.E to general health and well-being, to develop social and interpersonal skill through the medium of sport.
CAREER GUIDANCE:
We aim to prepare pupils in choosing their work experience placement through the creation of a personal profile, to introduce pupils to aspects of responsibility and professionalism in work, to facilitate in - career investigation.
Modulated Programmes
Students will rotate between Biology, Agricultural Science, Physics and Chemistry.
Biology and Agricultural Science
These 2 subject while combined in TY science are separate subjects in the Leaving Cert which have a major amount of overlapping material. Areas covered in this 9 week programme are:
- Cells →plant and animal cell ultra structure
→experiment examining and preparing such cells
- External structure of animals parts such as cow (beef & dairy), pig, horse and sheep.
- Microbiology detailed study of bacteria and growing of such bacteria in the lab.
- Genetics involving genetic crosses.
- Overview of Rockwell Farm.
- Detailed study of 1 type of animal production on the farm i.e pigs or calves.
The aim of the TY Science Programme is to provide the students with a brief introduction into the 4 leaving science subject to ensure that they make a well informed choice when selecting Leaving Cert subjects. To improve their handling of lab equipment while doing experiments to improve their practical work.
Physics
This programme covers 3 main areas from the Leaving Cert Course which are:
- Mechanics involving
- Speed and velocity
- Acceleration and the 3 equations of motion.
- Force and Newtons laws of motion.
- Electricity involving
- Current electricity
- Potential difference
- Ohms law
- Theoretical Physics involving
- Matter and anti-matter
- Radioactivity
Broken into 3 areas 1) Chemistry 2) Physics 3) Biology & Agricultural Science. Each area is broken into a 9 week programme. Each student will cover each area for 9 week block. Each area has 1 single & 1 double class per week.
Topics covered within each area are as follows:
Chemistry
- Revision of atomic structure & periodic table from Junior Cert.
- Calculations to obtain relative atomic and molecular values.
- Detailed study of the mole
Calculating mass values of the mole
Calculating number of moles from mass.
- Stoichiometry
Determining reactants or products based on Chemical equations (this includes 3 experiments).
- Acids & Bases
Revision from Junior Cert followed by techniques used in acid/base titrations and making up solutions of known concentrations.
Students will rotate between First Aid, Toastmasters and Kickboxing
First Aid (10 weeks)
This course trains pupils to demonstrate an effective level of skill and knowledge in the diagnosis and management of choking, bleeding and shock. It is examined in a practical assessment and divided into three parts:
Test 1: Rescue breathing, action for vomiting and the recovery position on a live casualty.
Test 2: Single rescuer C.P.R. using an adult or mannequin.
Test 3: Knowledge and understanding of basic life support and related conditions.
Toastmasters (10 weeks)
This encourages students to perform various roles which require public speaking. For the duration of this course students will learn how to prepare and deliver a speech, to chair a meeting, to evaluate colleagues, time speeches, set up a room for a meeting and learn to speak ‘off the cuff’. This culminates in an open night for students which parents are encouraged to attend. On completion of the open night students are awarded their Youth Leadership Cert.
Kickboxing (10 weeks)
This is particularly beneficial as it helps develop core strength and cardio vascular fitness.
Students will rotate between Film studies and Sports Science
Film Studies (15 weeks)
Over the duration of this course we learn about the business of film production from the writing of the screen play – the distribution and promotion of the film. Each class will write a screen play – appoint a cast and eventually produce their own fifteen minute film.
Sports Science (15 weeks)
Over the duration of this course we study the physiology of the body, the importance of a good diet and the psychology of sport. Through multiple case studies we get an understanding of the requirements for participation at all levels of sport.
Students also build up their fitness in successive weeks eventually culminating in all students completing a 10km run.
Evening Programme
Evening study takes place between 5.45pm -8.15pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and Wednesday 3.30pm -5.00pm and 5.45pm – 7.15pm. Every effort is made to ensure that a good balance is struck between giving students time to complete their assignments and get time for personal development. Activities such as debating, piano and guitar are available to all students in the college. However, the following activities are organised with T.Y. in mind.
School Show – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (01/09/08 – 23/10/09)
All T.Y. students are encouraged to take part in the production of this show. This involves acting, make up, set design, ticket sales and front of house management.
Sign Language - (04/11/08 – 10/03/09) -Every Tuesday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm
This sixteen week course gives the students the basic skills required to communicate with and to understand the hearing impaired.
Film Studies - Every Wednesday from 05/11/08 onwards
This is the perfect compliment to the film studies course undertaken in class. Students watch recommended films. This is popular with students who aren’t involved in sport on a Wednesday.
Italian - Every Monday from 26/01/09 to 11/05/09
This ten week course focuses on basic Italian vocabulary with a strong emphasis on conversation and role play. The aim of the course is to enable students to ‘get by’ in Italy while also giving a taste of the language with a view to further study.
Yoga - Every Thursday from 05/03/09 until 12/05/09
This eight week course teaches the basics of relaxation while increasing flexibility with a view strengthening the inner organs while helping to prevent sports injury.