St. Augustine's College - Subject Choice Guidelines First Years 2020/2021

St. Augustine’s College

                      Subject Choice Guidelines
Guidance Department
                           First Years 2020/2021

Welcome

▶   Mr. M. O’Sullivan –Principal
▶   Fr. G . Horan O.S.A

❏AGENDA
1. Junior Cycle Subjects Offered
2. How to choose subjects in First Year
3. Subject Information

www.staugustines.ie   Twitter: St. Augustine's @FriaryCollege & @FriarySports   & @friaryguidance

Transition To Secondary School

        Mr. J. Power
       Deputy Principal

‘Settling’ in approaches

▪   Induction process (Friary Fun Camp- Mid August)
▪   Class structure and organisation
▪   Mentor system (Buddy system)
▪   ‘Teach’ key policies (code of conduct; anti bullying)
▪   Parent/teacher meetings
▪   Encourage extra curricular events/clubs/lunch time
    activities

Subject Choices

 Ms N. Sheehan
Deputy Principal

1st Year Students Study Ten Subjects

All   Students must study the following 3 Core subjects in 1 st Year:
 ▶     English
 ▶     Gaeilge *
 ▶     Mathematics

 Wellbeing Subjects (Non Exam)
 ▶     SPHE & RSE
 ▶     Religion
 ▶     Physical Education

1st year students then choose another 7 subjects.
* Exception: If a student is exempt in Gaeilge/Language due to a Specific Learning
Difficulty or educated outside of Ireland up to age 11.

Subjects Offered
Exam Core                           Optional Subjects:
Subjects                            ➢   History * (Core- TBD)
➢   Irish *                         ➢   Geography
➢ English                           ➢   Science
➢ Maths                             ➢   Art
(* Unless officially                ➢   French
    exempted)
                                    ➢   German
Wellbeing                           ➢   Home Economics
Non-Exam Core                       ➢   Music
Subjects                            ➢   Business Studies
➢    SPHE                           ➢   Woodwork
➢    Physical Education             ➢   Technical Graphics
     CSPE
➢Guidance Department

➢    Religious Education

Ranking of Subjects

   Ms. E . Moore
Guidance Counsellor

How to Rank Subjects
  for 1st Year 2020

Choosing Optional Subjects

✓ Please rank the choice subjects you would like to study for
    Junior Certificate Cycle
Choice Subjects
In addition to core subjects, students will study 7 Choice subjects

Please rank your subject choices below in order of your preference. Please rank all subjects.
(1=most preferred, 11=least preferred)
    French                      Preference No:
    German
    Science
    Business
    History
    Geography
    Woodwork
    Technical Graphics
    Home Economics
    Music
    Art

Subject Options Form
                         How to Rank Subjects
 Rank your 1st Year subjects from 1-11
 1=Most wanted/needed
 11= Least wanted/needed.
Preference No. 1,2,3,4 are your most preferred options.
Preference No.5 -No.11are your other choices.
(these may be used where timetabling constraints exist.

 ▶   Subjects you need must be in your top 4
 ▶   We always try to give students their top 4 choices
                           If a student requires a subject transfer they must contact the
                           Guidance Counsellor by Sept 14th 2020. Transfer will depend
                           on availability (Class size or subject line bands).

A BROAD SELECTION OF SUBJECTS
     CAN KEEP OPTIONS OPEN

   French             Business   Art
                      Studies    History
                                 Woodwork
   German
                      Science    Technical
                                 Graphics
                                 Music
                                 Geography
                                 Home
Guidance Department
                                 Economics

Important Factors to Consider

  ❑ The Students        interest in or liking for a
    subject
  ❑ Their aptitudes towards a subject
  ❑ The value of the subject for their
    personal/academic development
  ❑ Whether or not it is necessary to keep
    options open
  ❑ The relevance of the subject for future
    study/career options
  Guidance Department

Can I Study My Native Language?

Students whose native language is not one of the
following;
Irish, English may have the opportunity to study
their native language independently and sit an
examination in this subject at Leaving Certificate
Level.
 Guidance Department

This option is only available at Higher Level.

NON CURRICULAR LEAVING
 CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS
▶     These are a list of language options available for
      students to study Independently for Leaving Certificate
      State Examinations.
    Czech             Bulgarian         Danish           Dutch

    Finnish           Hungarian       Latvian           Lithuanian

    Polish            Portuguese      Romanian          Swedish

    Croatian          Estonian        Slovakian         Modern Greek

Guidance Department

Modern Language Requirements

   ▶   These universities require a student to have a third language for
       some courses:
   ▶   If a student has a language exemption this follows through to 3rd
       level,
   ▶

•    At Present: NUI Colleges (NUIG, NUIM, UCC & UCD) require a
     3rd Language for entry to most courses.
•    Other colleges require two languages: English and Irish/3rd
     Language.
•    Institutes of Technology require English or Irish.
•    The Defence Force also requires Irish, English and a 3rd
     Language.
•    Garda Siochana Requires two languages: English and Irish/3rd
     Language
•    You do not need a 3rd language to study Science, Nursing,
     Engineering or Primary School Teaching.

    Guidance Department

College Requirements - Science

 ▶ Science is needed for over 180 courses currently on offer to students.
 ▶ Areas such as Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Radiography, Dietetics,
   Occupational Therapy and some areas of Engineering.
 ▶ STEM are currently encouraging more women to get involved in the area of
   science and engineering.
 ▶ Lot of employment opportunities in this area at present.
 ▶ Please refer to St. Augustine’s College First Year Booklet on Subject Choice.

Resources to help you
                choose your subjects

▶      St. Augustine’s College Subject Options Booklet
▶     Website www.ncca.ie provide fact sheets on all
      subject selection at junior certificate.
▶     www.qualifax.ie www.careersportal.ie -
      subject choice
▶     Talk to Teachers and current students.
▶     Also www.examinations.ie for past exam
      papers and curriculum structure.
    Guidance Department

The Easy Subjects

▶   There is no such thing as an easy subject.
▶   Consider the content of a subject and match it to
    student ability
▶   Example: if the student has an aptitude for
    practical tasks they would enjoy a subject with
    project work and ‘hands on’ practical activities.
▶   Likewise if a student is very academic they will find
    theory subjects much easier to understand.

Guidance Department

Student Checklist
If you can answer yes to all of the following questions then you have
chosen your subjects wisely and you can be confident that you have
made an informed decision.

∙   Have I chosen subjects that I am interested in        YES / NO
    and that I enjoy?
∙   Have I checked to make sure that I am choosing        YES / NO
    the right subjects for the right career e.g. I must
    have science if I want to become a nurse.
∙   Have I chosen a Modern Language – French /            YES / NO
    German?
∙   Have I spoken to the subject teachers or
    guidance counsellor about any questions I had?        YES / NO
∙   Have I checked www.qualifax.ie : subject choice
    section?                                              YES / NO
∙   Have I made this decision for myself and not          YES / NO
    been influenced / persuaded my any one else?
    (Remember what is right for someone else may
    not be right for you).

Subject              Good at   Enjoy it   Needed for my
                                             career

French
German
Music
Art Craft & Design

Home Economics

Science
Business Studies

History

Geography

Woodwork

Technical Graphics

Visual Art (ART)
 Mr.P.McCraith

Visual Art
▶   This is a subject that promotes teaching
    and learning through art, craft and design.
▶   Visual Art also recognises and rewards a
    number of different forms of intelligences.
▶   The Art Department here at St. Augustine’s
    believes that it is also very important that
    students enjoy their time in class which in
    turn leads to self -motivated learning and
    students taking responsibility for their own
    learning in time.

Music
Ms.K.Gardner

•   What?
•   How?
•   Why?
•   Who?

Home Economics
Ms.D.McCluskey

GOOD HEALTH

                FOOD          FOOD
NUTRITION
             HEALTH AND
              CULINARY
               SKILLS

            COOKING SKILLS

DESIGNING A SUSTAINABLE AND SAFE HOME

                               RESPONSIBLE
EFFICIENT HOME
                               FAMILY LIVING

                           CONSUMER EDUCATION

The benefit of Home Economics in teaching young people how to
                                   cook is strongly championed by Neven Maguire.

                         ‘’My first cooking lessons were at home with my mother Vera in our
                         family kitchen. I was the first boy in my school to enrol for Home
                         Economics classes in secondary school.

These classes were the basis of my love of food which led to my entering Fermanagh catering
college and the beginnings of my work at MacNean House and Restaurant. I am forever
grateful for the practical life skills that I learned through this subject. The skills learned
throughout Home Economics are ones which students can utilise themselves day to day,
and I believe there are massive benefits to having the subject become a compulsory part of
the curriculum, regardless of whether they want to pursue a career in the food and hospitality
sector."

Geography
Mr.M. O’Brien

What is

                                 ?
                Different
               Regions & O.S map and
                  their   Photograph
The physical   Economic     skills
environment    activities

Geography Projects:
▶   Students go out to the site and gather information
▶   Interpret information and write it up into a booklet.
▶   Draw diagrams and graphs to represent information.

History
Mr.M. O’Brien

History
 Junior Cycle

1 st   Years comments
                                Sarah "the medicines and
                                cures during the black death
                                were disgusting. The
                                punishments were fun and
     Dylan “Found Romans        interesting to learn”
    interesting and how their
      legacy which they left
     behind still impacts us.
      Justice, Roads, Water
   systems and Architecture”
                                     David “we can
                                     learn from the
                                     mistakes of the
                                     past”

CBA Local links and People in
History

Science
Mr.C.Walsh

French
Ms.C.Knightly

German
MS. B.O 'Kennedy

Orienteering in
 Gengenbach
 3rd year Irish students on
an orienteering trip around
 the town of Gengenbach
    with their exchange
          partners

Materials Technology (Wood)
             &
 Technical Graphics (T.G)
        Mr. D. Keane

Students will:                 Careers:
• How to design a project       Woodworker,
  given a brief description     Carpenter,
                                Engineer, Product
• Learn to prepare and
  design drawings and           Design, Forestry,
  make small projects form      Furniture Design and
  these drawings                Manufacture,
                                Construction.
• Use equipment and tools
  to create    these           JC Exam:
  designs.
• Work mainly with wood
  but also with other         Practical
  materials.                              66%
                              Portfolio
• Learn about wood as a       Written:    33%
  material

WOOD TECHNOLOGY

Students will:                 Careers:
                                 Graphic Design and
• Learn how to produce
  drawings using drawing         Illustration,
  equipment, freehand            Architecture, Product
  sketches and computers.
                                 Design, Engineering,
• Develop problem solving        Industrial Design,
  and creative thinking skills
  through the solution of        Education.
  graphical problems and
  diagrams

• Builds on skills learned in
  Maths and Geometry E.g.
  2D and 3D shapes, lines
  and angles.

• Leads on to Design &
  Communication Graphics at
  Leaving Certificate.

     TECHNICAL GRAPHICS

Business Studies
Ms.S.O’Sullivan

Junior Cycle Business Studies
▶   The specification for junior cycle business studies
    focuses on improving students’ understanding of the
    business environment and on developing skills for
    life, work and further study through the three inter-
    connected strands: Personal Finance , Enterprise and
    Our Economy .

Strands are not studied in
isolation
▶   To give further emphasis to the integrated nature of
    learning, the outcomes for each strand are grouped by
    reference to three elements: Managing My Resources,
    Exploring Business , and Using Skills For Business .

The Process- What Next

Discuss subject choices with
son/daughter.
  Please return Options form before
  January 15th 2020 12am.
  CAT4 Ability Testing –Sat 21stth March.
  Subject bands are decided based on students
  preferences

  Class size restrictions - especially for practical
  subjects

More Information

School Website. www.staugustines.ie
Guidance School Website-Guidance Articles
Twitter - @friaryguidance

www.cao.ie
www.careersportal.ie
www.qualifax.ie

Email: guidance@staugustines.ie

Thank you for your attendance tonight