Welcome to Transition Year!

 


Dear Parents/Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome your son/daughter to Transition Year.

 

By clicking on the links below, you will find all relevant information for the new school year. 

  • Code of Behaviour and our policy statements on Anti-Bullying and ICT Acceptable Use Policy The Board of Management requests that all parents discuss the key points raised in our ‘Code of Behaviour’ / ‘Anti-bullying‘ policies with your children and retain them for reference. As is our practice, parents and pupils will sign a school ‘Code of Behaviour’ agreement form at the commencement of the new academic year, which will include a list of banned items.
  • General school information – please give particular attention to our policy on mobile phones and electronic devices
  • Booklist can be viewed on the Transition Year Back to school page
  • Uniform details We would urge all students to pay careful attention to our school rule regarding uniform as we will be expecting it to be maintained to a very high standard in the next academic year. “Students are required to wear the official school uniform and footwear on all school days.“
  • Schedule for return to school in August will be available on the Transition Year back to school page. 

 

What the programme entails

  • The Transition Year programme is significantly different to the other courses of study which we offer at CCS. There are three layers to the programme:  A grounding and a taster for Leaving Certificate Subjects, TY Specific subjects including Robotics, Yoga and Theatre Studies with music, drama, set construction and PR (all dedicated towards a Transition Year musical)  and finally our TY experiential subjects including or Personal, Professional Development block, Log-on Learn and Young Social Innovator.  
  • During the year students will be obliged to compile an “E-portfolio of work” which will be monitored over the course of the school year. The deadlines for submission will be outlined to students in September and must be strictly adhered to. The portfolio will be on display for your perusal on the Transition Year Parent Night in May. However, I would suggest that you monitor the progress of the portfolio from time to time, as it will keep you in touch with the work undertaken by Transition Year students. We are also trialling a “Scrap-book” which documents experience and memories over the course of the academic year.  As you are aware from the Parent Information Pack, participation over the course of the academic year will also contribute to the students’ overall grade and will prepare them fully to make informed choices as the move into Senior Cycle. 
  • Another compulsory element of Transition Year is the Work Experience. I would advise you to encourage your son/daughter to secure suitable placements as early as possible. A part-time job is NOT regarded as work experience as it does not give full exposure to the world of work. A work placement, as you know, involves interviews, new colleagues, assertiveness, learning new skills, punctuality and of course, responsibility. We advise parents that work experience is restricted to the Work Experience blocks due to student involvement in many other aspects of the TY programme throughout the year.  There will be three distinct working blocks of which one will will entail working in a caring / social / charity organisation.
  • During the school year a wide variety of activities are offered to the students. In relation to the organisation of CCS Transition Year Activities, I wish to advise parents/guardians that all activities must have the express approval of the Board of Management prior to their organisation.  A TY fee will apply to be used to cover trips and activities. (This fee DOES NOT cover overnight trips.)  This will be payable on our Easypay system. We hope that students will enjoy and benefit from the programme planned for the new school year.

 

Fund raising 

We are excited to share with you a new initiative we are undertaking in the next school year.

We are in the process of planning and setting up a coffee dock on the school grounds, aimed at providing both refreshments and valuable work experience for some of our students. The coffee dock will sell tea, coffee, hot chocolate and other beverages to both students and staff. This initiative is particularly special to us as it will be run by some of our Transition Year students, alongside their peers from our autism classes. This collaborative effort fosters inclusivity within our school while providing an invaluable opportunity for real-world skill development for all students. The success of this project relies not only on our school community but also on the support of our local community.

That’s why we are reaching out to you, our parents and guardians, to enquire if any of you, or your affiliated companies, may be in a position to support us? If you work for a company that has a Corporate Responsibility Fund Model or if you feel that your company may be interested in contributing to our initiative, we would be extremely grateful for your assistance. The estimated cost of this project is approximately €20,000. If you require further details or would like to discuss this opportunity in more depth, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. 

 

Communication with home with regard to the school activities and events

You may have noticed that our home page has a new click option in our side menu entitled “Activities and Events 2024/2025. Parents, guardians and students will be able to see in advance what the school is planning in terms of trips, closures, training, tours, exams and work placements. 

 

Access to quality meals at lunchtime in CCS 

To faciliate those students staying on school grounds  Carrigaline Community School is teaming up with “Food Village,” (a company specialising in quality meals for school communities in Ireland) to provide a much needed service to our students.  Meals can be ordered via a dedicated app to be downloaded and installed on the parent’s / guardian’s phone. All information pertaining to this initiative will be shared with you in August. The company’s website is www.foodvillage.ie. 

Again let me say how we are really looking forward to welcoming back all our students to Carrigaline Community School later this year. I wish our students every success for the new academic year and we look forward to meeting you soon.   In the meantime, enjoy the summer, take care and keep safe. 

Yours sincerely,

Paul Burke
Principal
Secretary – Board of Management