Transition Year at DCC

Please see below information regarding Transition Year Programme 2024-2025.

In TY, students will pick two year long modules. These modules will allow students to develop their skills in various areas with an emphasis on creativity.

TY modules 2024-2025

Fashion & Clothing:

The fashion and clothing model (known as Junk Kouture) is a great module for students to experiment with fashion and have fun in the annual Junk Kouture competition. Secondary students across Ireland and 13 other countries, make their way through the tournaments with the final rounds taking place stunning venues such as the 3Arena in Dublin, Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and OVO Arena Wembley in London.

For 2023 junk Kouture, our art teacher (Ms. Lyons) will guide our TY’s to study famous fashion and designer pieces. Then students get to design and create an entire costume, made completely from 100% recycled materials. Each team will also create a final performance wearing their designed piece. All of our students work hard on their costumes and are encouraged to work outside class time. We wish all our students the best of luck each year and hope they will enjoy this exciting experience.

Music Appreciation:

Music appreciation in Transition year is made up of three components- Performance, Music Teachnology and Artist Analysis.

In Performance and Music Notation, students will learn how to play ukulele, read basic chord charts, sheet music and all students will be encouraged to sing in class as part of the Music Appreciation Vocal Ensemble group. Students are given time to practice any personal instruments, but our main goal is to learn together. The music appreciation class take the lead in performing for the TY graduation at the end of the year. This component will prepare students for leaving cert music as performance makes 50% of the leaving cert music exam.

In Music Technology students will use different software on their ipads to create soundtracks, projects and music scores. This is good preparation for any musical students as music technology can be part of their leaving cert exam.

In Artist Analysis students will create a folder/scrapbook on different artists + pieces. They will compile information about the artists background, record label,top hits etc and they will present these to the class.

Craft and Home Skills:

In this Ty module you learn the basics of cooking and baking various types of dishes. You also learn how to sew different stitches such as cross stitch, appliqué and research and carry out how to upcyle various materials and other craft projects.

Cookery:

In this class you will be taught valuable skills that can be used all throughout life such as cooking and baking various dishes, modifying dishes to fit certain dietary restrictions and lower fat, sugar and salt but to also increase fibre. Students will be taught safety and hygiene rules involved in a practical cooking class. Students learn how to cook by themselves over the course of the year this helps the student not only develop their cooking, hygiene and safety skills but also learn independence. They will learn how to make smoothies, spaghetti bolognese, soup with brown bread, fish cakes, homemade granola, Christmas queen cakes decorated with icing, yeast bread, sausage rolls, vegetarian curry with rice, chicken and broccoli pasta bake and brownies. Theory classes throughout the year will include information learned from the junior cycle course Topics covered in class include nutrition and healthy eating, emphasis is place on the macro nutrients – protein, fats and carbohydrates and will introduce leaving certificate content to give students an idea of the leaving cert course for home economics. Students will learn about the written journal for the leaving certificate exam. They will carry out research on an assignment and do their own write up on it. Students will be assessed on this written work. They will carry out project work on a special diet of their choice after learning about a number of diets in class (vegetarianism, obesity, coronary heart disease, coeliac, diabetes, etc).

Mini Company:

This module teaches students about real world business operations, marketing, budgeting, customer relations and decision making in order to create a successful business. They will develop leadership skills and showcase their creations and achievements at events. In the class students will brainstorm creative business ideas that address needs in the school community and foster teamwork and problem solving with hands on experience.

Journalism:

The journalism module gives students the opportunity to develop skills in many areas such as teamwork, research and reporting, communication, writing skills, videography and photography. Students are tasked with reporting on school events and activities such as matches and awards ceremonies and keeping social media up to date, they will also learn the key skills used in writing detailed reports and conveying information in an interesting way.

Future Leaders:

The “Future Leaders Transition Year Programme” is a joint initiative from the GAA and the PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers). This programme uses modules designed to encourage maturity, initiative, responsibility and leadership skills. In this programme students can gain knowledge and skills to support all roles required in Gaelic Games. As part of the Programme

in this journey of innovation and community-building. Students are challenged to organise and run both on-field and off-field events for younger students.

The programme consists of 10 Modules. Once the Introductory/Overview Module is completed, the other modules begin. The modules vary in length, in general they are 6 – 10 hours long. A school can choose to deliver one or more modules.

Assessment:

For successful completion of each module, students will have to fill in a Portfolio on a weekly basis in addition to one major assignment per module, both of which must be submitted to the GAA learning portal for grading.

Modules are mostly classroom – based with a small number of practical classes over the course of the year.

Modules to be covered this year:

• Future Leaders Introductory/Overview Module
• Future Leaders Event Management & Sports Administration Module · Future Leaders Refereeing Module
• Future Leaders Performance Analysis Module

Forensic Science & SciFest:

This TY module is new to the school and involves a lot of practical work in the classroom, students learn forensic skills such as interviewing witnesses, analysing blood splatter, matching fingerprints, determining chemical compounds and much much more. This class teaches many skills necessary for core subjects such as trigonometry, chemistry, physics and biology through interesting and engaging activities, it also includes knowledge on psychology and computer science.

While studying this subject students will be tasked with completing a project on science that they are interested in and would like to research, once the forensics course is completed students will work on their projects in class in order to present their work at SciFest at the end of the year.

Information provided by TY Journalism students  Aoife Garvey, Ella Taylor and Caitlin McMahon

*Please note all modules are not offered every year, pending availability.