Summerhill College

Transition Year 2010/2011 Newsletter
- End of Year -
The more you put in, the more you get out!

May 2011

Dear Parent,

Now that the students are nearing the end of their third module and the end of their Transition Year, I am writing to you to let you know some details of events that are scheduled to take place involving your son, and review what took place during the past few months.

End of Year “Graduation” May 25th
The “Graduation” for Transition Years will take place on Wednesday, the 25th of May in the Fr. Flanagan Hall from 6.30pm.

This is an informal gathering of all Transition Year students with their parents. The Principal, Deputy Principal and Transition Year teachers are also invited be there on the night.

Some light refreshments will be provided and a presentation showing photos from the Transition Year 2010/2011 will be on display.

Please mark this date in your diary and we look forward to seeing you all on the night!

Module 3 - A Review
Sligo Institute of Technology Week
One of the main events which took place this year was the visit to Sligo Institute of Technology.

The week consisted of a number of lectures and workshops in the various faculties in the IT and involved full days for all students in areas such as sport, science, forensics, design, architecture, marketing and engineering.

This was a unique opportunity for Transition Year students in Summerhill. We are very grateful to Mr. Padraic Cuffe and his team in the IT, for their assistance with this project over the past number of years and also to Mr. Brendan McCormack, Registrar of Sligo IT.

Work Experience Week
Your son had his final week of work experience just before the Easter Holidays. This was an integral part of the Transition Year Calendar. I am sure he gained some valuable insight to working life and hopefully he has an appreciation of working outside school and the home.

ECDL Computer Course & Keyboarding
Most of the students have just one exam left and many of the students have fully completed all seven exams, well ahead of schedule!

If your son is still working towards completing this, please encourage him to do some study on the ECDL course while he is at home to make the exam process a little easier. This online course can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.

Some of the students may find that they are happy to complete just the first stage of the ECDL called “ECDL Start” which has four module exams. They will then have two more years in which to complete the three remaining modules for the full “ECDL”. These exams can be taken in Summerhill.

All Transition Year students are also learning Keyboarding which is an essential skill for today’s computer user. All of the students have made great progress to date and I’m sure you will be delighted with their typing ability if they were to show you!

These online courses can be accessed continually at home through websites set up specifically for Transition Year students in Summerhill College. Each student has their own login and password where they can track their progress and practice their skills.

Paintballing.
We had our annual trip to “Paintballing” near Carrick on Shannon. This was a very enjoyable and tiring day for everyone involved and is always a great favourite with Transition Year Students.

Road Safety Course
We continued our Road Safety course with the “Drive for Life” theory course & the “MOG Car Safety” demonstration. This was a “hands-on” approach with students taking part in the demonstration by seeing up-close, the actual structure & workings of a car.

Mullaghmore Retreat
We had an overnight retreat in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo in April for Transition Year students. This was organised by Mr. Keogh & Fr. Cryan and was a great success.

The Young Americans visited again this year and many of the students from TY took part and learned a lot from being in this amazing show.

Life Choice Programme
The “Life Choice Programme” took place before Christmas and was very well attended by those who opted to take part. The programme ended in January with a number of students taking care of their “virtual” baby overnight to give them an idea of what life is like when you are faced with this particular responsibility.

“Spunout”
Our school has been associated with “Spunout” which is a website designed to give information to students regarding positive mental health for 15 to 25 year olds. Many Transition Year students have found this to be very beneficial over the past number of years. Please see for details on this information service.

AIB “Build a Bank Challenge”
The AIB School Bank was run in conjunction with AIB Stephen Street Sligo. We are very grateful to those students who volunteered to run it & who attended the regional finals in March.

The School Musical - “7 Brides for 7 Brothers”
Many of the Transition Year students took part in the auditions for our forthcoming school musical in conjunction with the Mercy College recently. The cast will have their scripts to learn over the summer and be ready for the rehearsal process which will begin in early September. The show is due to take place in mid November. More details will follow.

Mini Companies
We had some very successful Mini Companies which were run by the students during the year. You can check with your son which Mini Company he was involved with and check how he did during the year.

Gaisce—The Presidents Award
The Presidents Award is on-going for all students who are participating in this national scheme for youth. See www.gaisce.ie for information. You can check with your son if he has chosen to do this.

Final Transition Year Trip
Our final trip will be the “Mystery Tour” planned for next Monday 23rd of May. This will be a day of indoor sports and interactive activities. It will be a great day & everyone is assured of an enjoyable time.

Continued Attendance at School
Please note: There will never be an occasion where your son will be allowed home from school early, unless it is as a result of an event that you will be informed of in advance.

There will never be an occasion where something is organised in the school that is “optional”, these events are for the benefit of all Transition Year students.

If you have any questions about this please do not hesitate to contact me. The Year Heads are: Mr. John Moran (TY3) & Mrs. McDermotroe (TY1 & TY2).

I have reminded all students to ensure that if they are missing from any class for any reason, they should bring in a note to explain this absence and use the “Sign Out Book” as normal when leaving, and the “Sign in Book” upon returning. This has always been the case.

Transition Year Fees
There are some outstanding fees from the final instalment of €75 which was due at the end of January. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact Mrs. Hyland or our accounts office and they will let you know your balance.

Summer Exams
Please encourage your son to continue to work towards finishing his ECDL and Typing courses over the next two weeks. There will be an opportunity for Transition Year students to finish their ECDL exams after their graduation night on the Mon, Tue and Wed of the Summer exam week.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me through the school and I will be happy to return your call.

Thank you for all your support for the school and for encouraging your sons throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you on 25th of May.

Kind regards,

Fintan Whelan
Transition Year Coordinator