First Year & Moving on to 2 nd Year Loreto College Foxrock

Settling into First Year  Arriving in Loreto College last August  New subjects  New friends  New teachers  New rules  Longer Day  Formal Exams

Some Reminders  Home work is generally given on a nightly basis by teachers. All home work should be recorded in the school journal Recommended 10 – 11 hours per week  Students should use time to study and prepare for future exams when the home work load is a little light  Please use the school journal to communicate with teachers and the school when your daughter is ill or needs to leave early or arrive late

UNIFORM The required uniform is:  School coat & scarf only  School jumper & skirt  White blouse (revere collar) and white socks  Full PE uniform is required for PE and Sports  Flat black shoes (not pumps or Dubes)  One pair of earings  No makeup or extra jewellry allowed  Hair dye is not encouraged

Who to contact & when  The Year Head or Tutor – If you have concerns re your daughter’s general progress or welfare. Please let us know if there are any circumstances which may impact on your daughter’s progress or behaviour in school.  Progress in a particular subject – please contact the teacher concerned.

The School Website  We endeavour to keep the school website as up to date as possible. If you want to get a feel for the breadth of activities in school check in on it on a regular basis.  Most co-curricular activities are logged  Future events are in the school calendar  Please let us know if we can improve the website in any way  We now have our school app in place. Please download it onto your device!

Moving to 2 nd Year  CORE SUBJECTS  English  Irish  Maths  History  Geography  Science  CSPE  Religious Education Non examinable subjects: SPHE & PE

Moving to Second Year  Subject Options for Junior Cert: Home Economics Classical Studies Music Art Business French Spanish German Forms to be returned by Monday 18 April 2016  Subjects can only be offered when there are viable numbers  We usually accommodate all subject combinations

When choosing your subject preferences for Second Year please consider  We recommend that your daughter take a foreign language unless she is exempt from Irish as it may be required for admission to Higher Education  Identify subjects you may be interested in  Your daughter’s strengths:  Are you musical?  Do you like drawing or painting etc

Choosing Subjects  Carefully research the subjects by:  Talking to the subject teacher  Looking at the text books for Junior Certificate  Looking at   Read the Junior Certificate Fact Sheets on

Choosing Subjects ctd.  Consult with the Guidance Counsellor  The Guidance Counsellor has spoken with each Tutor class

Other Considerations for 2 nd Year  Encourage your daughter to keep up co- curricular activities:  Sport  Music  Drama  Debating  Cookery………………  Any other interests outside of school ‘a healthy mind is a healthy body’

The Teenage Years  Puberty & becoming an adult  Pushing Boundaries- keeping safe  What is Acceptable Behaviour?  What is acceptable language?  ‘All my friends are going’  Knowing where your daughter is  Drop & Collect  Establishing Ground rules  Keeping Channels of communication open

The Teenage Years ctd  Changing Friendships & Friendship Issues  Bullying –  Friendship groups may change several times over the 6 years in secondary school  It is most fraught in the earlier years  Pitfalls: Exclusion / bullying / subtle innuendo & silence If you are aware of bullying please report it immediately to the Year Head

Serious Issues for some teens:  Self Harming  Food or eating issues  Anxiety  Low self esteem  Body Image  Be aware – your daughter may not suffer from any of the above but a friend may  Culture of secrecy  Be aware of peer pressure in this regard  Keep the lines of communication open

2 nd Year Disengagement  Disengagement from School (Dr Emer Smyth ESRI)  Key to counteracting disengagement is creating a home environment that encourages learning  Where is the lap top/ phone/ tablet etc. kept at night?  Encourage reading & relaxation

Social Media & Internet Safety  Keep as up to date as possible  Be a ‘friend’ on facebook etc.  Vigilance  Sharing of passwords  Privacy settings  Access is now through 3G as well as WIFI  Snap Chat/ Facebook / Instagram  &

Conclusion  Keep a balance when choosing subjects  Encourage teenagers to be active & involved  Keep the Channels of communication open  Affirm & encourage good behaviour Mol an óige & tiocfaidh sí