All Year Projects
Transition Year students will choose to participate in one of the following all year projects.
Drama
This is an opportunity for students who love acting and performing to develop their performing skills. This is a practical active class which will take place in our own lecture theatre and students will be participating in improvisation, role play, script writing and the focus of the year long course will be rehearsing and performing the Transition year school play. This play will then be performed in our own school theatre and this class may also represent the school in national competitions such as 'The All Ireland Transition Year Drama festival' or ‘The School Shakespeare Festival’. This module may suit students who are passionate about acting or theatre production such as sound effects/lighting but may not be as confident in their singing ability and wish to develop their acting skills outside of the musical module.
Enterprise
Enterprise aims to foster an enterprise culture among our students. It offers students the opportunity to take a business from the idea stage, through market research to production, sales, record keeping and management. Students gain much experience in the business world and will develop many skills from communication to creativity. Visit www.studententerprise.ie for further information.
Junk Kouture
Junk Kouture in association with the European Recycling Platform (EYP) is a national competition for second level students in Ireland and Northern Ireland which challenges teenagers to create high-end wearable fashion from everyday junk that would normally find its way into the bin. For more information see www.junkkouture.com
Podcasting
In this year-long module students will learn how to craft a podcast from inception to release. They will produce their own podcasts on a variety of subjects. They will also learn to develop content and promotion techniques around the release of their podcast to aid its appeal. This module aims to develop students’ aesthetic, critical and communicative skills, as well as helping them to understand the content making process in a wider context and empowering them to become critical and active viewers.
Untold Stories
Behind the Desk - Teacher Unscripted
Cluny Chats
Young Social Innovators
YSI believes that young people are a powerful and largely untapped force for change in their local communities and in wider society. Promoting and leading the way in education for social innovation in Ireland, Young Social Innovators encourages, motivates and creates new opportunities for young people to actively participate in the world around them. It seeks to engage young people wherever they are – in schools, communities, youth organizations, in families, in or out of work – and prepare them to fully take part in civic action whether through volunteerism, community service, service-leaning, citizenship education, social entrepreneurship and innovation. For more information see www.youngsocialinnovators.ie
The GAA Future Leaders
This Transition Year Programme is a cross curricular programme comprising of a series of modules designed to encourage maturity, initiative, responsibility and leadership skills in students. It gives students the knowledge and skills to support all roles required in the effective staging of Gaelic games. Each module is stand alone and is individually certifiable. As part of the programme, students are challenged to organize and run but on-field and off-field events for younger students. The following modules are available to students:
- Future Leaders Refereeing module
- Future Leaders Sports Journalism module
- Future leaders Performance Analysis
- Future Leaders Nutrition module
- Future Leaders Wellbeing module
- Future Leaders FMS and Coaching of Camogie/Football
- Future Leaders Event Management and Sports Administration module
Further details online at https://learning.gaa.ie/futureleaders
Other TY Modules
Introduction to Taxation
Our Transition Year students have the opportunity to participate in the Revenue's 'Introduction to Tax' Module, an engaging program designed to introduce young people to the role of the Revenue Commissioners in Ireland. This module covers key topics such as taxation, the shadow economy, and how taxes support public services. Through interactive sessions, case studies, and real-world examples, students gain valuable financial literacy skills and a deeper understanding of the tax system's impact on society.
First Aid and Defibrillator Training
This module is an introduction in the use of CPR/ AED – basic life support. Students will also receive skills to treat minor injuries through Occupational First Aid (OFA) course.
Gaisce
The Gaisce award is earned by young adults between the ages of 15 and 25 by participating in several activities for a certain period. There are three awards characterised into bronze, silver and gold depending on the age group of the participants and the length of time it takes to acquire this award. The term ‘gaisce’ itself is from the Irish language and can be translated as ‘achievement’ or ‘feat’ and is held in very high esteem.
Every participant, regardless of the category of award, has the support of a ‘PAL’ (President’s Award Leader). It is important to note that this is not a competition, the only person you compete with is yourself with the whole aim of Gaisce to create independence in young adults. The PAL is a member of the teaching staff who acts in a supervisory role and how guide you through the challenges and sets appropriate activities. It is important to note that you, alone are the one who achieves this award.
There are four challenges in each award, which all must be conducted outside of school time for one hour a week consecutively. The first achievement pertains to Community Involvement. This can be in the form of Charity work, helping with a youth club, Green Schools, Tidy Towns, Helping children with learning difficulties or Special Choir amongst others. The next part refers to the Personal skills. This could be learning a new musical instrument, a form of Dance, part taking in Singing lessons, introduction to web design or learning a foreign language. Again, this must be something done outside of school time and no sports are allowed in this category.
On line diary entries are completed following each hour that you partake in. It is important to note that participants must be at least 15 years of age to enter and a minimum of 1 hour per week per category is required. The time breakdown is as follows:
- Community involvement – 13 weeks
- Personal Skill – 13 weeks
- Physical Recreation – 13 weeks
- Additional activity in any section of your choice from the three above – 13 weeks
- Adventure Journey/Research – 2 days, 1-night stay.
For more detail please visit www.gaisce.org where you can read student testimonials, ideas for each skill etc. We encourage everyone to get involved and you will reap the benefits of this fantastic opportunity in Transition Year.
Digital Design
The students get the opportunity to learn the best practice of design while working each week on a separate project such a poster, invitation, infographics, collage. After the modules the students will know how to use the online digital design tools for any future educational, career or personal projects.
Cookery
Our Transition Year Cookery Module provides an opportunity for students to work creatively with food and develop their practical cookery skills. Cookery can be a great way to involve students in some hands-on, interactive learning that will give them lifelong skills while encouraging them to become independent cooks in their own homes.
We work with dishes that are of interest to young people and all recipes are fully adaptable to suit different tastes.
Each week, students will be cooking/baking based on a different theme, some examples of these are:
- (Working with yeast) White bread rolls
- (Working with yeast) Pizza & sides
- Breakfasts
- Fakeaways
- One pot wonders
- Baking
- Desserts
- Sweet treats
Here is what some of our recent Transition Year students said about the Cookery Module;
"I really enjoyed the cooking module as it taught me how to create multiple kinds of dishes. I really liked learning the different skills and working with others to make these dishes."
"I really enjoyed the cooking module and it has been my favourite so far. I liked doing the breakfast, lunch and dinner meals for different weeks and thought having more than one option to chooseh from was a really good idea. It definitely helped with ideas for meals I could cook at home as well, which was really helpful😁."
Debating
Debating as a module is designed to foster open-mindedness about current affairs and topics of interest to students, critical thinking and effective communication skills. In our introductory lesson, students are introduced to the art of public speaking through games and class discussions to encourage participation and quick thinking with being presented a topic of relevance to their lives and asked to talk on the spot for 60 seconds on that topic without prior research. Moving forward, we look at the characteristics of the language of argumentation and persuasion (which students will study in their Leaving Certificate English class) with students being shown famous speeches to allow them to identify such characteristics alongside the importance of body language when debating. Students work towards researching, writing and presenting a speech or a group debate on a motion decided by the teacher by the end of this module.
Musical
The school musical takes place every October and students start to audition before the summer break. It is staged in the assembly hall with a team of event management from Transition Year who promote the musical, sell tickets, work backstage, assist with lighting and sound effects and work front of house on the evenings of the performances. It is a collaborative experience for performers and crew and it is always a highlight of Transition Year.
Yoga
The Transition Year yoga module is designed to give students tools to help manage difficult emotions like anxiety or low mood. Yoga helps reduce anxiety by promoting relaxation, regulating breathing, and calming the nervous system. Every class ends with a guided meditation which fosters mindfulness, reduces stress hormones, and enhances emotional regulation for a greater sense of calm and balance.
Fencing
Fencing is an exciting and fast-paced sport that combines skill, strategy, and athleticism. Rooted in the traditions of sword fighting, it challenges participants to think quickly and react with precision. Fencing promotes key values such as discipline, respect, perseverance, and sportsmanship, making it a rewarding activity both physically and mentally. At Mount Sackville, we are proud to offer fencing as part of our sports program, providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills, build confidence, and enjoy this unique and dynamic sport.
Research and Referencing
During our Research and Referencing module in TY, individuals or groups of students work on a chosen research topic. This can be an extension of the CBA from junior cycle, or a new topic. Students work on a literature review of their topic, finding out information on it. They discuss their methodology, how they will collect their data and information. After collecting data, students discuss their results in their conclusion. Students learn about referencing systems, e.g. Harvard referencing. Learning about Referencing in TY will help as the students move into the new senior cycle research projects and into third level.
Road Safety
Road Safety Matters is a programme aimed at transition year students to help them to develop the awareness, knowledge, values and skills to become safe road users.
Our TY programme features a simple step-by-step guide to preparing, educating and supporting students to be safe road users as well as helping them to understand how to safely share our roads.
Legal Studies
This module provides students with an opportunity to assess and examine the legal frameworks which govern our daily lives and society as a whole. Students will explore topics such as jury selection, eyewitness testimony, the use of DNA analysis and the issues surrounding conservatorship.
Psychology
Through this module students will explore various aspects of psychology in order to gain a greater understanding of human behaviour, thoughts and actions. Aspects such as dream analysis, obedience and compliance and the ways in which our brains process information will be discussed.