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

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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!

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Choosing Subjects  Carefully research the subjects by:  Talking to the subject teacher  Looking at the text books for Junior Certificate  Looking at www.examinations.iewww.examinations.ie  www.careersportal.ie  Read the Junior Certificate Fact Sheets on www.ncca.ie

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

12. 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’

13. 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

14. The Teenage Years ctd  Changing Friendships & Friendship Issues  Bullying – iamconcerned@loretofoxrock.ie  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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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  www.ispcc.ie & www.barnados.ie www.ispcc.iewww.barnados.ie

18. 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