English - #LC2017 - Maeve Richardson
Maeve Richardson - St. Annes Secondary School Tipperary TownYou know in a horror film when the character is approaching an empty corridor? And they shine their torch up onto the ceiling and the monster is suddenly there? Well, yeah that's how the approach to the morning of English paper 1 felt.
I MO THUAIRIM, Bígí Linn!
With the support of Conradh na Gaeilge, the ISSU will be running upcoming events in early February in Galway and later in Dublin to report on what Students think of Secondary Education through the Irish language in Gaelcholáistí and in Second-Level Schools in Gaeltacht Regions.The ISSU are delighted to be able to run this event through Irish as more than half of the NSE can speak Irish with proficiency! We hope that Students enjoy meeting others who choose to study through the medium of the national language, discuss common themes and issues and hopefully the ISSU will find out what's needed to improve education through Irish-language and to support these students as much as we can! Ag súil go mór leis! Bígí ann!Register here: https://form.jotform.com/70155317845962
Irish organisations back new second-level education initiative.
PRESS RELEASERepresentatives from Spunout.ie, Schooldays.ie, ISSU and the Digital Youth Council came together today to launch Student Slingshot Academy, a new approach to education and careers for transition year students -Student Slingshot Academy was launched today at its future home in Filmbase, Temple Bar.It is a new initiative developed to change how transition year students approach education and career prospects. Once a month, beginning on March 15th, some of Ireland’s leading third level students will work alongside industryprofessionals to create immersive and interactive sessions for transition year students. It has garnered support from some of the most prominent institutions for Irish second level students including Spunout.ie, Schooldays.ie, Irish Second-Level Students' Union and the Digital Youth Council
Oisin McKenna, Staff writer at Spunout.ie, stated:“Work, career and job-seeking are some of the key things that SpunOut.ie's readers search for on a daily basis on our site. It's great to be an information partner with Student Slingshot Academy in order to support young people's information needs around moving from second level to third level. It's a unique initiative that offers real life insight for students.”Fiona Farrell, head of Sales and Marketing for Schooldays.ie, stated: “At Schooldays.ie we provide an online resource for parents and teachers, we are delighted to support Student Slingshot Academy, an innovative forum for Transition Year students aged 15 to 17. It is a wonderful initiative by some of Ireland's undergraduates to provide the next generation with an insight into future career paths.”Rebecca Dempsey, Student Engagement and Development Officer for the IrishSecond-Level Students' Union, stated:"This is a fantastic and fresh initiative. We love how third level students will be able to share their experiences and knowledge with second-level students in a way that hasn't been seen before. We believe that Transition Year creates an opportunity and space for second-level students to learn and to be creative in their learning ways. The Student Slingshot Academy can add positively to this unique year of study. We encourage TY students nationwide to apply".Harry McCann, founder and director of the Digital Youth Council, stated: “I feel it is so important for students to take their futures into their own hands and not just wait for the education system to take them along. Students need to become more proactive, they need to go out and look at what is on offer to them and I feel Student Slingshot is the perfect opportunity for any student to start.”Patrick Guiney, founder of Student Slingshot, stated:“Just over 54,000 students sit the Leaving Certificate every single year. Of those 70% of them will be lucky enough to go onto 3rd level. Through a mentoring and support programme, led by some exceptional college students, we want to ensure that students pick the right course, earn a new skill and bring their focus back to what they want to do, not what the CAO dictates.”
The first Student Slingshot Academy takes place on Sunday, March 15th in Filmbase, located in Temple Bar. Transition Year Students will have the opportunity to learn from and meet college students from computerprogramming, medicine, law, journalism, finance, language and art, among further areas yet to be announced. A selection of industry professionals in these fields will support the students to develop new and inspiring sessions.Student Slingshot is a student-run organisation focused on maximising prospects for Ireland’s students. On November 18th, they held the first Student Slingshot event in Dublin Castle where 150 of Ireland’s best students met at Dublin Castle for an evening of networking, panel discussions and keynote speakers. The students from this event are those who will teach at Student Slingshot Academy.Further details can be found at:www.studentslingshot.comApplications for Transition Year Students close at 5pm on March 7th, 2015 Student Slingshot Academy is kindly supported by SAP, Enterprise Ireland and Eventbrite.ENDSContact: Sam Pearson, Tel.: 087 255 1148, sam@studentslingshot.com
Results Helpline 2013
The ISSU recommends the exam advice helpline courtesy of National Parents Council in association with the Irish Independent, the Institute of Guidance Councillors, Eircom and supported by the Dept. of Education & Skills.The Institute of Guidance Counselors provides qualified guidance counselors to give advice and support to both students and their parents.
Helpline Phone Number: 1800 265 165
Leaving Cert Helpline;
Wednesday:14th August –8am – 7pmThursday: 15th August – 8am – 7pmFriday:16th August – 8am – 1pm
CAO Helpline;
Monday 19th August – 8am – 7pmTuesday 20th August – 8am – 7pmWednesday 21st August – 8am – 1pm
Safter Internet Day 2013 Video Guidelines
Remember when we came up with these statements?
Cyberbullying won’t go away if we do nothing about it.What are you waiting for? Are you going to wait around for more sadness or another tragedy before doing something about it?It’s up to us to make a stand and say we not going to do nothing while someone else gets hurt.
Well now it’s time to walk the talk by recording your own message on the topic and sharing it. Do this with your friends, your enemies, your family, or your class. The more we get the better. Don’t worry about producing something worthy of Speilberg. Hearing your voice is the most important thing. It doesn’t matter if you use a using a webcam, tablet, laptop, camera or phone; use whatever you have to record a statement. Then go to the “Get Involved” page on watchyourspace.ie and post a link to your content or email it to us at internetsafety@pdst.ie As Safer Internet Day is getting close, we’d really appreciate it if you guys could get us some videos as soon as you can – maybe by the middle of next week. You’ve been unbelievable so far – and your ideas have contributed to what we think is one of the best SID campaigns around - but we need a final push to make sure that #SID2013 is one to remember. If you are looking for a few pointers:
Shorter is better than longer – try to keep it to less than 90 seconds.Keep it simple: imagine you are talking to a friend. Don’t use complex words where simple ones will do. Be yourselfIt is an idea to put together a script or at least give yourself a few pointers on what you are going to say.We’ll try to include all the videos on the site. So don’t be disappointed if it’s not on there straight away, we’ll add it at some stage.We will also share it on our social media channels, so don’t send us anything unless you are happy for us to share it widely.
Ideas for what to say:As you know, this year’s campaign is centred on encouraging bystanders to intervene positively in online bullying situations. Under the banner of Watch Your Space, with the call to action of “It’s Up To Us” #Up2Us. In your piece, you can use anecdotes of situations you are aware of where online bullying has been resolved positively and where bystanders have had a role. However, be sure that people are not identifiable, and try not to be too personal. Below are some of the key tips for the campaign which we will be promoting. It’s advisable to use these when you are coming up with your script. You should be creative too, come up with your own twist on these and try to steer clear of using these word for word as it will lend credibility to the message. Don’t forget that your audience will be your peers and people younger than you. We want to encourage everyone to connect with respect and change their attitudes to online bullying. You are not speaking to victims or to bullies, but to the majority of people who can bring about a new attitude and atmosphere where online bullying does not succeed. And remember to finish off your piece strongly. For example, you can use the campaign call to action: “It’s Up To Us”. The idea is, is that you encourage others to do the same and to pledge their support for the campaign. Tips for witnesses to online bullying: Bullying or Banter? Without body language and facial expressions, it’s often hard to know the difference. What might be intended as a bit of banter can often cause offence and vice-versa. As a rule, if you see something on screen that you think might cause someone to lose confidence, get upset, angry or fearful, it’s likely that you are witnessing cyberbullying. Just Ask: Asking for help requires strength. If you see someone who is isolated or having a hard time, you can make a difference by directing them to the reputable organisations out there who provide advice and support. Check out WatchYourSpace.ie for a whole host of useful links to groups like Aware, Bodywhys, Childline, SpunOut, Headsup.ie, BeLong, the Samartians and more. Report incidents: Whether it’s online, at home, or in school, it’s your responsibility to report bullying incidents when you see them. You might not always be able to fix it, but you can always do the right thing – and that means reporting. First off, you can report to websites like Twitter and Facebook. They take these reports seriously, remove anything abusive and even cancel accounts when warnings are ignored. Remember, they never reveal the identity of the person making the report. It doesn’t stop there. Most schools and clubs have ways for you to report incidents, find out what they are and use them when you need to. Serious cases, where someone is at risk of harm, should be reported to the Gardaí. Tell an adult: Talking to someone you trust is usually the first step in dealing with any issue. If a friend confides in you, encourage them to tell and adult they can trust such as a Parent or Teacher. Research has shown that it almost always takes an adult to stop bullying. Share your Know-how? Check out WatchYourSpace.ie for video tutorials on how to take screengrabs (settings a skill which will help you make a record of cyberbullying behaviour), report incidents to popular websites, and how to configure your privacy. Once you’ve become an expert, show someone else how to do it. Dislike: Young people have found themselves in trouble for simply liking, sharing, or commenting on content on Facebook, Tumblr or for following and retweeting messages from a fake Twitter accounts. Don’t put up with bullying; leave, unlike and unfollow it. Do IT Yourself. Bullying won’t go away if we do nothing! But it can if you do something. It’s up to us to shape the spaces that we spend our time in. Let’s make them positive and friendly. Often the more people who see something happen, the less likely each individual is to do something about it. Don’t leave it up to someone else to make a difference. Be Counted: A lot of bullying online is anonymous and this can make it especially difficult to deal with. Imagine how it feels to go into school when everyone you meet could be the person harassing you. It’s easy to withdraw from friends and be suspicious of everyone. If you know someone in this situation, reach out to them and tell them that you are on their side. Do it Now. Online bullying can escalate very quickly; people experiencing it can be completely overwhelmed by it. Sometimes just one message of support is enough to change the tide. Your offer of support can be the light at the end of the tunnel. What are you waiting for? Be a Hero not a Martyr. You can make a big difference without putting yourself at risk. It’s very admirable to stand up to bullying but directly confronting someone who is being aggressive or hurtful is not always the best way to go about it. Who’s the Bully? Bullying is never right and you shouldn’t ever accept it. But don’t cross the line and bully the bully. It’s ok to point out that cyberbullying should stop, but it’s not ok to start sending abusive message to the bully. Put yourself in the shoes of a victim of online bullying. Imagine how it would feel to face constant online harassment and abuse alone. Now imagine what it would be like to have your peers support you. Be a hero, not a martyr. Fueling the fire of bullying by taking part in bullying will just make the problem worse. You can be assertive and positive and it always works best. ‘Nuff said.
Leaving Cert Results HELPLINE
ISSU recommends the exam advice helpline courtesy of National Parents Council in association with the Irish Independent, the Institute of Guidance Councillors, Eircom and supported by the Dept. of Education & Skills.The Institute of Guidance Counsellors provides qualified guidance counsellors to give advice and support to both students and their parents.The Leaving Certificate Results for 2011 will be released on Wednesday 17th August. The Helpline will be in operation at 8am on Wednesday 17th of August and continue as follows;
Wednesday (17th) 8am – 7pm
Thursday (18th) 8am – 7pm
Friday (19th) 10am - 3pm
Monday (22nd) 8am - 7pm
Tuesday (23rd) 8am - 7pm