A normal timetable of 44 class periods per week begins in Senior Cycle. The following lists the main subjects taken in Senior Cycle. Although a strong academic emphasis is placed on these as well as the option subjects, teachers aim to utilise a wide variety of approaches to teaching and learning, including activity-based learning, group work, project work and educational trips.
Option Subjects:
Joseph Byrne
Ciarán Hartigan
Jillian Ryan
Mary White
The English courses in St. Joseph of Cluny are focused on meeting the requirements of the Junior and Leaving Certificate programmes. Students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Transition Year are placed in mixed ability classes. It is a policy of our subject Department to avoid streaming. Students with reading or learning difficulties are catered for within the class context and supported by the Learning Support team. All the Senior Cycle students are offered and taught the Higher Level Leaving Certificate Course. A very small minority - after guidance from parents and teachers - opt for the Ordinary Level.
The English Department is conscious that our programmes should not be limited to merely preparing our students for the Junior and Leaving Certificates. Our aims are to consolidate and develop the students' literary skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students are introduced to a wide range of literature on themes appropriate and relevant to their stages of development, with an emphasis on exposure to a range of texts rather than an intensive examination of a few. As a result we encourage intellectual curiosity and foster the students’ oral and literary creativity. A sound basis for literary judgement is laid down.
In addition to the required programmes, the English Department supplements and enhances our students experience of the subject by organising a wide range of relevant activities such as visits to the theatre, guest writers, encouraging students to enter literary competitions (Young Journalist of the Year, One Act Play Competition, Poetry Aloud, etc.)
Under the aegis of the English Department a very strong debating culture is fostered. All years are catered for through a Junior Debating Society and a Senior Debating Society. Our School sends representatives to the Model European Parliament and European Youth Parliament, they also participate in the European Youth Forum - this gives our students an opportunity to have their voice and views heard at home and abroad. In order to raise social consciousness we enter students in the Concern Debates and the Know your World Quiz; students also participate in the Mental Health Ireland Public Speaking Competition as well as the Soroptomists Ireland Competitions. To cater for the Junior Cycle we enter three teams in the Inter-Schools U-15 debating competitions and teams in the Women’s Graduate Association Public Speaking for Girls. Members of the English Department are enthusiastically involved in the aforementioned activities.
The NCCA syllabus states that "We live in the midst of language". In English classes in Cluny, teachers foster and encourage an awareness of the power, potential and rewards of the spoken and written word. "Language most shows a man: speak that I may see thee".
Iníon Gráinne Ní Mhuirí
Ms. Rosemary Molloy
Iníon Iris Ní Aoghagáin
Mrs. Catherine Hackett
Ms Ailish Breheny
In Roinn na Gaeilge we follow the Department of Education and Science Syllabus which aims to:
- Help our students to learn Irish to the best of their ability and to promote a positive attitude towards the language.
- Develop their language skills i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Give students an insight into Gaelic culture through use of the language, music, history, literature etc.
- Promote self-respect and self-confidence by giving students an understanding of their own cultural identity and heritage and as a result promote in them a positive attitude towards learning other languages and respect for other cultures. (ó An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta - An Ardteistiméireacht - Gaeilge – na siollabais agus an córas measúnachta – Oifig an tSoláthair)
Classes are conducted through the medium of Irish and we encourage the students to use the language as much as possible inside and outside the classroom. We usually have two Higher Level groups and two Ordinary level groups in 5th and 6th year. The Leaving Certificate Ordinary and Higher level examinations consist of an oral exam which takes place around Easter in 6th year, an aural test and two written papers.
Gníomhaíochtaí lasmuigh den Seomra Ranga / Extra-Curricular Activities:
- We bring students to films, plays and other events as Gaeilge, as they occur during the school year.
- We encourage students to watch programmes on TG4 e.g. Aifric, Ros na Rún, Nuacht TG4.
- Activities as Gaeilge (tráth na gceist, díospóireachtaí, céilí) are organised during Seachtain na Gaeilge in March.
- We also encourage students to improve their language skills by attending summer courses in the many Coláistí Gaeilge (Irish Colleges) inside and outside An Ghaeltacht.
- Over the years we have participated in the Gael-Linn Debating Competition reaching the Regional Final in 1995 and achieving the runners-up position in the All-Ireland Final in 2007.
It is intended that mathematics education within St. Joseph of Cluny should:
- Contribute to the personal development of the student. This aim is chiefly concerned with the students’ feeling of worth as a result of finding meaning and interest, as well as achieving success in mathematics.
- Help to provide the students with the mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding needed for continuing their education, and eventually for life and work. This aim focuses on what the students will be able to do with their mathematics in the future: hence, on their ability to recognise the power of mathematics and to apply it appropriately.
General objectives:
- Students should be able to recall basic facts as it can support and enhance the understanding and aid the application of the subject.
- Students should be able to perform basic skills and carry out routine algorithms, and be able to use appropriate equipment.
- Students should be able to apply their mathematical knowledge and recognise its uses, seeing it as a powerful tool with many areas of applicability.
- Students should have an overall understanding of mathematical concepts
- Students should be able to analyse information
Higher and Ordinary Level classes will be set at the beginning of 4th Year. Students will be put in classes based on the 3rd Year Junior Certificate results. These results are usually a clear indication of the student’s mathematical ability. Students are facilitated and are actively encouraged to enter mathematics competitions. To date students of St. Joseph of Cluny have participated in the Senior Olympiad Competition, the Prism Mathematics Competition and the IMTA (Irish Mathematics Teachers Association) table quiz.
Higher and Ordinary Level classes will be set at the beginning of 2nd Year. Students will be put in classes based on the 1st Year results. The Christmas and summer results are usually a clear indication of the student’s mathematical ability and capacity to amalgamate all the pre learned topics. Students are facilitated and are actively encouraged to enter mathematics competitions. To date students of St. Joseph of Cluny have participated in the Junior Olympiad Competition.
The use of I.T. features in the teaching of mathematics. Slideshow presentations and interactive computer simulations are all used to enhance the learning experience of the student.
Elizabeth Cassidy
Celine Carney
Ciarán Twomey
Jacinta Joy
Jillian Ryan
Rosemary Molloy
French culture and French language have traditionally played an important role in St. Joseph of Cluny. The Cluny Order was, in fact, founded in Cluny, in the Bourgogne region of France. In Cluny, we want students to develop a love for the language and all things French, that will last long after their days here are over.
French is taught in every year. We aim for a warm classroom atmosphere, using a variety of methodologies. Classes are conducted as much as is practical, through French with plenty of student participation in the language. We work with each student so that she can reach her full potential. This is reflected in our excellent results and our recent department inspection (2007).
Students are helped to develop the four key skill areas i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the same time students explore French culture and civilisation. 1st to 3rd year classes are taught according to the Junior Certificate syllabus. Students in these year groups develop the 4 key skill areas from an early age - reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the same time students explore French culture and civilisation.
There also plans afoot to set up links with a French school, travel to Paris as part of a school tour and this year we will be playing the French sport of ‘ Pétanque’ as part of Transition Year!
5th and 6th year classes are taught according to the Leaving Certificate syllabus. In 6th year, French is also offered at Ordinary Level, and the subject can also be taken along with German and Spanish. Below you will find the breakdown of texts used from 1st year to 6th year. Pupils are assessed on an on-going basis. There are Christmas and Summer house exams for all years except Junior and Leaving Cert who have Mock exams. 5th and 6th years have a mock oral exam with an outside examiner.
In Transition Year, pupils are given the opportunity to significantly enhance their spoken French. Each student receives a Certificate of Achievement in spoken French following an oral exam with an outside examiner.
Joyce Byrne
Jacinta Joy
Und los geht’s! German (Deutsch) is offered on alternate years as a language to First Years. Most students opting to study German do so as one of their core subjects up to Leaving Cert level but students may opt to study German as a second language with an option to continue the study of the subject until Sixth Year.
Over 100 million people speak German as their native language. Germany is Ireland’s third largest trading partner – 70% of Irish exporters to Germany use the German language in their business dealings. With over 250 German companies operating in Ireland (employing approximately 15,000 people) an ability to speak German is an invaluable tool in the marketplace.
Students are encouraged to participate in exchanges and trips to Germany, Austria and Switzerland - not only do these opportunities improve the students’ language skills, they also serve as culturally enriching experiences, bringing the classroom to life and needless to say are great fun. Students are brought on trips to films, concerts and exhibitions at the IFI and elsewhere to keep them up to date with the latest in culture in the German-speaking countries.
In keeping with the syllabi of the DES the German Department at Cluny uses an integrated approach to teaching involving as many aspects of the communicative approach to language teaching as possible. Classroom activities are conducted in German to give students confidence to participate in normal everyday transactions and activities in the classroom and in those countries where German is spoken.
Astrid Coleman
Cleo McFarland
Spanish, along with French and German, is one of the Modern Languages offered in Cluny. As the first language of more than 400 million people in over 21 countries, it is a major global language. It is also the second language of the United States and a very strong Hispanic influence is found in many major American cities. For students who choose to study Spanish, both short-term and long-term employment opportunities are enhanced for those who intend travelling to North and South America. Clearly, knowledge of the language also increases the enjoyment for those students who travel to Spain and its islands either for a short break or when staying at a holiday home.
At Cluny, Spanish is offered from First Year through to Sixth Year. At Junior Cert level (in line with the Syllabus as set down by the Department of Education and Science) the course aims to develop aural, oral, written and comprehension skills. Knowledge of Spanish/Hispanic culture is considered to be very important and this is developed progressively through the years at Cluny. Videos, DVDs, magazines etc. are all used to aid this progress and food tasting à la Espanola is very popular as a term event.
For Transition Year Spanish, the emphasis is very much on developing knowledge of the cultural aspects of Spanish/Hispanic life as well as consolidating and building on the language skills already acquired. For students who have not studied Spanish at Junior Cycle, a beginners’ module is frequently offered at Transition Year in order to develop basic language competency along with an overview of Spanish culture.
Leaving Certificate Spanish (again in line with the DES Syllabus) aims to consolidate and develop oral, aural, comprehension and written skills in preparation for the Leaving Cert itself. It is anticipated that a student at this state would be proficient in all of these areas. Students at all levels, but particularly from 4th to 6th Year, are encouraged to avail of one of the many exchange programmes. In Ireland, there are now a number of residential summer courses available also for students of Spanish. Senior Cluny students regularly participate in the Annual Inter-Schools Spanish Quiz and all students are encouraged to participate in suitable competitions/events.
At Cluny, while the majority of students go on to take Higher Level papers at State exam level, it is viewed by the Spanish Department that enjoyment of the subject is most important and that each student (in consultation with their teacher) eventually finds the level most suitable to them. For students who have studied Spanish at Cluny, many go on to incorporate continued study of the language at 3rd Level through Humanities or Business Degrees such as International Commerce. The demand for 3rd level graduates with Spanish very often exceeds the supply.
Knowledge of Spanish like all languages is an invaluable life skill. Apart from the ever-increasing importance of the language globally, Cluny aims to facilitate each student to achieve their potential within the language.
Pat Larkin
Brenda McNulty
Patricia Higgins
Dympna Smith
Jillian Ryan
"It is not sufficient to have taught them how to work and satisfy this purely material needs, they must also know how to live with others and themselves and to realize what they owe to God and their brethren" - Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey
While we do not offer religion as a subject for Leaving Certificate, we do follow the programme laid out by the Department of Education. The school has its own Oratory where the Blessed Sacrament is present. Students are encouraged to utilise the Oratory for private prayer and meditation. It is the policy of the Religion Department to develop in the students an awareness of those less privileged than themselves both locally and globally, by organizing charitable fund raising events. Money raised is used to help the Nuns of the Cluny order in places such as Sierra Leone, St Lucia, The Fijis etc. The school has also built links with charitable organisations over the years such as St. Vincent De Paul. Students at senior level are involved every year, at Christmas, with raising money and organising the provision of gift boxes for families in need in the area. Every year 6th year students help to prepare their Graduation Mass in conjunction with their Religion Teachers and the School Chaplain. This Mass is celebrated on their last official day at school and is attended by their families and Members of the Sisters of Cluny and the school staff.
Maura Seymour
Ed Randolph
Physical Education is a core subject at both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle in St. Joseph of Cluny and is a compulsory part of the programme here. All students have 80 minutes of Physical Education a week where efforts are made to ensure that the student is exposed to a comprehensive and balanced range of activities. Our Physical Education facilities include a modern sports hall which contains markings for a full size basketball court, four badminton courts, a volleyball court as well as an indoor tennis court. It also contains three changing rooms with shower facilities and an upstairs viewing area. Other facilities include an all-weather hockey pitch and vast green areas which are used for athletics, Gaelic football and soccer. During fine weather the outdoor facilities are used as much as possible.
As part of our Physical Education programme, students take part in activities including Athletics, Dance, Games, Gymnastics, Health Related Activities and Outdoor Education. Transition Year students spend three nights at an Outdoor Education Centre in the West of Ireland where they take part in activities like Hill walking, Rock-climbing, Abseiling, Canoeing and Surfing.
Other features of the programme include the following modules which take place in Transition Year: Yoga, Self-Defence, Cardio Kick-Boxing and Dance with experts in those areas coming to the school to teach the students. Transition Year students also avail of the gym in Westwood for a fitness module.
While it is obligatory that all students take part in Physical Education there is also a comprehensive extra curricular sports programme for those students interested in competitive sport. Teams are entered in Leinster League competitions in Badminton, Basketball, Hockey, Tennis and Gaelic Football. Our athletes enter the East Leinster and Leinster Competitions and Soccer is also catered for in local leagues. Some of our notable successes to date include two All-Ireland victories in Basketball, Leinster Senior Cup Winners in Hockey, Leinster Champions in Badminton, while some of our students have represented Ireland in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball and Hockey.
Patricia Higgins
Siobhan O’Dwyer
During transition and 5th years all students are given the opportunity to sit 4 ECDL modules with a view to gaining the European Computer Driver’s Licence. The ECDL establishes a standard for everyone who uses a computer in either a professional or personal capacity. It is a certificate that verifies competence in computer use, making the holder readily mobile within Ireland and internationally. Employers and job seekers all agree on the importance of this standard definition of practical competence in Information Technology.
During transition and 5th years all students complete the remaining 3 Modules not covered in Transition Year:
- Access Databases
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Internet Explorer
These skills are valuable in learning and presentation across the curriculum and also aid in students’ engagement in extra-curricular events and charities. Students present typed projects, make posters for events such as cake sales and use spreadsheets to present information on charts.
Chemistry is the study of substances; their properties, structure, and the changes they undergo. It begins with looking at nature and breaking this matter down into the atoms and molecules of which it is composed. It is not seeing the wood from the trees, but seeing the molecules and atoms from the trees! It is all around us and this course allows us to see the world differently through experimentation, theory and laws. A Student Completes a flame experiment! Chemistry forms some part of all courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Engineering and in most Science courses.
The chemistry syllabus is practical and experimentally based. All students will carry out the 28 experiments on the syllabus including flame tests, distillation and even the making of soap. The syllabus has the following components:
- Pure chemistry, 70%
- Applications of chemistry, 22.5%
- Chemistry for citizens, 7.5%
Chemistry is taught through the use of practical applications and exemplars relevant to students own lives which are included whenever possible. The inclusion of the applications of chemistry will emphasise the vocational aspects of the subject and will enable students to see where it applies in the world of work. The chemistry laboratory is well equipped with all the necessary apparatus and state of the art IT equipment including the ceiling mounted data projector. Students are given full recognition for carrying out the mandatory experiments using computer interfacing and other modern methods of computer aided technology. This subject aims to provide students with the skills necessary to analyse and investigate the chemical world and approach problems with a deeper understanding of how the world works. It also provides a foundation course for those who will continue to study Chemistry or related subjects.
During Senior Cycle Geography and Transition Year we avail of our coastal and accessible location by participating in various field studies in order to teach the students geographical research skills in physical, social and human geography. These skills range from map interpretation, figure interpretation, statistical analysis, figure drawing and information technology. Over the senior cycle we endeavour to take the students out on four separate field trips. These may range from:
- A coastal study of deposition in North Bull Island
- A comparative study of coastal erosion at White Rock Beach and Shanganagh Beach
- An urban study in Dalkey village
- A Geology study of Killiney Hill and White Rock Beach
- A River study in Glendalough.
This allows us to cover various aspects of the subject and give the students an appreciation of their local landscape and surroundings.
John O’Farrell
Patricia Higgins
Music at St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School enjoys a strong social, religious and academic tradition. The department is a lively one, with ongoing events throughout the school year. Through various classroom based and extra curricular activities at Junior and Senior cycle, each student has the opportunity to gain valuable music experiences, be it through choir classes offered at Junior Cycle or involvement in the fifth year musical.
At Senior Cycle, the skills, knowledge and attitudes acquired at Junior Cycle are developed further in preparation for the Leaving Certificate. Students undertake 5 lessons a week, and skills in composition, performance and listening are further enhanced. Music technology is studied at a deeper level, while performance studies remain central to class based activities. Senior music students are expected to contribute in an even greater way to the musical life of the school.
The School Orchestra comprises students from all years, and all levels of instruments are welcome to join. The orchestra prepare each year for Department of Education and Science Examinations, and perform regularly at events throughout the school year, including the annual Carol Service.
Brenda McNulty
5th year Art students host an annual exhibition for their families and staff and students- We believe every student should get the chance to work on a canvas during their study of art and this project while challenging is rewarding and most enjoyable. As part of history of art studies, students have an ‘Arty Party’ where they assume the roles of famous artists and copy some examples of their work, then present the ‘masterpieces’ at a party where they discuss their influences and contributions to art.
Each year several of our students go on to study art at third level. We liaise closely with the various art colleges so that we give advice and information on the wide range of career options available in the areas of art, craft, design, architecture and multimedia.
Dympna Smith
Carolyn Marren
Joanne Whelan
The Business Department provides:
- Junior Cycle Business Studies
- Transition year modules in Enterprise Education, Business and Economics
- Senior Cycle Business
- Senior Cycle Economics
This subject provides an understanding of how business operates in both the national and the international environment. Students study:
- Concepts of Entrepreneurship
- Management
- Company formation
- Marketing
- The role of all government legislation affecting business
- The EU
- International trade and Globalisation
Dympna Smith
Carolyn Marren
Joanne Whelan
This subject is divided into:
Micro Economics – dealing with individual consumers and producers and Supply and Demand in the market place
Macro Economics - examines the major economic variables, national income, exchange rates, taxation and inflation.
This subject is offered as an option for Leaving Cert in St. Joseph of Cluny. The majority of students are encouraged and supported to take the subject at Higher Level whenever possible, by the Physics Department. There is a strong tradition of Physics in the school and almost all students take their chosen Senior Science subjects at Higher Level.
- Leaving Certificate Physics is actively a ‘hands on’ subject in St. Joseph of Cluny.
- Over the past few years we’ve entered lots of different types of competitions, with good success!
- Our Physics highlight has to be our winning global entry to the NASA/AMES Space Centre, Florida. The brief was to design a space settlement which would house 10,000 human beings, which once launched would never return to Earth. We entered the competition with three boys from Blackrock College. They took ‘First’ place and won a fabulous trip to NASA where they briefed NASA employees including astronauts on their design.
- Other successes included our winning entry in the ‘Life in the Universe’ Competition, organised by the European Commission for Nuclear Research. Sara Byrne and Aisling Deasy won a week at the CERN Science Facility in Geneva as part of their prize.
- We were runners up in the Science for Life Competition organised by BAYER and were highly commended by the Guinness Living Dublin Awards for our science board game. We were also highly commended for our Paper Clip Physics entry.
Hilary Gale
Robert Browne
Naomi Torpey
Biology is the study of life, in all its weird and wonderful forms, and all of life’s essential processes. The subject incorporates zoology (the study of animals), botany (the study of plants), microbiology (the study of micro-organisms), genetics (the study of inheritance and variation among living organisms), ecology (the study of how living organisms interact with one another and with their environment) and biochemistry (the study of chemical processes that take place in living organisms).
In St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School, Biology is sampled by all students in modular format during Transition Year, and is taught as an option subject in Fifth and Sixth Year in preparation for Leaving Certificate. There are typically three Biology classes in each Senior Cycle year. The approach to teaching this diverse and fascinating subject is very much investigative.
The Biology teaching team use a variety of I.T. based methods to bring the subject alive in the classroom including slideshow presentations, animations and interactive computer simulations. A number of other audio-visual resources are incorporated into Biology classes, including models, demonstration exercises and DVD excerpts. With Killiney Hill right on our doorstep and Sandycove or Dalkey beaches within easy walking distance, students are able to conduct a number of outdoor fieldwork activities to investigate the ecology of local woodland or seashore ecosystems. The Transition Year programme involves a trip to Dublin Zoo for an Animal Conservation and Extinction module.
Visits from external speakers and demonstrators are organised for the various Senior Cycle years to introduce students to real world uses and applications of Biological science, including a full-day workshop for Transition Year students on Forensics. The school’s well-equipped Biology laboratory allows students to carry out a wide variety of prescribed and non-prescribed practical activities including dissections, growing moulds and bacteria, working with antibiotics, isolating DNA (including their own), fermenting sugars to produce alcohol, examining very tiny cells under the microscope and using hormones to speed up the growth of plant seeds. Students are required to maintain a laboratory notebook in which they record all of the mandatory practical activities prescribed for the Leaving Certificate programme. These notebooks are assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the Senior Cycle.
Breda Wolohan
Deirdre Fahey
There are two newly refurbished, modern Home Economics kitchens in the school. Each one is designed so that there are ten, well equipped units. There is also a Textiles room for sewing and crafts.
Home Economics (Social and Scientific) at Senior Cycle is an option for all students regardless of whether it was taken at Junior Cycle. This course also has a practical aspect to it. Students have to do cookery assignments and complete a practical journal which accounts for 20% of the Leaving Certificate mark. The majority of this work is done in 5th Year. In 6th Year option work can be Social Studies, Textile Studies or Home Management.
Astrid Coleman
Joyce Byrne
Pauline Rooney
We study History to learn how we became who we are today – studying the lives of people in the past helps us to understand how other cultures and countries have developed and what our place is within the world. History is a compulsory subject for Junior Cycle. All Transition Year students do a seven week module in History and the subject is offered as an option subject in the senior cycle. Students are brought on at outings at both Junior and Senior Levels and visiting guest speakers help to bring the subject to life for students.
The study of History enables students to develop invaluable skills such as a capacity for independent thought, organisation of ideas and an ability to reach balanced conclusions, all of which are highly sought after in many careers. The Leaving Cert History syllabus was redrafted and was first examined in 2006 – the new course and its wide and diverse choice of topics for study coupled with the freedom each student has to select a research topic from any historical period, has meant that Leaving Cert History has become increasingly more relevant to today’s world and has been greeted with great enthusiasm by teachers and students alike.
Both courses facilitate a variety of approaches to the teaching of History and a wide range of sources (written, pictorial, audio-visual and digital) are used.