St. Michael’s Secondary School follows the Curricular programmes set down by the Department of Education and Science, which may be amended from time to time in accordance with the Education Act 1998 (Sections 9 and 30).
The following subjects are offered:
- Art
- Business Studies
- C.S.P.E.
- Careers Information & Wellbeing.
- English
- French
- Geography
- German Home Economics
- History
- Irish
- Maths
- Music
- Physical Education
- Religion
- S.P.H.E.
- Science
- Spanish
The Principal allocates students to classes subject to demand and resources.
Students take Junior Certificate Examination at the end of Year 3.
Some students also take the JCSP Programme.
What is JCSP?
JCSP stands for the Junior Certificate School Programme. It has been running in St. Michael’s for a number of years now and it is growing every year. It is targeted at Junior Cycle students. It’s main focus for the three years is to improve literacy and numeracy skills of our students in a fun and interactive way. Group work activities and school outings are all part of the programme with exam focus for our Junior cert students. We look forward to our annual celebrations at Christmas and Summer where students are rewarded certificates and awards for all their hard work in their subjects.
1st year in JCSP
In the first year of the JCSP programme our students take part in multiple teamwork activities. These activities are based around the transition from primary to secondary school, making the students feel welcome to St Michael’s and helping them settle in. Our students take part in a paired reading programme with the help of some Transition Year students who were previously part of the JCSP programme.
2nd Year in JCSP
In the second year of JCSP our students focus on improving their literacy skills. The students participate in an Accelerated Reading Programme which monitors students’ progress in a digital way, by monitoring individual word count and overall books read. This initiative is both based on individual and teamwork and students are rewarded for their progress and participation. Our 2nd Year JCSP students participate in the Make a Book project from February until March. Make a Book is an annual celebration of reading, writing and the creative imagination of students and teachers involved in the Junior Certificate School Programme. The first exhibition was held in the Writers’ Museum in 1999 with just 22 schools. Since then the project has gone from strength to strength, exhibiting in Dublin City Council’s Civic Offices on Wood Quay. When the students have finished the project they will be given the opportunity to view their finished book in the Civic Offices in March. The project can range from writing one big book or everyone writing their own individual books. There can be huge, three-dimensional books or small beautifully crafted books. We are very much looking forward to what the students come up with.
3rd Year in JCSP
In the third year of JCSP our students focus on improving their numeracy skills. Our students carry out multiple numeracy skills that will help them in daily activities for example, shopping on a budget, booking a bus, train, flight, and learning how to manage money. From Christmas until the mock exams the students take part in study skills workshops, creating revision and study timetables and each week they focus on a different study technique. This initiative continues after the Mocks until May. We aim to give the 3rd year JCSP students the best possible preparation for their Junior Cycle. We are sure they will make themselves proud!