GUIDANCE & COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT

JANUARY ACTIVITIES SUMMARY

JANUARY

  • CAO application, One to one meetings with all 6th years.
  • Eunicas personal statements to finish.
  • SUSI Grant applications.
  • DARE applications with students by appointment for 1 hour session.
  • Open Day attendance.
  • Continued visiting speakers to DGS from main feeder colleges and PLC colleges. 
  • 6th years one to one appointments for pastoral counselling.
  • Stress Management and Mindfulness group sessions for 6th years.
  • Continued Counselling, OT, CAMHS, GP referrals.
  • January UCAS deadline for personal statements.
  • January 20th CAO online deadline for discounted rate.
  • Personal EIS statements to be completed in one to one sessions.     
  • Pastoral counselling continues.
  • 6th Years results of mock exams evaluated and goal setting.

FEBRUARY & MARCH ACTIVITIES SUMMARY

  • Individual appointments for TY year regarding Aptitude assessments. 1:1 sessions to interpret and deliver results to students.  Emphasis is on building esteem and confidence while highlighting aptitude for chosen careers.
  • TY projects to be completed.
  • PLC applications with 6th year students.
  • Eunicas applications with 6th years and personal statements and interview preparation.
  • HEAR and DARE applications to be completed.
  • PLC Open Days.
  • PLC applications prioritised (online).
  • PLC interview preparation one to one.
  • Apprenticeship applications assistance.
  • Subject choice and levels assistance with 5th, 6th years post Mock exams.
  • Start Subject choice with TY students.
  • Further student reference and personal statements preparation for Eunicas.
  • Grant SUSI applications.
  • TY assessment group interviews.
  • Inspection of research projects.
  • Pastoral counselling appointments continued.
  • Interviews and portfolios preparation for restricted courses.
  • Grants – SUSI applications open.
  • Financial support for further study via bursaries applications.
  • Interview assessments for Transition year students regarding career project.
  • To complete personal statements, CV’s and student references.

What mental health supports are available during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Please see link below,

mental-health-supports-covid-19

Effective Study: A Resource for Parents

Dear Parents

You may find this useful and you may find that it would be more beneficial at a time of readiness.  Take care of you and your family and if you have queries or concerns please contact me at c.finegan@droghedagrammarschool.ie

This resource page for parents is based on the content of another resource page for students. 

 
Clearly, parents and guardians have an important role to play in providing a suitable environment within which students may study and learn. However, with increasing age the responsibility to direct their own studies will fall more and more on students themselves. The role of parents will tend more towards encouraging, facilitating and supporting good study habits and routines, and will be less directive.  
 
The student resource sheet includes a number of underlying assumptions, such that students will:
 
  • be self-directing and will have made some progress in their studies
  • aspire to what effective and efficient students do in their studies
  • consult important people in their lives when in need of help and encouragement
  • have access to a competent guidance counsellor
 
Some students find it easy to study effectively. They are the fortunate ones. They have found ways of learning more in the limited time available. 
Other students, however, don’t reach their full potential when studying. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes the reasons are quite complicated and students will need the help of parents to seek solutions. 
Listed below are issues that can help, or hinder, effective study. The lists are presented as a quick reference guide to help you and your young person to think about study and to encourage them to deal with any of the issues that might arise. 
It is suggested that, if problems with study still exist after trying and discussing some of the listed items, the student’s guidance counsellor be consulted.  
 
For convenience, the issues listed in the student resource sheet at are grouped under the following categories: 
 
 
When to ask for help?
 
Having spoken to your young person about the issues listed above, you might find that they wish to improve the way they study or:
  • Some of the ideas have been tried and don’t seem to work
  • They are confused by the number of possible things that can go wrong
  • They need further information about any of the ideas
  • They need help in making a start
  • They need someone to check that what they’re doing is effective.
These are the kind of issues that many students face and the guidance counsellor can help to sort out. Having spoken to their subject teacher, students can make an appointment to speak to their guidance counsellor who is there to help those who, having tried to study effectively, wish for encouragement, guidance and help in seeking improvement.