Leaving Cert 2012-13 *OFF-TOPIC* (hideaway) thread

YoursSincerely

David086 wrote: »

Anyone see the point in christmas exams? with it being so close to the mocks it doesn't make sense to me.

My "Christmas exams" were the first week back after Halloween so that they wouldn't be close to the mocks, The teachers still insist on calling them Christmas exams even though they happen at the start of November!

Eurovisionmad

David086 wrote: »

Anyone see the point in christmas exams? with it being so close to the mocks it doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah having them now isn't a great idea, but I think getting them in November is worthwhile, like it would totally freak me out if the Pres were the first comprehensive indication (and the last before the real thing) of how you stand and what you need to improve on!

Jackobyte

3rd and 6th years don't have formal in-house exams at Christmas in my school, though some teachers opt to have their own end of term tests during class time of that subject anyway.

Also, school Christmas tree went up today.

bluejay14

Jackobyte wrote: »

Also, school Christmas tree went up today.

Ours is starting to look really christmassy aswell. We've got a crib, the SVP giving tree, another Christmas tree, a snowman, a reindeer, an elf and another cardboard Christmas tree, a big present and a gingerbread man. Everytime I go by the gingerbread man all I can think of is "Not the gum drops!"

Carol service is this Friday aswell. I never really care a whole lot about the religion but I have a serious soft spot for Christmas carols.
Word on the street is that confessions are tomorrow which I'll be avoiding like the plague for sure.

And "Friendship" week starts on Thursday. Yea you heard me: "Friendship Week". I can see where they're coming from but seriously, we're not 8 years old anymore. I hated it last year.

HugsiePie

Yee get a school tree, aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww.

Eurovisionmad

Ye get any Christmas decorations? In fairness though if the put them up in our school I'd give it 20 minutes before they're totally destroyed!

bluejay14

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

Ye get any Christmas decorations? In fairness though if the put them up in our school I'd give it 20 minutes before they're totally destroyed!

Well one tree is outside the offices steal the decorations from it at your peril. Its a fairly small tree, I'm taller than it and its not real either.

The second tree is the SVP Giving tree and 1. it's outside the staff room, again I wouldn't risk it 2. It's behind a rope barrier yoke 3. Who robs the decorations from a tree that's used to donate Christmas presents to children?

The third tree's decorations are painted on.......

HugsiePie

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

Ye get any Christmas decorations? In fairness though if the put them up in our school I'd give it 20 minutes before they're totally destroyed!

Well the class council member can bring in (or anyone for that matter) can bring in a few decorations for their homeroom, last year the class council member for my class brought in one of those 1 foot tree things. Other than that, I don't think there are any decorations in the school, the 1st and 2nd year art classes might do something Christmas themed, put it up around the art room, maybe. We do Christmas carols and SVP and a Christmas mass, but other than that, it's like it's any other time of the year.

ray2012

YoursSincerely wrote: »

I agree it's way to sensitive of an issue! Some people might take serious offence to it. I am surprised they are teaching it in school to be honest!

I can't see it coming up as it would be a really hard topic to go on about (with the amount of vocab you need and all that kind of stuff), but I don't see the 'sensitivity' of it determining whether it comes up or not. I realise maybe some of the girls doing the leaving cert may have had an abortion or something, or whatever, but aren't drugs/alcohol/abuse another real topic that may have a chance coming up? they would be all considered sensitive topics for some also, as ones relatives may have passed from drugs/alcohol, the student themselve could have been/being abused..

I just don't see how people can COMPLETELY rule it out because of it's sensitivity to some people. If it did actually appear, I'd say very little people would opt for the option of taking it as you'd have to had prepared it really well before-hand.

HugsiePie

Oh any A students in Spanish, how do you do it? I'm currently at B1 standard and for my leaving I REALLY WANT THE A! Seriously I put in so much effort and getting the B1 is like a kick to the teeth. I was BRILLIANT at the start of 5th year and then I kind of went on a decline, I need to get back up there.

PLEASE, CAN SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!

ray2012

oh while I think of it, how to people cope with nerves during the oral exams? Even just class oral exams? We have them maybe once a month in Irish, and I am usually fairly good at them, but my nerves (even though it's not even the real thing!) hold me back from getting the high B or A in it. I seem to just forget almost all of the handy phrases I learned the night before, and which I knew off the back of my hand the night before. I get awful nervous and stutter my words, it' fairly crazy! Well after all that, how do you others cope with nerves (if ye get them) during the oral exams? Looking for a bit of help with calming them, before AND during the exam. I tried the whole thinking it's not important and telling myself I'll do grand, but it didn't really help. :P

Again, how do ye cope with the nerves? NEED SOME HELP

BobbyPropane

ray2012 wrote: »

oh while I think of it, how to people cope with nerves during the oral exams? Even just class oral exams? We have them maybe once a month in Irish, and I am usually fairly good at them, but my nerves (even though it's not even the real thing!) hold me back from getting the high B or A in it. I seem to just forget almost all of the handy phrases I learned the night before, and which I knew off the back of my hand the night before. I get awful nervous and stutter my words, it' fairly crazy! Well after all that, how do you others cope with nerves (if ye get them) during the oral exams? Looking for a bit of help with calming them, before AND during the exam. I tried the whole thinking it's not important and telling myself I'll do grand, but it didn't really help. :P

Again, how do ye cope with the nerves? NEED SOME HELP

Alcohol.

CookieMonster.x

bluejaymraz wrote: »

Ours is starting to look really christmassy aswell. We've got a crib, the SVP giving tree, another Christmas tree, a snowman, a reindeer, an elf and another cardboard Christmas tree, a big present and a gingerbread man. Everytime I go by the gingerbread man all I can think of is "Not the gum drops!"

Carol service is this Friday aswell. I never really care a whole lot about the religion but I have a serious soft spot for Christmas carols.
Word on the street is that confessions are tomorrow which I'll be avoiding like the plague for sure.

And "Friendship" week starts on Thursday. Yea you heard me: "Friendship Week". I can see where they're coming from but seriously, we're not 8 years old anymore. I hated it last year.

We also have friendship week and other weeks dedicated to different things. It's *tries to find word to describe them*.. Fun..

ray2012

BobbyPropane wrote: »

Alcohol.

Don't know if going in with a scent of vodka would help ! :pac:

Eurovisionmad

ray2012 wrote: »

I can't see it coming up as it would be a really hard topic to go on about (with the amount of vocab you need and all that kind of stuff), but I don't see the 'sensitivity' of it determining whether it comes up or not. I realise maybe some of the girls doing the leaving cert may have had an abortion or something, or whatever, but aren't drugs/alcohol/abuse another real topic that may have a chance coming up? they would be all considered sensitive topics for some also, as ones relatives may have passed from drugs/alcohol, the student themselve could have been/being abused..

I just don't see how people can COMPLETELY rule it out because of it's sensitivity to some people. If it did actually appear, I'd say very little people would opt for the option of taking it as you'd have to had prepared it really well before-hand.

Obviously it's not impossible that it would come up, but in Ireland abortion is such an emotive issue in any form the second it's mentioned you have a group of pro-abortion and anti-abortion people bellowing at each other from either side of a TV studio, so even if the SEC wants to be impartial; one side will surely accuse the SEC of "trying to indoctrinate the young" or something mad like that. All I'm saying is that I won't be preparing an essay on it. There's at least 3 other essays anyway and on top of that, it'll surely be something to do with abortion in the case of a threat to the life of the mother and then you could go off in a tangent about the health system in Ireland and how it failed Savita Hallapanavar, it wouldn't be perfect but it would certainly do!

ray2012

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

Obviously it's not impossible that it would come up, but in Ireland abortion is such an emotive issue in any form the second it's mentioned you have a group of pro-abortion and anti-abortion people bellowing at each other from either side of a TV studio, so even if the SEC wants to be impartial; one side will surely accuse the SEC of "trying to indoctrinate the young" or something mad like that. All I'm saying is that I won't be preparing an essay on it. There's at least 3 other essays anyway and on top of that, it'll surely be something to do with abortion in the case of a threat to the life of the mother and then you could go off in a tangent about the health system in Ireland and how it failed Savita Hallapanavar, it wouldn't be perfect but it would certainly do!

Sounds like a perfect debate title. But yeah, I hope it doesn't come up, find it really tough to think of proper points and the vocab necessary!

iLikePiano99

BobbyPropane wrote: »

That's the fella from last king of scotland Is it?

Yupp, thats the very guy. and he was the Fawn, Mr. Thumnus in Narnia and he was also in Atonement.

11Charlie11

ray2012 wrote: »

oh while I think of it, how to people cope with nerves during the oral exams? Even just class oral exams? We have them maybe once a month in Irish, and I am usually fairly good at them, but my nerves (even though it's not even the real thing!) hold me back from getting the high B or A in it.[/B] I seem to just forget almost all of the handy phrases I learned the night before, [/B]and which I knew off the back of my hand the night before. I get awful nervous and stutter my words, it' fairly crazy! Well after all that, how do you others cope with nerves (if ye get them) during the oral exams? Looking for a bit of help with calming them, before AND during the exam. I tried the whole thinking it's not important and telling myself I'll do grand, but it didn't really help. :P

Again, how do ye cope with the nerves? NEED SOME HELP

I think you shouldn't learn off new stuff the night before as you only end up getting confused whereas If you've already learned it you feel a lot more confident going in to the exam

thehammer69

hey guys getting really anxious about the xmas exams !!!! just wondering how long other people are spending each night thru study and h.w??.thanks!:D

Captain Hman

Anyone going to the ' carol service ' in their school ? I know i'm not, I went in first year and it was awful

Found This Fork Sir

thehammer69 wrote: »

hey guys getting really anxious about the xmas exams !!!! just wondering how long other people are spending each night thru study and h.w??.thanks!:D

So far I've been doing absolutely nothing and just about managing to keep the grades up by doing homework in the morning bus ride :cool: We already had xmas exams and I got half and half A's and B's, although one of my friends spends hours upon hours every night since fifth year studying and is getting around the same, so I'd say it's really down to how you learn and your own learning pace.
That being said, I intend to do after school study after Christmas and actually do some work, so I can turn the B's into A's, the orals are a weak spot for me

ray2012

Found This Fork Sir wrote: »

So far I've been doing absolutely nothing and just about managing to keep the grades up by doing homework in the morning bus ride :cool: We already had xmas exams and I got half and half A's and B's, although one of my friends spends hours upon hours every night since fifth year studying and is getting around the same, so I'd say it's really down to how you learn and your own learning pace.
That being said, I intend to do after school study after Christmas and actually do some work, so I can turn the B's into A's, the orals are a weak spot for me

This is what I hate :pac: In some subjects I'd study really hard from maybe a week before the exam, and try and understand it at all. I'd come up with a B2(75%) say, and I'd be really happy and proud with it, but then another lad comes out with an 80% with doing very little and like no study, just drives me mad sometimes. :L I'm that person that it takes around a half an hour to learn one simple definition. :P

thehammer69

You sound just like me!!

BobbyPropane

iLikePiano99 wrote: »

Yupp, thats the very guy. and he was the Fawn, Mr. Thumnus in Narnia and he was also in Atonement.

My friend sent me this link earlier while he was looking for a maths answer

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120223121749AAKNZgP

Tut tut cheater

YoursSincerely

Captain Hman wrote: »

Anyone going to the ' carol service ' in their school ? I know i'm not, I went in first year and it was awful

I love my schools carol service, wouldn't miss it for the world, especially since its my last one

bluejay14

Captain Hman wrote: »

Anyone going to the ' carol service ' in their school ? I know i'm not, I went in first year and it was awful

I love the carol service! And seeing as I'm in th choir we get to sing the carols while standing slap bang in the middle of the Cathedral altar.


"Ring Christmas bells......"

HugsiePie

Captain Hman wrote: »

Anyone going to the ' carol service ' in their school ? I know i'm not, I went in first year and it was awful

Never have, never will, they try to coax you into donating money to the school (caught me off guard once), however the school makes us go to Christmas mass and sit through an an endless array of songs performed by the "special" choir

"Special" meaning people who can sing

HugsiePie

bluejaymraz wrote: »

I love the carol service! And seeing as I'm in th choir we get to sing the carols while standing slap bang in the middle of the Cathedral altar.


"Ring Christmas bells......"

Do you go to my school?

Eurovisionmad

I love our school's Christmas Carol Service, both the choir and orchestra play at it along with some very musical people, it's amazing! This is gonna be the first year I'm not going to be playing with the Orchestra, it'll be weird just looking up and watching them!

Colm!

I wish I could say the same as ye but my school doesn't have the same caliber of general musical awesomeness; certainly not an orchestra and choir anyway.
Though at a school like Eurovisionmad's I'm sure they'd have a hell of a carol service.