Saintfield High Newsletter October 2013

Saintfield High School October 2013

SHS Newsletter No. 42

Hello mums and dads, girls and boys, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone within our school community, as we reflect on what has been a busy, productive and overwhelmingly positive start to the new academic year, 2013-2014.

I am delighted to welcome Mr D Bolton to our teaching staff. Mr Bolton joins the school’s Technology & Design department. I am also delighted, of course, to extend a warm welcome to all the boys and girls in our Year 8 who have made such a tremendous start to their school career. I have enjoyed watching them settle into the routine of school life with the greatest of ease.

This newsletter serves as an encouraging reminder of the dizzying breadth of activities that take place in our school each day. I would encourage all our pupils to take full advantage of our extensive extra-curricular activity programme - there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Our aim is to make this yet another successful and rewarding year and I look forward to meeting all parents/carers during our many and varied school events.

V Watt Principal

Dates for your diary

Mid-Term break ~ 28 October – 1 November (inclusive) Prize Day: ‘Celebrating Success’ ~ Thursday 21 November (10.30 – 12.30) ~ school closes at 12.30) Year 8 Parents Consultation ~ Thursday 28 November (3.15 – 5.15pm) Year 11 Parents Consultation ~ Thursday 5 December (3.15 – 5.15pm) Year 12 Parents Consultation ~ Thursday 12 December (3.15 – 5.15pm)

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This year’s annual Macmillan Coffee Morning was held on the 30th September, and was a great success, raising a total of £147.00 for a very worthy cause. Teaching and non-teaching staff enjoyed coffee and calorific treats in abundance! Thank you to all who contributed.

As part of Saintfield High School’s induction programme for new students, each Year 8 class spent a morning at Dundonald Ice Bowl in September. This was a great opportunity for pupils to get to know each other, enjoy each other’s company and form meaningful friendships. Mrs Derby, who organised the event, remarked that the event was “a huge success – everyone had plenty of fun”.

Saintfield High School continues to report excellent records of attendance, with an excellent 94.1% for the academic year 2012/2013.

The class with the highest record of attendance for 2012/2013 was last year’s 9MC, with pupils achieving an impressive 96.5%. Congratulations to these students, and their Form Tutor Mr McCracken, who celebrated with a well-deserved pizza and DVD afternoon.

The school is delighted to announce the appointment of Prefects for the academic year 2013/2014. Our Head Boy for this forthcoming year is Daniel Weir of 12CH, and our Head Girl is Rachel Martin of 12CH. Deputy Head Girls are Sara Cathcart and Victoria Cordner of 12CA, and Deputy Head Boys are Adam McNamara of 12BI and Neil McKeag of 12CH. The above pupils are ably supported by a team of eager and talented Prefects: Giorgia Montgomery – Prefect responsible for school marketing Alanna Milligan – Mentor for 8DY Chloe McClure – Mentor for 8JA Luke Gibson – Mentor for 8JA Rachel Freil – Mentor for 8MY Andrew Woods – Mentor for 8MY Ms Watt, Miss Hynds and all the teaching staff of Saintfield High School wish our Prefects good luck for the academic year. We are confident that our boys and girls will make great ambassadors for the school.

Ms. Watt and Miss Hynds, pictured here with Saintfield High School’s Prefects for the academic year, 2013-2014.

GCSE English Literature pupils from Years 11 & 12, accompanied by their teachers, enjoyed an evening at the cinema on Thursday 18th October. They were there to watch the latest big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, staring Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth as the eponymous “star-cross’d lovers”. Ashleigh Ellis (12CH) said “I really enjoyed the new version. I think it will really help me with my Controlled Assessment.”

Pupils in Saintfield High School have once again participated in Praxis Care’s annual sponsored ‘Read It!’ campaign. Pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 undertook the challenge of reading as many books as possible in the month of October in order to raise vital funds for this very worthwhile mental health charity. Organised to coincide with World Mental Health Day and Children’s Book Week, the campaign aims to raise awareness of mental ill-health as well as promote literacy in schools.

2013 is the third year that Saintfield High School has supported ‘Read It!’ and this year we hope to beat last year’s total of £907.

Saintfield High School’s various football teams have made a successful start to the new campaign. Our new Year 8 team enjoyed a comprehensive victory against Glastry College in a highly entertaining match. The final score was 4-2, with our goals coming from Harry Bell, Curtis Ross, Ben Kennedy and Yasin Ouldhamlet. Team manager, Mr Elliott, also singled out Corey Pollock for special praise, awarding him the Man-of-theMatch prize after an impressive performance.

The School’s u-16 side also tasted victory early in the season, although by a narrower margin than their Year 8 counterparts, after they defeated Knockbreda High School 2-1.

After falling behind to an early Knockbreda goal, the team deserve a lot of credit for coming back and claiming the victory. Jack Miller equalised for Saintfield High School, before Ryan Bradley kept his nerve to score a penalty in the game’s dying minutes.

Thomas Beattie, playing as goalkeeper, deserves as much praise as the goal scorers for his impressive one-on-one save, whilst Reece Hands also caught the eye with an energetic midfield display.

Saintfield High School's History Department has enjoyed a busy start to the autumn term. Thursday 19th September saw a group of Year 12 GCSE History students visit Dundrum Castle. This trip enabled the pupils to complete part of their GCSE Controlled Assessment task.

Year 10 pupils also enjoyed a wonderful day out with their History teachers, as they visited the recently opened Titanic Belfast exhibition on Friday 25th October.

Mrs Cheshire, who organised the trip, explained that “visiting the Titanic exhibition really complemented the pupils' study of 20th Century history”, whilst Sam Duncan of 10DE said “I loved the Titanic centre! The best thing was the shipyard ride – it was great!”

Congratulations are due to the following students, who have been awarded the position of student Librarian in the school: Jordan Wilson (11JO), Megan Kyle (11JO), Matthew Betts (11GU), David Anderson (10MC), Adam Aiken (10MC), Elizabeth Martin (10MC), Rebecca Carney (10MC), Alice Tate (10MC), Claire Surgenor (10MC), Benjamin Franklin (10DE), Ethan Noble (10MC) and Anna Hamilton (10EL).

These pupils will be assisting Mrs Reid and the English Department over the next year in the running and up-keep of the school library.

A group of Year 11 pupils, accompanied by Mr Carter and Mrs Jackson, have enjoyed a number of interesting trips so far this term.

Visits to a specialist tomato nursery in Drumbeg and to the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute's Plant Testing Unit in Crossnacreevy have helped complement the pupils' studies on both their GCSE Agriculture and Occupational Studies (Horticulture) courses.

Year 11 pupils inspecting the work at a tomato nursery, during a recent visit.

Year 9 pupils had the privilege of seeing their poetry published this summer, following their entry into the Young Writers ‘The Poetry Games’ competition.

Twenty six pupils from Miss McGuigan’s English class had their creativity rewarded with a gold certificate and the chance to see their work in print. Each pupil was given the opportunity to purchase a copy of ‘The Poetry Games’ for their bookshelves at home, while the school was provided with a copy of the anthology for the school library.

Saintfield High School would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the pupils involved on their tremendous achievement. Schools from all over the United Kingdom participated in the competition, so it really was a marvellous accomplishment that so many pupils had their work selected for publication.

Miss McGuigan is now accepting entries for the next Young Writer’s competition, which is due to take place in the summer term.

Saintfield High School’s showjumping teams have made an encouraging start to the new season. Their winter league campaign began in earnest with a pleasing day’s performance at the Meadows Equestrian Centre on 22nd September. Further league dates are scheduled for Saturday 9th November, Saturday 14 December and Saturday 11th January.

The School was also represented at the National Balmoral event, taking place at the new Maze site. Special praise should go to the Open team, who finished 6th out of 29 teams in the Tack & Turnout event, and to Lauren Johnston (12CA) who achieved a double clear on the day. Congratulations to all involved.

Sixteen pupils from Year 12 have been meeting regularly since the beginning of term, in preparation for their Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition. These hardy souls, accompanied by Mr Adams and Ms. Watt, spent Friday 11th and Saturday 12th October braving the elements on the Mourne Mountains. The expedition was a roaring success, with all students performing well despite some rather inclement conditions.

Congratulations to all who took part.

Saintfield High School is celebrating! From 2004 – 2013 Saintfield High School has raised a staggering £77,901.79 for local and global charities. Mrs Derby (Charity Co-ordinator) stated that “paramount to our school ethos is a desire to encourage our pupils to look beyond themselves and their own personal situation, and to take time to consider and react to the changing circumstances around them. Within Saintfield High School we endeavour to foster a positive, caring environment and develop attitudes through which pupils may become responsible members of society.”

Our school is bursting with talent, and so each year the pupils embark upon a wide and contrasting range of activities in order to raise funds in an exciting, fun and innovative manner. Fundraising activities have included bag packing, talent shows, coffee mornings, pick a petal campaign, sponsored walks, bun sales, filling pencil cases, shoe box appeal, form class piggy bank collections and Christmas hampers to name but a few.

As a school community, Saintfield High School seeks to make a real difference in a meaningful and worthwhile manner to the world around us. So we say a huge well done and thank you to all within Saintfield High School, both past and present, for their generosity, benevolence and kindness.

The School choir have enjoyed a busy start to the academic year, as they prepare for a busy calendar of events in the coming months. They will be performing at the School’s Autumn Variety Show on 7th November, as well as at a number of festive engagements in December, including the Trinity Boardmills Christmas Service, and their now traditional Christmas performance at the Silver Birch Home.

The choir rehearse every Monday, from 2.40pm until 3.30pm. New members are always welcome.

Wednesday 2nd October 2013 saw a group of 25 year 12 pupils attend the annual LIFE Conference in Downpatrick. This provided pupils with the opportunity to reflect upon some highly relevant, moral issues.

Mrs Derby, Head of R.E. at Saintfield High School, is confident that this experience will prove valuable in preparing these pupils for their GCSE Religious Education assessments this year.