Students from St Mary’s High School warmly welcomed Mr Paul Clark from UTV to present them with the recently re-accredited UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award at Level 2. The Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. The Level 2 Award is the highest accolade given by UNICEF UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life. Currently there are over 300 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have received the Level 2 Award. When St Mary’s High School students were re-accredited at Level 2, they were thrilled as they are only the second High School in the UK to reach this stage. Mr Paul Clark congratulated the students at assembly as well as taking time to speak to the many Student Voice Groups within school and commended them on their sterling work in raising awareness of the rights of young people at local, national and global levels.
St Mary’s High School was among 52 organisations celebrating Investors in People (IIP) accreditation at a presentation ceremony held at Belfast Castle in September.
"People’s strengths, ambitions and ideas are the engine of success. IIP accreditation signals St Mary’s commitment to good business and people management excellence.”
“The event today allows those businesses being recognised to celebrate the achievement of the IIP Standard and again recognise the benefits to be gained through the continued investment in the skills and effectiveness of the people within an organisation, whether large or small.”
Paul Devoy
“The IIP Gold Award recognises and values the commitment by staff to ensure high quality professional development which is a catalyst for excellent learning and teaching and pupil progress.” Principal Margo Cosgrove
Mark Huddleston, Northern Ireland Commissioner (IIP)
Staff and students at St Mary’s High School delight in celebrating another successful year where the 'A' Level students exceeded the excellent standards of recent years. Principal, Mrs Margo Cosgrove, expressed her congratulations to everyone concerned “These superb results reflect the students’ dedication and commitment to their studies and I am delighted at the effort made by all to reach their full potential and achieve such great success. As ambassadors and role models in the school they have had a very positive impact on school life through ‘Student Voice’ demonstrating their fine leadership qualities.” The Principal also acknowledged the hard work, excellent teaching, pastoral support and the dedication and support from staff and parents. She continued by praising the successful collaborations with, St Mark’s High School, St Colman’s College and Southern Regional College which has ensured students are enjoying 'A' Level success through a wide range of academic and vocational subjects.
St Mary’s High School students celebrate another very successful year where the high standards have been exceeded with an increased number of students achieving the top grades at GCSE. The staff is delighted by the outstanding results achieved by the students which consistently outperform the targets set for non-selective secondary schools across Northern Ireland. Mrs Cosgrove praised the students, teachers and parents, commenting, “These excellent results are very well deserved, reflecting everyone’s hard work and commitment not only after five years in St Mary’s but also keeping in mind the sound foundations laid in our “feeder” primary schools. Our parents can certainly enjoy their daughter’s success as their support, encouragement and loyalty to St Mary’s has been outstanding. We also commend the achievements of the students who are involved in the collaboration with Southern Regional College. This collaboration has enriched the vocational opportunities for the students and has encouraged a breadth of study of Applied and Vocational Subjects.”
In September, St Mary's celebrated The Junior Presentation Award Ceremony. The ceremony celebrates the many achievements of those students who have completed Key Stage 3. Principal, Mrs Cosgrove, congratulated the girls on their magnificent Junior results. She commended the hard work of the teachers, pupils and thanked parents for their support. "There is indeed no secret to academic success – it is the result of working to the best of your ability, attending school and being focused on class work and homework. The students have definitely lived up to the school motto Optimum Semper Facere - “always to do one’s best.” The guest speaker Miss Naoimh Larkin praised the achievements of the students for their many successes, academic, pastoral and sporting. She spoke warmly about her experiences as a student and encouraged the students to work hard, aim high and follow their dreams.
Present and past students of St Mary’s High School celebrated their achievements at the annual Presentation Evening in November. Courtney Keenan, Head Girl, welcomed the guests who included members of the Board of Governors, Primary School Principals, Representatives from Danske and Bank of Ireland, parents, pupils and the guest speaker Mrs Patricia Cox LLB. Mrs Cox congratulated the students on their excellent GCSE, GCE Advanced Level results and on their many curricular and extracurricular achievements. Her inspiring words encouraged the students to nurture the values and opportunities they have experienced and enjoy the rewards of an excellent education. Mrs Cosgrove, Principal commented that in St Mary’s, “We are maintaining our high standards and all departments continue to drive whole school improvement to ensure success for each and every student. Coupled with our strong community links, we are ensuring pupils are equipped with the necessary skills and qualifications to confidently take their place in Higher Education and the working world. This is a night of great celebration, a time to reflect on the many achievements: academic, pastoral, musical and sporting.”
St Mary’s launched the new School App, created and designed by EdTap Creations. This multi-functional software will enable staff, pupils, parents and wider community the opportunity to be fully updated on the life of the school, its policies and procedures. One of the major benefits of this technology is to increase communication and strengthen the links with businesses and the community.
The new Year 8 pupils in St Mary’s enjoyed an action-packed week of drama, dance and music, during the annual Summer Scheme, directed by the Sheridan Stage School. The students availed of the opportunity to challenge their dance, singing and drama skills in this fun filled production.
St Mary's welcomed a very special guest, The Apprentice Candidate, Grainne McCoy, who popped into St. Mary’s to see our Year 9's creative work. In English classes pupils had to design, brand and pitch their own sweets – a challenge Sir Alan Sugar set his candidates in the show! Grainne spoke to all girls involved, praised their ideas and provided them with lots of tips and encouragement.
In November, The Apprentice contestant, Grainne McCoy returned to St. Mary’s and delivered an inspirational and motivating presentation to Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils. Grainne outlined her successful journey thus far in the challenging world of business and encouraged our students to work hard to achieve their ambitions. Pupils and staff alike were impressed by her ambition and drive and she reflected her passion to succeed. At that time there were still a number of weeks remaining before the final of the Apprentice and staff and pupils wished her every success. Grainne did not secure Sir Alan Sugars investment in the final but has continued to flourish and strive in her career and we wish her continued success.
In November, Malachy Nixon from ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ came into school to present to our Year 9 students the signs and symptoms of cancer. Malachy highlighted many important issues such as; what to look out for, types or cancer and the various treatments available and spoke of the strategies that young people can put in place to prevent cancer along with the importance of living a healthy active lifestyle. In June, Mrs McGinn and 3 members of the SNAG Team travelled to Lisburn to receive the GOLD award from Action Cancer. The award was in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the SNAG Team of promoting healthy lifestyles within St. Mary’s. The girls were presented with a beautiful plaque and a cheque for £200 from Zoe Salmon and members of the Action Cancer Team. A great day was had by all and it is a wonderful accolade for the school.
In February, the team from “Love for Life” visited St Mary’s to deliver a personal development programme to all Year 9 and Year 11 pupils. The focus of the Year 9 programme was ‘Izone’ which focused on the value and uniqueness of individuals and identifying pressures placed on young people. The Year 11 presentation was entitled ‘Icebergs and Babies’ and it dealt with the importance of maintaining healthy relationships and strategies to promote selfconfidence. It was a great morning and the feedback from pupils was very positive!
In March, our SNAG Team enjoyed a great day out as they attended the 'Teenage Health Kicks Fair' in Newry Library. The girls received lots of great information on choosing healthy lifestyles and they got to try on goggles that show the effects of alcohol. The team then enjoyed lunch in The Boulevard followed by frozen yoghurt in Frisco's, a lovely healthy alternative to ice-cream but even tastier!
Seven girls from across the year groups took part in a 3 week programme, “Taking Back Control.� The programme was designed to provide young people with tools and techniques to help manage emotions and provide them with life skills. They engaged in brainstorming sessions to understand stress, emotions and normalising reactions. They had the opportunity to learn about aromatherapy and make their own Bach Flower remedies. The girls explored the world of mindfulness and techniques of relaxation to use in everyday situations. Well done to all the girls who fully embraced the programme. Thank you to Alicia and Ruth from Action Cancer for facilitating.
In February, in association with Allstate, Mr Phillip McTeggart (Mindskills) delivered a powerful presentation on positive mental health and well-being to Year 14 students. Through this @Mindskills03 presentation, Phillip is working to keep young people positive, strong and confident.
St Mary's celebrated a Health and Fitness Day with the whole school community joining in on the fun activities. Our PE Department welcomed Danielle Gilmore who held hip hop classes for our KS3 pupils and Geraldine Kilcoyne and Geraldine McAleenan from Sculpt who held an afternoon of fitness for our KS4 and KS5 students. The activities were a fun and exciting way to get pupils active and highlight the importance of lifelong physical activity. We would like to thank Sculpt and Danielle for a wonderful day of activities.
St Mary's SNAG Team were also busy organising some healthy treats for staff and pupils. Everyone enjoyed sampling smoothies, fruit kebabs, vegetables and hummus and guessing the identity of some exotic fruits. SNAG are committed to encouraging healthy lifestyle and healthy eating with the aim of promoting our students’ selfconfidence. SNAG would like to sincerely thank Madeline McCrink from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) who visited the school, for the financial support and also appreciation for her support in encouraging students to adopt healthy eating and lifestyles. The day was a great success and further enhances our school theme of "positive well-being and self-care".
St Mary's staff and pupils welcomed the Makaton Choir from the Laurels Centre in Newry to perform their wide array of festive songs. This talented group of performers used Makaton, a language programme that uses signs and symbols that help people communicate. The pupils were delighted to see the choir in action and were thoroughly entertained by this wonderful group who performed a range of Christmas carols and festive tunes.
Congratulations to our Year 14 Business Studies students who set up a cake stall in Buttercrane as part of their coursework. This year the two classes ('For Goodness Cakes' and ‘Jingle Bell Cakes’) had a very successful day selling all types of tasty treats. Sincere thanks to everyone who purchased the delicious range of cakes or kindly gave a donation. A total of ÂŁ600 was raised and all proceeds from the day were donated to school supported charities including PIPS, Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and The African School Project. The girls also donated some cakes to The Simon Community. A special thanks to staff and students of St Mary's who so kindly supported the girls in their business venture and helped make the day such an overwhelming success and to Buttercrane for giving the girls this fantastic opportunity. Well done to all involved.
Congratulations to students Orlagh Maguire (Year 8) and Niamh Connolly (Year 11) who received gift vouchers at assembly in recognition of their wonderful efforts in promoting the PTFA's cookery book. The book is currently on sale from the school office.
In March, to celebrate “Fairtrade Fortnight” and “International Women’s Day” Year 10 were treated to a talk from Graeme Finnegan from Grounded Espresso Bars, Newry. He gave a very informative talk on ethical Fairtrade practices. With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day. With simple shopping choices you can get farmers a better deal. And that means they can make their own decisions, control their futures and lead the dignified life everyone deserves. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. It’s about supporting the development of thriving farming and working communities that have more control over their futures and protecting the environment in which they live and work. St Mary’s would like to thank Maeve McParland at Education 2 Employment for making this possible.
Throughout the year, many departments organised educational visits for the students. They enjoyed trips to the theatre, cinema, outdoor adventure parks, caves, bowling, ice skating and trampolining to name but a few. All of these wonderful experiences go to prove there can be a lot of learning outside the classroom too!
Our Year 8 students got into the Halloween spirit by enjoying a trip to the Ulster American Folk Park. A brilliant time was had by all!
A tremendous day was enjoyed by our Year 12 pupils at Dundonald International Ice Bowl. Both staff and students had a great day ice skating and bowling. A very enjoyable experience for all.
A highlight of second year is undoubtedly the annual trip, and this year pupils headed to London. The enthusiastic students planned all year for this exciting trip. The pupils visited the London Eye, Thorpe Park, The Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and attended the West End Musical ‘Wicked’. The girls and staff thoroughly enjoyed the trip and have many precious memories of their time in London.
In March,1029 attended a showcase of school projects in The Marketplace, Armagh. This showcase was organised by Different Lenses, History and Digital Storytelling 2017. Back in November, Miss Bartlett, Mrs Mallon and Mr Twohig attended a course in Dublin and the planning for our project on Patrick Rankin began. The girls were then trained in the Green Screen app thanks to The Amma Centre, Armagh and this enabled them to create a movie highlighting the important part Patrick played in Newry's local history.
In May, Miss Bartlett, Laura McNamara and Olivia Pentony took part in the Batlle Fields Project, organised by the Education Authority. Pupils from 17 schools around Northern Ireland journeyed to France and Belgium to visit sites and cemeteries of WW1. Some sites visited included Thiepval Memorial, Connaught Cemetery, Langemark German Cemetery and the Island of Ireland Peace Park. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the grave of Willie McBride, made famous by the song, “The Green Fields of France�. The group was also honoured to attend the ceremonial burial of Private Henry Parker at Warlencourt Cemetery, who died in action on the 26th September 1916, when his battalion was attacked near Martinpuich, France. The whole visit was an amazing experience and the group made memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
In March, our BBC School Report Team visited BBC Blackstaff House, Belfast to take part in the BBC School Report Newsday live broadcast. The programme which was attended by numerous schools, aired live on the BBC NI Facebook page, BBC Red Button, and the School Report website. It involved a panel of experts discussing some current affairs and our girls were given the opportunity to ask questions. Topics discussed were the impact of Brexit, Enterprise and Business in NI, the impact of social media bullying on teenage mental health and esteem and the question; are schools ignoring creativity and becoming more academic? It was a wonderful experience for our pupils to participate in and experience a live TV programme.
St. Mary’s staff and pupils were proud to support St. Patrick’s Junior Choir, Drumgreenagh who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. The group, featuring our very own Molly Morrison and Mrs Williams’ daughters, competed for a place in the live finals! Although they did not reach the finals the group were amazing and the experience for the children and their families is one that will never be forgotten! Well done to all involved – a fantastic achievement!
A group of 6 students from the Rights Respecting Council attended a ‘Young People Using their Rights for Change’ seminar in Belfast City Hall. The event allowed the students to express their views to policy makers on a range of areas from education to mental health. UNCRC Article 12 – Every Child has a say in matters affecting them.
As a Rights Respecting School and to coincide with Year 10's study of Democracy in Action, St. Mary’s was delighted to host a morning about the role of women in politics. In November, Gillian Fitzpatrick, Chairperson of Newry Mourne and Down Council and Sinead Bradley MLA and past pupil of St. Mary’s, delivered a workshop to pupils about their experiences of political life. The pupils had the opportunity to ask questions and to meet with local representatives. It was an enjoyable and informative morning.
Congratulations to all our pupils who entered the Environmental Poster Competition. Pupils were delighted to receive certificates of achievement from Newry, Mourne & Down District Council, recognising the hard work and designs of the pupils.
Congratulations to 0905 who won the competition to design the 2017 Eco Code for the school. Such creativity! St Mary's are a proud Eco School and have been awarded two Green Flags #beepositive EcoSchools Northern Ireland Official
St. Mary’s have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award thanks to the environmental education programme, Eco-Schools. The Eco-Schools programme inspires and empowers pupils to be leaders of change in their community. It helps them learn about sustainable living and global citizenship and so will benefit their school, local environment and wider community. St. Mary’s pupils have been learning about and targeting a range of topics through Eco-Schools including Healthy Living, Global Perspective, Biodiversity, Litter and Energy. Eco Schools Coordinator Miss McCann said, “It is wonderful that we have been able to achieve our third Green Flag; recognition of the hard work and dedication of staff and students alike.”
Pupils and staff enjoyed a wonderful day of music, dance and song to kick off St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Our 'Dance for Africa' Day included Irish dancing in the assembly hall under the guidance of the very talented Mrs Mallon, beautiful Irish traditional music from Mrs Tennyson and St Mary's Traditional Group, singing from Mrs McCaughey and Miss Bartlett and then some our staff brought festivities to a close with their own version of Riverdance. Many thanks also to our Home Economics Department and SNAG Team who supplied a fantastic spread of cakes, buns, scones and fruit kebabs. Well done to everyone involved in a fun filled day and most importantly we raised money for two very worthy causes, The Zambian Street Children and African School Project.
Congratulations to Lauren Mulligan who achieved overall maximum marks in CCEA GCSE Art and Design 2016. Lauren is currently studying A Levels in Art, Mathematics and Health and Social Care in St Mary's.
Congratulations Congratulations to pupil Rachel to pupil Rachel Crossey Year 12, Crossey who Year 12, who participated participated in in The Special The Special Olympic OlympicRegionals in Lisburn in Regionals in February. Lisburn inRachel achieved February.Gold in the Bowling Rachel achieved Tournament Gold in the and also Gold in Bowling Gymnastics. TournamentWe and are proud alsosoGold in of her success. Well We done Gymnastics. Rachel. are so proud of her success. Well done Rachel.
Well done to our Year 12 Drama students who performed 'Daisy Pulls It Off' for their GCSE Drama Moderation. An amazing performance that was thoroughly enjoyed by staff and students.
A lucky group of Year 10 and Year 11 Drama pupils had a terrific afternoon in Belfast’s Grand Opera House watching ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. It was an amazing production with a very talented cast. The pupils were delighted they had the opportunity to meet some of the actors after the performance! A fantastic day was had by all.
In March, two Year 13 History pupils were invited to participate in the Lessons from Auschwitz (LFA) Project. The project was run by the Holocaust Educational Trust and involved a one-day visit to the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz – Birenau which is situated in Poland. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the principal and most notorious of the concentration and extermination camps established by Nazi Germany to implement its Final Solution Policy (the aim was the mass murder of the Jewish people in Europe). More than just a visit to Poland, this was a journey of learning and exploration about the history of the Holocaust and the world we live in. Niamh and Natalie both found the experience extremely challenging and emotional but ultimately very rewarding. They were glad they could avail of this once in a lifetime opportunity and found the whole experience very worthwhile.
Year 8 students attended the Young Enterprise 'Your School Your Business' seminar held in St Mary's. Students were given an opportunity to learn about enterprise capabilities, reflect on their own capabilities and set goals for the future. They also learned about different jobs within the school, teaching and non-teaching and were introduced to the idea of the school as a business. The morning culminated in the groups applying their enterprising characteristics to problem solve. A fun learning experience had by all!
Year 9 pupils at St Mary’s High School were working with local charity, Young Enterprise, developing skills for a future in business. Taking part in the ‘Explore Enterprise Programme’, students explored creative thinking, team working and problem-solving in a practical session held by the charity. The Programme was assisted by volunteer Seamus Murphy from Murphy Properties, Newry lending his experience to the session. The charity works with young people of all ages and abilities to encourage entrepreneurial qualities at a young age.
St Mary's welcomed Roisin McFeely from Amazing Brains to host workshops with our Year 8. The Amazing Brains concept is that every student, through effort and hard work, can achieve great things. The Year 8 programme has been designed to captivate, motivate and educate young people about their brain and learning. It aims to create a success-oriented mind-set amongst students, boost academic performance and foster a positive, lifelong attitude to learning. Parents also were given the opportunity to attend an evening seminar to enrich their knowledge about strategies to support their children with home school study.
In November, much fun and learning was had by our Year 8 and 9 pupils as they participated in the ‘Bin It’ roadshow, an event held in St Mary’s to focus on environmental awareness. The event involved an interactive drama presentation highlighting the causes and consequences of litter dropping. The roadshow was funny and enjoyable but conveyed a very serious message. We hope it will inspire pupils and staff to be more conscious about littering in the future and in particular about dropping chewing gum, which is an ongoing issue in our streets today.
In November, Year 9 and 10 pupils attended a unique event organised by The Schools University Partnership Initiative, hosted by Queen’s University Belfast. The girls enjoyed mechanical engineering, drama workshops and attended a lecture informing pupils of the opportunities available to them in higher education. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Year 9 and 10 Science pupils attended the second SUPI event organised by Queen’s University Belfast and hosted by Newry High School. Pupils were involved in Engineering and Pharmaceutical workshops.
2017 has proven to be another successful year in the Speech and Drama Feis for St Mary’s High School. Entering a range of competitions that tested their performance skills in different ways, the students showed their versatility and commitment and were rewarded accordingly. Winners from Newry Feis 2017: Over 11 and Under 12 Poem 2nd Kayla Keighery 3rd Rebecca Brannigan O.12 and U.13 Poem 3rd Katie McGuinness O.13 and U.15 Poem 2nd Molly McCartan 3rd Olivia Pentony Good Conversation 1st - Ellan Madigan, Courtney McEvoy, Molly McCartan, Caoimhe O Hare 2nd - Sarah Hughes, Oriah Coleman, Katie McGuinness, Eve McGrath 3rd - Megan McCann, Ellie O’Hanlon, Molly McKevitt, Erin McLoughlin Public Speaking 1st - Caragh Coyle, Ellan Madigan, Molly McCartan, Oriah Coleman 2nd - Rebecca Goodman, Niamh Bradley, Oriah Coleman, Maya Lane 3rd - Megan McCann, Ellie O’ Hanlon, Erin Mc Loughlin, Sarah Hughes *Caragh Coyle was awarded The Newry High School Shield for best speaker in the competition Choral Speaking 1st - 0827 who are the first ever winners of The Ethel Fitzpatrick Memorial Trophy Congratulations to pupils Ellie McKevitt and Sarah Hughes who were successful at Newry Feis in March. Ellie received first place and a cup for her Test Piece, placed 2nd for Favourite Poem and 2nd for Scene for Two. Sarah won 1st place for her Scene for Four. The students attend Speech and Drama classes outside school and we in St Mary’s congratulate them on their successes.
Once again, our pupils performed brilliantly at Warrenpoint Feis which took place in February. Katie McGuinness placed first in the Year 8 and Year 9 competition. Two of our first years, Sasha Stirling and Jessica Campbell both were placed third. In the Year 10 category Olivia Pentony gained first place and Katie Sands was awarded second place. The girls were all terrific and did themselves and the school proud. Well done!
In May, the final of the Key Stage 3 Spelling Bee Competition was held and it was the culmination of months of work by the pupils and English Department in St Mary’s. All pupils in Key Stage 3 took part in class heats throughout the year during English class and the finalists from each class were selected for the final stage of the competition during the Literacy Week celebrations. The finals were truly tense, competitive and resulted in a great deal of nail biting as spellers battled it out to claim victory! All finalists received a certificate and the overall winner from each year group was presented with a plaque. Congratulations to all who took part a fantastic competition for competitors and audience – well done! Year 8 Winner: Maria Fojut Year 9 Winner: Katie Grant Year 10 Winner: Lauren McCaul
In conjunction with St. Patrick’s Festival of Faith, Newry parish held an essay writing competition for local schools on the theme of St. Patrick and living out our faith. Bronagh Gorman won in the KS3 section, and Molly McCartan in KS4. They are pictured receiving their prizes from Canon Brown and Deacon John McClelland. Well done girls!
In October, our Year 8 pupils and form teachers welcomed The Logos Ministries to St Mary's. They held a workshop with our Year 8's based on identity and selfesteem. The pupils really enjoyed this experience.
St Mary's welcomed representatives from The Samaritans for a special assembly to highlight the great work carried out by the charity. Year 10 pupils participated in the annual Samaritans Towpath walk to help raise funds. St Mary's were delighted to present a cheque for ÂŁ600 to Kathleen and Eileen who were extremely appreciative of the funds raised.
The RE Department in St. Mary’s proudly celebrated the achievements of nine Year 14 pupils who received the Pope John Paul 2 Award for voluntary work carried out in their parishes and local communities. The award requires a total of 40 hours voluntary work and the girls received their awards at a special ceremony in Banbridge Parish Centre. The girls who received the award are: Colleen Anderson Cliodhna Doherty Courtney Keenan Caoimhe Morgan Elsa Nasibi Sinead O’Hare Amy Redmond Ciara Scott Sara Thompson Many congratulations girls!
In March, Bishop John McAreavey celebrated Mass in St. Mary’s with the school leavers. He wished them success in their A Level exams and in their future studies and career paths. On behalf of the students, Head Girl Courtney Keenan presented him with a gift to thank him for his visit. Bishop McAreavey also celebrated the achievements of nine Year 14 pupils who have received the Pope John Paul II award for voluntary work carried out in their parishes and local communities.
The Art Department were delighted to welcome the charity 'Blind Children UK' to St Mary's. The workshop gave our Year 10 pupils an insight into working with a visual impairment. This year the Year 10's were working on textured mats and feeling books to help young people understand the process of daily tasks through touch. This was a fantastic experience and encouraged pupils to realise the value of sight.
In March, the Art Department were delighted to welcome The Guide Dogs charity. The organisation held a workshop for all Year 10 pupils, giving them opportunities to work with canes, dark glasses, braille and texture, providing an excellent insight into the many obstacles that can affect the visually impaired. The girls were given the opportunity to create beautiful textured books and mats that would encourage visually impaired children to explore the world around them. The pupils’ work was outstanding and the year group thoroughly enjoyed creating for such a worthy cause.
St Mary's Library kicked off celebrations to mark 100 years since the birth of the world's number one storyteller, Roald Dahl. Year 8 pupils participated in a quiz in the library and Year 9 pupils were involved in creating their own version of Mrs Twit's eyeball cakes in Home Economics, straight from the book, The Twits. All activities were designed to celebrate the life of the acclaimed author.
Our Year 8 pupils visited Newry Omniplex for a special viewing of the newly released film, The BFG. Staff and pupils thoroughly enjoyed the special treat which fell on Roald Dahl Day. This trip continued St. Mary’s celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth.
The annual book fair arrived in the school library showcasing a great selection of books for students and staff to browse. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.”― Charles William Eliot
In English all of Year 8 created spooktacular Halloween Projects. The standard was extremely high and we are delighted to have so many talented and creative students. Three prizes were awarded in each English class – Best Front Cover, Most Creative Project and Best Overall. Well done to all winners!
The Year 8’s turned into detectives for a Murder Mystery Maths Lesson. They had to use their problem solving skills to successfully detect the murderer! A great effort by all students and they correctly identified the culprit. Also well done to Mrs McCloy who was the staff winner of the Numeracy Competition. Congratulations everybody.
Primary 6 pupils from St. Joseph’s Primary & St. Patrick’s Primary Newry visited St. Mary’s for an interactive Maths Fun Day. All students took part in a variety of Maths challenges to win points for their teams. The day was a great success thanks to the wonderful students who took part.
In March, St. Mary’s celebrated Numeracy Week. This was a wonderful week filled with Numeracy activities which came to an end with KS3 pupils enjoying a Maths TV Quiz Show Day. Year 8 – Catchphrase Year 9 – Pointless Year 10 – Big Fat Maths Quiz of the Year Throughout the week pupils were set challenges and enjoyed interactive games to develop and promote their Numeracy skills in a fun, positive way. A fantastic week for staff and pupils! Well done to all involved.
A team of students were announced as finalists in the SUBWAY® brand’s Design a Sub challenge. The challenge for budding entrepreneurs was to design and market a brand new 6-inch Sub or flatbread, based on the theme of #LiveFresh. The St Mary’s High School team consisted of five students: Caitlin McCann, Hannah Kelly, Molly O’Reilly, Blaithin Rogers and Niamh McAlinden. The creative students produced a unique Sub named ‘Meet the Caveman’, designed to be both a healthy and nutritious sandwich option, created for the SUBWAY® brand’s Low Fat Subs range. The pupils faced a nerve-wracking Dragon’s Den style pitch to a panel of SUBWAY® brand experts in Belfast in February. Mr Adam Twohig, Business Teacher at St Mary’s High School, said: “We are so proud that our students have been shortlisted as finalists in the challenge. The team has worked really hard to create their Sub and it has been a great opportunity for them to put their business skills to the test.”
In February the team received warmest congratulations as they were placed 3rd in the SUBWAY® brand’s Design a Sub challenge. Mr Twohig said, “We are so proud that our students came third in the challenge. The team worked extremely hard to create their Sub and it has been a great opportunity for them to put their business skills to the test." Fantastic achievement by all involved!
Our Year 10 students enjoyed an informative day learning about career options to help them make informed choices. Students set goals and planned their next steps to prepare them for life beyond education. Through hands-on fun, practical activities, Learn to Earn explores themes such as career choices, personal skills and talents, recruitment and job interviews, salaries, earnings, tax and the costs of living, financial planning and budgeting.
Pupils from St Mary’s and Newry High School explored enterprise and employment opportunities within the Digital Industries with local charity Young Enterprise NI. One hundred students from Year 10 took part in the master class event designed to inspire young people to consider a digital future career as they heard from Young Enterprise business volunteer Ruth Strong, who, as part of a judging panel, deliberated over business concept pitches from students. The charity works with young people of all ages and abilities to encourage entrepreneurial qualities at a young age.
As a Rights Respecting school St Mary’s is committed to promoting the rights of children throughout the world. Key Stage 3 pupils, as part of Citizenship, took part in the ‘World's Largest Lesson’. Students followed a series of lessons on ending world poverty which is one of the 17 Global Goals the world’s leaders are committed to addressing by 2030. Pictured are Citizenship Coordinator Miss Síle Bartlett and pupils, Anastacia Mulligan, Caitlin Caven, Olivia Pentony, Erinn McAteer and Shannagh Meade.
Our GCSE Home Economics students enjoyed another successful year of practicals, cooking mouthwatering starters, main courses and desserts. Pupils were also assessed on their organisational skills, time management and of course the final outcome. A wonderful display of pupils’ skills.
Congratulations to our GCSE Design and Technology students who have excelled in creating some wonderful designs for their GCSE projects.
Our Year 8 RE classes learnt about the life of St. Brigid and Mrs Woods, School Counsellor, visited RE classes to teach the girls how to make a St. Brigid’s cross. Pupils and teachers had good fun learning a new skill and everyone got a cross to bring home.
Year 8 pupils enjoyed a fun filled day of ICT and Drama workshops. Pupils participated in a programming session where they developed and implemented coding to instruct a robot to manoeuvre a race course. Sincere thanks to James Connor from Sentinus for a very enjoyable and productive day. The girls showed some very impressive ICT skills and they enjoyed learning new skills and technologies. We eagerly look forward to our next ICT events in the coming year. The Drama sessions included singing and dancing, acting out some Christmas disaster scenarios and finished with some choral work. Many thanks to Mrs Williams and Mrs McCaughey for organising the events.
From Monday 27th February to Friday 3rd March, we celebrated all things Literacy through a range of Literacy activities. Staff and pupils alike took part in competitions and quizzes that tested their Literacy knowledge. A special assembly started the week, reminding pupils of the importance of Literacy and the benefits of reading. Pupils and staff recorded a special video to showcase how much fun and enjoyment reading can be. Heats for our first ever St. Mary’s Spelling Bee got underway and Twitter accounts were incredibly busy with all departments tweeting Literacy messages. KS3 pupils took part in a Sponsored ReadOn in aid of the Street Children Appeal and World Book Day was celebrated in style. It was an eventful day in school with many strange characters roaming the halls (teachers really got into the spirit of the day)! We also welcomed two local authors, JS Comiskey and Garry McElherron, who through lively discussion entertained a range of pupils, discussing their passion for writing and their novels. Year 8 pupils took part in a book themed table quiz and all pupils were invited to cast their vote for their favourite costume. A special well done to Mrs Morgan and Mrs Williams who were voted best dressed. The week ended with a special assembly, led by our talented Year 8 pupils. Each form class had been tasked with writing a Literacy poem; they then created videos and displayed them in assembly. The poems were exceptional and Mrs Cosgrove had the very difficult task of choosing a winning class. A fantastic effort by all classes with special congratulations to 824 and Mrs Kearney, who scooped the prize. The winners of our staff and pupil quizzes saw Katie O’Hare 0823 and Mrs Haddad win prizes and the Literacy hamper raffle winners were announced; Mrs Morgan, Emily Anderson and Jessica Campbell. A super week all round.
The annual Christmas Hamper appeal in aid of St Vincent de Paul, saw pupils, staff and parents donate over 40 hampers this year. A cheque was presented to Louis O'Donnell from the Newry SVP Society. Special commendation went to the senior students from the Fundraising Committee who organised the campaign throughout the school.
In developing our global outreach, St Mary’s is actively working with Fr Donall O’Cathain SMA to support the development of education in Africa. As a Rights Respecting School, St. Mary’s is keen to improve the life opportunities of children in developing countries by supporting quality education. Fr Donall visited St Mary’s to attend a special assembly where he spoke to the school community of the progress made in developing education in Africa. He praised the work of the students through their fund raising activities and curriculum links. To date St Mary’s has raised £35,000 to support Fr Donall in his school building programme. Fr Donall presented St Mary's with a magnificent crib which was created and assembled by his mother.
Congratulations to 0904, Miss Bellew and Mrs O'Hara who organised a cake sale in aid of The Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal. A grand total of £275 was raised. Many thanks to all for supporting this very worthwhile cause.
In November, St Mary's were delighted to present a cheque for £500 to PIPS. Money was raised through our Health and Wellbeing Day, which was organised by our PE Department, Home Economics Department and SNAG Committee. PIPS provides an invaluable service to our community, which we at St. Mary’s are committed to supporting. Pictured are the pupils who raised the most money during the event and Shane Murphy, Representative from PIPS, Mrs M Cosgrove and Miss D Crawley.
Mrs Kearney and 0824 held a cake sale in November to raise funds for the Zambian Street Children Appeal. In December, we welcomed Barry Traynor to school and presented him with a cheque for £700. Pupils and teachers generously supported this good cause and Barry was spending the month of January in the shelter in Kitwe where he could ensure the money was put to very good use. St. Mary’s is very proud to support Barry’s work with this fantastic project. Well done 0824! Barry Traynor also spoke about a recent visit to The Friends of Africa Street Children Project in Kitwe Zambia. Barry came to thank the school for their contributions and staff and pupils were delighted to see the impact of our fundraising efforts and we are more determined than ever to continue this good work. Lots of fundraising events took place throughout the year with huge thanks to all the parents and friends of St. Mary’s who were so generous in supporting our fundraising efforts for such a great cause. Mrs Tennyson began this coin collection last year when Barry picked up 8p from the ground and explained how that money could buy medication in Zambia to save a child dying from malaria. Many thanks to Barry for his time and he certainly gave us all something to think about and be thankful for! Staff and pupils collected supplies that Barry could take back to the children in Zambia. The appeal was a huge success and these supplies will benefit the children who receive them more than we could ever know. Well done St. Mary’s.
Mrs Morgan and pupils from the Senior Fundraising Committee organised a whole staff coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Everyone in school participated, donating very generously to help improve the lives of all those people affected by cancer. The girls also helped in organising a cake sale and selling treats to raise those all-important funds. A total of ÂŁ500 was raised. Congratulations to the Fundraising Committee and also Mrs Morgan on such a fantastic effort and huge thanks to all those who donated.
Along with the traditional coffee and croissants the committee decided to add a little bit of fun to spice up their fundraising attempts. They hosted a lunch time sale of chocolate and strawberry marshmallows, chocolate and toffee apples together with other treats for the pupils. A cheque for ÂŁ500 was presented to Mrs Martha McGrath from the Newry and Mourne Macmillan Cancer Support Group by Mrs Pauline Morgan, Senior Teacher, Mary Kernan, Shannon Kavanagh, Shannon Mynes and Lottie White, members of the Year 14 Fundraising Committee are also pictured above. Well done to all involved and a big thank you to all who donated to this very worthy cause.
St Mary's Random Act of Kindness Week took place in February and everyone joined in to spread St Mary's message of #BeePositiveBeeKind. Huge congratulations to Mrs Novaski and our Rights Respecting School Council for a wonderful week of activities including the delivery of compliment cards, gifts and the week culminated in our ‘Kindness Karnival’. Mrs Novaski and the School Council treated us to a morning full of fun activities and carnival games, face painting and tasty treats including icecream, chocolate fountains, popcorn and candy floss. The week also tied in with Internet Safety Week. Some of our Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils gathered together to create a smiling emoji. This Internet Safety Week, everyone was encouraged to make the internet a better place. #giveasmile #bethechange #RandomActofKindness #BeePositiveBeeKind #RAK2017
In May, students, parents, families and staff all gathered together to say an emotional farewell to our Year 14 girls. A beautiful mass was celebrated by our School Chaplain Fr. Corr. We wish the girls success and every good wish for whatever path they now choose to follow. Everyone in St Mary's would like to thank the girls for 7 wonderful years.
After a ceremony of mixed emotions St Mary's bid farewell to our Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, Rights Respecting School Council and Sports Captain 2016-2017 and welcomed our new team of girls who will hold these special posts for the new school year. We are proud to announce that St Mary's new Head Girl is Aoibheann O'Hare. Fainche Lennon and Seana Gribben have been appointed as Deputy Head Girls. Jessica Watters has also been appointed as Sports Captain. St. Mary’s staff and pupils wish the girls the best of luck in their new roles for the coming year and know they will be fantastic representatives for our school. We would also like to thank our outgoing Year 14s for all their hard work and commitment to their posts throughout the year.
St Mary’s Senior Netball team made history by winning the inaugural Northern Ireland Senior B League final. The team faced Victoria College Belfast in the first ever Senior B League final at national level. An exciting game of netball gave the St Mary’s side the platform to demonstrate their skill and pace across the court. Lara O’Neill was awarded the coveted Player of the Match award for her efforts on court. Fantastic team – well done!
Congratulations to Paidi Feehan, Year 8 student who excelled in The All Ireland Gymnastics Competition in Derry. Paidi was placed 1st on bars, 1st on floor, 1st on fault and 3rd on beam. She is also the all-round champion in the 10plus group, all round champion in the competition and handstand champion 2017. Paidi's gymnastics squad Excel also placed 3rd overall.
Congratulations to Jessica Watters, Year 13, who was selected onto the Ulster Colleges All Star Panel as an Under 20 Gaelic football player for her school. This is such an exciting opportunity for Jessica who is only 16 years old and comes after a successful season with Armagh and a Senior All Ireland Club campaign with Shane O'Neills, Camlough. Jessica is also a talented sports star, excelling in many sports We are so proud of Jessica and her achievements. Well done!
The PE Department welcomed Neal Sommerville from the Sea Cadet Unit, Kilkeel to school in January to speak to a group of Year 9 pupils. Information was provided on the many exciting opportunities the pupils would have if they were to take up a place with the Kilkeel unit. Young people can take part in all kinds of competitions from power boating and sailing, to football, music and drill, plus learn nautical skills as they complete their training. Not only will it be fun, but the new skills will definitely give them a head start in life and boost their confidence. A fantastic opportunity!
1108 and Miss Murray took an exciting opportunity to take part in a Sailing Taster session organised by the Loughs Agency and the Sailing Club in Carlingford, Co. Louth. Instructors introduced key sailing terms and techniques to the group before they were set free onto the Lough to find their sea legs! They worked in small teas to steer their boats to shore before finishing the day with some daredevil moves, diving from Carlingford Pier. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
In October, our PE Department hosted visiting Netball squads from Calrossy Secondary Girls School from New South Wales, Australia. This was an exciting event as the Australian side were able to demonstrate a different style of skill, fitness and team play that challenged our players throughout their matches. This was an exceptional contest with St Mary's edging out for a win!
Year 10 pupils took participated in The Schools Golf Tournament for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust at Cloughoge Pitch & Putt club. The event was to celebrate the club’s 50th Anniversary. Congratulations to Julia Szlufik who finished runner up for the ladies’ prize. A fun filled, fantastic day was had by all.
In May, our Art Department celebrated their annual exhibition by inviting pupils, parents and guests to view and appreciate the many GCSE and ‘A’ Level Art works. The invited audience were impressed by the high standard of work and praised the talents of the students. Well done everyone.
Meet our new Pupil Literacy Team – Amanda Markune, Grainne Smith, Rebecca Brannigan, Maria McDonnell and Gabriele Ladukaite. These 5 fantastic pupils have been selected to report and review for our school Newsletter. The girls interviewed, investigated and reported on a number of issues. Here they provide us with a unique insight into their own experience of first year in St. Mary’s and provide some invaluable advice for our new Year 8 pupils in September. Well done girls!
Gabriele Ludukaite – Before I started secondary school I was afraid I wouldn’t have any friends,
would have more homework and that the teachers would be really strict, but on the first day there was someone from my old primary school so I had a friend and then we met more people and made more friends. One of the things I found difficult was getting to know the pupils in my class to try and make friends and get to know everyone. The advice I would give to new first years is that they should be brave. They don’t have to be afraid because no teacher or student is cruel or mean and you will love St. Mary’s.
Rebecca Brannigan – Before I started St. Mary’s, I was frightened and scared of making mistakes, but I didn’t have to worry that is part of learning. There are some subjects I find hard like Maths, Science and Geography but the teachers are there to help. The subjects I have loved are Music, Art, LLW, English and History. The advice I would give to new first years is that they should know we have a 2 week timetable with different subjects each day over the 2 weeks. This is important to know.
Amanda Markune – Before I started secondary school I was really worried that I wouldn’t make
friends. I was scared that people would pick on me, but my first day in St. Mary’s was good because I met lots of new people and the teachers were really nice. I found it really difficult to find my way around the school at the start of the year but we had guides to help us. At first it was difficult making friends because I was really shy but that soon changed. I love Music because we learn how to play the piano, recorder and the tin whistle. My advice to new first years is don’t be shy or worry and to make lots of friends.
Maria McDonnell – Before I started secondary school my main fears were finding my way around the school and packing my bag for the wrong day, but the older students and teachers helped us with this. Our timetables came in handy too. My first day was far better than I expected, everyone was welcoming and it was really good fun switching between classes. That is a big change! Your homework diary is great for keeping track of when homework is due. I have so many highlights in St. Mary’s; trips, clubs I joined, becoming prefect and getting pupil of the month are just a few. My first year has been amazing! My top tips are not to worry, everyone will help you settle in. Just be organised for each day.
Grainne Smith – Before I started secondary school I was afraid about making friends, getting the bus,
what the teachers would think of me and if I could complete the work! But my first day was a blast! The teachers were incredibly nice and the other students were amazingly helpful. During my first year in St. Mary’s I have been part of many fun days, intriguing trips and the Dance for Africa Day. They were all fantastic. My advice to the new first years is to work hard and seize every opportunity they have to succeed. Also, don’t worry about what people might think of you, just be yourself. Be respectful and behave, just treat people the way you would like to be treated.
Good morning miss, we are here today to talk
Team in the school. The 50th anniversary was
to you about your time in St. Mary’s.
a big time in school and I helped to organise
o
it. We had a big Gala Ball which I had to
Tell us a little about when you first
organise. Also a trip that we had with Year
started in St. Mary’s. What was it
14s to Alton Towers. And also I think having
like?
the opportunity to help so many charities in
Okay well I started in St. Mary’s in
school, particularly the Christmas Hampers
September 1982 – 35 years ago. The
for SVDP, which is always a highlight every
principal was called Mrs McMahon and the Vice-Principal was a nun called Sr. Regina. There were no computers in
year. o
Oh my goodness, well…I won’t miss travelling
school and the Music room was actually
90 miles every day, I won’t miss having to get
where the fitness suite is at the minute.
up at quarter past 6 every morning and I
This room (Room 21) was an ordinary
won’t miss marking ‘A’ Level coursework – yes
classroom and where Technology is, was a dining hall and also a classroom! It was cleared out at lunchtime and people went
(nodding). o
I think being able to have time for family and
didn’t go to the canteen and all the
friends and not being restricted by time,
teachers parked out the back in a small
being able to do things when I want to do
area. What subjects did you teach when you first started? Did you have a form
them. o
I am because I am going to have lots of
I taught a subject called Commerce and
holidays when everyone else is in school and
I taught Typewriting, so we had type
lots more time with my family and friends and
writers upstairs in Room 7 Miss Mohan’s
in particular with my new little
room. I had a Form Class every year and Class was Mrs Novaski. I also taught Religion. o
What are your highlights from your time in St. Mary’s? Oh highlights…becoming Head of the Business Studies Department and then becoming part of the Senior Management
Are you looking forward to your retirement?
class?
actually one of my pupils in my Form
What will be the biggest change to your life?
in and ate their lunch in there, they
o
Is there anything you won’t miss?
granddaughter. o
Any words of wisdom or advice for new teachers starting out in St. Mary’s? Work hard, live well and laugh often.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today and we wish you every success in your retirement.
Good afternoon Hollie, we are here today to talk to you about the life of a GCSE student o So Hollie, you have almost completed the first year of your GCSE courses. How have you felt the year went? I think the first year of my GCSEs was good but there are things I could have done better and things I would improve on now when I look back. o Can you explain to us what subjects you chose and why these in particular? Okay, well in GCSE there are 2 choices, Track A and Track B and you get a choice of subjects. I chose Business Studies, LLW and BCS and GCSE PE. o Which are your favourite subjects and why? My favourite subjects are probably Business Studies and Religion, because I am interested and keen to learn what they are and more about them. I love both of these subjects because there is always something more to learn and the teachers I have make the classes enjoyable. o What do you think are the biggest challenges facing GCSE students? Emm…The biggest challenges facing
GCSE students is probably the stress and pressure that is put on. 4th Year is a huge year, but if you do it right by keeping on top of your work and doing what has to be done then you can’t go wrong. It’s all the teachers, they don’t mean to pressure you but they do and it’s all the work. But if you keep doing what you have to do it’s easy. o To quote Rihanna - Is it really all “work, work, work, work, work” Hollie? Honestly yes (laughs) if you don’t do what you have to do. I keep saying it but it’s true. If you don’t start where you mean to go on then that’s you for the rest of the year, playing catch up. No, it’s not all work, but it can be if you leave things to the last minute. o What strategies do you use to achieve the best marks you can? I don’t really have any in particular so here’s a bit of advice instead. Basically, get stuck in, start as you mean to go on, do what you have to do, think positively and surround yourself with the right people who will guide you and lead you in the right direction and support you. Thank you so much Hollie for taking the time to talk to us today and we wish you every success in your further studies and GCSE’s.
Good morning miss, we are here today to talk to you about your time in St. Mary’s. o Tell us a little about when you first started in St. Mary’s. What was your role? Okay I don’t know if you know this or not, but I actually came here on my teaching practice, whenever I was training to be a teacher. So I came in and I was working alongside Mrs Foster and Mrs O’Hare, and they were training me in how to be a teacher in Home Economics and they showed me the ropes and then I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to come back here and then I was working in the Home Economics department. o What is your favourite subject to teach and why? I teach Home Economics (because it is the best subject – smiles) and it is my favourite subject because it allows everyone to have the opportunity to work practically and it allows for the theory side as well and allows people to be very creative and to have lifelong skills for the future, so it is a very important subject and that is why it is my favourite. o What are your highlights from your time in St. Mary’s? Oh, I have so many highlights from my time in St. Mary’s! Every day there is something new happening but one day that stands out for me would be Fruity
Friday! Do you remember that day? (Team nod and agree) We had the fitness and then people came up to Home Economics and you would learn about all the fruits and vegetables we had and all the different ways to have them in your meals. I just really enjoyed it because everyone was so happy and energetic that day and it was a lot of fun! o What have you learned about your job since starting in St. Mary’s? I have learned that my job isn’t just about teaching class, about taking lessons, there is so much more. You have to work alongside other staff members; you have to help pupils when they need it, maybe even out of class. So there’s a lot more on top of just teaching, but they are all very rewarding and that’s why I actually love being a teacher. o Any words of wisdom or advice for new teachers starting out in St. Mary’s? Just that it is one of the best schools that you could ever work in. I am actually very jealous that I have to leave and that new people have to come in! but just that they shouldn’t be nervous, they should really relish in the thought of coming here because all pupils and all staff are so lovely and supportive that you never feel alone. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today and we wish you every success in your career.