Pupils from Years 8, 9 and 10, along with their form

tutors and classroom assistants, took part in the

School’s annual sponsored walk in aid of Action MS on

Friday 30th March. Miss Harrison, who organised the

event, said “Yet again, I have been so impressed with

the amount of money our pupils have raised for such an

important cause. Delamont Park was a great venue,

too, for what was a highly enjoyable and worthwhile

morning for all those who took part.”

SAINTFIELD P.T.A

Congratulations to Miss Harrison and Miss Herron, who have recently been appointed to the School’s P.T.A. We wish them a successful time on the association. The PTA will soon be organising a sponsored basketball day, which will be held in May.

Congratulations to Jane Sofely of 12DE, who performed excellently at the recent Ulster Age Group and Youth Swimming Championships. Jane won an amazing 7 medals on the day. Five medals were for individual achievements (200 IM, 200 Back, 200 Free, 100 Back, 100 Free – silver & bronze) and two medals were for relay events (silver & bronze). Well done, Jane, and good luck for the future!

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S a i n t f i e l d H i g h S c h o o l S p r i n g 2 0 1 2

Dates for your diary School Closes ~ Wednesday 4th April, 12.20pm Summer Term commences ~ Monday 16th April Bank Holiday Monday (school closed) ~ Monday 7th May Years 8 & 9 End-of-Year exams ~ Tuesday 29th May—Friday 1st June Bank Holiday Monday (school closed) ~ Monday 4th June Bank Holiday Tuesday (school closed) ~ Tuesday 5th June Sports Day (weather permitting) ~ Wednesday 6th June Year 11 Work Experience week ~ Monday 18th June—Friday 22nd June Summer Term ends ~ Thursday 28th June, 12.20pm

Dear mums and dads, boys and girls, Looking back over the term, I am truly amazed by the number of significant achievements made by our school community. January began with Miss Harrison and I making our annual visits to our feeder primary schools, where we were delighted with the great expression of interest by P7 pupils, many of whom, along with their parents, visited our school during our Open Evening. The evening was a great success, and as always the true ambassadors of the evening were our pupils, who conveyed to our visitors their great sense of pride in their school. I am delighted to report that our efforts have been well rewarded, with a large number of applications received for admission to Year 8 this September. The eti inspection report too, was a positive affirmation of all that we do, confirming the school’s ethos, values and aims. The good news continued in February when Western Buildings handed over the keys to our new Sports Pavilion and upgraded playing fields. These facilities will be of tremendous benefit to the PE curricular and extra curricular activities programme. Securing the funding was a challenge, but I am delighted that the SEELB continue to support our school and the sporting educational provision we provide for our pupils. So, as our term draws to a close, I can reflect on one of the busiest terms of my career, but equally, one of the most rewarding. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our school community for all your support and encouragement and wish you all a peaceful and relaxing Easter vacation. Ms V Watt

We have reached that time of the year when our Year 12 pupils start to give serious

consideration to their life, post-Saintfield High. As always, the school’s Careers

Department have organised a wide range of activities to assist our Year 12s in

making the right choice for their futures.

Mr Logan, the principal of Down High School in Downpatrick, visited our School in

February to speak to any Year 12s interested in studying for ‘A’ Levels at Down

High. Further, a group of Saintfield High School students travelled to Down High for

their open afternoon, where they had the opportunity to tour the school and speak to

teachers about ‘A’ Level subjects.

Representatives from Grosvenor Grammar School, Belfast, and Hunterhouse

Grammar School, Belfast, have also visited the school and spoken to our Year 12s in

recent weeks.

The Careers Department organised a series of mock job interviews for our Year 12 students in March. Pupils were expected to dress for the occasion, prepare an application form and attend a formal interview at office premises in Saintfield village – all in an attempt to make the experience as realistic as possible. The interviews were carried out by members of the Comber Rotary Club, whom we would very much like to thank for their continued support. Each pupil received feedback on their interview performance, which they will analyse in Careers class. PUPIL NAME of 12?? said of the experience, “it was a bit nerve-wracking going into the interview, but I actually quite enjoyed the experience. I think that when it actually comes to the real thing, I’ll be able to look back on my mock interview and learn from it”.

On Thursday 2nd February, all of our Year 12 students loaded onto

buses and travelled to Newtownards Leisure Centre for a Careers

Convention. The convention afforded our students the chance to

investigate FE courses (e.g SERC, Belfast Metropolitan College,

Greenmount), speak to potential employers, such as NIE or

Bombardier, and gather information about apprenticeship courses.

Congratulations to the school’s show jumping team, ‘Jumping Jacks’, who finished a very respectable 5th in the Ulster Schools Open Team Championship. The team were rewarded for their achievement back in January at the Ulster Schools Show Jumping Awards Ball, held at the Knockagh Lodge Hotel. A hearty ‘well done’ then, to Jack Duncan (12EL), Rachel Adams (12DE), Stephanie Birt, Rebecca McCallion & Jenny Thompson (all 11JO). Thanks also to Mrs Birt for the continued support shown to the school’s showjumping enthusiasts.

The school’s show jumping team, ‘Jumping Jacks’, show of their rosettes, won at a plush awards bash in January.

The 12th of March saw the majority of Year 10 students, accompanied by Mr Carter, Ms. Henderson and Mr Adams, head to Belfast for a barge trip along the Lagan. This trip was part of their Geography studies, and they learned about the Belfast ship building industry and the infrastructure of the City. Neil McKeig, of 10CH, said “the trip along the Lagan was great. I learned a lot, and it was really good fun too”.

Did you know that Saintfield High School sponsors a child in Kenya? Thanks to donations made by our pupils, a Kenyan boy – Musyoka – is given access to food, shelter and education. Miss Harrison, who organises the scheme, said “any pupil who has donated money to this wonderful cause should feel very proud.”

The School entered a number of teams into Rugby Blitz tournaments, where they competed against other North Down schools. Our u13s defeated Bangor and Ballynahinch B, with outstanding performances from Thomas Martin (9MY) and Bradley Porter (9IR), before being defeated by Ballynahinch A, three tries to one. The u15s had a similarly successful day, with good performances from Reece Hands (10CT), Jamie Friel (11JO) and Jamie Fleming (11EL). Well done to all who took part.

The school was delighted to welcome parents of Year 9 pupils to the Parent-Teacher consultation evening on Thursday 8th March. A very impressive 89% of parents were able to attend. This was quickly followed by the Y e a r 1 0 P a r e n t - T e a c h e r consultation evening, held on Thursday 29th March. Turnout was a healthy 93%.

Our Year 11 students are currently in the process of arranging their placements for Work Experience week, which will take place between 18th and 22nd June. Previous year groups have always found the week to be a worthwhile and enlightening experience. Sam Elliot, of 11CA, said that he was “really looking forward to getting out and seeing what the world of work is like. I’m going to the Steel Fabrication Centre in Carryduff, and I can’t wait”.

With all preparations now complete, a party of 7 teachers and 57 pupils will leave the School on Wednesday 4th April and journey to Italy, before returning home on Monday 9th April. Saintfield High School have been lucky enough to have been included on the website of the travel agency who helped organise the trip, who have also gifted the School a brand new digital video camera which will allow staff to record the fun, frolics and festivities of the week. Best wishes to all those travelling – it looks set to be an amazing and unforgettable experience.

Year 8 History students enjoyed a wonderful day out in March, when they visited Carrickfergus Castle, accompanied by Miss Herron and Mrs Cheshire. The trip supported the pupils’ study of Norman history. Rebekah Massey of 8JA said “walking around the castle was really interesting. It really helped me to picture some of the things that we’d learned about in class”. The History Department also had a special visitor when Sean Pettis from Corrymeela Community came into the school to lead all of our Year 10 pupils through a ‘Facing History and Ourselves’ workshop in the Lecture Theatre. This one-hour workshop was preparation for the Year 10’s Holocaust topic, and Alanna Milligan of 10CH said that the workshop was “very interesting. It made me think carefully about issues like prejudice and discrimination”.

Congratulations to Johnny Burgess (11EL) and Caitlan McMillan

(12DE) who have both qualified for the Ulster Cross County

Championships. Johnny finished in 30th place, whilst Caitlan

came 36th – both from fields of 140 runners, representing

schools from across the nine counties. Well done, Johnny and

Caitlan!

All House matches have now been played. Boys took part in rugby, football and basketball matches, whilst the girls competed in netball and hockey to earn points for their School House. All pupils also participated in a cross-country run. Plenty of points are still up for grabs, though, with the School’s swimming gala and, of course, Sports Day still to come. The race for the coveted House Cup is really heating up, though, as we head into the final term!

It has been a busy term on the pitch for the School’s Football teams. Our u13 team started the term with a comprehensive victory over Bangor Academy B. A wonderful hat-trick from Bradley Porter (9IR) helped the boys to a fabulous 9-0 victory. The team narrowly missed out on promotion, though, after losing their final game to Knockbreda High 3-2, despite the best efforts of Man-of-the-Match, Aaron Milligan (9MY). In an even game, Knockbreda got the rub of the green when their captain scored an outstanding goal just before full-time. The u12 team finished their league campaign strongly, with good results against St Columbanus (5-0) and Knockbreda High (1-0). The performances of players like Scott McKeag (8JA), Ross Harland (8HA) and Daniel Peters (9MY) bode well for the future, and will hopefully provide the basis for a strong showing next year. The u15s have had a highly successful season, and having wrapped up the league title already, they are now set to face Bangor in the cup final on April 25th. We wish them good luck in their quest for back-to-back league and cup doubles. Finally, having won the league last year, the u16s were confident of their chances in their match against Ballynahinch this year. However, luck was not on their side and, unfortunately, they lost their last game for the school 2-0.

On Tuesday 27th March, our Minor and Junior Teams played St Colman’s, Ballynahinch. The Junior Team started well, scoring five goals early in the first half. However, they allowed St Colman’s back into the game and, by half time, the score stood at 5-2. In the second half the defence tightened up, leading the team to a highly convincing 10-2 win. Congratulations to Laura Johnston for an outstanding performance in defence and to Lauren Campbell (9IR), who came on as a substitute and had an excellent game. The Minor Team started well, showing some excellent teamwork. However, the score at half time was deadlocked at 2-2. In the second half Saintfield took control of the game and succeeded in winning with a score of 6-2. Players of the match were Lauren Campbell (9IR) and Anna McDowell (8HA). Well done to all players.