The Weirdest Trip

Our A level Travel and Tourism group organised to take our A level Business Studies students on a trip, and they chose Predator Games as their destination. Very weird! How did you all get on?

Nathan Wins

Remember the NI Stroke Association competition which went out with our last newsletter? Well Nathan Burden won, and now has a DV8 voucher to ease his Christmas spending. Well done Nathan.

Never Mind Jordan, We Saw Ben

Jordan may have been the life and soul of hypnotism at the formal, but we saw brother Ben leading the YMCA performance in the middle of Newcastle for Hallow E'en. Look to your performance laurels, Jordan.

Fabulous Formal

This year's formal at the Hilton Hotel was a terrific event. Huge congratulations are due to the organising committee. The ones I know about, because I saw how hard they worked, are Hannah Dummigan, Geraldine Fitzpatrick and Abby McGreevy. Everyone looked gorgeous, and we hope the hypnotised snap out of it soon! Thank you from all the staff for inviting us and for organising such a successful event.

Learn to Sign Week

Learn to Sign Week restored British/Irish Sign Language to its proper place as one of the languages we offer as a Specialist languages School. Students and staff throughout the college learnt a week's worth of Sign Language. The Signers also raised £150.00 for the British Deaf Association. It doesn't stop there. A full course of Signing classes starts soon after school, and we may even be able to offer Signing as a GCSE next year. It's great to have Stephanie Donnelly back for all sorts of reasons.

World Poverty Appeal

Students of 10 Commedagh led a powerful assembly today highlighting the problems suffered by one family in Africa who have been visited by Daniel Stansfield of 10C. Five members of the class outlined the problems and the ways in which poverty made those problems so very difficult to solve. A slide show shared visual images which held everyone in the room understand what this family is up against. 10 Commedagh then invited us to contribute to the Smile Foundation which is attempting to gather money to fund the lifesaving operation the youngest member of the family requires. The assembly was so powerful that 10 Commedagh have been asked to make their presentation again on Monday, this time to years 11-14. Well done to everyone who contributed, including form teacher Miguel Navarrete.

Jeans for Genes

Our annual Jeans for Genes Day began with a special assembly which focused on the reasons why we support this charity. Research into genetic disorders is crucially important in the fight to ensure that future generations can live without the discomforts and disabilities which have blighted previous generations. One of our Shimna families which lives with seriously disabling, genetic disorders very bravely organised this assembly for precisely that reason. Every student taking part paid £1.00 towards the Jeans for Genes charity. Thanks to everyone who took part.