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Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill today visited St Colman's College to congratulate two award winning students.
Niall Murphy, winner of the NI Sentinus Young Engineer award, and Matthew McConville, Farmer of the Year Award winner, were praised by the Minister during a visit to the College.
Niall’s ‘Unreel’ multipurpose device which attaches to a tractor and rolls up lay-flat hoses and wire fencing, was selected as the overall winner in the Young Innovators competition which promotes engagement in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The Mullaghbawn student will now go forward to the ‘Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers’ competition to be held in Birmingham NEC in 2014.
The Farmer of the Year Award, presented to Rathfriland student Matthew McConville, is a new award introduced in St Colman’s, highlighting the strong links that many of the pupils have with the agricultural industry.
Speaking during her visit, Minister O’Neill commended the quality of entries for the competition. She said: “This is an excellent project which highlights the maturing age of farmers in our agricultural industry and the need for young people to enter the industry. It is very encouraging to visit a school like St Colman’s to hear about the strong interest that pupils have in farming and to see how they are being supported to develop these interests.”
The Minister also viewed agricultural equipment created by pupils for their technology project and commended them for their innovative designs.
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Southern Regional College hosted Students from across their six campuses to celebrate their achievements at the annual Student Recognition Awards Ceremony.
The event was an opportunity for the College Governing Body and senior staff to recognise and pay tribute to all SRC students who received external recognition or awards during the 2012-13 academic year. The award winners spanned various disciplines including Sport, Construction, Floristry and Health & Social Care.
Students from the Newry Campus were recognised for their outstanding achievement at this year’s Skillbuild when they returned with an unprecedented 15 awards. The SRC trainees picked up 13 awards in various skills area including 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze, as well as winning the Skillbuild NI Chairpersons Cup (most competitors to qualify for the regional finals) and the Skillbuild NI DEL Cup (winners of the medals league table).
The Girls Hockey Team, Armagh Campus were recognised for being winners of the final of the McDowell Cup against Ballyclare High School. The Boys Gaelic Team were awarded for their tremendous success throughout the academic year. In September they won the Ulster Further Education 7’s, they then went on to win the Ulster Magee Cup in November and the All Ireland Higher Education Division 3 League in December. The high point of the year came in February when they were successful in winning the All Ireland Corn Na Mac Lien Championship.
A number of Floristry students from Lurgan Campus were recognised for their achievements in the NI heat of the UK Skills Competition at Greenmount. Marion Magee was awarded first place in the advanced section and Anne Lavery, Roslyn Millar and Elaine Groves received first, second and third places respectively in the Intermediate Section. Darragh Loughran and Klaudia Lisek were recognised for winning their respective categories in the STEM BEST Awards.
Individual award winners included Jacqueline McCaughey who was recognised for winning the prestigious VQ Learner of the Year Award, George Haugh who was acknowledged for jointly winning the Essential Skills County Armagh Award, Nikita Harron who recently secured 2nd place at the WorldSkills UK Caring Competition and Jamie Maxwell who was NI Travel Student of the Year.
Commenting after the event, Mr Brian Doran, Chief Executive of SRC remarked: “The list of achievements this evening was exceedingly impressive and highlighted the success the College has had on both a local and national level”.
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If you are 16 to 19 and would like to take part in a 30 week life changing experience you should apply for the Fresh Start course starting in September at SRC in Newry and Portadown.
The 30 week full time course will commence 23rd September 2013.
Entry Criteria
Interview – To determine motivation, suitability and desire to complete the course.
Who is the course for?
Targeted at educational underachievers and those with social and behavioural barriers aged 16-19, who are not yet ready for Level 2 or a mainstream course
Content
Fresh Start provides a foundation for those wanting to engage in education and who need to build on confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal skills. It also presents students with an opportunity to develop skills in career planning and interview techniques, while sampling a range of employment sectors and completing a work placement.
Qualifications on offer
OCR Level 1 Award Personal Life Skills
OCR Level 1 Certificate Employability Skills
Range of bite size courses to aid holistic development
Essential Skills
Contact Stephen Ferris for more information by email to ferriss@src.ac.uk or by mobile to 077 6711 7384
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Belfast Metropolitan College student, Majella Shields from Newry has been offered a charitable scholarship to help develop and enhance her skills whilst studying for a BSc (Hons) in Fashion Management.
Majella was a lucky recipient of the Belfast Met Trust’s annual Scholarship Scheme and received financial funding from the Trust to enable her to take part in a business course at Saint Bonaventure University, New York, and an internship in a fashion house in Manhattan.
With the Trust’s assistance, the budding fashion designer will soon commence her year of study at the American university where she hopes to expand her business skills, something that she will find useful in her future fashion career. The 21 year old will also be participating in an internship at a leading fashion house in the heart of New York City.
Majella commented on winning her scholarship award “I was absolutely delighted to receive the scholarship from Belfast Met Trust, as I realise it is a very competitive scheme with high volumes of students applying for support. The course at Saint Bonaventure University will be a fantastic learning opportunity for me and my internship will give me great insight into my future career in the fashion industry. I am thankful to Belfast Met Trust for providing me with the opportunity to develop my skills beyond the normal course of study.”
Marie-Thérèse McGivern, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College, added “Through Belfast Met’s scholarship scheme, we award talented, committed students with a passion for excellence in their chosen field and a desire to gain additional experience beyond their normal course of study. With the Trust’s financial support, each scholarship student is able to develop and enhance their experience and ability, which in turn helps to build a highly skilled workforce in Northern Ireland.”
Belfast Metropolitan College Trust was established in 2006 and supports development opportunities and facilities for students. The Trust is a registered charity which raises donations from businesses and individuals to provide financial support for talented students to gain leading edge experiences beyond their normal course of study.
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TV Licensing has launched an information campaign for first time students and their parents.
With A-level results confirmed this month, TV Licensing is working with UCAS to help new students and their parents from Newry understand the law around watching TV before moving into university halls or rented student accommodation. Information has been sent to 160,000 new students in UCAS confirmation packs and further resources are available for both students and parents at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo
Just two out of five students ask their parents for advice about the TV Licence according to new research by TV Licensing*. It’s important for students and their parents to know you need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record programmes as they are being shown on TV, on any device. Anyone caught watching TV without a TV Licence can face prosecution and a fine of up to a £1,000.
As 99 per cent of students own a device capable of streaming live TV*, it’s crucial freshers understand the law so they’re covered to watch the TV they love for the academic year ahead. Getting a TV Licence is an important part of the ‘to do list’ before students leave home.
Deborah King, TV Licensing spokesperson, said “Starting university for the first time can be both exciting and daunting. With so much to think about, TV Licensing is on hand to clearly explain when a TV Licence is needed. A TV Licence can be bought online in minutes and costs £145.50 for the year. There are many ways to pay including weekly, monthly and quarterly payments.
“Finance savvy students who move out of their term time address over the summer could be eligible for a refund of around £36, as long as your licence is still valid for at least three full calendar months and you don’t need it again before it expires.”
Lee Fellows, IT and Communications Officer for the Association of Student Residential Accommodation (ASRA) says, “Students and their parents will be spending the next few weeks planning, preparing and getting ready for university life. For many students, this will mean living away from home and their first experience of financial independence in their new digs. Just as ASRA provides support for student accommodation staff, TV Licensing is on hand to offer advice and information for both students and their parents when it comes to the TV Licence.”
TV Licensing works each year with universities, student publications and money advice services to provide literature and information to students starting university.
*Research was conducted by Harris Interactive among 220 students spread across universities in the UK in May 2013.TV Licensing, students and the law
TV Licensing Information
When you need a TV Licence:
A licence is needed if you’re watching or recording television programmes at the same time as they are being shown on TV. This is true no matter what device you’re watching on (including TV sets, laptops, mobile phones) and no matter how you’re receiving the programmes (including terrestrial, satellite, cable or digital television channels or via the internet). Anyone without a valid TV Licence who watches or records television programmes as described above risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
If you live in halls of residence and use a device to watch/record TV in your own room, you need your own separate TV Licence, it’s the law
You also need your own licence if you are sharing a house with other students and use a device to watch/record TV in your room, and your room is a separately occupied place (a separate tenancy agreement would normally indicate that this is the case).
If you have a separate tenancy agreement but a television is only being used in a communal area, then only one licence is required.
If you are sharing a house with other students and you use a device to watch/record TV in your own room, but the house can be treated as one place shared by all, then only one TV Licence is required (a joint tenancy agreement would usually be evidence that the house is a single licensable place for this purpose).
In the majority of cases, your parents’ TV Licence will not cover you. You would only be covered by your parent’s licence if:-
Your out-of-term address has a licence
AND you only use TV receiving equipment that is powered solely by its own internal batteries
AND you have not connected it to an aerial or plugged it into the mains.
Cost of TV Licence:
A colour TV Licence currently costs £145.50, and a black and white licence is £49. They will remain at these rates for the next few years as the TV Licence fee has been frozen until 2017.
TV Licensing refund for students:
If you are moving back home for the summer from university and no longer need a TV Licence over the holidays, and there are three full calendar months before your licence expires, you are entitled to a refund for the unused, quarter of your licence, as long as you don’t need it again before it expires.
You will need to ensure you buy a licence early on, by the end of September or early October, in order to allow enough time at the end of the academic year to qualify for a refund. The refund on a TV Licence bought in 2013 will be £36.37.
To arrange your refund, or for further information, simply visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo where you can complete an online form, or call TV Licensing on 0300 790 6090.
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As part of its Global Outreach, St Mary’s High School is actively working with ‘The Newry Africa Link’ to support the work of Fr Donall O’Cathain SMA in building a new primary and secondary school in North West Nigeria.
As a Rights Respecting School, St. Mary’s is keen to improve the life opportunities of children in developing countries by supporting quality education.
On Friday, Fr Donall visited St Mary’s before travelling back to Africa to attend a special assembly where he informed the school community of the progress made in building the new secondary school for the Kamberi children.
He praised the work of the students through both their fund raising and curriculum links with St Mary’s Nigeria. To date St Mary’s Newry has raised £20,000 to support both the building programme and resources of the new school.
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All local primary school pupils have been asked to help find this year’s ‘greenest teacher’ after Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, launched the 2013 ‘Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year Award’
Given the unprecedented pressure on both global and local biodiversity, Belfast Harbour and Action Renewables have again joined forces to showcase and reward primary school teachers who are taking responsibility for the environment.
Pupils from across Northern Ireland’s 850 primary schools are being urged to help their teacher be crowned ‘Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year 2013’ by telling Action Renewables, in no more than 100 words, about the hard work their teacher does to look after the environment and educate them about green issues. Prizes for the finalists will include a fun-filled challenge day at W5 with the winners receiving class tickets to Titanic Belfast.
The Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, said "Our environment is so fragile. It needs people committed to caring for it. That is why it is so important for our schools to be eco-schools, for young people to be continually encouraged to protect our environment. I congratulate every pupil, every teacher, every school committed to actively addressing environmental issues. I am proud to see the number of 'green' projects taking place inside schools, from recycling to reducing energy to exploring more sustainable ways of living.”
“I encourage as many schools as possible to enter the Green Teacher of the Year Competition. My message to young people is simple - keep inspiring us to think of new ways to look after our environment, keep practicing good ways of looking after our environment."
Roy Adair, Belfast Harbour’s CEO, continued “The Green Teacher of the Year Award 2013 is a great opportunity to celebrate the excellent environmental work which many primary school teachers do year-in, year-out.”
“The award, now in its fifth year, aims to increase understanding about the need for nature conservation, and this year we will be putting a particular focus on Belfast Harbour’s Bird Reserve which is managed by the RSPB. This year, the classes of the teachers who make it to the final on 14th November will receive membership of the RSBP for a year, which will be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the RSBP and the work they do in Northern Ireland.”
Nicola Murphy, Business Development Manager, Action Renewables, said “It is with increased importance that the children of today’s generation learn about environmental responsibility and importantly be accountable for it. Action Renewables are delighted to again launch the Green Teacher of the Year competition with Belfast Harbour, and through it communicate key messages which the children will hopefully put into practice throughout their lives.”
“Each year that the competition has been running we have received hundreds of entries and hope this year will not be an exception. We look forward to seeing what inventive projects this year’s competition will bring, with eco comic strips and a greenhouse made from recycled bottles being highlights from previous years”
From the hundreds of entries received, six teachers will be selected as finalists. They and their classes will be invited to take part in an all-expenses-paid fun Challenge Day at W5 on Thursday 14th November 2013. The teachers and pupils will meet Webster, Belfast Harbour’s environmental guardian, enjoy an interactive W5 show about local wildlife, work on a team challenge and take part in an ‘Ask the Expert’ session. All finalist schools will receive a goody bag and a year’s membership to the RSPB for their class.
The day will conclude with one teacher being awarded the coveted Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year title by Belfast’s Lord Mayor and winning tickets for their class to The Titanic as well as a large hamper for all their hard work. There will also be prizes for the 2nd and 3rd prizes of hampers and tickets for another day out to explore W5 with their classes.
Any primary schoolchildren who think their teacher deserves the Green Teacher of the Year title should send their entry, consisting of no more than 100 words, to ‘Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year 2013’, Action Renewables, Boucher Business Studios, Block C, Unit 1, Glenmachan Place, Belfast, BT12 0PL or email education@actionrenewables.co.uk by 18 October to ensure their teacher doesn’t miss out.
This year’s judging panel includes David Knott, Environmental Manager, Belfast Harbour, Laura Coey, Education Officer, Action Renewables, Kate Noble, Environmental Officer, National Trust and Catherine Gleave, Education Officer, RSPB. Last year’s winner was Mrs Jocelyn Brown from Ballycraig Primary School.
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Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland made a visit earlier today to St. Josephs’ Boys’ High School in Newry to has open the school's new £403,000 pitch.
The pitch was funded by the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development’s Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund. The pitch will allow the school to enhance its physical education programme, enable its teams to play competitive matches at home for the first time and provide an additional local facility for use by the surrounding community.
Opening the new pitch facilities Minister McCausland said: “Sport develops and enriches communities and there are clear links between sporting activity and improved health and well being. The new playing pitch at St Joseph’s will provide state of the art facilities for use by the school teams, its pupils and the surrounding community. It will help to create a strong sense of local community pride and I have no doubt the young men at St Joseph’s will make good use of their new pitch.”
During his visit the Minister also announced an additional investment in schools in the Newry area. He said: “Strong numeracy and literacy skills are an essential start for any career in today’s job market. I want to commend the local Neighbourhood Renewal partnership and the SELB for taking this project forward in Newry.
“My Department has provided further funding of £123,620 for the ‘Count Read Succeed Plus’ numeracy and literacy and parental engagement programme that will be rolled out in all the schools in the Neighbourhood Renewal Area.”
He added: “The ‘Count Read Succeed Plus’ programme highlights all that is positive in Neighbourhood Renewal where partnership working involving Statutory Bodies and community sectors is helping to build better futures for our young people. It will contribute to an improvement in standards of literacy and numeracy, address the void in educational outcomes and make a real and tangible difference to the lives of our young people. ”
St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School – Principal Hugh Mallon said: “I would like to thank the Minister for coming here today to officially open our new facilities. St Joseph’s has served this area for over 50 years, making its facilities available to the local community through Neighbourhood Renewal and the Extended Schools programmes. The new football pitch will, therefore, make a major contribution towards addressing physical, social and community renewal in the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area.”
Welcoming the news of the ‘Count Read Succeed Plus’ funding he said: “The provision if this funding will help to make a real difference to the lives of many children and young people in the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal area. It will help to build on the improvements in educational attainment that have already been made and ensure that our young people are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential.”
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St Joseph’s Boys High School held their annual prize afternoon this week for Year 11 and Year 12 pupils.
Mr Hugh Mallon, school Principal, told the pupils and the other invited guests that he was delighted with the outstanding results from these students.
Mr Mallon spoke of the great efforts the Year 11 pupils had made for their Key Stage 3 examinations. He said’ these results are a fitting end to the first three years of your post primary education. I hope they have helped you realise that great things can be achieved if you do your best and work in partnership with your teachers. I also want to thank your Key Stage 3 teachers who worked exceptionally hard with you to bring about the results you have today. Key Stage 3 results at St Joseph’s Boys’ High School have improved year on year with this years results being the best overall results so far. Well done.’ Mr Mallon asked the pupils to continue to build on this KS3 success by applying themselves fully to their KS4 courses both in school and through the courses offered in collaboration with others.
Yuriy Kravchenko a former pupil and now a first year student at Jordanstown University studying Bio-Medical Engineering made the presentation of KS3 certificates to pupils now in Year 11, which also included certificates in Online Language Assessment Level 3
Special awards were given to
Reece Connell for Best English at KS3 presented by Mr Mallon,
Donal Hanna for Best Science at KS3 presented by Mrs Mary Delargy,
Niall Magill for Best Mathematics at KS3 presented by Mrs Lilian McGuigan,
Tiarnan Casey for the Best Sports Award at KS3 presented by Mr Sean Mc Guigan,
Conor Selfe for the Best ICT in KS3 Award presented by Mr Ciaran Maguire,
Niall Magill Best in Irish at KS3 presented by Mr Bradley
Conor Selfe for Best School Spirit presented by the Parents Association.
Year 12 pupils who had achieved Occupational Studies GCSE grade C in their Year 11 where presented with certificates of achievement by Mr Mallon. Yuriy Kravchenko presented Cathal Dooley, PJ Haughey, Martin McConville, Jordan Morgan, Ryan McAllister, Fintan Havern, Jack Travers, Marcin Mil, Ross Brown, Woitek Pyrchak , and Jay Lyons Magill with trophies for achieving best in 11 disciplines within Occupational Studies in their Year 11.
Mrs E Hughes made the final presentation to Year 12 pupils who had achieved the ECDL qualification in their Year 11. Mr Mallon said ‘ Well done in achieving this success. The ECDL qualification remains an excellent benchmark of IT competencies required by many businesses. ‘
Mr Mallon praised the pupils now in Year 12 for the tremendous work last year and encouraged them to continue to build on these successes achieved in Year 11 and he believed they would complete KS4 with excellent overall results..
Mr Damien Rooney from Bank of Ireland presented Niall Magill with the Best Student in KS3.
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