Sunday, 18 October 2009
Gideons Visit Goes International
The Gideons Society came on their annual visit to our year 8 students, to talk about the Bible and to present a copy of the New Testament to all those students who wanted to have one. The Integrated And Religious Studies department is inspired now to have an International Testament day, when we present Testaments to our students with other languages. In this year's first year we have represented: French; Spanish; Icelandic; German; Chinese; Irish. One students is getting a Hebrew/English Tanakh.
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Visitors from Madrid
Shimna students hosted Spanish students from Madrid. The visitors were a very friendly and energetic lot, who through themselves into every opportunity to improve their English. There teacher was in fact Miguel's teacher from his own school days in Madrid, and I hope somebody took the time to get the gossip on him! The group also went walking in our beautiful area and headed up to the Giant's Causeway to see the sights. Our students will have their opportunity to head back to Spain later in the year.
Return of Vader Rijn
Students from New Dutch communities in Holland again to visit us. The students' backgrounds include Morocco, Somalia and Turkey, and their faith background is Muslim. Meeting them is a great opportunity for our students, as well as a great treat as we were again invited back to the Kinderhaus for delicious Islamic dinner. Long may the link continue.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
800 Languages to Practise
users.elite.net/runner/jennifers/hello.htm Follow this link to be able to say lots of things in 800 languages. Get chatting.
Friday, 25 September 2009
European Day of Languages
European Day of Languages was a terrific success, with a busy, busy, busy international soccer tournament on the pitch and a busy, busy, busy table quiz in the hall. As usual with me and sport, I forgot to ask who won!!! The final assembly was a riot of different languages, and prizes and the displays of student work were fabulous. A really, really good day. The whole event was organised by Clare Murphy, assisted on the day by the 6th form languages committee and our two intrepid reporters, Aaron and Charlene. The videos and photos of the events will form the first swap of student work with our Chilean partners. Well done everyone.
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Sympathy with Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche
We were horrified to hear of the fire damage to our partner school Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche. We are pleased to hear that they have been offered nearby accommodation and with everyone's support, the school has opened as usual on the first day of term. We were delighted earlier in the year to hear that the new school building had been approved. Roll on the day!
Monday, 3 August 2009
Gay Pride
Good to see a contingent of Shimna students celebrating along with the march in Belfast on Saturday and the Pride church service the next day.
Monday, 29 June 2009
Languages for Sunshine
if you are heading off to Europe on holiday, click on one of the links below to teach yourself the basics for your destination!
Spanish:
Italian:
Portuguese:
Greek:
Friday, 26 June 2009
Welcome Soria

Welcome to students and staff from our partner school the Antonio Machado school in Soria, Spain. The students and staff have spent the week with us, visiting classes, joining our history department on their trip to the Boyne Valley, heading up with our own A level students to the Giant's Causeway and making the most of Newcastle in the sun. Our students have benefited hugely from their trip to Spain and we hope our Spanish visitors enjoyed their experience of Newcastle just as much.
CASE Certificate Presentations
Sara Love of PSNI came in to a special assembly on Thursday to present all year 9 students with their CASE programme certificates. Sara has been working with all our year 9 classes on aspects of social responsibility, policing and community development. Well done to everyone and huge thanks to Sara for her commitment to the programme.
Off to Zambia
As part of the South Down Youth Mission, David Cox of our Upper 6th will be spending his Summer in Zambia. Not really the normal destination 18 year olds, but then whilst other people may be sunning themselves on a beach in Spain, David has signed i[ fpr ZambiaDavid has been working away raising money for the project. He and 6th form assistants washed our staff cars on the last training day for one thing!The money raised will be used as David joins others from South Down to help the destitute people of Zambia. Projects include working in nutrition centres, orphanages, schools, construction and summer scheme activities. He is definitely booked to report back to the rest of us when he arrives home.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
William's Visit
William and the crew arrived, attended and filmed our year 9 assembly and took a real shine to the Sisyphus boulder, which has now made and appearance in cyberspace.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
World Humanist Day
21st June is World Humanist Day, and on 22nd, William Crawley of BBC is coming to film our assembly which will focus on Kevin's belief's as an existentialist. We have always encouraged our staff to use assembly to present from their own beliefs and traditions, and we probably don't do it enough.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Anna Lindh foundation
Chris Skillen is just back from Beirut, where he was attending a teacher workshop entitled "The Challenges of Diversity at School in the Euro-Mediterranean Region". Teachers from Europe and both shores of the Mediterranean Sea exchanged knowledge concerning the topic of religious diversity in the Euro-Med region. the Anna Lindh Foundation, which organised the event, exists to encourage dialogue between cultures.
Monday, 18 May 2009
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Swedish Mountaineering
Our Swedish visitors, a group of our sixth years and Chris Keag in charge took a Saturday morning walk up to the quarry via the Glen River, and back down via the Bogie Line and Shepherd's Lodge. There then followed delicious and enormous lunch at the Mourne Cafe, and don't let anyone tell you the service is bad. All thirty of us were served very promptly, and we went for broke, with breads and oils, trying out the full selection of main courses from Thai curry to all sorts of seafood, followed by the full selection of puddings, lattes and tea. After a last dander up our beautiful promenade, our visitors collected their luggage and headed off on the bus for Dublin. They had a wonderful time, and I was very proud of Newcastle and our own wonderful students, who gave up their Saturday to make sure our visitors enjoyed their stay.
Swedish Visit

Our Swedish visitors were as friendly and lovely as our Swedish visitors last year. This is a really valuable link. They arrived on Thursday, settled in to the Newcastle Youth Hostel, which they thoroughly recommend. They spend the morning on the town, then came in to visit junior classes and also to make a presentation on Sweden for our sixth form students. One element of the presentation tackled the stereoptype of Swedish men as very tall and Swedish women as necessarily blonde. Unfortunately for their argument they were standing there tall and blonde in front of us. Thanks to everyone who made them welcome. Our visitors brought us a gift of a checky cat, which you will see in the display case in our front hall. The idea is that, if you make the right choices in life, you might get to meet the checky cat!
Monday, 27 April 2009
Back from Sweden
Our visitors from our twin school in Sweden arrive on Thursday evening, and will join us in school on Friday. Everyone is welcome to join us for a mountain walk on Saturday.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Welcome Melissa
Welcome to Melissa, who has come to join us from the same school in Germany as Ruth from last term. The summer term will be very different for Melissa, as classes are preparing very directly for their exams. We hope that she will be able to enjoy her stay and benefit from meeting up with other year groups as well as year 13.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Kevin is Far Away
Kevin touched down in Santiago, Chile, two days ago, and today was leading a session of management training for principals of Chilean schools. He will be joined next week by the principals of New-Bridge Integrated College, Erne Integrated College and fellow Specialist Languages School, Belfast High School.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
We Stood Out
We stood out today, Shimna students and All Children's pupils. We are all of us where we are because parents in Newcastle and round about came together to found schools which would allow children and adults to learn together within the segregated and selective education system which still covers so much of N. Ireland. We respect the views of all of our integrated communities and students had the choice to stand out. At the stand out, Joyce McMeekin introduced our silence, and it was meticulously observed. Kevin Lambe then quoted from David Irvine in saying "Lets not put barriers in front of us to stop us moving forward. Let's put barriers behind us to stop us moving back." The sun shone on us. Let's hope.
Monday, 9 March 2009
The Shock of Saturday
The shock of Saturday leaked into every class today. Students were horrified and a healthy identification with the pizza deliverers seemed to signal that no one wanted to see a return to the violence students have heard of, but haven't had to live through. Students reported lots of different reactions at home, from huge sympathy for the families of the dead soldiers, to confusion as to who could have done the shooting, to fears about the recent enormous bomb in Castlewellan to fears that dissident republicans were responsible to fears that undercover security people were responsible. Some people's views annoyed other people, and we have to sustain our investment in talking and listening to each other and never, ever deciding to shoot of bomb anybody over the differences in opinion.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Claire in South Africa
Remember that last year Hanan headed off to Zambia with the South Down Youth Mission. We have just had news from Claire Gould now, who is in South Africa with Youth for Christ. Read her newsletter and prayer points here.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Italian Success

We are delighted to have very glowing reports from the Open University about the progress of our first students of Italian in a very long time. Current staff member, Leah McAtamney was in the last GCSE Italian class, and we all know how long ago that was! Piera and V'Cenza are studying with the OU YASS programme, which gives school age students access to university courses. They are the pioneers, and we hope to offer the course to more students next year.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
DUP, OUP and the Conservative Party

First thing on Friday morning Jim Wells, DUP MLA, was our first visitor. He came in to talk to our A level Travel and Tourism class about his views in support of the Mournes becoming a National Park. Then cam John Mcallister, OUP MLA, who brought with him Owen Patterson conservative MP, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, who headed up to talk to our A level politics class. Busy, busy, Busy.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Welcome Ruth
Ruth Wippermann has joined us for a term from her Steiner School in Germany. She has already settled into our sixth form enthusiastically. She has chosen her subjects so that she will have lots of opportunity to talk and listen to English. We look forward to her having a go on our German blog.
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