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.

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!

French:
Spanish:
Italian:
Portuguese:
Greek:

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.

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.

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.