newsletter - Rockport School

NEWSLETTER
Newsletter no 23
Spring Term
7th March 2014
MARCH
Mon 10th
4pm
R10 Options Meeting, Jackson Hall
Tue 11th
11.30am
R5 – R7 Biodiversity Talk, Mr Reid’s Room
Wed 12th
10am
Environmental Youth Speak Competition at Balloo Recycling Centre,
Bangor
Thu 13th
8.30-5.30
Fri 14th
7.30 for 8pm
School Formal
Sun 16th
11am-2pm
GCSE Drama Rehearsal, Group 2
R8 Hillwalking
R7 ‘Be Safe’ Event, Nendrum College
12.30-1.30pm R5 Science Trip to Ulster Museum
2.30pm
Junior (Yr 10’s) and Minor (Yr 9’s) Netball v Regent House @Aurora
4-7pm
GCSE Drama Rehearsal, Group 1
Headmaster’s Headlines
The Wolves of Wall Street: A Rockport team consisting of Sara Burke, Sarah Cox, Lauren Gray, Lorne
Logan and Jessica McCarroll (all R11) have won second prize in the prestigious DENI/Invest NI Inter-Schools
Stock Market Challenge. Twenty-two schools from across the province took part in this year’s virtual
trading competition and the Rockport team managed to turn a notional £20k into £60k by analysing
information, making reasoned evaluations and applying critical thinking consistently throughout the day.
Well done to the team on a marvellous achievement and thanks to Mr Moody for accompanying them to
the competition.
Rockport welcomes Bavarians: This week at Rockport we hosted Hans and Gertrud Fuhrig from Germany.
Hans is Headmaster of the Korbinian-Aigner-Gymnasium (KAG) in Erding, a post-primary school with 1,200
pupils situated just outside Munich. In keeping with our international ethos, Rockport has now established
a partnership agreement with KAG with the aim of arranging our joint-participation in a number of
initiatives.
A Game of Three Halves: Thanks to the coaches from the IFA, IRFU, GAA, North Down and Ards Borough
Councils as well as staff from Glencraig Integrated Primary School who came down to Rockport yesterday
(Thursday) to organise the Game of Three Halves. The basic concept underpinning the Game of 3 Halves is
to use the power of sport to promote respect for diversity and mutual understanding. Pupils take part in 3
consecutive sessions of football, Gaelic football and rugby and all the children in R5-7 enjoyed it
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
immensely. We were very pleased to host this important event and thanks are also due to Mr McIlveen
who looked after our visitors throughout.
Ulster Rugby: Congratulations to Jack Wright (R12) on making the starting XV for the Ulster U18 Inter-Pro
Squad in a warm-up game against Royal School Dungannon on Wednesday night. We continue to watch
Jack’s progress through the ranks with interest.
More Rugby success at Ards: there is yet more rugby good news to report as our juniors finished unbeaten
at the Ards RFC Schools Rugby challenge on Wednesday. The successful squad were praised by the Ulster
Rugby coaches in attendance and all played well throughout: well done to Cameron Alexander, Elia
Boutros, Ethan Corscadden, Miles Cunningham, Ethan Davies, Thomas Lowry, James McKissick, Dominic
O’Loane, Adam Onas and Rob Salters.
Ulster Coaching: Of course none of the success above would be possible without the hard work of the
games staff and our adult volunteers. On that note, a big thanks goes once again to Ulster and Ireland star
OR Paddy Wallace who returns to coach the senior boys every Thursday.
George Vance
Headmaster
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
GENERAL
Rockport School Arts Weekend: ‘SEEING THINGS’
This weekend thirteen lucky Rockport students (and
teachers!) will be spending a weekend of creativity and fun on
the shores of Strangford Lough at the historic setting of Castle
Ward. This is a unique opportunity for our students; we are
pleased to be the only school in the province to have made this
link to this exciting group of local artists. Over the course of the
weekend students will be working with poet Olive Broderick
and professional artists Sharon Regan, Emma Whitehead and
Deborah Campbell. Please visit the website http://www.castlewardartsandcrafts.com for a
closer look at the artists’ work. If you have missed out this time round, don’t be disheartened!
There will be plenty of opportunities for joint projects with Castle Ward in the future. Watch
this space!
Weekend Programme
Friday, 7th March
5.30pm
Rockport School arrival, settling in at the Bunkhouse (accommodation)
and welcome
Making Faces: a ceramic workshop with Sharon Regan, the Bunkhouse
7.00-9.00pm
Saturday, 8th March
9.30-10.30am
11.00am-1.00pm
'Marvellous or Ordinary' with Olive Broderick (Poet)
Studio Tour, The Farmyard
Tour of the Castle Ward Estate
3.00pm-4.00pm
6.30pm-8.30pm
Map Butterflies and Time Bugs with Emma Whitehead
Tales from the Bunkhouse with Olive Broderick
Sunday, 9th March
9.30pm-11.30pm
12.00pm-2.00pm
'Seeing Things' writing workshop with Olive Broderick
‘Seeing Things’ with Deborah Campbell (artist)
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
World Book Week at Rockport, 10th – 14th March
It is World Book Day again and our dynamic parent library
team consisting of Lane Duncan, Lynn Stephens, Shirley
Millar, Caroline Crossle under the watchful guidance of
Head of Faculty, Paul Lutton, have planned many
interesting events for next week:
BOOKMARK COMPETITION: During book week, take part in the Book Mark Competition. Use
your creative talents to design the best bookmark and you could win £100 toward the
purchase of new books for yourself, £100 for your teacher and £250 for your school library.
You can pick up the blank bookmarks in the school office. Rockport will hold our own
competition and then we'll send the bookmarks off to be judged in this UK wide competition.
The winners will be selected at the end of April. This is open to all ages.
BOOK TOKENS: Coupons worth £1 off the purchase of any book you wish to purchase will be
handed out at Assembly on Monday. These coupons will also purchase designated £1 books
at your local booksellers, including WH Smith, Waterstones, Tesco and Asda.
BOOK DONATIONS: The school library would welcome your donation of gently used, ageappropriate books. Throughout Book Week (March 10-14), bins will be available at the front office
and in the library to drop off your books. Please NO cookbooks, reference books or annuals. Please
take a moment to look through your old books and see which ones could be given a new home and
greater visibility in our new library.
Please note that the library is open every lunchtime this coming week!
Deadline for Photograph Money
Please note that the deadline for ordering Cool For School photographs is Monday, 10th
March. The School will not be able to accept orders after the closing date. Any late orders
must be made online at www.coolforschoolphotography.com
Rockport School Formal
All those going to the School Formal on Friday 14th must pay their balance
(including their guests) by Monday, 10th March. The final cost is £30.
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
Stock Market Challenge
Well done to the Year 11 Business Studies class for achieving 2nd place overall out of 22
schools in the Stock Market Challenge. The stock market challenge is a rewarding and
enjoyable activity with cross-curricular areas of skills development, enterprise and finance.
The event took place on Wednesday in Campbell College where the group competed, starting
with ‘£21,000’ and invested this money wisely in various businesses and ventures making
themselves an impressive ‘£60,308’.
Well Done to Jessica McCarroll, Lauren Gray, Sarah Cox, Sara Burke and Lorne Logan. Have
fun spending your £15 Eason’s gift voucher!
Heather McBride
Business Studies, Maths & ICT Teacher
Orienteering Results
Congratulations to Rockport’s first
orienteering team! The group of 12
enthusiastic volunteers from Years 8, 9
and 10 have completed two of three
events that they have been entered
for. Last Saturday 1st March Lagan
Valley Orienteers held an open event.
Rockport’s team all completed a
challenging yellow course of 2.2km in
Belvoir Forest Park. Special mention
must go to Josie Allen who came 4th and
Megan Ashcroft who came 7th out of the
19 competitors who entered to
complete the yellow course. Great
achievements for a first event!
On Tuesday 4th March the pupils went to Belfast Castle where they were competing in a
schools competition. On this occasion Christopher Bruton found his form and completed the
course, coming in first with a fantastic time of 18min 35secs, a considerable way ahead of the
rest of the field.
The pupils have experienced a steep learning curve in a new sporting activity for
Rockport. With two events completed, they will now be able to compete with greater
confidence. The final event for this team will be on 29th March. This will take place at
Slievenagore/Silent Valley in the Mournes. Details regarding arrangements will follow in the
week preceding the event. Well done again to the pupils and many thanks to Mr McIlveen, Mr
O’Neill, and Mrs McBride who have assisted Mrs Toland with organisation and staffing for
these events.
Dawn Toland
Head of Faculty
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
The Lagan Festival of Speech, Drama, Music & Art
Congratulations to all the children in the Early Years who took part in the Lagan Speech and
Drama Festival this week. They represented Rockport brilliantly and we are very proud of all
of them!
Below is a picture of some of the children who entered the Verse Speaking for age 5 category:
From left to Right:
Mathew Thompson R1 Commended, Tara Curry R2 Third Place,
Mimi Thompson R1 Commended and Francesca MacDonald R2
Highly Commended.
Adjudicator Peter Reder
More results to follow next week.
Lynn Athanasiou
Head of Early Years
Environmental Youth Speak 2014
The local heats for this year’s competition will take place on
Wednesday at 10am at the Education Centre, Recycling Depot,
Balloo Industrial Estate, Bangor. The following pupils will be
representing Rockport:
Junior Section : Alexander Hook (Year 6) and Katie Brooks (Year 6)
Senior Section : Robert Burke (Year 8) and Lucy Thomas (Year 9)
All pupils should wear full uniform (including white shirt for
juniors). Parents are welcome to attend. We wish our representative speakers the best of
luck!
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119
NEWSLETTER
MUSIC
G.C.S.E. DRAMA rehearsal schedule
R12 Drama students in Group 1 (‘Joyriders’) will rehearse on Thursday, 13th March from 4.00
– 7pm. Group 2 (‘Clowns’) are required to be in school on Sunday, 16th March, 11am – 2pm
for rehearsal. Please bring scripts to the rehearsals and any personal props your character
uses.
Melanie Carr
Teacher In Charge of Music and Drama
Songs for an April Evening
Please note that ‘Songs for an April Evening’ will take place on Monday, 7th April
2014, 6.30 – 7.45pm.
Catherine Hunter
Peripatetic Tutor
SPORT
Tennis
The short tennis coaching has got off to a flying start with Tim Bromley, Bangor Tennis
Academy. He has informed me that we have lots and lots of talent in the game so this augurs
well for the future!
Rec – R2 (Weds 12.30)
R3 – 4
(Fridays 12.30)
Gail Holland
Head of Faculty
PTA
Dates for Your Diary:
Friday 21st March 2014 - St Patrick's Night Fun
Come and join us in the Dining Hall for stew & a pint of Guinness, storytelling and music with
a local Irish band. Tickets are £10 to include Irish stew & a pint of Guinness or a glass of
wine/soft drink.
Thursday 3rd April 2014 – Cookery Demonstration
Will Brown, Head Chef at The Old Schoolhouse Inn, will give a cookery demonstration.
Details to be confirmed.
Friday, 9th May 2014 - Dad's Day Out
Please note the date change.
Friday 5th December 2014
The Rockport Ladies Lunch - Details to be confirmed.
Queries
If you wish to attend any of these events or have a query, please call into the school office.
Thank you for your continued support in our fundraising efforts.
ROCKPORT SCHOOL
15 Rockport Road, Craigavad, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0DD
Tel: 028 9042 8372
Fax: 028 9042 2608
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rockportschool.com
Company Reg No: NI007054 Registered Charity No: XN48119