Pupils from Year 10 took part in a ‘Mood Matters’ workshop this week which aimed to raise awareness of mental health issues. These sessions, facilitated by Aware, covered topics such as stress, coping strategies and where to get help if required. Pupils also had an opportunity to discuss what ‘mental health’ is and how to look after their own mental and emotional well-being.”
Museum of Orange Visit
All pupils from 9Wa and 9Hs went to the Museum of Orange where they participated in a day of activities organised by the museum. Pupils learnt about the origins of the Orange Order and participated in a cultural/identity workshop. Finally, all pupils received a guided tour of the Museum galleries and viewed artefacts relating to the Williamite and Jacobite period in Ireland, the 18th and 19th century events in Ireland, Orangeism around the world to modern day Northern Ireland. It was a very insightful day and will be very useful when we are learning about the Williamite Wars later this term.
Somme Centre Visit
10KB and 10BN went to visit the Somme Centre as part of their understanding of the First World War. They got a guided tour of the museum and participated in a workshop which demonstrated various types of weapons that would have been used by soldiers in the trenches from 1914-1918. Finally, they had an educational talk on Ireland’s role in the First World War, which included the 10th and 16th Irish Divisions as well as the 36th Ulster Division. Pupils were brought back to 1914 and learnt how men were recruited, trained and lived in the trenches.
Bring IT on NI
#BringITOnNI Mr. Patterson's A-Level Computing Class visited Belfast Met today, attending the Speed Networking Event. They met Careers representatives from a wide range of ICT Companies to see the variety of jobs that are available in this industry.
Congratulations to Nathanael Glass of 13SA on winning the Power Bank.
Year 13 &14 Sports Studies visit the Kingspan Stadium
The Year 13 and 14 Sports Studies classes recently went on a trip to the Kingspan Stadium, the home of Ulster rugby. This was part of preparation for an upcoming unit entitled 'organising an event.' Pupils received a tour of the impressive facilities, including the Nevin Spence Centre. The Events manager from Ulster Rugby, Anita Bayne also conducted a question and answer session with pupils to assist them in understanding the different factors to be considered when running an event.
Formal 2017
The annual Model schools formal took place on Thursday night at the Culloden Hotel. It was a great evening, with everyone having good fun and enjoying themselves.
Cyber Safety for Parents
Are you concerned about your child's safety in the online world?
Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) are partnering with PSNI to provide free online for safety training for parents in the City Hall on Wednesday 8th March 2017, 6.30pm - 9.00pm. The courses are open to parents and carers of children, including grandparents.
Topics covered include:
- Cyberbullying
- Sexting
- Social Media Risks
- Adult Content GamingOnline Grooming
To book your free place visit www.ci-ni.org.uk/cybersafety or call 028 9040 1290.
Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
Upcoming ice-hockey star
After many months of training from August, Year 9 pupil Kell on Monday night received his congratulations letter to tell him he was selected to represent Scotland at the Ice Hockey UK conference held in Sheffield in May. He is absolutely delighted and I can honestly say the competition between the last 22 boys was intense before the final cut to take it down to 15.
This is now four years in a row that Kell has skated for Team Scotland. Not only is this brilliant for the Belfast Junior Giants (who he also plays for), but he is an extremely proud to be Boys’ Model boy and loves school and says (when asked!) that it’s a great place!
Annual Careers Conference
On Wednesday 25th January 2017, the North Belfast Schools Careers Convention was held in the Valley Leisure Centre. Over 900 young people from 7 schools attended the event which was supported by representatives from industry, local training organisations and universities.
The pupils had the opportunity to talk to employees about their career, opportunities in their company or organisation and the qualifications needed to progress into the wide range of careers. Pupils could also try a virtual reality parachute jump, with the Army, sample the fresh crepes being made by the catering students from Workforce Online or handle some (small!) animals from Belfast Zoo. Many thanks to all the organisations who put so much effort into making this event such a success!
Open Evening 2017
During Open Evening P6 & 7 pupils were filmed in different Departments taking part in various activities. Check out if you can see yourself....
Open Evening 2017
There was a tremendous buzz about BBMS last night as the school was filled with the P6 and 7 boys and their families. The visitors enjoyed getting to know their guides and learning about the wonderful opportunities and experiences we have on offer. It was great to see everyone and we look forward to welcoming many of our visitors back as pupils in September.
IFA Grassroots Football Coaching Course
The Year 13 Sports Coaching class took their first steps into football management by completing the IFA Grassroots coaching qualification. This course enables pupils to coach children of primary school age or as an assistant to a senior coach. IFA Development Officer, Jordan Reid led the course and was impressed with the level of interest and knowledge of our pupils.
CATCH at Belfast Activity Centre
Today 14 boys from 10BN were out at Belfast Activity Centre as part of the shared education CATCH programme. We were there with 3 other schools - Mercy College, Lurgan Junior High School and St. Ronans.
The CATCH programme is 6 sessions to help young people from different backgrounds come together and build relationships. Today was a focus on teamwork, with 3 different sessions - dry caving, rock climbing and teamwork activities. The boys had a fantastic day and can't wait for the next session.
OPEN EVENING POSTPONED
Due to the adverse weather conditions forecast for tomorrow evening, we are POSTPONING our Open Evening for one week until Thursday 19th January at 7pm. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Music Exam Success
Huge congratulations to Dante Close 10KB, Daniel Clarke 10KB and Kurtis Ferguson 10CR who all successfully passed their drum kit exams before Christmas. Daniel and Kurtis passed their Grade 1 and Dante achieved a Distinction at Grade 2 - well done, boys.
SU Weekend
In December a group of year 11 pupils ventured to Enniskillen for a weekend of bible study and discussion. The theme of the weekend was ‘God v Science’.
Pupils and teachers alike gained a wider understanding of the account of creation given in the Bible. Our guest speaker, Nick Shaw, opened our eyes to the possibility that current scientific theory and the biblical account of creation can go hand – in - hand. The debate was engaging and the fun was overflowing.
Year 14 Rewards Lunch
The Year 14 pupils had their Rewards lunch today at Pizza Hut. They all had a great time and lots of pizza was eaten by everyone. Merry Christmas!
FISCA Winners
There have been great celebrations this week as we have enjoyed more success in the music department. Our joint choir with Mercy College has won the Flax Trust Inter-Community School Choir Award. This competition took place on Thursday 15th December in City Hall, Belfast with Mr Noel Thompson, BBC as compere for the evening. 16 primary and post-primary schools participated, each singing 2 contrasting songs. Each choir received a musical and vocal workshop, they also learnt new music and engaged in activities which promote inter-relations, confidence and team building. Twenty of our boys joined with twenty girls from Mercy College and sang Africa - Toto, as well as, Starry, Starry Night - Don McLean. Our choir was presented with the George Quigley Cup for Most Accomplished Senior Choir and we were awarded a cheque for £500.
We are extremely proud of all of the pupils involved and would like to thank them for their commitment and hard work in preparation for this event.
The boys involved were:Marcus McCullough, Connor Smyth, Aaron Nutt, Curtis Stewart, Justin Devlin, Jordan Glasgow, Glenn Doherty, David Irvine, Daniel McCalmont, Georgie Boyd, Lewis Lavery, John Parker, Trafford Millar, Luke Martin, Ethan Horner, Owen Linton, Bradley Mitchell, Carter Stewart and Brandon Bradford.
Annual Carol Service
The annual Christmas Carol Service took place on Tuesday 13th December in the school assembly hall. A good number of pupils' families and friends attended and we all enjoyed listening to the school choir, staff choir, flute band, flute duet and traditional readings based on the Christmas story. The programme also included a Christmas drama with a very special super hero theme. A number of boys also took solo parts in various songs.
We would like to thank all of the pupils and staff who participated in making the Carol Service such a success this year. Happy Christmas.
Women's Aid
Each December, staff in school buy items for the many ladies and their children who will spend Christmas in a Women’s Aid refuge. This is an extremely worthy cause and will hopefully help to remind these families that others are thinking about them during an extremely difficult time in their lives.
For more information and sources of support please visit www.womensaid.org.uk