OMAGH ACADEMY
SPRING NEWSLETTER
OMAGH ACADEMY RUGBY
DANSKE BANK SCHOOLS BOWL CHAMPIONS 2013
Top try scorer, Scott Hemphill and
Captain, Adam Longwell celebrate
with the ‘Schools Bowl Trophy’.
The Academy 1st XV, sponsored by TC Autos, brought the curtain down on the 2012/13 season with
another Schools Final at Stevenson Park, Dungannon. Having been eliminated from the Schools Cup in
the 3rd Round by Coleraine Inst the squad entered into the Bowl competition. The side overcame strong
opposition in Grosvenor Grammar School 5-3 and Foyle College 27-0 to progress to the final where
they faced Rainey Endowed.
In a fantastic performance, where the players matched their early season form, 3 tries from Scott
Hemphill set up a 24-0 win. Lloyd Kane scored the remaining points with a try and 2 conversions.
Adam Longwell lifted the Bowl and the celebrations began.
Mr Hunter (Teacher-in-charge of Rugby)
Paris Trip 2013
38 Year 11 and 12 pupils accompanied by 5 staff
set off for Paris early in the morning on Tuesday
12th March. Although our travels were disrupted by
heavy snow in France, resulting in a flight to Brussels
instead, an overnight stay in a Gym and the local
school feeding us, we had an amazing time visiting all
the famous Parisian sights, such as the Eiffel Tower,
the Palace of Versailles and the Stade de France.
Aquaboulevard, a tropical indoor aqua-park was a
fantastic, fun-filled evening as well as a romantic
night cruise on the Seine. We learnt a lot about the
history and culture of Paris as well as getting to know
each other really well.
Year 11 and 12 pupils pictured in front of ‘La Tour
Eiffel’ in Paris.
Mrs Henderson (Head of Languages)
Ski Trip 2013
UK Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
Upcoming event:
All Year 9 pupils will take part in the UK Junior Maths Challenge on Thursday 25th April.
Recently, a group of forty Year 10 and Year 11 pupils supervised by Mr Hamilton, Miss Maybin, Miss
McMurray and Miss Alcorn embarked on the annual Omagh Academy Ski Trip to the resort of Andalo,
in the Italian Dolomites. With fifty two kilometres of skiing and a state of the art lift system, Andalo
was perfect for the Omagh Academy ski group. The trip was organised in conjunction with three other
local schools. The entire party stayed at the Hotel Pian Castello which was fifteen minutes walk from the
gondola and ski storage room. The weather proved to be breathtaking with blue skies and fabulous skiing
conditions for the entire week. Three of the group, Zara Hamill, Alexander Stewart and Hannah Catterson
were experienced skiers which meant they were able to ski with other experienced skiers from day one
of the trip. The rest of the group perfected their snowploughs on the nursery slopes before moving up the
mountain and on to the blue and red slopes within two or three days. Most groups also had the opportunity
to ‘get outside their comfort zones’ and ski down a black slope. Lessons were from nine o’clock until
eleven o’clock with lunch provided at the top of one of the gondolas, looking out over the valley. Lessons
resumed at one o’clock and finished at three o’clock over the six day period. After a hard day on the
mountain (where the top station was 2,125 metres) the pupils replaced lost calories by going to one of the
authentic Italian pizzerias in the village. Après ski consisted of two discos, karaoke, a visit to the local
amusement arcade and a DVD night in the hotel. Thankfully there were no major injuries, the worst being
a strained knee. Although this proved to be painful, Courtney Cunningham never missed a moment’s
skiing which resulted in her Italian Ski Instructors calling her ‘The Warrior’ because of her bravery and
determination. The trip proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience and all pupils must be highly
commended for their behaviour, attitude and good humour throughout the trip.
Miss Faulkner (Head of Mathematics)
Mr K.Hamilton (Teacher-in-charge)
Year 11 pupils took part in the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge in February. They were most successful
with 25% of the year group receiving certificates - 9 silver and 18 bronze certificates. Special mention
must be given to Hayley Stronge who achieved ‘Best in School’.
Well done to all students and their teachers.
WORLD MATHS DAY
On Wednesday 6th March, Year 8 pupils took part in ‘World Maths Day’. They joined 6 million students
around the world in answering mental arithmetic questions in attempting to set a new world record for
the largest online Maths competition. Year 8 pupils were most successful in answering 42, 803 questions
correctly and the following pupils were placed as follows: Nicole Bratton (1st), Jake McCay (2nd) & Samuel
McKeown (3rd).
Well done to all Year 8 in their massive effort in attempting to make a new world record!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Getting ready to head
off for another day’s
skiing in Andalo, Italy.
Congratulations to the following
Year 14 pupils:
Lorraine Coulter will commence an
apprenticeship with the Taxation
Department of PriceWaterhouseCoopers in July.
Dayle Crozier has gained an apprenticeship
with Northern Ireland Water.
Katie McCay has achieved a conditional
offer from Christ’s College, Cambridge to read
Law.
Year 8 pupils celebrate World Maths Day
Recent Careers Events
Year 13 Work Experience Monday 21st January to Wednesday 23rd January.
Tuesday 12th February Careers Presentation by Queen’s University, Belfast
Monday 25th February - Year 13 Interview Skills Day
Tuesday the 26th of February - Careers Presentation by the Scottish Universities to Year 13
Tuesday the 12th of March - Careers Presentation by the University of Ulster to Year 13
Friday the 8th of March - PSNI Careers Day for Year 13 pupils considering the PSNI as a career
Tuesday the 19th of March - Careers Presentation by Liverpool John Moores University to Year 13
Thursday the 21st March – Careers Presentation by CAFRE to Year 13
AS Languages Study Day at Queen’s University Belfast
On Thursday 24th January, thirteen Year 13 and 14 language pupils, accompanied by Mrs Henderson,
headed up to Queen’s University Belfast for an AS Study Day.
After leaving school bright and early, with a quick stop for “brain food”, we arrived at Queen’s
ready to work hard. We were split up for separate French and Spanish lectures, with French students
experiencing sessions to enhance our listening, reading and extended writing skills. There was then a
question and answer panel discussion on “Working with Languages”, which gave us ideas of both how
it feels to be a language assistant, and also career options for those who would like to study languages
at university. We then had a quick break for lunch, before returning to our seats for the short afternoon
sessions.
For the French students, these focussed on oral presentation skills and translation, while the Spanish
pupils enjoyed sessions on extended writing, reading and listening skills.
We all found the Study Day very beneficial, and would like to thank Mrs Henderson for organising and
accompanying us on this trip.
Sarah Moses 13(B)
OMAGH ACADEMY PLAYERS
On 14th December, the Omagh Academy Players
put on a performance, as they do every year, of
yet another classic play. This year’s pick was
“Pygmalion”, a romantic comedy from 1912, and with
its razor-sharp social criticisms and wit, it remains
a classic to this day: perhaps most famously known
from its adaption, My Fair Lady.
As per usual, the performance was of the utmost
quality. Nurtured by Mrs McGarrigle, the actors each
took on their very demanding roles with enthusiasm
and maturity. Most demanding of all was the accents,
and the actors took on the challenge - delivering
characterisations that were surprisingly authentic. A
well balanced portrayal of the time period was given,
Participants in the Year 8 Public Speaking both via the actors themselves, and the stage design,
Competition.
which included a number of antique props, as well as
backdrops assembled by the set design team, led by
David Cummings.
The male and female leads, played by Ryan
Year 8 Public Speaking Competition
McKernan nd Laura Sproule respectively, gave solid
winners:
performances throughout, conveying both confidence
and personality. The rest of the cast performed equally
1st- Samuel McKeown
well, even down to the one-act bystanders, adding
charm and colour.
2nd- Kyle Sawyers
All in all, an excellent evening was had by all,
and credit must be given to the entire team for the
3rd- Ella Small
excellent rendition of Pygmalion.
Mrs Fleming (KS3 English Co-ordinator)
Ryan Watt (13B)
JUNIOR DRAMA OUTING
Omagh Academy’s Junior Drama Club arranged to go to see ‘Snippets’ a Hazel Wand production in
Strule Arts Centre on Wednesday 6th of February 2013. We were all so excited to go and watch the
performance. Hazel Wand has a fantastic reputation and we knew many of the students involved
in the show. We met in the front foyer to collect our tickets. Shortly after, we went to our seats in
the auditorium. After a few minutes the show began. We were watching “Snippets” from different
musicals and films, there was also a choir and some dancing. There was an amazing variety and some
outstanding talent. Half way through there was an interval at about nine o’clock. During the interval we
went to the café and got a snack. There was a wide selection of drinks and food. Sadly none of which
was allowed into the auditorium. It was lovely to spend time together as a group, away from school.
The show lasted until about quarter to eleven. Our favourite part was the Les Miserables medley at
the end of the show. Over all it was a very enjoyable experience. I feel we all learned a lot from the
experience. Many of the students on stage were very confident and enthusiastic and we hope to follow
their lead!
Zoe Thompson & Rachel McFarland (9B)
Cross country results 2013
Congratulations to these pupils who qualified
for the Ulster Cross Country Championships at
Mallusk. Below are the results from E District
Championships.
Mini Girls – 2nd place overall
Neave Nethery – 6th
Niamh Tracey – 12th
Jessica Hood – 10th
Lucy Brunt – 14th
Molly Richardson – 20th
Ella Duncan – 23rd
FOOTBALL UPDATE
U16
Omagh Academy 7-2 Sacred Heart
U14
Omagh Academy 4-7 CBS
Omagh Academy 5-6 Sacred Heart
Mr Hunter
Minor Girls – 3rd place overall
Holly Swann – 4th
Lauren Kee – 17th
Saffron Baxter – 16th
Amy Forbes – 35th
Jodie Nethery – 33rd
Chloe Aiken – 30th
Individual qualifiers
Junior Girls
Naomi Charters – 11th
Minor Boys
Troy Booth – 5th
Jake Liggett – 14th
Miss Alcorn (Head of PE)
CHARITY CYCLE
Miss Alcorn and Mr Hunter do their stint
in the Charity Cycle organised by the
Health Promotion Team. Over three days,
senior pupils and staff took turns to cycle.
£283.00 was raised for charity.
VISIT OF THE RAF CENTRAL BAND ON
WEDNESDAY, 18TH JANUARY
True Colours
Congratulations to former pupil Glenda Hawkes whose Art and Design coursework was selected
for CCEA’sTrue Colours Art Exhibition which debuted in the Ulster Museum. The exhibition is a
contemporary and unique display of exceptional artwork created by students from schools and colleges
across Northern Ireland. Highlights of the exhibition can be viewed by following the CCEA page on
Facebook or Twitter.
Art and Design Trip to the Ulster Museum
On Wednesday 13th February, Art and Design pupils from Year 11, 12, 13 and 14 visited the Ulster
Museumin Belfast. As Northern Ireland’s treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a
rich collection of art, history and natural sciences. The collection included works by Kenneth Shoesmith
and John Luke. Pupils also had the opportunity to view CCEA’s ‘True Colours’ exhibition. This
exhibition showcased a selection of the best of the GSCE, AS and A2 exam entries from Summer 2012,
and includes preparatory work alongside the finished pieces. It was an inspiring trip enjoyed by all.
Miss McFarland (Head of Art)
The Senior Scripture Union Weekend
On Friday 22nd February 21 pupils left Omagh Academy to go to Portadown Faith Mission Centre for
our residential weekend. We stopped off at Rushmere Shopping Centre for some burgers, coffee and
shopping before we went to the Centre. When reboarding the bus pupils had purchased clothes, a rugby ball,
magazines and some live crickets from Pets at Home!
On arrival at the Centre we met our speaker for the weekend – Aaron Williamson from Holywood Baptist
Church. We had three talks about the book of Haggai and learned that God was displeased with the
Israelites as they spent time improving their own lifestyles and gave God second best.
The Centre has an indoor games room, indoor sports hall, outdoor volleyball and a crazy golf course.
We also spent our free time watching videos, chatting and enjoying the excellent food provided by Mrs
Marechaux and her husband Manu, ably assisted in the kitchen by Miss Faris and Miss Farrell. Hannah
Anderson and Stuart Watson provided the music for the weekend. Beth Ferguson and Alistair Aiken
organised the entertainment on the Saturday night- which apparently was excellent – but Mr Bingham
missed this as he had dodged off to his grandmother’s 99th Birthday Party on Saturday afternoon!
We regularly have 40 pupils coming to Senior SU every Thursday lunchtime and the weekend was a great
chance for the pupils and teachers to get to know each other better. Despite our weekend clashing with some
other events we still had a great number of pupils present and for once the boys outnumbered the girls! Mr
Cairns led our Bible Meeting on the Sunday morning.
We had a great weekend. The pupils were a pleasure to bring and we very much enjoyed our time of
fellowship together.
Mr Bingham (Teacher-in-charge)
The Senior SU weekend crew
relaxing in the Common Room
Rebekah Hall admires one of
the exhibits at the
‘True Colours’ exhibition.
The GCSE and A Level art students outside the Ulster Museum
Work Experience in L’Haÿ-Les-Roses
Six AS French students have been selected to undergo two weeks of work experience in L’Haÿ-les-Roses,
Omagh’s twin town during the Easter holidays. They will be hosted by French families, and will be working
for one week in the local primary school teaching English and the second week in the townhall. They are: Lindsay Hunter, Chloe Sides, Lauren McCollum, Honour Nethery, Gillian Sproule and Victoria
Harkness.
This is a great opportunity for these girls to experience another culture and be immersed in the language.
Mrs Henderson (Head of Languages)
Enjoying a game of Crazy Golf
Supporting Arvalee School
We were delighted to present the Parents and
Friends of Arvalee School and Resource Centre
with a cheque for £1027.00 in January. The money
was received through donations at both School
Carol Services. Thank you for your donations!
MUSICAL EXTRAVANGANZA AT OMAGH ACADEMY!
Omagh Academy Music Department’s annual Spring Concert took place in the Strule Arts Centre on
Wednesday 6th March. Described as a musical extravaganza, the audience were treated to a wide variety of
musical styles. Head girl Rebecca McKeown and deputy head girl Emma Harkness compered a show that
provided a diverse range of musical genres from classical recitals to jazz and tribal dances.
The curtain opened to reveal a 70 piece orchestra, conducted by Miss Fawcett and led by year 14 pupil
Andrew Riddell. They performed a medley of music from the popular film ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban’ and finished their programme with the classic ‘Rock Around The Clock.’
The string orchestra were next to take to the stage with their conductor Mrs Melanie Quick. They performed
a lively rendition of the spiritual ‘Jericho’ complete with finger clicking and a hauntingly beautiful piece
entitled ‘The Dark Island’ featuring the senior string quartet.
The Brass Band were up next and the reigning Northern Ireland School Band Champions did not disappoint!
They opened their programme with the Adele hit ‘Rolling in the Deep’ followed by a beautiful arrangement
of ‘My Love is like a red, red rose’ featuring cornet soloist Alexandra Maxwell. Their programme ended
with a rousing rendition of the ‘Rocky’ theme tune.
Next up was the eagerly anticipated return of the Ukulele Orchestra! Made up of GCSE and A
Level Music students, they performed a selection of hit songs including ‘Hey Soul Sister’ by Train,
‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz and ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ by the ever popular Olly Murs. Vocalist
Nicola Scanlon gave a superb performance and the audience were left wanting more!
After the huge show of talent throughout the evening, the finale was without doubt the showstealer. The Senior Choir joined with soloists Hannah Anderson, Calvin Davison, Keane Davison,
Alex Maxwell, Erin McCarthy, Laura McFall, Zoe Stephenson and Stuart Watson to perform a
medley from the hit music ‘Les Miserables.’ Hit after hit, the stunning performance really captured
the emotion of the show, with some of the audience moved to tears. The audience rose to their feet
to show their appreciation at the end of a spectacular performance, worthy of the West End!
The sell-out concert was another huge success for the Omagh Academy Music Department and the
support from parents and the community was clearly evident. All funds raised on the night were
in aid of NIMTT (Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust) which specialises in providing music
therapy across Northern Ireland.
Miss Fawcett (Acting Head of Music)
The woodwind players, under the tutelage of Mrs Aislinn Hughes were well represented on the night
with the Dixieland jazz group performing the well known spiritual ‘Down by the Riverside’ and the full
woodwind ensemble performing the energetic ‘Hungarian Dance’ by Brahms.
GCSE and A Level music classes joined forces to form the group ‘Sounds of Africa,’ a percussion ensemble
made up of djembe and doun-doun drums. They performed a traditional Senegalese dance entitled ‘Kurubi’
and the complex rhythms provided a very hypnotic and entertaining performance.
The Senior Choir ended the first half of the concert with a varied and entertaining programme. They opened
their performance with an energetic version of the Coldplay hit ‘Viva La Vida,’ followed by a beautifully
reflective arrangement of ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ by Howard Goodall (Made famous as the theme tune
of ‘The Vicar of Dibley.’) Their final piece was a lively rendition of the popular classic, ‘Lean on Me,’ and
this brought the first half of the concert to a stunning close.
Solist Erin McCarthy singing ‘I Dreamed a
Dream’
Year 13 pupil Ryan Watt showing his expertise at
percussion.
The second half opened with Omagh Academy’s percussion ensemble performing a traditional Turkish folk
tune entitled ‘Karapet.’ Using a variety of percussion instruments and suitably attired in Fez hats, this toetapping performance was a definite crowd pleaser as the audience marvelled at the skill of the players on
stage.
Next up were the newly formed piping ensemble, led by tutor Mark Carmicheal. This was their debut
performance and their version of Amazing Grace was absolutely breath taking, one would never guess that
this group was only formed a few months ago! Long may the piping tradition continue!
The sweet singing from the Junior Choir conducted by Miss Lyndsey Porter followed. They performed two
contrasting pieces; a choreographed version of ‘Chatanooga Choo Choo’ and a beautiful ‘Blessing’ by K.
Bart. Vocal music was also superbly represented on the night by Year 14 soloists Laura McFall performing
Puccini’s Quando M’en Vo’ and Rachel Kirke with the hit ‘Maybe This Time’ from Cabaret. Talented
brothers Calvin and Keane Davison sang a beautiful duet entitled ‘Peace like a river’ and GCSE Music
student Emily Collins performed her own stunning composition, ‘Guardian Angel.’
The School Orchestra performing a medley of Music
SUCCESS FOR ‘SPLASH’ THE YOUNG ENTERPRISE TEAM
The Young Enterprise Team SPLASH has done exceptionally well this year and has won quite a few awards.
They won the ‘Overall Company Runner Up’ at the Sperrins and Lakelands Regional Trade Fair in December. Andrew Steele won ‘Best Sales Person’ at the Foyle Side Trade Fair in February. On the 20th March
their efforts were recognised again at the Gala Celebration at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. They scooped
up the ‘Best Social Enterprise Company’ award for our region. They were congratulated for their innovative
and creative ideas using recyclable products. Courtney Allen also won ‘Young Entrepreneur’ for our region
and will go forward for the Northern Ireland finals. We are delighted with the success of the company so far!
Miss Fahy
INFORMATION ON EMA
EMA is available to Year 13 and 14 pupils. The information below reflects the revised
arrangements for the payment of EMA from September 2013 as agreed by the Northern Ireland
Executive.
•
£30 per week is payable to children from households with income of £20,500 or less with one
dependent child, or £22,500 or less where there are two or more dependent children.
•
There is a bonus element in the scheme comprising a £200 annual bonus payable in two
tranches.
PUPIL USE OF ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES
Parents are reminded of the dangers posed by new electronic technologies.
Many new mobile phones give the user direct access to the internet and so remove from parents the
ability to supervise their child’s access to web sites. In highlighting this issue the school is advising
parents to check that appropriate firewall safeguards are in place before the phone can be used.
Parents are also asked to talk to their children about their use of social networking sites such as Facebook and MSN. Personal details should not be divulged and pupils should not expose themselves or
others to danger. Pupils must never exploit a site or use any other electronic media, including texting
to cause anxiety, alarm or hurt to another member of the school community.
Parents are also reminded of the potential for social networking sites to be exploited by those seeking
access to children and adolescents.
DR REES RETIRES
On Friday, 22nd March 2013 Staff and Pupils bade farewell to Dr Rees after nearly 27 years service
to Omagh Academy. The Staff held a dinner in his honour in the Silverbirch Hotel and presentations
were made.
TIME TO BE SPENT ON HOMEWORK
Parents are reminded that the quantity of homework set over a 5 night working week should follow
the guidelines below for the average pupil in the class:
Subject
Time per subject per week (minutes)
Years 8 & 9
English, Maths, Science 65 each
French, History, Geography40 each
Art, Home Economics, Information Technology,
Music, Religious Education, Design Technology
20 each
(Year 9 German/Spanish 30)
(Year 8 & 9 approx. 1hr 15 to 1hr 20 mins. per night)
Year 10
English, Maths, Science
Geography, History, French, German/Spanish
Art, Home Economics, Information Technology,
Music, Religious Education, Design Technology
(Year 10 approx. 1hr 45 mins per night)
70 each
45 each
20 each
K.S. 4
Double Award Science 150 (50 mins. per individual science subject)
English, Maths
120 each
Other subjects
75 each
(K.S.4 approx. 2hrs 15 mins per night)
Sixth Form
Each Subject
3 hrs 30mins per week
Plus additional revision work, especially for pupils taking 3 subjects.
DATES FOR THE SUMMER TERM 2013
Summer Term Begins
Monday, 8th April 2013
Half Term Holiday
Monday, 6th May 2013
Staff Day [No School For Pupils ]
Monday, 27th May 2013
Years 8 - 11 Exams
5th to 11th June 2013
End of Term
Friday, 28th June 2013