On the 22nd March 2012, the Regional Training Unit (RTU) for N Ireland, celebrated its final graduation for the Online Learning and Teaching for Educators (OLTE) Programme in the Craigantlet Room, Stranmillis University College Belfast.  This year seventy six post-primary teachers from across Northern Ireland schools, including Head of Irish at St Paul’s, Miss Ciara McCoy successfully completed the RTU’s Online Learning and Teaching for Educators (OLTE) Programme.  The keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony was Mr John Anderson, Managing Inspector ETI.  Mr Anderson paid tribute to the success and quality OLTE has achieved over the years, in particular he said, “One of OLTE’s strategic gains has been to disseminate OLTE graduates’  e-learning knowledge and skills and consequently widen curriculum choice and foster collaboration across schools.   And in that it has been most successful Because of OLTE, We are set up for online and digital success “.

The Regional Training Unit (RTU) developed the OLTE programme in 2003 to meet the Department of Education’s (DE) requirement for a continuous professional development (CPD) programme that would help address the overarching goal of the Education Technology Strategy “That all young people should be learning, with, through and about the use of digital and online technologies”.

The OLTE programme, which focuses on the development of online tutors skills, is accredited at Level 4 by the National Open College Network.  The participants complete 3 progressively challenging units:  Unit 1- Introduction to Online Tutor Skills, Unit 2 – Design, implement and tutor an online lesson and Unit 3 – Design, implement and tutor an online programme.  To date the final number of OLTE graduates is 154 teachers from 95 post primary schools.  They have provided more than 2000 participants with first-hand experience of learning in an online environment.

From 2007/08 the Department of Education funded post-primary teachers’ places on the OLTE programme.  Teachers were able to avail of a CPD programme which requires them to reflect on their practice, develop resources, plan for delivery, teach and assess their pupils in an online environment.  This valuable CPD opportunity allows teachers to revisit many of the GTC Professional Competences and can be used towards Performance Review and Staff Development (PRSD) requirements.  The current OLTE Graduates developed and delivered a variety of online courses to pupils from across a range of post-primary schools including, for example, aspects of GCSE Music, GCSE Geography, GCSE Irish, and AS Psychology.

The Online Learning and Teaching for Educators (OLTE) Programme has now come to an end but there is a significant pool of qualified teachers within the education sector who are in a position to continue developing online courses for schools.  This is evidenced by the OLTE Graduates who have gone on to develop online courses in AS Product Design, AS French, GCSE Irish, AS History and BTec Engineering for blended-course delivery.

Mr Dermot Kelly from the Armagh Diocesan Youth Commission, with Religious Education teacher Mrs Deirdre Graham and Year 13 pupils from St Paul’s High School.

Mr Dermot Kelly from the Armagh Diocesan Youth Commission visited St Paul’s on Thursday 29th September to launch the John Paul II Award to Year 13 students.

He gave a very inspirational talk and delivered a PowerPoint presentation which underlined the widespread appeal that this award has around Ireland. This is the third year of the award and it is going from strength to strength.

The response from Year 13 students was excellent, and we currently have eight Year 14 students completing their award in preparation for the Awards Ceremony in Armagh in early 2012.

Pupils from St Paul’s High School who have been selected for U17 Southern Area Podium 4 Sport Netball Development squad. Dearbhla Wright, Colleen McVeigh and Kerry Davidson 

Some action shots of the selection matches that were played at St Paul’s High School 

Last week, St Paul’s students Dearbhla Wright, Colleen Mc Veigh and Kerry Davidson were selected for the U17 Southern Area Podium 4 Sport Netball Development squad.  

These girls will be joined by 17 girls from other southern schools to train and participate in an inter board Netball Tournament on 12 November 2011 in University of Ulster Jordantown. The squad will be coached by Miss Maeve Murray.

St Paul’s would like to congratulate the girls in their success and wish them the best of luck in their upcoming squad training and tournament, well done girls!  

Principal, Oliver Mooney and Head of Year 12, Mary McMahon congratulate pupils at St Paul’s High School, who received their GCSE results.

Ryan Cinnamond with his friends are congratulated on their results by Principal, Mr Oliver Mooney.

Pupils from St Paul’s High School are celebrating GCSE success after the exam results were announced recently.

The figures for the Bessbrook school, for pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades including English and mathematics, is 85 per cent, up from 34 per cent in 2002.

Principal of St Paul’s High School, Mr Oliver Mooney said: “These are a marvellous set of results for our students and reflect their hard work and that of the staff. I congratulate them all and look forward to seeing them go on to further success at post-16 level.”

“We are extremely pleased to have achievedsuch outstanding results results, as this can only mean that more students than ever from the school can go on to advance their studies on courses of their choice.”

Mr Mooney added, “This outstanding set of results is all the more special, considering the changes at GCSE, and the introduction of controlled assessment, which is much more rigorous than the old style coursework.”

“Our students have once again outperformed the previous cohort and deserve praise and congratulations for their hard work and efforts.”

One Year 12 student who had experienced more than most when completing his GCSE year was Ryan Cinnamond, who overcome severe medical problems to complete his exams with his year group and graduate with a full set of GCSEs at Grades A*-C.

Ryan Cinnamond, and his parents paid tribute to the staff of St Paul’s High School for their support and commitment to Ryan over the last number of months.  Ryan said, “I would not have passed without the help of St Paul’s.  If I had not had the one-to-one support from my teachers, I would have failed.”