On Friday 18th October, Miss Crawley, Miss Bartlett, Miss Doyle and two pupils, Niamh Kilcoyne and Kirsty McNeill attended the presentation ceremony of the Welcoming Schools Award. The event was organised by SELB and the International Fund for Ireland. The Minister for Education, John O Dowd MLA was in attendance and spoke about the importance of shared education in Northern Ireland. These sentiments were echoed by the other guest speakers including representatives from SELB and IFI. It was a great day to celebrate the hard work everyone contributed to in making St Mary’s a more Welcoming School.

 

Since September 2012, St Mary’s has been involved in the Welcoming Schools project. The project is organised in conjunction with Southern Education and Library Board and the International Fund for Ireland. The Welcoming Schools project aims to develop, within schools, a welcoming ethos and atmosphere built on the principles of inclusivity, respect for others and an embracing of diversity within their own school culture. 

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The goal is to make school a more exciting, satisfying and enriching experience for everyone –all students, all staff and all visitors. 

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In May 2013, teachers, classroom assistants, office staff, technicians and caretakers had a training day about Welcoming Schools. It was a very informative day and really helped focus staff on how to make St Mary’s more welcoming.