Strangford group is best in NI

Strangford group is best in NI

A STRANGFORD group has been named new PTA of the Year for Northern Ireland.

The parents, teachers and friends of St. Joseph’s Primary School picked up the PTA-UK Gold Award during a special ceremony in London, receiving a £500 cheque and a trophy during the event on board HMS Belfast on June 13.

PTA-UK is a national charity and membership organisation providing support, guidance and practical resources for over 13,750 PTAs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Strangford group chairwoman Anne McGurnaghan said she was “delighted” to receive the award which recognised the hard work of all the parents and staff at the school.

She continued: “St Joseph’s has played a major role in the life of Strangford village and surrounding area since 1964. As a group, we want to promote the

parent/school partnership as well as encourage parental involvement in school life.

“The establishment of the group has created a ‘feel-good’ factor amongst re-energised parents which didn’t exist before. It has also opened up the school to the wider local community showing it to be thriving and successful.”

Anne also thanked parents and staff at the school for their enthusiasm and support during the year, adding: “The local community has also backed the group and we simply couldn’t do it without them.”

The Parents, Teachers and Friends of St. Joseph’s was formed in April last year and aims to raise funds for the school and raise awareness of its work in the local community.

The PTA-UK Gold Star Awards provide the opportunity to showcase the achievements of PTAs and to inspire others which is certainly true of the winners for 2012.

Jayne Thompson, PTA-NI Adviser, said she was “incredibly proud” of the work of PTAs in Northern Ireland and is delighted that through the PTA-UK Gold Star Awards it can showcase the depth and breadth of projects and activities that PTAs undertake on a day-to-day basis to enhance the education experience of many thousands of children in the Province.