Headteacher/Pennaeth Alan Tootill Tel: (01792) 533066 Fax: (01792) 533366
Pontarddulais Road Gorseinon SWANSEA SA4 4FG
March 2013
SPRING TERM NEWSLETTER Dear Parents and Pupils, Welcome to our Spring Term Newsletter. Please take time to read about some of the many activities that our pupils have been involved in this term and the successes they have achieved. This is the first time that we are publishing our newsletter only on our website as part of our drive to reduce the amount of paper we consume. However, if you specifically want a hard copy, please let Reception know and we will make sure you get one. I hope that you were able to come and watch our school production of ‘Grease’ back in February. There were about 150 pupils involved this year, probably the most ever, and the show was a resounding success. Read more about it inside. Our senior debating team has once again got through to the national final of the Bar Mock Trial competition and will be competing on Saturday, 23rd March, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. By the time you get this newsletter we will know how well they have performed. Our junior debating team is following in their footsteps by recently winning the local heat of the Magistrates Mock Trial competition. Target setting has been an important focus for us this term in school. For the first time we are now providing all pupils with target attainment Levels / Grades on their interim and end-of-year reports. This will help us to track their progress more effectively. I hope this provides useful information for parents that will add to the important dialogue between home and school which is an integral part of effective partnership to help all our young people achieve their full potential. The Welsh Government (WG) priority of improving pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills moves up a gear next term with the introduction of national literacy and numeracy tests for all pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9. These will be taking place in May and you will be given details in advance. The WG has asked for parents to take part in a survey relating to numeracy as outlined below: “We are currently developing a behavioural campaign in relation to numeracy. By numeracy, we mean the skills required to do sums related to everyday life: checking change at the shops or monthly budgeting. We are interested in talking to parents about the way they currently support their children’s numeracy development. A series of focus groups will be held across Wales, but we’re also encouraging parents to complete an on-line survey by 31 March 2013.” Term ends for pupils with a non-uniform day on Wednesday, 27th March. We have an INSET for staff on 28th March. The Summer Term begins on Monday, 15th April. This will be Week 1. Year 10 and Year 11 should be busy revising for their exams over Easter. Year 10 have mock exams during the first week back in subjects which have an external module in May / June. Year 11 final exams begin in earnest from 13th May. Study leave commences on 3rd June. Have a great Easter! Yours faithfully,
ALAN TOOTILL Headteacher
Important Dates Mid Term Holidays
Term
Term Begins
Terms Ends
Begins
Ends
Term Begins
Term Ends
Summer 2013
15th April 2013
24th May 2013
27th May 2013
31st May 2013
3rd June 2013
23rd July 2013
Autumn 2013
2nd September 2013
25th October 2013
28th October 2013
1st November 2013
4th November 2013
22th December 2013
Inset Days/Bank Holidays Monday 6th May—May Day Bank Holiday Monday 2nd September—Inset Day
Other Important Dates to Note: 15th April 22nd April 13th May 3rd June 24th June 2nd July 9th July 11th July 20th July 21st July 22nd July 22nd August
Year 10 GCSE Mock Exams Start Year 7 Parents Evening (3.30 – 6.30 pm) Year 11 GCSE Exams Start (until 25th June) Year 11 Study Leave Begins Year 7, 8 & 10 Exams Week Y11 Prom Summer Concert Sports Day (provisional) Geography Trip to Iceland departs French Trip to France departs Activity Day GCSE Results Day (Y11 from 9am & Y10 from 10am)
Important dates for the Autumn Term will be issued in the Summer Newsletter
On the 16th March 2013, a day had arrived that was to be the climax of months of preparation by a team of 11 Year 9 pupils and 2 Year 8 pupils. We were up against Dyffryn, a school which we had lost to last year, so our passion to win was further fired by the thought of beating them. After a particularly early start outside the minibus shelter at 7.45, we arrived at Neath Magistrates court at around 08.20, fully enthusiastic after our ‘Grease’ themes singsong! After Caitlin, our legal advisor, was mistaken for our teacher, we managed to get through security and shown to our ‘dressing room’. Not long after this, we were given an introductory speech by the lead magistrate, at which point, the adrenaline started to kick in and we all became increasingly nervous. After a short break, which calmed our nerves slightly, we entered the courtroom, ready to defend against Dyffryn. The defendant was played by the most innocent looking Angharad Weeks and the two defence lawyers, Olivia Brayley and Megan Coslett, the latter of whom had stepped in at the last minute due to illness. Molly Williams was our usher and the second defence witness was played by Katy Williams. After tough questioning and debating from both teams, the magistrates, who included our own Jonathan Williams, Angharad Lake and Caitlin O'Brien, retired to the back room to discuss the verdict. After an unbearable wait, we found out that we had won the case—the defendant was found not guilty. Following a tense refreshment break, our prosecution team proceeded to the courtroom, where a feisty Megan Coslett and a cool but biting Cameron Beynon acted as our lawyers. The two prosecution witnesses were played by Adam Dicks and Nicholas Heaton and Caitlin O’Connell was our legal adviser. Once the second back-room discussion was complete, we found out that Dyffryn had won the case. Despite our best efforts, we were forlorn. Both sides had won their defence cases and only one could win. This would be decided when the allocated points were added up. After another deadly break, we waited to see if we had beaten our previous successors and we had! We were elated with joy and look forward to our regional heats on May 11th. Angharad Weeks 9E
Grease! This year’s school production was performed at Penyrheol Theatre in February, to sold out audiences and rave reviews! An extremely talented cast brought this iconic musical to life with great acting and dancing and some particularly superb singing performances! Over 150 pupils were involved, either on or off the stage and a special mention goes to the back stage crew who helped the production run effortlessly! Many of the leads roles were played by Year 11 pupils who will be leaving us this year...We wish them good luck in pursuing their further studies and careers and we can’t help wondering if we might have some future stars in the making! Well done to EVERYONE involved!
We left school at 9am and throughout the bus journey everyone was very excited as it was a new experience and we had no idea what to expect! When we arrived, we took our seats in the theatre at the Metropolitan University of Swansea. We were then given a booklet to write, draw and put our ideas in. The first person to come in was an author called Cathy Brett. She talked to us about her books and how she became an author and showed us a PowerPoint about her life. She told us she started off as a fashion designer; she designed products like nail varnish, lip gloss etc. for Boots and also clothes for House of Fraser. She gradually wanted to become an author of children and teenage books. Some of her books include ‘Ember Fury’ which she wrote in 2009, ‘Verity Fibbs’ which she wrote in 2010 and ‘Scarlett Dead’, which she wrote in 2011. We then had to imagine in any way, our journey to the Metropolitan that morning. I wrote: ‘I woke up with my head in my school bag. I almost suffocated so I quickly had breakfast. For breakfast, I had a jar of Nutella and a tea bag that tasted of hair. I rode on a giant cupcake with legs and arms on it to school and I suddenly found a random shoe on my head! I passed Alan Sugar who was in Specsavers and was riding on Swansea’s best football players ‘Michu’s’ back. I shouted, ‘Hello!’ and Michu replied in gibberish. I finally arrived at the University (which I owned). It looked like a fairground with a big wheel and the Statue of Liberty was in the middle of it all. It then started raining spaghetti.’ As you can see, I had my imaginative cap on! At the end of the talk, I purchased the book ‘Verity Fibbs’ and so did a number of my friends. The second activity we did was Drama. A student working in the University told us we had to make a scene which involved the TV chat show host, Jeremy Kyle. We had to publish a cover and make a blurb for our book. We also had to act out a scene which involved an argument on a problem in life which Jeremy Kyle was involved in and we also had to make an advert advertising our book. We only had around 15 minutes to complete this task. With only 9 members in our group and 4 different things to do, we had to work fast! Once we had finished we watched other schools perform their plays and they were all comical! We didn’t get to perform ours, as another school were chosen, but they did a wonderful job and had everyone in stitches. Next it was time for a well deserved break, during which we ate our lunch. After lunch, the final author of the day came in. She was called Saci Lloyd. She talked to us about her life and her wanting to become an author. Some of her books include: ‘The Carbon Diaries’ and ‘Quantum Drop’. We talked about missions, murders and mysterious things. It was funny and interesting. We had to imagine we were a baby and were up to no good. I wrote: ‘The baby is a craze revolutionary freak and has the new black death, which traps you inside a baby’s body ,but has the brain of a 50 year old. The baby also has dancing fever but is also a cranial whose name is Alexandra Seith and likes eating peanuts.’ After that, it was time to go home. Unlucky for us the bus was 30 minutes late and we had to stand in the pouring rain...we got soaked! Other than that, we all had a marvellous day and really enjoyed our experience! Caitlin Cavalucci 7D
News from the Welsh Dept.- Newyddion o’r Adran Gymraeg
2013 Eisteddfod Friday, March 1st was another notable event in the calendar of Ysgol Gyfun Penyrheol. The Eisteddfod was an opportunity to showcase some of the best talent the school has to offer. Be it canu (singing), cyd-adrodd (reciting), cerddoriaeth (music) or pure hwyl (fun), what a morning it was for pupils of both years 7 and 8 in the Theatre. Over 400 pupils performed on the Eisteddfod stage.
Mrs. M. Davis & Mrs H. Howells
The morning began with our Head Girl (Katie Hollingworth) and Head
2013 Adjudicators
Boy (Joshua Thomas) leading an assembly on St. David. This gave everybody the time to reflect on what Dewi Sant accomplished during his life and how he has become an inspiration to many by his last words which were: “Do the little things” (Gwnwech y pethau bychain). Three different school choirs performed this year and there were group recitation/singing competitions in French, Welsh and English. Another feature of this year’s Eisteddfod were the English pieces: Women of Fishguard by Harri Webb (Yr7) and Three Little Pigs by Roald Dahl (Yr7 & 8). Diolch to Miss B. Davies (Eng) and Miss Wilkins Il était un pe t navire (Y8 MFL compe
on)
for their help there! Congregational items included Cwm Rhondda, Sosban Fach and Calon Lân, Ble mae Daniel? and Dyna ti yn eistedd aderyn du. All were sung with enthusiasm! £80.00 was also raised during Thursday and Friday for Marie Curie Cancer Care with the selling of Welsh cakes, fruit juice and a raffle to win 1 of 3 Dairy Box chocolates. Results for this year’s Eisteddfod Homework competitions show
how
many
departments throughout the school get involved 7H’s Rap Rheolau gan Aled Richards
with the Eisteddfod. So
Ar Lan y Môr sung by the Chamber Choir
it’s Diolch yn fawr to each of those once again!
Roald Dahl’s Three Li le Pigs
“Ble mae Daniel?” in rounds for all!
Harri Webb’s Women of Fishguard
Canlyniadau Eisteddfod 2013 Results 1st
2nd
3rd
Nia Thomas 7R
Caitlin Cavallucci 7D
Abby Thomas 7H
Hannah Everest 8C
Thomas Long 8Y
Scott Smith 8R
Rhys Davies 7C
Hannah Miles 7M
Nia Thomas 7R Alisha Crowther 7M
Hannah Everest 8C
Emilia Amura 8H
Laura Kelly 8D Megan Chapman 8R
Neb yn deilwng o Fl.9
No worthy winners in Yr.9
Neb yn deilwng o Fl.9
Jason Feringa 7C
Chelsea Lewis 7Y
Millie Meyrick 7D
Kai Thomas 8Y
Danielle Allan 8M
Cloe Owen 8H
Katy Williams 9U
Ashleigh Haynes 9R
Lloyd Davies 9S
DRAMA
7E
7Y
7M
DESIGN/TECH
Dena Davies 7Y
Thomas Carmichael 7Y
Lois Bowen 7M
Ella Munro 8D
Lauren Donaldson 8Y
Tomas Donne 8M
GEOGRAPHY
Isaac Thorne 7Y
Alisha Crowther 7M
Joe Frohwein 7M
PE
7H
7R
7E
8R
8E
8C
PE: Football
7D
7E
7M
ENGLISH
Nia Thomas 7R
Lois Bowen 7M
Siân Waters 7E Corey Hoskins 7H
Oliver Thomas 8H
Lewis Dennis 8H Bartek Cholcki 8Y
Adam Dicks 8C Cameron Beynon 8C
Mollie Quick 7H
Kelsey Poole 7E
Nia Thomas 7R
Bethany Lewis 8M
Courtney Thomas 8E
Catrin Morris 8M
Caitlin McConnell 9E
Bethan Stroud 9D
Ieuan Thorne 9D
ICT
Abby Thomas 7H
Isobel Bass 7D
Nia Thomas 7R
HISTORY
Caitlin Cavallucci 7D
Benjamin Jones 7E
Alex Pennock 7M
Laura Kelly 8D
Megan Lee 8Y
Matthew Roberts 8H
Caitlin O’Brien 9R
Aran McConnell 9S
Billie-Jo Lewis 9R
Caitlin Cavallucci 7D
Megan John 7M Will Davies 7C
Josephn Williams 7M Nia Thomas 7R
Amelia Maguire 8C
Olivia Budge 8E Hannah Berrell 8H
William Richards 8C Oliver Thomas 8H
Caitlin O’Brien 9R
Caitlin McConnell 9E Lloyd Davies 9S
Aran McConnell 9S Liam Matthews 9U
MATHS
CYMRAEG
SCIENCE
ART
RE
Most Promising Musicians: Yr 7: Abby Thomas 7H Overall Homework Winners: Winning Forms:
Yr 8: Oliver Thomas 8H
Yr 7: Nia Thomas 7R Yr 8: Hannah Everest 8C Yr 7: D Yr 8: H
Da iawn!
Ski Trip to Austria 2013 This year’s ski trip departed for Austria on Friday 8th February and P.E Teacher, Mr Clapperton tells us all about it! This was my 4th ski trip with Penyrheol and the first where all the pupils were from just one year group, with 40 pupils all from year 11. Before the trip, all the talk was about ‘who was going to be the best skier’, but once we got on the bus talk soon turned to some individuals dreadful taste in onesies! Fortunately, we don’t have any photos of the guilty culprits! After a long journey we finally arrived and settled into our accommodation. The first day of skiing went very well for most...however, certain individuals found it very hard and for the first time in history, a pupil (Rhidian!) actually managed to snap a ski! As the week progressed , so did the skiing and as pupils got the hang of it, they also enjoyed some very competitive evening activities, such as bowling, pool, table football and a very impressive performance in the cereal box challenge by Liam Stafford! Altogether, despite a few injuries, a great week was had by all and for the pupils that came along, it was fantastic way to end their time at Penyrheol School.
This year the boys’ football and rugby teams have gone from strength to strength. They have put in some fantastic performances, with over 140 boys taking part in extra-curricular sport. In total this year we have played: 31 rugby matches, winning 17, drawing 2 and losing 12 and 26 football matches, winning 15, drawing 12 and losing 9. Altogether fantastic statistics! Notable mentions need to go to the Year 9 Rugby team for some tremendous performances, lead by captain Liam Kissick, and to the Year 8 rugby team who have reached the semi-final of the Swansea Cup, as have the Year 10s, so good luck boys! In relation to football, all year groups are still in the hunt to qualify for the semi-finals with just a few crucial games to go. Cross Country - Ben Lang( Y11) represented the county in the Welsh Finals. Well done to all involved and thank you once again to all staff who have helped take teams. This allows us to play so many more fixtures: Mr M Rees, Mr C Thomas, Mr R Howells, Mr S Edwards and Mr M Luckwell. We now look forward to matching our skills on the rugby and football fields when we go on sports tour with 50 pupils over the Easter holidays to Florida. The next newsletter will have all the photos and chat from tour! For updates on fixtures and PE information, follow us on Twitter @penyrheolPE.
This term we have had some outstanding results from the girls: Cross country: Our Year 7 Girls came 2nd in the County finals and Lera Sidorenko and Danielle Richards (Y7 ) represented the county in the Welsh Finals. Indoor Athletics: Holly Hurford (Y8 ) represented us in the County team. Netball: Year 7/8 teams have continued to train weekly and play matches as well as being in the school production, so we commend them for their commitment. They have had some very good games and excellent wins, all bar one, as Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr had 2 outstanding teams and beat us convincingly! We also enjoyed a netball tournament that was held in the leisure centre for our partnerprimary schools. Lots of new sporting talent is emerging, which is very exciting!
Llangrannog U r dd t t o t h e n e w e k an d r y , W 1 o ' c lo c F e b r u a 1 h t t a 5 d 2 e d day r r iv . We h a O n M o n g . We a s t ay in g n g r an n o e b la g s L ld in u in h o id t e w C am p s . We d wh e r e w ie t it u o , iv g t d c in e k ar t s o r t o u r a p e s , g o s t ar t e d o r d n w h e r a t lo o r an d s o f din n e n d lo ad n g , h ig h a ii k y s r e s h a b n in g e s u c h g , ar c t o b o g g a wim m in s s , a g s w e in e u id n T v o u r it h o r s e r r ac e s . O . M y f a d s a ie h it d h iv in t e as t an f u n ac t allo we d r e ally f e r t e n e w w d e r n in g , o an c au s e w win g m o d a dis c o a ll h o f e e w h h t , t h e n s . T day n ig p r e s e n t c lim b in g y k u c o b r o t d p an c o u r s e g if t s h o le av e . h r o p e s ig h e ady t o ac k a r s id g a b t o b e b we d r u o , h ap p y k c p ac k e d h ad lo e c ' w ay s t 3 o h o m e a ac k e d d p d e n iv io r t r c a We a s in g t h e ady m is e lr d! a e y t o u j b e n e lly 8 D L a u r a K
L l a ng r a nno g wa I t wa s g s r e a lly o o d s pe fu n. nd ing a e v e r y o n f e w d a y s wit e . T h e a h ct iv it ie e nj o y a b s we r e l e a nd t v e r y h e nig h t s fu nny ! T we r e r e h e fo o d a lly w a s t a s t y wa s a g o o d s e le a nd t h e r e ct io n. T h e ins t r we r e l o u c t v e l y a nd o r s I a ls o r h e l pfu l . e a lly e n j o y e d t h e e it ie s a n v e ning a d wo u l d ct iv lo v e t o I t wa s a g o ba ck a g na d d e d a in! bo nu s t o be a b v is it t h l e t o e be a c h . Cer y s J o nes 8 C
Llangrannog was an enjoyable experience. The facilities were great and the activities were excellent...Well worth it! The food was good, the beach was fascinating, but be careful on the quad bikes!! If you ever get the chance to go, I really recommend it! Cameron Beynon I thought Llanngrannog was amazing and I really enjoyed all the activities. It was really funny and I would love to go there again one day. The staff were friendly and we got on with them all really well. Leah Hagley 8C I really enjoyed Llangrannong, especially the high ropes course. The rooms were really nice and were an okay size. The food was lovely!! The instructors were kind and helped us out, especially the skiing instructor who stopped me from falling! Amy Frohwein 8C I really enjoyed my trip to Llangrannong. There were lots of things to do, such as go-karting, horse riding, rope courses and much much more! In your spare time, we were allowed to play pool with our friends or play football. My favourite activities were the quad bikes, go karts and toboggans. At night we went for a walk to the beach and also had a disco! Kaleve Neyland 8C
Christmas Card Recycling Competition As mentioned in the Christmas Newsletter, we collected unwanted Christmas Cards for recycling and ran a competition to see who could bring in the most cards! Many forms entered, along with many members of staff. The winning form was 9R, mainly thanks to Victoria Laurie, who brought in loads, with 7Y & 8D being runners up.! In total 27.5 kg (or 4 stone, 3 pounds) of Christmas cards were collected and recycled!
A total of £40
was collected
over the Christmas period from pupils and staff. Eco Club chose to send the money to Action Aid.
7D has helped to come up with an ‘Eco Code’ for the school. This is essential for all the Eco School Awards and is currently being displayed in the school reception. Always eager to grow and improve, we would still welcome any suggestions!
This year the whole school was involved in climate week, helping to raise awareness of climate change. Year 7, 8 and 9 learned about climate week in class and made a green pledge (e.g. recycle my plastic bottle) . 36 students across Years 7, 8, and 9 were involved in the Climate Week Challenge, on Thursday 7th March. In groups, they had to design the ‘Ultimate Eco Home’ . A fantastic effort was made by all and the ideas and creativity that came from the day was fantastic. The winning team was ‘Team Solar’ (Angharad Weeks, Courtney James, Hannah Berrel, Roman Nowak-Smith, Joe Frohwein and Alex Pennock). The eco home was built underground and included many environmentally friendly features, such as a wormery to turn waste into plant food, wind turbines to create electricity and a door that uses kinetic energy, again, to create electricity. A very interesting and worthwhile week that highlighted climate change and what we can all do to help!
Meeting—1st Febuary 2013 ♦
This was an opportunity to discuss at length, the findings of the Pupil Voice questionnaire that was completed by 430 pupils during the Christmas term—Results of this will be shared at a later date.
Meeting 6th March 2013 ♦
♦
Representatives from City & County of Swansea met with Student Voice to get their opinions on how they enjoyed life living in and around Swansea and how they liked to spend their time. This was to coincide with a wider consultation taking place in Swansea and we look forward to their findings. It was decided by members that we should give the lane that leads from the rear of the school field to Brynteg Road a proper name. A competition is now underway to choose one of the following names: 1.
Gwdihw Lane (Good-Hoo Lane/Owl Lane) 2. Willow Walk 3. Appletree Avenue 4. Butterfly Lane
Pupils are encouraged to vote and voting slips are available in the Library Resource Centre. The winning name will be displayed on a sign made by the Eco Club/Technology Department at the entrance to the lane. We look forward to the result and eventual displaying of the sign!
Our Voice...Representing Yours
Holocaust Memorial Day The 27th January was Holocaust Memorial Day and to commemorate this, Year 9 pupils were taken to the Imperial War Museum in London and in particular to visit the Holocaust exhibition. Here is a small selection of what the pupils thought about their visit: During our visit, we had a chance to listen to some Holocaust survivors who were really interesting. I was shocked by most of the information that surfaced during the day. Angharad Lake 9E I thought the museum and Holocaust exhibition taught me a lot. I learned about the mass murder of the Jews and was interested to hear people’s stories and experiences. Megan Hovvels 9R As we entered the Holocaust exhibition, the walls were covered in photographs of happy Jewish families, normal looking Jewish families. It showed the families before Hitler came and wiped out their existence. As we walked around, the recorded information told us about the Nazis and how they punished the Jews. It also told us about the ‘ Night of Broken Glass’. The Night of Broken Glass started because a Polish Jew shot a Nazi official dead, as the Nazis had killed his family. Hitler was furious and as a result, he started a week of terror towards the Jews. He ordered his soldiers to smash all Jewish shops and burn the synagogues. The most memorable part of the visit was seeing the shoes that belonged to those who had been killed. I can also remember the voice of a girl who was talking about Germany and being a German Jew. She said that when a Nazi was walking on the pavement, she had to cross the road. One day she stepped off the pavement but her friend refused to, so the Nazi shot her in the head. This really upset me. I really enjoyed my visit because it was interesting but it said really upset me and made me realise how lucky I am that my country isn’t like that. Even now, in other countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, there are people who disagree with their leader and are persecuted in a similar way to the Jews. Chloe Davies 9R
Many of our Penyrheol pupils are involved in outside school activities. If you would like to shout about it...here’s your chance!
Karate Holly Edwards (7Y) Became the British Under 12’s WADO Karate Champion in Jan 2013
Kick Boxing Megan Evans (11R) Became the Irish International Champion 2013 (Juniors 16-18) And also won a silver medal in the -70kllos category. Both tournaments took part in Ireland. A special
Rugby Stuart Nicholas (11M) has made it into the Under 16’s Welsh squad...Well done Stuart!
Boxing Sam Coady (11H) and Luke Dyche (11R) have recently fought their way to achieving their Welsh vests for boxing. Here they are, having just won their fights!
Theatre Many pupils past and present took part in Musicality’s production of ‘Copacabana’ at the Taliesin in February, directed by Ms. Amanda Murphy (Librarian). It was a really fun show and congratulations go to all those involved on or off the stage! Congratulations also, to our very own Mr Keith Milward (Careers Advisor) for his lead part in ‘The Producers’ in Neath last month and to Mr Michael Aubin (Teaching Assistant) who played the part of the Pirate King in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ at the Taliesin. Showing that the staff at Penyrheol are not afraid to lead by example! Sport? Drama? Scouts? Music? Dance? Chess? Whatever it is you do...let us know!