Download - ACHIEVEMENT RESPONSIBILITY EXCELLENCE News · 2016-05-27 · really good to see him socialising with children his age. He reacted very well. All in all it was a very good morning

Issue 12 February 2014 Issue 26 Page 1 May 2016

ACHIEVEMENT RESPONSIBILITY

EXCELLENCE

Ys gol Uwchrad d Gwernyfed High School

News

Well Done Year 8 & 9.......Pg. 5

Pg 3 Dance Festival Success

Pg 4 Badminton Tournament

Pg 7 Child Development

Pg 8 - 9 Lead Creative School Project

Pg 11 Glamorgan Cricket Ground Visit

Pg 13 Sports Relief 2016

Pg 14 Real Men Read

Also in this edition....................................

Good Luck Year 13!


Important Dates

Date Event

28th May - 5th June 2016 Half term

6th June 2016 School open to all

6th July 2016 Sports Day

8th July 2016 Reserve Sports Day

11th July 2016 Year 5 Day / Year 6 Parents Evening

12 & 13th July 2016 Year 6 Days

15th July 2016 School Ends for All

Letter from our Head Teacher

Annwyl pawb / Dear all Well done to all pupils who have, or are currently sitting external examinations. The Key Stage 3 pupils have completed their National Tests, whilst GCSE and A level students are in the middle to their exam period. We look forward to their results in August. 20th April saw the public consultation meeting at Gwernyfed. When over 1000 people attend, with questions from all ages and representing all parts of the community, shows this area as a positive thriving place that will change considerably without a high school. You have until 1st June to further contribute to the consultation process, please take the opportunity to do so. Be proud that the attendance at Gwernyfed was double that of the other three high school meetings combined! Mrs Julie Rees retires at the end of this half term. Having started at Gwernyfed in 1992 as an English teacher, Mrs Rees has taken on various roles before her current Deputy Headship. Many pupils will remember her for her contribution to school productions, most lately 'Wizard of Oz' last November. We know she has plenty of plans to enjoy her retirement, as well as looking forward to the birth of her first grandchild in September. Mrs Carys Ricketts gave birth to twin daughters on Tuesday 24th May! Everyone wishes her all the best and Gwernyfed RFC can look forward to two new players in a few years time! Ms Christine Williams will take over from Mrs Rickets as Head of Years 10 and 11, whilst Mr Shane Jenkins (Head of Science) will join the Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Headteacher to replace Mrs Rees. We know both will continue to do an outstanding job! This newsletter continues to celebrate the successes of Gwernyfed pupils who are giving so much in terms of their talent and time. Can I thank parents for their support, in supporting and providing lifts to events, practices and clubs.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Mr J Williams Pennaeth/Headteacher


Dance Festival Success

School Council 2015-2016

We have been running a weekly Dance Class in school since December 2015. Classes are led by Helena, an instructor from Powys and take place on a Monday after school every week. These were set up and funded through Community Sports Development at no cost to pupils. In the sessions Helena was working with pupils to plan, choreograph and perform routines. All pupils who attended the weekly class represented the school and performed their routine at the South Powys Dance event which took place at Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon on Saturday 30th April 2016 Groups from Brecon, Builth, Crickhowell, Llan-drindod, John Beddoes, Maesydderwen and Ysgol Penmaes, Llandrindod Youth group along with Pontfaen YFC also performed on the night. Dances session are open to all year groups, if anyone else is interested in joining the dance session please just turn up on Mondays 3:30-4:30pm on the stage in school, Any more information required please contact: [email protected].

The school council is completely student lead with meetings run every month and considers issues surrounding: the up-keep of the school (water fountains, toilet repairs), school closure's and writing letters to the council to prevent this, creating and running school clubs and societies, organizing and running charity days (having the sixth form charity day's team giving a healthy contribution) and generally raising issues and trying to improve the school. The next time they meet it will be a new council body and all students are encouraged to become representatives.

mailto:[email protected]


It’s easy to collect vouchers for Active Kids 2016. Simply shop in Sainsbury’s stores and online at sainsburys.co.uk and you will earn Active Kids vouchers on your shopping. In Sainsbury’s Locals, you will get one voucher for every £5 you spend. You’ll notice these vouchers are larger than the ones you receive in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and have a photograph on them. In Sainsbury’s Supermarkets you’ll receive 1 voucher for eve-ry £10 you spend. So if you spend £40 you’ll get four vouch-ers, but what’s new is that they’ll all be printed on one piece of paper. These vouchers are white and smaller in size, with no photograph on them. Then simply bring them to the school office.

So what have you been up to recently?? We love to hear about your achievements outside of school. Please send your article and/or photo to [email protected] and we will share your achievements in the half termly newsletter.

What have you been up to?

Badminton Tournament 5 x 60

Well done to all involved, once again a lovely atmosphere throughout the tournament. 1st Will Vaughan & Ian Turner (CHS) 2nd Sam & Jack Blatchford (CHS) 3rd Josh Howells & Brandon Tod (GHS) A big thanks to Ieuan Phillips for coordinating the tournament and organizing the pupils throughout the last couple of months, Ieuan was presented with an Outstanding Award Trophy from South Powys Badminton Association at the end of the tournament, well done Ieuan for all your hard work.

Nicola Jones, 5 x 60 Officer

We are collecting Sainsbury Vouchers!


Well done to the following pupils who were congratulated for achieving a range of merits for their class work and good behaviour (and not a single demerit ). Their awards were given out in their assembly. 8LG - Oliver Cripps, Ethan Gardiner, Josh Harris, Mollie Horsley, Vanya Kotadoo, Maia McNamara, Roxi Shaw, Amelie Williams. 8LJ - Keyleigh Adams, Cerys Anthony, Alanah Beazely, Sophie Hurn, Logan Jones, Ceryl Philips. 9DH - Georgia Allen, Amy Argent, Lewis Ball, Harvey Draper, Abi Evans, Mia Gardner, Olivia Hebbard, Izzy Hood, Nia Jenkins, Pheobe Jones, Layla Matthews & Eva Matthews. 9PH - Evi Cronin, Bailey Jones, Niamh Mills, Maddy Moore, Meg Morris, Jazz Rogers, Kezia Thomas. The pupils applauded their friends as their names were read out with the amount of merits they had achieved. The whole Middle School, their tutors and Head of Year gave a special round of applause to Alanah Beazley ( 171 merits), Ethan Gardiner (163 merits), and Mia Gardner (85 merits), Bailey Jones (85 merits) who were at the top of their Year Group. Keep up the good work everyone.

Miss CJ Williams

(Head of Middle School)

On Sunday 3rd of April Adam Credland (year 7) participated in the Verve Welsh Kickboxing Champion-ships. In the 12 year olds, under 155cm tall yellow belt points fights Adam came second. Adam’s club (Wolf Pack Kickboxing Brecon) came 3rd over all in the competition. Competitions ranged from sword fighting and patterns to ultimate fighter matches.

Congratulations Adam!

Year 8 & 9 Easter Awards


Match Report - 15th March 2016

Child Development Play Morning

To improve our understanding of physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of children, Olivia, Amy, Alice, Tegan and Amber-Leigh invited babies and toddlers to our lesson. The children looked like they really enjoyed it. We were able to see their gross and fine motor skills. It was a very good day. My Aunty brought in my little cousin Reuben. - Alice Opie We experienced a lot of different babies and their development. We learnt a lot of new things and what each baby was like. I invited my cousin Oscar who was five months old. - Tegan Jones My little brother came to our school and it was really good to see him socialising with children his age. He reacted very well. All in all it was a very good morning. - Amber-Leigh Hutchison My mum brought Alfie and Charlie to our Child

development lesson. We compared the develop-

ment of the different ages of the children. It was

really enjoyable and we would like to organise an-

other one. - Amy Davies


Sportshall Regional Finals

Attached are some images from the Art and History trip to the Regimental Museum in Brecon. ‘Pupils learnt about the what life was like as a soldier during WWI. The year 9s also created scenes for a film project....wait and see what they have created next term! The day was fantastic and very interactive, as you can see from the photos. Year 9 were brilliant!’

Ms K Hughes

Year 8 students; Dafydd Evans, Ollie Guinane and Paige Ballington took part in the Sportshall Regional Finals 2016 on 13th March at Cwmbran Sports Centre in a County Competition. Dafydd took part in the shot-put and running, Ollie took part in the speed bounce and running, and Paige was involved in the running events. Overall the team enjoyed a second place win for Powys and took home silver and bronze medals to celebrate. Gwernyfed is proud of you all, well done!

Miss C Williams

Art and History Trip

CREST Discovery Day

On Tuesday the 10th of May 24 year 7 pupils took part in a CREST Discovery Award in school, run by the British Science Association. The all day event on sustainability was met with great enthusiasm from the pupils who represented the school impeccably. The day started with a background into industry in Wales and the possible problems facing the country in the years to come. From there the pupils were tasked with providing new ideas on how to help combat or reduce the effects of global warming. Pupils were encouraged to use their scientific knowledge along with their imaginations to tackle the problem at hand. After half an hour of brainstorming ideas each group set about creating prototypes, models and presentations to accompany their idea. Heated discussions between group members ensured the best possible products were achieved, from electrical generators in drainpipes to hot metal plates that evaporate flood water. The representative from CREST was very impressed by the standard of work form our pupils and hopes to offer more days like this in the future.

Mr O Evans


Lead Creative School Project 2016


English Revision Classes

GCSE time is approaching once more, and the English Dept. would like to support Year 11 pupils by offering a number of revision sessions. Please see below for the timetable and itinerary for the sessions.

Details on each session can be found on the school website.

Hay2Timbuktu Cake Sale

On Friday 20th May the members of the International Pen Pal club in Year 7 held a successful cake sale to raise money for the Hay2Timbuktu charity. Plenty of baked goods were sold both sweet and savoury and a whopping £74.75 was made! Thanks to all who baked, sold and ate! - Miss C Williams


The PE department have joined easyfundraising.org.uk and we're hoping you will join us to help raise funds to allow us to continue with extra-curricular activities, such as fixtures against other schools and participation in county tournaments. Help us by collecting FREE DONATIONS every time you shop online. Follow these three easy steps.... 1. Join Head to easyfundraising and search for Gwernyfed HS physical education. 2. Shop There are over 3000 retailers such as Amazon, Next, John Lewis, eBay that participate in the scheme. Shop as normal with these retailers through the easyfundraising page. 3. After you've shopped the retailer will make a donation to the PE department with no extra cost to you! Or simply download the easyfundraising app!

On Wednesday 20th April a group of KS3 pupils visited Glamorgan Cricket ground in Sofia Gardens for the last day of the Glamorgan Vs Leicestershire game. We watched some of the game before being taken around the stadium for a tour. Firstly, we went to the museum, and saw a picture of the Head teacher, Mr Williams, when he was playing cricket in the 1980’s. We also saw one of the first ever cricket bats. Later, a coach came and helped us with our throwing techniques and then we played a match. Both Glamorgan and Leicestershire were very exciting to watch and the batsmen were excellent. We all had a fantastic day!

By Ryan Davies, Year 8

PE Fundraising

Visit to Glamorgan Cricket Ground

http://easyfundraising.org.uk


Reporting your Child’s Absence

Year 11 Psychology Trip

When reporting your child absence from school ring 01497 847445.

Please choose Option 1 and record your message. Please remember to say slowly and clearly:

Your child’s name and surname

Your child’s registration group

Reason for absence

Thank you for your co-operation. Mrs G Pritchard- Attendance Officer

We left school early on the Wednesday 16th March for Bristol Zoo; a small group of 11 plus Mrs Palfreman embarked into the zoo and immediately were fronted by a couple of lions. After wrestling them in the depths of their territory for a while, we proceeded to others parts of the zoo. Splitting into elite groups of three or more we passed reptiles like the African Pancake Tortoise, fish like piranha. The group retreated to attend a workshop/ talk about methods of learning from Steve Irwins’ long lost brother- Dave from Bristol. We talked about association learning, phobia’s with practical demonstrations such as watching movements and holding African snails to helping us understand psychology in a new refreshed way- ending a highly successful day …………..by Year 11 Psychology Class

Photos to follow

Cricket - ‘Chance to Compete’

Well done to year 7 & 8 girls who competed in the first South Powys Cricket 'Chance to Compete' tournament at Builth Cricket Club on Thursday 19th May. The Gwernyfed girls played 5 games in total finishing 8th out of 14 teams. Many thanks to Mr Hanks for all the hard work with training session on Monday lunch times girls only and mixed sessions on Fridays. Please turn up if you would like to be involved as we will be looking at planning school fixtures and tournaments in the new term.


Sports Relief 2016

News from the Music Department

Thank you to all who were in-volved with helping to raise:

£136.26 For sports relief.

Our annual Summer Concert is to be held in the drama studio on Thursday 30th June at 7pm, where you will get the chance to listen to some of our GCSE students, as well as our younger pupils performing, many for the first time at Gwernyfed.

Tickets available on the door, £4 adults, £2 concessions.

Congratulations to the following who have re-cently been successful in their music exams:

Mollie Doyne — Grade 4 flute

Kristupas Radzvila — Grade 4 Saxophone Caitlin Jones — Grade 3 Clarinet

Millie Tame — Grade 2 Flute Amelia Donnelly — Grade 3 Flute

Tyler Morris Grade — 6 Saxophone Sam Davies — Grade 6 Saxophone Distinction

Tyler Morris — Grade 6 Saxophone Merit Amelia Donnelly — Grade 4 Flute Merit

Good Luck to: Izzy Elkington

Ceri Bird-Smith For Their Forthcoming Piano Exams


Real Men Read - Mr Shane Jenkins

1. Favourite childhood book? Small Gods – Terry Pratchett

2. What are you reading right now? Sword of Truth series -Terry Goodkind (re-reading)

3. Bad book habit? Buying more than I can read in a month.

4. Favourite genre? Fantasy OR Historical

5. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? Classics

6. Favourite biography? Why? ‘Surely you’re joking, My Feynman!’ by Richard Feynman be-

cause he was the greatest communicator of science in the last century and had a love of

learning anything and everything.

7. Favourite fictional character? Why? Toby Ziegler ‘West Wing’ because his personality is

very relatable to me.

8. Favourite fictional villain? Why? Professor James Mori-

arty from Sherlock Holmes

9. Books you’re most likely to bring on holiday? Any book

by Bill Bryson

10. The longest you’ve gone without reading? I read every

day

11. Name a book that you could/would not finish. Eye of the

World – Robert Jordan

12. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? Falling

asleep!

13. Favourite film adaptation of a novel? The Lord of the

Rings

14. Most disappointing film adaptation? Timeline by Michael

Crichton, but there are so many-most books are far bet-

ter than the film.

15. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Nothing comes

to mind I am happy to read any genre.


It is important that our records are kept up to date with all contact details. If you have

moved, changed a home number, mobile number of email address please let the office

know as soon as possible either by telephoning 01497 847445, emailing

([email protected]) or by sending a letter into the office.

Keep your details up to date

School Calendar 2016-2017

Autumn Term 2016 Non Pupil Days Number of School Days

Monday 5th September to

Friday 21st October

Thursday 1st September Friday 2nd September

37

Half Term - Monday 24th October - Friday 28th October

Monday 31st October to

Friday 16th December 35

Spring Term 2017 Non Pupil Days Number of School Days

Wednesday 4th January to

Thursday 16th February

Tuesday 3rd January Friday 17th February

34

Half Term - Monday 20th February to Friday 24th February

Monday 27th February to

Thursday 6th April

Friday 7th April Directed Teacher Day

30

Spring Term 2017 Non Pupil Days Number of School Days

Monday 24th April To

Friday 26th May 24

Half Term - Monday 29th May to Friday 2nd June

Monday 5th June To

Friday 21st July 35

Good Friday Friday 14th April 2017

Easter Monday Monday 17th April 2017

May Day Bank Holiday Monday 1st May 2017

Spring Bank Holiday Monday 29th May 2017

Royal Welsh Show Monday 24th July to Thursday 27th July 2017


To receive this newsletter electronically in future please email pupils name and form to: [email protected]

01497 847445 [email protected] www.gwernyfed-hs.com

Art Work of the Month

By Ned Brotherton- Radcliffe

By Menna Morgan By Roxy Shaw

Download - ACHIEVEMENT RESPONSIBILITY EXCELLENCE News · 2016-05-27 · really good to see him socialising with children his age. He reacted very well. All in all it was a very good morning

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