Brynmawr Foundation School DecemberBrynmawr 2016 Newsletter

Foundation School Ysgol Sylfaenol Brynmawr

December 2016 Newsletter

Dear Parent,

Time this year has flown by but the year so far has been packed full of achievements born from the efforts of our students, staff and school community. Every day I continue to be inspired by the students and my colleagues and all that they do together to make Brynmawr Foundation School special, unique and outstanding. All the activities and achievements since September continue to highlight how impressive our students are and the energy, talent, enthusiasm and commitment they bring to our school, Dates for your Diary

illustrating the continued dedication of all our staff

I am proud of the commitment our students have shown in December representing their school when on trips and also at events in 15th – End of Term

the school. 16th – INSET Day

For some families, of course, Christmas does not bring the joy January and happiness with which others are so blessed. With this in 3rd – Start of Spring Term mind I am extremely proud of our pupils and their efforts in 19th – Year 9/10 Options Evening raising money for charity including, once again, a significant th amount of money to buy presents for the Barnardo’s appeal. 25 – 6pm Year 11 Prom Catwalk Show Our focus in January continues to be student progress and ensuring that students are positively engaged with their February learnin g. We have had over 200 applicants for a maximum 151 7th – 9th School Production entry in September 2017. Staff have maintained incredibly 15th – Year 11 Parents Evening high standards as a team, so that all functions of the school 16th – 20th Florida Trip are focused on supporting the students’ learning and progress. 20th – 24th Half term Both they and the students they teach have been outstanding.

I would like to thank all members of staff for their continued EXAM work and commitment to the pupils and the school, and the governing body and parents for their unstinting support. NEWS

Thank you to the dedicated staff who are providing revision GCSE sessions between Christmas and New Year for those students sitting examinations in January.

I wish you all a restful break and I hope this festive period January th brings you joy and happiness. Our new term begins on 4 – English Lit Prose & Unit 1 Tuesday 3rd January and we look forward to seeing our pupils (am) return refreshed and eager to learn in the New Year. 5th – Add Sci Biology 2 F & H (am) Add Appl Sci written F & H (am) Nadolig Llawen 6th –English Lit Unit 2A F & H (am) Merry Christmas 9th – ICT Unit 1 (pm) 10th – Add Sci Chem 2 F & H (am) James Retallick 12th – Add Sci Physics 2 F & H Head Teacher (am)

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

Attendance Awards Brynmawr Foundation School were delighted to hold our first 100% attendance awards ceremony on the 17th of November where Olympic silver medallist Sam Cross presented certificates to Brynmawr school pupils along with pupils from our cluster primary schools. We are proud that so many of our pupils achieved this accolade and we hope with your continued support that many more of our pupils will achieve 100% and receive an award next year. The event was also supported by the school governors and the Mayor of Blaenau Gwent Barry Sutton.

Don’t forget we have a number of incentives in place for 100% attendance. We will be holding our £100 lottery on the last day of term whereby a pupil from each year group who has 100% attendance since September will be entered into our prize draw to win £100. At the end of the academic year we are having a free adventure day trip for ALL students who have 100% attendance for the whole year, which will include archery, canoeing, climbing, laser tag and mountain biking.

What’s Been Going on in School!

Swansea City Stadium Tour - Thursday 17th November This tour was arranged by Nevill Southall, the former Everton and goalkeeper, who works as a teaching assistant at the PRU as a follow- on from the seven football workshops which were held at the Abertillery leisure centre towards the end of the last school year. (The workshops included topics such as anti-bullying, healthy eating and showing Racism the Red Card). The pupils who attended the tour are as follows, Thomas Regan, Kenan Lee Reynolds, Kian Francis, Owain Evans, Alfie Hurle. and Kian Hayman. They all got to view all parts of the stadium including the changing rooms, terraces and media rooms etc.

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

MORE ABLE AND TALENTED As part of our ongoing Primary to Secondary transition links this half term the Science department hosted a taster lesson to Year 5 MAT pupils from our cluster primary schools. The lesson was delivered by Mr A Williams. There will be further taster lessons in the new year.

Subject News

Geography GCSE Geography Field Trip - 2016 On our visit to Abergavenny, we undertook different activities to learn more about counter urbanisation and why people live there. Counter Urbanisation is a process by which people move from living in cities e.g. or Newport, then move to more rural areas such as the Market town of Abergavenny. To begin with, we studied the local streets near the river and understood that the houses were placed there for the sense of community and because of how safe it is in the area. We then looked at the Seven Arch Bridge to count how many cars and other types of vehicles crossed the river. This gave us an idea about how good the transport system worked in Abergavenny and that different varieties of transport such as lorries and pick-up trucks travelled there to transfer goods for shops. Walking up to the castle allowed us to look at the wildlife and views the area had to offer. People could move there just to admire the landscape and to enjoy the history of the castle. The area was quiet yet workers were constructing the Eisteddfod which attracts visitors to the area every year. This can bring money to Abergavenny whilst also encouraging more people to live in the rural area. Through examining the river, we saw an example of a meander. By standing on the slip off slope we were able to see how deposition had moved the rocks and that the houses were closer to the river cliff. The water moved faster nearer to the cliff because it had a higher

velocity. On the way to the town we passed several hotels which suggested that tourism is popular within Abergavenny. Whilst in the town it was clear that the shops were making money and thriving with local customers. There were several examples of globalisation from Multi-National Companies such as Subway and the newly constructed McDonalds on the edge of the town. These may also have attractive properties to young people who may not wish to leave Urban areas.

Caitlyn Davies – GCSE Geography 2016-17

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACULTY

Science It has been a busy term in Science with the launch of science club and the first science fair taking place. Science club is open to all pupils from KS3 and takes place every Wednesday. Activities have included making rockets, fire writing, making non-Newtonian fluid (and having lots of fun throwing it!) and finding newts in the pond. Science club will continue in to the New Year and it has been wonderful to see so many enthusiastic pupils turn up every week!

On Friday 9th December, year 8 pupils took part in the first ever science fair at Brynmawr Foundation School. Entries included a handmade Newton’s cradle, an exploding volcano and detailed research into the conservation of endangered animals. All pupils were invited to vote on the day which project they thought was the best and the results will be announced in January. Well done to all that took part who earned valuable house points and will be in with a chance of winning a significant science prize.

As a department, we have also launched our own Instagram account so everyone can see the excellent Taylor and Leiarra for Glyndwr Leah and Ellie for Glyndwr Kayla, Arianna and Megan for Caradog work produced by our pupils. You will find us at BFSScience on Instagram.

Technology

STEM WORKSHOP AT On the 10th November, 19 students from Year 9 competed against 6 secondary schools from Cardiff: , , Howells Girls School, Bishop of Llandaff, St Teilos Church in Wales High School and . The workshop delivered by ICE placed students into small teams and set them three challenges: building a tower, constructing a dam which had to include pricing and explanation of solution, and an egg drop. All four teams representing the school did brilliantly and one team did exceptionally well winning an award for their dam and building the tallest tower. Jamie Edwards, Ethan Lewis and Diesel Baker receiving their award.

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

COMPUTER CLUB: PROGRAMMING WITH PYTHON Every Thursday the Science and Technology Faculty deliver Computer Club. For December and January students are learning the programming language, Python. The bespoke course is being delivered by Jake Hughes, who has just graduated from the University of Sydney with a First Class Honours in the post graduate course, Physics and Astronomy. He was extremely pleased with the progress they all made in their first experience of programming in Python, a program that is now widely used in universities all over the world.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACULTY: YEAR 7 SCIENCE DAY On Friday, 18th November, Year 7 experienced their first STEM workshop which was delivered by Mr. Christopher Beer, from STEMWORKS. The year group was split into two sessions and had to complete the challenge: Marble Run. In groups of 6, students had to plan and sketch their marble run exclusively made from materials supplied by Mr Beer. Once happy with their design one member from each team had to ‘purchase’ the materials needed for its construction. To test, each team had a ‘marble run off’ with the winner staying on until an eventual winner was crowned champion of each session. The afternoon session was supported by Mr Phil Baker from Costain. This session came to a final conclusion with Mr Beer giving a comprehensive talk about STEM Careers, with Mr Baker providing details about STEM related jobs within Costain and more specifically associated with the A465 Phase 2 works.

LEGO LEAGUE: TEAM ‘ETHNOELEPHANTOLOGY’ On the 5th of December, we took our very first Lego League Team to the Swansea Waterfront to compete in the South Wales regional final. The team was made up of 10 Year 9 students and had to complete four challenges:  To complete a set number of challenges with their Mindstorm Robot;  Technical Interview and discussion;  Present their Research Project;  Carry out a Core Challenge.

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

This year the Lego League Challenge theme was: Animal Allies. The team chose Elephants as their research task and this involved finding a solution to help the plight of the elephants. Much fund raising took place to raise money to donate to Tusk and the Aspinall Foundation. Fund raising included ‘Guess the weight of the cake’ and making Elephant shaped cookies, generously purchased by Costain staff at the A465 Phase 2 office at Gilwern. Elephant Pledges and Charters were signed by the team to raise awareness of the cruelty to elephants.

Costain supported the event with Lauren Batten helping the team to design a Banner and give invaluable advice on how to use social media to bring a greater degree of awareness of their cause. Phil Baker joined the team at Swansea and provided invaluable moral support and guidance.

Sadly, we were not the winning team to go through to the British Final, however, the team are determined to win next year!

ENGLISH FACULTY

Y7 & 8 Visit to Warner Bros. Studios English Department Following on from the hugely successful Roald Dahl half term, the English Department are now following the theme of Harry Potter. To kick off the wizard themed activities Y7 and some Y8 pupils were offered the opportunity to visit the Warner Bros. Studios in London. This is where many scenes from the infamous Harry Potter films were recorded and where the new Fantastic Beasts spectacular has recently been filmed. Pupils were treated to being up close to props and costumes worn by many famous actors and actresses as well as having educational talks about how special effects worked and secrets from behind the scenes!

Everyone attending the visit had a fabulous time and all pupils behaved fantastically well! We are now looking forward to our New Year Ball being held in January!

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

CREATIVE FACULTY

Drama & Performing Arts Tickets are now on sale for “We Will Rock You”. £5 for children, £6 adults. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Music Instrumental/Vocal lessons: Instrumental Tuition Instrumental tuition is available from the school and is provided by Gwent Music. There is currently tuition available for voice/singing, drums, brass, woodwind, piano and guitar (electric, classical and bass). Learners are taught in groups of 2 for 20 minutes each week depending on numbers and the mix of standards and instruments. Payment for the Spring term will need to be made by Monday 9th of January. Please make the payment via the Gwent Music website as previously. Students who are eligible for FSM receive the lessons free and need to see Mrs. J Thomas if they are interested. To enroll your child and make the first payment, please follow the instructions below: 1. Go to www.gwentmusic.co.uk/parent. 2. Click the Register button and enter your contact details. 3. Click on “Enrol for an Activity” 4. Click Music Tuition and select Brynmawr Foundation School then click Next. 5. Select the instrument your child would like to learn from the list of lessons then click Next and complete your child’s details. 6. You will finally be taken to the Newport City Council payments web page to make the payment. For further information about instrumental tuition, please contact Mrs. J Thomas at the school.

THE BACK PAGES

Physical Education What a busy half term it has been for PE and sport at the school! The weather has been reasonably kind to us and so lots of Inter-Schools fixtures in all the major games have taken place and are covered in more detail below.

As girls rugby continues to grow within our school, this half term has seen our U16s (Years 10 & 11) girl’s rugby team compete in their first contact rugby festival at the Dragons ID day, where they won two games and lost one. Despite the lack of facilities for home games our hockey and football, the girls are still managing to fulfil their South East Wales league and Cup fixtures and have played in competitive matches against Rhymney, Abertillery, Caerleon, Abersychan and Blackwood – an away win is yet to be achieved but the effort and enthusiasm shown by the players has been outstanding and we are without doubt heading in the right direction.

Year 7 boys have been enjoying their rugby and have hosted Abertillery and Tredegar in two exciting matches - winning the first 5-0 and drawing the second 12-12. Year 8 have had mixed results in their league losing to Abersychan but recovering to beat Ebbw Fawr 20-29 in an outstanding match. Year 9 have enjoyed their biggest result to date, also coming against Ebbw Fawr winning 40-17 in a highly contested game. During this term we have seen a high contingent of our Year 10 boys representing Blaenau Gwent Schools U15s in the Dewar Shield - they have done superbly in winning both

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

matches 39-5 and 34-17. Year 11 are currently waiting on the draw for the last 32 of the Welsh Cup that should be drawn before the New Year – we’ll keep you posted on their progress in the next newsletter.

I would like to say a big well done and thank you again to everyone who has represented the school rugby teams and look forward to another successful year in 2017 - Enjoy you Christmas.

In the boys football there has been a mixed bag of results with some wins and losses for all age groups. However, huge congratulations should go to our Year 8 team who have successfully reached the Gwent Schools Final by beating Monmouth 1-0 in the Semi Final - Iestyn Gardner scoring the winning goal. In addition to reaching the Gwent Final our boys have also secured their place in the Welsh Schools Cup Competition.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS We would like to take this opportunity to recognise and congratulate many of our pupils who have been particularly successful in their sporting endeavours over the past half term. Abbie Scanlan – 2 Gold & 3 Bronze Medals at the Unified Kickboxing Championships in Italy. Liam James-Morris – Selected for the Welsh Track Cycling Training Squad. Millie Jones – Selected to represent Gwent Schools and Gwent Performance Squad. Cameron Congreve and Harvey Miles have represented Swansea against Birmingham which they won 2-1 with Harvey being voted Man of the Match. Cole Knapp- Fford will be representing West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

WELSH CYCLING ID DAY Almost 100 of our Year 10 & 11 pupils were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take part in Welsh Cycling Talent ID sessions which took place on the 25th November at the school. In their quest to find the next Becky James and , our pupils underwent the Sprint Cycle Test and Vertical Jump Test – the result of which will be analysed by scientists and any potential stars of the future will be invited to join the Welsh Cycling Squad with equipment and kit being provided – we look forward to any exciting news in the New Year!

Sponsored Circuits We would like to congratulate all Year 9, 10 & 11 pupils that took part in a sponsored circuit to raise money for the school’s annual Barnardos Christmas Appeal fundraiser – you all worked really hard, Well done!

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Brynmawr Foundation School December 2016 Newsletter

*INFORMATION* The VGA led Free-Running sessions will continue after the Christmas break, starting back on the 10th January 2017 – places are awarded on a first come, first served basis so your child will need to see a member of the PE staff to reserve their place as soon as possible.

Follow us on our new Twitter account: @PE_CreativeBFS

#TRAIN HARD, PLAY HARD, HAVE FUN

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