PPOBLOBLwww.penweddig.ceredigion.sch.uk PPENWEDDIGENWEDDIG

Summer 2014 St. David’s Day The annual school Eisteddfod was held on 11 February in the Great Hall, Arts Centre. Photographs of the day can be seen on the school website. The winning house BLEDDYN The winning house for homework HYWEL, BLEDDYN, LLYWELYN The winning house for stage work BLEDDYN

Individual Medal Winners Lledrith Llew Award Alwen Morris, Bleddyn Elin Haf: winner of the Crown competition, and Eiry Williams: winner of the Chair competition Immersion Award Jack Lloyd Lucas, Bleddyn Individual Successes Musician’s Medal Llew Evans, Llywelyn Yr 7 – 9 Recitation Alwen Morris, Bleddyn English Medal Rose Gillison, Llywelyn Yr 7 – 9 Girls’ Solo Beca Williams, Hywel Trystan Maelgwyn Memorial Award Erin Gruffydd, Llywelyn Yr 7 – 9 Duet Emily Jones and Niamh O’Donnell, Hywel Non Taylor Memorial Award for The Best Ifan Llywelyn, Hywel Open Monologue Hannah Turner, Bleddyn Instrumentalist Yr 7 – 9 Boys’ Solo Rhodri Davies, Llywelyn Best Singer Gwion Morgan Jones, Hywel Yr 10 – 13 Recitation Alaw Dafydd, Hywel Best Speaker Alwen Morris (for ‘Cwm Yr 7 – 9 Instrumental Ifan Llywelyn, Hywel Celyn’),Bleddyn Solo Best Dancer Catrin Hughes, Hywel Yr 10 – 13 Girls’ Solo Emily Jones, Hywel Best Performer Llew “Y Tywysog” Evans, Yr 10 – 13 Christopher Gillison, Hywel Llywelyn Instrumental Solo Best Conductor Dafydd Rees, Bleddyn Yr 10 – 13 Boys’ Solo Gwion Morgan Jones, Hywel Chair Competition Eiry Williams, Hywel Solo from a Musical Kelsey Thompson, Crown Competition Elin Haf, Hywel Bleddyn

House Successes Bleddyn House Challenge, Sketch, Hywel Miming a Welsh Song, Story and Sound, Dancing Group, Style, Individual Dancing/Duet/Trio Musical Ensemble (Abigail Thompson), Choir Llywelyn Instrumental/Rock group 1 World Book Day 2014 To celebrate this year’s World Book Day Penweddig hosted a range of activities for pupils. Pictured is Gwern Davies of Year 7, who won the competition to dress as a character from a book, dressed as the Cyclops ‘Tyson’ from Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. Also pictured are Lynwen Rees Jones, Director of CAA who judged the competition and Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan, Headteacher. To mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas’s birth, upper school pupils were treated to a viewing of Under Milk Wood and a reading from the Welsh translation Dan y Wenallt.

Shooting For Following her success in the Commonwealth qualifying matches on the Isle of Man in October last year, where she came second in the Welsh development squad, Siwan Burrell has again been busy developing her skills in 10 meter air pistol shooting. In February this year Siwan was the youngest member of the Welsh team who travelled to the Hague to compete in ‘Intershoot’, and came 3rd. Since then, she has jumped from group ‘D’ to ‘B’ in her field. Best wishes to Siwan as she prepares for the junior international competition in Bisley, Surrey, in August. She says “Teams from all over the world will be competing. I’m excited but also nervous.”

Experimenting With Green Energy Mr. Huw Hall of the charity STEM was welcomed to the school to provide a day of technology for Year 8. The morning was spent with teams constructing wind turbines, including the mechanism, before going on to design the blades and then designing and creating the structure. At the end of the day everyone came together to see which turbine generated the most volts, by rotating the blades with an electric fan. Rhoswen Davey and Seren Todd’s turbine won, with Daniel Evans and Joey De Sousa receiving credit for the best structure. Gerallt Williams, Head of Design and Technology at the school, said “Everyone has managed to work in a team and learn new skills. The future of green energy is safe in the hands of the young designers!”

2 St. David’s Day Parade 2014 Representing the school at this year’s St. David’s Parade in Aberystwyth was the Head Girl Kelsey Thompson carrying the flag of , and Gwenno Stevens, Prefect, who carried the Welsh flag. Behind them was the Headteacher Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan, who was carrying the flag of the St David’s Day Parade. Medi Evans of Yr. 11 performed traditional Welsh dancing.

Singing in Cape Town In April this year Tom Kendall, Year 7 and Rebecca Williams, Year 8 travelled to South Africa with ‘Only Kids Aloud’. The two sopranos spent a week rehearsing and performing in the capital city of the Western Cape. “I looked forward to it,” said Tom, “and I wanted to see South Africa. I wasn’t nervous because I had sung with OKA three times before.” After sending a recording of his voice to OKA musical director Tim Rhys Evans, Tom was invited to audition at Aberystwyth Arts Centre where he sang ‘Calon Lân’ and ‘Pie Jesu’. Rebecca performed ‘Ymunwch yn y Symffoni’ and ‘Cân Joe’ in the same audition. She said “I’d looked forward to the trip. I hadn’t been to South Africa before.”

Homework Club Every night the school runs a Homework Club where pupils can use the Resource Centre’s facilities during out-of-school hours. The club starts at 3.30 and a member of staff is present to assist pupils with their work, especially with Welsh spelling and grammar. The club ends at 4.45 and 4.15 on Fridays.

3 Penweddig 40 Lecture ‘Byw ar yr Ymyl’ In early March Mr. Gerald Morgan, Penweddig’s first Headteacher, delivered an excellent lecture at as part of the Penweddig 40 celebrations. He presented a fascinating history about his teaching career, and the establishing of Penweddig and its early days. The picture shows Mr. Gerald Morgan, Dr. Marion Löffler who organized the evening, and Penweddig’s current Headteacher Mr. Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan.

BBC School Report 2014 A group of students contributed to the ‘BBC School Report’ on 27 March. It was an opportunity for them to be journalists for the day, and their articles went live on a special page on the school website. In addition, a video of the Penweddig football game against Ysgol Syr was created for the occasion. Angharad Evans, project coordinator at the school said “The students had an excellent opportunity to join the world of journalism. They created high-quality articles, and everyone enjoyed the experience.”

4 Under 18 Hockey Team Successes Penweddig’s under 18 hockey team came 3rd in a bid to clinch the Welsh Schools Hockey Championship in Swansea, at the beginning of March. The first steps in reaching this final were taken early on during the 2013 autumn term, with the schools’ annual county competition. The team qualified as Ceredigion Champions by beating all the other school teams in the county and scoring an unprecedented number of goals on the way.

As Ceredigion Champions, the team took on the best schools of the other three regions of the old Dyfed, emerging as victors at Cardigan on 4 February. They beat Greenhill School 3-1, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman 1-0 and Coleg Sir Gâr 1-0. Team members are Nia Wyn Jones and Gwenno Evans (Captains) Siân Meleri Evans, Mabli Mair, Catrin Hughes, Eiry Bonner, Niamh Lewis, Ellie Hopson, Celyn Evans, Cerys Harvey, Lowri Bates, Alys Cowdy, Mari Chambers, Ffion Wyn Roberts and Ffion Evans.

Welsh Schools Cross Country Cari Harries, Siôn Evans, Jac Jones, Sioned Wallwork and Lisa Cowdy competed in the Welsh Schools Cross Country Championships in February. They travelled to Brecon as a part of the Dyfed High Schools cross country team. Congratulations to Sioned who was a member of the Dyfed girls’ yr. 7 team which came 3rd. Sioned Wallwork

Keep in touch… The school sometimes sends messages and letters to parents / guardians via e-mail and text. If you would like to receive information in these formats or if there are changes to your details which we already have, please send an e-mail to [email protected] Please also let us know if you have provided your details but are not receiving correspondence from us.

5 Fashion Show 2014 The Design and Technology Department is holding a Fashion Show in June, to showcase the work of pupils at GCSE and A Level. As part of the 40th celebrations, the department would like to ask whether former pupils have any items of uniform from the past that they are willing to be modelled by current pupils, at the show. The department emphasizes all items will be returned to their owners after the show. If you can assist, please contact Miss Lorna Williams at the school by the beginning of May, on (01970) 639499 or [email protected] Brass and Woodwind News Ifan Llywelyn has received a Leverhulme Scholarship for the year, by the Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain and the Leverhulme Scholarship . He went to the Royal College of Music in London in early March for an awards ceremony that included a performance on the trombone . In early December last year he performed on the trombone with the Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain at the Festival Hall, London . Ifan is now receiving trombone lessons once a month from Kevin Price, Head of Brass at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama , and principal trombone of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Congratulations to the six students who have been admitted to the Welsh National Brass Band, namely Nils Marggraf-Turley, Dafydd Rees, Gwern Penri, Rose Gillison, David Michael and Ifan Llywelyn . Nils (on trumpet) and Efa Gregory (on oboe) have been selected to be part of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain . Penweddig’s Junior Ensemble came 1st in the ‘14 years and under Ensemble’ in the West Wales Championships, Burry Port. Members of the ensemble were Nils Marggraf-Turley, Dafydd Thomas, Sophie Neale, Rose Gillison, Rhodri Davies, Ifan Llywelyn, Dafydd Evans, Tom Constantine, Tomos Williams and Daniel Rees. Penweddig in Local and County Urdd Eisteddfodau 2014

Yr. 13 and under Tenor and Bass Boys’ Choir, 1st in the County 6 15-25 yrs Ensemble, 1st in the Local and County

Christopher Gillison, Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Woodwind Solo, 1st in the Local and 2nd in the County

Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Group Recitation, 1st in the Local and 2nd in the County

Gwion Morgan Jones, Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Boys’ Solo, 1st in the Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Ensemble, 1st in the Local and County Local and 3rd in the County. Ifan Thomas came 2nd in the Local. Gwion also came 1st in the Local and 3rd in the County in the Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Solo from a Musical. Ifan Thomas came 2nd and Emily Jones came 3rd in the Local.

7 Yr. 7 and Under 19 yrs Creative Dance Composition, 1st in the Local and the County

Rhodri Davies – 1st in the Local Seren Wyn Jenkins – 1st in the County in the following competitions: Yr. and 2nd in the County in the Yr 7-9 7, 8 & 9 Monochrome print, Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Colour Print, Yr. 7 & 8 Design & Boys’ Solo. Technology, 2nd in the Yr. 7 & 8 Artefact, and 3rd in Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Series of James Michael came 2nd and Siôn Colour Prints. Hurford came 3rd in the Local. Sioned Exley – 1st in the County in the Yr. 7 & 8 Jewellery competition

Sophie Neal – 1st in the Local and County in the Yr. 7-9 Woodwind Solo.

Efa Gregory came 2nd and James Michael came 3rd in the Local.

Parti Rhodri – 1st in the Local and County in the Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Dialogue competition 8 Beca Williams – 1st in the Local and County in the Yr. 7, 8 & 9 Solo Folk Song. Anest Eirug came 2nd in the Local. Beca also came 1st in the Local and County in the Yr. 7- 9 Cerdd Dant solo

Siwan Phillips – 1st in the Local and 3rd in the County in the Yr. 7 – 9 Girls’ Solo

Emily Jones – 1st in the Local in the Yr. 10 and under 19 Girls’ Solo. Niamh O’Donnell came 2nd. Emily came 1st in the Local and 3rd in the County in the Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Solo Folk Song, and 1st in the Local and 3rd in the County in the Yr. 10 and under 19 Cerdd Dant solo

Alwen Morris – 1st in the Local and 2nd in the County in the Yr. 7-9 Solo Recitation competition. Enfys Morris came 2nd and Ffion Jones came 3rd in the Local.

Yr. 13 and Under -SATB Choir -2nd in the County.

Emily Jones and Niamh O’Donnell – 1st in the Local and County in the Yr.10 and under 19 yrs Duet.

9 Ifan Llywelyn – 1st in the Local and County in the Yr. 7-9 String Solo, and in the Yr. 7-9 Brass Solo.

Nils Marggraf-Turley came 3rd in the Local in the Yr. 7-9 Brass Solo.

Yr. 13 and under Girls’ Soprano and Alto Choir – 2nd in the County. Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs String Solo– Thomas Gillison, 2nd, and Llew Evans, 3rd in the Local Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Brass Solo – Rose Gillison, 2nd in the Local Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Harp Solo – Mared Pugh-Evans, 2nd in the County Yr. 13 and under Instrument Duet – Christopher and Rose Gillison, 2nd in the Local Megan Meredith – 3rd in the County in the Yr. 10 and under 19 Solo Recitation Yr. 10 and under 19 yrs Recitation Group – 1st in the Local Yr. 9 and under Cerdd Dant Party – Aberystwyth Section – 1st in the County Yr. 9 and under Cerdd Dant Duet – Beca and Cadi Williams – 2nd in the County

Catrin Huws – 1st in the Local and County Yr. 7-9 Solo Harp competition

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