Issue No. 117 Friday 9th December 2016 The Principal’s Update The Christmas activities have continued in earnest this week and students and staff are in festive spirit. I am hugely impressed by the form Christmas trees which are now on display throughout the inner and outer dining rooms. They are all full of sparkle and shine. The rehearsals for the House Pantomime Competition are in full swing and much jollity and laughter can be heard coming from the rehearsal rooms. Yesterday, Year 13 were looking particularly smart as they had their formal photographs taken in the Sports Hall. These photos will be shown at their Prize Giving Evening which takes place in September 2017. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the infant and nursery nativity this morning, which was a real treat. It was a performance also full of sparkle and shine.

Last day of term I would like to remind you that Howell’s will close at 1.30pm on the last day of term, Tuesday 20th December. Students will be served brunch at 11am. The library and the office will both close at 1.30pm.

Bottoms Up In Year 13 History On Thursday 1st December Dr Brian Ireland, from the University of South , visited the College to lead a session on the development of African-American Civil Rights with Year 13 History students. Click here for more information.

The Great War Debate On Tuesday 6th December, Year 12 and 13 historians were lucky enough to take part in the Great War debate at the Barry Memorial Hall. Click here for more information.

Rotary Club of Breakfast On Wednesday 7th December, members of our College Interact Club (President - Jess C and Year 12 member Gopikaa A) were invited to the Christmas breakfast meeting with Rotary Club Cardiff Breakfast at Whitchurch Golf Club. Click here for more information.

GDST Postcard Art Earlier this term Howell’s took part in the GDST’s Postcard Art Competition. Winning entries from students and Hywelians were exhibited in an art gallery in London in October and an online exhibition of the cards has been created which can be seen by clicking here.

Sporting Successes It has been another successful time for sport at Howell’s. Click here for more information.

English Department Poetry News This year, students were invited to write a poem that suited the month of November and, as usual, they all did a wonderful job. Click here for more information.

Christmas Fair 2016 On Friday 2nd December, we kicked off the festive season in style with the Howell’s Christmas Fair which took place in the Sports Hall, Dining Room and Day Room. Click here for more information.

Bridges to Schools Engineering was the focus of the day in the Sports Hall at Howell’s on Tuesday 6th December as we welcomed Costain Construction to lead our annual Bridges to Schools event. Click here for more information.

Evening of Glamour and Glitz at John Lewis The Evening of Glamour and Glitz at John Lewis is one of the highlights of the Christmas season at Howell’s and this year it took place on Wednesday 7th December form 5pm to 7pm. Click here for more information.

Year 11 Work Experience Year 11 students have now received parental information letters for work experience and a form of acknowledgement to complete. Click here for the letter and click here for the form.

Library opening hours in the New Year Following our extended hours pilot this term, I have decided, based on student numbers and positive parental feedback, to extend the Library opening hours for the rest of the academic year. The new opening hours will be term time, Monday to Friday, opening at 8.00am and closing at 5.45pm. At 5.45pm the Library will close and parents are expected to ensure their son/daughter is collected at this time. Please note that there will be no Library staff on site after 6.00pm: for any students still in school after 5.45pm, Library staff will telephone the emergency contact number provided to ensure they are due to be collected. We hope this will alleviate some of the pressure many parents have said they have felt in reaching school for a 5.00pm pick up during rush hour in the city. For health and safety reasons, all Senior School and College students who are not in clubs after school should be based in the Senior School Library. Junior School students should be in After School Care in the Junior School. Parents/guardians who need to contact the Senior School Library between 5.00 – 5.45pm should ring 029 20261854.

Parent Blog The latest instalment of our Parent Blog is available to read by clicking here.

Architecture & Engineering Conference Interested in a career in Architecture or Engineering? Save the date! The GDST will be running a residential Architecture & Engineering Conference on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th March 2017 at the Royal High School Bath for all Year 12 students interested in learning more about study and career opportunities in these fields. Full details will be emailed to students in the New Year but for now, save the date if this sounds like it might be of interest to you.

Yale Young Global Scholars Programmes 2017 Yale Young Global Scholars empowers the next generation of leaders by building a global community and designing interdisciplinary programmes that foster intellectual curiosity, deepen understanding and inspire creative action across all borders. The programme is highly selective and gives students an unforgettable summer experience. Click here for more information.

Girls Into Physics Year 10 students who are keen physicists may be interested in Girls Into Physics, a new course by The Smallpeice Trust. The residential course, which takes place at Royal Holloway, University of London, runs from 22-24 July next year. Click here for more information.

Please be aware that any arrangements are of your own personal undertaking regarding course costs and travel etc.

Diary Dates!

Carol Services

Our annual carol services will take place in the stunning surroundings of Llandaff Cathedral on Tuesday

13th December. There will be two services, one at 1.45pm and another at 7.00pm, which will include

performances from the Junior School Choir (afternoon only) Senior Choir, College Choir, Youth Choir, Jazz

Group and Orchestra. The services will also incorporate readings from students, staff and governors. There

are no tickets required and we recommend arriving early in order to get a good seat.

Volvo Presents: An Evening with Hannah Mills

We are delighted to let you know that following her gold medal winning performance at the Rio Olympics in

the summer, Hywelian sailor Hannah Mills will be returning to Howell’s as part of our Hywelians Return to Howell’s initiative. Howell’s will host an exclusive evening, sponsored by Volvo, with Hannah, who was recently voted World Sailor of the Year, at 7pm on Friday 20th January, and we would love it if you could join us for this exciting evening. Tickets cost £25 and include drinks on arrival, live entertainment from Lee Gilbert, canapés, a charity auction and, of course, an inspirational talk from Hannah. Her London 2012 silver and Rio 2016 gold medals will be in the room to hold and get a picture with and you will have time to chat with Hannah and ask about her experiences. The evening will raise funds for the RNLI Penarth Lifeboat Appeal and The Andrew Simpson Foundation. Click here to buy tickets.

Parent Pyramid – Save the Dates! The next Parent Pyramid Drop In sessions will take place in the hub@howells on the following dates:

Friday 3rd February at 9am Wednesday 29th March at 7pm

I hope you enjoy the weekend and I look forward to next week when Christmas festivities continue with Cocktails at Christmas for Hywelians on Monday evening at 6-8pm and the Carol Services on Tuesday.

Mrs Sally Davis, Principal