28th April 2017 Issue No. 55 28 Ebrill 2017 Online Brynteg News Cyhoeddiad 55 Newyddion Brynteg Ar Iein Contents Calendar Canteen Information 01.05.2017 Bank Holiday Art Department News Debating Club 08.05.2017 Year 9 Vaccinations Duke of Edinburgh News 09.05.2017 Expressive Arts / Transition News 29.05.2017 Half Term Music Department News P.E Department News 05.06.2017 School for all pupils R.E Department News School Council News Science Department News Pupil News Star Reader Book of the Fortnight Literacy and Numeracy Focus Medical News Exam Information Thought of the Week Contacting the School – A Kindly Reminder Important: Please can we remind parents to refrain from contacting pupils during the school day and most importantly to avoid doing so via their mobile phone. It places pupils in a very difficult situation should a call come during a lesson, and according to our mobile device policy, could result in the phone being confiscated and parents being asked to come to the school to collect. Equally we have had instances where pupils have contacted parents about an issue or illness on their mobile, against school rules and policy, often without informing the school itself. Consequently we have had parents turn up at reception demanding that we resolve an issue or illness that we were unaware of in the first place. Should there be any issues please contact the school directly using the methods below. As a school we encourage partnership working between teachers and parents and keeping in touch is an important and valued part of this successful partnership. However, recently our busy switchboard has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of calls from parents, the majority of which are routine and non-urgent. Can we politely remind parents that there are a number of ways in which you can contact the school that may help parent messages and enquiries to be dealt with more efficiently and save you the frustration of hanging on waiting for your call to be answered. It would also prevent our switchboard being clogged up with routine calls and allow us to give priority to urgent and emergency calls. A note in your child’s planner For routine messages such as dental appointments, lost kit, homework queries. Email: [email protected] Please state your child’s name and form and if relevant, who the email is for. Your email will then be forwarded to the relevant person. For non urgent routine enquires and reporting any concerns, change of address, pupil absences, school trip information. Telephone: 01656 641800 For urgent and emergency matters only please. We reiterate that we are happy to hear from you and thank you for using the appropriate method of contacting us. School Canteen Information Important Information: Please will all pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 who will not be returning to Brynteg in September 2017 ensure that they use up their school cashless account balance by July 2017. Thank you. Art Department News Newyddion yr Adran Gelf Year 11 GCSE Art students performed excellently in their 10 hour practical exam and staff were pleased with the range and quality of work produced by all. Pupils had used their 8 week preparation time well and worked with skill and focus in the assigned time. Congratulations! Debating Club Debating Club members and Year 13 Health and Social Care students recently received a talk by the Probation Service. The event was linked to future careers. Students were invited to ask questions and they learnt about: The qualifications that are required, training, a day in the life of a probation worker and employment opportunities. The students thoroughly enjoyed the talk and a few expressed an interest in joining the profession. Many thanks to Natalie Bevan and Dave Bebb from the Probation Service (pictured)for giving up their time to inspire our students. Information supplied by: Mrs S Burgess On the 4th of April, teachers and pupils who were all involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award enjoyed an awards evening at the Ashoka Indian restaurant in Bridgend. It was a time for those who had completed either their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, respectively, to celebrate with their peers and teachers about their achievement. The Ashoka staff served an excellent buffet of their delicious food which everybody really liked. Certificates, along with their associated badges, were given out. Some students earned a special award or two for ‘unique’ achievements. One such student was Harry Hopkins who earned two awards; one for surviving an expedition on six Mars bars and another award for walking through a river instead of using stepping stones – to be fair, the latter was a group award. Another student, Bailey Ringham, received an award for always being late but he was sadly not in attendance during the awards evening. Regardless, this ‘late award’ will now be given out each year and will be known appropriately as the Bailey Ringham Award. Everybody enjoyed the evening and hopefully something of the sort can be held each year in the future! We would like to thank Mr Webber, Mrs Morgan, Mrs Thomas, Mr Buller, Mrs Jones and Mrs Bevan for helping out on the DofE Award this year. A special thank you must go out to Mr Brown, Brynteg’s very own Duke of Edinburgh, for organising and making sure the award continues at Brynteg Comprehensive. We would also like to thank the Ashoka for their hospitality and food! Written by:Dafydd Thomas Year 12 During the 7th – 9th of April, students currently working towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award took part in the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge to train for their fast approaching expeditions. The challenge consisted of climbing Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, then Cadair Idris, followed by Pen Y Fan all within 24 hours, which even includes travel time. Clearly, it was going to be tough! On the first day, everybody arrived at school to get on a minibus for the trip up to North Wales, specifically to the bunkhouse near Llanberis. It was a long drive but quick stops in Merthyr Tydfil, some country park (where Mr Brown climbed a rock), Llanberis, and a petrol station in the middle of nowhere at least broke up the trip. Mr Webber, Mrs Bevan, and Mr Brown’s great driving meant that all arrived safely too. It was even, to some extent, enjoyable as Mr Brown’s passion for Ed Sheeran was nothing short of admirable, and a top Spotify playlist from Matthew Biggs made the travelling just a little bit more bearable. The trip to the bunkhouse took around 7 hours but this didn't put anyone into a bad mood. Several card games and Jenga at the bunkhouse ensured high spirits for the next day. The next day was going to be the main event. At 4:30 in the morning, everybody woke up to prepare themselves for the challenge awaiting them. Within an hour, the minibus had arrived at Snowdon and the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge began. Starting with a moderate incline, it was a relatively straightforward walk to begin with. Further on, though, the path become more rocky and steep and this was much more difficult due to the extra strain on the muscles. Luckily, the views were fantastic despite not being at the summit and this served as motivation. The ascent continued, with the path still rocky, tough to traverse, but progress was being made. Eventually, the top ridge was reached and then it was a simple stroll up to the summit where the amount of effort put into the walk was more than justified by the absolutely spectacular views. Unfortunately, what comes up must come down, and it was here that many realised that the descent is an almost forgotten challenge in itself. So much more concentration was needed as a mere slip could be incredibly dangerous to both the person and the people around them. The good news is that nobody did slip and hurt themselves during the trek back down, although painful blisters were beginning to emerge. After the steep part was over, it was then a pleasant walk past the lakes to the car park, where the minibus would then travel to Cadair Idris. Cadair Idris may not be as tall as Snowdon, but it is renowned to be harder because of its false summit, less tourist-friendly pathways and that it starts from a much lower height above sea level than Snowdon. This reputation was certainly recognised from the start, as the walk through the forest was both steep and relentless. The incline did not seem to end until the lake was reached, a spot recognised as a place of beauty. In fact, the lake is said to be bottomless... which is probably more myth than reality. Despite this area’s beauty, it was almost impossible to ignore the huge cliff face of Cadair Idris, and also the even steeper path that now had to be followed. Even worse, what appeared to be the highest point was actually shorter than the neighbouring peak, which actually turned out to be Cadair Idris. The shorter peak would have to be climbed and then descended, before climbing up again for the real summit. Before all of this, everybody still had to get up to the main ridge. This revealed itself as a rather tiresome slog that never seemed to end. The fiercely hot temperatures made it even more difficult to climb the mountain too. Once on top of the ridge, the false summit then had to be climbed, which was hard work by itself, and the descent after it put more strain on feet, as well as lowering morale.