Together we can do great things
Gyda’n gilydd, gallwn wneud pethau mawr
Headteacher/Prifathro Mrs S Parry
Headteachers Blog Number 130 Blog Prifathro Rhif
15th January 2021
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rieni,Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Adjusting to January:
This week has seen all members of our school community adjusting to life back in lockdown and adapting to new routines. In school, the students accessing our bases and key worker provision have been following a blend of learning.
Learning Support have been keeping a good balance of work and wellbeing with a daily run and regular fitness sessions, including badminton.
We have also maintained our daily run (jog) around the school grounds. This takes place at mid-day, come rain or shine. We have been joined by members of the PE staff who are doing their best to keep up. Mrs Pawar and Ceinwen are putting in a solid performance and Tash is flying. Sometimes, you just need to take a break, lie down, and enjoy your achievements!
Llanishen High School, Heol Hir, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5YL Phone: 029 2068 0800 Fax. 029 2068 0830 Email: [email protected] www.ltanishen.cardiff.sch.uk Twitter@lanishenhs
Between the wellbeing sessions, the crew have been applying themselves with gusto to their schoolwork. This week Joe Thomas, Lydia Bodger and Lewis Griffiths delivered their GCSE oracy speeches via Teams to their English teacher, Miss Jenkins. All three of them worked extremely hard before, during and after Christmas researching, writing, and learning their speeches.
Miss Jenkins said that all three students impressed her and they all ‘smashed it!’
We couldn't be prouder of them. They have been a pleasure for staff to work with since they started in Year 7 and the Learning Support team cannot describe their joy in seeing their confidence grow in this way. Here is Joe with his speech….
Not content with nailing his GCSE oracy assessment this week, Joe ploughed on with a sumptuous cottage pie for his Food and Nutrition course (and what a smile for the camera!). I do wish we could have ‘smellovision’ for this blog sometimes.
Also exuding some tantalizing food aromas was Zuhir Baiad from Year 10 who created this traditional Syrian dish for his food studies. How we long for the time when we can ‘quality assure’ the dishes that our students create!
Also this week, if you can’t come to school, Daisy can come to you. Daisy really enjoyed some home visits this week to see some of her much-loved students. She does love a onesie – especially a Pokémon or Marvel one! Let us never underestimate the joy of lounge wear.
A taste of home learning:
It was back into the kitchen at home for Year 7 this week with a food challenge. Ben Morgan Gardener selected lemon, honey and strawberries as his ingredients of the moment. What a stunning lemon and honey cake that is adorned with fresh strawberries. Your family bubble are a lucky lot Ben!
Our Year 8 students have also been hard at work at home, producing some fantastic work in English. This gem was written by Ruby Randall in 8E and was a lovely ‘pick me up’ for her teacher, Miss Wilson;
A diary entry from the perspective of Miss Havisham on the evening of her planned wedding day….
Small dapples of bitter light broke into the room through the frosted window. Splashes of rain quickly piled against the decrepit glass panes. There was not a single appearance from the sun in the miserable and dull sky. That was unusual seeming as there was almost always a warm shine or glint progressively filling the large room throughout the day. In its place was the most wretched fall of rain that fills your heart with sorrow or distress. Harsh frosted air left my lips at every breath I took. It wasn’t ideal weather for the most important day of my life, or it should have been.
I should’ve known. I should’ve known something cruel was about to happen to me from the beginning of the minor yet unsettling suspicions that morning. I refused to believe that anything was to go wrong; It was going to be my day and I felt that I deserved it. Never would I have imagined the heartache and grief that instead struck me.
Today was supposed to be special and something to happily reminisce about in elderly age. But instead of the pleasant memories, it filled me with great agony and despair. I have dreamt about walking down the aisle for as long as I can remember. I’ve always known it as a good thing, nothing to be fearful of or nervous. This time in the surreal reality of my dreams, it was different.
My glossy satin dress was supposed to glitter in its sunlit surroundings, my beautifully arranged prominent bouquet held neatly in front of it. My veil carefully draped over my face of perfect makeup. The feast was still on the rectangular table uneaten, even untouched. It was beginning to decay and become rotten, but I felt too weak from humiliation and heartbreak to tidy it up. My entire house was decorated beautifully in lustre colours to celebrate afterwards with guests. Whilst decorating I never thought that I’d be arriving home alone. A bride being abandoned at the altar; I must’ve been a laughingstock.
I feel completely betrayed. How else am I supposed to feel? It feels like stinging thorns are constantly pricking into my shattered heart. It’s a pathetic sharpness of being defeated. My one love has left me almost as if he’d intended on inflicting such pain onto me. The embarrassment of being left waiting at the altar in front of so many familiar faces still haunts me. Words can’t describe the trembling shame that mocks my mind. What did I do so wrong?
Ruby Randall, Year 8
In reviewing the work submitted by Year 9, Mr Mee was equally delighted by this extract from Emily Combellack’s excellent, Dylan Thomas inspired, writing. The way that she instructs her reader to ‘listen’, as she describes the seaside setting, and the way she uses personification to describe the sea and the sun are superb!
Listen harder. In the silence, you can hear every breath, every sigh. Before, there would have been colour and excitement in their laughing, smiling faces. They rush into the sea, whose welcoming embrace they long to receive. Children build sandcastles whilst the radiant hands of the old king reach down to tickle their faces kindly. But the new rule, the new person in town, causes the sea to become harsh, violent, eroding the rocks and harbour walls above it, bringing them crashing down into its never-ending deep, dark depths never to be seen again.
Emily Combellack, Year 9
Sixth Form News:
The delightful Thomas Newman and Daisy Rainer have provided the written piece below. Along with Jack Irwin, they completed the Seren Award (which replaced Brilliant Club Scholars for this year) and did exceptionally well! In their own words….
“The Seren Award is a super-curricular activity, designed to train the most able and talented students how to think, and write, at a standard which would be expected in higher education. As participants, we had the privilege of receiving numerous online zoom-call lessons with an assigned PHD researcher, working in the field that we were studying: a valuable opportunity, giving us a further insight into our areas of interest.
These esteemed academics are all completing their PHD research – within disciplines such Cancer research and Sociolinguists - at Cardiff University. Once the course was completed, we were set our final assignment: a 2,000 essay on which we were to be assessed on our analytical ability of our allocated topic, as well as our academic rigor.
Despite the sudden, seven-day deadline, not giving as much time to complete our dissertation to as satisfactory a standard as we would've liked, we all completed the award promptly and punctually – achieving what would be widely considered as impressive results.
As a reward for their hard-work, dedication and insight, the three participants obtained a reduced offer from the University of Bath, which will be very useful when applying to university – a prospect which is fast approaching. The specifics of what was achieved has been provided below.
• Jack Irwin, awarded a 2:1 for his essay titled “Linguistics - how does language work?”
• Thomas Newman, awarded a 2:1 for his essay also titled “Linguistics - how does language work?”
• Daisy Rainer, awarded a 1st for her essay titled “Why is it challenging to treat cancer? And how useful are mouse models in cancer research?”
We are all highly satisfied with the work that we produced for the Seren Award and, through this program, feel more confident in taking the next steps of our education journey.”
Jonathan Thomas Award 2020:
Although we were unable to hold our Annual Awards Evening in the same way this year, we would like to celebrate a very special annual award that has been presented to our outgoing sixth form student, Zoe Shapcott. In the words of Mrs Lloyd…
Zoe has been the most delightful student throughout her time at Llanishen High School. She has an unassuming and quiet confidence in her ability and displayed a work ethic that was second to none. She was always in the Sixth Form study area during her free lessons and her dedication to all she participated in has been rewarded with her excellent academic and extra-curricular achievements.
Her personal qualities are as follows:
• Conscientious and hardworking • Quiet, unassuming, yet highly ambitious • Reliable, dependable, caring and kind in nature • A superb role model to younger students
Zoe flourished at GCSE level achieving 13A*s/1 A and a Distinction in Additional Mathematics. At AS Level Zoe studied Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and French. She continued her academic success at AS Level achieving an impressive 4 A grades. In addition, Zoe gained a 1st Class honours in her Brilliant Club Scholars Programme assignment on Schizophrenia. At A Level Zoe continued with 3 subjects and achieved 3 A* in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and an A* in the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate.
Following her impressive results Zoe successfully gained a place to read Mathematics at Cardiff University. She has an extremely bright future ahead of her and we are all extremely proud of the dedication, drive and commitment that we have witnessed for her to get to where she is today.
Zoe is an absolute credit to Llanishen High School, our Sixth Form, the music department, our local community and of course to her parents.
Zoe is a kind, caring and modest individual that deserves all of this praise and more...
The winner of JT Award 2020 goes to Zoe Shapcott and we look forward to a time in the not too distant future when Zoe can come back to visit.
What have our staff been up to?
On New Year’s Day Miss Owens felt compelled to write into the Roy Noble show on BBC Radio Wales. She wrote about a poem she had studied with Year 11, 'Let's go to Barry Island Maggie fach' by Idris Davies. While supporting four boys in Miss Lockwood's class, studying the poem was a revelation to her in terms of her appreciation and awareness of welsh culture and heritage about which, before, she empathised with little having been brought up in the leafy and pleasant Vale of Glamorgan.
The whole learning experience moved her greatly and prompted her to take a bike ride to Barry Island from her home in Penarth one Saturday in late September 2020 and, as is her way, she wrote a poem to express the feelings it that it evoked. Friends and family were really touched and uplifted when they read the poem. So feeling bold, Miss Owens sent it into Radio Wales in the hope that it may have the same effect on others. Right now, that is something we could all do with.
Miss Owens received an email from the producer straight away, spoke to the producer shortly after, and was on air by the Sunday evening!
Miss Owens did it with the hope that it would bring a smile to people's faces and a sense of hope during these most difficult of times - and it seems to have worked! Miss Owens has been humbled and quite overwhelmed by the amount of positive comments she has received.
Here is the link ... https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r4b1 - head for 6:15pm!
BBC Radio Wales - Roy Noble, 10/01/2021 Featuring Treorchy's world famous Cory Band, and the mighty Morris Minor. www.bbc.co.uk
Health, wellbeing, and a new challenge:
Looking for some inspiration to keep your mind and body active? Then look no further. The PE department have set a 4-week health, fitness, and well-being programme for our Key Stage 3 students. All of the information and HFW challenges will be uploaded to Microsoft Teams.
Each of the 4 weeks are themed:
Week 1 - Physical Health Week 2 - Healthy eating and sleep Week 3 - Mental Health Week 4 - Social Health
Please find the links to all of the challenges below. If it’s good enough for Key Stage 3, I say we all give it a go! Here are all the links and videos….
Distance challenge: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nMu86PF6tFmuiSfSaqVD7aJn5A6gfDGT/view
Distance challenge.webm drive.google.com
Workbook:
MyHealthGoalKS3booklet.pub
Video 1.webm video 2.webm Video 3.webm
Vlog example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ygvPWaWhdWfMdJGdTPeXgca8brYX-M6g/view
And it wouldn’t be a good blog without the customary weekly plan….
If you are worn out after all that exercise and are looking to find some reading materials for some quiet time, please note that the Governors Annual Report to Parents is available to read and can be found on the school website.
I look forward to updating you next week.
Thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry, Headteacher