Headteacher/Pennaeth Alan Tootill Tel: (01792) 533066 Fax: (01792) 533366
Pontarddulais Road Gorseinon SWANSEA SA4 4FG
SUMMER TERM NEWSLETTER Dear Parent / Guardian, Welcome to our Summer Term newsletter. Please take time to read about some of the many activities that have taken place at Penyrheol over the last three months. Two in particular stand out in my mind. One is the amazing achievement of our debating team in reaching the UK finals of the Bar Mock Trial Competition in Birmingham in June and coming third overall. The other was the Summer Concert which took place on 28th June. This year two new choirs were performing, the Junior Choir and the Chamber Choir, both trained by our new music teacher, Miss Laura Morris. The school orchestra, directed by the Head of Music, Mr. Jonathan Rogers, was supplemented by 35 pupils from three of our partner primary schools, another new undertaking. It was an excellent evening’s entertainment, which I hope you were able to join us for. The results achieved by our Year 9 pupils this year have been our best ever. 71% of pupils in Year 9 achieved at least a Level 5 in each of the core subjects, English, Maths and Science. We are also hopeful that the current Year 11 will better our record GCSE results achieved in summer 2010. I am delighted that we continue to see improvements in attainment at Penyrheol through the hard work of pupils, teachers and parents. Together we are a strong partnership that can enable our young people to reach their full potential. One issue that has emerged as a real concern this year has been the pressure that Year 10 pupils have been under. This has been because of a combination of two changes to GCSE exams. Coursework has been replaced by ‘controlled assessments’ and many more subjects have introduced modular exams. These changes mean that almost every week during Year 10 (and Year 11 will be the same from September) sees pupils undertaking work in class that has a direct impact on their final GCSE results. Consequently, pupils who have been absent from school for any reason have been at a real disadvantage and that is why, for Year 9 pupils, this newsletter is accompanied by another letter emphasising how important it is that pupils do not take any time off during their GCSE courses, including for family holidays. I wish every friend of Penyrheol Comprehensive School a very enjoyable and restful summer holiday. Let’s hope the sun shines. Yours faithfully,
ALAN TOOTILL Headteacher
IMPORTANT DATES PRIOR TO THE NEW TERM Thursday 25th August GCSE exam results day. Results are available for collection from 9am
SCHOOL TERMS AND HOLIDAYS 2011/2012 Term
Term Begins
Terms Ends
Friday Friday 21st 2nd September October Monday Friday Spring th 9 10th 2012 January February Monday Friday Summer th 1st 16 2012 April June Autumn 2011
Mid Term Holidays Begins Ends
Monday 24th October Monday 13th February Monday 4th June
Term Begins
Term Ends
Friday Monday Thursday 28th 31st 22nd October October December Friday Monday Friday th th 20 30th 17 February February March Friday Monday Wednesday 8th 20th 11th June July June
Bank Holidays Good Friday Easter Monday May Day Spring Bank Holiday Additional Bank Holiday
-
6th April 2012 9th April 2012 7th May 2012 4th June 2012 5th June 2012
Inset Days – Autumn Term Friday 2nd September Friday 21st October
Please note that a full calendar of events for the 2011/12 year will be available to view on the school website at the start of the new term. www.penyrheol-comp.swansea.sch.uk
Total Days per Term 75
55
64
.
Year 11 Leavers Prom On June 29th 2011, we bid a fond farewell to our Year 11 pupils as they attended their prom night. With the sun shining, masses of friends and families were at the school to wave them off and once at the Clydach Manor Hotel, a fabulous time was had by all. A lovely meal was followed by a performance from the staff band ‘Plateau’, with additional vocals from Alex Fitzpatrick in the song ‘Footloose’– re-living his role from the recent school production, ‘Back to the 80’s’. There were a few presentations and a surprise dance to ‘Americano’ by the some of the staff which caused a few laughs! Everyone was impeccably behaved as usual and a fantastic time was had by pupils and staff alike. We wish them well, as they now nervously await their GCSE results. Good luck everyone!
5 x 60 Mobile Climbing Wall At the end of June, the arrival of a Mobile Climbing Wall on the school grounds created much excitement!
Pupils were able to use the wall during break and lunch time as well as during their P.E. lessons.
The events included, Long Jump, 10x10 shuttle runs, target throw, Chest Push. Javelin, Balance beam and speed bounce. The year 5’s were put into groups of five or six and given a country to represent, such as Australia, USA, Japan, Indonesia and South Africa. In conclusion, I think it was a great experience for the pupils that took part, both here and in Indonesia.
Climbing the wall, wasn’t as easy as it looked, since the wall continually scrolled up and over, allowing the climber to experience the feeling of reaching higher and higher up.
International Inspiration Project
Mini Olympics On the 7th July, Year 5 pupils from Penyrheol Primary School joined our P.E. department to compete in a Mini Olympics competition.
Inspiring sports coaches for the future!
Pupils from year 7 were chosen to help coach the year 5’s and be team captains. Caitlin O’Brien (7R) describes her experience: “I really enjoyed helping the Year 5’s and enjoyed my joint role as a team captain alongside Dylan Goddard. It was an inspiration to see how motivated and competitive the juniors were. Because I went to Penyrheol Primacy school, I knew some of the people there and it was great to see them all again. It also made me realise the responsibilities we now have and the ones they have yet to discover. The reason we did the Mini Olympics was partly to celebrate ‘Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week 2011’ which aims to encourage young people in Britain to take part in more sporting activities. Our school is linked to another school in Indonesia, who have also arranged a similar event with their partner primary school – We look forward to comparing experiences!
Year 5 & Y7 unite for the International Inspiration project
Other recent sporting results: Football Year 7, 8 & 10 teams, unfortunately all lost out in very close semi final matches in the Swansea Schools Football Cup. To celebrate ‘National School Sport Week’, several events took place here at Penyrheol.
Athletics
Katy Williams (7U) gives us a little ‘taster’ of what went on. (Full details of which, can be found later in the newsletter).
This was well represented by the boys in particular this year, with some outstanding achievements from: Nathan John (8R), Ashleigh Harries (8H) and Bobby Jones (9)
Swimming Gala We had a swimming gala for all forms in Years 7 & 8 where we competed against each other. . Climbing Wall Pupils experienced the challenge of a mobile climbing wall in the school grounds, which was really fun. Sports Day On the 12th July our annual Sports day took place and all pupils from Years 7, 8 & 9 took part. Mini Olympics Year 5 pupils from Penyrheol Primary came to take part in a Mini Olympics day. All the pupils who took part, had a certificate to say they took part in the ‘National School Sport Week, 2011’. As a year 7 representative it was my job to make sure that each pupil knew exactly what they were doing during each activity and umpire the activity fairly.
Rhiannon Fenn – represented the county in the Welsh multi-event competition
Swimming The Year 7 & 8 Swimming Gala took place in July. The results are as follows: Year 7 1st: 7U, 2nd: 7D, 3rd: 7E Year 8 1st: 8H, 2nd: 8Y, 3rd: 8R
U13 Hockey Penyrheol qualified for the semi final stage of the County League.
Year 7 Netball Year 7 reached the semi finals of the County Plate Competition.
Year 7 Rounder’s Inter-form Tournaments Rounder’s, cricket and soft ball took place in lessons through out the week.
Penyrheol beat 20 other schools to reach the semi finals of the County Tournament. County Inter-Schools Cup under 13’s Girls 1st Place – Ellie Coates (800m) 3rd Place – Amy Lloyd (Javelin) 3rd Place – Caitlin McConnell (Shot-put)
Music
Careers
Summer Concert
HSBC Banking Talk
The music department once again put on a superb evening of entertainment at the recent Summer Concert. Our own pupils were joined by boys and girls from our partner primary schools, some of whom played in the orchestra and others even having the nerve to sing solo! The programme was varied and very entertaining. There was the new edition of a Junior Choir and a Chamber Choir led by music teacher, Miss Morris and it was a delight to see so many pupils taking part! There were some solo performances by some of our year 11 pupils including Rhys Williams singing ‘Stars’ from ‘Les Miserable’s’ and Jessica Pyart-Thomas singing and playing guitar, with one of her own compositions written for her GCSE music exam. Those who didn’t manage to attend the concert this year really missed out on a fabulous evening and we look forward now, to the Christmas concert in December!
Geography Year 8 Brecon Beacons Trip In June, we enjoyed a trip to the Brecon Beacons, organised by the Geography department. First we went to Black Mountain, where there was a kiln which burns limestone in order to make fertiliser (see photo). We then went to Pen Arthur Forest to have a look at the trees and listen to the sounds of the local wildlife. After a while, we got on the bus to Gelli Aur Country Park and café. We had a great day and will now use our experiences, to write accounts of the trip in our lessons. Annabel Evans & Lewis McCormick 8R
On Tuesday 28th June, a representative from HSBC, very kindly came to school to speak with some of our pupils, who are considering a career in Banking when they leave school. The pupils enjoyed a very entertaining DVD about the banking call centre and discussed in general how they might get involved in banking and even how to apply for a job before or after college or university. There will be more careers talks in the new term…please keep your eye on the school intranet page for more details!
Library Congratulations to the following Year 7 pupils who have all become Library Assistants and will be helping keep the library tidy and in order for the new Autumn term: Lois Type 7M, Elise Bowen & Abigail Lewis 7M
Non Uniform Day Friday 8th July was a non-uniform day at Penyrheol and as usual was held in order that we raise money for charity. On this occasion £500 was raised and will be distributed between the charities chosen by this year’s school council.
‘Spotlight on Penyrheol’ Some of you may have already noticed the new display in the foyer, which ‘spotlights’ the recent achievements of our pupils, both in and out of school. In order for you to appear on this display as well as being mentioned in this Newsletter, we need to be told about it. Please do not hesitate to speak to our librarian or pass a message on with school reception with details of your successes!
This Term’s ‘Ask the Head’ Question:
Question: At a recent school council meeting, the suggestion of having a common room was raised. At break and lunch times, we like to get together for a chat and sometimes eat our snacks etc. Since we are not allowed to eat or drink inside the school (except the canteen) and because we have to be quiet in library, might it be possible to have the use of one room per floor for each year group? This would be especially appreciated during the winter months. We would promise to respect the room and keep it tidy! The School Council
The Head replies… After the fire of March 2006, we didn’t have enough space within the surviving school buildings and our temporary accommodation to fit everyone under cover, if the weather was poor. As a result we had an Open Door Policy for three years, from September 2006 to July 2009. This meant that pupils were allowed access to their form rooms during break time and lunch time. The rules were that rooms had to be kept clean and tidy and eating was not allowed. Unfortunately, in spite of regular reminders and punishments for offenders who were caught, a significant minority of pupils did not treat the form rooms with respect. This had an impact on teaching, because sometimes the teacher would have to spend time cleaning up the room before the lesson could begin and there was damage done that had to be repaired. This experience made it very clear to me that the priority for classrooms had to be teaching. They are not spaces for socialising. Fortunately, we now have sufficient space, apart from classrooms, within the Annexe and Main Block so that everyone can be under cover if it is raining during break or lunch. What we can do is try to provide more inside seating, particularly within the Main Block. However, this is expensive and school budgets are very tight at the moment. Therefore, when money becomes available, this will be something that we consider.
If you have a question you would like to ask Mr Tootill, please submit it to the librarian.
Beyond the School gates…
Many of our Penyrheol pupils are involved in outside school activities. If you would like to shout about it...here’s your chance! Tanisha Walker (Y9) will be representing Wales in the Under 16’s FIBA Europe Basketball Tournament in Andorra this month. Tanisha and her team will be competing against other countries, including France and Malta. We wish them the best of luck!
Good luck to Liam Matthews (Y11) who after completing his GCSE's will be making his way to Cardiff to begin his professional football Career. Good Luck Liam!
Congratulations to ‘Gorseinon Youth Choir’ who held their Summer Concert recently. Penyrheol pupils Rhys Williams (Y11), Jessica Pyart-Thomas (Y11), Bethan Thomson (Y10), Kirsty Mills (Y10), Alexander Murphy (Y9) and Ellie Evans (Y9) along with many of our ex-pupils, performed a very impressive and varied programme of music. Well done!
A round of applause goes to Chloe Morris (Y10) who recently completed the ‘Race for Life’ at Singleton Park. Chloe took part in the 5K run in aid of Cancer Research and managed to raise a fantastic £500. What an achievement!
Great success was achieved in rhythmical gymnastics this year by Alisha Williams (Y7), who won a silver medal in the British u12’s championships and Casey Williams (Y8), who won 4th place. Well done girls!
Congratulations to Morgan Jonah and Ellie Coates, both from Year 7, who have both been Selected to train with the County Hockey squad.
Well done to Corey Francis (Y10), who has had a very successful year with the Welsh u15's Football squad, were he has been made Captain!
Congratulations to all our pupils who continue to take part in and enjoy such a wide range of hobbies and interests.
News release: 9th June 2011
Students battle in court for national title Students from Penyrheol Comprehensive School along with 13 other schools across England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in the national final of the Citizenship Foundation’s Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition on 18 June at the historic Victoria Law Courts in Birmingham. The 14 finalist schools had successfully progressed through local and regional heats involving over 6000 young people from 400 state-funded secondary schools. At the final students took on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court staff in two cases – one about domestic violence and the other dealing with the handling of stolen goods. They competed against other schools in real courtrooms, as prosecution and defence, their performances were judged by real magistrates and legal professionals.
As well as being an interesting and engaging opportunity to actively explore specific legal issues, the competition, now in its 17th successful year, enables teachers to deliver key elements of the citizenship curriculum, while developing students’ skills of analysis, communication and team work.
The annual competition is organised by education and participation charity the Citizenship Foundation in partnership with the Magistrates’ Association and local magistrates and court staff, and aims to introduce young people to the legal system in an innovative and exciting way.
Although our team did not win the overall final, we did win both our cases which proves, ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, the strength and ability of our team members. They did themselves, and the school, proud and deserve massive congratulations! Well done, team!
5x60 Hockey Summer Camp at Elba Sports Centre Wed 27th July Wed 3rd Aug Wed 10th Aug Wed 17th Aug Wed 24th Aug Wed 31st Aug Just turn up and play from 10am till 12pm Bring a drink and a snack Equipment will be provided, wear sports kit. For children aged 11-14 years Learn new skills – dribbling, passing, tackling and play mini matches. Also find out information on your local hockey club and how to join!!! Prizes can be won if you bring a friend!!!