ST CLARE’S SCHOOL

It has been a time of sporting success at PCS! Our U14 rugby team have been crowned Welsh Cup Champions! On Monday 24th April, the team travelled to the Principality Stadium to play Ysgol Dyffryn Amman and won 21-10. It was an honour and privilege to attend the match and I am certainly one very proud Head teacher! The PCS travelling support was excellent and it was lovely to enjoy the final with so many people from our local community. There were certainly lots of pupils, families, and teachers in the crowd to cheer on PCS! Thank you to all who joined us, so many proud parents – wonderful! The U14 final certainly showcased schools’ rugby talent and all players on both teams played so very well! The opportunity to attend our National Stadium, in front of a big crowd what an experience and opportunity!

They are very talented group of rugby players; I wish them all the very best for the future and I am sure more rugby success awaits. A thank you to our PE department for your hard work and effort! I should also like to pass on my thanks to our kit sponsors - it looked excellent for the final!

We continue with sporting success as our Senior Football team have reached the final of the Bridgend Schools Cup – well done all!

Mr Stephens, Head Teacher

Life at St Clare’s School & Nursery is as busy as ever, with a calendar jam-packed with sporting fixtures, extra-curricular clubs and residential trips. Summer here means athletics, tennis and the welcome return of cricket. We’re so delighted to share that St Clare’s Prep are Bridgend Schools Cross-Country Champions 2023!

Exam season is well underway, and we wish our Year 11 and Year 13 students good luck with their GCSEs and A-Levels. We will be sad to say farewell to Year 13, but we know they will keep in touch and have great futures ahead of them. Our students have been offered places at prestigious Russell Group universities including Exeter, Cardiff, Manchester, Warwick, Nottingham and Birmingham to read Medicine, Neuroscience, Law, and Palaeontology and more. St Clare’s is in the top 5% of top-performing A-Level schools in the UK since 2018. Our Sixth Form isn’t just exceptional, it’s life-defining.

We cannot wait to see our Nursery pupils in their caps and gowns for their Nursery Graduation Ceremony. Dig out your picnic blanket and save the date for our fabulous Family Fun Day on Saturday, 24th June 12-6pm. With rides, food, drink, live music and stalls, there’ll be something for everyone!

Picture caption: St Clare’s Cross-Country Champions

Heronsbridge School Upcoming Events

The Friends of Heronsbridge School, a registered charity based at Heronsbridge School in Bridgend, would like to invite you to join us at one of our upcoming events:

We are hosting our Summer Ball at the Heronston Hotel, Ewenny Road, Bridgend on Saturday 24 June 2023. Tickets, which include a bubbly reception, a three course meal entertainment and live and silent, cost £40 and are available via the Friends of Heronsbridge Facebook page or Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/588327151347.

Our Annual Summer Fun Day takes place in the school grounds from 11am on Saturday 1 July 2023. There is something for everyone, including stalls, a BBQ, a Bouncy Castle and fairground rides and a warm welcome awaits you. Tickets will be on sale soon for our Summer Raffle, which will be drawn on Wednesday 5 July 2023. Prizes include cash prizes and free entry to the Friends’ Lottery every month for a year. For further information, to sponsor a table at the Ball, to donate an auction lot or a raffle prize or to purchase raffle tickets, please visit the Friends of Heronsbridge Facebook page or contact Jane Owen (Friends’ Secretary) via email at: fohsec542@btinternet.com

If you would like your child to learn important lifesaving skills, how to be safe in the sea and have lots of fun at the same time with like minded kids, then get in touch.

Nippers are aged between 7-13. As a Nipper your child will be taught surf safety, basic lifesaving skills, surf and beach sports such as wading, surf swimming, board paddling, beach flags, beach sprints and relays.

Nippers train indoors at Pyle pool throughout the year, and at Rest Bay beach during the summer months.

Nippers are able to obtain various surf safety awards, and are taught valuable lifesaving and safety skills at both the beach and the pool.

If you would like more information please contact:

Newyddion Sg R

We were all excited to return after a wonderful Easter break. KS2 have helped Marlas Greenspace to plant trees in the local area. They also collected bugs to study using new science equipment. The Foundation Phase enjoyed hot chocolate, stories and nature hunts in the woods. They will also participate in Clwb Cwtsho Coed this term.

The Food Standards Agency held an all-school assembly to emphasise the importance of good hygiene and food storage. Stwnsh Sadwrn visited year 6 to give them a taster of the funfilled games available on their TV show. We welcomed Ysgol Bro Ogwr to play netball and football matches. The result didn’t go our way but all players thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Congratulations to Iolo Howell and Ffion Cross for coming second and third in the Urdd Arts and Crafts competitions. We wish Alicia Kidner good luck as she represents the school in the National Urdd Eisteddfod Disco, Street and Hip Hop competition in May.

Congratulations to the cleaning team for being awarded the Gold Certificate of Excellence. We are very grateful to you. If you would like further information on the advantages of Welsh-medium education contact us on 01656 754865 or admin@yfos.pen-y-bont.cymru

Newton Primary News

We are very pleased to share the report of our recent Estyn inspection.

The school is a caring and inclusive community where pupils, staff and families feel valued and respected. The school’s core values are well embedded in its daily life. This is evident in the positive relationships between staff and pupils and among pupils themselves. Courtesy, consideration and mutual respect are strong features of these relationships that contribute markedly to the school’s friendly ethos.

Pupils show pride in their school and feel safe within its inclusive and caring ethos. Nearly all pupils show a positive attitude to learning and enjoy their time in school. They behave very well and show care and consideration for each other.

Across the school, all adults attend carefully to the individual needs and well-being of pupils.

Teachers provide an exciting variety of learning experiences that engage pupils’ interest and sustain their motivation well. They set clear objectives for pupils’ learning and use effective teaching methods to build pupils’ skills successfully. For example, the school’s consistent approach to developing pupils’ reading skills impacts positively on pupils’ progress and enjoyment.

Teachers create an inclusive climate for learning that encourages the active participation of all pupils successfully. As a result, pupils make good progress.

R John (Head Teacher)

Cynffig Comprehensive News

This month pupils at Cynffig have excelled. Llongyfarchiadau to Cynffig’s Criw Cymraeg for achieving the Siarter Iaith Silver Award. Congratulations also to Tyler Thomas, Year 12, who was one of only 10 pupils from Bridgend to be selected to take part in a two day Seren visit to London. As well as taking in some sights, Tyler spent two days visiting the London School of Economics and King’s College London, enjoying insightful talks and tours of these prestigious institutions.

Pupils in Year 12 have already been applying for Summer Schools from universities all over the UK. Congratulations to Caitlin Fallow who has been accepted onto the UNIQ programme at Oxford University and Lewis Watkins who has been accepted onto the Sutton Trust Summer School at Bristol University.

Finally huge congratulations to Ellie Lewis Year 9 who has been officially confirmed as part of the Great Britain Junior Gymnastics Squad which is a combined age of up to 15yrs. This makes Ellie the youngest member of the squad which is a phenomenal achievement. In the British Championships in Liverpool last month Ellie placed Junior 3rd overall , was Uneven Bars Champion and a Bronze medalist on the Floor. Simply outstanding Ellie!

Hannah Castle, Head Teacher

TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE - WOOD SAWS

Through Christian Eyes

Did you see the advert on the back of one of our local buses? It said ‘try praying, it could change your life’ and contained a website address and QR code. If you visit their site you will find it started with Christians in Scotland and is now rolling out around the country. They will even send you a free booklet on prayer. If you have never had an answer to prayer before, it may well be worth a try.

Christians understand that prayer works, but is also something we need to work at. In the gospel of Luke the disciples asked Jesus ‘Lord, teach us to pray’. While God can hear and answer the cry of the every heart, James the brother of Jesus says ‘When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.’ Prayer that changes lives may not be as simple as we sometimes think.

Do you see God answer your prayers? Many of us do! So whether you visit the website of the ‘try praying’ advert, or come along to a local church, may the Lord teach you to pray the kind of prayers that sees answers!

We send Rip, Cross cut and Tennon saws in all carpentry kits. We only send traditional saws with wooden handles and blades that can be re-sharpened. We also send all the kit required to sharpen them.

Do you know the difference between a Rip and Cross cut saw?

The rip saw cutting edge of each tooth has a flat front and it is angled backward by about 8 deg.

With the “rip” tooth pattern, the edges are sharpened at right angles to the cutting plane, forming chisel-like cutting surfaces, This design keeps the saw from following grain lines, which could curve the path of the saw: the saw then will cut in a straight line. The crosscut saw is designed for cutting wood across the grain. The teeth are close together and angled backward by about 15 deg,

The cutting edge of each tooth is angled in an alternating pattern. This design allows each tooth to act like a knife-edge and slice through the wood cleanly.

If you have any of these saws and can donate them to us please contact John on 01656 786367.

David Cook, Workshop Manager

Churches Together In Porthcawl

Helo bawb,

At the time of writing, we’re mid-way through Christian Aid Week. Last Tuesday 2nd May, in partnership with the Mothers’ Union, we welcomed Jennie Weaver from Christian Aid’s Cardiff Office. Jennie gave us a very engaging talk about how Christian Aid has helped communities in Malawi, in particular through their pigeon pea project.

On Monday 8th May, together with Sussed and Sustainable Wales, we helped to organise ‘The Big Help Out’ volunteering event, as part of the Coronation Celebrations. Sadly the rain stopped us from setting up in John Street, but we’re grateful to the YMCA for lending us their hall – where a good number of local groups (including Churches Together) were able to provide information to visitors, recruit volunteers, and network with each other.

This Saturday 13th May, we’ll have a sponsored walk - ‘Holy Hike’ with around 25 of us raising money for the DEC-Christian Aid Appeal for Turkey/Syria. There’ll also be an Afternoon Tea at St Johns.

Finally, we’re looking forward to a special Christian Aid Service on Sunday 21st May, 3pm at All Saints’ Church. I’ll let you know how it went next month!

Pob bendith, David Robinson

Rev. Martin Gillard

Gilgal Baptist Church, Porthcawl

Deadline date for the July issue is:

THURSDAY 15TH JUNE

ROTARY CELEBRATED KINGS CHARLES’ CORONATION ‘BIG HELP OUT’ EVENT DAY

Churches Together working in partnership with local organisations (Sussed) celebrated the coronation of King Charles III, by having a “Big Help Out” event day in Porthcawl Due to the poor weather conditions the event was transferred to the Y Centre in Porthcawl.

The event included stands from Porthcawl Rotary Club, Joyriders, Porthcawl Museum, Sussed, Lions, British Legion and Churches Together who provided information about local organisations and volunteering opportunities. Churches Together stall had information about local Churches and activities, including fundraising for Christian Aid week in May. The Porthcawl Rotary Club meet weekly on a Monday day/ evening for a meal, for companionship and to plan future activities. Porthcawl Rotary often take part in other activities, both charitable and social around the town and have a full programme of charitable and social events that take place throughout the year.

Porthcawl Rotary support local, national and international charities with emphasis on those in the Porthcawl area. For further information on Rotary please contact Andrew Singer on 01656 785628 or via email: andrewbsinger@icloud. com

Rtn Robert Lee