13
Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2 Tymor yr Haf 2017 1 Summer Newsletter 2017 Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2 Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017 Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect on how different this year has been in regards to the challenges the school faced just 12 months ago. Over the course of this year the school has been taken out of Special Measures and we now know we are to get new school buildings and are progressing the design stage of this process currently. Following the recent decision by the new County Council Cabinet, we now also know that we are going to retain the Welsh Medium stream, giving continuity for the future. A year ago, we were saying goodbye to 7 staff from the school. This year it is a combination of a few goodbyes and also a number of ‘welcome backs’! Just prior to the end of the year Mrs Rebecca Carpenter is returning from maternity leave and at the same time we will be saying goodbye and thank you to Peter Lloyd who has been working in the Geography Department. I know that the pupils have been grateful for the time and effort he has put into his work with them and we wish him every success as he moves on to his next post. We are also going to be welcoming back Mrs Bosher, just before we finish. Mrs Bosher has been away from work for some time (with a short return in between) having undergone 2 major operations. I know she is look- ing forward to getting back to work, both in the Science Department and as the Head of Sixth Form. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Stephens for all the work she has done as the Head of Sixth Form during this time. We have also just welcomed back Mrs Gillespie from her maternity leave. Miss Howe has been with the school all year, not only undertaking the EAL role, but also other teaching and Form Tutor re- sponsibilities during the year. Whilst she is officially finishing her post, I know it is not the last we will see of her. My thanks to her for her commitment to the school. We are saying goodbye to Mrs Margaret Norris, who has been our Attendance Officer for a number of years. Many parents and pupils may not know who she is, however she has been a big support to a number of pupils and families in regard to ensuring there is good attendance at school and overcoming the barriers to this. She has decided to retire (again!) and we wish her well in all that she does. As we come to the end of the term, we still have the Sports Day and Celebration Evening to look forward to, which are both opportunities for us to share in the talents and achievements of our pupils. Following a lot of staff input and pupil voice, we have revamped the Celebration Evening, which will now be called the All Stars Awards Evening. We hope that the pupils and parents appreciate the changes we have made. In September we will be introducing “Show My Homework” to pupils and parents. This is an online tool for set- ting, resourcing and recording homework. This will improve the quality of communication for staff, parents and pupils. When the pupils return in September, they will return in their winter uniform. Can I take this opportunity to ask parents and pupils to ensure they return in the correct uniform. We have had a number of pupils this term who have believed, incorrectly, that black jeans are an acceptable part of the uniform. They are not and re- gardless of any ‘pestering’ we welcome parents’ support in purchasing the correct uniform items. The results days for A-level and GCSE results are the 17 and 24 August respectively. The school has an Inset day on the 1 September and the pupils will return on Monday 4 September. Finally, can I wish all staff, parents and pupils an enjoyable and restful summer break. We look forward to wel- coming the new Year 7 and Year 12 intake as well as all the other pupils returning to the school, suitably ‘recharged’, ready for another busy and successful school year.

Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

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Page 1: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017 1 Summer Newsletter 2017

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017

Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head

When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect on how different this year has been in regards to the challenges the school faced just 12 months ago. Over the course of this year the school has been taken out of Special Measures and we now know we are to get new school buildings and are progressing the design stage of this process currently. Following the recent decision by the new County Council Cabinet, we now also know that we are going to retain the Welsh Medium stream, giving continuity for the future. A year ago, we were saying goodbye to 7 staff from the school. This year it is a combination of a few goodbyes and also a number of ‘welcome backs’! Just prior to the end of the year

Mrs Rebecca Carpenter is returning from maternity leave and at the same time we will be saying goodbye and thank you to Peter Lloyd who has been working in the Geography Department. I know that the pupils have been grateful for the time and effort he has put into his work with them and we wish him every success as he moves on to his next post. We are also going to be welcoming back Mrs Bosher, just before we finish. Mrs Bosher has been away from work for some time (with a short return in between) having undergone 2 major operations. I know she is look-ing forward to getting back to work, both in the Science Department and as the Head of Sixth Form. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Stephens for all the work she has done as the Head of Sixth Form during this time. We have also just welcomed back Mrs Gillespie from her maternity leave. Miss Howe has been with the school all year, not only undertaking the EAL role, but also other teaching and Form Tutor re-sponsibilities during the year. Whilst she is officially finishing her post, I know it is not the last we will see of her. My thanks to her for her commitment to the school. We are saying goodbye to Mrs Margaret Norris, who has been our Attendance Officer for a number of years. Many parents and pupils may not know who she is, however she has been a big support to a number of pupils and families in regard to ensuring there is good attendance at school and overcoming the barriers to this. She has decided to retire (again!) and we wish her well in all that she does. As we come to the end of the term, we still have the Sports Day and Celebration Evening to look forward to, which are both opportunities for us to share in the talents and achievements of our pupils. Following a lot of staff input and pupil voice, we have revamped the Celebration Evening, which will now be called the All Stars Awards Evening. We hope that the pupils and parents appreciate the changes we have made. In September we will be introducing “Show My Homework” to pupils and parents. This is an online tool for set-ting, resourcing and recording homework. This will improve the quality of communication for staff, parents and pupils. When the pupils return in September, they will return in their winter uniform. Can I take this opportunity to ask parents and pupils to ensure they return in the correct uniform. We have had a number of pupils this term who have believed, incorrectly, that black jeans are an acceptable part of the uniform. They are not and re-gardless of any ‘pestering’ we welcome parents’ support in purchasing the correct uniform items. The results days for A-level and GCSE results are the 17 and 24 August respectively. The school has an Inset day on the 1 September and the pupils will return on Monday 4 September. Finally, can I wish all staff, parents and pupils an enjoyable and restful summer break. We look forward to wel-coming the new Year 7 and Year 12 intake as well as all the other pupils returning to the school, suitably ‘recharged’, ready for another busy and successful school year.

Page 2: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Tymor yr Haf 2017 2 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

Friday 21st July—Break up for summer holiday Thursday 17th August—GCE AS/A level results will be available to collect from school: A Level 9.30 am AS Level 10.30 am Thursday 24th August—GCSE results will be available to collect from school: Year 11 9.30am Year 10 11.30m Monday 4th September—Pupils return to school

Dyddiadau i’w Cofio/Dates To Remember

Gwisg ysgol / School Uniform As you prepare for the new school term, we are keen to ensure that appropriate items are purchased from tra-ditional stockists and not from fashion stores. The pictures below show the standard items of uniform, together with our expectations regarding how they should be worn.

Sweater (Boys and Girls) Plain black, knitted, V-neck.

Hair (Boys and Girls) One, natural colour, no extreme hair styles.

Blouse / Shirt Plain white with collar

Tie (Boys and Girls) Green and Gold clip-on tie.

Trousers (Boys and Girls) Plain black, tailored. (no jeans, canvas trousers, tight fitting trousers or leggings).

Skirt (Girls only) Plain black, pleated, knee length

Footwear (Boys and Girls) Plain black leather or thick canvassed based shoes, with sensible

heels (no above the ankles boots or any trainers).

Outer Coats - Sensible, plain black. These should be removed whilst inside the classroom. Bag - A strong rucksack or holdall Jewellery - 1 wristwatch. 1 plain ear stud in each ear. 1 dress ring.

Free Leather Shoes

BVG Airflo are looking to give away 20 pairs of new modern style leather school shoes for boys in sizes 6,7,8,9 in a Velcro and lace up style for the start of the new Autumn Term. There is zero cost to the pupils. If you are interested please contact Simon at BVG on 01874612887 for your FREE pair.

Page 3: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Tymor yr Haf 2017 3 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

Dawns Powys/Powys Dance

Dylunio a Thechnoleg/Design Technology

It has been a successful year for D&T with a variety of creative projects produced across all year groups. Year 7’s were challenged to produce an egg holder using CAD/CAM and a steady hand game, which involved a variety of materials and processes. Year 8 were given a mechanical toy brief and learned about cams and movement. There

were some outstanding examples and amazing creative thinking from individuals. Year 9 students were asked to produce an innovative container, suitable for a customer of their choice. This resulted in 99% of students gaining a Level 5+, 90% gaining a Level 6 and 23% gaining a Level 7. Lucy McGinty gained a Level 8 this year with an outstanding booklet and practical outcome. We have over 40 GCSE students studying Resistant Materials in Year 10, who have had an intensive year, cov-ering many aspects of Design Technology . The students have gained a variety of skills and will be starting their Year 11 Controlled Assessment Task in September.

Year 11 students completed their work in May and the moderators visit was well received. Students created a variety of innovative lights/ lamps. A number of Year 11 students will be joining us to follow the Product Design course next year.

Year 12 and 13 students produced a variety of excellent outcomes and most took the opportunity to work con-tinuously outside school and we even met for a revision session in a coffee shop in town!

We are waiting to hear if any of our students have made it through to the WJEC Innovation Awards Exhibition in Cardiff this October. We have had a long association with this competition and have been awarded prizes in the past.

Mr R Wyatt

During this year Brecon High School have been lucky enough to be part of a dance project run by Powys Dance. Each week since last October Rhian Lowe a professional Dance Tutor has been In school working with a lucky group of pupils. During the Christmas term a mixed group of Year 7 pupils worked on an interesting piece around the theme of “The Twenties” and during the course of the term improved their fitness, coordina-tion and cooperative skills. They performed their final dance for a select group of staff in the Gym at the end of term. This term a group of specially chosen boys from Years 7 and 8 have worked with Rhian on the theme of strength and trust. They created a very impressive final dance which was part of the Powys Dance end of term performance which took place at Brecon High School on 13th July. All those who took part have real-ised the demands of modern dance both physically and mentally and have learnt a great deal over the course of the project. We would like to thank Powys Dance for the opportunity to be involved and also for the positive memories that Rhian Lowe helped to create for our students.

Page 4: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017 4 Summer Newsletter 2017

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017

Cymraeg/Welsh

Up until recently, the future of the Welsh stream was very uncertain. However I am extremely pleased that we are now able to move forward and strengthen the use of Welsh Language and culture into the future – some very exciting times lay ahead. This year, as in previous years, I have been very fortunate to work with so many passionate students in the Welsh stream, determined to make a significant contribution to the Welsh Language within the school and the wider community. During the 2017 academic year I have witnessed amazing determination and progress from pupils of all abili-ties! and all pupils should be congratulated on their efforts! KEY STAGE 3 During this academic Year, Key Stage 3 have studied a variety of topics including the local area, school and a variety of Welsh Myths and Legends. Students have also studied the history of Wales, studying some of South Wales’ coal mining disasters in Senghen-nydd and Aberfan and the tragic football disaster at Hillsborough. At the beginning of the new academic year, Year 7 had the opportunity to write letters to the Years 5 and 6 pupils at Ysgol-y-Bannau sharing their experiences, outlining the many positive aspects of school life here at Brecon High School. Some of the older pupils have studied healthy eating, Tanorecsia, History of Wales and our main focus for Year 9 was bridging the gap to Key Stage 4, where we studied ‘pisa’ style reading tasks. There has been a significant focus on developing students’ literacy skills this year, with notable improvements made in both accuracy and fluency. Emphasis on spelling tests and grammar activities played an integral role in the development of student’s language and this is currently having a positive effect on the development of their Welsh oracy and writing skills. KEY STAGE 4 GCSE Welsh is a qualification that encourages candidates to develop their interest and enthusiasm in Welsh and to enable them to contribute to a bilingual society of the Twenty First Century. The aim is to develop their con-fidence when communicating effectively, in both written and spoken Welsh, and developing essential skills which fulfil the needs of pupils, employers and further education. We aim to nurture positive attitudes towards the Welsh Language, literary heritage and the contemporary multimedia culture, and promoting effective use of the Language. Year 10 and 11 have worked extremely hard this year covering a wide range of innovative themes and develop-ing a plethora of new skills’ within the new GCSE Welsh Language Course. The new course enables pupils to de-velop their literacy skills and to improve their oracy skills. The Oracy exams within the syllabus, whilst challeng-ing, proved extremely beneficial and it was great to see students embrace the opportunity to discuss world af-fairs in a confident and sophisticated manner. Pob lwc i flwydddyn 11, good luck to year 11, and I am very much looking forward to working with the new cohort of Year 11 pupils, and hope to inspire them to reach or exceed their potential within the Welsh Medium. Mrs. N. Williams-Pike, Head of Welsh First Language

Page 5: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017 5 Summer Newsletter 2017

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017

Astudiaethau Busnes/Business Studies

The aim of GCSE Business is not just to teach students all about topics such as Business Planning and the Price Elasticity of Demand, but to develop our pupils understanding of the way in which businesses operates in a rap-idly changing world. This year pupils understanding have been developed through realistic business activities such as with dragons den style enterprise games where pupils have tackled the problems of bringing new prod-ucts onto the market. Students have also faced the challenge of managing a £1m portfolio in a UK wide com-petition of over 8,000 teams with one of our teams coming 357. But what has been fun this year has been see-ing how students responded to a role play where both interviewer and interviewee skills were simulated. I am very pleased to say that the candidates short listed for the Business award exemplify the characteristic s of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Mark Humphries, Head of Business Studies (KS4/5)

The vibrant singing and dancing of our 2016 production of “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” was still fresh in our memories at the start of this academic year. If we were looking for a play that was going to be more of a contrast for 2017 we certainly achieved that with our blood curdling production of Macbeth. This was part of the nationwide Shakespeare In Schools festival which involved participating in workshops and rehearsals alongside some of our feeder schools including Ysgol Penmaes. The full review is included but we were delighted with the adjudication from the founder of the festival who declared on the night that it was the best Macbeth he’d seen! Quite an accolade when you consider that this is a nationwide festival involving thousands of schools. I was particularly proud of the age range of our cast where our accomplished Sixth Form thespians were performing alongside some of our newest Year 7’s, inspiring that all important passion for the arts and, of course, Shakespeare. Further inspiration has been gained this year by masterclasses in physical theatre by Harlan Rust, an ex BHS student, now a professional international dancer who amazed our students with his physical prowess and ingenuity. It was so charming hearing him explain to students that his successful career had its roots in the very humble, some might say, dilapidated Drama studio here at BHS. The exam pieces this year were a tribute to how our Year 11 and 12 students now have the confidence to make very daring and exciting choices around their exam scripts. Year 11’s piece entitled “100” made parents and SLT who were invited into the audience, laugh, cry and in the case of Miss Gibbs go away to “revaluate her life “. Year 12 decided not to settle for performing their version of the classical Greek Tragedy “Antigone” in the studio but decided that a cave on the far reaches of Llangynidr mountain would be the more atmospheric choice! It is always a bonus when you can provide unexpected and free entertainment for a group of unsuspecting D of E expedition cavers. The white masks and howls of anguish from deep within the recesses of the cave is not a moment they will forget easily. Sometimes being a Head of Drama, who is also a PGM, can be time consuming but in the summer term these two roles come in to their own as it gives me an ideal opportunity to work with our Year 7’s to discuss, devise and produce a piece of original Drama which is performed on induction day to the Year 6 pupils who will be joining us in September. This year’s piece was called “First Day” and explored many of the issues surrounding the stress and anxiety of moving schools. Feedback from the Year 6 students described it as one of the highlights of their visit. As we look forward to the next academic year there is much anticipation regarding the next BHS musical. All I can say, at this point, is that it will be in the Spring term, it will be a musical and, as it will be full of our talented BHS students, it will be brilliant !

Mrs. H. East, Head of Drama

Drama

Page 6: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017 6 Summer Newsletter 2017

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017

TG/ICT

During this year the ICT Department has been extremely impressed by the dedication and independence of pupils within the school. A trial of using tutorial videos to enhance learning and independence has proven to be very successful, and due to the hard work of the pupils the outcomes have, overall, been above expectations. The ICT Department have also started a Code Club that has seen some pupils from Primary schools and pupils within the school learning, improving and more importantly; collaborating on coding projects. Both Head of ICT and a volunteer (Stevie), who is himself and leads a team of programmers, have been tremendously impressed by the skills shown in programming in Scratch and Python. In the Department we are looking forward to starting the new GCSE Computer Science course and teaching the pupils who have opted for the course; this course will see a shift from traditional ICT to the more technical Computer Science.

Mr. G. Gillard, Head of ICT

It is safe to say that this year has been one of the liveliest and testing in many a year for the Department. The traditional topics that we study each year have become even more important and many have been brought to life with the incredible happenings at home and abroad, which have given the pupils a unique opportunity to discuss, enquire and use as stimulus to find out more about background and history of these that has led to the world we live in today. These events and this year, in particular, as the pupils are well aware, is the history of the future. With the return of Miss Leah Acreman back to the Department we were able to further develop a wide ranging programme of study from The Norman Invasion, Tudors and the World Wars (of course not forgetting that man, Hitler) but we have also looked at American Civil Rights and Foreign Policy as well as looking at more recent British Political and Social History which has proved extremely relevant as touched upon above. Pupils have used a wealth of sources and been encouraged to discuss and evaluate the validity of the evidence to form their own views of events of the past and develop their own interpretations. The pupils here tonight are talented and inquisitive Historians who are not afraid to ask difficult questions and challenge traditional historical interpretations and have the confidence to speak their minds to state their case clearly. They deserve all the credit and praise that will be given to them as it is well deserved for all their hard work this year. Ardderchog pawb. One of the highlights of the year was the opportunity to work with the Welsh Second Language Department to organise a trip to Belgium and France to visit the War Graves and memorials and staying at Ypres. It was an emotional trip for all with a visit to Hedd Wyn’s grave as well as the visit to Mametz Wood, where a new memorial had recently been erected in memory to all the Welsh soldiers that perished in one of the bloodiest Battles of the First World War. It became even more poignant as armed with some information from one pupil

on the trip, some investigation by staff, help from bus driver and tour guide we were able to locate the grave of a member of her family in a cemetery only a brief walk down from Mametz Wood. The success of the trip and the experience of bringing History to life has led the Department to make such opportunities open to as many pupils as possible and it is a priority to use the history around us and develop stronger links with the community and further afield to enthuse and inspire the next generation of Historians.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second a farce: Karl Marx

Mr. J. Bryant, Head of History

Hanes/ History

Page 7: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Tymor yr Haf 2017 7 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

Yr Adran Saesneg/English Department

Yr Adran ITM / MFL Department

This year has again been a very busy and successful year for the English Department. The year began with a reflection on what were excellent examination results at GCSE in August, with 83% of pupils achieving A*-C in English Language. The Department has embraced the new GCSE specification and has developed a detailed and engaging range of resources to fully prepare pupils for their examinations.

The Department joined forces with the Drama Department earlier in the year to take part in the Royal Shake-speare Company (RSC) initiative, ‘The Shakespeare Schools Project’, which gave pupils from Years 7 to 13 the opportunity to perform a Shakespeare text in a professional theatre to a paying audience. The pupils gained expert tuition from RSC professionals in workshops in preparation for their performance which took place in front of a packed house at Theatr Brychieniog.

Miss Bentley’s excellent Year 7 English class performed ghostly stories to audiences in Brecon’s Market Hall as part of Brecon Women’s Festival in February.

The 6th Form were given the opportunity to visit the Barbican in London for an RSC performance of ‘King Lear’, with Antony Sher in the title role. This gave the students the valuable opportunity to witness their set text performed by the best in the business, and aid them in their understanding and analysis of one of the greatest plays in literature.

The English Department is looking forward to another busy year, with continued achievement across a number of avenues. Congratulations and thanks to all those who made the last year such a success.

Mr A Griffiths

We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Liang back to the MFL Department this year. He has enabled Key Stage 3 pupils to experience Mandarin through skills days and has run Mandarin for our more able and talented pu-pils in his lunchtime sessions. Mr Tim Penn, a Business Advisor, visited Year 10 to talk about careers and language and communication skills. He helped them understand that they are now global citizens and will be working in a global environment. In November our Brecon- Gouesnou twinning friends led an interactive day for us. Pupils improved their lin-guistic and cultural knowledge of France/ Brittany. It has to be said that apart from the delicious crêpes, Mar-guerite, the talking cow was a big favourite! Year 11 GCSE German pupils participated in the Goethe Institut’s concert in Cardiff by Chefket. It was great to hear them singing and rapping in German on their return. Year 9 continued their global futures training. Alex, a current student language ambassador from Cardiff Uni-versity shared her experiences and adventures of language learning with the pupils. March saw the annual MFL/Welsh visit to Disneyland Paris. Pupils gained confidence in their Welsh and French skills and had the opportunity to experience famous Parisian sites. Five Year 9 pupils completed their language ambassadors training at Swansea University. The event showed pupils that languages are highly regarded in the world of work as an important part of your skill set. Year 8 completed careers training linked to MFL allowing them to see the importance of languages in the workplace. July saw current and future GCSE MFL pupils and MAT pupils participate in a Japanese taster day at Cardiff University. Students experienced taster sessions in Japanese and a Kendo demonstration. They participated in workshops on manga drawing, calligraphy, origami and katakana, following a Japanese lunch.

Miss J Daniels

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Tymor yr Haf 2017 8 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

Daearyddiaeth/Geography

Bagloriaeth Cymru/Welsh Baccalaureate

Budding Year 7 Geographers have had the opportunity to investigate the local area. They reported on the land-use of Brecon High School and have mapped their route to school using appropriate cartographical tech-niques. They concluded the year by studying tourism, within the National Park and abroad. Year 8 pupils have investigated the microclimate of Brecon High School and decided where best to place a pic-nic bench using their results. They have also studied the impact of weather hazards, specifically Hurricanes. Pu-pils have studied global population characteristics and change; investigating rural to urban migration in Brazil and have evaluated population policies including the Chinese One Child Policy. They concluded the year by assessing the various development indicators and applying them to both a Less Economically Developed Coun-try (Kenya) and a More Economically Developed Country (Japan). Enthusiastic Year 9 Geographers have used the skills acquired in previous Years 7 and 8 and applied them to new topics, the study of global biomes and ecosystems. They have focussed in detail on both the tropical rainfor-est and desert biomes and have evaluated the impact of anthropogenic activity in these fragile environments. They concluded the year by studying both the cause and effects of global tectonic hazards and comparing the impacts of these events in both MEDCs and LEDCs. GCSE Geographers have been very busy this year, studying a combination of Physical and Human Geography topics. Pupils have gained experience of fieldwork and associated data acquisition techniques through investi-gating the changing river variables along the River Ilston on the Gower and the perceived impacts of retail parks such as Cyfarthfa on the high street of Merthyr Tydfil. During the fieldtrip to the Gower, we held our an-nual race up a sand dune, in which Kieran Dunford was victorious. Overall it has been a very successful year and our Geographers will now be preparing their fieldwork results in preparation for their assessments in the Autumn Term. A-Level Geographers have had an intensive year. They have studied the location and characteristics of glacial environments participating in fieldwork, in collaboration with the Fieldwork Studies Council, investigating de-posits to determine how they were deposited. Pupils have studied tectonic hazards and how they can be man-aged. They have also studied the changing nature of places including the urban centre of Cardiff and the Bay, investigating public perception on whether the regeneration of Cardiff City Centre has been a success. Mrs R Carpenter

This year has been a very busy year for the Welsh Baccalaureate Department due to the introduction of the new Skills Challenge Certificate. Year 12 have just completed their Community Challenge, where they had to complete 30hrs of working within the community. Pupils have taken part in activities such as sports coaching and Reading Club. Year 11 have looked at the issue of child poverty for their Global Challenge. They had to evaluate a range of sources and identify solutions to combat child poverty. The challenge then focused on a raising awareness pack which could be used in school. Year 13 were given the task of coming up with an idea for a pop-up shop for their Enterprise Challenge. We had a number of different ideas from a fruit and veg pop up shop called the “Green Machine” to a retro fash-ion pop-up shop called “Out with the New, in with the Old”.

Year 10 also finished their Enterprise Challenge where they had to come up with a new sports drink for the local leisure centre.

Page 9: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Tymor yr Haf 2017 9 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

Celf/Art

Gwyddoniaeth/Science

It has been a really busy but successful year for the Science Department. We started the year reflecting on our great GCSE and A-level results: an 8% increase to 74% at A*-C for KS4 and a high proportion of our A-level stu-dents have continued on to Higher Education to study Science and Science related degrees. In 2015 we had to implement a brand new specification change to all the A-level courses and another this aca-demic year at Key Stage 4. A lot of hard work goes into developing resources that both enrich and make the syllabus interesting and accessible to all pupils. The Chemistry Olympiad, run by Swansea University, was held again this year with eight BHS students from Years 7 to 11 taking part. The team had great success managing to get through to the semi-final at Christ Col-lege, where they were beaten by just three points! The team showed excellent Chemistry and general Science knowledge and represented our school admirably. In December A-level Biologists attended a series of lectures run by ‘Gene Park Wales’. It was a thoroughly en-joyable day, allowing pupils to apply their knowledge to every day circumstances and cutting edge Genomic medicine. In March Key Stage 3 pupils were fortunate to take part in the ‘National Science and Engineering Week’ confer-ence held at Aberystwyth University. This was a ‘hands-on’ experience with pupils actively participating in all the activities and experiments. Pupils particularly enjoyed trying to get a higher power reading than Mr Chilvers on the Watt bike, modelling and then building a irrigation system also proved to be popular. Miss Dover, Mr Hirst , Mrs Bosher, Mr Thomas, Mrs Workman

The Art Department had a busy start to the year with the bi-annual Art Exhibition at Theatr Brycheiniog in October. The exhibition featured a range of fine art, 3D work, graphics and textile design produced by the pu-pils. The work on display reflected the achievements of approximately 200 pupils from a broad range of ages and ability within the school. The Year 7 pupils showed their observational skills by making mature pen and charcoal landscapes before let-ting their imaginations and sense of colour go wild with their Fauve inspired landscapes. They also demonstrat-ed their understanding of cultural diversity with their Ganesha masks. The Year 8 pupils exhibited their understanding of proportions and their accomplished use of pastel with their individual portraits based on identity, as well as showing a great sense of design with their complex Art Nou-veau inspired computer patterns. Year 9 showed their understanding of social issues with their thoughtful anti-cyber-bullying posters, and show-cased their creativity and individuality with their Delaunay inspired work based on the modern world. Having studied the Surrealists, the GCSE pupils produced some thought-provoking work of great maturity and sensitivity by responding to the title of “War and Peace”. They produced mixed media paintings, drawings, col-lages, and modern textile wall hangings. This exhibition was a wonderful opportunity for both the School and the Community to get together and cele-brate the achievements of our pupils. We were very fortunate that a large group of people within the commu-nity were willing to sponsor, select and award prizes on the night.

Mrs K Thomas

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Tymor yr Haf 2017 10 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

TAKE 3 PARENT GROUP BRECON SEPTEMBER 2017 Parenting support because parenting teenagers isn’t easy. Support Discussion Problem solving Tools, tips, Techniques

What parents have said about Take 3… “ I would recommend the group you don’t get judged and the support really helped” “The techniques have helped me communicate better with my teenager” “Things are much calmer at home now” For more information phone 01874 615986 or email [email protected]

Gwasanaeth Ymyrraeth Ieuenctid/Youth Intervention Service

100% Presenoldeb/100% Attendance

Welsh Second Language

Congratulations to all the winners of the 100% attendance draw for the Spring Term 2017. David Heath Year 7 Robin Flower Year 8 Olivia Mills Year 9

Freya Gerrish Year 10 Ziggy Annear Year 11 Guilianna Sierchio Year 12

Chwaraeon/Sports

This year has been one of the busiest years yet for the Welsh Second Language Department. As well as improv-ing both our confidence and ability to use the Welsh language in the classroom, Brecon High School pupils have also been reading various Welsh short stories, and have even studied ‘Hedd Wyn’, which is a Welsh film found on the AS Syllabus! One of the exciting opportunities that was offered this academic year included a joint trip with the History De-partment to Ypres in Belgium! Pupils from Years 9-12 were able to visit various War Memorials in both France and Germany, which helped support their study of ‘Hedd Wyn’. Alongside this, pupils from lower down the school in Years 7-9 were able to visit Paris to attend the St David’s Day festival in Euro Disney thanks to a joint trip with the MFL Department. Due to their huge success, we hope to continue with the running of these events long into the future!

Mrs. H. Davies, Head of Welsh Second Language

Another exciting and highly successful year is drawing to a close and it is wonderful to reflect on the achieve-ments of the pupils. Mr. Northey continues to support our Athletes on the track and Cross-Country, as well as the swimmers and the basketball teams. This has seen recent successes with teams and individuals. At the Powys Track and Field event Brecon came 2nd out of 14 schools and the NASUWT Cup saw the junior boys’ team in 3rd. The following students were selected to compete for Powys in the stated events: Megan Nicholls – relay, Luke Wilkinson -300 metres and relay, Harvey Parsons - High Jump and Pole Vault, Daniel Gilbert – 1 Km Walk. The Brecon High School athletes also enjoyed a convincing win in a friendly meet against Llandovery College, Christ College and Lucton. Pupils also travelled with the Athletics Club and achieved many successes too. Three students have qualified for their Welsh Vests: Harvey Parsons, Daniel Gilbert, Megan Nicholas. Indoor Athletics saw 10 students selected for Powys. In Cross-Country the following students went on to represent Powys – Riley McLoughlin, Isaac Pierce, Eva Deveney-Billinge, Harvey Parsons, Owain Powell-Jones and Rory Orton.

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Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017 11 Summer Newsletter 2017

Y Bannau/The Beacon Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu/Brecon High School

E-bost/E-mail: [email protected] Ffôn/Tel: 01874 622361/2

Tymor yr Haf 2017/ Summer Term 2017

In Swimming, Mr. Northey and Jemma Alderson, Community Sports Development Officer (CSDO) took competitors to the Powys Gala and saw further achievements from our students. For the first time we had competitors in the Urdd Gala. This sport has also had the wonderful support of Mrs. Marshall which is greatly appreciated. Rowan Irwin, James Johnson, Amy Marshall, Gwyn Jones. Cerys Beckett, Hannah Marshall, Dylan Rees, Tristan Dillon, Isaac Pierce, Cori Phillips, Chloe Jones, Lily-Mae West, Riley McLoughlin, Eva Deveney-Billinge, Charlie Harries, and Bethan Nelson all swam for school. Bethan continues to train at national standard. The Basketball team has enjoyed regular training and fixtures also. Out of 5 fixtures, the senior boys won 3. The mixed Year 9 team won 3 games. The newly formed Gymnastics Club with Mrs. Kathryn Powell as Head Coach, ably assisted by Glesni, has entered teams and individuals in several competitions with remarkable success. The gymnasts have all got fitter and have had fun training together. The Year 7 teams and Year 9 competed in Builth Wells schools’ competition and came back with great successes. Dylan Rees, Ryan Williams and Glesni Powell represented the school in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff at the Schools’ Finals and did a grand job. Dylan especially had to perform his routine just after a nasty accident with another team member so stepped up to the mark especially well. Natasha Adams and Glesni Powell represented the school in Yr Urdd gymnastics event in Ystradgynlais and Glesni then went through to the finals in Aberystwyth in February which was a great experience coming 8th overall. Shauna Evans, Hannah Marshall, Cerys Beckett, Riley McLoughlin, Kelsey Shepherd, Jack Prytherch, Giovanni Sierchio, Chloe Edwards, Keya Wilden and Chloe Jones have also been fully involved with Gym Club. The Hockey teams have played in the Wednesday night league winning many of their fixtures. The Year 7 team were South Powys Champions at their Tournament with Hannah Williams in Year 10 helping as coach and umpire. The team members were Shauna Evans, Gwen Kenchington, Natasha Adams, Chloe Edwards, Chloe Jones, Zienna Walker-Crook, Eva Deveney-Billinge, Bethan Jones, Lowri Phillips and Megan White. The Year 8 did well at their tournament also winning many games to come 3rd. The Year 9 team had a tense and exciting time getting into the final against Christ College, where luck was against them, but they still ended as worthy runners up. Paige Jones, Nia Starkey, Olivia Mills, Carys Bufton and Jade Newtown-Perry played Regional Hockey. Kelsey Bonnar, Olivia Thomas, Caitlin Davies, Gwen Kenchington and Shauna Evans have been selected for the Powys Squad to attend the upcoming Regional Tournament where they will be up for selection. Beth Woods again excelled in hockey and played U16 (as captain) and U18 hockey for the Welsh squad. Other students have had success with sport also such as Nathan Preece becoming Welsh Age Group Champion in Karate and being selected for Wales in the European Championships later this year. Bryn Nicholl achieving a gold Medal in the Welsh Championships in Karate. Luc Sinnadurai continues to perform highly in Badminton. These athletes are a credit to their Clubs and coaches. Cricket has seen both boys’ and girls’ teams compete in tournaments in the Year 7 to 10 age groups. The Year 9 girls won theirs and were due to play in the South Wales competition; however this could not happen so they were invited to a highly prestigious event in Solihull, where they came 3rd against teams far more experienced. The U15 boys also won the South Powys Cricket tournament and could have progressed to South Wales’ finals if they had been held.

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Tymor yr Haf 2017 12 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

On the Rugby front Tom Robinson took up the role of Development Officer in November, teaching boys and girls across the year groups. He has been training and doing fixtures for the boys and is building the training and fixture opportunities for the girls also. Teams have been entered in all possible tournaments, running these at school and Brecon Rugby Club. Tom has also been active in our feeder Primaries, meaning there should be a large number of new students starting in September that have already received basic skills training from Tom during the primary school sessions. The Year 9 boys remain unbeaten against Powys teams. Due to the strength within Year 9, a large contingent are expected to be selected for the South Powys side (U15 rugby) with trials scheduled for the last week of term. Beth Woods again excelled in hockey and played U16 (as captain) and U18 hockey for the Welsh squad. Other students have had success with sport also such as Nathan Preece becoming Welsh Age Group Champion in Karate and being selected for Wales in the European Championships later this year. Bryn Nicholl achieving a gold Medal in the Welsh Championships in Karate. Luc Sinnadurai continues to perform highly in Badminton. These athletes are a credit to their Clubs and coaches. Cricket has seen both boys’ and girls’ teams compete in tournaments in the Year 7 to 10 age groups. The Year 9 girls won theirs and were due to play in the South Wales competition; however this could not happen so they were invited to a highly prestigious event in Solihull, where they came 3rd against teams far more experienced. The U15 boys also won the South Powys Cricket tournament and could have progressed to South Wales’ finals if they had been held. On the Rugby front Tom Robinson took up the role of Development Officer in November, teaching boys and girls across the year groups. He has been training and doing fixtures for the boys and is building the training and fixture opportunities for the girls also. Teams have been entered in all possible tournaments, running these at school and Brecon Rugby Club. Tom has also been active in our feeder Primaries, meaning there should be a large number of new students starting in September that have already received basic skills training from Tom during the primary school sessions. The Year 9 boys remain unbeaten against Powys teams. Due to the strength within Year 9, a large contingent are expected to be selected for the South Powys side (U15 rugby) with trials scheduled for the last week of term. Year 10 won the South Powys Tournament Year 11 were runners up in the South Powys Tournament. Liam McAnally, Joel Tottle and Conor Drain continu-ing to perform well for both Year 11 and the 1st X1. 1st X1 performed well in progressing through a number of rounds in the Welsh Cup. They were also winners once again of the South Powys Tournament. Carys Bufton and Jade Newtown-Perry have played football as part of the FAW regional talent squad as well as for their local teams. The Sixth Form girls have also enjoyed organising and doing football training. In Tennis a group of Year 10 girls have enjoyed Cardio Tennis due to the kind support and funding by the Brec-on Tennis Club and their Coach, Chris Hill. The girls have gained such interest that they have then completed a tennis leaders’ course and helped with a junior festival. Jemma Alderson (CSDO) is a lynch pin in the Department and the community, supporting many existing teams, sports and activities. She runs 5x60 lunchtime activities and co-ordinates the schools’ Sports Ambassa-dors too. Ella Morante was selected as 1 of only 2 Gold Ambassadors in South Powys. Silver Ambassadors are David Singleton, Beth Wood, Nelsea Rai, Sonia Purja Pun and Newton Limbu. Jemma’s work with students was showcased at the Dance Festival at Theatre Brycheiniog where there were 3 performances by Brecon students including the last one of the night as the ‘Grande Finale’! Dancers were Nel-sea Rai, Isobel Ross, Sonia Purja Pun, Newton Limbu, Bibek Limbu, Simon Bayambu, Molly Morgan and Kelsea Rai. Ella acted as compere on the evening too.

Page 13: Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head...Neges oddi wrth y Pennaeth / Message from the Head When I spoke at the recent Induction Evening this year, I was able to reflect

Tymor yr Haf 2017 13 Summer Newsletter 2017

Ysgol Uwchradd Aberhonddu Brecon High School

At Sealyham, an outdoor and adventure trip organised by Jemma during the Easter holiday and supported by many staff, 56 pupils enjoyed 14 different activities this year - mainly Year 7! At the South Powys Sports Awards the Brecon girls’ Badminton team won the junior team of the year: Paige Jones, Nelsea Rai, Sonia Purja Pun, Isobel Ross. Mrs. Marshall won the contribution to PE and school sport award. Beth Wood came 3rd, Callum James 2nd in junior sports personality. Huge thanks go to staff and volunteers who support us with such expertise and thanks have to be given to all families who also do so much! You can follow our sporting stars on the school Facebook page as well as in the school newsletters. Finally! Thanks and Congratulations of course go to our ‘BRECON HIGH FLYERS’ – the talented and commit-ted students! Mrs. A. Stephens, Head of P.E. You can follow our sporting stars on the school Facebook page as well as in the school newsletters. Finally! Thanks and Congratulations of course go to our ‘BRECON HIGH FLYERS’ – the talented and commit-ted students! Mrs. A. Stephens, Head of P.E.