Issue 6 - Blaengwawr Comprehensive Archive

Blaengwawr letter
Comprehensive School news
ISSUE 6
Ysgol Gyfun Blaengwawr
Term Dates
2008 - 2009
Headmaster’s Message
I am absolutely delighted with our achievements since
September 2007, which prove that we are a school that can
gain success in academic work, sport and extra-curricular
activities. Our GCSE results for the early year 11 entry in
November were superb, and there were some outstanding
modular results from our year 12 pupils in January.
Autumn 2008
Wed 3 September
Mon 27 October
Fri 31 October
Fri 19 December
Term begins
Half Term begins
Half Term ends
Autumn Term ends
Spring 2009
Mon 5 January
Mon 16 February
Fri 20 February
Fri 3 April
Term begins
Half Term begins
Half Term ends
Spring Term ends
Summer 2009
Mon 20 April
Mon 4 May
Mon 25 May
Fri 29 May
Mon 6 July
Thur 16 July
Term begins
May Day Bank Holiday
Half Term begins
Half Term end
INSET Day
Summer Term ends
ASDAN ICE SKATING
VISIT TO WINTER
WONDERLAND
As part of the Sport and Leisure module,
year 10 and 11 pupils enjoyed their visit to
the ice skating rink installed outside the
City Hall, Cardiff as part of the Christmas
festivities in the capital.
Our sporting achievements have been exceptional for a
school of our size. At hockey the Under-14 team were
runners-up in the County Final; the Under-16s went one
better by winning the County Final and going on to be
semi-finalists in the Welsh Cup. The Senior XI were County
Champions and represented the Glamorgan Valleys in the
Welsh Cup. Ffion Jones and Demi Jackson were both
Under-18 Welsh trialists – even though they were two years younger than the majority
of the other players. The Senior Girls’ rugby team were runners-up in the County
championship and went on to compete in the Welsh finals.
For the first time, we have a soccer team capable of challenging for national honours
– the Under-14 team finally bowing out of the Welsh Cup in the quarter finals. Connor
Wickham was in the Wales Under-16 Development Squad, despite being a year
underage, and played for Wales Under-15s in Belfast in May. Three of our year 12
students performed exceptionally well in the Nos Galan Race in Mountain Ash. Carl Hill
won the adult race, Daniel Bodman was third and Craig Sprod eighth. All three were
eligible to compete in the junior race!
The year 12 Young Enterprise group received the award for Best Product in the RCT
competition, held at the Heritage Park. In school their idea for candy sticks as Christmas
tokens proved very popular with pupils and made a significant profit.
A year 12 team also entered the Young Consumers’ of the Year Competition for the first
time. In the RCT schools’ qualifying tournament we were overall winners. We also scored
maximum points – the first time that any school has achieved this since the competition
began in 1997! They also won the RCT final before representing RCT in the Welsh finals.
Between November and February artwork from pupils at Blaengwawr was displayed in
the Education Department’s offices in Abercynon, where it received enormous praise
from the officers and visitors.
Behaviour has also improved greatly. In the Autumn Term there were 10 pupil
suspensions, the corresponding figure for 2006 was 84. This is an 88 per cent reduction.
Standards were not reduced – but the introduction of the Isolation Room (funded by
RAISE monies) proved to be an outstanding success. Attendance was also up by almost
4 per cent on the Autumn Term 2006 figure.
Congratulations go to Miss C. White (History Department) on the birth of her son Ioan,
in November and to Mr M. Thomas (Assistant Head) who now becomes Dr M. Thomas
upon completion of his Doctor of Philosophy thesis. Also our best wishes go to Mr R.
Waldie, Mr A. Deere-Jones and Miss E.A. Evans who are currently off school through ill
health.
Poppy Clarke – feeling the cold at the outdoor
ice rink!
CROSS-COUNTRY
CHALLENGE
Three pupils from Blaengwawr were
selected to represent Glamorgan Valleys at
the Cardiff Cross-Country challenge held
at Blackweir, Cardiff in January.
Congratulations to Bradley Wickham (year
7), Jamie Jones (year 8) and Connor
Wickham (year 10).
D.S. Evans
Head Boy & Head Girl
Congratulations to Irfan Sardar and Natalie Williams (both of year 12), who were
selected as Head boy and Head Girl after interviews with the Headmaster and Head of
Sixth Form. Both performed very well at interview and had impressive lists of
achievements to date. We will be featuring them in an article in the next Newsletter.
Joshua Crisp was selected as Deputy Head Boy and Rebecca Morgan and Siwan Owen
as Deputy Head Girls.
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
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YEAR 9 QUARTER-FINALISTS IN WELSH SOCCER CUP
Blaengwawr’s year 9 football team created their own little bit of history, when they became the first side form the school to reach the quarterfinal of the Welsh Cup.
The journey began with a first round tie against Cardinal Newman R.C. School in Pontypridd with a 5-2 victory that included a hat-trick for
striker Christopher Stonelake. Next up were local rivals St. John the Baptist School. In a hard fought and tight game the home side were
worthy 2-0 winners with goals from Rhys Winterburn, a soaring header from a corner kick, and Josh Vater.
The regional final was against Lewis Boys’ School, Pengam a very strong side and footballing tradition, with the added advantage of playing
on their own Astroturf pitch. Obviously the acquisition of the new Astroturf at Blaengwawr has paid off, with the boys adapting to the surface
with ease. In an open and entertaining game the boys had opened up a 1-0 lead with a well taken goal by Josh Vater. Within minutes of
the restart the lead had been extended to 3-0 with two delightfully struck goals from distance by Rhys Winterburn and James Turner. Lewis
Boys’ struck back as a result of a controversial penalty to make it 3-1 but Rhys Winterburn hit another ‘special’ following good approach
play by Thomas Wills. Blaengwawr were crowned regional champions with a final score of 4-2.
As a result of this victory the boys had now qualified for the national section of the Minute Maid sponsored Welsh Cup. Unfortunately the
draw was not kind and the boys faced a long journey to Welshpool High School for a place in the last 16.
Despite an early start on a cold January morning and the twisting roads between Llandrindod Wells and Newtown, the Blaengwawr team
arrived safely at Welshpool. The home team were very hospitable and accommodating providing an opportunity for the team to relax and
recover at the local sports centre before the game and providing sandwiches for the return journey. The game was very tight and intense with
two sides very evenly matched. Captain Luke Evans and Rhys Winterburn were inspirational were inspirational for their team and gradually
wrestled control of the midfield area. With the boys on top, Rhys Winterburn slotted home the winning goal with his left foot. The boys were
through to the quarter-final 1-0.
The quarter-final draw pitched Blaengwawr against the
Alun School, Mold in Flintshire, just outside Wrexham.
After an even earlier start and difficult journey the boys
were beaten 5-0 by a very physically strong, well
organised side. A special mention must be made for the
performances of Luke Evans, Corey Nicholas and Craig
Williams-Miles who put in sterling performances. Praise
must also go to three young players Lloyd Waghorn, a
very talented goalkeeper, Damon Russell and Bradley
Wickham who all played very well despite the fact that
the former two pupils are in year 8 and the latter only
in year 7. Obviously, these are three players to look out
for in the future.
It is a testament to the strength of support in our
community that Mr and Mrs Robert Staple from
Cwmaman donated £400 to provide a brand new claret
and blue kit for the team. Mr and Mrs Staple have a long
association with the school as their garage in
Robertstown, Aberdare Motor Repairs, maintains all of
The Welsh Cup team resplendent in their new kit with coach Mr O’Brien
our buses and mini-buses to such a high standard. Their
children attended Blaengwawr and two of their grandchildren are currently pupils at the school. Our grateful thanks to Mr and Mrs Staple –
let us hope that the kit inspires next year’s team to even greater success.
B L A E N G W A W R H O C K E Y T E A M P L A Y T H E I R W A Y T O U N D E R -1 6 W E L S H C U P F I N A L S
Blaengwawr reached the Under 16 Welsh Cup Finals by becoming County Champions. In the preliminary round they beat Ysgol Cwm
Rhymni by the convincing margin of 7-0. The County Finals were held at Porthcawl Comprehensive School with a three way competition
between the hosts, local rivals Mountain Ash Comprehensive School and ourselves. Blaengwawr beat both schools by the same 4-0
margin.
The Welsh Cup Finals were held at University of Swansea in February. In the pool rounds Blaengwawr beat Howells School for Girls,
Cardiff by 2-0 with goals from Demi Jackson and Ffion Jones before unluckily losing to Bishopston Comprehensive from Swansea, 10. They needed to beat Rydal Penrhos School from Colwyn Bay in their final game to progress. In a tight, evenly matched game goals
from Demi Jackson and Stephanie Nicholas saw the team home to a 2-1 victory.
Blaengwawr’s opponents were the winners of the other pool, John Beddoes School from Powys, who had won their group convincingly.
Blaengwawr actually had the ball in the net twice but both goals were controversially ruled out for off-side. John Beddoes scored just
before and just after half-time. These goals may have deflated lesser sides but the girls did not drop their heads and mounted a
determined fight-back. The girls scored a superb goal and came close to scoring an equaliser on several occasions. Unfortunately, despite
the relentless pressure John Beddoes scored a break-away goal which broke the girls’ hearts and resulting in a 3-1 defeat.
Their only consolation was that John Beddoes went on to win the Welsh Cup, but congratulations to all the squad and their coach Mrs
Morgan for a superb attempt.
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www.blaengwawr.co.uk
SLIPPERY SLOPES DON’T ALWAYS SPELL DISASTER!
At Easter, 2007, Blaengwawr School went to the Austrian resort of Zell am See for a week of skiing and snowboarding.
The trip was a resounding success. All pupils were skiing and boarding to the highest level possible by the end of the week and found
the whole experience very enjoyable and rewarding. The pupils added to the enjoyment of the trip by behaving impeccably and being
excellent ambassadors for the school.
Following the success of this trip, Mr Rugman is organising a skiing holiday to Obertauern (Austria) in 2009 during the first week of the
Easter holidays (3 April 2009).
Blaengwawr at Zell Am See in 2007
ASDAN BRONZE XL
CERTIFICATES
Pupils in year 11 received their certificates at the ASDAN Award
Christmas party. The certificates were Bronze Award and the
programme operated in conjunction with ASDAN and the Prince’s
Trust. Year 10 pupils received awards for effort and participation on
the ASDAN programme during their first term on the course.
All of the pupils enjoyed the Christmas party and were presented
with certificates by Mrs. Pearce, Deputy Headteacher of the school.
YOUNG ATHLETES’ AMAZING
ACHIEVEMENT
Congratulations to Carl Hill, Daniel
Bodman and Craig Sprod who
competed in the Nos Galan Adult Race,
held in Mountain Ash on New Year’s
Eve. They finished first, third and eighth
respectively in the annual races held to
commemorate the feats of the
legendary Welsh athlete Guto Nyth
Bran. Not bad out of a field of 387
runners! Their performance was even
more remarkable considering all three
year 12 pupils are designated junior
atheletes. Carl’s winning time of 17
minutes 24 seconds was over a minute
better than the second placed runner,
Nos Galan Heroes, Craig Sprod, Carl Hill
and would have placed him eighteenth
and Daniel Bodman
in the Elite Race! We hope that all three
will be given an invitation to the Elite Race during next year’s festivities.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
TOO LEARN!
Do you have an instrument at home that is gathering
dust? Or do you fancy becoming the next Lisa Simpson
on the saxophone? Then why not come and find out
what instruments are available for you. Take advantage
of the lessons from our team of visiting instrumental
teachers. At Blaengwawr all music tuition lessons are
free. If you are quick there may be still opportunities
for you to try out for string, brass and woodwind or
guitar tuition. You can even have lessons on our drum
kit as well!
All school facilities exist for aspiring rock bands to
rehearse using school equipment, so what are you
waiting for? Come and make some noise! Er, we mean
music.
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
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BLOOD BROTHERS
In December 2007, Miss Williams, Miss Dodwell and Mr C. Thomas took year 11 English sets 1 and 3 to the Phoenix Theatre, London to see
a production of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. This tragic play tells the tale of two brothers separated at birth who grow up in different social
classes totally unaware of their true kinship until one inadvertently kills the other.
This intense musical is fast paced and packed full of songs with exceptionally catchy lyrics. Miss Williams is hoping that pupils will learn the
songs so that they can quote extensively from them in the English literature GCSE examination. Her class are unaware that Miss Williams knows
all the words herself and, although being tone deaf, sings them all constantly!
Last year’s theatre trip to the New Theatre Cardiff saw an improvement in GCSE English literature grades which the English department hope
to repeat this academic year.
Discussion about the play became quite heated on the coach journey home, ‘who is responsible for the demise of Edward and Mickey?’ and
‘what part does fate and destiny play in this tragedy?’ Year 11 thoroughly enjoyed the production which has been running for over twenty
years. Ben Jones was overheard very enthusiastically describing the experience as ‘awesome’. All pupils who represented Blaengwawr on the trip
were excellent ambassadors for the school, their behaviour was impeccable and they proved to be pleasurable company.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
THE WELSH DEPARTMENT
Pupils taking GCSE Welsh have been very busy lately. Last summer the GCSE class
visited the Cardiff University for a one day course and tour of the university. The
pupils met actors from Welsh television and had talks from various tutors at the
university.
Prior to attending the course we entered the university competition for creative
writing. Blaengwawr took first prize, second prize and third prize.
LLONGYFARCHIADAU! Smiling faces came home with various freebies and
monetary prizes.
Prize Day for Blaengwawr at Cardiff University
A Welsh Quiz Night, organised and hosted by the Urdd Centre in Aberdare, was
held for comprehensive schools in the area during December. Blaengwawr put forward two teams and won first prize once again, repeating last
years’ success. The goodies to be shared out included: International rugby tickets, CDs, money vouchers, Pemberton’s Welsh chocolates and
tee-shirts. A great night out with a good buffet was enjoyed by all.
The BBC Studios was the next venue for our GCSE group. As part of their course work they will be studying Welsh language programmes on
S4C, especially the news and weather and Pobol Y Cwm. We had a very successful tour of the studios and watched an episode being filmed.
Next we visited the BBC News Studio and pupils tried their hands out as newscasters. One of the two main highlights of the day was Derek
‘Mr. Weatherman’ Brockway, coming to meet the pupils with the newsreader Sophie Case. The second highlight was a visit to the editing studios
involved in Dr. Who, where we had a preview of the exciting Christmas episode, prior to being broadcast. Smiling faces in the photograph show
how much fun was had by all.
Sara Edwards and Lucy Owen?
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Derek Brockway with Blaengwawr’s Santas
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
ICT MOVES FURTHER INTO THE DIGITAL AGE
The innovative ICT department is now approaching a new era! The introduction of the new multimedia courses has been such a success that
we are now expanding the opportunities for the pupils.
An increase in digital cameras and video cameras is giving pupils even more opportunities to create their own material for their work. At Easter
the introduction of the new ‘Riff’ music creation software, now gives all pupils the opportunity to create their own soundtracks to add to their
films and videos.
The introduction of the new ‘Podium’ podcast software, also at Easter, brings us right up to date with recent developments within the
curriculum. Podcasting allows any pupil with a microphone and a computer to publish their own broadcasts on their own individual web sites
(created in school in year 9), as well as allowing them to create broadcasts for the Intranet (whole school use) and the Internet (world wide
use). Podcasting gives the pupils the opportunity to concentrate on their speaking, listening and writing skills (setting up interviews, writing
scripts), as well as developing their team working skills. In learning how to create a podcast the pupils are extending their ICT skills and
capabilities to embrace new technologies.
We have also upgraded the software on the computers to Office 2007. It has the ability for the pupils to save work as the earlier versions of
Office to allow them to continue working at home, but gives them all the benefits of the new version. For parents and pupils who want to
upgrade their software, see the following offers are available:
MACROMEDIA SOFTWARE
For CiDA students (ICT double award GCSE in Key Stage 4) Macromedia Studio v8, RRP £399 is available for £75 with confirmation from the
school. Call 01902 390844 for details.
RM DISCOUNTED SOFTWARE
Research Machines have ‘The Basement’ for students. With
confirmation from the school that your son/daughter is a pupil, you
are able to access all the offers available on the site.
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 (what the school has
installed, full edition) is available to pupils for £48.50, a massive
saving of 87% (rrp £365.85).
Go to the following website: www.rm.com/thebasement
PUPILS SHINE IN FOUR
COUNTIES’ HOCKEY
CHALLENGE
In December, five Blaengwawr pupils represented Glamorgan
Valleys County in the inaugural Four Counties Challenge
tournament held in Swansea. Our representatives were Naomi
Stone, Demi Jackson, Stephanie Nicholas, Rebecca Weekes and
team captain Ffion Jones. This represented a tremendous
achievement for a school of our size. In the semi-final Afon Nedd
Tawe were defeated 3-0, including goals from Demi Jackson and
Ffion Jones. In a very tough final East Wales were beaten 3-1, with
Demi and Ffion again scoring.
The trophy was presented by Margaret Medlow a former captain of
Wales. Some parents may remember her as Margaret Rainbow a
former P.E. teacher at Blaengwawr.
Due to their excellent and consistent performances for Blaengwawr
and Glamorgan Valleys, Ffion and Demi were selected for a
weekend of trials for the Welsh Under-18 team in January. The
trials were held at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff. Although
neither player made the eventual team, it was an outstanding
achievement as both players were competing against girls two years
older than themselves. Next year maybe?
SCHOOL UNIFORM
MAKES AN IMPRESSION
It has been very pleasing this year to receive a large number of
compliments from visitors to the school about the standard of the
uniform worn by pupils. The Headmaster has insisted on pupils
wearing the school jumper in order to smarten up their appearance
and the image of the school within the community. We feel that the
feedback we have received from people who have business within the
school has vindicated his approach. We would like to take this
opportunity to thank all parents and guardians for their support and
turning out their sons and daughters in such a smart fashion.
Josh Vater,
Samantha Byers,
Jonathan Loring
and Mulenga
Mwansa of year
9 model the
school uniform.
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
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A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS
CHOIR IN THE COMMUNITY
On 18 December St. Margaret’s Church in Aberaman was the venue
of the Annual Carol Service. This took the form of the traditional nine
lessons and carols. The school choir, now numbering a record 65
pupils, orchestra, vocal and instrumental soloists performed to a
packed congregation. The sizeable collection was donated to
Macmillan’s Nurses, our annual charity.
The 65 pupils who make up our school choir made three successful
trips in the community to spread a little musical joy at the end of the
Christmas term. It was a tight squeeze but we just managed to fit
into the communal room at the Maes-y-Ffynon homes in Club Street.
It was very pleasing to hear a number of the residents joining in and
singing along with the choir. In a first this year, we visited the OAP
homes in Morris Street, Cwmaman. Our last performance of 2007
involved a trip to Dare Ward in Aberdare Hospital for a performance
of carols for patients unable to be at home over Christmas.
The choir sit patiently as thjey wait to perform for bed-bound patients
over Christmas at Aberdare Hospital
The school choir prepare for the annual Christmas carol service at St.
Margaret’s Church, Aberaman
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
EVENTS AND
CONCERTS
Every term is a busy term for the Music Department, giving all pupils
opportunities to show off their musical skills. The Presentation
Evening in January saw excellent vocal performances by both Ffion
Jones, winner of the Barbara Richards Music Prize and Nathan Jones
both year 11 pupils who are studying GCSE music.
The choir perform with assistance from the residents of the Cwmaman
Care Centre in Morris Street
AFRICAN DRUMMING AT
BLAENGWAWR
In January Blaengwawr was host for a World Music day provided by
tutors from the Welsh College of Music and Drama. Pupils from the
year 10 GCSE music class took part learning new skills on unfamiliar
traditional instruments form West Africa. Many of the Djembe drums
that can be seen in the photos were hand carved with stretched goat
skin drum heads!
Adam Jones, Meirion Williams and Sam Rees get into the rhythms of the
Djembe drums.
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www.blaengwawr.co.uk
YEAR 5 ROCKS!
Musicians from Blaengwawr Comprehensive have been
inspiring year 5 pupils to become rock stars. As part of
our school’s transition work, twelve pupils from years 8,
9, 10 and 11 have made eight trips to our local primary
schools delivering an interactive music workshop. The
lucky primary pupils enjoyed the opportunity to gain new
practical skills using guitars, keyboards and the drum-kit.
Look out the Stereophonics we have some new rock stars
in the making!
Blaengwawr Primary School
Oaklands Primary
School
Y E A R 1 3’ s B R A V E V E N T U R E T O T H E N O R T H
On the 30th November Mrs Woodfine, Miss Williams and Miss
Dodwell and twelve brave Year 13 English students set off in the
school mini-bus to see The Changeling in the Lowry Centre in
Manchester. Despite long queues on the motorway, bad weather
and hectic tram rides Manchester was brilliant fun and the
performance was fantastic. All in all, the trip was a huge success.
Year 13 students outside the Lowry Theatre, Manchester
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
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TIME TO SAY FAREWELL
Sadly this summer, we say goodbye to several members of the teaching staff of BlaengwawrComprehensive School. Three are moving onto
pastures new, whilst two others begin a well-earned retirement. We shall miss them all, and would like to take this opportunity on behalf of
pupils, parents, staff and governors to thank them for the invaluable contributions they have made at Blaengwawr.
Mrs Robinson begins an early retirement this summer for a well-earned rest after 35 years of
teaching pupils with special educational needs. A native of Merthyr Tydfil, she began her
teaching career in Cardiff in 1973. She then taught in Canada and Exeter in Devon before
returning to South Wales in 1993 to join the staff at Erw’r Delyn School for the phsically
disabled in Penarth before joining Blaengwawr in 1994 on a part-time basis as a teacher of
the hearing impaired. Mrs Robinson became head of the newly formed PASE (Provision for
Autistic Spectrum Education) Unit in 2004. The relationship that she has developed with the
pupils of PASE staff is outstanding - and perhaps explains the meaning of the term ‘special’
education. Although she is officially retiring at th end of the Summer Term, Mrs Robinson will
be returning for the first two weeks of the Autumn Term, in order for the transition to be a
smooth one.
Mrs Robinson will continue with her duties as Chairperson of the Welsh Sports Association for
People with Learning Difficulties (South Wales Region), a position she has held since 1982.
MRS S. ROBINSON
In the words of Simon and Garfunkel, ‘Here’s to you Mrs Robinson!’
A native of Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, where she still lives, Miss Dodwell began her teaching
career at St. Julian’s School in Newport, where she spent three years as a teacher of English. She then
taught in Greater Manchester for four years before joining Blaengwawr in 2002 as Head of Department
for English and Media Studies and has overseen very good results for pupils at both GCSE and A level in
both subjects and has also coached the public-speaking teams. She leaves us to become Head of the
English Faculty at Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, which has over two thousand pupils.
Amongst her hobbies she lists outdoor pursuits and bingo! She has also furthered her professional
development in media studies by attending several Big Brother Eviction Nights! Puils (and colleagues)
say that Miss Dodwell could ‘stress for Wales’, such has been her desire for perfection.
Miss Dodwell says that highlights of her time at Blaengwawr include the friendly and sociable nature
of the pupils and the very educational trip to Manchester with the Sixth Form, where she was able to
demonstrate her mini-bus driving skills to our students! She says she will miss the staff of the school
‘especially the gossip’ and she will particularly miss her colleagues within the English department.
MISS S.J. DODWELL
Hailing from Pontardulais in the nSwansea Valley, Mr Rees began his teaching career a`t Ysgol
Maesydderwen as a physics teacher, moving on to become Head of Physics at Aberdare Boys’ Comprehensive
School. During his time at Aberdare Boys’ School Mr Rees gained his National Professional Qualification for
Headship (NPQH). He joined Blaengwawr in 2005 as Head of the Science Department and during his three
years at the helm the percentage of pupils gaining A*-C grades at GCSE has more than doubled. He was
also responsible for introducing the interactive resources at both key stage 3 and GCSE. Mr Rees has also
been a very capable Assistant Head of Key Stage 3, where he has championed the cause of Compact scores.
A keen rugby fan, despite supporting the Ospreys, Mr Rees leaves us to start his tenure as Head of Science
faculty in Morriston Comprehensive School Swansea, which is much closer to his home. He would like to
thank all staff and pupils for their enjoyable company and to wish them all the best for the future.
Mr G.A. REES
Mr C. LEWIS
A fluent Welsh speaker, Mr Rees joined Blaengwawr in
September 2004 as a Newly Qualified Teacher (BNQT) of
geography. With a passion for physical geography, he has
organised field study trips to Pen-y-fan and the wilds of
the Cynon River! It is testament to Mr Rees’ professional
development that he leaves us this summer to become
Head of Geography at Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn in
Llandovery after only four years. This was the school
where Mr. Rees studied for his GCSE and A-level
examinations; in fact, he replaces his own geography
teacher as head of department.
A Scarlets supporter, he firmly believes that ‘West is
8
Although he has only been at Blaengwawr
for two terms, replacing Mr A. Deere-Jones,
it would be remiss not to thank Mr Lewis for
all his hard work in the French Department.
A renowned prop forward for Abercrave in his
playing days, he has decided to retire from
the profession that he has graced with
distinction throughout his teaching career.
Mr R.A. REES
Enjoy your retirement!
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
TRIBUTE TO MR MICHAEL GOLDBERG
We were all saddened in May when Mr Michael Goldberg passed away at the age of 76 in Aberdare
Hospital. Mr Goldberg was a much respected member of our Governing Body, serving on that body for
sixteen years. Until his illness in January he had never been known to miss a meeting and supported
every event that took place at the school. He was also Chair of Governors at Blaengwawr Primary.
Indeed Mr Goldberg, of Beddoe Street in Aberaman, was a pillar of the community in Aberdare and
renowned for his voluntary work. He was a member of the South Wales Area Committee of the Cooperative Movement for 48 years, a former chairman of the CRS South Wales Regional Committee and
a former president of the Aberdare and District Co-operative Society and a stalwart of the Labour Party.
He was also a member of the Merthyr and Cynon Valley Community Health Council.
Mr Goldberg was also a keen supporter of amateur theatre and was involved with the Aberdare Little
Theatre and the Cynon Valley Musical Society and for many years he served on the committee at the
Aberaman Public Hall and Institute. Indeed he was a trustee charged with winding up the affairs of the
Hall following its destruction in a fire in 1994, and Blaengwawr has benefited by £3,000 donated to
local educational establishments.
In his early years Mr Goldberg played the double bass with the Terry Kay Band and occasionally with the Billy Butler Band at the Aberaman Welfare
Hall. Chairman of Governors, Mr Bryan Fitzgerald said: ‘Occasionally it is our privilege to meet someone whose sincerity brings a new level of
understanding of ourselves. Michael will be greatly missed, not only by his family, but by the community that knew him and held him in great
esteem.’
The Headmaster, Mr David Evans, comments: ‘Mr Goldberg was a gentleman whose name was synonymous with integrity. He never had a bad
word to say about anybody, and he loved to celebrate the achievements of our pupils. On a personal note, I will miss our chats over a cup of tea
after governors’ meetings, as I learnt such a lot from him. I hope that next year will be able to do some research into the history of Aberaman
Hall as a tribute to a great man.’
TEACHING AND LEARNING INITIATIVES
Miss Dodwell has introduced a new style of learning this year. Year 10, set 1 have been wearing different coloured hats and talking about
their 'thinking'. Edward de Bono came up with the notion that thinking could be split into different strands and this enables thinkers to
'manage their mind'. Year 10, set 1 used the thinking hats to organise their ideas before they wrote their Shakespeare essay. All staff had
a chance to wear the hats in a training session where teachers thought in different ways about the 'thinking skills' initiative. The hats are
fun and they achieve a great deal without the wearers realising they are actually working hard!
What the hats represent:
Blue = process
White = facts
Black = problems
Yellow = benefits
Red = intuitive
Green = creative
Miss Dodwell hopes that the
concepts behind the hats
continue to be used in
lessons after she has left.
Barnaby Beaver, Scott Baker, Nyomi
Hughes, Sasha Evans, Kieron
Corfield and Kierion Davies
demonstrate
Edward De Bono’s hats.
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NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS
In this Newsletter we feature Oaklands Primary School, Aberaman
HEALTHY SCHOOLS WEEK
Oaklands held a Healthy Schools Week during the last week of January and the children
took part in a whole variety of activities to help them develop their understanding of
eating healthier, keeping fit to be healthy and looking after themselves. The children
worked hard to create some beautiful displays in the school hall of plates of food, healthy
sandwich surveys, 3D arts, fruit kebabs and the Lighthouse Keeper’s lunch. In addition the
Breakfast Club joined in by eating a healthy Welsh breakfast.
The highlight of the week was the Bigfoot Theatre Group visit and Professor Plum’s healthy
eating workshops, which the children thoroughly enjoyed, whilst learning a lot. The week
ended up with Fruity Friday. All the children and staff enthusiastically took part by dressing
in fruity colours and donating money to Cancer Research UK.
Many thanks to parents who supported us with home tasks and donations during the week.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Year 6 pupils have been involved in a project designed to bring together two generations
of our community. The project has included all Year 6 pupils at Oaklands and the residents
of the local sheltered housing accommodation at Llandewi Court.
The pupils began visiting before Christmas and had the opportunity to talk to the residents
and interview them about their childhood and compare it to the things children do
nowadays. This has led to the pupils and residents sharing photos and stories about pets,
holidays and animals. More recently the pupils took their Nintendo DS and Game Boys
along for the residents to have a go at some modern gadgets, while the residents taught
the pupils how to play games from their childhood.
The project is being enjoyed by all involved and hopefully it will continue with as much
success!
INTERNET AWARENESS VISIT
PC Anthony Jones came to visit Class 5 as part of the PSE programme provided by the Community Police. He talked to the pupils about
the dangers of using the internet without care. He reminded the pupils that to use sites such as My Space, Face book, Face Party and Bebo
you must be 14 years old, and some have age restrictions of 18 years.
PC Jones talked about using chat rooms and social network sites and stressed the importance of children not giving any personal
information. His advice was that people should ask themselves ‘Do I want anyone in the world to read this information about me?’ as he
stressed that once posted, any information could be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.
Another topic of discussion was the use of programs such as Line Wire, Napster and Bear Share. PC Jones told the children that using these
websites could cause problems with a virus on your computer, but most importantly, the use of these websites is illegal.
It was surprising to hear how many of the pupils admitted to using lots of the websites mentioned here. Furthermore, many of the pupils
admitted to using the internet alone. PC Jones warned of the dangers of chatting to friends over websites such as Bebo and he told children
that they should not make arrangements to meet friends or disclose their movements on these open chat rooms.
Class 5 came up with some advice, if you did get chatting to someone you were not sure about:
· Don’t send your photograph to people.
· Tell someone you u don’t want to speak to someone anymore.
· Don’t feel like you have to chat to someone.
· Make an excuse if someone wants to meet you.
For more information PC Jones recommends the following websites:
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.netsmart.uk
www.childline.org.uk
www.kidsmart.org.uk
www.blaengwawr.co.uk
www.chatdanger.com
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DYDD GWYL DEWI
SANT!
We held our St. David’s Day celebration a day early this year and
what a celebration it was! The afternoon was opened with Ar Hyd
yr Nos performed by the choir and for the first time, the school
orchestra. This was followed by each class presenting a class item.
There was plenty of singing, poetry, plays and dancing. The
afternoon was enjoyed by all!
SPORTING NEWS
In January the tag rugby boys went to a training session with
the Cardiff Blues in Treforest. The Welsh Guards were there and
they had a climbing wall and an inflatable assault course. We
had one game at the end of the training session. The training
was good with Phil the Legend as our referee. He took us for a
training session and then we went in the changing room for a
chat about the Cardiff Blues.
The hockey club have been training hard since September and
have had plenty of support from past pupils who have been
helping to take them through their paces on a Friday night after
school.
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