30 Mar 2007 - Bryngwyn Matters 40 (March 2007)
Congratulations to Aimee Williams our Deputy Head Girl from two years ago who has been offered a place at Balliol College, Oxford to read English. Aimee left us in 2005 with 13 A* grades at GCSE and is currently studying at Gorseinon College.
Early Entry Success
As in recent years, the Mathematics department gave 63 Year 11 pupils the opportunity of taking their maths GCSE exam a full six months before the normal time slot in June. Again, this opportunity was grasped with both hands by the pupils involved with 8 gaining a B grade, 46 a C grade and 8 achieving a D grade. There are now 54 pupils with one less GCSE subject to worry about this summer!
Hat Trick of Wins
For the third year in a row our debators have walked away with the main team prize at the annual Llanelli Rotary Club Youth Speaks contest held at Llanelli Town Hall. The victorious team of Matthew Purdue, Alanna Rees and Nathan Richards debated 'Media violence corrupts and desensitises us'. Nathan chaired the debate which saw Alanna make the case for the motion and Matthew argue against. Nathan's ringmaster performance also earned him the best chair award for the evening.
Dydd Gwyl Dewi
The weather was kind to us this year and our Patron Saint's celebration went ahead as scheduled. A full day of keen competition between the four houses eventually resulted in Lliedi House retaining their title as Eisteddfod Champions for 2007 with a little bit to spare. Catherine Morgans and Carl Turner won the Welsh and English Chairs respectively and both were members of Lliedi House.
Young Consumer of the Year
Our school team of Lauren Sourbutts, Carl Turner, Stephen Beecham and Stephanie Saddington were crowned 'Carmarthenshire Young Consumers of the Year' when they took up the challenge and beat other schools from across the county in a competition held in Llanelli Town Hall earlier this month.
Building Bridges
The Maths department in conjunction with the Institute of Civil Engineers arranged an exciting day for pupils in our partner primary schools.
Year 5 pupils were given the challenge of building a 'Severn Bridge' type structure which could withstand the weight of an adult over several metres. With the extra support from current Year 7 pupils who formerly attended these primary schools, the pupils rose to the challenge using team work and problem solving skills. At the tender age of nine they gained an insight into the work of engineers and who knows, we may see them designing a bridge across to the Gower in years to come!!
Sporting Digest
Rugby
We are delighted to report that Luke Lewis, Year 11, is about to gain his Wales U'16 cap. After a successful series of trials this term, Luke has already made the starting line-up in two warm up friendlies against Tonmawr and Pembrokeshire U'17s. Over the Easter break Wales will play capped games against England, Italy and France.
Hockey
Our Year 9 girls won the Llanelli Schools Hockey U'14 Tournament and finished a very creditable second at the Dyfed Tournament held in Cardigan.
Gymnastics
Jade Tinnuche and Imogen Richards were selected to represent Llanelli at the Dyfed Schools Gymnastics Final.
Judo
Dean Morris, Year 11, represented Wales at the Great Britain Championships in Sheffield earlier this month. Competing in the under 90Kg class at U'16 Dean did exceptionally well in his bouts, well enough in fact to gain a place in the GB team when they travel to Holland next term for an International Tournament.
Swimming
At the Urdd National Finals in January our swimmers had their best ever results with four medals being won. Rhys Jones, Year 11, bagged two, a Gold in the Individual Medley and a Silver in the Freestyle. Leon Lau, Year 8, won Silver in the Freestyle and Rebecca Knight, also of Year 8, won Gold in the Breaststroke.
Rhys then went on to represent the Welsh Schools for the third year in succession against the other home nations at a gala in Dublin, a truly remarkable achievement.
Llangrannog
This year's annual weekend to the Urdd camp at Llangrannog proved to be another great success, thanks to a combination of outstanding weather, excellent accommodation and good company. The activities included the old favourites, like horse riding and skiing along with a few newer ones such as the bungee trampoline and the brand new leisure complex.
As a result of their experience, a number of pupils from all year groups have shown interest in attending the summer camps at Glan-Llyn, Bala during July and August.
BYZ News
Our after school provision continues to flourish. In the Spring Term new activities included:
Golf with Mr Darren Griffiths the golf professional from Carway; Cricket for Year 7 with Mr John Prickett; Aromatherapy with Helen and Creative Dance with Stella. Thanks to some extra funding from CYCA the War Hammer game goes from strength to strength. Mr Steve Williams, IT technician, Aled Watson, James New and the 'all knowing' Aaron Milner, Year 11, provide the leadership for a 'bee hive' of activity on a Wednesday afternoon.
Liberty Stadium Visit
A group of Year 7 pupils enjoyed a day at the Liberty Stadium as part of our on going links with Swansea City F.C. They had a tour of the stadium, took part in some team building activities and five of them won 'goody bags', containing various footballing paraphernalia, to come home with.
Comic Relief
For a small cost, pupils were allowed to wear something red to school in aid of this National Charity event. By the end of the day Bryngwyn were in a position to send off a cheque for £325 as our contribution to help underprivileged children in this country and across the globe.
Expanding Horizons
Eighteen Year 11 pupils will be given an extra helping hand with their studies over the Easter break. Lampeter University is hosting four days of tuition in the core subjects of Maths, English and Science. The residential course not only provides an intense revision course but includes a full social programme in the evenings. Not only does the course aim to help pupils reach their true potential, but it also provides them with a taster of university life which many might aspire to.
Skiing Trip
A large party of both staff and pupils will be embarking on a skiing trip to Bardonecchia, in the Italian Alps, at the start of the Easter holidays. Two coaches are needed to transport the 77 pupils and 9 staff to the resort in the Susa Valley on the Italian side of the Fréjus tunnel. Boasting an impressive 140km of marked pistes Bardonecchia should have plenty to keep our party occupied for their seven day stay - provided global warming hasn't melted all the snow! We wish them a successful and accident free trip.
Open Invitation
A warm welcome is extended to all parents to an open morning on Saturday 21 April between 9:00 and 1:00 p.m. when the British Dyslexia Association will be in attendance to provide advice and an opportunity to view all the latest resources and software to help pupils.
Early Entry Success
As in recent years, the Mathematics department gave 63 Year 11 pupils the opportunity of taking their maths GCSE exam a full six months before the normal time slot in June. Again, this opportunity was grasped with both hands by the pupils involved with 8 gaining a B grade, 46 a C grade and 8 achieving a D grade. There are now 54 pupils with one less GCSE subject to worry about this summer!
Hat Trick of Wins
For the third year in a row our debators have walked away with the main team prize at the annual Llanelli Rotary Club Youth Speaks contest held at Llanelli Town Hall. The victorious team of Matthew Purdue, Alanna Rees and Nathan Richards debated 'Media violence corrupts and desensitises us'. Nathan chaired the debate which saw Alanna make the case for the motion and Matthew argue against. Nathan's ringmaster performance also earned him the best chair award for the evening.
Dydd Gwyl Dewi
The weather was kind to us this year and our Patron Saint's celebration went ahead as scheduled. A full day of keen competition between the four houses eventually resulted in Lliedi House retaining their title as Eisteddfod Champions for 2007 with a little bit to spare. Catherine Morgans and Carl Turner won the Welsh and English Chairs respectively and both were members of Lliedi House.
Young Consumer of the Year
Our school team of Lauren Sourbutts, Carl Turner, Stephen Beecham and Stephanie Saddington were crowned 'Carmarthenshire Young Consumers of the Year' when they took up the challenge and beat other schools from across the county in a competition held in Llanelli Town Hall earlier this month.
Building Bridges
The Maths department in conjunction with the Institute of Civil Engineers arranged an exciting day for pupils in our partner primary schools.
Year 5 pupils were given the challenge of building a 'Severn Bridge' type structure which could withstand the weight of an adult over several metres. With the extra support from current Year 7 pupils who formerly attended these primary schools, the pupils rose to the challenge using team work and problem solving skills. At the tender age of nine they gained an insight into the work of engineers and who knows, we may see them designing a bridge across to the Gower in years to come!!
Sporting Digest
Rugby
We are delighted to report that Luke Lewis, Year 11, is about to gain his Wales U'16 cap. After a successful series of trials this term, Luke has already made the starting line-up in two warm up friendlies against Tonmawr and Pembrokeshire U'17s. Over the Easter break Wales will play capped games against England, Italy and France.
Hockey
Our Year 9 girls won the Llanelli Schools Hockey U'14 Tournament and finished a very creditable second at the Dyfed Tournament held in Cardigan.
Gymnastics
Jade Tinnuche and Imogen Richards were selected to represent Llanelli at the Dyfed Schools Gymnastics Final.
Judo
Dean Morris, Year 11, represented Wales at the Great Britain Championships in Sheffield earlier this month. Competing in the under 90Kg class at U'16 Dean did exceptionally well in his bouts, well enough in fact to gain a place in the GB team when they travel to Holland next term for an International Tournament.
Swimming
At the Urdd National Finals in January our swimmers had their best ever results with four medals being won. Rhys Jones, Year 11, bagged two, a Gold in the Individual Medley and a Silver in the Freestyle. Leon Lau, Year 8, won Silver in the Freestyle and Rebecca Knight, also of Year 8, won Gold in the Breaststroke.
Rhys then went on to represent the Welsh Schools for the third year in succession against the other home nations at a gala in Dublin, a truly remarkable achievement.
Llangrannog
This year's annual weekend to the Urdd camp at Llangrannog proved to be another great success, thanks to a combination of outstanding weather, excellent accommodation and good company. The activities included the old favourites, like horse riding and skiing along with a few newer ones such as the bungee trampoline and the brand new leisure complex.
As a result of their experience, a number of pupils from all year groups have shown interest in attending the summer camps at Glan-Llyn, Bala during July and August.
BYZ News
Our after school provision continues to flourish. In the Spring Term new activities included:
Golf with Mr Darren Griffiths the golf professional from Carway; Cricket for Year 7 with Mr John Prickett; Aromatherapy with Helen and Creative Dance with Stella. Thanks to some extra funding from CYCA the War Hammer game goes from strength to strength. Mr Steve Williams, IT technician, Aled Watson, James New and the 'all knowing' Aaron Milner, Year 11, provide the leadership for a 'bee hive' of activity on a Wednesday afternoon.
Liberty Stadium Visit
A group of Year 7 pupils enjoyed a day at the Liberty Stadium as part of our on going links with Swansea City F.C. They had a tour of the stadium, took part in some team building activities and five of them won 'goody bags', containing various footballing paraphernalia, to come home with.
Comic Relief
For a small cost, pupils were allowed to wear something red to school in aid of this National Charity event. By the end of the day Bryngwyn were in a position to send off a cheque for £325 as our contribution to help underprivileged children in this country and across the globe.
Expanding Horizons
Eighteen Year 11 pupils will be given an extra helping hand with their studies over the Easter break. Lampeter University is hosting four days of tuition in the core subjects of Maths, English and Science. The residential course not only provides an intense revision course but includes a full social programme in the evenings. Not only does the course aim to help pupils reach their true potential, but it also provides them with a taster of university life which many might aspire to.
Skiing Trip
A large party of both staff and pupils will be embarking on a skiing trip to Bardonecchia, in the Italian Alps, at the start of the Easter holidays. Two coaches are needed to transport the 77 pupils and 9 staff to the resort in the Susa Valley on the Italian side of the Fréjus tunnel. Boasting an impressive 140km of marked pistes Bardonecchia should have plenty to keep our party occupied for their seven day stay - provided global warming hasn't melted all the snow! We wish them a successful and accident free trip.
Open Invitation
A warm welcome is extended to all parents to an open morning on Saturday 21 April between 9:00 and 1:00 p.m. when the British Dyslexia Association will be in attendance to provide advice and an opportunity to view all the latest resources and software to help pupils.