TACHWEDD ~ NOVEMBER 2014

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Astro Tour WE DID ROCK YOU Castell Alun’s musical production, ‘We Will Rock You’ was a roaring success. The musical uses the music of Freddie Mercury and his rock band, Queen, to tell the story of Galileo and Scaramouche, a young couple on a quest to bring back rock and roll.

It is a well known fact that Freddy Mercury had an amazing voice and could access a range of over 4 octaves. The students in the lead roles at Castell Alun proved more than up to the challenge of performing his songs to an exceptionally high standard, with fantastic renditions including Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Seven Seas of Rhye, One Vision and many more.

Courtney Lythgoe was the female lead role of Scaramouche alongside Matthew Edwards, who played the saviour of rock and roll, Galileo. Other highly acclaimed performances were given by Francesca Hughes (Queen Bee), Amelia Shallish (Meat), Jacob Millar (Britney Spears), Dave Humphries (Pop) and Phoebe Reynolds (Teacher). One member of the audience even commented that it was the best set of leading actors they’d ever seen in an amateur

performance. Much of the comedy was brought by Luke Aldous (Khashogi) whose humour, accent and vocal talents were enjoyed by all.

Drama Subject Leader, Mrs Rebecca Lloyd-Jones commented, “All credit to our students. We could not have asked for any more from them. They gave everything and fully deserve all the accolades they are now getting.” Mr Andrew Searson, Musical Director of the show and Coordinator of Music at Castell Alun added, “The remarkable musical talent on show both on and off stage was quite overwhelming at times and really makes my job a real pleasure. We can’t speak highly enough of our students and all members of staff who have gone so far beyond what is expected to deliver something which any dramatic organisation would have been really proud of. The shows were incredible and so much fun for performers and audience alike.”

STOP PRESS We are pleased to announce that the next musical show is well underway. We will be presenting the schools’ version of Les Miserables next July. The cast list was announced recently and competition was tough! We anticipate another fantastic performance by our students. The show will take place Monday 13th July – Wednesday 15th July, so keep the dates free!

Budding Writers Four students from Castell Alun entered the ‘Young Writers’ national competition, ‘A Twist in the Tale’ and achieved success by having their stories published. Brianna Harston, Caitlyn Hassell , Hannah Spruce and Shannon Davies had their stories selected from the thousands of entries which the competition received. Entrants were required to re-write a traditional fairy tale and add a modern twist in no more than 100 words. English teacher and competion coach, Miss Samantha Parker commented, “The students’ re-imagined fairytales were mysterious, exciting and extremely well written. They let their imaginations run wild and the results were fantastic! It was amazing to see where their 100 words took them”. Brianna Harston added, “The competition proved to each of us that fiction doesn’t have to be long and boring, it can be short, snappy and sparkling with inspiration. We really got into

it and actually quite surprised ourselves with what we achieved.”

We are always keen to encourage all of our students to explore talents and interests. Please take a moment to check out our school website (www.castellalun.com) and look at our Out of Hours Learning 2014 / 2105 leaflet for further information.

You may also have heard about planned changes to qualifications in Wales. If you’d like to know more about the future of education in Wales please check the following website. http://www.qualifiedforlife.org.uk

Check these out…….

24th - 28th November Year 11 trial examinations 1st December Year 7 Panto trip pm only 4th, 5th December Year 7 Parents’ Meetings day 10th December Year 11 Parents’ evening (4.30pm start) 15th December Presentation of Certificates Evening (6.30pm start) 15th – 19th December Students’ Christmas lunch available 18th December School Christmas Concert (7.00pm start)

Sixth Form Christmas buffet and entertainment pm 19th December School closes for Christmas Holidays 5th January School closed to Students – Staff Training Day 6th January School reopens 7th – 14th January Year 12 and 13 internal mock examinations 21st January Year 10 Parents’ Evening (4.30pm start) 2nd – 4th February Year 9 examinations 4th February Sixth Form Open Evening (6.30pm) 4th – 6th February Year 10 examinations 13th February School closes for half term 23rd February School reopens

Dates are correct at time of issue. Some dates may change at short notice.

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Egni â Lwydd - Effort Brings Success

Castell Alun High School Fagl Lane, Hope, Flintshire

Tel: 01978 760238 www.castellalun.flintshire.sch.uk

Making a Drama out of an Exam course

Year 11 GCSE Drama students recently performed an extract of Chris Owen’s comedy play, “The Last Resort”. Set at a British seaside resort, the play follows a variety of characters as their day unfolds beside the beach. Multi-talented Shikeira Davies, Francesca Hughes and Erin Williams demonstrated their versatility by performing as both Chorus members narrating the action of the play, as well as the town’s radio “celebrities”. A clear contrast was established between the ‘Killjoy’ family (performed by Alex Edwards, Georgia Jefferies,

Kristy Leigh-Evans and Niall Spender) and the ‘Bright’ family (performed by Kane Peters, Ella Hamilton and Yasmin Hewitt). The group of old ladies was creatively performed by Megan Wood, Danielle Cope and Ellie Webster, but perhaps the most imaginative performances came from Brandan Pumford, Michael Corry and Joe Johnston who had to transform themselves into donkeys!

Dinosaurs Return to Castell Alun

Castell Alun is winding back the clock many millions of years. The school has set up a unique club which sees students from years 7, 8 and 9 learn about all forms of pre-historic beasts. Each week, students have the opportunity to handle real dinosaur bones and a variety of fossils, learn about the discipline of palaeontology, play games and participate in a whole host of competitions.

Dino Club has already captured the interest of the student population and is proving to be very popular, with students clearly attracted to such an unusual experience. Bea Beungchan, Year 9, is a regular at the club and commented, “I love Dino Club because you get to have fun and learn about these interesting creatures that lived millions of years ago” and Ella Bradley, Year 7, added, “I have always been interested in dinosaurs and now I can learn about them with my teacher’s help”.

The club came about because Geography teacher, Mrs Elaine Hyder, a qualified palaeontologist, wanted to share her passion and extensive fossil collection with the students at Castell Alun. She said “I have studied dinosaurs and collected fossils for many years, and each year I even dig up bones myself! I would have loved an opportunity to learn about dinosaurs when I was at school. I was blown away with the numbers who attended the first few meetings of the club. Here’s hoping Castell Alun might just produce some dinosaur hunters of the future!”

FFFFFamily to Remember Family to Remember Family to Remember Family to Remember Family to Remember Fallen Hero in Fallen Hero in Fallen Hero in Fallen Hero in Fallen Hero in Filmilmilmilmilm Members of the family of a fallen First World soldier will feature in a film to mark the centenary of the First World War in the Parish of Hope. Castell Alun students Teleri Williams and Harvey Ellis are both descended from the family of Gunner George Vincent Davies who died as a result of a gas attack at Ypres during the First World War. The Castell Alun history enthusiasts will be joined by other family members who possess important artefacts related to the story of this soldier, including a letter which he wrote shortly before he died and the medals which he never survived to wear. The film has been commissioned by Hope and Caergwrle Heritage and Conservation Society as part of the Parish of Hope War Stories Project which is supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Speaking for Hope and Caergwrle Heritage and Conservation Society, Castell Alun History teacher, Mr David Healey,said “There has been a vast amount of public interest in this project and people are also looking forward to the booklet that wi l l be produced . We are work ing c lose ly wi th www.flintshirewarmemorials.com to ensure that those who fell in the Parish of Hope are remembered as more than names on stones.”

WELL DONE! David Hatton, Year 12, cannot stop winning in his discipline of Kayaking. He competed in another International Kayaking

Event held in Belgium in September and came away with an incredible haul of 2 gold and 2 silver medals. A large number of top international paddlers formed

the field and David’s performance exceeded all expectations. Furthermore, David then competed in the National Marathon Championships in Worcester and the National Sprint Championships where he was awarded a silver and gold medal respectively.

Ewan Povey, 12, from Kinnerton has been playing golf since the age of 3. Ewan is a member of Padeswood and Buckley Golf Club where he goes to practice 3 times a week with his father and brother. During a round of golf at Padeswood and Buckley Golf Club in July Ewan scored a hole in one, a tremendous achievement that is rarely accomplished by golfers who have played the sport all their lives.Then Ewan competed in the ‘Stroke Player’ Competition and qualified in 1st place. He was then successful in completing 2 further stages of the competitions at Penmaenmawr and Buith Wells resulting in him qualifying to compete in the Welsh Mini Masters at the Celtic Manor in South Wales on 28th October, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Ewan commented, “My Grandad inspired me as he owns a driving range and my family all enjoy and play the sport. I can’t wait for the next competition.”

Matthew Sandoz, Year 7, is also making a name for himself in the golfing world. Matthew, a member of Clays Golf Club in Wrexham, competed in a 3 day golf camp held at Macdonald Portal Golf Club, Tarporley, and scored the highest number of points on his skills test and was awarded 1st place. Matthew then competed at The Lee Westwood Golf Camps National Championship finals at Close House Golf Club near Newcastle where he won the under 13 age category and was crowned the overall winner of the event. He was awarded 2 trophies and as part of his prize he also won a family golf holiday for 4 people in Florida. Matthew, who practices 4 times per week, has been playing golf since the age of 6, has had much encouragement from his family, many of whom are also golfers. He commented, “It’s a great sport and I just love playing. Winning is a bonus!”

Away from sport, Adam Hodson, Year 11, took up photography 2 years ago. Since then he has progressed with his skills and now has a brilliant portfolio of photos. He has recently started up a business selling his photos, an amazing achievement for someone so young. Adam has big plans for the future and already helps to run our school photography club.

And finally….Madison Millar, Year 11, recently scooped a High Achievers Award and was able to attend an International Youth Forum in Missouri, USA, as a British delegate. At the forum matters of faith, culture and peace were discussed, and during the visit Madison had to read in front of 1500 people. Well done Maddie!

Students help those in needStudents help those in needStudents help those in needStudents help those in needStudents help those in need Year 7 students dug deep into their pockets in order to celebrate Harvest this year. All

tutor groups produced a bumper hamper of groceries that were distributed to those in need. The year group decided that this year’s harvest contributions should be given to a Food Bank in order to support their work with those experiencing challenging circumstances in local areas. All students were

very keen to get involved and do their bit to help those less fortunate, indeed, it was really quite amazing how much food came in and our school Harvest assembly helped us all remember not to take the things we have for granted.

Year 7 School Council representative, Lily Cottle, commented, “It’s nice to be able to help other people, especially those who don’t have much already perhaps. I think our school collection was a really good idea because it makes us look after others, just as our families, friends and teachers look after us.”

LIBRARY TIME This term has proved a busy and exciting time in the Library with lots of events and activities. The very popular ‘Games Club’ is held every Friday lunchtime, giving students the opportunity to relax with their friends whilst playing a variety of board and card games. Refreshments are provided - an added bonus at the end of a busy week! We are holding special events in the Library every month. In September we celebrated Roald Dahl’s birthday with a quiz and a golden ticket hunt in the Library. Year 7 took part in a quiz and the winning teams came to hunt for those all important tickets. The winners were rewarded with Roald Dahl books. In October, to tie-in with Halloween, classes were invited to the Library for a ‘spooky’ storytell ing session delivered by the Librarian. The sessions proved very popular with many students and served as an encouragement to loan books. The Library is now open every day from 8am to 4.30pm so please come and visit and see what’s on offer.

If there is a heavy and persistent snowfall, or other extreme weather conditions, parents need to judge if it is necessary to keep their children at home. If a decision is made to close the school before the school day begins, due to severe weather, we will post a message on the front page of the school website (www.castellalun.com)(www.castellalun.com)(www.castellalun.com)(www.castellalun.com)(www.castellalun.com) to inform you of this. We will also leave an automated message on the school answer machine informing you of the closure as early in the day as possible. You may also wish to check the Flintshire Local Authority website for information (www.flintshirewww.flintshirewww.flintshirewww.flintshirewww.flintshire.go.go.go.go.gov.ukv.ukv.ukv.ukv.uk). Flintshire Local Authority will make every effort to have the closure announced on local radio, Wrexham and Chester MFM 103.4 and further announcements may also be made on BBC Radio Wales (657 or 882 AM or 93.9 to 95.9 FM). Very occasionally it may be necessary to close the school before the end of the normal school day. In these instances school buses will collect students and drop them off as usual, and parents are requested to ensure that their children have access to a place of shelter, perhaps with a relative, neighbour or friend. If weather bulletins report hazardous conditions, parents should use their discretion about the wisdom of sending their children to school. At such times please phone the school at your earliest convenience and inform the office staff of this.

Adverse Weather

Student TStudent TStudent TStudent TStudent Tracking Reviews (STRs)racking Reviews (STRs)racking Reviews (STRs)racking Reviews (STRs)racking Reviews (STRs)

Lots of research has been done to try to find out what makes young people learn successfully. ‘Student T‘Student T‘Student T‘Student T‘Student Tracking Review’racking Review’racking Review’racking Review’racking Review’ at Castell Alun uses the findings of that research. It means that students are about to become much more involved in improving their own learning as we try to further ‘personalise’ the learning process. The new STR system provides an opportunity for students to engage more fully in the learning process and take responsibility for improving their own learning. The combination of setting aspirational targets, face-to-face feedback and online assessment from teachers enables students to engage more regularly in crucial dialogue about their progress and

shape their own actions to improve areas of their work. During this term you will receive the first STR progress check sheet for your son/daughter this year along with a separate STR Newsletter explaining how the new system works. We are also aiming to issue a second STR progress check sheet in the Spring term and we hope that the system will help to: · Monitor progress · Inform parents/carers about how students are getting on · Motivate students to ‘aim high’ · Target support through our mentoring programme which involves advice and guidance from subject teachers, Group Tutors, Student Development and Learning Managers and Senior Leaders across the school The aspirational targets have been set very high indeed. They are NONONONONOTTTTT what we expect your son/daughter to achieve, but they AREAREAREAREARE what they could achieve with the right approach to learning, or as we are now calling it, the right ‘LearLearLearLearLearning Ethicning Ethicning Ethicning Ethicning Ethic’.

When introducing any new system you will appreciate that there may be teething problems and new terminology to get used to, but we very much hope that as the system evolves you will see the benefits, as the whole aim is to raise student achievement at all Key Stages in school.

FUN RUNFUN RUNFUN RUNFUN RUNFUN RUN Lower school students pulled out all the stops and wore a variety of bizarre costumes to help raise valuable funds for the school last month. In previous years monies raised have bought outdoor ‘picnic’ style seating, drinks machines, wet weather activities, digital equipment and some has also been used to subsidise school trips and musical productions. Students have a lot of fun determining their outfits for this kind of event and, at Castell Alun, all year groups also adopt a charity and run specific events in order to raise vital funds to support those less fortunate. For example, the Sixth Form will hold its annual Fancy Dress Fun Run again soon, and typical costumes for this would be literally anything, including cowboys and Indians, sports stars, emergency services, gangsters, famous people….and many more!

PLEASE NOTEPLEASE NOTEPLEASE NOTEPLEASE NOTEPLEASE NOTE that this newsletter has also been e-mailed to all parents and carers for whom we that this newsletter has also been e-mailed to all parents and carers for whom we that this newsletter has also been e-mailed to all parents and carers for whom we that this newsletter has also been e-mailed to all parents and carers for whom we that this newsletter has also been e-mailed to all parents and carers for whom we hahahahahavvvvve a cure a cure a cure a cure a currrrrrent e-mail adent e-mail adent e-mail adent e-mail adent e-mail addrdrdrdrdressessessessess..... If If If If If y y y y you haou haou haou haou havvvvve not re not re not re not re not receieceieceieceieceivvvvved it yed it yed it yed it yed it yourourourourourselfselfselfselfself b b b b by e-mail please be so gy e-mail please be so gy e-mail please be so gy e-mail please be so gy e-mail please be so goodoodoodoodood as to contact the scas to contact the scas to contact the scas to contact the scas to contact the school and infhool and infhool and infhool and infhool and inforororororm us ofm us ofm us ofm us ofm us of y y y y your e-mail adour e-mail adour e-mail adour e-mail adour e-mail addrdrdrdrdressessessessess.....