seventh edition spring 2015 student survey gives learners...

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Seventh edition Spring 2015

Student survey gives learners a voice

Inside this Issue...

STUDENTS at Elfed High School have carried out and completed a survey on the school’s reward system and Extra Curricular activities.

Learner Voice is of utmost importance at Elfed High School, which is why, with the help of Angela Davies from Cast Cymru, the Key Stage 3 School Council met and created a survey. Their aim was to see how the school views the Vivo rewards system, as well as Elfed Extra activities. The survey also asked for ways in which the students would like to improve current Extra Curricular activities in the Elfed Extra programme.

Senior Students oversaw the distribution and collection of the surveys and were impressed by the high completion rate of them. The results

have been sent to Angela Davies who will analyse them in order to help the students prepare a presentation of the findings for Headteacher, Mrs Rosemary Jones, and Chair of Governors, Mr Ray Wells.

Megan Bellis, Senior Student, said: “Conducting a survey to find out the views of learners at Elfed High School is a great way to develop and improve Extra Curricular activities and the rewards system.

“The Key Stage 3 School Council worked exceptionally hard to carry out this research and they’re looking forward to finding out the results!” To find out about Elfed Extra and the Vivo rewards system, visit www.elfedhs.co.uk.By Elfed High School Senior Students

Ysgol Uwchradd Elfed High School, Buckley CH7 3HQ 01244 550217 - - Twitter: @ElfedHS

Behind the scenes: Elfed Youth TheatreAdlais Elfed Echo exclusive: Abigail Cosgrove goes behind the curtain to find out what it takes to put on an original production.Turn to page 3 to find out how Elfed Youth Theatre moves from script to stage.

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YEAR 9 will take part in a Holocaust Awareness activity to show their understanding of the world’s past.

Year 9 students will participate in a number of projects and activities in Humanities subjects to commemorate the Holocaust. They will have a question and answer session with one of the survivors of the Holocaust who will also give the students a testimony to show just how much they suffered during this horrific period of time.

Mala Tribich MBE was last year’s visitor who talked about her experiences and told people, from a first-hand point of view, about how devastating the Holocaust

was, globally and personally, for many Jewish families and the Jewish population.

Last year, many of the current Year 10 students enjoyed the visit and the activities they were able to take part in at Elfed High School. One student, Joseph Maguire, commented on what he thought about the visit and the Elfed High School commemoration. He said: “Last year’s Holocaust Awareness event was really interesting because you heard about what happened from someone who had survived.

“Year 9 has a lot to look forward to; they will learn of lot of new facts.” By Abby Cooper

Forget me not

It has been a fantastic start to 2015 here at Elfed High School. Students have been working hard since arriving back and, throughout this term, they have been showcasing their talent and abilities in a variety of ways.

Excitement for the spring is building and this can be seen through our DIY Bunny Hat and the fantastic comic strip. The Adlais Elfed Echo team would love to know your thoughts on this edition. Send them to us via email at [email protected]. By Alex Jones, Jemima Sainsbury and Sophie Mills

Editors’ Note

During last year’s event, Mala Triich answered intrigued students’ questions about the Holocaust.

Senior Students guided the Key Stage 3 School Council in conducting the surveys.

Ysgol Uwchradd Elfed High School, Buckley CH7 3HQ 01244 550217 - - Twitter: @ElfedHS2

Many people attended the prestigious event: students, parents, governors, teachers and more. Lots of pupils were collecting their well-deserved awards. The event was held to praise those who put in the highest effort and extra work at Elfed High School. Ms V. Barwis was the Guest of Honour at the event in Theatr Elfed, along with many other governors of Elfed High School and local primary schools. There were special performances by Josh

Owens, Menna Bellis, Isaac Tocque and others, which went down a treat with the audience.

Mr Hughes, who was the performance organiser, said: “I was very happy to see so many people collecting awards and doing so well in school.

“It made me feel proud to work here.”The night was very successful, as Cerys

Barton, one of the award winners, said: “I enjoyed Presentation Evening and thought it was a good

idea to give pupils recognition for the hard work and dedication to school.

“The night was very successful and I felt extremely proud to receive my award.”

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the night; everyone shared the same beaming smiles and everyone had the chance to say a final farewell to the recent leavers.By Laila Rees

Wonderful Winter ConcertELFED High School’s Midwinter Concert showcased the talent at the school and put on a fantastic show for family and friends.

The school showcased many of the talented students in their Midwinter Concert. There were musical performances, which included group performances from many students in Year 8 and Year 10, pianists, individual guitarists and vocalists, the school band and the Elfed Choir.

Some of the students told the audience about Elfed’s charity event for Help for Heroes. The students spoke about soldiers from Buckley who fought in the war. Also, the students spoke about Christmas in Wales, Germany and France and all of the traditions that different cultures have at Christmas time. Donations to Help for Heroes were made as people left the concert.

Students in Year 8 had prepared a presentation that reflected on Science inside and outside of school in 2014. They spoke about visits to Chester Zoo with Year 8, Techniquest with More Able and Talented in Key Stage 3, the new Elfed Science Department Twitter account, a new 3D food robot, the possible HIV cure, Axolotls and much more. Students in Year 8 also read from the Bible.

Pupils from Drury and Westwood primary schools each played two tunes on their recorders which they had learned with Mr Hughes. Westwood played Two Note Reggae and Three Note Shuffle and Drury played Busy Bee and Changing Horses. They all performed fantastically well.

Elfed Youth Theatre gave a preview of the piece they have been working on, Ada’s Time. They

Award-winning eveningStudents from Year 10 received awards on the night.

A FABULOUS Presentation Evening took place to praise the talented, hard-working pupils at Elfed High School.

performed the first scene of their new play to give the audience an idea of what they might see if they came to their performance later this year.

The Midwinter Concert was a huge success and it received an amazing reaction from the audience members. Congratulations to all students who took part.By Abbey Young

A talented Year 11 student entertained guests.

The Elfed Choir sang beautifully during the concert.

Elfed High School Band played traditional songs for guests.

Governors and guests watched proudly as students received awards.

Ysgol Uwchradd Elfed High School, Buckley CH7 3HQ 01244 550217 - - Twitter: @ElfedHS 3

Behind the scenes: Elfed Youth TheatreAT SOME point in our lives, we have all seen a play but how does a production make it to the stage?

Elfed Youth Theatre works very hard every year to put on several performances, like their most recent, Ada’s Time. This article will give you an idea of what the group do to produce such fantastic plays.

At Elfed Youth Theatre, students use character profiling to give their characters more detail. Even the little things make a difference, such as “Owen does not like carrots.” It’s the weirdest little things that have a massive impact.

Character Writing

Mrs Heap asks the students to create freeze frames; within them, you can see the characters’ emotions and actions even though they are frozen. They also help to set a scene.

Freeze Frames

A main part of any performance is the script; unlike other schools, Elfed Youth Theatre is unique as they write their own scripts.

Script Writing

Mrs Heap is open to ideas when it comes to performances; she likes including different ideas from the pupils which, again, is unique as usually the director only usually uses their own ideas rather than the actors’. This means that the students can decide what their character is like and what actually happens in the play.

Giving Ideas

Mrs Heap gives up her lunchtimes on Tuesdays so that Elfed Youth Theatre can practise not only after school but also for forty minutes during the school day. These rehearsals are very important to the end production.

Rehearsals

Elfed Youth Theatre is really good at teamwork. Mrs Heap unites students through activities such as drama games, seeking to improve their teamwork skills. All of the actors realise that a play is hard work and they know it is not easy producing a play so they have to cooperate and have patience.

Teamwork and Cooperation

Students set scenes with freeze frames.

Students do a line run to get ready for the big performance.

Elfed Youth Theatre: teamwork makes the dream work.

Students rehearse for their fantastic shows.

Students search for information to build their characters.

So, as you can see, it takes a lot to put together a play. Elfed Youth Theatre works really hard as a team to make an amazing performance possible.By Abigail Cosgrove


Maths clown visits DruryPUPILS at Drury enjoyed a fun visit from Gary the Clown, who taught them ways to learn times tables through magic.

Year 3 to Year 6 pupils enjoyed an interesting morning visit from Gary the Clown. They learned the fun of maths through activities such as times tables, crosswords, dominoes and magic tricks. Gary the Clown also got the teachers involved by getting them to take part in magic tricks. One trick Miss Higgins took part in was thinking of a number which Gary the Clown guessed correctly.

Year 6 pupil, Robyn Wainwright, said: “I enjoyed Gary the Clown because he taught us fun ways to learn maths.”

The students really liked this visit and one student, Adam Dalton, said: “I enjoyed Gary the Clown because he was funny and he did some magic tricks that I liked.

“I would like to see Gary the Clown again.”

Overall, the pupils had an amazing morning and learned many fun ways to remember maths and found it very helpful.By Chloe Tudor, Carys Williams, Adam Dalton, Lewis Evans and Ben Coventry.

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Mountain LaneDrury

Students roar with excitement for The Lion KingSTUDENTS from Key Stage 3 were treated with a trip to see a very exciting performance of The Lion King in Manchester.

Some students, who have been dedicated to school clubs, were rewarded with a trip to see this amazing production. The committed students attend a variety of the twenty clubs available in the Elfed Extra programme. These clubs are on before school, at lunch time and after school.

The teachers, Mr Hughes, Mrs Sullivan and Mrs Payne, were also invited to see the production and they were all amazed by it.

The children loved the performance and would all love to go again. They will certainly continue attending Elfed Extra clubs to achieve more opportunities of going on wonderful trips like this one.By Abigail Cosgrove

A delighted student, Kirsty Wilson, from 7E, said: “I really enjoyed The Lion King.

“It was amazing. The music was incredible.”

Crazy CardiffYEAR 6 pupils of Mountain Lane experienced a jam-packed, exciting trip to Cardiff.

Pupils arrived at school for 7:30am and all excitedly boarded the bus. After a few hours, Year 6 stopped for lunch at the Big Pit. The last stop before they reached the Urdd Centre was the Millennium Stadium, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Children got to see the Welsh rugby player’s changing rooms and learned how the stadium was made. The children really enjoyed the tour. Joshua said: “I enjoyed the Millennium Stadium because it was really interesting.” After a tiring day, the pupils finally arrived at the Urdd Centre and were greeted with a nice, hot meal before going to the local bowling centre.

On the second day, pupils had a full English breakfast and set off for the Welsh Assembly to have a debate on energy drinks. After the debate, the children took photos of Cardiff Bay. Later on, the pupils took a boat trip to the National Museum where they looked at paintings of artists they had

been studying in school, as well as other interesting things. After a long day, the children got changed for the disco at the Urdd Centre. All of the pupils really enjoyed the disco. Harrison said: “I enjoyed the disco because it was tons of fun!”

On the third day, the pupils got back on the bus and set off for home. For their lunch, Year 6 stopped off at St Fagan’s where famous Welsh buildings have been rebuilt. After that, they got back on the bus for a long four hour journey back home.

The teachers were really proud of the pupils. Miss McElmeel, a Year 6 teacher, said: “Cardiff was a jam-packed trip which was thoroughly enjoyable.

“The children were well behaved and gained a lot in the short time we were there. A particular highlight was visiting the Millennium Stadium.”

To learn more about the places talked about, or to learn about the other main attractions in Cardiff, check out: www.visitcardiff.com. By Evie Plowman, Lois Wilkie and Phoebe Parry

Can you get to Cardiff Castle?

Students were thrilled to have seen The Lion King.


SOUTHDOWN’S Eco Council are working hard to try and achieve the Platinum Eco Award.

With the help of Tim Pugh, who is an environmental artist, the Eco Council have been taking part in a number of eco-friendly activities, including recreating the eco logo and the motto ‘Keep it clean, keep it green’. To do this, he suggested that they should use bottle tops and jam jar lids to create a tree and also use buttons to display the motto.

Ellie, an Eco Council member, said: “The day was very fun.” Bradley, another Eco Council member, said: “The day was exciting because I had never met him before and it was a new experience”.

Miss Smith, head of the Eco Council, said: “I am very passionate about the Eco Council.

“I think it’s important everyone plays their part in sustaining the world.” The other head of the Eco Council, Miss Spafford, said: “I am really looking forward to the eco-kitchen garden, where we will be growing: radishes, carrots, potatoes, runner beans, onions, leaks and lettuce.”

In the following school terms, the Eco Council are planning to have an Eco Day (dress up in green). Many are looking forward to the changes in school and hopefully achieving the Platinum Eco Award. By Katie Christopher, Mae Bennett and Joseph Nash.

PUPILS from Years 5 and 6 at Westwood are going to compete in the F1 Challenge to prove their engineering skills.

This year, at the end of March, Westwood pupils will take part in the F1 Challenge, a competition where students design and construct a model car. The pupils are taking part in the competition by designing a car on computers. The design will get sent to a company in Car-diff. That company will then send back the parts for the students to construct their car. The pupils will then spray paint the body of the car. The pupils will be testing their Science, Maths and ICT skills throughout this process.

After they have constructed the model, they will travel to Llandudno in North Wales, and then they will put a miniature gas canister in the model. When it is ready to go, the squad will

race the model against other pupils from different schools.

Last year, Mr Nicholson picked a team to compete in the F1 competition. Three students from last year will take part again this year, they are: Jake Williams, Sam Maghak and Teigan Aziz. The other three are classified.

Westwood pupils are once again excited and ready for a brilliant day of F1 fun to prove their designing and engineering skills.

This event will take place in Venue Cymru in Llandudno. The task of the F1 Challenge will need a variety of skills such as computer skills and teamwork.

Jake Williams, one of the Westwood F1 Team, said: “Last year’s event was fun. Me, Sam and Teigan can’t wait until our big day on the track!”By Esme Jones, Sam Maghak, Jake Williamsand Dylan Jones

Pupils gear-up for F1 competition

Pupils stunned by secret storiesTHE pupils of the Junior School in Mynydd Isa went to the Imperial War Museum as part of their World War II topic.

The pupils of Years 5 and 6 went on a trip to Manchester’s Imperial War Museum and enjoyed it very much. There were loads of exciting things to explore. The Imperial War Museum is one of the biggest museums to look around.

The pupils of Years 5 and 6 went around reading all the facts for their investigation sheet. They watched two clips of World War II facts. Next, the group went up the Air Shard to the side of the museum where they could see the set of ITV’s Coronation Street and the BBC Studios.

Olivia Jones said: “My favourite thing was the Air Shard because it was fun with all my friends

laughing together.“The coach was comfy and the coach driver

was very nice.” James Breen said: “I enjoyed learning about

World War II because it was very interesting and very fun.”

The pupils of Years 5 and 6 enjoyed the trip to Manchester thoroughly. This was a very successful trip, as the pupils told younger pupils about the trip for the future. Joe Sweeney said: “I liked going up the Air Shard because you could see pretty much the whole of Manchester.

“I also liked the posters that were hung around the museum.”

A fact at the top of the Air Shard said that during the Second World War, several bombs

were dropped in or around the Old Trafford Football Stadium. Therefore, Manchester United had to be forced out and moved into the Etihad Stadium (A.K.A their rival team - Manchester City!)

Katie Martin said: “My favourite thing was absolutely everything because it was interesting, really, really good and fun!

“We went in a coach. It was very comfy and we listened to music. It was great!”

The pupils thought the trip was very successful.By Evan Formby, Kayla Warburton and Megan Beresford.

Southdown goes for platinum

Westwood’s 2014 F1 team. Southdown Eco Council’s fabulous logo.


Making your own Bunny Hat

DO YOU want to do something enjoyable this Easter? Do you ever wonder where might be the best place to have a great time over the holidays? If you thought yes to either of these questions then luck is within your reach; this guide will help you decide where to go with your family and how to be prepared this Easter.

Fancy a good old egg hunt? Why not visit Wepre Park for clues and hints to find the prize hidden inside the mysterious woods? The hunt will be held on Sunday 20th April from 11am - 3pm. The cost for the event will be just £1 per child! The event attracts many people each year and all come away with huge smiles after their day of family fun. You may need your wellies at this event as it could get muddy!

Erddig also holds an eggcellent egg hunt. You can hunt for a Cadbury’s egg and then have a lounge in the picnic area, which has a wolf’s den for children, to rest from your hard work. You are also able to explore the huge gardens there, as well as viewing the magnificent manor which has many impressive rooms inside. You can visit the National Trust website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/erddig to find out more information and history about this extraordinary place.

If you fancy somewhere that involves a bit of country air and a fun place to walk around, then perhaps you could visit Greenfield Valley Heritage Park. There are fabulous farm animals, colourful country walks, beautiful Basingwerk Abbey ruins, rescued farm buildings, an amazing adventure playground, a shop and a mind-blowing museum to keep your family entertained for the whole day. There is something to do for everyone; you can even feed farm animals and watch how things were made by the people who used to call Greenfield Valley home. It is open daily from 10am to 4.30pm. For adults, the cost is only £3.50 and for children just £2. If you would like to ask someone about the park, you can call Greenfield Valley Heritage Park on 01352 714172.

Hopefully, this has helped you to decide where to go this Easter. All of the above are highly recommended and each are very enjoyable places to visit. We would love to see how your family has spent their Easter holidays; send a picture of your fun day out to [email protected]. By Laila Rees

This Easter, hop along and see...

You will need:• Six pieces of A4 paper• Pink felt-tip pens / pencils (optional)• A pencil

• A ruler• A pair of scissors• Glue, sticky tape or a stapler

Take two pieces of plain paper and wrap them around your head and mark off, on the second piece of paper, where the two overlap.

Draw a line across both pieces of paper that is 5cm deep. Then, cut off where you have made the mark from step 1.

Cut along the line and glue the strips on both ends to create a headband.

Get another two pieces of paper and draw two large ear shapes.

Next, cut out the ears.

Draw some smaller ears, colour them pink (pink paper would be fine) and cut them out.

Glue the smaller ears onto the larger ones.

Glue the ears onto the headband and wear it for everyone to see!

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We would love to see pictures of you in your Bunny Hats! Send them to [email protected] for us to see!

ROBOTS Love Ice Cream is a game that is set in the future, where ice cream is a source of power.

You are an ice cream truck driver and your mission is to save the universe from the evil ice cream-snatching robots. It really can’t get any weirder than that. You go around from planet to planet, shooting the floating robots out of the sky using a range of different deadly, dairy treats.

The robots are introduced slowly as you progress, each looking totally different from one another to make them more distinguishable and each has a different ability. Once you destroy a robot, you get “sprinkletonium” which is the game’s currency that you can use to buy and upgrade your weapons.

There are also objectives in each level and, once they are completed, you can earn points; this makes up for the game’s shortage of levels as there are only 20+ available.

The controls are fairly straightforward, with buttons to move around, jump and shoot, but sometimes you can slip up and press the wrong button because of the layout. Taking all of this in mind, this is a great game that is fun to play but a little on the short side and that’s what lets it down.


Robots Love Ice Cream App

Fresh Off the Charts! Reviews of the latest music, games and films by our Adlais Elfed Echo reporters.

DO YOU want to be on the VIP list for the latest Ministry of Sound album? Well, if so, go and buy this album!

This album, which was mixed by DJ Colin Francis, came out recently and it is amazing! Some of the best singles of late 2014 and early 2015 have been put into one album of forty-two songs. In my opinion, some of the best songs on the album are: “Don’t Tell ‘Em” by Jerimih,

“Bump & Grind” by Waze and Odyssey and “Look Right Through” by Storm Queen.

There are many strengths to this album, the main being that it is an unbelievably good price. For £8.99 on the Google play store or £9.99 on iTunes, you get an amazing forty-two songs!

The only weakness is that some of the songs are from 2014 so some of them might be a little bit old but they might be some of your favourite songs.

Overall, I give this album three and a half stars because some of the songs are old but, for the price, it is worth getting!

VIP - Ministry of Sound (Various Artists)

IF YOU loved the original Cinderella, then I’m sure you’ll love this new, live-action retelling of the classic fairy tale we all know and love.

After the death of both of her parents, Cinderella, played by Lily James, finds herself as the servant to her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her ugly stepsisters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drizella (Sophie McShera).

When Cinderella is invited to a ball by her future Prince Charming (Richard Madden), her

stepmother forbids her to attend and she is forced to stay at home. However, when a Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) comes to save her, it changes Cinderella’s life forever.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this fantastic film is ideal for all the family as it is a PG, although it does contain mild violence and some intense scenes.

I would recommend this film because I love the original Cinderella and I think this new, live-action retelling will be a popular film.

This film comes out on March 27th 2015 in cinemas all over the UK.

Cinderella (PG)

The Library Committee members are organising

fundraising events to buy new equipment for the library. To get

involved, see Miss Pennington

or come to Library Committee on Wednesdays.

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LIBRARY COMMITTEE

Please call Mrs Rosemary Jones, Headteacher, to arrange an appointment to view the school. 8

ELFED Sports Council has raised money for Help for Heroes to commemorate the Christmas Truce of 1914.In aid of Help for Heroes, the Sports Council decided to put together many activities to raise money for the wonderful charity. The Key Stage 3 Council organised a cake sale, a “keepy up” competition and a penalty shoot-out to raise funds. Meanwhile, Years 10 and 11 collected sponsor money for the charity football match which was held in school.The charity football match was organised by Mrs Woosey, Head of Humanities, and Mr Lewis-Jones, the leader of the Sports Council, to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce. This was when Britain and Germany stopped the First World War for one day at Christmas and played a game of football on the battle field. Each

Sports Council member in Years 10 and 11 wore the picture description of someone from Buckley who fought in the war. Molly Griffiths, Year 11, who played in the football match, said: “Today was very special in remembering the men who served in World War I. “The way in which the event was organised in remembering the soldiers who fought in battle was significant as they were all men who were involved in football battalions.”Overall, the day was a huge success. The Sports Council exceeded their target of raising over £400 by raising a huge £600.76. To find out more about Elfed Sports Council activities, follow the Elfed PE Department on Twitter: @ElfedPEdept.By Courtney Jones

Sports Council “helps the heroes”

Students shook hands before the charity match began.

A YEAR 10 student went to Llangollen to compete in the Welsh Schools’ Cross-country Championship.

Arron Davies represented Flintshire and he was selected after he came in the top ten in the Cross-country Competition at Mold Alun High School. Although the student exclaimed that he felt “nervous because of the amount of people at the

event,” he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He is happy that he came 12th as the competition had both Year 10 and 11 students competing. Arron said: “It was good to know what it is like to do this.”

Arron was happy that he was chosen for the event and he would like to represent Flintshire and the school again in the future. By Luke Jones

County cross-country competition

YEAR 10 students attended an Indoor Athletics Competition which included both team and individual events.

Each student chose either two track and one field or two field and one track event. The day was a huge success as the school had three individual winners. Furthermore, the boys came 1st overall and the girls came 3rd. Mr Lewis-Jones stated: “This was a fantastic team effort, both individually and as a team.

“We were very proud of them all. For the boys to win and the girls to come 3rd was brilliant.

Altogether, Year 10 is an extremely sporty group and it is certain they will go on to achieve lots more at their time at Elfed. The day was hugely successful and, coming away with lots of achievements, everyone was very pleased.By Courtney Jones

Students hop, skip and jump to victory

Students succeeded in the Indoor Athletics Competition.

Ysgol Uwchradd Elfed High School, Buckley CH7 3HQ 01244 550217 www.elfedhs.co.uk Twitter: @ElfedHS

Elfed Sports Council presented Mike Jarrett, from Help for Heores, with a cheque.

seventh edition spring 2015 student survey gives learners...

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