A Message from Mr Kennedy, Headteacher
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As the term ends and Christmas approaches, I would like to extend my best wishes to you all for a peaceful festive season. It has been another very busy and productive term, including mock examinations for older students. Your sons and daughters will be ready for some well earned rest and family time. They may well choose to use some of that time to take part in our competition to design visuals for our school vision, to be displayed around the school. The winner will receive £100.00 in vouchers and the chance to work with a professional designer to bring their ideas to life. Pupils have the full details and entries need to be submitted by 9.00 a.m. on Monday January 20th 2025. Pob lwc!
Before the end of the term we would love to see you join us at our Carol Service, to be held in St. Mary's church in the centre of town at 7pm on Tuesday December 17th. This is always a lovely event, that in many ways marks the start of the school Christmas. Pupils also have the chance to raise money for Save The Children with our Christmas Jumper Day on Wednesday 18th December, when Christmas dinner will also be served in the dinner hall. The final day of term will feature normal lessons periods 1-4, before a form party to end the calendar year during period 5. Your support in promoting attendance is appreciated, as ever.
May I wish you all Nadolig Llawen and Blwyddyn Newydd Dda / Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on behalf of everyone in the Olchfa community.
Julian Kennedy, Headteacher/Pennaeth
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School Vision
Those of you who were able to join us at the achievement evening early in the term will be aware that, across the last academic year, the headteacher has spent time with pupils, staff and governors developing a vision for the next phase of Olchfa's development. Centred around the idea of cynefin , the vision tries to capture what it means to be a part of Olchfa and to locate our learning here in Wales, whilst also celebrating roots that reach all over the world. As shown below, the vison tries to capture, in 10 words and statements, what we want the school to be about. It aims to be something everyone connected to the school can get behind, child or adult and whatever role they play in the life of the school. The next phase of its roll-out is embedding the key ideas across the school, whilst also trying to live up to them in what we do. We very much look forward to seeing the results of the pupil competition to design visuals to help us share the vision across the school - watch this space in the new term! Mr Kennedy, Headteacher
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INFORMATION FOR PARENTS/CARERS AND PUPILS
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UPCOMING DATES FOR THE DIARY
Tuesday 17th December - Christmas Carol Service, 7pm, St Mary's Church, Swansea
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Jumper Day
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Lunch
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INSET Day Reminder - Monday 6th January 2025 is an INSET day.
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Pre-loved uniform events will be held throughout the year, parents/carers will be emailed before an event. If you need any items of uniform during the year, please don't hesitate to contact the school via email olchfa@olchfa.org.uk, and we will be glad to assist you. As ever, we ask for a cash donation for any items taken. Donations can be made via the School Gateway.
We rely on donations of pre-loved uniforms. If you have any donations, please bring them in to reception. Thank you.
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Water bottles - please ensure that pupils have a refillable water bottle to use in school. There are water dispensers located around the school for refills.
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Thank you to everyone who supported our recent Scholastic book fair. We earned £312 commission and chose books to that value from the book fair. All the books will be available for pupils to borrow in the new year.
The Library Team
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The Big Bang at Parliament!
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Following on from the successes last year at the Big Bang Finals held in the NEC, Birmingham, 5 of our Year 8 students were invited to the House of Commons to showcase their projects to MPs and representatives from STEM related companies from across the UK.
The two groups - Remake the Waste (Rafaella Fasham & Lorna Skippen) and Mind4 (Constance Makari, Sristi Kumar & Amelia-Lily Kembani-Entwistle), did an amazing job on the day and were an absolute credit to the school. Having set their stalls up in the beautifully picturesque Terrace Pavilion, which is located right on the edge of the Thames and holds views of the London Eye, they then presented their ideas to the selection of guests across the afternoon.
So many of the MPs and engineers were complimentary of the amazing work of the students and the imagination that had gone into the projects.
A massive thank you to Miss Bolter for all the work she has put in in the background to ensure the projects have been recognised to the level they have.
Da iawn, girls! Mr Marsh
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Lottie (Yr 7) has done extremely well in the West Wales regional gym spire competition, placed 1st in trampet, 3rd in her floor routine and 5th in her vault, which gave her an overall 3rd which means she’s qualified for the all Wales competition in Deeside. Well done Lottie!
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Cedric (Yr 11) won the Welsh National Championship in November retaining his title and winning all four of his bouts with the maximum score.
Cedric also represented Wales at the Essimo Den Haag International Tournament where he finished 11th after two wins and two losses.
Next up is the British Championship in Warwick in December.
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Isabelle (Yr 8) competed in the Welsh national championship in November winning 2 out of 3 bouts securing a silver medal and an invitation to join the Welsh Squad for 2025.
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The U14 Girls rugby attended a friendly festival on Thursday the 21st of November, hosted by Maesydderwen. The girls were undefeated against every school. They demonstrated outstanding teamwork, comradery and tenacity the whole day. Player of the tournament was Mollie Allan. Molly was a fantastic captain, where she displayed wonderful leadership, teamwork, fairness and motivation for her team to go forward and win every game, as well as being a superb and skilled player.
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The U13 girls football team came 3rd out of 14 schools in the EFA cup tournament on Monday the 18th. They won every game leading up to the final, losing to Morriston 1-0 in the final game. They were determined, focused and skilful on the pitch. They showcased tremendous teamwork, kindness and sportsmanship throughout the entire day and all the other schools congratulated them on how much they have progressed since last year. Progression and effort has been consistent this year and their hard work in training is paying off.
Player of the tournament, Ryian Salem for her agile and skillful goalkeeping ability. Da Iawn from Mrs Ruggieri and the PE staff. The U13 girls football team got to round 3 in the Welsh Cup. Player of the game, Caitlin Williams, played with control, strength and determination to win the game. The team has been fantastic this year, going from strength to strength. Da Iawn from Mrs Ruggieri and the PE staff.
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Year 8/9 Hockey friendly festival. What a fantastic way to play a wonderful sport. Olchfa, Gowerton and Dylan Thomas all merged together to play a night of hockey. They demonstrated elements of what sport is all about, teamwork, comradery, sportsmanship and enjoyment. Well done girls it is wonderful to see so many getting involved in hockey and always playing to a really high standard. Player of the festival - Anais Roberts. Da Iawn from Mrs Ruggieri and the PE staff.
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Year 9 iExplore: Young Enterprise
Year 9 Enterprise students were recently joined by local businessman Ed Kurno, who delivered an inspiring talk about the realities of running a business. Ed shared valuable insights into the skills, characteristics, and determination needed to succeed in the world of entrepreneurship. His visit sparked motivation and provided students with practical advice on how to turn their own business ideas into reality.
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Digital Dialogue: USA
Year 12 Politics students had an incredible opportunity to join an online Q&A session with Cheri Bustos (Democrat) and Bob Dold (Republican), both former members of Congress for Illinois. This unique experience, part of the Digital Dialogue USA programme, allowed students to engage directly with these influential figures. Such experiences bring classroom learning to life, fostering critical thinking and a deeper understanding of international politics.
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Year 8 iThink: Integrated Humanities
Our Year 8 iThink pupils have been learning about the global issue of plastic pollution and taking action within the school community. As part of their lessons, they’ve conducted litter surveys around the school to identify problem areas and are now turning their attention to sustainable solutions.
By exploring sustainable strategies to reduce waste, minimise litter, and promote recycling, these pupils are taking on the role of stewards of the world. We’re excited to see their ideas come to life and make a positive impact on our school environment!
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This term we facilitated an evening seminar, "A Mind of Their Own", looking at how to support your teenagers' wellbeing. We also ran the popular "Time Out for Parents - The Teenage Years" series again.
There was an abundance of parenting materials covered and tips to navigate this season of parenting as well as lots of good discussions! Thank you to all who came along. As one parent put it, "No one teaches you how to be a parent... this has helped a lot!"
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School Advisory Board News
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The School Advisory Board has been very busy this term. Here are some updates from our subcommittees.
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The Community Team has been very busy this term arranging a number of charity drives in school. We started the year with a collection for Sketty Food Bank. Some of our team were fortunate enough to visit the food bank and deliver the vast amount of donations. The staff at the food bank were extremely grateful for the school’s help and have said that it will go a very long way to helping those who may need it. We would personally like to thank you all for your support and donations!
Over the festive period, we will be collecting donations for our annual stocking appeal for Ty Olwen. These will be hand delivered during the last week of school. The aim is to spread a little bit of Christmas joy to those who may need it.
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Wellbeing
Following the success of the Wellbeing Fayre last year, the team decided to organise a similar event for the pupils to participate in. The fayre took place on the 18th October and provided the opportunity for all pupils to visit the different stalls set up in the Drama Hall. As you can see from the photographs, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The SAB would like to thank everyone for their hard work in making the say a success.
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
The EDI group aims to promote diversity across the school community. So far this year we have celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light, through the creation of Rangolis in the Quad. Over the coming weeks, pupils will be collaborating on the design of Christmas Cards that will be distributed to teachers as part of the Faith and Celebration Curriculum.
Environment.
As a school, we are dedicated to becoming a more eco-friendly community. We have been brainstorming ideas and discussing concerns, as well as organising and carrying out hands-on activities (i.e gardening, planting, cleaning). This term we are prioritising a reduction in litter around the school through iDevelop resources, posters and litter picks and aiming to achieve Olchfa's second "Eco Flag".
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Some of our fabulous students joined in with Hello Yellow for World Mental Health Day in October, bringing awareness to a crucial cause: the mental well-being of our young people. Thank you for all of your generous donations.
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02 Dec 2024
Please click on the link below to view details of the competition.
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