The RP Weekly: 14 April 2022

The weekly digital newsletter from Rydal Penrhos School - 14 April 2022.

The RP Weekly

14 April 2022

Open Day - 6 May 2022

Booking now open!

Rydal Penrhos is pleased to announce details of a special Open Day, which will take place on Friday 6 May 2022 and is set to provide prospective pupils and their families a first-hand opportunity to see for themselves what goes on during a typical day at the school.

This is an exciting time to join the Rydal Penrhos community. The school is flourishing from Pre-School to Sixth Form, examination results and value-added scores remain of the highest standard and things have a much more familiar feel to them across academic subjects and extra-curricular activities with decreasing restrictions from the Welsh Government.

The Open Day will be held in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines at the time and booking is advised for anyone wishing to attend. The event will be split into two sections to accommodate anyone looking to visit both Prep and Senior sites.

Prep visitors – 09:00-12:00
Senior visitors – 13:00-16:00

Those in attendance will get individual tours from the school and speak with teaching and admissions staff to get a broader perspective of the day-to-day life of a pupil, the diverse curriculum and exceptional pastoral care.

There will be a host of things to enjoy throughout the showcase, which will feature core academic departments such as English, Mathematics, Art, Drama, Music and Science.

Our thriving extra-curricular provision will also be on full display as pupils young and old go about their usual activities.

The Open Day will take place from 09:00-16:00 and refreshments will be available following tours.

Anyone wishing to book their place at our Open Day, or for more information, please call 01492 530155, email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or use our online form.

Open Day – Pre-School and Prep parents are invited to see their children’s classrooms and meet their teachers on the morning of Friday 6 May. The timetable for visits is below; please email lparry-williams@rydalpenrhos.com to confirm your attendance.

	Start	Finish	Guide
Pre-School	11:05	11:55	Miss Spencer
Reception	09:00	09:50	Mrs Devilleforte
Year 1	09:55	10:45	Mrs Woodthorpe
Year 2 (2CC)	11:05	11:55	Mrs Culver/Miss Richards
Year 2 (2RD)	09:00	09:50	Miss Davies
Year 3	09:55	10:45	Mrs Oliver
Year 4	11:05	11:55	Mr McLeod
Year 5	08:35	09:25	Mrs Chamberlain
Year 6	08:35	09:35	Mrs Pyves

The Donald Hughes Trust

Support our fabulous initiative

We would love to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the work of our very important and well-respected Donald Hughes Trust, which was founded in 1970.

The fund was set up to honour its namesake, one of our former Headmasters. Donald Hughes worked tirelessly to ensure that disadvantaged children and young people would not miss out on the opportunity to have an outstanding education; through the Donald Hughes Trust, his benevolent project continues to this day.

The Donald Hughes Trust is now an important source of funding for our Fully Funded Places scheme at Rydal Penrhos, which each year allows disadvantaged local children and young people to join our school. As a charity, this is something we feel passionate about and we know that our alumni, parents and staff are similarly supportive and engaged.

We have lots of ideas on how we might revitalise donations to this fund and wish to make it an everyday part of what we do as a school. We have already made an incredible start thanks to the generosity of the Rydal Penrhos family and we are deeply grateful to all the wonderful givers who have contributed thus far.

These contributions have included both large individual gifts and smaller donations or legacies, however the single most popular way to contribute is through a small monthly donation with Gift Aid. We would ask anyone who feels they could help us in this way to get in touch so that we can assist them in setting up their donation or you could download the form here and return it to us.

We would like to say thank you to all our alumni who have already supported this project or others. Philanthropy is a huge factor behind the success of Rydal Penrhos over the years and we are beyond grateful to our benefactors.

We recently held a collection for both the Donald Hughes Trust and St David’s Hospice before the Prep Spring Concert, which saw over 200 people descend on the Memorial Hall to mark the occasion. The money raised will be split between the two causes and we would like to thank everyone who contributed. Even a little goes a long way!

Supporting the Donald Hughes Trust is not only a way of honouring a strong connection with the school, it is also a way of joining together with other alumni to support the next generation following in their footsteps.

We hope you will consider becoming part of our school’s incredible tradition of philanthropy. Every gift – whatever the scale, and whatever the reason – makes a huge difference to the work of the Donald Hughes Trust. It helps provide life-changing opportunities to children who are awarded a Fully Funded Place, each of whom adds to the vibrant internal diversity of the pupil body, in turn enriching the school community as a whole.

“I can’t express in words or actions how much this means to me, and how much it has helped me and will continue to help me and my future, but all I can say is how thankful and appreciative I am of this chance to prove myself" - a Rydal Penrhos pupil, who joined thanks to a Fully Funded Place supported by the Donald Hughes Trust.

Values such as compassion, tolerance, good humour and courage are instilled in our pupils from a very early age and are core components of the ethos that guides the Rydal Penrhos community on a daily basis. Help us continue our work in improving the prospects of our children and young people, and in turn our local communities, by donating to the Donald Hughes Trust.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so easily on our website (https://rydalpenrhos.com/society/donald-hughes-trust/donate/). For those wanting further information or an alternative way of giving, please contact 01492 530155 or email alumni@rydalpenrhos.com.

Rydal Penrhos Society Newsletter

The latest edition is now available!

Rydal Penrhos Society Newsletter

We are delighted to bring you the latest edition of the Rydal Penrhos Society newsletter, which takes on the theme of journeys and features a wealth of exciting features from alumni thriving in various professions across the globe.

Take a trip back in time, see what's been making headlines at school over the last few weeks, journey through our archives and see what events are upcoming for former pupils and the entire Rydal Penrhos community.

Many thanks to Debbie McCluskey, Lloyd Parry-Williams and Dean Jones for putting together such a fantastic newsletter, which also features contributions from Mr John Waszek (Executive Principal), Mrs Lucy Davies (Deputy Principal, Head of Prep), Ms Deborah McKinnel (Chair of Governors) and Mr Guy Watson (Rydal Penrhos Society President).

Anyone wishing to view the Rydal Penrhos Society Newsletter can do so here.

Pre-School

Welsh Air Ambulance deliver talk

Rydal Penrhos Pre-School provides a stimulating environment in which every child can thrive and develop at their own pace. They are also being prepared for the more structured environment of our Reception class which is where they move into at the age of 4.

Our exceptional Pre-School staff believe in encouraging children to be self-motivated and independent, yet aware of their peers. This is done through exciting activities that provide a solid foundation that they can take with them throughout the remainder of their education.

Not only this, but Pre-School children also get to experience new things with trips, outdoor education activities such as Coastal School and trained professionals from wide-ranging fields visiting Rydal Penrhos to further broaden each child's horizons.

Pre-School children have been learning about "people who help us" during a long-running project during the recently concluded Lent Term. This consisted of roleplay, interactive teaching methods and thoughtful discussion between the eager learners under the supervision of staff.

Children also got a special visit from the Welsh Ambulance Service, which was a source of great excitement and gave a first-hand account of the equipment used to bring their topic to life.

All the children had a go at ‘driving’ the ambulance and also were allowed to sound the siren. They asked so many interesting questions to the Ambulance staff in attendance and soaked up all the information.

This also included examining the life-saving equipment situated within each ambulance before returning to the Pre-School department to draw pictures and put their cutting skills to good use by making collages of ambulances.

In recognition of their superb conduct and attentiveness, children were rewarded by playing in a blossom shower under the trees situated on the plateau.

It was a fantastic learning session and Rydal Penrhos would like to thank the Welsh Ambulance Service for giving up their time to attend.

Year 5

Life experiences gained at DangerPoint North Wales

Bringing classroom topics to life is something that forms a key part of the education provided at Rydal Penrhos.

Learning from textbooks and digital materials is one thing, but there is no substitute for seeing things for yourself and the school is blessed to have some extraordinary historical landmarks and educational attractions right on our doorstep to achieve this.

This is something our staff team utilise tremendously as part of the curriculum. After a frustrating period due to COVID-19 restrictions, trips and excursions have now fully resumed and Rydal Penrhos is adhering to every possible precaution to ensure the safety of the pupils under our care.

There was a great deal of excitement within a very enthusiastic Year 5 group, who got the opportunity to go on a long-awaited school trip at last. Having been unable to enhance their learning for such a long time, it was brilliant for the pupils to get out of the classroom and learn in an unfamiliar surroundings under the supervision of staff.

It proved to be a very exciting and worthwhile day at DangerPoint North Wales, where pupils worked with the “Dangerpoint Rangers” to tackle different life-like scenarios to discover more about the dangers they may experience in their lives.

This also included how to prevent dangers and the best way to react if anybody came across them. Pupils completed a quiz at the beginning of their visit and filled out another series of questions upon concluding their activities to test how much knowledge had been acquired in just a few hours.

It was a real testament to each pupil’s attentiveness and application throughout the visit that they managed to triple their score from the first quiz. A huge well done to all involved and thanks so much to Dangerpoint staff for making everyone at Rydal Penrhos feel so welcome.

Writing Competition

Winners announced!

Pupils are working in an increasingly digital age. This is something that was recognised by Rydal Penrhos and resulted in the introduction of free iPads to boost their development in and out of the classroom, which has been a hugely beneficial initiative and enabled our young learners to excel.

However, the school also understands the importance of keeping more traditional methods of teaching and learning in place. Firstly, we know our children and that each and every one of them is different and thrives when they are challenged in their own specific ways, something that is nurtured superbly by Rydal Penrhos’ exceptional teaching staff.

Secondly, the world still requires some of the more traditional educational skills developed over time, and so not to use them while they are with us here at Rydal Penrhos would be to put them at a disadvantage for future education and employment.

Writing remains a core part of our rich and proud ethos. In celebration of the recent World Book Day festivities, Rydal Penrhos’ Language, Literacy and Communications faculty arranged a special writing competition for Senior pupils.

This competition complements the Accelerated Reader initiative, which started last Easter. Key Stage 3 pupils have a weekly lesson in the Watkinson Library where they can select books and read in a comfortable quiet space. Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils have access at lunchtime.

All pupils are encouraged to always have a book in their bag, as regular reading not only improves their ability to access exam papers but also helps with mental health.

We are thrilled to announce the competition winners, congratulations to all!

KS3 – Oscar Ellwood
KS4 – Orla Williams
KS5 – Tristan Martin
Parent – Anita Staddon, parent of Vihaan Staddon
Staff – Mrs Pyves

Here is Mrs Pyves’ submission, entitled When Hagrid Came to Tea.

Sport

St Edward's College visit a success!

Sporting fixtures have now made a triumphant return to the calendar after arguably the most disruptive two years in recent memory.

The COVID-19 restrictions made things difficult for Rydal Penrhos pupils to continue developing, but they were thankfully able to remain on track thanks to the sterling commitment of staff throughout such turbulent times.

Major events are happening once again and it’s been great to witness so many pupils, parents and opposing schools fill the sidelines every week. The Rydal Penrhos U16 Rugby 7s tournament was a rousing success and the school was also delighted to host St Edward’s College recently for what turned out to be a hugely enjoyable weekend of sporting action.

St Edward’s spent the weekend residing at Rydal Penrhos’ first-class facilities, participating in hockey, rugby and netball fixtures against the school before also taking on other educational establishments across the region.

The school, based in Merseyside, has a close association with Rydal Penrhos, with Executive Principal John Waszek holding the position of Principal at St Edward’s from 1992-2016.

During his 24 years in the role, St Edward’s secured seven consecutive “outstanding inspections” and was subsequently designated as “exempt” from inspection by the Department for Education.

This is the latest in a series of exciting visits the school has welcomed in recent months. High-profile professional sports teams such as St Helens and Rochdale Hornets rugby league sides used Rydal Penrhos for their pre-season camps, with others such as the Welsh Rugby League and Llandovery College also utilizing the school.

It was fantastic to have St Edward’s here for their residential sporting weekend. We hope you had a worthwhile trip to North Wales and everyone at Rydal Penrhos is looking forward to welcoming you back in the not-too-distant future.

Anyone wishing to enquire about Rydal Penrhos’ facilities can do so by emailing events@rydalpenrhos.com or by calling 01492 530155.

Facilities

Rochdale Hornets praise Rydal Penrhos after a successful camp

Rydal Penrhos was delighted to welcome another high-profile sporting side for a special visit recently.

The school's first-class facilities are gaining a fabulous reputation across the region, with three-time defending Super League champions St Helens using the school for their pre-season camp that proved hugely successful for the squad ahead of yet another title challenge.

This has not gone unnoticed by other clubs and organisations. The school was thrilled to host Rochdale Hornets for their very own two-day pre-season training camp ahead of their League One campaign which got underway recently.

Rydal Penrhos provided the Hornets with exclusive use of areas such as the 25-metre swimming pool, the recently refurbished fitness suite, sports hall, and exceptional outdoor playing surfaces including the stunning New Field site that held the return of our U16 Rugby 7s tournament following a period of COVID-19 disruption.

Matt Calland's side stayed on site, with the school's exceptional staff team putting on meals and entertainment at the state-of-the-art Ferguson Centre, which is the base for Sixth Form pupils.

The head coach was thrilled with how the camp went and sent a special message of thanks to Rydal Penrhos for such a warm welcome and to the staff that went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure every need was catered for.

He said: "We will definitely be coming back again, the hospitality was top class all the staff looked after us impeccably, the facilities were amazing and the food was delicious.

"We were delighted to be able to get the staff and playing group away together, to utilise first-class facilities, for an important two-day session ahead of the start of our League One campaign. A big thanks must go to S R Waite Group, Andy Mazey, and the board for supporting this initiative.”

In addition to the visits from St Helen's and Rochdale Hornets, Rydal Penrhos has hosted Cricket Wales, the Marylebone Cricket Club, Glamorgan Cricket Club and the Welsh Rugby League side - to name a few - over recent months.

Anyone wishing to enquire about the school’s facilities should contact events@rydalpenrhos.com or call 01492 530155.