The RP Weekly: 28 January 2022
The weekly digital newsletter from Rydal Penrhos School.
The RP Weekly
28 January 2022
Rugby 7s
Registration open for Rydal Penrhos U16 tournament
One of the most important dates on the Rydal Penrhos sporting calendar is set for a triumphant return later this year.
Competitive fixtures have resumed over the autumn term after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, which has been a major benefit to our aspiring athletes and their development from an individual standpoint and as part of a team.
The school is delighted to announce that the Rydal Penrhos Rugby 7s Tournament will be taking place on Saturday 12 March 2022 from 9am-4pm on the stunning New Field site.
The day-long competition is set to feature a large number of schools and clubs from across North Wales and the North West for what is sure to be an exceptional showcase of talent and camaraderie.
This is the fourth time Rydal Penrhos has organised the event, which is held for U16 teams before many of them embark on senior and first-team rugby in the coming months.
Teams will be put into groups and following the opening games, they will then be divided into Cup, Plate, Bowl, Trophy and Shield categories depending on their placings in each pool.
This will be followed by an exciting knockout stage that will decide the overall winners in each category.
Last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19 health concerns. And staff will be taking every possible precaution to ensure the safety of everyone attending this spring.
A tuck shop will be available for refreshments all day. Those in attendance will also enjoy a lunchtime barbecue complete with vegan options that can be pre-ordered.
Accommodation is also available for teams looking for an overnight stay.
The cost to enter is £40 per team. Anyone requiring further information or to book your place, contact Ryan Kirby via email at RKirby@rydalpenrhos.com.
Time Capsule
Prep pupils take a trip back in time
There was a great deal of excitement in the air as Rydal Penrhos Prep pupils recently opened a time capsule that had been prepared by members of the congregation of St John’s Methodist Church, now the school chapel. This contained everyday items from the turn of the millennium, as well as handwritten letters.
The time capsule told a story not just about the time it was prepared, but about the people who prepared it. One letter came from a woman called Irene who was born in 1917 and moved to North Wales from Cardiff to train as a nurse, joining the congregation of St John’s and making Colwyn Bay her home.
A second came from the minister of St John’s at the time, Graham Peacock, who reflected on the strange fact that his congregation’s future was now the children’s present.
Other items found within the capsule spoke of the era in which it was prepared, revealing not only what was present in 2000 but what was absent. Namely, the realm of the internet, in which so many of us now spend so much of our time.
In 2000 the web was in its infancy, and while St John’s was ahead of the curve, having helped to create a circuit website, the capsule also contained a wealth of printed media, including newspapers and magazines, which were far more prevalent at the time.
There was one other nod to digital technology, in the form of a cassette tape and a video. Given the breakneck pace at which digital media has advanced since 2000, these technologies appeared borderline archaic to Rydal Penrhos pupils taking part in this activity.
The newspaper of the day contained much that you could find in last weekend’s papers, from political scandals to Premier League football. The Prep children were particularly amused by the end of Rev’d Peacock’s letter, in which he asked the burning question of the day – will Manchester United win the league?
Rydal Penrhos is enormously grateful to the members of St John’s who put together the time capsule. Year 6 pupils are now on a mission to create their own time capsule to leave for other children to discover in 20 years time.
They are giving a lot of thought to what they should put in it to reflect life for them today and we cannot wait to see what they decide on.
Pre-School
Exploring Space during exciting topic
Rydal Penrhos Pre-School is the perfect place for children to begin their journey through education.
Our exceptional staff led by department manager Letitia Spencer provide a safe, stimulating environment that allows each child to flourish, develop at their own pace, build friendships and become inspired through a diverse programme of activities and early learning methods under expert supervision.
In addition to building solid foundations in literacy and numeracy, Pre-School children also participate in practical-based activities collectively designed to foster self-esteem, a positive attitude as well as expressive and observational skills. These transpire both on-site and outdoors thanks to Rydal Penrhos’ stunning location on the North Wales coast.
Children have been extremely busy since their return from the festive break, delving deeper into Space for a special topic that featured a wealth of exciting practical and thought-provoking activities.
As part of their ongoing work throughout the term, Pre-School children grew cress to develop more understanding about sunlight and how it helps things grow and explored walking on the moon, creating an American flag like the one placed on the moon’s surface by Neil Armstrong.
There was plenty of excitement in the air during their singing and dancing to Space-themed songs, with children also getting the opportunity to become astronauts as part of their role-play sessions.
Under the guidance of staff, Pre-Schoolers also made their very own rocket ships outside using wooden blocks at Rydal Penrhos’ specialist Forest School site, something that enhanced their creativity and progressed practical skills significantly for good measure.
Ms Spencer, said: “The children are enjoying learning about this term’s topic and the discussions have been fantastic.
“The children have a weekly activity that is uploaded onto Evidence Me which they bring into Pre-School at the beginning of the week to show their friends and teachers. Their work then gets displayed on the Homework table for everyone to see.
“It’s lovely to see how excited the children are when they bring in their creations.”
Facilities
The perfect place for events and team-building
Whether you are organising an internal event for your staff or even an external one for clients or the wider industry you operate in, corporate events are an excellent tool for improving communication and Rydal Penrhos has everything you might be looking for.
If you are planning a corporate event specifically for your staff, this is an excellent way to improve productivity, company culture and morale. When working day in and day out, it can be easy to fall out of love with your profession.
However, by investing in a company-wide break from the norm, you can help to reset and refresh your staff. Offering fun activities, talks and food can ensure that your staff’s morale improves. Stronger morale amongst your staff can lead to better productivity in the workplace.
Rydal Penrhos is the perfect place for such an event. The school boasts spacious meeting and conference rooms that can host anywhere between 5-250 guests and come complete with state of the art AV equipment for presentations or other interactive tools.
Our facilities include smaller rooms, ideal for group training or, the Dining Hall and the Memorial Hall which are available for larger conferences and for refreshments in-between sessions courtesy of Rydal Penrhos’ exceptional catering team.
Team building in the workplace is the process of creating a team that is cohesively working together towards a common goal. The importance of team building is to create a strong team through forming bonds and connections.
Creating these bonds through team building is very beneficial to businesses and organisations. The benefits of team building include increased communication, planning skills, employee motivation, and employee collaboration.
Fun activities that help people see each other in a different light allow them to connect in a different setting. People on your team are asked to think about the implications of these activities at their workplace.
Rydal Penrhos caters for these occasions, too. Our vast campus and sporting facilities are the perfect places for team building exercises or a corporate away day. We also have a 25-metre swimming pool, a large sports hall and large outdoor spaces available for hire with a multitude of different possibilities.
Our staff team will be happy to assist with the planning aspect of such events to ease the burden. They are helpful, experienced and go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure your stay will be everything you hoped for and more.
The school has accommodation available for those looking to organise weekend activities, with Rydal Penrhos fortunate to be situated in a fantastic location close to the beach, the Snowdonia National Park and Zip World as well as being easy to reach with a nearby railway station in Colwyn Bay and just a stone’s throw from the A55 expressway.
We are enormously proud of the facilities provided to our wonderful pupils and the wider community. Rydal Penrhos is proud to be at the heartbeat of the local area and we look forward to welcoming many more organisations, businesses, clubs and societies in the coming months.
Anyone wishing to enquire about booking Rydal Penrhos’ exceptional facilities, contact 01492 530155 or email events@rydalpenrhos.com for more information.
Hockey & Netball
Hannah & Bella secure captaincy roles
It’s been refreshing to see our pupils getting back into competitive fixtures throughout the academic year.
COVID-19 restrictions made things extremely difficult for our aspiring athletes, but Rydal Penrhos endeavoured to ensure progress remained on track through coaching and online assistance throughout such challenging times.
Our pupils have been participating in sporting fixtures in accordance with Welsh Government guidelines in recent months, something that has done wonders for their overall development, boosted camaraderie and improved wellbeing in the process.
The school’s squads are right back in the swing of things, and Rydal Penrhos is delighted to announce that Bella Rutherford and Hannah Davies have been appointed as Netball and Hockey captains for the current campaign.
Bella and Hannah are both in Year 13 and are sure to bring a significant amount to their respective positions. They are also part of the school’s Senior Prefect Team, providing the younger members of the Rydal Penrhos community with strong role models academically, through house events and in a sporting environment.
They will be working closely with their vice-captains, who are Elsi Pyves (Hockey) and Emily Thomas (Netball)
This deserved recognition comes after years of fine service to Rydal Penrhos, with Bella and Hannah making their way through various age-grade squads before making an impression with the senior teams.
Gaining so much valuable experience is going to be a tremendous asset in their new leadership roles. Bella and Hannah will also call on this to provide advice and guidance during training sessions and games to other talented netballers and hockey stars from the school.
On behalf of everyone at Rydal Penrhos, we would like to congratulate Bella and Hannah on their captaincy roles. Another superb distinction that will benefit them and their teammates enormously in the coming weeks.
Art
Year 6 draw inspiration from Amedeo Clemente Modigliani
Getting the most out of each pupil’s education is something that has been the cornerstone of Rydal Penrhos’ success throughout history.
Examination results and “value-added” scores remain exceptionally high and this is a testament to the school’s incredible teaching staff going the extra mile to ensure every individual’s goals are met.
This has been in full effect once again since the start of the academic year, with pupils successfully transitioning back to learning in a structured environment after the obvious challenges regarding COVID-19 safety measures. Pupils are thriving in and out of the classroom, developing academically and building key skills during extra-curricular activities to further enhance their progress.
One of the more vibrant areas of Rydal Penrhos is the Prep Art department – a fantastic facility that allows pupils to get creative, examine the work of legendary artists throughout history and become inspired through various exciting projects devised by teacher Suzy Morris.
Art is a great release for pupils. It allows them to escape from their usual academic stresses and improve elements such as self-confidence and self-understanding, communication skills and cognition.
Year 6 pupils at Rydal Penrhos produced some outstanding work recently for a project that centred on the work of Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, a renowned Italian painter that spent most of his career working in France.
Modigliani was known for portraits and a modern style characterised by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and figures. Although these were not received well during his lifetime, they later became highly sought-after creations.
Pupils examined the fine work of Modigliani before painting their own portraits for “vessels” in the same style.
This was another extremely worthwhile activity for Year 6 and something that produced excellent work that is now taking pride of place in the Art Room.
Welsh Air Ambulance
Impromptu helicopter visit causes excitement
It was just another normal day at Rydal Penrhos until a loud roar from the sky completely changed everything for a group of intrigued and very excited Prep and Pre-School pupils.
This came thanks to an impromptu visit from the distinctive red helicopter of the Welsh Air Ambulance – a vital charitable trust that Rydal Penrhos often supports – that landed on the school’s Plateau sporting field to assist with a medical emergency in the region.
Pre-School children and Reception pupils immediately went out to greet Pilot John and the state-of-the-art helicopter under the supervision of staff.
This resulted in Pilot John giving a talk to the curious youngsters, going through his job details and detailing some of the equipment used to cope with emergencies across the North Wales coast and harsher terrains such as the Snowdonia National Park.
The talk went down extremely well with pupils, who all came to the same conclusion upon returning to Rydal Penrhos’ exceptional Prep and Pre-School facilities…
They all want to become Helicopter Pilots!
Although very much out of the blue, this experience was a fantastic one for our pupils. One that provoked some exciting and worthwhile discussions with staff and among their peers immediately after.
Everyone at Rydal Penrhos would like to thank Pilot John for his talk and to the Welsh Air Ambulance for their exceptional work across the region. We wish the injured person during this particular incident the very best of health.
Stars of the Week
Congratulations!
Stars of the Week
- Reception - Nell
- Year 1 - Harris
- Year 2 – Jacob M and Isabella
- Year 3 - Adam
- Year 4 - Rose
- Year 5 – Archie and Harrison S
- Year 6 - Elizabeth
- Artist – Jacob S in Year 3 for his brilliant Mexican painting
- Performer – Eleanor in Year 2 for her fantastic progress in her piano lessons
Sport
Cameron thrives during British Ski Academy camp in Italy
We are always thrilled to hear of our pupils thriving away from Rydal Penrhos.
Whether it’s community work, involvement with organisations and clubs or in a sporting environment, our staff actively encourage this as a method to further enhance their development in key areas.
Cameron Pye, who is a Year 8 pupil at the school, is another fine example of this and the talented skier recently secured another notable experience during an 18-day training camp in Pila, Italy with the British Ski Academy.
Rydal Penrhos permitted him to attend the camp providing he kept up with his studies throughout his stay, which he was able to accomplish by making use of the school’s free iPad to keep in touch with teaching staff during the three hours a day allocated to academic progress by the BSA.
Cameron spent the camp developing his skills on the picturesque slopes and competing against full-time ski academy athletes in the Anglo-Scottish Championships, something which brought out the very best in the pupil with an outstanding series of results in the face of stern competition.
The pupil did not finish lower than 13th in any U14 category, with Cameron also managing to secure two top-10 finishes in the Combined Slalom and Boys Slalom Race 2. Hopefully, these results will enable Cameron to achieve qualification for the British Championships, which will take place in Tignes, France later this year.
Cameron will be heading back to Italy on 12 February with the British Ski Academy for training and more competition during the English Championships in Bormio, which is sure to be another very worthwhile experience for a skier that’s developed significantly since taking up the sport as a Rydal Penrhos Prep pupil.
Everyone at Rydal Penrhos would like to congratulate Cameron on his incredible effort throughout the camp and displaying an exceptional commitment to learning away from school.
Music
ABRSM Distinction for Hannah!
Many Rydal Penrhos pupils choose to progress their musical interests alongside the typical classroom studies implemented throughout their time in education.
This comes through music lessons as part of the school’s rich curriculum as well as received expert tuition in their own time to further enhance key areas such as technique, confidence and the all-important theoretical aspect of performing.
As part of their development in this particular area, pupils are also given the opportunity to gain recognition as part of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music assessments, which begin at an introductory level and can go all the way to the prestigious Diploma standard in Year 13.
Niamh Cook, who recently began the next stage of her journey at Bangor University, was the latest pupil to reach the ABRSM pinnacle alongside her A Level studies, securing Diplomas in Clarinet and Piano to attain what is an exceptional achievement in challenging circumstances due to COVID-19.
The youngest members of the Rydal Penrhos community are also in the process of moving up the ladder and Year 4 pupil Hannah received some incredible news recently when her ABRSM Grade 2 Piano assessment results were confirmed.
Hannah worked tremendously hard in the lead-up to her examination under the supervision of staff, something that paid off after adjudicators gave the pupil a Distinction as a result of her efforts.
This represents a fine accomplishment for Hannah, who will now begin pursuing Grade 3 and higher in the coming months.
Everyone at Rydal Penrhos would like to congratulate Hannah on her Grade 2 Distinction and we look forward to hearing about further accolades in the future.
Video
Year 2 provide Dydd Santes Dwynwen message
Gallery
First XI Hockey success!
