26 January 2023
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rieni,Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Rotary Cardiff Area Young Musician of the Year 2023!
Fresh from our success of our school debating team at the Rotary Youth Speaks competition at Howells School last week, we were privileged to be supported by the Rotary Club of Llanishen again this week.
On Monday night Whitchurch High School hosted the Rotary Cardiff Area Young Musician of the Year, which showcases the most talented students from across the city. Emma Gatenby in Year 13 was selected to represent the Llanishen area in the vocal competition, where she sang ‘Think of Me’ from Phantom of the Opera and ‘One Perfect Moment’ from Bring it On.
The standard was extremely high, with Emma performing against students who have recently won national and UK-wide competitions; however, Emma absolutely held her own and wasn’t out of place with such a plethora of incredible singing talent. The judges commented on her ability to bring about drama and meaning through her performance and her beautiful soprano tone. Although Emma didn’t win the vocal competition, we are all very proud of her and the way she represented our local area. Here she is with an immensely proud Mr Grimstead!
Working in partnership with City Hospice
Our Student Charity Committee were delighted to welcome members of the City Hospice team to join their Charity Committee meeting last week. We are really excited to be joining forces with City Hospice again this year and for their sponsorship of our student team as City Hospice Young Ambassadors.
Here they are in all their colourful glory when the sun made a brief but welcome appearance..
Face-to-face was great!
On Monday night it was fantastic to see our Year 8 Parents face-to-face to commence the options process for Year 8 as they make key decisions about the next stage in their education. This is the first real opportunity to shape their individual curriculum pathway.
The curriculum pathways that we offer are an opportunity for us to put our school mission into concrete practice. We aim to create a supportive, inclusive environment that nurtures individual growth and personal success. Alongside the core/statutory curriculum of English, Mathematics, Science, PRE (Philosophy, Religion and Ethics), Welsh and PE, our students can pick 4 additional choices from the free choice list below. They can mix and match the GCSE and robust vocational qualifications that we offer:
Many of these subjects will be familiar, but some will be new. Our free choice offer this year has been broadened even further to include GCSE Dance, and a qualification called ‘Learning in the Outdoors’ that utilises our school polytunnel and garden and supports our education around sustainability and health.
Here are a few snaps to show some of the newer and creative subjects in motion. They include our new facilities for music technology and our newly installed dark room that allows students who take Photography to develop their own prints.
We will be supporting our Year 8 families with care as they make these decisions and look forward to seeing Year 8 parents at the School Cloud parents evening on 31st January.
In the next fortnight, the senior leadership team and the Heads of Year 11 and Sixth Form will also be inviting each student in Year 11 to an individual interview to support them in their planning and preparation for the next 6 months. We will be discussing their current exam results, revision strategies, and support for their plans for September 2023.
Finally today, we would like to extend our congratulations to Euan James in Year 10. Euan has been selected to play hockey for Wales under 18’s. We wish him an exhilarating season and hope to receive some action shots in due course!
Wishing you all a happy and healthy weekend. Thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry, Headteacher