OPEN MORNING

Saturday 26th January 2008 10.30am - 12.30pm

Individuals and families are welcome to visit the school informally, to talk to staff about any aspect of the school experience and to be shown around by current students, who will gladly answer any questions. Howell’s has a reputation for friendliness, academic excellence, confidence-building, outstanding facilities (including an on-site dyslexia unit) and first-class pastoral care. The school is particularly proud that at GSCE, students’ results are two grades higher on average than predicted in the independent MIDYIS assessments, and A level results are consistently high.

For those interested, Assessments and the Entrance and Scholarship Examination will take place on this morning.

If you would like more information, please contact Admissions on 029 2026 1832.

This is an opportunity to come and visit the Nursery, Junior School and Senior School on a Saturday morning and to talk to the teachers about the excellent educational opportunities the school provides.
Our Nursery girls enjoy a family friendly atmosphere and dedicated support from the Nursery teachers and support staff. The Nursery is secure and has immediate access to the infant playground and the outdoor classroom.   It is split into two small groups so that each girl benefits from dedicated individual learning time with staff ...........Click here for full article.

In half term, Miss Chard, Physics teacher, went to visit our partner school in Lesotho, in Africa.  Miss Brewer, Head of French, has been developing the link with Likhakeng High School over the years.  She has visited it previously and Patrick Mojarane, Deputy Head of Likhakeng, has in turn visited Howell’s.  The Science laboratory that Howell’s raised funds for has now been built and will be in full use early next year.  The teachers and students of the school conveyed their deep gratitude to parents, students and staff at Howell’s for the generosity shown.  Miss Brewer has also raised money to buy a generator for the school and our former Principal, Mrs Jane Fitz, has contributed to the equipping of the laboratory.  Although we have raised money for sustainable projects for the school the main aim of the link is to develop an understanding of how other cultures live and we are keen to discover what we can learn from each other.  Students are part of a global community and, in time, we hope to build links into the curriculum at Howell’s so that our students can develop an awareness of other cultures. Miss Chard  looks forward to her host, Mrs Justina Mamokhitla Ramollo, Head of Agriculture and teacher of Science at Likhakeng, visiting us in April so we can show her the same hospitality that she and Likhakeng High School showed her. 

21st  January  2008

Young Drivers’ Presentation

Year 12 were fortunate to receive an informative presentation from John Goff (Senior Safety Officer for Cardiff County Council) and Linda Harrington (Approved Driving Instructor) in their PSHHE lesson.  The talk outlined the worrying statistics and gave graphic details relating to young drivers and accidents.  The Welsh Assembly Government is trying to address this issue by subsidising the cost of sitting Pass Plus Cymru. This course is taken after passing the standard driving test and involves three hours theory and eight hours further driving experience (including motorways). The normal cost is £140 but this subsidy means the entire cost is only £20.  Apart from obviously improving driving skills, insurance rates are substantially reduced. It is run from Ely Fire Station on Saturday mornings. The College is also to offer a free two-hour course specific to driving and parking safely on the school premises.  This is a wonderful opportunity for students to become better and safer drivers. In the near future, the only students who will be given permission to park on the school premises are those who have taken Pass Plus Cymru and the internal school course.

21st  January  2008

We congratulate three girls in Yr 9 who have been accepted to attend eight masterclasses in maths in Glamorgan  University  on a Saturday morning this term.They are Catherine Evans, Isabel Jenkins and Sarah Williams.

14th  January  2008

 Lydia is currently Head Girl and has been elected by her peers on the Save the Children Welsh Youth Panel to the Global Save the Children Youth Panel.  She is the first ever representative in this new initiative from Save the Children. The idea behind the panel is to allow young people to have a voice and to advise Save the Children on key issues and programmes in order to improve the lives of children. Lydia has been enthused by her experience so far. “Save the Children Welsh Panel Day was a brilliant day.  It was inspiring to work with such a variety of people whose goal is to help children have a better future.  I was thrilled to be elected as the first Welsh member on the Global Panel and I look forward to working for and with Save the Children.”

11th  January  2008

Howell’s girls attend Llandaff railings unveiling ceremony

A group of Year 7 students, accompanied by Mrs Davis and Mrs Sully, attended a short ceremony in Llandaff  to unveil and dedicate some magnificent new railings adjacent to the old Bishops’ Palace. The railings, which incorporate a leaf design, were commissioned by the Llandaff Society in memory of Lisbeth David, a distinguished Hywelian who founded the Llandaff Society many years ago and who died last year. The society is a thriving organisation whose members are interested in the history of Llandaff village and seek to protect and further its interests today. Lisbeth David, a theology graduate of Oxford University, was Vice-President and a very active member of this society. The ceremony was attended by, amongst others, Canon Holcombe of Llandaff Cathedral, Captain Norman Lloyd-Edwards, the Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan, the niece and nephew of Lisbeth David and many representatives of the Llandaff Society, including a few Hywelians.

College Debating Success

On the evening of November 28th, Howell’s hosted the local round of the Cambridge Union Schools’ Debating Competition. Four schools participated, and Howell’s College entered two teams. Lauren Capron and Catherine Rendle entered as Howell’s A, and Harry Brooks and Jasper Warner were Howell’s B. All speakers had to tackle two very different motions: the United Nations should have a standing army, and obese children should be taken into care. Both teams performed creditably, and we were delighted that Harry and Jasper were chosen to go through to the next round of the competition in February. A special mention should be made of Dominic Jackson. When a fifth school was unable to participate, he stepped in at the last moment as a one-man ‘swing’ team, making four well-structured speeches during the course of the evening! Congratulations to all the participants.

There was great excitement in the Infant and Nursery Departments when the Christmas Circus came to Howell’s.  This year’s production was a whirl of colour, music, jokes and mind-boggling acts drawn from the four corners of the school. Clowns polished their noses, Rudolph parked Santa’s sleigh in Howell’s Crescent and the Ring Master cracked his whip to pull together one of the most entertaining pieces of musical theatre ever seen in Cardiff. There were wonderful workouts from the Wobblies in Reception, Year One’s Hippy Hoppos shook the stage and, last but not least, there was a special visit from Santa, whose fairies and elves from Nursery added that touch of magic to the show. The crowd cheered as the world’s strongest woman, Megamo,  broke a Howell’s record and the fantastic flea circus got everyone jumping out of their seats.  “I liked Princess Wobblova the best,” said Anoushka Negi in 2J. “It was funny when she carried a tray of drinks on her head and her assistants opened their mouths trying to get the wine out of the glasses.

Senior Girls’ Choir performs again at the Millennium Centre

Almost 70 girls from Years 10-13, members of the Senior Girls’ Choir, were delighted to be invited to perform yet again at the WMC in the Christmas Presence concert. This has become an annual prestigious event and this year the guest soloist was none other than Britain’s most popular soprano, Lesley Garrett. A number of girls from the Junior School also took part and looked enchanting in their long dresses. Accompanied by the Christmas Presence orchestra, the choir sang a variety of pieces in an extremely polished and professional way, a few even with Lesley Garrett. All the hard work of the rehearsals paid off and the girls found it a very exciting experience, especially being showered with “snowflakes” at the end! Congratulations to them all for their commitment and achievement, and we thank all the staff involved in the event, especially Mrs Phillips, whose enthusiasm and high standard of training enabled the occasion to be so successful.

Jonathan Evans, MEP, addresses the College Politics Society

We were delighted to welcome Jonathan Evans, a Member of the European Parliament for the last eight years, to address the Politics Society on Friday, 30th November. Mr Evans has had a long and successful political career, having formerly been Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnor and having served as a minister in the last Conservative government. The students very much enjoyed hearing how he formed his political views and his responses to questions on a wide range of issues: different electoral systems, the importance of Europe to Wales, the leadership of David Cameron and the role of powerful figures in American politics.Mr Evans had just come from giving an interview to the ‘South Wales Echo’, announcing his intention to stand down from the European Parliament in 2009 in order to campaign for election as MP for Cardiff North. Despite this, Mr Evans was careful to be even-handed in his references to the political parties, and certainly encouraged the students present to get involved in local politics, whichever party they choose to support. We are extremely grateful to him for taking time from his busy schedule to present such a relaxed and interesting talk

On the evening of Thursday December 6th, Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls hosted the south and east Wales round of the English Speaking Union Public Speaking competition. On a dark and stormy evening, it was inevitable that some teams would drop out, but that did not diminish in any way the very high standard of public speaking during the evening from the remaining teams. Our team of Katie Price ( speaker ), Sidi Bai ( chair ) and Emily Davies (questioner ) all from Year 10, performed exceptionally well and were rewarded with the prize of best team of the evening and, along with Haberdashers', will go on to represent the region in the all Wales final in March. This will be held in Cardiff. Congratulations to all the girls involved for their excellent team work!

12th  December  2007

Instrumental Successes!

29th  November 2007

Thirty-three students from Years 9, 10 and 11 along with three members of the PE Department and Year 13 student  Sarah Jones went on a five-day hockey trip to the town of Valkenburg in South Holland in the first week of half-term.

14th  November 2007

Media coverage for Howell’s School Senior Girls’ Choir singing sensation

The Howell’s Senior Girls’ Choir is delighted by the recent coverage on radio and TV. This coverage is in support of the UNICEF fundraiser Let’s Celebrate Christmas CD.

ITV broadcast a report from the choir’s rehearsal at St David’s Hall for the UNIFEM concert.  BBC Wales Television recorded the girls rehearsing in school and interviewed them about their recent experience of recording a professional CD backed by the Christmas Presence Orchestra and produced by the famous record producer Gordon Lorenz and about sharing the CD with the top class Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

7th  November 2007

7th  November 2007

7th  November 2007

Enterprise Week 12th-18th November 2007

The national celebration of enterprise, inspiring young people to turn their ideas into reality. Last year there were 3,184 events organised by 1,410 organisations. 

This year a group of Howell’s girls are getting ready to take part in the Challenge.  They will log online on Monday and take part in the competition.  Good luck!  

Read more  http://www.enterpriseweek.org/

7th  November 2007

Students left Howell’s during half term for a six day study tour in Germany and Poland.  The party arrived in Berlin for the first stage of the trip, concentrating mainly on Nazi and Cold War Berlin.  A packed programme on the first day included a visit to the Story of Berlin Museum, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Wansee Conference House and the TV Tower.  The enormity of the Nazi crimes was brought to the fore and the party was left speechless and visibly moved on many occasions.

Day two was spent in Berlin on a whistle-stop tour of the city that included all the Nazi establishments, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror Foundation.

We travelled onwards by overnight train to Krakow, and no book or film could have prepared us for the atrocities exhibited at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Memorial.  We were privileged to have the opportunity to be guided around the sites.  The evening saw the party being entertained at a local restaurant by traditional Polish dancers. 

 The final day included a tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines, followed by a guided walk of the city of Krakow.  Our guides in Germany and Poland commented that the students were a credit to the school.  Students and staff felt that they had completed a meaningful and worthwhile experience.

Mrs H Davies

5th  November 2007

It was the middle of the night (and freezing cold!) when a group of German students from Years 10, 11 and 12 set off for the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) with three of their teachers. Our journey took us through France and we crossed the border into Germany at Strasbourg. We arrived at the comfortable, modern Freiburg youth hostel just in time for our evening meal and then set off for an evening stroll through beautiful parkland; however we did not appreciate............. Please click here for full report.

5th  November 2007

Good luck to the Senior School Choir who are taking part in the UNIFEM concert, 'A Music Extravaganza' at the St. David's Hall Cardiff.

15th  October 2007

Welsh Schools’ Ski Championship at Llangrannog, October 2007

The weekend of 6^th-7^th October, primary and secondary schools from all over Wales sent teams to ski in the Welsh Schools’ Ski Championship in Llangrannog. It is always a highly successful and popular event with over one hundred children taking part. This year Howell’s was represented by 12 students with girls’ teams from the Junior and Senior Schools and a team of boys from the College. Our Senior School girls’ team, consisting of Elise Broughton, Sam Maurice, Amy Battrick and Elinor Cater, came an excellent third, with Anna Selway as an individual entry. The Junior School team finished in a superb second place and consisted of Phoebe Johns, Holly Cruickshank, Harriet James and Georgia Hawkins.

The College team was represented by Alex Batten, Huw Davies, and Jo Troughton.

There were also individual medals for Elise Broughton, Sam Maurice, Holly Cruickshank and Jo Troughton who all won gold, Elinor Cater who won silver and Huw Davies, Phoebe Johns and Amy Battrick who all won bronze medals. The Senior School team qualified to go forward to the British Championships in Rossendale in November. Many congratulations!

8th  October 2007

Hannah Coakley

8th October 2007

Languages clubs in Senior School

2nd October 2007

Languages week

Languages Week in the Senior School and College took place from 24^th – 28^th of September. The internationally recognised ‘European Day of Languages’ is 26^th September,  when languages are celebrated in the 45 countries of Europe. The day aims to create awareness of the 6000+ languages spoken world-wide, promoting understanding between nations, kick-starting learning and generally having multilingual fun!

Students took part in assemblies, where they celebrated the diversity of languages and cultures represented in school and reported on the study visits organised by the languages departments during Challenges Week 2007. These included the Year 7 visit to Paris, a Year 8 visit to the Rhineland, a Year 8 activity week through the medium of Welsh and the College staging of the Greek tragedy Lysistrata. Sidi Bai (Year 10) and Katie Smith (Year 9) also presented their entries to this year’s national Modern Foreign Languages poetry writing competition ‘Free Spirit’, which gained them both a runners-up award.

During the week a variety of international dishes was served in the dining room and students enjoyed participating in a range of activities organised by the Languages, Welsh and Classics prefects. These included a poster competition for Year 7,  a treasure hunt, multi-lingual bingo with Roman numerals, language taster lessons (which featured 16 different languages!), a screening of Hercules  and a cultural quiz.

2nd October 2007

Suzana (Year 9) does voluntary work in Uganda

This summer I opted to go with my nan to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. It was a 16-hour flight but I was feeling very positive, having managed to escape the need for five injections beforehand. Our family are not Catholics but my uncle’s aunt is a retired nun from Uganda. She and the brothers of the MoP monastery  have been working in the Good Shepherd Children’s Home, where the residents are aged 2-20 and 60+. We stayed with the monks and a very nice Ugandan family.

In the mornings we made the twenty-minute drive across town on the unbelievably bumpy roads to the home. The residents include orphans, children with Down’s Syndrome and others with various disabilities caused by illnesses such as malaria, polio and epilepsy. We helped by serving food, cleaning and folding clothes. It was an amazing experience which I would definitely do again.

27th September 2007

This year’s Prizegiving Ceremony was a particularly special event as it celebrated the achievements of our first co-educational cohort. Amongst a variety of academic subject awards were prizes given for extra-curricular successes and service awards for commitment to others. Many students also achieved their ECDL and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The new format of the evening focussed on sharing with the governors, invited guests, students and families the phenomenal achievements of the class of 2007over the past two years. Particular highlights included a résumé of Sporting, Debating, Dramatic, Musical, Charitable and Leadership activities. The Principal and Head of College admitted to finding it quite a challenge to limit the range of activities referred to, as there were so many to choose from. Leavers Sarah Griffiths and Rhodri Thomas kindly sang and played the piano to entertain the audience.  Both were impressive in their performances and a credit to their year. The guest speaker was Mrs Jane Fitz, former Principal of the school, under whom the co-educational College was introduced. She expressed her pride in the students’ achievements and wished them well as they set off for new challenges. Our very best wishes go with all of you!

20th September 2007