Hywelian Visit

It is always a pleasure when past students come to the school for a visit. Sally Griffiths, a Hywelian, visited the school on March 8th., and had this to say: “There was such a good feeling in this school - friendliness and warmth. It's small enough that people recognise each other and I felt that everything is being taken care of. It was such a sweet time to be received so royally by Miss Jean Ballinger who gave me the tour. I was so pleasantly pleased to see the changes since 'my' day!”
Sally Griffiths (pupil 1964-69)

16th April  2008

Success in Urdd Eisteddfod

Congratulations to Claire from Year 8 and to Angharad in Year 10 for winning the county round of the Urdd Eisteddfod in Plasmawr on Wednesday, 12^th March. Claire won the individual recitation for Welsh learners in Years 7-9. The piece by Tudur Dylan was entitled “Gwersi” and gave a student’s perspective on school lessons. Angharad recited “Trawscambria” and won the individual recitation for Welsh learners in Years 10-13. Claire and Angharad will go on to represent the school in the National Eisteddfod held in Sir Conwy at the end of May. Dymuniadau gorau a phob hwyl i chi.

11th April  2008

Religious Studies Year 12 Trip to Trinity College, Carmarthen

 The Religious Studies course to Trinity College, Carmarthen was a worthwhile experience and very helpful to our course. Information from leading scholars and examiners was given. The chief examiner in ethics, Noel Davies, encouraged discussions with other delegates on the ethical theories. The rabbi and recognised scholar, Dan Cohen-Sherbok provided incredible insight into Judaism. The Hinduism lecturer, from Trinity College’s Religious Studies department, gave us an overview of the diversity within Hinduism. The trip enabled us to look around the college and have a taste of university life. I am glad I went. Faisan Hasan

11th April  2008

‘HATS OFF’ FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Princess Anne’s lady-in-waiting, the Rt Honourable Shan Legge-Bourke, recently visited the Junior School to deliver her famous ‘hat chat’ in aid of Save the Children charity. Shan, from Crickhowell, has travelled the world accompanying HRH Princess Anne – who is also the ambassador for Save the Children - on her royal visits. In countries such as Africa, Sudan, Tibet and Bangladesh, where the charity carries out its valuable work, Shan collects a hat, often donated by the native people with a special story behind each one. The girls dressed up accordingly in their own hats for Shan Legge-Bourke’s visit which included a few colourful Easter Bonnets, and loved hearing her fascinating stories from around the globe. Shan said, “It is always a pleasure to visit schools and various organisations to give my ‘hat chat’ and it was a delight to see the children at Howell’s wearing their own colourful and imaginative creations. The girls will be holding a Hat Day on 15 April to raise money for Save the Children. Shan, who has been involved in the work of Save the Children for over thirty years, is also the Chair of the Women in Wales Committee, with its annual lunch being Save the Children’s biggest fundraising event in Wales. This year’s lunch is held at the City Hall in Cardiff on Friday, April 18th , with special guest speaker, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, author of bestsellers ‘The Good Granny Guide’ and ‘The Good Granny Cookbook’, and mother to chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. Shan said, “Hats and feathers is the theme of this year’s annual Women in Wales Lunch, and although to wear them is optional, we hope that many ladies will join in the fun and raise vital funds to help the work of Save the Children in Wales.”

11th April  2008

YEAR 10 OPEN AFTERNOON

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Year 8 History trip to the Commandery at Worcester

On 13th March all the girls in Year 8, accompanied by four members of staff, visited the newly refurbished Commandery at Worcester. This beautiful old building, which is now a museum, served as the Charles II’s headquarters in 1651 when he was trying to defeat the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell, who had executed his father Charles I and taken over control of the country. The girls were divided into groups and each took part in four activities. They had an audio tour of the building, which gave them an idea of the role of the Commandery in the Civil War and enabled them to see some of the exhibits, including Oliver Cromwell’s death mask. A bracing walk in the cold weather to the top of Fort Royal, an artillery position on a former earthworks fortification held by Royalist troops during the Battle of Worcester, was followed by a most informative talk on the battle itself and how Charles II’s forces were finally overcome by the power of the parliamentary army. The other two sessions were workshops on Armour and Weapons in the Civil War and The Baggage Train – life when the troops were not actually fighting. Volunteers dressed in clothes and armour of the period and enjoyed learning a great deal about the period, including details of unhygienic conditions endured at the time! The girls commented that the visit had brought their classroom studies to life and had enhanced their understanding of the period.

18th March  2008

Howell’s students study university-level courses

 A number of Year 13 students have successfully completed YASS (Young Applicants in Schools and Colleges Scheme) courses in subjects such as human genetics and astronomy.  These courses are run by the Open University and give an indication of what first-year undergraduate level study entails. They are aimed at gifted and talented students, who take them alongside their A and AS level studies. These courses develop students’ learning skills, including independent learning, and enhance their academic profile. On completion, students can gain up to 60 university credit points, along with impressive independent study skills that are valued by universities and employers alike. Lauren, who studied Molecules, Medicines and Drugs, said, “I enjoyed the course and I found it useful, especially as it is the type of course I want to study at University. I found the coursework challenging but it was worthwhile.” Nyashu, who studied Design and the Web as part of the Engineering and Technology course enthused, "The YASS scheme was a unique and helpful push towards independent learning. Hugely helpful support and a very satisfying result meant it was entirely worthwhile and a taster of University-level study."  Rob Humphreys, Director of The OU in Wales, said, “Learners should be encouraged regardless of their age and young people like this are benefiting from the knowledge and confidence that comes from pursuing higher education studies while still at school.”

 18th March  2008

 To celebrate World Book Day the infant department was visited by author and storyteller, Cat Weatherill, who spent the day enthralling the girls with her fairy tales. Not only did she tell the stories, but she acted them out, with the girls taking on some of the parts of the different characters. Portia in reception exclaimed, “ I liked doing all the animal sounds”.

Year 1 were treated to ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and Cat played music during the story and had the girls saying poems and singing songs as part of the story too. The girls loved the way Cat moved among them, dancing with them as they ‘lived’ the story. Razanne in Year 1 enthused, “ I liked playing Mrs Grantry, what’s in your Pantry?” The girls also had the chance to meet Cat again at the end of the day and have a CD of fairy stories personally signed for them.The girls had a wonderful day and it was a perfect way to celebrate World Book Day.

 13th March  2008

Howell’s will be hosting a regional team mathematics competition on 17th April when 24 teams will be competing in a regional heat to win a chance to compete with 63 other teams in the national final in London on Monday 23rd June 2008.

The National Team Maths Challenge is run by the UK Mathematics Trust and involves teams of four pupils aged between 11 and 14 competing in:

• a group round using team work to answer ten questions between them;

• a relay race – a combination of speed across the room and speed at solving maths problems;

• a mathematical crossword or cross-number with two members of the team working on the down clues and two on the across;

• a head-to-head competition between pairs of teams to identify the secret rule linking a series of numbers.

11th March  2008

Public Speaking team to represent Wales in London

The Welsh National Final of the English Speaking Union Public Speaking Competition took place on March 5 at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. Six teams from all corners of Wales, having been the most successful in their regional heats, were invited to take part in this most prestigious event which was attended by the Lord Lieutenants of Mid and South Glamorgan and the Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.
The Howell's School team of Sidi (Chair), Katie (Speaker) and Emily (Questioner) were declared overall winners of the Welsh final after an afternoon of intense and inspiring public speaking; the judges praised their excellent team co-operation and, in addition to the accolade of best team, nominated Sidi the best Chairperson. This follows the team’s success last year as the winners of the UK Youth Speaks Competition run by the Rotary Club of UK and Ireland.
This is a tremendous achievement and augurs well for the next stage of the competition which will be the British National Finals in London on April 26 when the Howell's team will be proudly representing Wales.  

Quotes from the girls

Emily 14 yrs old, from Radyr- Questioner

It was fantastic to have the opportunity to enter a new and exciting competition. The ESU competition has been challenging, but definitely rewarding!  

Katie 15 yrs old, from Radyr- Speaker

It was a very nerve-wracking day, but the experience was worth while and it was a great result. Team work was definitely the key to our success and we all enjoyed the challenge.

Sidi 15 years, from Llanishen- Chair

It was an honour chairing in our team; it gave me a great chance to manage the running of our debate, and, of course, talk! The experience is extremely valuable, and I’m sure I’ll continue using my skills in the future.

11th March  2008

The Careers Department at Howell’s School – “continuing in their aims to raise awareness of the modern world of work.”

Careers Question Time March 4th 2008 

The department, together with the Parents’ Careers Committee and the ICT staff of the school and Trust, arranged the third biennial Careers Question Time evening. An innovative approach was taken this time in that the event was video recorded for other Trust schools, and a live link with Maureen Bosch from Trust Head Office was a major part of the evening   (we are one of the very first schools to use this technology).Our themes this year were “Entrepreneurship and Creativity” and the panel was carefully selected to represent both. We were very pleased that local entrepreneurs Annette Chinn, Huw Thomas and Mark Wordley agreed so readily to join us. Maggie Russell was our fourth panellist and her role was to share her knowledge and experiences with regard to the huge benefits in thinking creatively about career and lifestyle options, being prepared to be flexible and having the courage to seize opportunities as they arise – an inspirational and motivational contribution which the audience greatly appreciated. Maureen Bosch was the first panellist to speak via the webcam and it was very interesting to hear how the Trust is taking a creative and entrepreneurial approach to all it does. All the panellists spoke extremely well and with a great deal of humour, introducing us to the career path that they had followed to become successful entrepreneurs and giving many tips and lots of advice along the way. The major messages were all underpinned by the importance of working hard! The Question and Answer session was very lively indeed, and both parents and students raised interesting points and asked relevant questions.The Principal, Mrs Sally Davis, closed the evening by speaking about the many ways in which the school embraces creativity throughout all aspects of the curriculum and the large number of extra-curricular activities which our students enjoy. We felt the evening was a great success, and thanks are due to all the students and parents who attended and filled the room to overflowing!

 Our next big Careers event will be the Careers Convention in March 2009.

5th March  2008

Eisteddfod 2008

 This year the Eisteddfod was extremely successful and enjoyed by all. Before the day itself, many practices had already been held for various choirs and dramas by Baldwin, Kendall, Lewis and Trotter. Years 7, 8 and 9 had also competed in many homework competitions and winners had been announced before Eisteddfod day. Everyone arrived in their most competitive moods, and decked in house colours. The morning saw the music competitions and language recitations for years 7-9. These are always very exciting. With Kendall taking the lead, it was time for a well-deserved lunch. Straight after lunch was the house drama “Oliver”. All the performances were very professional, entertaining and great fun. Then it was time for some frantic rehearsals before the highlight of the Howell’s Eisteddfod, the House choirs. There was an energetic atmosphere in the Sports Hall as everyone got ready to sing. The song choices this year were “New York” and “High Hopes”. It was agreed by all that the each house had put in a lot of effort and enthusiasm. However, Baldwin proved to be victorious in this lively event.  Kendall was the winner of house drama. After much deliberation by Mrs Gregory, the bard was announced as Lucia Jones, who had written a poem on “The Colours of Wales”. Finally, it was the moment of truth for Baldwin, Kendall, Lewis and Trotter. As everyone sat anxiously in anticipation, the victor was announced as Kendall. It was an extremely enjoyable day for all, and many thanks must go the House Captains and Head Students

5th March  2008

Biology/Geography Field Course - February 2008

Year 13 Biologists and Year 12 Geographers joined forces this year to carry out field work for their A level courses.  Forty-seven students accompanied by Mrs Gosney and Miss Jenkins spent 3 days based at Orielton Field Studies Centre in Pembrokeshire.  Both groups spent the first day investigating sand dune succession at Freshwater West and were introduced to sampling techniques and the development of a dune.  The Biologists spent the next two days looking at adaptation and zonation on the contrasting rocky shores of Manorbier and Sawdern Point.  The Geographers spent a day looking at coastal features along the South Pembrokeshire coastline and another day investigating the rural settlements of Kilgetty and Saundersfoot.The trip was a great success – new species, new statistical techniques and new friends!  Many thanks to the tutors Emma-Jane and Kathryn for their patience and expertise.  The food was great, too! The students worked really hard, were a pleasure to accompany and kept the staff constantly entertained!

5th March  2008

Llandaff Cathedral New Organ Fund-Raising Concerts

Howell's School, Llandaff will be celebrating its longstanding links with Llandaff Cathedral by performing two fund-raising concerts at the Cathedral as part of the New Organ Fund-Raising Appeal.

The musical ensembles of Howell’s School are delighted to be taking part in these fund-raising concerts. The Junior School Orchestra, Choir and various soloists will perform items from their Eisteddfod celebration on Wednesday 12th March at 1.30pm. The Senior School and College students will present an evening of musical entertainment on Thursday 24th April at 7.30pm to include performances by the Senior Orchestra, Senior Choir, College Choir, Middle School Choir, Chamber Choir and a number of talented instrumental and vocal soloists. Tickets are available from the main school office.

To view Organ Fund-Raising flyer click here .

3rd March  2008

Kosovo Appeal

Staff and students collected over 33 banana boxes of goods including toiletries, stationery, dried food, handbags, medical supplies and trainers to send in a convoy arranged by Hope and Aid Direct (the only UK-based charity taking aid to the people of Kosovo).  These boxes will be distributed in Kosovo for needy families. Currently, in Kosovo 20% of the population live on 40 euros a month per family. Unemployment is over 50% and 60% of the population are under 25.

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3rd March  2008