South Wales Police are receiving an increase in reports regarding the use of E-Scooters and Off-Road Bikes in the area. Please can you have a read over the attached leaflets regarding the laws around using E-Scooters and Off-Road Bikes. Moving forward we will no longer be educating person/s caught using them, we will be issuing section 59 notices and seizing the vehicles when necessary.
Kind Regards
Aberkenfig Neighbourhood Policing Team. ”
Headteacher
Headteacher
Year 9 Seren learners participated in a ‘Confident communication’ workshop led by Richard Hull. This session aimed to enhance their confidence , refine their social skills and raise their aspirations. The learners were enthusiastic and took an active role throughout the session.
Billy-Jo recently took part in the UK Maths Challenge for learners in Years 9 to 11. Billy-Jo is in Year 9 so he would have been competing against lots of learners older than him. The results of the challenge came back last week and Billy-Jo achieved a Gold award. He achieved such an excellent score he has been invited to take part in the next round of the competition. This is the first time anyone at CCYD has progressed to the next stage of the competition.
Bridgend Children’s Literature Festival events being held at Sarn Library during the February half term
Dear Parent/Carer,
CCYD proudly presents the musical “Matilda Jr.” It will be performed from Tuesday 18th to Thursday 20th February in the main school hall. Please see the attached poster for performance times and ticket prices. Trust us, you don’t want to miss it!
Tickets can be purchased as follows:
1.) Parents and Carers can purchase tickets online using the School Gateway App. Your tickets can then be collected by learners from school reception during break and lunch times.
2.) Tickets will be available for members of the school community/public to purchase with cash between 3pm-4pm from school reception (cash only please).
3.) Tickets will be available for CCYD learners to purchase in the atrium every break time the week beginning 3rd February.
4.) Tickets may be purchased on the door on the evening of the performances, though this is subject to availability. Advance booking is advised.
Please follow our school social media pages for all the latest news:
Instagram: @CCYD_Performing_Arts
‘X’ (formally known as Twitter): @CCYD_Music
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Kindest Regards
Zoe Western
Young carers had a delightful Christmas morning filled with cookie decorating, sipping hot chocolate, and enjoying some Christmas karaoke. The learners had a wonderful time catching up in a relaxed atmosphere. There is also a trip to winter wonderland this evening, hope they enjoy ice skating.
Date for Year 7 Parents/Carers. An opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with all of their teachers. We look forward to seeing you. If you haven’t already could you please download the ClassCharts App so that we can create that important line of communication.
Please see the link below to the new film created especially for WASACRE by Fresh
Gecko productions, on Religion, Values and Ethics.
This short film promotes the value of Religion, Values and Ethics in the Curriculum
for Wales, and is aimed at young people, schools and settings, parents/guardians,
and others with an interest in Religion, Values and Ethics.
Seven CCYD learners have returned from the USA International Tang Soo Do competition held in New York, with 10 medals between them. The leaners competed with over 400 other martial artists in traditional weapons, forms and sparring, alongside board breaking and musical forms.
Pictured from left to right: Sophie Blackwell, Louie Kinsey, Xavier Whitehead, Alfie Jones, Makenzie Taylor, Oliver Matthews and Mya Davies
As a parent, guardian or carer you play a key role in supporting your child to make decisions. We have information and tools to help you.
Year 9 & 11 Parents
Careers Wales newsletter for parents and carers of children in mainstream education:
Reminder: There is an INSET day on Friday 25th October 2024, school will be closed to learners
CCYD yr 10 learners were invited to support the Ospreys Cluster Schools rugby festival in Pandy Park today. Tondu, St Roberts, Pen-y-fai and Bro Ogwr primary schools attended with 2/3 teams from each school.
The games were played with great enthusiasm and participation from all the young learners, with some great talent and effort showing through.
CCYD learners showed great composure supporting setting up, referring, and running the lines for all the games. Also showing the progress they have made in their attitude and maturity this year.
Diolch to all the participants and the team work from all that ensured this successful event today.
Ex- Year 13 learner Dylan Sage was selected to represent Great Britain in the UCI World Cycling Timetrial Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. Dylan finished in 12th place from a field of 66 and completed the 15.47mile course in 28:55 covering the distance at an average speed of 32mph. CCYD are so proud of Dylan’s achievements and can’t wait to watch him go onto win future events. Such a talented and humble individual, congratulations Dylan.
BACK TO SCHOOL STATIONERY – reminder that we have a shop located in the library selling stationery for learners. Get your stationery in the next two weeks ready for September.
CCYD’s MFL (Modern foreign Languages Department) will be running a trip to Lille Christmas Market on the 7th & 8th December 2024. We are limited to 45 places and this will be on a first come first serve basis. Detailed letters for this trip will be handed out the week commencing Monday 24th.
CCYD were proud to host the Bridgend Junior School tag rugby festival, run by the Bridgend School Police
liaison officers in conjunction with Ospreys Tackle Community officers to promote National Hate Crime Awareness Week. This was a highly competitive event with a high standard of entries from all around the Bridgend area. CCYD learners from Tackle and Rugby Leaders groups helped support and referee the games, making new connections with younger learners in and out of our catchment area. Oldcastle Junior School were the overall winners on the day, but a huge congratulations to all who took part, they were a credit to the schools they represented. Hopefully we’ll see them again next year. Da iawn Pawb.
On Monday 22nd April 2024, a local resident decided to take her little dog for a walk, it was such a beautiful day, and she hadn’t walked the dog for a while due to her rheumatoid arthritis. Whilst tossing stones into the river for the dog to fetch the retractable lead accidentally self locked causing her to lose her balance, trip over a tree root and take the full impact of the fall to her face/head. Before she could react to the shock of the impact she now found herself falling down the banking and into the river and in fear of drowning. The lady was now soaking wet, her whole body was in the river, she was cold, shivering and in shock. Luckily she was still conscious and able to keep her face out of the water but lay there for a while alone and vulnerable. The lady then tried to pull herself out from the water but couldn’t, her hand was bleeding and in pain from the fall. At this point she realised she was in trouble, not visible from the path and unable to grasp her phone to call for help she called out but her voice was weak from the trauma. A cyclist sped passed but didn’t hear her. The lady continued to call out in vain until luckily two boys walking past managed to hear her cries for help. They immediately came running over and helped the lady out of the water and up the banking to the path. Their names were Aiden Fox and Jacob Jones, both year 9 learners at CCYD and they were absolutely amazing, Jacob was supporting/holding the lady up while Aiden phoned for help. As the lady only lives around the corner they were able to bring a car quickly. The lady was very upset, blood running down her hand, a lump on her head the size of a large potato. She was promptly driven to hospital and after tests and medical support was later discharged from A & E with concussion, a large swelling on her head and lots of cuts and bruises. She was black and blue for days, but thankfully no broken bones. Both Aiden and Jacob called at the house on the Wednesday after the accident to see how she was, they were both shocked to see the extent of the bruising. Both boys reluctantly accepted a reward as they both felt they acted on instinct and did what was right. The grateful lady said “We hear so many bad things today about children & teenager’s so I wanted people to know, not all children are bad, this has restored my faith in humanity, I will be forever grateful to these two lovely lads for what they did for me that day, and I will never forget them. Their parents who I have contacted, are and should be very proud of these two boys and I hope my story will be read out in assemblies to all the other learners. I’m still suffering from concussion and still very bruised but forever grateful I’m here to tell my story, all thanks to Aiden and Jacob. Thank you boys”. CCYD are very proud to have learners like these representing our school and local community.
Just WOW! Congratulations to our beautiful Esther Thomas-Bizjack on winning her category in the “Dunraven Welsh Singer of the Year” live finals held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 24th March 2024. Esther is a year 10 learner at CCYD and we’re all so proud of you. Here she is performing one of her winning songs; “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from The Phantom of the Opera. absolutely stunning Arbennig Esther.
CAMHS SHINE team will be running workshops across Easter school holidays for parents of children and young people across Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board. We kindly urge you to take advantage of this provision.
For further information on how to join these free workshops, please see the information poster attached.
Congratulations to our ECO committee and everyone at CCYD. We have achieved our 8th green flag platinum status award. Your continued hard work and commitment throughout the year has been fantastic. Thank you to all those learners who made this possible and Matt Bunt at @Keep_Wales_Tidy @EcoSchoolsWales
Options evening this year was a huge success with each department showcasing their Post 16 qualifications. We also accommodated over 19 outside agencies who discussed alternative pathways outside of school. The parents / carers and learners were very grateful they had the opportunity to discuss options with staff and see the full range of options available. A big thank you to all those who attended and supported the decision making of our learners.
Diolch pawb.
We end the half term with brother and sister duo Esther and Joseph Thomas-Bizjak proudly showing off their certificates after both achieving ‘distinctions’ in their recent classical singing exams! A fantastic achievement both! We’re so proud of you. Arbennig!
After penalty shootout drama and a superb performance from our U18 football team they have beaten Lewis Bargoed 2-2 (3-1 on pens). They have made history making it to the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup. A first for CCYD. We could not be any prouder.
Today we hosted a Career’s event for our 6th form and year 11 learners to explain different roles and the entry routes for apprenticeships in a variety of sectors including,
Social / Child Care – We Care Wales
Local Authority – BCBC
Armed Forces – Navy , Army and RAF
Sunbelt – Customer Services , Engineering, Construction Maintenance Mechanic, Driving , Electro Technical
Police
NHS – Cwm Taf Morgannwg
Employers will share their career path and progression with learners. Learners will be able to have one to one conversation with the sectors they are most interested in and received material to support their future choices.
Dare 2 Explore had a visit to the beach recently. Lots of skills were put into practice, from food prep, researching beach life and collecting new materials for crafts. We also completed a beach clean up with a short slot for some sand play. A very productive session with the luck of the weather with us for the day! We are looking forward to the next session and seeing what activities are coming up. Diolch pawb.
Congratulations to CCYD learner Nia Lewis who was picked for the U17’s Women’s Wales Football Team. Nia gets to play two friendly matches against Belgium and Czechia in the coming weeks and hopefully gets on the score sheet as well as supporting team mates to win the games.. Nia wears the #6 jersey and is looking forward to the experience as she develops her career in the sport of football.
Super proud of CCYD learner Dylan Sage who flew to Apeldoorn in the Netherlands to represent Team Wales in the Junior Track cycling Championships. Dylan is a junior pro cyclist who I’m sure we’ll see enter the “Tour de France” or ride in the Olympics. Aged only 16 Dylan is already sponsored by a pro team and destined for great things in the sport of cycling. Well done Dylan!.
The Drama department had the best evening at the Wales Millennium Centre watching the latest play “Pan Goes Wrong’. It was pure comedy gold and an incredible learning experience for our budding performers. We even managed to get a photo with the main man himself! The learners thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were impeccably behaved, a pleasure to organise a trip for such a lovely bunch.
When learners found out they could decorate a teachers door for a Christmas competition it was game on.
The challenge was set, decorate a door in 3 weeks with a festive theme using whatever resources you could get your hands on. The competition was judged by the school council who were to be honest “brutal” in their assessment.
After judging over 50 doors we ended up with joint first place winners Mr Davies in D&T and Mrs Grabham in Maths.
Mr Davies opted for a log cabin theme with the help of product design learners Abbie Davies & Ruby Hughes and Mrs Grabham went with the Polar Express theme incorporating a conductor and working headlight.
The overall winning department who picks up the prestigious accolade is English. They went all out and combined their creative flair to dominate the Department prize.
A huge congratulations to all the learners and teachers who took part in this very successful activity and thank you for making it so much fun in the lead up to Christmas.
Ten CCYD 6th Form Seren learners had the opportunity to visit Oxford University this week as part of the SEREN network. The Seren Academy supports Wales’ most able educated learners to achieve their full academic potential into leading universities and succeed on highly selective degree programmes. All learners enjoyed the trip and absorbed the experience of Oxford University.
Please congratulate the learners on their efforts and hard work. 
CCYD Learner Nia Lewis received her Welsh cap this week after representing her country during the group stage U17’s qualifiers against Albania, Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands. Wales won all three games 2-0, 1-0, 6-0 with Nia scoring 3 of those goals. So, so proud of you Nia and look forward to seeing you progress in the future.
Year 9 are currently considering 3 ‘free choice’ options for next year. They have had assemblies and information. They need to make their selection by the end of the day tomorrow using the google form on the year group google classroom. There will be another options run in February with the options columns. Parents/options eve is on the 25th Jan. Attached is the presentation they had last week in assembly.
thanks
Mrs James – Assistant Headteacher
Year 11 are currently considering their pathways for next year. (6th form, college, apprenticeship or employment). They have had assemblies and information. They need to complete their initial post 16 choices by the end of the day tomorrow using the google form on the year group google classroom. They can of course change their mind and once we have the information in we can support individuals with their pathways. There will be another options run in February with the options columns for 6th form. Parents/options eve is on the 22nd Feb. Attached is the presentation they had last week in assembly.
thanks
Mrs James – Assistant Headteacher
Dear parents and carers,
Is your child in year 8 or 9 and choosing their subject options?
The Careers Wales website has useful information which can support you to help your child navigate their career path.
You’ll find dedicated parent pages to help you support your child in making informed decisions. There are also specific year 8 and 9 options pages with top tips on making subject choices.
If you’re looking for ways to help generate ideas about future careers you may find the Buzz Quiz, Career Match Quiz and CareersCraft useful.
BCBC have informed us this week that the pick up times for some routes have changed. Please see BCBC website for more details. Link: https://shorturl.at/
Year 9 CCYD learner Phoebe Evans is leading a team selling poppies all week in the atrium at form, break and lunch time. Well done Phoebe, fantastic enthusiasm for such a worthy cause.
Dear parents/ carers/ learners,
We are arranging a day trip for 22 Year 9 learners to the French Institute in London on Saturday 3rd of February 2024. We will be leaving around 7.30am and will be back in CCYD around 21.30pm. We will be travelling with 20 year 9 pupils from Porthcawl comprehensive so its on a first come first serve basis for our 22 from CCYD.
The French Institute is located in the French quarter in South Kensington, London, where the students will be viewing a French film and visiting the beautiful library and building.
The cost of this trip is £42. It includes the cost of travelling from CCYD to London by coach and back, full insurance and the cost of the cinema ticket. We are planning to eat lunch when arriving in London so students need to bring money to cover the cost of the meal. There are plenty of small French cafés and restaurants around the area we will be visiting.
May I ask you to bring a non refundable £20 deposit by Friday 10th November 2023 to either Madame (fe14- fe16). You can pay the other £22 by Friday 1st December 2023 to either Madame (fe14- fe16).
Merci et bonnes vacances.
Information regarding Activities happening during half term within the Bridgend Borough.
We wish to inform you that the governing body of Coleg Cymunedol y Dderwen have 4 parent governor vacancies:
If you wish to be considered for election, please submit the following information to the school by Tuesday, 7th November 2023. (Any applications received after this date will not be considered)
Your Name
Address
Telephone number
Child’s name
You must also include a short statement of no more than 100 words which will be included in the ballot form. Please note if you exceed the word limit only the first 100 words will be included on the ballot form. Please sign and date the information you submit to the school.
All applications should be emailed to melanie.hopkins@ccyd.bridgend.cymru
If you would like more information on becoming a governor and what the role entails please contact Pupil Services on 01656 642622.
Please find attached a letter below (PDF) regarding an anonymous online survey that learners will be completing Friday 13th October. Any queries please contact us at the school.
Did you know an estimated 59,000 children in Wales have asthma and that in 2021/22, 852
children ended up in hospital with life threatening asthma attacks?
We at Asthma + Lung UK Cymru would like your support in raising awareness among your
school community, so everyone knows what to do if a child has an asthma attack.
Recognise the signs of an asthma attack
An asthma attack happens when a child’s asthma symptoms get much worse. This can happen quite
suddenly or can build up gradually over a few days.
A child might find it hard to breathe, breathe more quickly, be unable to talk or walk or eat. They might
wheeze and cough a lot, complain of a tight chest or a tummy ache and be unusually quiet. They also
might say their blue reliever inhaler isn’t helping, or they need it more than every four hours.
If a child needs to use their blue reliever inhaler three or more times a week, it’s a sign that their
asthma is not well controlled.
We encourage parents to download and fill out a school asthma card. A school asthma
card includes contact details and essential information about a child’s asthma.
Please click on the image below to download your card for school.
Book available from Amazon. https://amzn.eu/d/2kXbbIa
