Dec 2021 Newsletter

Ysgol Y Grango December 2020

Christmas Newsletter This term:

For anyone struggling over the Christmas break please see the Page 2. Head Teacher’s
information below. There are people available to offer Christmas Message
advice and support, so please reach out.
Page 3. Nurture News
Emergency and Safeguarding Issues over Christmas: Page 4. Year 7 Glan Llyn Trip
Page 5. Glan Llyn pictures
Police Non-Emergency: Call 101 Page 6. Storyhouse trip
Page 7. IntoFilm Festival
Welsh Women’s Aid ‘Live Fear Free’ Page 8. Liverpool Trip
helpline: 0808 80 10 800 Page 9. ‘Lit in Colour’ Books
Page 10. Bookmark Design
Page 11. Reward Assemblies

Mind Mental Health Hotline: Dates for your diary:
0300 123 3393
or email: [email protected] Friday 17th Dec - Christmas
Jumper Day £1 to aid The
Childline: 0800 11 11 Trussell Trust

Wrexham Foodbank Contact: Monday 10th January:
0300 330 1178 School re-opens to
or the National Foodbank students
helpline: 0808 2082 138
Teacher Training Days in
Wrexham Housing Solutions Team 2021:
(24 hours): 01978 292947
Thursday January 6th
For any other urgent help or information, contact Deputy Head Friday January 7th
Miss Kate Williams by email: [email protected] Monday February 28th
Monday April 25th

For Your Info: Timetables
will start back on Week 2

Website: www.grango.co.uk Phone: (01978) 833010 Facebook: Y Y Grango Twitter YsgolyGrango

Head Teacher’s Message

Dear Parents / Guardians

As we approach the end of a long and, at
times, stressful term, I would like to sincerely
thank all pupils, parents, staff and governors
of Ysgol y Grango for their continued, un-
flagging support which has helped to see us
through some unprecedented and difficult
times.

The pupils’ willingness to comply with Covid
regulations has been exceptional and their
efforts have supported the school and the
wider community in our quest to keep every-
one safe and well. Throughout these past
months, the pupils have presented them-
selves as great ambassadors for the school.
They should, quite rightly, be very proud of May I take this opportunity to wish you all a
their achievements. happy, healthy, safe, peaceful Christmas
and a prosperous New Year.
I hope you enjoy the latest newsletter, which
details some of the events in which pupils Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i
have taken part and highlights successes chi i gyd.
enjoyed by both individuals and the school.

Face to face learning will finish on Friday
17th December, but online learning will take SJ Garthwaite
place until Wednesday 22nd December. Prifathro / Headteacher
School resumes for all pupils on Monday,
10th January.

Early School Closure

As school is closing a few days early this term, work will move online.
Classwork will be provided on Google Classroom for all classes.
If you have any issues connecting to Google classroom, please contact:
[email protected]
For all other enquiries please email: [email protected]

2

Nurture News Ben Griffiths has been a
pleasure to teach this term.
Keegan Hargreaves has worked His positive behaviour and
incredibly hard this term, as our exceptional manners are
Nurture representative. He has outstanding. Ben has coped
put a lot of time and effort into extremely well, especially
the Nurture Garden and has also with our lift being out of
offered to help the other Nurture order, and the struggle of
classes work on the garden. He getting his chair up and
has used his initiative and down the stairs to each
imagination to create some lesson. Nothing is ever a
amazing ideas for our Nurture problem foThreBNeunrt!ure Garden
Garden. Keegan has also written a The Nurture Department
persuasive letter, asking for any would like to thank you for
donations of materials and being you!
gardening equipment, to help
expand the garden. The Nurture The Nurture Department
department would like to thank would like to make a special
Keegan for his efforts and mention of Georgia Hughes,
commitment. who has worked brilliantly
all term. Georgia puts effort
Nurture Performs into every task she is
presented with and always
8N have had the opportunity to has a smile on her face
take part in swimming lessons whilst doing so. Georgia
this term. Students travelled to amazes us every day,
the swimming baths once per especially with how well she
week and have seen some great copes with her hearing
improvement! 8Nimpeprfaoirrmminegn“Rt.evolting Children”
Well dfroonmeMGaetilodargthiae!Musical.
They have also been learn-
ing how to ride bikes at 3
Queensway and have even
had a go on the
electric bikes.

Remembrance Day Year 7 Glan Llyn Trip

Ysgol y Grango was The Year 7 residential to Glan- meaning we could participate
represented by students at Llyn proved a huge success in all the planned activities.
the Cenotaph in Johnstown with both the pupils and the These included canoeing, high
on Thursday November teachers. ropes, raft building and rock
11th, as they attended the climbing. Even Mr Garthwaite
Remembrance Day Having missed out on transition couldn’t resist the lake when he
ceremony. activities due to COVID, we visited, getting straight into a
wanted the pupils to have a canoe and rowing his team to
Head Girl Seren Williams proper opportunity to get to victory in the lake to shore
and Head Boy Rhys Owens know one another and forge race. Thankfully he didn’t fall
attended the new friendships. This was in!
rememberance service and certainly the case, and the
laid a wreath at the pupils have made life long The icing on the cake was the
Cenotaph. memories in the process. disco at the end of the
residential, where the pupils
Many thanks go to the Despite the freezing cold donned their best party gear
Community Counsel, who temperatures, we were blessed and hit the dancefloor, teaching
arranged for the ceremony. with three days of dry weather, the teachers a few new
It is an honour to remember
those who have sacrificed moves… tik tok crazes of
so much for us. course!

Seren Williams and Rhys Owens Grango students and Mrs “We had so much fun doing
representing the school at the Sloane on the water. all the different activities.”
Cenotaph in Johnstown.
Celine Lach, Year 7
4

Some of the activities the students
participated in while at Glan Llyn.

5

Year 10 Drama Students at the
Storyhouse

Student Fossil On Wednesday September
Collection 29th, our Year 10 Drama
students had the opportunity
Year 7 student Travis to attend Storyhouse in
Bloomfield impressed his Chester and watch a
fellow students with a production of ‘Blood
presentation of his fossil Brothers’. It was a fantastic
collection earlier this term performance and gave
during a Humanities lesson. students the chance to watch
Travis presented his a live theatre production,
collection on a PowerPoint, which they have missed over
as well as bringing in some the last 18 months.
impressive examples. He
even answered student’s As a school, we are very Students
questions. grateful to be able to offer posing for a
Well done Travis! these trips and experiences picture in the
to our students again and Library inside
6 hope we can start planning Storyhouse
for more in the coming
months.

Lego League

We run Lego Club after school every Wednesday.
The pupils are learning ‘gracious professionalism’
as they work together in a team to programme
robots to complete set tasks.

This year the tasks are all to do with Cargo and Our visitor
trying to find different ways from STEM
to transport goods. We had Cymru, helps
guests from STEM Cymru visit the students
the school, they helped to
explain the competition and with their
make sure the pupils designs.
understood the format and
expectations.

Well done to everyone who
participates, for all their
enthusiasm.

IntoFilm Festival 2021 Student Council

Ysgol y Grango Film Club has November 23rd at Cineworld This year’s Student Council is
attended the annual IntoFilm in Broughton Retail Park. bigger and better than ever
Festival each year for the past with 32 students involved in
few years. However, last The students really enjoyed the main council and several
year’s festival plans were the screenings, in particular smaller groups of students
unfortunately cancelled. the fact that we had the involved in a variety of
whole screen just for Grango. diverse groups including a
This year we were invited Students were also really well Mental Health group, Eco
back again and even with behaved and great Council, Student Governors
measures and restrictions in representatives of Ysgol y and a Pride group.
place to keep everyone safe, Grango.
this year was bigger and As well as these
better than ever! Many thanks to IntoFilm, who responsibilities, students
sponsor the festival and meet with each department
Years 10 and 11 were able to provided all cinema tickets to have an input into their
attend a private screening of for free. It was a well planning and to feedback to
the teen musical ‘Dear Evan deserved reward after the the student council.
Hansen’ on November 15th last 18 months and was
at Vue Cinema in Cheshire appreciated by everyone who Every second Friday, the
Oaks, while Year 7, 8 and 9 went. whole council meets to
attended a private screening discuss these department
of ‘Space Jam 2’ on meetings, things important
to students and pose a
question for discussion
during tutor time.

We are really grateful for the
work these students do and
the effort they make above
and beyond their school
work.

Year 7, 8 and 9 students at
Cineworld in Broughton.

7

Trip to Liverpool

Local Business Year 11 students went on a trip few of the
Donates to to Anfield football stadium in courses
Students Liverpool, where they attended a available
university fair. They got to speak there.
Many thanks to the to a wide range of universities
generosity of Hafren and other further education
Dyfrdwy—the local opportunities, to get an idea
water board, whose of the possible pathways
members of staff have available to them after their
been donating gifts to GCSE’s. Students also got
be distributed to the opportunity to visit
Ysgol y Grango Liverpool John Moors
students. University, where they had a
tour of the campus as well
Representatives from as taking part in some
Hafren Dyfrdwy visited interactive sessions with a
school in December to
deliver the many items
to Head Teacher Mr
Garthwaite.

Thanks again for
making a difference to
our students.

Representative from All the Year 11
Hafryn Dyfrdwy present students gathered
Mr Garthwaite and outside Anfield
Miss Kate. football ground

8

Lit in Colour Books Add Diverse Local MP Visits
Voices to the Library Grango

Overt the summer English teacher Mr Sidwells applied for a Mr Simon Baynes (MP)
chance to win some books for school through Penguin Books ‘Lit visited school yesterday, to
In Colour’ series. He was successful! speak to year 7 pupils about
We now have in school more than 100 books written by authors Wrexham’s bid to become
from diverse cultures and backgrounds. City of Culture. He
These books are available in the library and have been used to explained how the bidding
create a new display and shelf to celebrate the diverse and quality process worked and the
literature available to us in school. advantages for Wrexham if
we were successful. Year 7
A big thank you to Mr Sidwells and to Penguin Books for this pupils asked several
amazing collection! questions about the bid,
with most agreeing that City
status would be good for
Wrexham. Pupils also asked
Mr Baynes questions about
life as an MP.
The visit and talk is part of
the year 7 Humanities
curriculum.
Many thanks to Mr Baynes
and to the Humanities
department for an insightful
activity.

Some of the prize winner (l-r) Nia Evans,
Kameron Swift, Ruth Abraham and Megan
Williams.

9

Scholastic Book Bookmark Competition Creativity
Fair
Before the October half term holiday,
The Scholastic Book Fair the Library ran a competition for
once again arrived at students to design their own
school after the October bookmark.
half term on November The library has been running these
4th. competitions once or twice a year for a
The Book Fair was in the few years now and has amassed a
Library before, during wealth of incredibly creative and artistic
and after school for the bookmarks. This year was no exception.
week and students took The only rule was that the design must
the opportunity to visit be colourful.
and browse the shelves. There were some fantastic entries and
the judges found it difficult to narrow it
We managed to meet down, however, after much
our target of £300 in deliberation, five students were chosen
sales and were able to to win a £5 voucher for the school book
purchase a selection of fair and a treat.
books for students to Well done to all those who entered.
take out of the Library.

Thank you to all those
students who helped
man the Fair and kept it
tidy and to all those who
raided their moneyboxes
to help support the
Library.

Year 9 student Tracey Zhang, Riley Williams and Lexie Pugh
browsing at the Book Fair. year 7, Max Morus and Emma
Coombes year 11 and Lilly
10 Woodward year 8 (above) show
off their winning designs.

Christmas Raffle Earthquake
Celebrates All Students Education

As in previous years, Grango students GCSE geographers in
were treated to a Christmas raffle year 10 have been
where every student in the school learning about
has their names put into a hat. earthquake hazards
and how to reduce
Last year restrictions meant we vulnerability amongst
couldn’t meet all together. However populations. One way
this year, with distancing in place, we to do this is through
were able to get each year group in building earthquake-
to the hall to receive the prizes and resistant buildings,
cheer each other on. which pupils tried to
do using straws and
Students from every year group were sellotape.
treated to a range of prizes including
chocolates, books, smellies, puzzles
and Kindle tablets.

Many thanks go the staff and local
business who donated huge amounts
of really high quality
gifts for our students.
Your generosity makes
this possible.
Merry Christmas!

1111

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