Welcome to the final update of 2024!! I would like to thank all pupils, staff, parents and carers and governors for their continued support throughout 2024. I hope whatever you have planned over the next two weeks, you are able to relax and a have a fabulous time.
Just a few reminders:
Monday 6th January is a designated INSET Day for staff so all pupils will return to school on Tuesday 7th January 2025.
Please ensure that pupils attend school as much as possible and are punctual. There have been improvements in both these areas during 2024 which we very much appreciate but attendance remains below pre-COVID figures still. Welsh Government guidance means that any pupil with less than 90% attendance is classed as being a persistent absentee. The school and Education Attendance Service will continue to work closely with pupils and families in 2025. Pupils must also adhere to the school uniform policy which can be accessed via the school website.
I also need to bring to your attention an increase in the price of the set meal from the start of the Spring Term from £2.90 to £3.00. We always endeavour to keep prices as low as possible, however in light of continued increases in food costs, we have had to increase the set meal along with a small increase to menu choice options. These will be available to view via the school website.
Roeddem wrth ein boddau ddoe i glywed bod Ysgol Bae Baglan wedi ennill statws efydd o dan y cynllun Armed Forces Friendly Schools. Rydym yn hynod o falch o’r cydnabyddiaeth a llongyfarchiadau enfawr i’n Pencampwraig Plant y Lluoedd Arfog Mrs Abby Challenger a’n plant y lluoedd arfog am eu gwaith anhygoel!!
We were delighted to receive the news yesterday that Ysgol Bae Baglan has achieved bronze award status under the Armed Forces Friendly Schools scheme. We are extremely proud of this recognition and huge congratulations to our Service Children Champion Mrs Abby Challenger and our fabulous service children for their amazing work.
Am hyfryd! Mi wnaeth dosbarth 7AJH rhoi sypreis hyfryd i’n cymdogion ar stad Afandale bore ddoe wrth ddosbarthu mice pies, canu carolau a dymuno nadolig llawen i bawb yna. Da iawn Mr John a Dosbarth 7AJH, menter anhygoel. Simply lovely! Class 7AJH gave the residents of Afandale a lovely surprise early yesterday morning by delivering mince pies to each house, wishing them a very Merry Christmas from all at Ysgol Bae Baglan and entertaining them with some Christmas Carols. Well done Mr John and Class 7AJH, amazing initiative.
Dechreuodd menter newydd yn yr ysgol heddiw, brecwast lles blwyddyn 7. Yn ystod y flwyddyn academaiddd, bydd cyfle i bob disgybl blwyddyn 7 yn mwynhau tost a siocled poeth gyda’n Cyfarwyddwr Lles Blwyddyn 7, Miss Holland, ac i fynegi barn yn anffurfiol am beth maen nhw’n hoffi/eisiau gwella yn yr ysgol. Diolch yn fawr blwyddyn 7 am eich syniadau aeddfed a diddorol. A new wellbeing initiative started in school today, year 7 wellbeing breakfasts. During this academic year, all year 7 pupils will have the opportunity to enjoy toast and hot chocolate with our year 7 Wellbeing Director Miss Holland, and to express their opinions informally on what they like about school and any ideas they have for improving things further. Diolch yn fawr iawn blwyddyn 7 for your mature, interesting ideas,
On Tuesday 10th December pupils in year 10 who have completed all their sections for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award were invited to the Princess Royal Theatre to be presented with their badges and certificates. Pupils have successfully completed 6 months of volunteering, physical activity and developing a skill. The group completed a practice expedition in Margam Park before their final expedition around the Gower in the summer term. Congratulations to everyone on your achievement!
CyberFirst Girls Competition
Four girls from 8JLE took part in the The CyberFirst Girls Competition which aims to inspire girls interested in technology to pursue a career in cyber security. Girls worked together as a team in school as well as at home for 5 days straight. Girls have done really well in the competition scoring over 4500 points! Even though they didn’t make it to the semi-finals, the girls have still learnt plenty of new skills. When the competition concluded, two of the pupils decided to apply for the Digital Leaders recognition within the school with success.
Top of the Bench Chemistry Competition Swansea University 2024
Two mixed teams of year 8 to year 11 pupils attended Swansea University on Thursday December the 12th to take part in the prestigious ‘Top of the Bench’ Chemistry Competition. The event involved competing in a Kahoot quiz against pupils in the same year group from other schools. This was followed by a team practical activity in the lab using indicators and titration method. Both teams did fantastically well in the Kahoot’s quizzes! We gained 4 podiums; Samuel Gibbon and Dylan Jarvis each taking 3rd place, Tanisha Hussain 2nd place, and Maisie-Kate Rowland gaining 1st place in year 10 out of 61 teams!
Both teams gained maximum points for safety in the lab, and displayed excellent teamwork and practical skills throughout the lab session!
Students Participate in the National GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2024
This holiday season, students from Year 7 to Year 11 took part in the national GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2024. The competition featured seven tricky puzzles designed to test the students’ problem-solving and teamwork skills. Both students (and some of our staff) enjoyed working together to solve each puzzle, aiming to uncover the final Christmas message. The challenge was a great way for everyone to engage and have fun during the festive period. One of our Year 11 teams stood out by completing all the codes and revealing the message in an impressive time of just 1 hour and 49 minutes! Their quick thinking and collaboration made them the fastest team, achieving something many thought would be near impossible. Congratulations to the Year 11 students for their outstanding performance! Well done to all the participants for their hard work and enthusiasm in making this year’s challenge a success.
Yr Ysgol Ganol/Middle School
Year 7&8 have been working hard in preparation for Christmas. There have been lots of fun activities such as Christmas Jumper day and a 2 km Christmas Fun Run for year 8 in order to raise funds for charity. 6 pupils each from Year 7&8 were invited for their half termly Hot Chocolate with the Headteacher in order to acknowledge the hard work and effort they consistently put in. Well done to those! Finally, as the last week of term approaches, there will be an awards assembly to celebrate a number of achievements across the year groups and many pupils will be invited to watch a Christmas film as a reward for their efforts this term.
Huge well done to year 8 for running their Christmas Charity Run in aid of the eye cancer charity CHECT today, great effort by all in raising money for this deserving cause.
Christmas Netball
A lot of fun was had in the Christmas Netball competition
THIS WEEK
As far as the last week of term is concerned, throughout the week there are activities planned for different year groups. When these activities are not going ahead there will be normal timetable with normal lessons as far as possible, but teachers will also be responding to the level of attendance in a class.
Art Department Non-Examination Assessments
This week our Year 11 pupils who are studying GCSE Art, Photography and or Textiles will be completing their final non examination assessments. This will provide them with the opportunity to complete all work to the highest possible standard before starting the examination Unit in January. The timetable for this is:
Monday Dec 16th
11A Art AJH EA7 8:55 – 14:55 11B Art DNO EA6 8:55 – 14:55
Please click on the link to access a letter regarding information about the Year 9 Option process at YBB. Letter Mr Williams has already spoken to pupils in their individual classes.
I will write again to parents and carers later in the week to provide some important information/reminders for the start of the Spring Term 2025. Remember that Monday 6th January is an INSET Day for staff and all pupils will return to school on Tuesday 7th January.
Huge well done to year 8 for running their Christmas Charity Run in aid of the eye cancer charity CHECT today, great effort by all in raising money for this deserving cause.
Throughout the week next week flu vaccinations will take place for secondary phase pupils.
The Patient Information Leaflet is included below and can be downloaded.
If your child has asthma & been unwell with a wheeze or has had to use inhalers more often in the last 72hrs &/or they have needed oral steroids in the past 2 weeks, then you need to notify the School Nurse on SBU.schoolnursing@wales.nhs.uk or 01639 862801”
Yesterday evening we had the NPT presentations for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award! We had 8 pupils receive their award, fantastic effort from them. Diolch yn fawr iawn to Miss Sherwood for her fabulous work in leading the group.
Sesiwn olaf pel-rwyd ar gyfer timau blwyddyn 7&8 cyn y nadolig ar ol yr ysgol heddiw. Cystadleuaeth hwyl gyda 38 o ddisgyblion yn cymryd rhan a 5 Llysgennad Chwaraeon Blwyddyn 10 wrth y lliw. Sesiwn hwylus iawn a diolch i Mrs Harrison a Mrs Austin am ei threfnu. Last netball session for our year 7&8 teams before Christmas after school today. A fun competition with 38 pupils taking part and 5 of our Year 10 Sports Ambassadors in charge. Lots of fun and Christmas spirit on show, diolch to Mrs Harrison and Mrs Austin for arranging it.
Creative Workshop Success with Year 9 and 10 Artists
75 of our talented Year 9 and 10 pupils had the incredible opportunity to work alongside professional Welsh artist Lesley Dearn in a series of hands-on workshops.
The focus of the sessions was on the exciting technique of gel printing, a brand-new skill for our pupils. This quick and dynamic method allowed them to create stunning results, sparking inspiration for their future projects.
The workshops were a fantastic opportunity for our young artists to explore professional techniques, experiment creatively, and produce work they can develop further in their art journey. A huge thank you to Lesley Dearn for sharing her expertise and enthusiasm!
Year 10 Pupils Explore Swansea for Second Location Photo Shoot
Our Year 10 photography pupils visited Swansea for their second location photo shoot on Friday 6th December. The crisp, cold weather and excellent sunlight provided the perfect backdrop for capturing a range of stunning images. The pupils explored several vibrant locations, including the SA1 Waterfront, the Marina, the City Centre, and the tropical Plantasia Greenhouse. Each setting offered exciting opportunities to develop their skills, experiment with composition, and capture unique perspectives.
The photographs taken during this shoot will play a vital role in their coursework. Pupils will continue to use these images right up to the end of term as they refine their editing techniques and create their final pieces. A fantastic effort by everyone involved!
We have just won an award for the charity drama group which is run by Mrs John from YBB called National Youth Arts Trust. The members are predominantly our pupils, past and present. There are a few groups around the country, we are the first in Wales and it is our branch that has won the award.
Yr Ysgol Ganol/Middle School
A huge well done to Year 7!! Excellent work in running their 2km Christmas Charity Race in school on Tuesday, raising money for the CHECT charity. CHECT is a specialist eye cancer trust charity supporting a rare condition affecting just 30 people in the UK.
Canlyniadau/Results:
Boys
1af: Brody Howells 7SGO Amser/Time 7:55
2il: Rueben Weaver 7AHA Amser/Time 8:50
3ydd: Moses Rouse-Price 7HDY Amser/Time 8:53
Girls
1af: Carys Singleton 7SGO Amser/Time 9:13
2il: Ruby Cann 7SLS Amser/Time 10:25
3ydd: Cassie Reed 7SLS Amser/Time 10:48
Ser yr Wythnos/Pupils of the Week
Llongyfarchiadau to our Seren Yr Wythnos in Blwyddyn 7, Oscar Stiff and Harri-Jon Buhler and in Blwyddyn 8, Isabella Allen. Llongyfarchiadau also to Jayden Morgan, Lilly Tobin, Toby Williams and Lilly Rae Davies who will have hot chocolate with the Headteacher Mr Rees next week, celebrating their positive perx points.
Sports Results 2nd-6th Dec:
Tues 3rd –
Year 7 girls Urdd Netball (Cardiff). The Year 7 team won their group scoring 30 goals and only conceding 5. The girls then beat Ysgol Cwm Brombil 6-1 in the quarter final but lost the semi-final v Ysgol Y Strade. The game was tied at 10-10 after extra-time, the girls lost 11-10 after conceding a ‘golden goal’. They were excellent ambassadors for the school and should be proud of their achievements.
Year 10 boys rugby v Cefn Hengoed (home)- Drew
Weds 4th –
Year 7 boys football v Bro Dur (home) – Won
Thurs 5th –
Year 9 boys football v St Josephs (home)- Won
THIS WEEK
Year 11 mock examinations continue this week. Attendance and attitude during the exams so far has been excellent. It is important that pupils attend all their scheduled mock exams as they serve as excellent practice for the formal summer examinations and will indicate strengths in a pupil’s work as well as focus on areas for improvement over the coming months.
Sports Fixtures/Training
Mon 9th –
Year 7 boys rugby practice (lunch)
Year 9 boys Football v Bro Dur (away)
Tues 10th –
Year 7 girls rugby practice (lunch)
Weds 11th –
Year 8/9 girls rugby practice (lunch)
Year 9 & 10 girls netball v Cefn Saeson (home)
Year 10 boys football v Bro Dur (home)
Thurs 12th –
Year 8/9 Boys rugby practice (lunch)
Fri 13th –
Year 7/8 boys basketball competition (Bro-Dur all day)
This Thursday, 12th December, is National Christmas Jumper Day. All pupils and staff are encouraged to wear Christmas jumpers to school. Dress for pupils is normal school uniform with Christmas jumpers or normal shirt/tie jumper if not wearing Christmas jumpers.
7AHA had a fantastic afternoon learning about codes and ciphers with Theresa from Mathematics Support Programme Wales. We learnt about the Pigpen cipher and were able to decode secret messages and write our own messages to our friends. We then went on to make a cipher wheel to help us decode using the Caesar cipher.
Our Year 10 photography pupils visited Swansea for their second location photo shoot on Friday 6th December. The crisp, cold weather and excellent sunlight provided the perfect backdrop for capturing a range of stunning images.
The pupils explored several vibrant locations, including the SA1 Waterfront, the Marina, the City Centre, and the tropical Plantasia Greenhouse. Each setting offered exciting opportunities to develop their skills, experiment with composition, and capture unique perspectives.
The photographs taken during this shoot will play a vital role in their coursework. Pupils will continue to use these images right up to the end of term as they refine their editing techniques and create their final pieces. A fantastic effort by everyone involved!LikeCommentSave for later
