Dear Parents/Carers,

As we come to the end of yet another half-term at Pontypridd High School, as always, we have a huge amount to celebrate. Year 10 & 11 pupils are now very much in the middle of their external examinations and I am extremely proud of how every pupil has approached this time, with maturity & confidence. I wish all pupils the very best of luck with all exams as they continue after the half-term break.

French students visit PHS:

On Tuesday 14^th May, we had the pleasure of having 50 French students and 5 French teachers at Pontypridd High School for the day. Our international visitors were very impressed with our school facilities and the experiences we offer our young people. They were able to have a snapshot of some areas of learning, such as a cooking lesson, a rugby session and a Welsh lesson. Everyone involved had an extremely enjoyable time and our pupils managed to communicate very well. Year 9 pupils were supporting with the lessons and arrangements throughout the day and were extremely polite and a credit to us as a school and you as parents/carers. We aim to develop a relationship with the school in France with the potential to arrange a visit in the future. 

Crucial Crew:

On Wednesday 15^th May, all of our Year 7 cohort were involved with our Crucial Crew day, which aims to raise awareness and promote key messages to young people about keeping safe in the community. We had providers such as South Wales Fire, Transport for Wales, Crimestoppers, Road safety, and Barod in school delivering lessons to our pupils. All the providers commented on the excellent behaviour and engagement of our Year 7 pupils. 

UKMT Junior Mathematical Challenge

Pontypridd High School is excited to announce another outstanding achievement in the UKMT Junior Mathematical Challenge! Each year, our talented mathematicians from Year 7 and Year 8 participate in this prestigious challenge organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust.

We are proud to recognise the following students for their remarkable performance in the Mathematics Challenge:

• James Hunt

• Ernie Mead

• Robyn Creed

• Teagan Headford

• Caidyn Williams

• Alexa Frelford

• Sophie Hayward

• Cody Williams

• Corey-Jay Hughes

• Thomas Doxsey

This challenge comprises 25 multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. This year, out of the 10 students representing Pontypridd High School, we achieved an impressive 3 Bronze awards and 4 Silver awards. We extend congratulations to all the students who participated, with special recognition to Ernie Mead, who won the Best in School award. Ernie's outstanding performance positioned him just one mark away from a gold award! Mr. Ivins, Deputy Head of School, expressed his delight, stating, "I am thrilled that our students have had their mathematical expertise recognised as part of such a high-profile national challenge. I am very proud of their achievements."

Athletics:

Our year 8 and 9 athletics teams performed very well on Wednesday of this week in Aberdare. A special mention to Corey Woods for qualifying for the finals in the 100m and to Koral Reardon for finishing second place in the 1500m, an outstanding effort in their chosen events where they were competing against year 9 pupils. Da iawn everyone!

Personal Mentions:

Mr Porter (Maths) has asked me to mention Corey Woods. Corey's work ethic has been excellent and a huge step up from the start of the year. Corey took a class test recently and scored 94%, only dropping three marks throughout the whole test. Additionally, he has been helping to explain questions to the students around him in class. Altogether, an excellent effort for Corey that should be celebrated. Well done Corey!

Congratulations to TJ Robson in Year 7 who recently entered Ootiboo Art competition and came first, winning a lovely selection of books. TJ has also written a story which is in the process of being published. This is a fantastic achievement - well done TJ.

Parent/Carer Information:

Later this term we will have our school production of Matilda. Tickets are on sale from pupil services. There are two performances; Tuesday 2^nd July and Wednesday 3^rd July. Ticket prices are as follows: Family (Two adults & Two children) £20, Adult £7, child £5. Please try and bring the correct amount of money to pupil services.

As we move into the final half-term of Pontypridd High School, you will be aware of the uniform launch and pop-up shops for Ysgol Bro Taf. If you haven’t already ordered your uniform, please use the link that has been provided or contact the school for more information.

Pupil Well-being: Please find information attached to promote the 'CAMHS Schools In Reach Emotional and Wellbeing Team' free workshops.  They are running workshops during half-term school holidays for parents of children and young people from Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board. 

The workshops cover ideas and strategies on how to support your child around self-esteem and self harm.  For further information on how to join these free workshops, please see the information poster below in the link.

As always, we value the partnership between school and parents/carers, and thank you for the continued support.

Many thanks,

Mrs Kayleigh Oliver

Head of School