Autumn Term 2025

Christmas Biscuit Making

The children had a lovely time making Christmas biscuits. They kneaded the dough, mixed the ingredients, rolled it out, and used festive Christmas cutters. Once baked, they enjoyed decorating their biscuits with icing and colourful sprinkles. A fun and creative activity that everyone really enjoyed!

Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Dinner Day

The children celebrated Christmas Jumper Day by wearing their festive jumpers to school and enjoying the Christmas spirit together. On the same day, they also had Christmas Dinner, sharing a special festive meal with their friends. It was a joyful day that brought everyone together to celebrate the season.

The Grinch – Effective Instructions

The children took part in lessons focused on the importance of writing clear and effective instructions. Using the story of the Grinch and how he tried to steal Christmas, they explored how to give step-by-step guidance that others can follow. As part of the learning, the children took part in hot seating, stepping into the character of the Grinch to better understand his actions and use this to support their instruction writing. The activities helped develop creativity, speaking and listening skills, and the ability to write instructions that are clear and detailed.

Santa Dash

As part of our initiative to complete the daily mile, we planned to take part in The Santa Dash, which is just like our usual daily mile but with a festive Christmas twist. The children came to school wearing Christmas-themed clothing and were excited to join in. Unfortunately, the rain meant we were unable to do the run, but the children still enjoyed showing off their festive outfits and joining in with the Christmas spirit.

Police Visit

The children enjoyed a visit from the police as part of their topic on the circulatory system and identification. During the session, they learned all about fingerprints and how each person’s fingerprints are completely unique. They explored how fingerprints are formed and why they do not change over time, making them a useful tool for identification. Each child had their fingerprints carefully taken and placed into a keyring to take home. The activity connected science with real-life applications, helping the children understand both the uniqueness of the human body and the role of fingerprints in keeping communities safe.

Diabetes Awareness Day

The children took part in Diabetes Awareness Day by wearing blue to show their support. They learned what diabetes is, how it affects people’s daily lives and why awareness is so important. The class also created acrostic poems for the word DIABETES, using their ideas to show understanding and empathy. It was a thoughtful and informative session that encouraged awareness, kindness and inclusion.

Science Experiment

The children took part in a hands-on science experiment using lotion and water, transferring the mixture between bowls to model the effects of alcohol on the body. This activity helped them understand how alcohol can impact our systems, including slowing down the heart rate. The experiment encouraged careful observation, discussion and a deeper understanding of how our bodies respond to different substances.

Remembrance Service

The children attended the Remembrance Service in Ystradgynlais. They were absolutely amazing – so respectful and thoughtful throughout the ceremony. We’re incredibly proud of them for representing our school with such kindness and maturity.

Remembrance Day Wreath Making

The children created their own wreaths using pictures of poppies to mark Remembrance Day. They worked carefully and respectfully, learning about the significance of the poppy and why we take time to remember those who served. The activity encouraged reflection, creativity and a thoughtful understanding of the importance of remembrance.

Talk Money Week

The children took part in Talk Money Week by exploring why it is important to speak openly and confidently about money. They learned key financial terminology and discussed why talking about money can sometimes feel like a taboo. As part of the activities, the children created their own superheroes who help people manage their money wisely. The session helped build financial awareness, encouraged positive attitudes toward money and highlighted the value of developing good money habits from a young age.

Hello Yellow – World Mental Health Day

To mark World Mental Health Day, the class took part in Hello Yellow by wearing yellow to show support for positive mental health. The children discussed what mental health means, what helps us feel happy and safe, and what makes each of us unique. They also took part in activities designed to support wellbeing and encourage kindness, self-confidence and understanding. It was a thoughtful and supportive day that reinforced the importance of looking after ourselves and each other.

Show Racism the Red Card Day 

The children took part in Show Racism the Red Card Day to raise awareness about the importance of equality and respect. Everyone wore red to show their support and took part in class activities that helped them understand how we can all stand up against racism. It was a powerful and meaningful day that encouraged kindness, inclusion and celebrating diversity in our school community.

Heart Dissect Investigation 

As part of our science work, the children took part in a heart dissection to explore how the heart functions. They carefully examined an animal’s heart, weighing and measuring it before identifying the different parts such as the chambers, valves and vessels. This hands-on investigation helped deepen their understanding of how the heart pumps blood around the body and supported their learning about the human circulatory system. The children showed excellent curiosity and care throughout the activity.

Opera Singing Workshop 

The children took part in an exciting opera singing workshop. They practiced transforming normal speech into dramatic opera-style singing and worked on performing songs with expression and emotion. They also created their own short story, which they will perform as part of an original story/narrative. The session encouraged creativity, teamwork and confidence while giving the children a fun introduction to the world of opera.

Dydd Shwmae 

The children celebrated Dydd Shwmae by greeting each other in Welsh and using Welsh phrases throughout the day. They took part in fun activities that encouraged speaking and listening in Welsh, helping to build their confidence and pride in using the language. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our Welsh identity and promote the use of Welsh in everyday conversations.

Careers Live Session with BT  

The children joined a live careers session with BT, where they met ambassadors from a range of job roles. They discussed the different skills needed in the workplace and learned how these skills are used in real-life jobs. The session included a question-and-answer segment, giving the children the chance to find out more about each ambassador’s role and career journey. It was an inspiring opportunity to explore future aspirations and understand the value of developing key skills for the world of work.

Active Lives Day at Maesydderwen 

The children enjoyed an exciting  day at Maesydderwen called Active Lives Day. Throughout the day, they took part in a range of activities including football, cooking, yoga, rugby, netball and hockey. Each session gave them the chance to develop new skills, work as a team and build confidence in different environments. The children showed great enthusiasm, trying their best in every activity and supporting one another along the way. It was a fantastic day full of energy, learning and fun.

Black History Month Assembly

The children took part in a live assembly with Picture News to celebrate Black History Month. Together, we explored what makes a person powerful and why names are important and special, including the importance of pronouncing them correctly. We were joined by a special guest, Swarzy, who spoke about the people on our team who support us, such as family, friends and teachers. The children also learned about inspiring figures including Rosa Parks and Hamza Yassin. They enjoyed writing questions in the chat, answering thoughtfully and sharing their own opinions during the discussion.

Welsh Lesson

During their Welsh lesson, the children practiced asking and answering questions about where they live. They went around the classroom asking “Ble rwyt ti’n byw?” and their classmates shared the house, town, county and country where they live. The children then recorded their answers, helping them to improve their speaking, listening and writing skills in Welsh.

National Poetry Day

To celebrate National Poetry Day, the children created an acrostic poem using the words Eco School. Their verses highlighted how we can keep the planet healthy and safe, as well as the things we already do in school to help. It was a creative way to combine poetry with an important message about caring for the environment.

Puppy Visit

The children had a wonderful time meeting and caring for some very special visitors. They enjoyed smoothing the puppies, holding them gently and learning how to look after animals with kindness. The session helped them understand responsibility, empathy and the joy of spending time with pets.

Girls RWC Festival

Huge well done to the Year 6 girls who represented us brilliantly at the Ospreys Girls RWC Festival. They gave it their all, playing brilliantly in each match and winning 4 out of 5 games. Their teamwork and spirit were outstanding.

Class Debate on Voting Age

Our class took part in a thoughtful discussion about lowering the voting age. The children were split into two groups, with one half considering the positive impacts and the other half thinking about possible concerns. They shared their ideas and listened carefully to each other, learning the importance of respecting different opinions even when they do not agree.

Head Boys and Head Girls

Congratulations to this year’s Head Boys, Head Girls, Deputy Head Boys, and Deputy Head Girls, each of whom has been nominated by their peers. They are outstanding role models for the 2025/26 academic year, and we are immensely proud of every single one of them.

Percussion Session

This week the children enjoyed a lively music lesson exploring rhythm through percussion instruments and singing. They had the chance to experiment with sounds, keep a steady beat and play together as a group. The session encouraged creativity, listening skills and plenty of joyful music making.

Circuit Training

Our children have been taking part in a fun and energetic circuits session. Moving between different stations, they worked on developing their strength, balance and coordination. Each activity gave them a new challenge, whether it was jumping, stretching or balancing, and encouraged teamwork, perseverance and lots of smiles.

Summer Term 2025

Sports Day 2025

The children really enjoyed this year’s Sports Day.

Congratulations to the yellow team for winning this year!!

Fit Fortnight 2025

The children took part in a wide range of sport and fitness activities during this year’s fit fortnight.

Mini London Marathon 2025

The children really enjoyed a nice walk to take part in this year’s Mini London Marathon.

Spring Term 2025

Handwashing Heroes

Today, we were lucky enough to take part in a class workshop which highlighted the importance of washing our hands.

The children were amazed at how far a sneeze can spread and they were shown how to wash their hands thoroughly. Using some special equipment, they were shown how many germs stay on your hands if they are not washed for the correct amount of time.

Science

The children really enjoyed carrying out their Science experiment to find out which liquid cleans coins the best. The children did a lot of preparation for this experiment; they wrote a prediction, discussed variables, wrote a method and drew a diagram.

They worked in groups to carry out the experiment and they were shocked by the results! Lots of the children thought that washing up liquid and bicarbonate of soda would clean the coins the best but it actually turned out to be the tomato ketchup!

The children recorded their results in a table and ranked the coins shiniest to dullest and then they wrote a conclusion to explain why tomato ketchup was the best.

Saint Fagans

As part of our ‘Differences’ topic, we visited Saint Fagans on Tuesday 1st April to learn about Welsh History and find out how things are different now to how they were years ago.

We took part in a school lesson in Ysgol Maestir, which is a Victorian school, which was originally situated in Lampeter. It was very different to the schools we have now.

The Headmistress was very strict! We learned that school back then was quite boring as you have to repeat things over and over and over again. You would get in trouble for using  your left hand, not sitting up straight, having dirty hands and speaking Welsh!!!

Humanities & LLC Transition Day

Year 6 enjoyed another transition day at Maesydderwen. All the lessons they took part in were focused on the theme of ‘Cynefin’. They took part in an English lesson, a Humanities lesson and a Welsh lesson.

World Book Day 2025

The children enjoyed sharing their story books with the rest of the class for World Book Day. Great to see their costumes too!

Llangrannog March 2025

Year 6 visited Llangrannog for 3 days for their school residential trip. They had a fantastic time. They took part in lots of activities, they loved the food and their behaviour was exceptional! The location was beautiful and we were so lucky with the weather.

A visit to Yr Ysgol

Some children took a walk to Yr Ysgol to deliver the Valentine’s cards that they made for the residents as a token of their friendship. They had a lovely welcome and were given some really nice treats. They enjoyed making masks with some of the residents and they took pleasure in handing their cards over and seeing the smiles on the residents’ faces.

Cluster Rugby Festival @ Maesydderwen

Well done to these children to who took part in a cluster rugby festival at Maesydderwen. The Year 5/6 girls took part in a tag rugby festival on the astro and then the Year 5/6 mixed team took part in a contact rugby festival on the rugby field.

Both teams played really well. Da iawn!!

Valentine’s Day Cards

We have been busy making Valentine’s Day cards as a token of our friendship for the residents of the local nursing homes and the patients in the local hospital.

Cwis Dim Clem

The children worked well in groups of 4 to take part in Cwis Dim Clem. The quiz was all in Welsh and consisted of 5 rounds:

Round 1-General Knowledge about Wales

Round 2-Odd 1 out

Round 3-Animals

Round 4-Flags

Round 5-Welsh Celebrities

Two groups of children had the highest score of 37/40 and therefore had a tie breaker question. The winning group will be put forward to take part in the next round, should their score qualify. Da iawn pawb!

African Benne Cakes

Whilst Year 6 visited Maesydderwen for a transition day, Year 5 made African benne cakes. We have done this in line with our topic work and have compared the difference between treats we enjoy in Wales and treats that are enjoyed in Africa.

Year 6 Expressive Arts Transition Day @ Maesydderwen

A great day down at Maesydderwen for our Year 6 pupils. All lessons were focused on the film Coco. The children all enjoyed and really got a flavour of what to expect in the near future!

African Fruit Tasting

As part of this term’s topic, ‘Differences’, we are looking at the multicultural history of Ystradgynlais and we have discovered some links with Africa. The children have been tasting some African grown fruits. They worked in groups to describe the look, the feel, the smell and the taste of the fruits and when they had tasted them all, they discussed which was their favourite and why.

Swansea City Foundation

Dan visited us from the Swans Foundation for an afternoon of football. The children really enjoyed and Mrs Griffiths was very pleased to have such a lovely email saying how well behaved we were in the session. Well done to those children who received certificates, you clearly worked really hard. Da iawn!

Gwlad yr Ia

In their Welsh work, the children are learning about the differences between Wales and Iceland. They used atlases to compare and wrote their findings in Welsh.

Autumn Term 2024

Christmas 2024 – Santa visits GYC

Christmas Jumper Day 2024

Christmas Concert 2024 – Cinderella & Rockerfella

The children were all absolutely fantastic in this year’s Christmas concert. Extremely proud of them all. Talented!

Christmas Festivities

Look who came to visit!

DVLA Coding Challenge

A small group of children entered the DVLA coding challenge. They had a great time at the event. Excellent behaviour and they even won some prizes which we are going to use in class.

Chwarae yn Gymraeg

James from the Urdd came in to work with some children and teach them how to deliver some games in Welsh. The children really enjoyed and are looking forward to leading these games on the yard.

Sports Ambassadors

Martin Kelly and some sports ambassadors from Maesydderwen came in to work with our school ambassadors and we all joined in to play the games. The sports ambassadors will practise delivering the games out on the yard.

Rugby Skills

The children worked really with Luke, our WRU officer.

Year 5 STEM day at Maesydderwen

Year 5 visited Maesydderwen for their first transition day. They took part in Science, Maths and Technology lessons. They took part in all the lessons with such enthusiasm and they were exceptionally well behaved.

Snow is falling!

The children were very excited to see the snow this morning. Unfortunately it didn’t last long enough!!!

Plant Mewn Angen 2024

Wearing pyjamas and eating cakes all to raise money for Children In Need. The children showed a really good understanding of where the money goes and why this day is so important. Thank you so much so much for all the kind donations. Da iawn pawb!

World Diabetes Day – 14/11/24

A lovely sea of blue in our class today as we wear blue in support of World Diabetes Day. We learned a lot about diabetes today as we  took part in a q & a session with 1 pupil in our class. We also learned of famous people who have diabetes.

Diwali

The children have been learning about Diwali and they’ve been busy making Coconut Barfi – Indian sweets for the festival of Diwali.

Odd Sock Day – 13/11/24

In support of anti-bullying week, the children wore their odd socks loud and proud!

Dydd y Cofio – 11/11/24

The Year 6 children attended the community Remembrance service in Ystradgynlais. It took place on the cross and was well attended. Following the service we visited Gorsedd Park to look at the war memorials and see where the wreaths were laid on Remembrance Sunday. The knitting Nanas of Ystradgynlais have been very busy and created beautiful displays of poppies around the town.

Wicked @ Wales Millennium Centre

The Year 6 children had a fantastic time watching Wicked at Wales Millennium Centre. It was a really good show with some brilliant special effects.

Remembrance Day Pixilart

Scan the QR Codes to see some of our pixilart work for Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day Artwork

The children have enjoyed using a range of mediums to create some silhouette art and some online art – all inspired by Remembrance Day.

Ospreys – Girls In Rugby Week

The girls took part in a touch rugby festival at Llandarcy Academy of Sport along with 240 other primary school pupils. A great event! 

Poetry – Happiness is…

Have a listen to some of the children’s poems which they wrote as part of our work on positive thinking for World Mental Health Day.

Diwrnod Shwmae – 15/10/24

Today the children practised speaking Welsh and tried to encourage others to speak Welsh by greeting them with Shwmae. The children also designed their own Shwmae logos.

Amser Lles

The children enjoyed playing the emotions game today during Amser Lles. They had the opportunity to discuss lots of different feelings and they also understood that all these different feelings are ok.

World Mental Health Day 2024

A lovely display of the children’s work.

Work inspired by Leah Cummins – ‘Stronger connection creates stronger health.’

Active Lives Day @ Ysgol Maesydderwen

Year 6 visited Maesydderwen on Wednesday for their first of many transition days this year. In the morning they took part in sporting activities – hockey, rugby and football. In the afternoon they took part in some D&T activities – they made a zine, a keyring and a pitta pizza. They had a fantastic day and they’re looking forward to their next visit already!

Litter Pick

The children did a fantastic job last week and cleared a load of litter from our school grounds and the surrounding area. When we got back to school they sorted it into categories and put it in the correct bins. They were very disappointed but not surprised to see that the majority of the litter was plastic.

Class Trip – Craig y Nos

On Monday 30th September, Dosbarth Aur visited Craig y Nos. In the morning we took part in activities that helped us develop our navigational skills and our map skills. We learned how to use a compass to navigate around the park and then when we got to the meadow we learned how to read a map using a key. We had to use the map to find things in the meadow.

In the afternoon, we became pollution detectives and did some pond dipping. We had to identify the creatures we found and then dependant on what we found, we could make a judgement on how polluted the pond is. We learned a lot about pollution and that it’s not only rubbish that pollutes the rivers and ponds.

Social Media

The children worked really well in their groups discussing social media – the advantages and the disadvantages. They correctly identified what they should share and what they shouldn’t share on social media.

Football

Well done to the children who took part in the local cluster football tournament at Maesydderwen. The children played really well as a team and more importantly, they really enjoyed!

Music

As part of their transition programme to Maesydderwen, Year 6 are having weekly Music  sessions with Mrs Clear.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to these Year 6 children who have been chosen by their peers to be this year’s Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boys and Deputy Head Girls.

DOSBARTH AUR INFORMATION

*BIRTHDAYS*

YOU ARE WELCOME TO SEND IN BIRTHDAY TREATS WITH YOUR CHILD TO SHARE WITH THE CLASS.

*COMMUNICATION*

I WILL SEND OUT CLASS AND SCHOOL INFORMATION, IMPORTANT REMINDERS AND CLASS PHOTOS VIA SEESAW. IT IS VITAL THAT YOU ARE SIGNED UP SO YOU DON’T MISS ANYTHING.

*HOMEWORK*

HOMEWORK TASKS WILL INCLUDE READING, SPELLING, MULTIPLICATION TABLES AND OCCASIONALLY A TOPIC TASK. TASKS WILL BE SET WEEKLY FRIDAY – FRIDAY.

*SNACKS*

THE CHILDREN ARE WELCOME TO BRING IN A SNACK FOR THEIR MORNING BREAK. SNACKS MUST BE FRUIT, CHEESE OR YOGHURT.

*BOTTLES*

PLEASE SEND A DRINK TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD EVERYDAY. THEY CAN REFILL THEIR BOTTLES THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH WATER.

*UNIFORM & BELONGINGS*

IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT LOST ITEMS CAN BE RETURNED TO THE RIGHT OWNER PLEASE LABEL CHILDREN’S COATS, JUMPERS, CARDIGANS, BAGS, LUNCH BAGS, BOTTLES AND ANYTHING ELSE THEY BRING IN.

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Summer Term 2024

Llangrannog 2024

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Crefftau Dydd Gwyl Dewi- Spring 2024

Josef Herman inspired art- Spring 2024

Friendship Day-Spring 2024

We made friendship bracelets for ourselves and our friends; created friendship images using Wordart.com and coded ‘Buddy’ games.

Ystradgynlais and it’s Multi-cultural History-Spring 2024

We have been studying all the cultures in our  own community. Through  research and enquiry based studies we have been able to use our digital skills to re-tell and create digital stories. We used innovative skills that were engaging and interesting.

Enjoying our squash and biscuits morning sharing and presenting our ‘Genius Hour ‘ projects to the class- Spring 2024

Our well-being sessions with Mr Gwilym-Spring 2024

We do circuit exercises and try to beat our own personal target every week!

Willy Wonka Chocolate Bars- Spring 2024

Transition Expressive Arts Day at Maesydderwen! We had so much fun dancing, keeping fit, creating masks, participating in drama, learning how to play the ukulele and singing!- Spring 2024

Congratulations to all the children and their acheivements-

We really enjoyed learning about fractions through art!- Spring 2024

Describing the buildings in Ystradgynlais using digital technology!-Spring 2024

School nurse came to our school- Spring 2024

Christmas Cards and Dough Craft – Dec 23

Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal Performance-Dec 23

WINNERS of the DVLA Coding STEM Competition 2023

So proud of Alfie, Arthur, George, Max, Kian and Tristan who won 3rd prize for their  Scratch coding game, based on the MOD sending medical and essential supplies to countries that had been hit by a tsunami. They presented  to the judges, Sian Lloyd ( News presenter) and to the audience which was also streamed across all school in Wales. They received a prize of a £1000 of computer equipment and 10 laptops for the school and each received a prize of a mini computer.
It was a wonderful day and were able to visit the different stands so that they could see the opportunities for future careers in ICT based jobs which included: Cyber Security, Surveillance, Emergency Services and the Army.

A Chocolate for Christmas-Dec 23

We sent letters out to the parents in the school asking for donations of chocolates. Thank you to all the families for all your generosity and we were able to donate to CATCH ( our local food bank) and to Community Dreams to help local families at receive Christmas Hampers. Diolch.

Cycling Proficiency-Nov 23

Shrek the Musical-Nov 23

Year 6 had a fantastic trip to Cardiff Millennium Centre to see the West End Musical ‘Shrek’. It was amazing!

PRIMARY SCHOOL ENGINEERING PROJECT- building our locomotive.

Nov 23

We are learning to be engineers by building our locomotives using different tools and materials!

THE WORK OF JOSEF HERMAN- using pencil and oil pastels to create art inspired by his work.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DAY- Maesydderwen

November 2023

CHILDREN IN NEED-Nov 23

We came to school in our pyjamas and sold cakes to raise money for Pudsy Bear.

TECHNOCAMPS -Nov 23

TECHNOCAMPS came to our school to teach Python Maths and Microbits – we had so much fun!

EGYPTOLOGY CENTRE- SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

OCTOBER 23

Using ICT in our lessons

October 23

Girls Rugby Tournament

Oct 2023

Active Lives Day- Maesydderwen

We had a very busy and enjoyable day at Ysgol Maesydderwen! We took part in sporting activities, ate our healthy pizzas which we prepared and then cooked. Finally we used different tools to design and make a key ring!

Scientific Investigation- changing materials

Mummification

We mummified a tomato ( links with our language work) to use in our science investigation. Pupils had to follow the instructions – Oct 2023

Learning songs for the Eisteddfod

Bread of Heaven and Ble mae Daniel?

October 2023

Ystradgynlais Heritage Society

October 2023

Mr Best came into class to talk to us all about the Ystradgynlais Heritage Society that links with our topic this term ‘Our Community’ He explained that they have 75 members that research and maintain all our historical sites in Ystradgynlais. He showed us all the boards that are placed in different areas in Ystradgynlais and the surrounding communities that show the historical sites and famous descendants of Ystradgynlais.

Percussion Lesson

In the hall, we were introduced to a range of percussion instruments! Some of the instruments were really loud and some of us were able to play them! It was really interesting and such good fun!
September 2023

Digital Champions

We went into the other classes to teach coding to the other children.They really enjoyed building and making the robots move!

September 2023

Flying Drones

September 2023

We had a great time flying the drones in the hall!

Music Lesson

September 2023

Mrs Clear ( Music teacher from Maesydderwen Secondary School) came into to to teacher all about different musical notes, tempo and rhythm. It was a lot of fun!

EGYPTOLOGY- Land of the Pharaohs

As part of our language lessons we have been reading all about the ‘Electrifying Egyptians’. The children are really looking forward to learning all about them. Seren brought some Egyptian gifts she received including a template to write in hieroglyphics! Very interesting!

Achievements- September 2023

It was wonderful to see the achievements of some of our pupils- Mya took part and completed the mini Ironman race in Tenby and Mason received his medal for winning a rugby tournament. Well done to you both!

Exploring Our Community

September 2023

We had a very enjoyable walk exploring Ystradgynlais. It was very interesting to read all about the famous people that were descendants of Ystradgynlais and to be able to visit their memorial.

AWARDS -2023

WELSH HERITAGE COMPETITION

SLAVERY AND THE YNYSCEDWYN IRONWORKS

The pupils worked extremely hard to present their work about ‘Slavery and the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks’ to the judges when they came to visit us at school. We are thrilled to announce that they successfully won an award and it was presented to them at the Swansea Waterfront Museum in Swansea.

MINECRAFT COMPETITION – Designing a new stadium for their own community.

We are very proud to announce that 2 groups of children that entered the Minecraft Competition both became Regional Winners. They also became finalists ( only 14 groups throughout Wales were selected).

They had a wonderful day after being invited to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. They presented their work to the judges, had lunch and a tour and were presented with their certificates and medals! Congratulations!

Slavery and the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks

Spring Project

This term we have been studying the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks and the connection between Joseph Marryat Jnr. and slavery. It has been so interesting researching using official government documents, census, maps, databases, creating artwork and learning the history of Ystradgynlais from Mr Malcolm Best of the Ystradgynlais Heritage Society.

His father ( Joseph Marryat Snr.) was a slave-owner and when he died his sons inherited the slaves, plantations and the compensation given to slave-owners when slavery was abolished.

Joseph Marryat and Sons 1849 was active  in Welsh iron industry and as banker with Price, Marryat. The 1861 census shows him at Ystradglynais and having lived in Caedegar Road and formerly of  Maesydderwen Mansion which is now Maesydderwen Secondary School.   Joseph Marryat and Sir Charles Price had developed the pre-existing Ynys-Cedwyn Ironworks under the name of the Ynyscedwyn Iron Company.

World Book Day

Friday 3rd March

We enjoyed celebrating ‘World Book Day’ by reading English and Welsh books and using the library to explore and read new books.

Llangrannog Residential Trip

27th February- March 1st

It was a fantastic trip to Llangrannog where we were about to do so many activities we had never done before and practise our Welsh!

Internet Safer Day

We were able to learn about keeping safer on line with PC Skyrme and created posters.

8th February 2023

Building Robots – Lego Spike and coding with the Mini-Sphero!

We were very busy building our robots and coding the mini-spheres! It kept us very active moving them around the classroom and corridors. We enjoyed teaching the younger children how to control the mini-

3rd February 2023

NatWest MoneySense Lessons

26th January 2023

These lessons showed us how we paid for items in different ways; how to budget;  how jobs are linked to money and how we earn it!

Technocamps- Swansea University

We had a great day learning about Cryptography ( code-breaking);Robotics and Machines, using coding.

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Investigating-Are all metals magnetic?

As part of our  topic, we are investigating metals and what is the importance of recycling and sorting magnetic and non- magnetic metals. We used a range of magnets and investigated all the metal objects we have been collecting and brought from home. We recorded our results into a table.

Happy Chinese New Year-the year of the rabbit!

22nd January 2023

We celebrated The year of the rabbit by learning all about Chines New Year. We designed a dragon and made lanterns! It was interesting!

Gravity Art

16th January 2023

We studies all about moon and represented gravity using this art technique. We had amazing effects using paint.

The Bronze Ambassadors teaching the children warm up games.

12th January 2023

Making the panels for the ‘Crisp Blankets’ for the homeless charity.

11th January 2023

We began to iron the crisp packets together into panels. We laid the crisp packets out and fused them together by placing greaseproof paper on top, then carefully ironing so that they would fuse together. When we have enough panels we will send them to the following charity:

https://crisppacketproject.com

Please look at the website as they help so many homeless people.

Wow! We made a marble rollercoaster!

21st December

We all had so much fun building the rollercoaster out of plastic tubing and making the marbles run along the tubes! We had to change it so many times to make it work but it finally worked as you can see from the photographs!

On our way to Brynamman Cinema for our Christmas Trip!

20th December

The film and ice-cream was great!

Father Christmas and our Christmas Party! So much fun!

Cooking Christmas Shortbread!

We made Christmas shortbread to have at break time! They were so tasty we went home and made some with our parents!

Christmas Concert

Wednesday 14th December

We performed our concert in front of all our families and friends! It was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed performing ‘Bah Humbug’ based on the story of the Christmas Carol.

Nadolig Llawen!

Christmas Jumper Day- Thursday 8th December

We enjoyed wearing our Christmas jumpers to school and we had a day full of Christmas fun and songs!

Ho Ho Ho! It’s Christmas Time!

Christmas Craft Day

Friday 3rd December

We used all our creative skills to design, paint, measure cut, join and decorate our Christmas crafts! We made Christmas cards, used lollipop sticks to make our Father Christmas, stars and Christmas trees! I think you can tell we really enjoyed making these for our families!

Coding with Lego Kits

Tuesday 29th November

We had so much fun using coding so that we could build our lego robots and make them move in different ways!

Creating QR Codes

We were able to create QR Codes for our ‘Genius Hour’ work so others could scan the codes to see our work!

Cycling Proficiency

We took part this week in lessons to achieve our Level 1 and Level 2 cycling proficiency certificates.

Monday 28th November

Proud to be Welsh- supporting our football team!

Friday 25th November

Children came to school for the ‘wear red for Wales’ day to support our players in the Football World Cup in Qatar!

Sewing with Adele!

In this session children learn how to measure cut, sew and stuff toy animals. These sessions are giving the children life skills as well as the enjoyment of being creative!

Christmas- children love to decorate the classroom!

Thursday 24th November

Children were so excited to decorate the Christmas tree and make decorations for the classroom!

Playing games to calculate numbers

Wednesday 23rd November

Children learning to play chequers!

May taught a group of children how to play chequers and as you can see they thoroughly enjoyed learning the new game!

Children in Need and our Sewing Skills

Friday 18th November

Children dressed up in ‘Spots and Pyjamas’ and fundraised by selling cakes. The year 5/6 children also had sewing lessons with  Adele and were thrilled with their cushions!

Remembrance Day

‘Lest We Forget’

Friday 11th November

On the 11th day, of the 11th month at the 11th hour 2022, we came  together with our community, on the square in Ystradgynlais to pay our respects to the fallen. We wrote poems about Flanders fields and poppies.

Kerbcraft

Thursday 10th November

Children attended a really important event to learn all about road safety. They looked at videos and listened to the presenter explaining about all the different rules they need to do in order to be safe when crossing the road.

Remembrance Day

Monday 8th November

The children learned all about the importance of all the different poppies.

Red Poppy – Royal British Legion- to those who sacrificed their lives in World War 1 and further wars.

Purple Poppy-  Remembering the animal victims of war.

Black Poppy Rose – Black, African and Caribbean communities that contributed to the war effort.

White Poppy – The white poppy is handed out by a charity called Peace Pledge Union, which promotes peace.

Making Poppies

Digital Champions

Friday 27th October

Children in Mrs Griffiths class worked with the Digital Champions to teach the other children how to use coding. They were able to build build  a Lego fairground ride  and make it move in different ways. Well done boys!

Sewing cushions!

Friday October 27th 2022

The children have been having a wonderful time learning new sewing skills with Adele. She has taught them measuring, cutting and sewing skills. They were thrilled to come back to class to show their cushions which has a pocket to keep their reading book, so they can read before going to sleep. What a lovely surprise – the children made a cushion just for me! How beautiful they are!

Swansea University Science Fair- Fantastic Fire!

Thursday 26th October

We travelled to the Taliesin Centre to see the ‘Fantastic Fire’ show. The demonstrations and experiments were amazing! One of the children was chosen to be the scientists assistant and was rewarded with a gift. It was a wonderful day with children learning all about fire and it’s chemical reactions.

Black History Month

October 1st 2022

Investigating Materials

The children wanted to find out which material was more effective when making the ‘crisp blankets’ for the homeless. They were able to take temperature readings at different intervals and record their results.

J2Blast Champion of the World

Thursday 20th October

Congratulation to Alfie who is currently No.1 in the world on the TTRockstars leader board! Look at that smile!

Dark Skies Event

Thursday 20th October

The children were involved in a ‘Dark Skies Event’ via zoom. They had opportunities to ask an astronomer questions about space:

How many stars are there? How big is the moon?Where does space end?Do stars have names? Why is the moon called the moon? What is the moon made out of? Are there any new planets that have been found? Can we live on any of the planets? Do planets grow? How long does it take into space?

History of Mining

Wednesday 19th October

The children are studying the topic- Our Environment. The children brought items into school from their homes; knee pads which were worn underground, a rescue pack which enabled the miner to survive for an hour whilst waiting to be rescued, a miner’s lamp and lumps of coal.

Using Excel to plan a party!

Wednesday October 19th

The children used Excel to plan a party. They had to use formulae to multiple the number of items they needed by the cost! They were thrilled as they were able to spend all the money they were given with no change by buying certain items. Well done girls!

Football First Event

Monday 17th October- such a great day,  learning new football skills and having fun!

Diwrnod Shwmae

Friday 14th October

The children encouraged each other to speak Welsh throughout the day. They also wrote poems, created ‘Shwmae’ posters and logos! The children used their digital skills to take photos of all the children in the different classes using the selfie ‘Shwmae’ board. We all ended the day by looking at the film of all the well-known Welsh people who sent their Shwmae wishes to all the children! A great day had by all!

Active Lives Day

Ysgol Maesydderwen – Thursday 13th October

We all had a fantastic day at Maesydderwen learning new skills: netball, football, rugby and hockey. The children also had the opportunity to make a healthy pitta pizza, play dough and key rings which they all bought back to school!

Queen Elizabeth II

We celebrated the life of Queen Elizabeth II by researching all about her life and her ancestors. We wrote poems, created Buckingham Palace using Minecraft and used collage to create a beautiful piece of artwork.

Homelessness- Crisp Blankets

12th October 2022

Homelessness – Crisp blankets- Pupils are working on a project with the Humanities Department in Maesydderwen to create crisp blankets for the homeless to keep warm. Throughout the year the children will collect crisp packets, clean them and fuse them together. At the end of the year they will be donated to organisations that will support the homeless.

Charity Work

Every year Blwyddyn 5/6 help different charities/organisations.

Food bank – 2020- Blwyddyn 5/6 sent letters out to parents for donations of food. They were sorted into hampers and given to CATCH, the local food bank to help families in need.

Books2Africa – 2021- Blwyddyn 5/6 sorted out the library and resource rooms in the school. They went on the website and found information about donating any books that we did not use within the school. The children had to box the books by weighing them (30kg) and labelling them for the courier to collect. They were proud when they received their certificate and regularly have updates about their donations. They are used in schools in Africa.

Homelessness – 2022- Crisp blankets- Pupils are working on a project with the Humanities Department in Maesydderwen to create crisp blankets for the homeless to keep warm. Throughout the year the children will collect crisp packets, clean them and fuse them together. At the end of the year they will be donated to organisations that will support the homeless.

Digital Champions- Lego Kits

10th October 2022

We can use coding to get the Lego objects, move and light up. We really enjoyed ourselves and we will be going into the other classes to teach other children how to do it!

Digital photographs

Having fun taking photos with the iPad- love the faces!

27th September 2022

Fantastic ‘Borb’ the digital Orb-27th September 2022

We had so much fun using coding to give instructions to move and to get it to talk to us and each other. We worked together to create different pathways to move it.

Circus Skills!

We had great fun doing the circus skills this week -21st September

2021/2022

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee– 27th May 2022

Year 5 & 6 love to party!

We had a wonderful time celebrating the Queen’s platinum Jubilee with a whole school outdoor party and a disco!