15th September 2017 15 Medi 2017

Issue No. 61 Cyhoeddiad 61 Online Brynteg News

Newyddion Brynteg Ar Iein

Dear Parent/Carer,

It is a pleasure to write to you as the new Headteacher of Brynteg School. It is a privilege to be able to lead a school which has achieved so highly over the years and I certainly intend to build on this to ensure that Brynteg is even more successful in the future.

My work this term will be dominated by my belief that only happy children learn. I see it as my role to ensure that every single pupil enjoys coming to school, that they feel that they are an important part of the school and ultimately, with these in place, they feel able to learn and achieve.

This term has certainly started in an extremely positive way as we celebrate excellent results at Key Stage 3, 4 and the sixth form. Recent press coverage focussed on the many successes of our pupils as they collected their results this summer. Whilst it is too early to provide you with an in-depth analysis of our performance, the following head-lines deserve to be celebrated:

90% of our year 9 pupils achieved at least a level 5 in maths, science and English (the core subject indicator)

63% of our year 11 pupils achieved at least 5A*-C grades including maths and English

26% of our year 11 pupils achieved at least 5 A*-A grades

98% of our year 13 pupils achieved at least 2 A*-E grades

25% of the grades achieved by our year 13 pupils were at A*-A

Whilst this level of performance is excellent, I will seek to build on this further and achieve even higher outcomes in the future.

Our Open Evening for prospective pupils, parents and carers takes place on Thursday 28th

September from 4.30pm. This is aimed at those pupils who are currently in year 5 or 6 in our local primary schools. Please would you help us to promote this by mentioning this to those who you think may be interested.

I intend to hold open meetings with parents and carers where you will be able to ask me questions about any aspect of our provision. These will take place as follows:

Thursday 19th

October 6pm – Lower School hall (parents/carers of y7/8/9) Thursday 26

th October 6pm – Upper School hall (parents/carers of y10/11/12/13)

The meetings are intended to be informal and will be followed up with further meetings in the spring and summer terms.

Further information about events and activities can be found in our regular newsletter and on Facebook (Bryntegschool) and Twitter (@bryntegschool).

Finally, can I thank you for your support. The response to the change in uniform has been outstanding and it is a pleasure to see the positive impact that the introduction of blazers has had across the school.

I look forward to working with you.

Best wishes,

Mr Ryan Davies Headteacher

What a fantastic start to the new academic year. Thank you to our pupils, parents and carers for supporting the new uniform changes so well. We have received a number of supporting messages from people in the community stating how seeing the pupils dressed in their blazers have created such a positive impression. Thank you.

Contacting the School – A Kindly Reminder

Important: Please can we remind parents to refrain from contacting pupils during the school day and most importantly to avoid doing so via their mobile phone. It places pupils in a very difficult situation should a call come during a lesson. According to our mobile device policy, this could result in sanctions against the pupil, the phone being confiscated and parents being asked to come to the school to collect. Equally we have had instances where pupils have contacted parents about an issue or illness on their mobile, against school rules and policy, often without informing the school itself. Consequently we have had parents turn up at reception demanding that we resolve an issue or illness that we were unaware of in the first place. If there is an emergency please contact the school on 01656 641800 and we will find pupils as requested

As a school we encourage partnership working between teachers and parents and keeping in touch is an important and valued part of this successful partnership. However, recently our busy switchboard has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of calls from parents, the majority of which are routine and non-urgent.

Can we politely remind parents that there are a number of ways in which you can contact the school that may help parent messages and enquiries to be dealt with more efficiently and save you the frustration of hanging on waiting for your call to be answered. It would also prevent our switchboard being clogged up with routine calls and allow us to give priority to urgent and emergency calls. A note in your child’s planner For routine messages such as dental appointments, lost kit, homework queries. Email: admin.brynteg@bridgend.gov.uk Please state your child’s name and form and if relevant, who the email is for. Your email will then be forwarded to the relevant person. For non urgent routine enquires and reporting any concerns, change of address, pupil absences, school trip information. Telephone: 01656 641800 For urgent and emergency matters only please. We reiterate that we are happy to hear from you and thank you for using the appropriate method of contacting us.

Mobile phones and MP3 players

If you are caught using a mobile phone or MP3 player in class or anywhere on the school grounds it will be confiscated. It will be returned only to your parents/carers who will have to come to school to pick it up. Failure to hand over a mobile phone to staff will have serious disciplinary consequences.

Mobile Phones and contacting the school

Show My Homework:

Year 7 pupils will receive their login details shortly. Up to date parental email address required for parent / carer access

Uniform reminder

Please could all uniform items and PE kits be clearly labelled, this is so we can return any items to their owner.

Thank you for your cooperation

Message Board

Staff Development Days

The school will be closed to pupils on the following dates:

Friday 16th February 2018

Thursday 29th March 2018

Monday 23rd July 2018

Tuesday 24th July 2018

The term for pupils will end on Friday 20th July 2018.

Term Term Begins Mid-term holiday

Term Ends Begins Ends

Autumn Term 2017 Monday 4 September 2017

Monday 30 October 2017

Friday 3 November 2017

Friday 22 December 2017

Spring Term 2018 Monday 8 January 2018

Monday 19 February 2018

Friday 23 February 2018

Thursday 29 March 2018

Summer Term 2018 Monday 16 April 2018

Monday 28 May 2018

Friday 1 June 2018

Tuesday 24 July 2018

School Term Dates

Exam Success!

A-Level Results Day 2017

We are delighted with this year’s results, which once again reflect the hard work

of students and staff at Brynteg. These results build on the school’s long tradition

of academic excellence in the Sixth Form, with some outstanding individual

results. The vast majority of our students are now looking forward to attending

their first choice of university. Naturally, we wish all of our students every success

for the future!

Mr Ryan Davies (Headteacher)

Photographed students and high achievers include: Max Brennan (A*, A* A*), Ellie Butcher (A A A), Ayisha Dyer (A* A* A), Courtney Edwards (A A A), Thomas Exton (A A A), Adam Hogan (A* A* A), Daniel Jenkins (A* A* B), Harvey Jones (A* A* A A), Ellie MacGregor (A* A* A), Amy Morgan (A* A A), Shivani Potnis (A A A), Hannah Pottinger (A* A A), Eliza Scott-Thomas (A* A* B), Carys Sheard (A* A* A A), Emily Stimpson (A* A A), Brogan Thomas (A* A* A*), Gabriella Wilde (A* A* A), Emily Williams (A* A* A*).

Exam Success!

Brynteg GCSE Results Day 2017

We are very pleased with this year’s GCSE results, which once again confirm the

very high standards we achieve within Brynteg. Performance within English, Maths

and Science was very strong. We congratulate all of our pupils and staff on the

results. Their hard work has once again been rewarded. Twenty five pupils

achieved ten or more A*/A grades and nearly 25% of the cohort achieved 5 or

more A*/A grades. We look forward to welcoming back the vast majority of year 11

into our exceptionally successful Sixth Form to further build on their successful

GCSE performance.

Mr Ryan Davies, Headteacher

Photograph List – pupils achieving 10 or more A*/A grades:

Samuel Beckett Prutha Bhor Benjamin Davies Sophie Davies Shannon Duckett Rhiannon Harries Dafydd Heyburn Megan Howe Lowri Howells Kate James Evan Laidler Alexander Mabey Lydia MacGibbon

Catrin Membery Rachel Morgan Finlay Mullens Olivia Norman Hannah Pearson Rhys Spurgeon Alice Taylor Briony Thomas Lucy Thomas Lauryn Vickerman Anya Williams Amy Brier Winn

Art Department News Newyddion Yr Adran Gelf

During July a group of sixth form art

students completed a fabulous

Gruffalo mural on a large container

in Brackla Primary School.

A fantastic result produced thanks to

the excellent guidance and hard work

of art teacher Mrs S Topham and her

husband Keith who also continued to

work on this on their days off.

Many thanks and well done to all who

were involved including year 13

pupils Cerys Jones, Charlotte Parker,

Jack Newman and Demi-Lei Morgan.

Information / Photographs supplied by:

Mrs S Pearson / Mrs S Topham

The next Performing Arts Department whole school production will be

Disney's

Updates to follow…..

Drama Department News Newyddion Yr Adran Ddrama

Mrs Beesley and Mrs Fender

Music Department News Newyddion Yr Adran Gerddoriaeth

‘An American in Paris’

On Wednesday 12th July a group of pupils accompanied by Mrs Beesley and Mrs Fender visited the West End for the matinee performance of 'An American in Paris'. After a detour of London due to King Phillipe of Spain's state visit the group arrived at the Dominion Theatre excited and in good spirit thanks to Joe Elliott and Thomas Wooster's informative sight-seeing guide.

The show was amazing! Slick changes of set, fabulous music and sublime dancing. We were all impressed.

After the show the pupils met with former Brynteg pupil Alyn Hawke who is currently performing in 'An American in Paris'. Alyn took a question and answer session with the pupils before signing programmes, tickets and having numerous selfies. Since graduating with a first class honours degree in Musical Theatre Alyn has performed in 'Evita' (British and European Tour),'Top Hat' (British tour, London residency and Japanese tour) and 'Miss Atomic Bomb' (London residency).

Information / photographs supplied by: Mrs Z Fender

Music Department News Newyddion Yr Adran Gerddoriaeth

Information / photographs supplied by: Mrs Z Fender

Brynteg Summer Proms The sun as well as our talented pupils shone for the music department’s annual Summer Proms Concert on Tuesday 4 July. A varied programme ensured that there was a genre of music for everyone’s taste from folk and traditional Welsh music to compositions from our year 7 pupils using Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ as their model to year 13 electro-dance music. Well done to all the pupils involved for the musical feast they gave their very appreciative audience.

Brynteg Summer Proms

Exam Celebration Congratulations to all of our musicians who have successfully passed their ABRSM music exams. We are all very proud of you!

Music Department News Newyddion Yr Adran Gerddoriaeth

Information / photographs supplied by: Mrs Z Fender

Important Dates:

Wednesday 4th October - Welsh Guards Band Visit Tuesday 19 December - Annual Carol Service at

St Mary’s Nolton Church 7pm.

Music Notice Board

Also a note that all pupils having instrumental peripatetic lessons in school should be attending their music lessons and school ensemble rehearsals each week, as well as practising their instrument each day at home.

Music for Youth Festival Birmingham Four of our accomplished brass players recently performed with the Bridgend County Youth Symphonic Brass Ensemble at the National Music for Youth Festival in Birmingham on Thursday July 6th. Owain Evans (former year 13) trombone, Abigail Linforth (former year 11) French Horn, Dafydd Rees (year 10) trombone and Joe Elliott (year 9) percussion. The ensemble impressed the adjudicators with their programme of “War” by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, followed by “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas and ending with an entertaining performance of “Ap Tora” by Trombone Shortie.

In the summer term, as part of the Healthy Living promotions in the school canteen, pupils received a loyalty card with a stamp for every pasta pot that they purchased. When they had collected 6 stamps, their 7th meal was free and the card entered into a nationwide competition for prizes.

The students pictured won cinema vouchers, iTunes vouchers a selfie stick and Jack

Murray (9S) was the lucky winner of an iPad!

The promotion will run throughout this Autumn term with a further prize draw taking place before Christmas.

Thank you to all students who support the canteen and to the staff who constantly review the selection of foods available to the pupils. We encourage the students to provide feedback on their likes and dislikes through the School Council and will work closely with the Bridgend team to improve this already excellent facility.

Remember, you've got to be in it to win it! This terms prizes include a further fantastic range of vouchers, more iPads and even a bike!

Information / Photograph supplied by: Mrs K Perna

Pupils: Joseph Bolton 8S, Macey Lyons 8Y, Fearne Jenkins 8N, Lauren Weston 8N, Ben Talbot 8T,

Natasha Austin 8E, Ieva Andrikauskaite 8S, Freya Yaw 8R, Jack Murray 9S

Our school cafeterias are operated by BCBC. They offer varied menus using fresh U.K. meats, fresh salads and fresh vegetables every day from local suppliers. All meals are made on site with fresh ingredients.

Source: http://www.bridgend.gov.uk

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Children’s Directorate has implemented a cashless catering system for school meals, to support schools and parents with the payment and collection of school dinner money. The system is managed as a joint venture between the school and Catering Services. For efficiency of administration the preferred option of payment for school meals with this system is through a secure BCBC online payment system but the school will still have the ability to accept cash if some parents do not have online access.

Clear instructions on how to pay for your child’s school meals are online via the BCBC website. Pupil data within the system will be updated and managed by the school only. Pupil free meal entitlement data will be loaded within the system to ensure these pupils remain anonymous at all times, therefore these parents are not required to take any action regarding cashless catering.

Each pupil at the school has a unique numerical identifier allocated to them. Please keep your child’s unique number safe, to enable you to make payment for school meals. The unique pupil number will be linked with a photographic image of your child to ensure that when your child presents themselves at the meal servery area, the correct amount is debited from the correct account at the terminal for meals received. All photographs of pupils are secure within the system. If you have made us aware of any diagnosed allergies to food, this information will be input into the system, to alert Catering Services staff.

Parents paying online for school meals must be aware that it is imperative that they credit their child’s account at least 24 hours before the expectation of a school meal, as all meals must be paid for in advance, or you must provide a home packed lunch for your child. Any queries about your child’s balance should be discussed with the school. You will now have the ability to load your child’s account for a week, month or even a term, should you wish to. If your child is absent from school, all paid monies on your child’s account will be carried forward. Your child’s account will only be debited on the days that your child has a meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q What is a Cashless System? A A Cashless Catering System is a solution, which is purpose designed to meet the ever evolving needs and demands of the Catering Provision that is required by today’s Schools. The Trust-e Cashless Solution allows schools to be better able to provide their students with a faster, more efficient and more appealing meal service. Q What methods of payment can be used to credit an account? A Any amount can be credited to an account by way of any of the following methods. Once an account has been credited the monies cannot be withdrawn and must be spent on the school meal / break services. On-Line Payments The preferred method is via the on-line payment system. We have introduced On-line Payments in partnership with the Cashless Catering System. To make a payment on line please go to www.bridgend.gov.uk, please also refer to the payment instructions at www.bryntegschool.co.uk Cash at the Revaluation Units The backup system is via the revaluation unit which is sited at student reception in both Upper and Lower school. This can be used to top up accounts by the pupil/member of staff presenting their card to the machine and inserting the accepted tender below: £20, £10, £5 notes £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p coins (Please note – copper coins are not accepted) Q How can I check the credit on an account? A This can be done by the account holder presenting the card to the revaluation unit. The current balance will then be displayed. Q Can I change the daily ‘Spend Limit’? A No, the daily ‘Spend Limit’ has a default of up to £6. Q Can anyone else use my child’s account? A No – Due to extensive security no-one will be able to access your child’s account. As a secondary precaution a photo image is allocated to each pupil and is stored on the card. If your child’s card is lost and someone attempts to use it, when the card is presented at the till, the operator will be alerted that a fraudulent sale is taking place. Q Can students use other students’ cards for their own meals i.e. share a card? A Students must definitely not share cards, as they may exceed their daily cash limit, thereby denying the other person a meal. Q What happens if my child’s account is not in credit? A As all meals must be paid for in advance, money can be brought to school with the pupil to top up their card on the day, the correct amount of change should be brought to school as no change can be given (the machine will not accept 1p, 2p or 5p coins), or you must provide a home packed lunch for your child. Q How do ‘free meal’ entitlements work? A All free meal entitlements will be entered on the system prior to the ‘Live’ day. The Cashless Catering System will, on a daily basis, automatically allocate the appropriate accounts with the free meal amounts. Pupils with Free Meal Entitlements remain anonymous at all times as all account types are accessed in the exact same manner regardless as to whether paid for or not. NB. Any monies not spent form the daily free meal allocation will not be carried over to the next day. Q My child has an allergy, how will this be monitored. A It is the parent’s responsibility to advise the school if a child has an allergy. All allergy records are registered with the school will be entered on to the Cashless System. When a pupil attempts to purchase an item, which has ingredients that they are allergic to, the system will alert the operator and prevent them from selling the chosen item. Q What happens if the car id lost? A Another card can be issued from the lower school office at a cost of 50p per card.

Transition 2017

J L Davies

During July the Design and Technology Department held a three day transition activity for year 5 pupils from our feeder primary schools:

Litchard, Oldcastle, Brackla, Tremains and Penybont. In total 245 pupils visited us during Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th of July. The year 5 pupils thoroughly enjoyed their time at Brynteg and we look forward to welcoming them to our open evening on September 28th.

Pupil News Newyddion Disgybl

Following on from the last academic year Brynteg

would like to make special mention to Megan Thomas

of year 10 who has been fundraising for the LATCH

Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity.

On 1st July 2017 Megan cut 10 inches off her hair for

the charity. The hair was donated to the Little Princess

Trust, so that the hair could be used to make a wig.

Megan presented Sandra and Huw Owen with the final

total raised on 3rd September. They along with Kevin

Owen are the founders of the Porthcawl branch, which

was created in memory of their beautiful son and

brother Emyr.

The money is going towards a project Latch are

working on with Velindre hospital, to improve the

environment, equipment and experience of any child

who is being treated there.

Megan would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their overwhelming generosity in sponsoring her for

this well deserving cause. The amount raised will make such a difference to so many children's lives.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Megan has raised the incredible total of £1739.50 for Latch, through

her charity haircut.

Information / Photograph supplied by: Mrs L Thomas

Photograph: Megan is pictured presenting her hair to Sandra and Huw Owen from the Emyr Owen Porthcawl Latch Branch.

Well done to Emma Luke of year 13 who also cut 13 inches off her hair for

the Little Princess Trust. Emma successfully raised £200 for this worthy

cause.

The Little Princess Trust is a children’s cancer charity and their mission is

to supply real hair wigs to children suffering with cancer, for the duration of

their treatment. In addition they assist children with other conditions which

also result in hair loss.

Information / Photograph supplied by: Emma Luke

Well done to both Megan and Emma Brynteg are in awe of your selfless act

of kindness.

Pupil News Newyddion Disgybl

North West Lionhearts Under 18s playing away at Wigan, with a team made up of Super League academy players where they secured a 38 -16 victory.

Cael’s team played a French Select Under 18s side in Cardiff, which was a very physical game. This resulted in a game draw of 22.

He then travelled to Loughborough to play a Midland select Under 18s side which was made up from university players and some Castleford Super League Academy players where they secured a team win scoring 48 - 6.

Unfortunately Cael is one month too young to have his full international Cap this year for Under 18s Wales Rugby League but he was still invited to the trial. Cael now has one game left to play away in Leeds. The team will be playing against Leeds Rhinos Super League academy Under 19s.

Good luck to Cael as he continues in the South Wales Under 18s squad

ready for next year's season.

Brynteg are very proud!

Information / Photographs supplied by: Mr G Chamberlain

In May of this year Cael Chamberlain of year 12 transferred to play for West Wales Raiders Rugby League in Llanelli. He played for both the Under 17s and Senior teams at the age of 16. In July Cael received a West Wales Under 17s Welsh Cap and played against East Wales, a game that the team comfortably won.

He was then selected to be part of a South Wales Under 18s academy side affiliated to the South Wales Ironmen, who are a professional Rugby League side based in Llanelli. Cael has played three games to date for them as the youngest member of the squad:

Congratulations to William Howell of year 9. During July William came in 1st place during a sailing competition located in Cwmbran. This win qualified him to sail for the district sailing competition located in Portsmouth.

William competed against older entrants and in poor weather conditions in the Portsmouth competition during the summer holidays, where he secured 9th position.

Well done William Brynteg are very proud!

Photograph: William Howells is pictured above during the Cwmbran sailing competition in July.

Information / Photograph supplied by: Ms J Jones

MONDAY 8 January

TUESDAY 9 January

WEDNESDAY 10 January

THURSDAY 11 January

FRIDAY 12 January

Morning Ses-sion

09:00 EXAM START

Year 10 & 11

English Literature Unit 1

3720U10 – Foundation

2 hours

3720UA0 – Higher 2 hours

Year 11

CIDA

DA201 2 hours 30

Afternoon Session

13:00 EXAM START

GCSE External Examination Timetable

JANUARY 2018

MONDAY 6 November

TUESDAY 7 November

WEDNESDAY 8 November

THURSDAY 9 November

FRIDAY 10 November

Morning Session 09:00 EXAM START

YEARS 11-13 RE-SIT

Maths (GCSE) NEW WALES

UNIT 1 NUMERACY

3310U10 - Foundation 1 hour 30

3310U30 - Intermediate

1 hour 45

3310U50 - Higher 1 hour 45

English Language (GCSE)

RE-SIT ONLY – UNIT 2

3700U20 2 hours

YEARS 11-13 RE-SIT

Maths (GCSE) NEW WALES

UNIT 2 NUMERACY

3310U20 - Foundation 1 hour 30

3310U40 - Intermediate

1 hour 45

3310U60 - Higher 1 hour 45

English Language

(GCSE) RE-SIT ONLY – UNIT 3

3700U30 2 hours

YEARS 11-13 RE-SIT

Maths (GCSE)

NEW WALES – UNIT 1

3300U10 - Foundation 1 hour 30

3300U30 - Intermediate

1 hour 45

3300U50 - Higher 1 hour 45

MONDAY 13 November

TUESDAY 14 November

WEDNESDAY 15 November

THURSDAY 16 November

FRIDAY 17 November

Morning Session 09:00 EXAM START

YEARS 11-13 RE-SIT

Maths (GCSE) – Year 11 NEW WALES – UNIT 2

3300U20 - Foundation

1 hour 30

3300U40 - Intermediate 1 hour 45

3300U60 - Higher

1 hour 45

External Examination Timetable NOVEMBER 2017 - GCSE

Additional information : Wales National Tests for Years 7 - 9 is 25th April to 9th May 2018.

Literacy Focus for September Pwyslais Llythrennedd ar gyfer Medi

Each month as a school we have a specific literacy focus to improve literacy skills and help pupils gain a better understanding of different grammatical points.

You can help to reinforce each literacy focus at home by:

testing your child on the definition of each literacy skill or grammar point.

asking your child to give you examples of sentences where they would use a particular literacy skill / grammar point.

asking your child to give you examples of lessons where they have used each literacy skill / grammar point.

Year 7 - Capital Letters Capital letters are used to mark the beginning of a sentence and are also used at the beginning of new speech e.g. Mrs Bloggs said, "You need to use capital letters correctly". They are also used for people's names, countries, companies, products, places, names of films/books and days of the week.

Type of Sentence Punctuation

Statement Full stop

Question Question mark

Exclamation Exclamation mark

English is my favourite subject. (statement)

What are you doing? (question)

Year 8 and 9 -

Punctuation to mark sentences

End Punctuation

Book of the Fortnight Llyfr Y Pythefnos

Recommended by Mr G Lewis Librarian

Avril Crump and the Slumber Code by Angela Woolfe

Q: What do you get if you cross one magic formula with a

batch of burned muffins and a speeding tractor

(along with a bald scientist and three loopy clones on top)?

A: Trouble, and one very scary adventure.

You see, Augustus the dog has a stalker, Eddie keeps dropping

off and Avril Crump is racing against time - in the dark - on

a white-knuckle rollercoaster adventure!

This book falls in the Adventure Genre.

Mr G Lewis - Librarian Mrs J L Davies - Learning Resource Assistant

Do you have any overdue school library books at home? Due to depleted stock it would be very much appreciated if any overdue books found could be returned to the school. Books can be returned to either Brynteg upper or lower school office for the attention of the Librarian. There are no fines owed on any overdue books. Thank you for your cooperation.

As part of our commitment to educating the whole school community about eSafety we would

like to highlight two articles on the BBC website aimed at parents, which you may find useful:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38842791 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38893963

Young people today are constantly reminded that the things they do and say online won’t go away. Often we focus on the downsides of having a public and permanent digital footprint, but your child’s online presence can be just as beneficial as it could be damaging. You and your children have probably heard that compromising photos or inappropriate comments on social media could hurt their chances of finding a job or getting into university. But while lots of employers and universities admit to looking up applicants online, it’s better to have a positive digital presence than none at all. A thoughtful and carefully developed digital footprint that highlights your child’s skills and interests could help them stand out in a good way. Here’s how to help your child make their digital footprint work for them.

1. Think before sharing It’s not new advice, but thinking carefully before sending or posting is one of the most important parts of looking after your digital footprint. Instead of just holding back from posting inappropriate comments, your child should think about how everything they share fits into their online ‘brand’ – does it represent how they want others to see them? 2. Use the right settings It’s best to only post things you’re happy to make public, but that doesn’t mean there should be no separation between what you share with the world and with your friends. It’s natural – and important – for your child to share some things publicly and restrict others to a smaller group of friends and family. 3. Get involved Especially as young people get a bit older, a good digital footprint should reflect the things that are important to them. If your child is interested in writing, for example, they could start a blog to build up an online portfolio. They don’t have to accept comments or posts from people reading it if they don’t want to. And you don’t have to share your own work to make your interests part of your digital footprint – the things you like and the people you follow matter too. 4. Stay on top of things If your child is working to have a positive digital footprint they should check regularly to make sure it stays good. They can Google their name, or use tools on some social media platforms to see their activity or their profile from someone else’s perspective. 5. Be safety-conscious It’s hard to have a positive online presence if you’re not in control of what ‘you’ share. Your child should use good passwords and keep them private to keep anyone else from getting access to their accounts. 6. Delete old accounts Social media platforms go out of fashion quickly, and yesterday’s craze might be out of favour with your child today. Nothing posted online ever disappears completely, but it’s best to delete old profiles instead of leaving them unattended. 7. Stay careful Your child shouldn’t overshare online in the interest of having a good digital footprint. They still need to think about using privacy settings and avoid giving out too much identifying information. For some young people, like those in care, it might be more important to focus on privacy than building an online presence – and that’s completely fine. A positive digital footprint is a bonus, not a requirement. It’s also worth reminding your child that their digital footprint isn’t just what they share, it’s what others say about them too. As a parent or carer, you might want to keep this in mind for your own posts as well.

Building a Positive Digital Footprint for Your Child

Some interesting esafety advice from Rachel Rosen of parentinfo.org

please visit links to useful sites. As part of our commitment to educating the whole school community about eSafety we would

like to highlight that the NSPCC has launched an online safety page aimed at parents, which you

may find useful:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/

http://parentinfo.org/article/having-a-positive-digital-footprint

We would like to highlight www.thinkuknow.co.uk

A website you may find useful

We would like to remind parents /guardians that due to data

protection /privacy issues individuals should not share photos of

anyone other than their own children on social media.

Social Media

A parent & carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games

As many of you will be well aware, apps and gaming are very popular pastimes of children and

young people. Many of you will be familiar with the Toca series, Pokémon Go, Minecraft, Thomas

the Tank Engine, Lego and YouTube – and the list goes on. Young people are also playing

games like Grand Theft Auto or using apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter or Spotify.

This article explores some of the challenges of appropriate gaming and app ratings faced by

parents and carers. It will help you find out more about game ratings and where to get help and

support. Is the content age-appropriate? Whatever the age group one point is clear: although

children and young people love using apps and games, there is a risk that many are using and

accessing content that is not age-appropriate. You may find it difficult to manage apps and

games especially if you have children of different ages. Often a younger child may want to play

the same games and apps as an older sibling. Or the younger child may peek over the shoulder

and possibly see things that are not appropriate for their young age. Of course, this problem is

not limited to siblings. In the playground, children talk about games, apps and the latest trends.

Children and young people may praise one game, app or social networking site over another,

but it is unlikely that they will discuss the age ratings of those apps and games. The irony is that

those age ratings provide the most important feature of that game, app or social networking site –

protection of their development and maturity. How ratings help in addition to protecting children

and young people, app ratings can also guide you to make informed decisions about the content

that their children see, the sites they visit and the games they play. You may wish to learn how

apps and games are rated via: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/how-are-age-ratings-apps-

and-games-rated and begin a discussion about the appropriateness of certain apps or

games using the resources identified below and on the following pages.

Information on age ratings:

· PEGI: European game rating and explanation of 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 labelling

http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/33/

· Entertainment Software Rating Board: North America an rating system as a large number of apps and games come from North America

http://www.esrb.org/about/resources.aspx

· Common Sense Media: provides reviews on apps and games from the perspectives of parents, children and young people Information on gaming and safe use:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews

You may wish to take a look at these resources from the Hwb Online Safety Zone:

https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/onlinesafety

· Gaming and Screentime – for parents and carers – learn what games your children are playing

and how you can talk with your child to help them to play in a safe and positive way

· Gaming scenarios – scenario based resource that allows pupils to discuss safe and appropriate

use of online gaming sites.

https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/onlinesafety/resources/resource/538ec328-7cb7-4858-833a-

b0209252c02b/en

How do I talk about apps, games and social networking with my child? Here are some tips for

parents and carers of younger children:

· play a game with your child and review the age ratings together

· respect the age ratings despite the popularity of an app or game

· discuss the appropriateness of the app or game. Here are some tips for parents and carers of

young people:

· ask your young person about the types of games they play and how do they feel when playing

· ask what types of apps are trending and why do they like it

· explain your values and discuss whether the app, game or site is appropriate

· review this parent’s guide to technology to better support your young people as they use

technology

https://saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-technology

· FamilyPoint Cymru also provides support and guidance which you may find useful.

https://familypoint.cymru/my-daughter-is-obsessed-with-gaming/

There are many benefits to new technology and with your support

and guidance your children can; play, socialise, be creative and

learn in a technological environment.

Source:

https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/onlinesafety/resources/resource/3d2f4958-37fa-48f2-a8d4-a3a08505cc02

Picture power –

Images are a handy way of expressing something that might be hard to put into words e.g. sharing your talents, places you’ve visited or explaining a new skill

Turning complexity into simplicity –

An image can often make ideas clearer for others to understand e.g. infographics

Diverse entertainment –

The internet is full of creative and talented people who love to create artwork or take photos to make us laugh or think

Access to a global audience –

Social networks enable us to share our images and messages with millions of users worldwide, as well as with smaller groups of family and friends.

Why do people share images?

Reasons for posting images of themselves or others online may be to:

share memories or experiences

express themselves

get noticed (to get ‘likes’/followers)

raise awareness (of a cause or news story)

advertise a product, service or brand

boost their confidence.

There’s always a reason behind why people share images. Remembering this can help us understand what others have shared. It may begin to explain why young people may wish to share explicit images online too.

Sharing images The internet is a great place for chatting and sharing with

others. Which may explain why a big part of the way we

communicate today is visual – through photos, videos,

livestreams, memes and emojis.

Sharing images can be quick, easy and fun. However, it’s

important to think about what we choose to share, how it

reflects on us and how it may affect our audience.

Young people use images to build their online reputation in a

way that’s often positive and respectful of others. However,

What are the risks of sharing images?

Here’s our ‘Top 8’ things to consider:

Personal information – an image of a child in school uniform can disclose their school address, appearance, gender and approximate age. The image background can also give away clues about places your child may frequent.

Location data – images taken on most mobile devices will, by default, capture information about ‘where and when’. Software can extract this data and disclose precise location coordinates.

Contact from others – posting an image encourages other people to give feedback – ‘liking’, ‘sharing’ or ‘commenting’. Some images may be posted to provoke a reaction or without thinking about the possible consequences. Images may be shared with a small group of trusted friends online or publicly, possibly inviting comments and unwanted contact from strangers.

Where does the image go and for how long? – Once shared, images can easily be copied and re-shared by others. This makes it very difficult to remove an image from the internet definitively, as the opportunity for another user to repost the image always remains.

Online reputation – other users can see the: behaviour of your child, comments children make about other images on social media. They may perceive them as positive or negative depending on the image, context and comment.

Misunderstood messages – images can be misunderstood or challenged online by others. An image or meme seen as ‘funny’ by the person who created or shared it may not be appreciated in the same way by others.

The impact of editing – it’s very easy to crop or otherwise alter images before sharing them – the final version showing (and meaning) something quite different to the original. This may suggest an event that didn’t really happen, or portray something impossible or offensive.

Sexting – this is the taking, sending and possession of nude/sexually explicit images or videos of yourself or others. It has legal implications for children and is a serious safeguarding issue. Find out more about sexting later in this playlist.

How to help your child with what they see online

Discuss online experiences – talk to your child about what they see and experience. What do they like/dislike?

Encourage critical thinking – is ‘seeing’ always ‘believing’? Support your child to be a critical online thinker and learner. They should not take any images or information at face value and should consider who shared the image and the message they were trying to communicate.

Discuss how they feel – remind your child it’s OK to have an opinion and feel things about what they see online. However, if they’re seeing things that are making them feel worse, not better, then they should talk to a trusted adult about it. For older children, they may prefer to speak to a best friend first, so also encourage your child to be a positive and supportive friend.

Remind your child that they can always speak to you or another trusted adult if they ever see anything online that confuses, upsets or worries them.

Visit the NSPCC’s advice for discussing difficult topics with young people (English only) to help keep them safe.

How to help your child behave appropriately online

Think before you post

Others may see what your child posts or shares online

Once something is shared online, you lose control

Even after you take down the original image, copies may remain online and can affect how other people feel and react.

How does your behaviour affect others? – Is your child posting positively and respectfully? Or are they posting or sharing something that could be deemed inappropriate, offensive or hateful? Children should be conscious of how their words and actions affect others online.

Build an online reputation – encourage your child to use the internet as a platform for showcasing their skills and qualities. Images provide an opportunity to publicly demonstrate artistic and creative talents, photography skills, sporting achievements, and other hobbies, interests or experiences. As young people move from school to further education or work, it’s become common practice for potential employers or universities to search for them online to review their digital footprint. Posting positive content is a great way to ensure that others will be left with a good first impression.

Privacy settings – a good way to control who can see what you post and share online is to make use of social network privacy tools and settings. You can find a checklist for using these settings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchap via: http://hwb.wales.gov.uk/onlinesafety/resources/resource/629e1662-c5d6-4cca-b1dc-5889ebba4824

Source:

https://learning.hwb.wales.gov.uk/playlists/view/35344ca4-5a8d-48e4-9176-8c824fc0a3b3/en#page1

IMPORTANT: Please keep your child's medical information up to date, informing the school of any changes. If your child suffers from asthma, please ensure they carry their asthma pumps daily. Should your child require an EpiPen please ensure that the school has one EpiPen and the child carries two in their bag. Please check expiry dates regularly. Thank you J Jones Pupil Health & Wellbeing Officer

If giving is in your blood, please help

Thought of the Week Meddyliad yr Wythnos

PUNCTUALITY DID YOU KNOW

Did you know if a child misses 5 minutes at the start of the day this

adds up to 16 lessons or 3.2 days lost per school year.

Being Role Models Bod Yn Fodelau Rôl

‘If you can’t find a good role model then be one’

Gail Anne Hurd