Summer 2014Haf 2014

St David’s Fair Trade Enterprise Challenge 2014Her Menter Masnach Deg Dewi Sant

As part of the Welsh Baccalaureate programme, year 12 students participated in a Fair Trade Challenge.

Each team was asked to invent an edible product using indigenous ingredients from a country that could benefit from trade. The groups had to complete secondary research into

potential countries to select, investigate indigenous products of the country and design a product using these indigenous materials. The students then had to design a logo, develop a marketing and pricing strategy, consider packaging (taking into account current environmental issue), and present their ideas to the rest of the class.

During the first round, teams presented in their tutor groups. From this, a limited number of finalists were chosen to go on to the second round where they would present to a panel of judges. The teams were to be judged on the best presentation, and the best enterprise idea.

The panel were local business owners consisting of Debby Oliver from Visual Contours, Stephanie Rogers owner of @FAB, Salty, the owner of Bon Café and Gavin Jones, owner of the Mountain snack bar and Hayes snack bar in Cardiff. Each team was given constructive feedback which would allow the students to improve on future presentations. There was a very lively

debate at the end of the competition to establish the winners but decisions were finalised with:

Best enterprise idea

Team Miracle Chew - A medicinal chewing gum to help cancer sufferers David Ball, Jack Evans and Bryn Findlay-Dykes (pictured above)

Best presentation (joint first-place)

Team HACK - A healthy snack barHannah Whitcombe, Aidah Ali and Carrigan Davies

Team Serpent Smooth - A new healthy drink using very unusual fruitsEssar Juilany, Fabio Weyman-Cavarra, Will Dickins, Jerwin Esguerra and Amanuel Mebrahtu

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students and judges who took part in the enterprise competition. Their input contributed to an extremely interesting and successful event.

Work Experience SuccessLlwyddiant Profiad Gwaith St David’s would like to celebrate the success of Nice Mendes on her recent work experience at Grange Lodge Care Home, as part of her Welsh Baccalaureate qualification. The owner, Brian Yahia said, ‘’We are always delighted to work with St David’s College, as our experience with the students you send us is always a good one but I have to say that Nice was exceptional. She is born to work in the Health and Social Care sector. In the 20 years Grange Lodge has been open, she is the best work experience student we have ever had. ’’ Reflecting on her placement, Nice said, ‘’This experience has helped me develop as a person and brought out qualities I didn’t even know I had. For example, I have learned to be more

caring and patient with people. It is through this work experience that I have now been offered a part-time job at Grange Lodge, which will help me with my future.’’

IMPORTANT DATESDYDDIADAU PWYSIG23rd June STEM conference

27th JuneLeavers’ Ceremony for level 3 learners

21st July Summer holidays begin

14th AugustAS and A level results dayUCAS clearing opens

21st August GCSE results day 1st SeptemberAutumn term begins

Principal’s MessageNeges Y Pennaeth Croeso - Welcome to the summer 2014 edition of the St David’s College newsletter. I am proud to share our students’ successes, and hope that you will enjoy reading about them.

This edition of the newsletter highlights some of the exciting activities which have taken place this term, as well as outlining some upcoming events. Throughout the term students have excelled on work experience, during entrepreneurial challenges, while representing the College on trips and visits, through their performing arts and sporting achievements, and much more.

The academic year is coming to a close, and I cannot begin to express how impressed I have been with the focus, determination and attitude that so many of our students have demonstrated in, what for many will be, the most significant term of their school life. GCSE, AS and A Level examinations are in full swing, and I would like to thank all the staff who are working tirelessly to help the students prepare for them.

I would also like to thank all of our students, parents and guardians for their ongoing support of the College. It is testament to all the hard work of everyone connected with St David’s that it continues to grow, improve and remain such a popular sixth form college.

Finally, I would like to wish all our students the best of luck in their examinations. You have all worked very hard and should be proud of your achievements. I look forward to seeing you all in August for results day.

Mark LeighfieldPrincipal

Barclay’s Money Skills Week Wythnos Sgiliau Ariannol Barclay’sThe Barclay’s Money Skills Week brought many opportunities for students to participate in a range of finance-based activities. For the first time, competitions were organised and run by fellow students in the form of Money Skills Champions. Throughout the week Saint David’s students learned about the importance of money skills with a focus on budgeting, a vital skill for students as they progress to life at University and independent living.

Teams of volunteers from Barclay’s came in to talk to tutor groups about aspects of keeping your money safe and budgeting. Another group of Barclay’s volunteers helped to promote the Top Tips Competition designed to allow students to provide good money saving ideas. Over 200 students submitted their ideas, with the winner receiving an iPad Mini. College student champions also ran other activities including a ‘Style on a Budget’ competition where student were given a set amount of money to spend on an outfit for a date night. The results were then showcased at a fashion show.

The ‘Shopping Basket Challenge’ also proved popular. For this, students calculated the difference between two identical baskets of shopping, one full of branded items, the other of value items. The week was a huge success and extremely beneficial for all students.

Prize Winners

DEAL OR NO DEAL COMPETITION: Amanuel Mebrahtu - £50 Amazon VoucherSHOPPING BASKET CHALLENGE: Jac Cox - £27.48 Cash + £25 Amazon Voucher & Shannon Balch - £50 Amazon VoucherSTYLE ON A BUDGET: Ben Mbuthuis - £50 Amazon VoucherCHAMPIONS DRAW: Joshua Clarke & Bethan McNally - £25 Amazon Vouchers TOP TIPS COMPETITION1st place: Lara Cordle (below) - iPad Mini2nd place: Jade Jensen - £25 Amazon Voucher3rd place: Ffion Price - £15 Amazon Voucher

Archdiocese of Cardiff Caritas RoadshowSioe Deithiol Caritas Archesgobaeth Caerdydd

On the 17th May the College hosted a national event to promote social action groups within the Archdiocese and there was an open invitation to

students, parents, friends and relatives who are involved in charitable works to attend.

The event celebrated those groups and individuals who are running charities, projects or services in response to great need. The event was held to promote social action and social justice, and explored how we can answer the call of Pope Francis to be a ‘church for the poor’.

The day consisted of a welcome talk by St David’s Principal Mark Leighfield, a liturgy given by students, talks, presentations, workshops, and time for prayer and reflection.

Further details can be found on the website http://www.csan.org.uk/events/cardiff-caritas-roadshow/.

Big Bang 2014Bang Mawr 2014The Big Bang is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK. The initiative is aimed at showing young people (primarily aged between 7 and 19) just how many exciting and rewarding opportunities there are out there for them with the right experience and qualifications.

At its heart, The Big Bang is about careers and futures and highlighting the exciting possibilities that exist for young people with science, technology, engineering and maths backgrounds. It’s about the contribution they, with the right motivation, can make to the UK economy and to society in general.

This year, once again our Young Engineers were invited to showcase their ideas and solutions to the engineering challenges which were set during the past two years. Afshin, Jamal, Max and Zhen were asked to represent their college groups at the UK National Science and Engineering Fair (Big Bang 2014) at the NEC Birmingham.

Along with previous UK Young Engineer 2012 winner and group mentor Jessica Jones, our students presented their efforts to a range of national & multi-national scientists and engineering experts and dignitaries. Afshin, Jamal, Max and Zhen also impressed HRH Prince Andrew on his annual visit to our stand. Viewing and questioning our group, Prince Andrew was clearly delighted and impressed with their knowledge, expertise and outcomes, he stated: “This is exactly what we need; others should reflect on the approach of these young people and use this as a model for the way forward.”

At the time of writing, our entire cohort of Young Engineers are busy preparing for this year’s regional awards and presentation day, to be held at the Celtic Manor. We wish all our students good luck in their venture.

Language Students Excel on Work ExperienceMyfyrwyr Iaith yn Rhagori ar Brofiad Gwaith Dominik van der Grinten and Rania Mattar spent the first week of March at the offices of ChandlerKBS, a large independent consultancy service with offices in Cardiff, Belfast, London, Exeter, Edinburgh, Dusseldorf and Berlin.

The work experience was undertaken as part of their German language course, and the entire week was carried out in German. The aim of the week was to gain an insight into how languages might be used in a business environment.

Dominik and Rania began their week by looking at why languages are important to business and employers, and how the structure of letters and office communication differs between countries. They then had the opportunity to write formal business letters as well as internal and client emails. The week went on to cover European Taxation, job advertisements, international CV writing, and vocabulary to use on the phone and for greeting visitors to the office. They also had an insight into in-house accounts, HR and administration.

Karin Hicks, who oversaw the work experience, said, “I was very impressed with Dominik and Rania’s knowledge of German. Altogether I would like to commend them for their exemplary behaviour and their excellent attitude to work/learn.”

Congratulations to Dominik and Rania for a successful work experience, and thank you for being excellent ambassadors for the college.

Royal Society of Chemistry OlympiadOlympiad Cymdeithas Frenhinol CemegOur congratulations go to the five A2 Chemistry students who attempted the extremely challenging Royal Society

of Chemistry Olympiad examination in February. Despite the very high difficulty level of the questions we are delighted to announce that Sicelo Biyela achieved a silver award and Deepak Pereppadan obtained a bronze.

The International Chemistry Olympiad offers a fantastic opportunity for students to travel and to meet fellow chemistry enthusiasts from all over the world. The competition is open to all post-16 students, and entries are encouraged from both lower and upper sixth students.

The challenge is in the form of written chemistry questions, and often stimulated much debate on, and enthusiasm for the subject. The paper is a good opportunity for students to develop some of the skills required to study at university and beyond.

Host an International StudentCynnig Llety I Fyfyriwr RhyngwladolDo you have a spare room? Homestay families are required to host international students for the academic year September 2014 – June 2015.

Homestay families can earn around £110 - £140 per week hosting a 16-19 year old student. Homestay provides many benefits for international students including the security of a home, the ability to practice their English and the direct experience of British culture and customs.

If you are interested and would like to lean more, please contact the college on 02920 498 555.

St David’s Young EntrepreneursEntrepreneuriaid Ifanc Dewi Sant Six St David’s College students were successful in their application to represent the College at this year’s Trading Places project. The project had been designed for further education students across south east Wales to develop their entrepreneurial skills and attitudes through practical experiences.

The Trading Places event took place during 11th-13th February, with students spending two days in the University of South Wales working in teams to develop a sales strategy, source products and design their retail space. This included key advice and guidance from academics and industry experts, including Natwest.

The event culminated in the students launching a pop-up shop in Cardiff city centre which saw them competing to sell a range of Valentines themed gifts to shoppers.

The winning team was the one that displayed the most effective business management skills and demonstrated the best teamwork throughout the course of the project.

Many congratulations to the students who took part: Joel Williams, Abbie Walsh-Greenfield, Dylan Williams, Rhianon Adams, Joshua Clarke and Amber Martin.

Special mentions: Amber, who was on winning team; Joshua, whose team made the most profit; and Dylan, who won the Best Customer Service Award

Cardiff University STEM ConferenceCynhadledd STEM Prifysgol CaerdyddOn 23rd June 2014, Cardiff University will be hosting a STEM Conference, organised exclusively for St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College students. We are delighted to be working with the University on a project which will benefit more than four hundred of our learners.

Although Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are usually taught as discrete subjects, STEM aims to help young people to recognise that these subjects are often used together in the outside world, and can often lead to rich and varied career pathways. By teachers and lecturers collaborating across subjects and by making links with the world of work, students are better able to relate STEM subjects with their real-world experience.

The Conference is open to all lower 6th Maths, Science, Geography, and ICT students, and will take place on two of the University sites. The day will consist of talks, practical sessions, exhibitions, hands-on workshops, and UCAS application advice. Activities include talks on earthquakes and tsunamis, what you can do with a Raspberry Pi, and the mathematics of Game Theory, interactive workshops on exploring the brain, practical experiments in Chemistry, and much more.

Students will be welcomed to the University by Professor Karen Holford, the Pro Vice Chancellor for the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. As well as giving learners the opportunity to explore Maths and Science from a fresh prospective, the Conference will also give the students an insight into what life is like at University.

We are extremely grateful for the support and advice that we are receiving from the University, and we are sure that the Conference will be a huge success. We look forward to planning many more joint events in the future.

For more further information regarding the event, including detailed booklets containing an introduction to each event, activity summaries, and timetables please visit our website: www.st-davids-coll.ac.uk.

Techniquest Visit our STEM StudentsTechniquest yn Ymweld â’n Myfyrywr STEM In December, over 150 Applied Science and Honours students took part in an interactive discussion based on The Digital Identity Crisis. Sue Quantick and Ian Mugford from Techniquest Cardiff delivered an interesting series of talks based on ways to protect and secure your identity. The event was linked to Element 3 (the impact of economic and technological change) of the Welsh Baccalaureate and aimed to provide further opportunities to develop the STEM initiative within the college. The event was a great opportunity for students to learn and discuss the important social and technological impact of the digital era.

Special Guest for Music MondaysGwestai Arbennig Dydd Llun CerddAs part of our St David’s Day celebrations, and as a special guest at our Music Mondays event, Danielle Lewis performed to a large audience of students and staff in the LRC. Danielle performed tracks from her new LP ‘Paper Hearts’, as well as some Welsh folk songs, and a track she wrote for her brother. The 21 year old is an acoustic folk/pop singer-songwriter from New Quay, West Wales. She has just come back from writing and touring in Australia, and is now touring the UK.

Music Mondays is held fortnightly in the LRC, and gives musical students the opportunity to perform anything from beat-boxing to classical pieces.

LRC Manager, Hannah Mathias said “I wanted to introduce an event to the LRC that would encourage students to use the facilities who may not necessarily have come in before. We have a lot of talented students at the college and this is a great way to show it off. Providing a space for Music in usually a quiet place gives this event an unusual twist and I hope to hear lots more students’ music soon.”

If you want to get involved and book a slot, email Hannah Mathias HMathias@st-davids-coll.ac.uk

FAME the MusicalFAME, y Sioe GerddFrom the initial audition to the final performance of Fame, as a performer I felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie that very much resembled that of the relationships within the characters of the production itself. Rehearsing twice a week in between lessons allowed both a productive means of escapism from stressful lessons as well as a chance to engage with my fellow students, whom I might never have spoken to otherwise.

Fame is a show that isn’t short of all three aspects of musical theatre (acting, singing and dancing) and with the help of faculty members, everyone in the cast - no matter what their weaknesses or strong-points - was able to participate in all three in a way that was fun as well as a strong learning experience. For myself, the performances were the highlight of the whole experience as I was able to showcase a set of skills that I felt grew over the process of the rehearsals. Every night, refreshingly, came with a different set of reactions from the audience and although there are some serious moments, the majority were uplifting, making for a production that is truly relatable and universal to both performers and audience members.

- Sophie Davies, cast member

PCR in a SuitcasePCR mewn Cês Dillad On 24th June, Rebecca Clyde, Geraint Williams and Bethan Edmunds from our Science department will be visiting Cardiff University in order to receive special training in the teaching of genetics. This event is being funded and run through Cardiff University by Dr Fiona Wylie, mother of St David’s Honours and Science student Nicole Wynford-Thomas.

Fiona and her team have developed a Polymerase Chain Reaction study box, more simply named ‘PCR in a Suitcase’ to be leant to schools and colleges. Our Science teachers will receive full training on this laboratory technique, widely used in genetics laboratories to replicate samples of DNA. Our Science department are then better able to demonstrate the uses of PCR and genetics in a practical fashion. This is an essential part of the A2 Biology specification and at the

moment, the subject can only be taught theoretically and with the use of YouTube clips, etc. After being given full training on the study box, our Science teachers will be able to carry out practical sessions with the students, including allowing them to replicate their own DNA.

Outside of education, PCR is a common and often indispensable technique used in medical and biological research labs for applications including the functional analysis of genes, the diagnosis of hereditary diseases, the identification of genetic fingerprints (used in forensic sciences and paternity testing), and the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases.

This is an amazing opportunity and the Science department is honoured to have been selected as a pilot for this project. After the training has been delivered, teachers will be linked with a Cardiff University researcher (who uses PCR in their work), to ensure that the lesson is delivered within a specific research context. This researcher would be available during the lesson, through Skype or on the phone, to answer any questions that the students or teacher may have.

Languages at St David’s

Corpus Christi and Mary Immaculate High Schools PartnershipPartneriaeth gydag Ysgolion Uwchradd Corpus Christi a Mary ImmaculateThis term St David’s College staff and students made several visits to both Corpus Chrisit and Mary Immaculate High Schools, in order to promote the importance of learning languages throughout our time in education, and beyond.

In February, visits were made to both High Schools. Presentations were delivered to year 8 classes, outlining what it is like to study languages at St David’s College. All of the children took part in the activities, and all agreed on the importance of language learning. We look forward to seeing them enrolling in languages at the College in a few years time.

In June, St David’s College teachers will be meeting with year 10 language pupils at Corpus Christi in order to inspire and get to know the students who may be attending St David’s for sixth form.

Cardiff University LinksCysylltiadau â Phrifysgol Caerdydd Our well established link with Cardiff University means that we are able to work closely together across many aspects of the curriculum, to the huge benefit of the students. During the autumn tern, the Welsh language staff at St David’s were given the opportunity to shadow lecturers at the University, in order to gain an insight into teaching languages at HE level.

Through the University, AS and A2 students are involved in regular language support lessons, an initiative which has greatly increased student motivation and confidence.

In November, Cardiff University Ambassadors attended two open evenings at St. David’s and gave students advice about Modern Foreign Languages as a degree option at Cardiff University.

In January, our Welsh students attended a ‘Revision Day’ at Cardiff University. This afforded an opportunity to benefit from the expertise of the Welsh Department and meet students from across Wales who were also studying A level Welsh.

In March, French, Spanish and German students took part in Film workshops. All of the learners benefited from the expertise of Cardiff University lectures who specialise in literature and drama.

Polish ProjectProsiect Gwlad PŵylSt David’s Catholic College has been involved in a Welsh-Polish Regio Project since September 2013. The aim of the scheme is to develop literacy skills amongst students whose first language is not English.

In November our Programme Area Manager for Languages, Ewelina Kowalska, took part in a partner’s exchange, spending three days in Warsaw developing materials, attending conferences, and job shadowing. Later that month, St David’s College hosted teachers from Warsaw in return. While they were here they participated in discussions with students and lesson observations, and were given a presentation about the College.

As a result of these visits, Ewelina has produced five topic-related booklets for the AS and A2 level Polish courses. She has also been working closely with staff from Mary Immaculate High School to ensure that students who complete GCSE Polish, second language course feel comfortable when enrolling onto AS Polish, first language. Ewelina has also spent time with the Polish learners at Corpus Christi in order to promote the Polish course at St David’s.

Sport & Physical EducationWelsh ChampionsPencampwyr CymruHaving successfully defended their title as Welsh champions, the college basketball team represented Wales at the British Colleges Sport National championships held in Bath University. Each member of the squad played admirably over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of competing at the highest level. Star performer was team captain and Wales U20s player Zak Mohammed, whose performances drew the attention of several professional team scouts over the weekend.

Outdoor Adventures for BTEC SportAnturiaethau Awyr Agored ar gyfer Chwaraeon BTECIn preparation for their upper 6th units in Outdoor and Adventurous Activities and Sports Psychology, the lower 6th BTEC Sport students embarked on an outdoor activities day. The students took part in paintballing, climbing and high ropes courses. The day served as a well deserved reward for their hard work throughout the year.

We have also had a number of students who have achieved sporting excellence on an individual level. The training and dedication that is required to achieve in sport at this level is immense and these students have been able to manage this whilst carrying out their studies successfully at college. • Liam Rees – Wales: Kick boxing• Connor Hetherton – Wales: Volleyball• Callum Buglass – Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils, Wales U18• Gabby Williams – Hockey: Welsh Colleges, selected for

final phase British Colleges• Ffion Price – Football: Wales U17• Jordan Viggers – Rugby: Cardiff Blues, Wales U18• Tyler Williams – Rugby: Cardiff Blues U18• Ellie Skinner – Netball: Wales U21• Elle Mapstone, Siobhan Carmody, Hayley Popple,

Mairead Rowland-Coman – Netball: U18 County• James Page – Football: Scholarship in USA• Adrian Lawrence – Athletics, Triple Jump: Wales

Sporting ExcellenceRhagoriaeth ym myd ChwaraeonThe enthusiasm, commitment and talent of our students has made ther 2013-14 sporting season an extremely successful one. Every student that has represented the college this year has done us proud. These are the highlights of the season: Girls Hockey (pictured top right)Welsh Colleges Cup runners up; British Colleges Cup regional winners; U18s schools cup regional runners up

Girls FootballWelsh Colleges Cup quarter finals

Girls Netball (pictured right)Quarter finals of Welsh Colleges Championship; Quarter finals of Urdd Championships; Runners up in U18s regional President’s Cup

Boys VolleyballWelsh Colleges runners up

Boys Football3rd place Welsh Colleges League; Quarter Finals Welsh Colleges 5 a side Championships; Quarter Finals Cardiff Schools Cup

Boys Rugby (pictured below)Division 1 Welsh Schools Saturday League 7th

Leavers' CelebrationsLevel 1 & 2 Learners

Ceremony for all leavers

Level 3 Learners

Thursday 26th June 2014

11:30am

The Theatre

The event will include:

subject awards

a buffet

Friday 27th June 2014

11:00AM

The Sports HALL

The event will include:

A contribution from the performing arts

Department

A review of your time at st david's

light refreshments

Thursday 18th September

2014

time TBC

ST DAvid's cathedral

The event will include:

whole college awards

subject awards