rydal penrhos prep school newsletter - issue 2

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The second issue of the Rydal Penrhos Prep School newsletter. Summer term 2012

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Page 1: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2
Page 2: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Wel

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e

Issue 2 – Page 2

WelcomeAs Olympic fever runs through our land we have not beenimpervious to the excitement this has caused and we weredelighted to get a glimpse of the Olympic torch as it passedby the school. The Olympic motto of ‘Inspire a generation’can also be said to permeate through all that we do at RydalPenrhos Prep School and our summer newsletter is packedwith wonderful memories of the last two inspirationalterms.

Our children are certainly challenged in so many directionsand it is not difficult to ‘sea the difference’ that this makesto their confidence and achievements. Some of ourchildren have represented their country on the world stagewhilst others have taken enormous pride in playing in aninformal concert or representing the school for the veryfirst time. One day they may well take to the Olympic stagebut, regardless, they will all have been a generation inspired.

Roger McDuff, Headmaster

Kelly Elson

Everyone who knew Kelly Elson, whether as Kelly or asMrs Elson, knew someone who, quite simply, cared. Shecared enough to go into battle for you, enough to give youa hug and enough to let you know you were wrong. Ourwhole school community was, therefore, very sad to hearthat she passed away during the summer half-term holiday. We all have our own very fond memories of Kelly whetherit be jousting ferociously at our medieval day, leading thestaff in the most amusing of training days in Forest Schoolor teaching us how to get on with the basics of maths, toname but a few.

Kelly joined Rydal Penrhos when the prep school mergedwith Lyndon thereby joining the school where her fatherhad taught art (and where Kelly had been a sixth former) asa member of a school where her mother was Head. Shewas as honest as the day is long, knew every child as a trueindividual and believed that there was something wonderfulabout each and every one of us. She epitomised the schoolmotto ‘Veritas, Scientia, Fides’ and we miss her.

2012 Open Events

Saturday 29 September, 9am-12pmPreparatory, Pre-prep and Early Years Open Morning

Saturday 6 October, 9am-12pmSenior School Open Morning

Friday 9 November, 9.30am-12pmForest School Open Morning

Olympic & Jubilee CelebrationsPages 8 & 9

Year 6 Play - The Blue Crystal

Page 7

Page 3: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Academic News

Hannah Mew-McAdam was named the winner of the prosesection of the Colwyn Bay Rotary Young Writer Competitionwhich challenged pupils in the area to write poetry or prosebased on the theme of ‘Olympic Spirit’.

With over 200 entrants received from local schools, Hannahdid exceptionally to win the prose category and her winningentry went forward to the District final of the competition.

Hannah was presented with a book token and her winner’scertificate by Rotary Club President Arthur Jones and formerheadmaster (and Rotary member) Paul Bendall. Four otherpupils also received Highly Commended Certificates for theirentries in the competition. Congratulations to Ben Subkovas,Ewan Luke, Molly Noad and Kevin Farrell.

Issue 2 – Page 3

Hannah scoops Rotary writing prize

Year 5 explore the solar systemPupils in Year 5 were treated to a space workshop, to kick-start their work on ‘The Earth and Beyond’ in February.There were various hands-on activities explaining suchphenomena as the gravitational pull of the sun and therelative sizes and distances of the earth, the sun and themoon.

Building on the enthusiasm generated by the workshop andadded to during science lessons, the children were asked tocomplete a project onthe solar system.

Each child was given aset of minimumcriteria but wasencouraged to ‘go theextra mile’ in terms ofboth content andpresentation… andboy, did they take upthe challenge!

Trio score well in competitionSix pupils in Year 6 were given the opportunity to take partin the Junior Maths Challenge – a national competitionopen to the top third of pupils in Year 8 and below.Organised by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT), over4,000 schools take part in the competition.

Alongside 14 pupils from the Senior school, the Prep pupilswere required to answer 25 multiple choice questions in 60minutes under normal exam conditions.

Impressively, three pupils from Year 6 received certificatesfor scoring well in the competition. Matthew Harrisonreceived a bronze certificate, while Gowri Pradeep andWilliam Sissons were both awarded silver certificates.

They join nine pupils from Years 7 and 8 who gainedcertificates; three bronze and five silver, while Jack Sissons(Year 8) earned a gold certificate and the accolade of Bestin School.

Page 4: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Year 4 form teacher Shirley Bowman took reading to a whole new level with thelaunch of the ‘Readathon’ this term.

This charity fundraising schemeaimed to raise money (for ClicSergeant and the Roald Dahlfoundation) while encouragingchildren to read. It was open topupils from Years 3 to 6, and it settwo challenges. The first was anInter-house challenge to move areading book around from child tochild as quickly as possible in a relayformat.

Any initiative and inventiveness as to how encourage house mates to read the bookfaster than others was welcomed The relay was aimed at encouraging all childrento read voraciously and also to ‘think outside the box’ in terms of information-sharing and communication skills. On going to print the book is still circulating andso the winner cannot yet be announced.

The second challenge was for each child to set themselves a number of books theywished to read and then to get sponsorship for each one read within a specifictime-frame. The children embraced this enthusiastically and the money is stillflowing in. Well done to all the children in Years 3 to 6 who are now officially avidreaders!

Aca

dem

ic

Issue 2 – Page 4

Rydal reading relay

Terrible TudorsTo complement their history studies, Year 5 visitedVenue Cymru to watch the incredibly popular HorribleHistories: Terrible Tudors stage show. Pupils were kept onthe edge of their seats during the performances andwere entertained by a multitude of gory stories fromTudor times. Highlights included singing rhymes aboutHenry VIII and his many wives and learning about howcriminals were treated in Tudor times. The second halfof the show even featured 3D affects. “Through our 3Dglasses, spiders flew through the air towards us and blood spatteredthe stage!”

Farewell to Year 6

New innovationsAs we move into the new school year (2012-13) there willbe some real differences in the appearance of the PrepSchool curriculum.

Music lessons in Year 2 will include learning the recorderand in Year 3, the violin. The teaching of chess will beintroduced in Year 2 and Years 3 to 6 will have one lessonevery fortnight of learning and thinking skills. Theselessons will include topics such as mind-mapping, activethinking and learning, and different types of questioning.Their aim is to enable all children to keep alive the naturalcuriosity they have as young children as well as being ableto stand out from the crowd, having confidence in theirlearning and thinking skills.

In the Prep department we are also introducing twoafternoons of games as opposed to one. PE skills will beincorporated into the games lessons whilst swimming willstill take place separately. This change will allow us to teachmore games skills alongside playing fixtures, and to supportthis our team squads in major sports will be open ratherthan selective.

Finally, we are upgrading many of the school computersand looking forward to the arrival of four tabletcomputers, the use of which we shall be trialling in Y ear 6.

Change is all about raising standards and we look forwardto ‘soaring’ further next year.

Page 5: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Three pupils have been selected to representWales at the European Youth ChessChampionships in Prague this summer.

Fresh from her International Chess debut inRomania, Imogen Camp has been selected inthe U12 Girls’ category, while brothers Arjanand Amrit Bolina have been selected for theU10 and U8 Boys’ categories respectively.

They won’t be the only members of RydalPenrhos Prep School who will be travelling tothe Championships, as teacher Andrew Camp,who runs the chess club at the School, will beacting as Head of the Welsh Delegation.

The Championships take place between 16 and26 August 2012.

Chess has always been a popular activity atRydal Penrhos Prep School with pupilspractising during their lunch breaks. Chessoffers many benefits to the pupils, and has evenhelped their academic studies, with someparents noting a marked improvement in theirchildren’s concentration and in their work.

Dastardly MathematicsFor those with a keen interest in maths, the DastardlyMathematical Investigations for the Seriously InterestedClub has welcomed pupils from Years 3 to 6 this term.

Every week, children solve difficult puzzles and enhancetheir knowledge of the subject. An example of a probleminvestigated in the club can be found below:

Year 3 visit Caernarfon CastleYear 3 visited Caernarfon Castle as part of a topic that theywere covering in design, technology and history lessons.

They arrived at themagnificent castleto be greeted byDilwyn the guide.As he took themaround the castlehe told them lotsof interesting facts.The children werefascinated to hearabout how enemieswere shot at or caught in the death holes

After the tour they looked in the museum housed in one ofthe turrets. They saw pictures of Prince Charles’ investitureand the chair that he sat in on that special day. They thenexplored some of the turrets further, climbing nearly to thetop of the tallest tower.

The trip was a huge success, supporting what they had lookedat in class. It was much easier for the children to understandthe features of the castle when they saw and experiencedthem for real.

Issue 2 – Page 5

Wales call up for three pupils and a teacher!

Maths quizThree dice are taken from a pile and placed in a rowon a table top. The numbers on the top of the diceadd up to 8. What do the numbers on the bottom ofthe dice add up to?

The solution can be found at the bottom of page 15

Page 6: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

The School Hall was transformed into the spooky Underworld as Year 4took to the stage to perform Julia Donaldson’s Persephone. With fantasticsinging and acting from the entire cast and wonderful costumes, sceneryand lighting, the play was truly an evening not to be forgotten.

Bein

g C

reat

ive

Issue 2 – Page 6

Being Creative

BalletBallet is a hugely popular lunchtime activity in the Pre-Prep, withthe Wedgwood room filled with pirouettes, pliés and tutus everyMonday and Wednesday. Ballet will also feature in a new video ofthe Prep School currently in production. The video will be anevocative portrayal of a day in the life of a Prep School pupil andwill be available to view via our YouTube channel(www.youtube.com/rydalpenrhosschool)

More images are available at www.photoboxgallery.com/rpps

Year 4 dazzle in Persephone

Page 7: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Issue 2 – Page 7

The Blue Crystal

Intergalactic quest for Year 6Audiences travelled 2000 years into the future as Year 6 performed Nick Perring’sThe Blue Crystal in the School Hall. An action-packed and fast-moving adventurefrom start to finish, the play was memorable for its hologram, Zarcon warriors,robots, scientists, clones and aliens, not to mention a bravura robot-voicedperformance from Solomon Dickens (main picture).

Music fills the corridorsThis term has seen another fantastic concert series withpupils from Years 3 to 6 taking part in informal lunchtimeconcerts alongside members of Ensemble Cymru.

Pupils have also been busy taking their ABRSM music exams.The complete list of pupils’ achievements can be foundonline at www.rydalpenrhos.com, however congratulationsmust go to:

Daisy Lee-Browne, 6AH, Grade 4 Violin with MeritWilliam Sissons, 6AH, Grade 4 Piano with DistinctionNiamh Cook, 4CCu, Grade 4 Piano with Merit

Page 8: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Oly

mpi

cs D

ay

Page 9: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Olympic andJubilee

Celebrations

Olympic andJubilee

Celebrations

Page 10: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

10

Spor

tSports and Clubs

The Pre-Prep Inter Houseswimming gala took place in May. All the children swam in atleast one race – some with swimming aids – but all were veryenthusiastic and looking forward to taking part. It was very closebetween the three houses Brecon, Pembroke and Snowdon until thevery last relay race, when Snowdon just managed to win by one point.

The afternoon saw the turn of pupils from Years 3 to 6 in the pool forthe Prep Swimming Gala. Snowdon led for most of the afternoon soit came as no surprise when they won. All round a really good dayfor Snowdon!

The Prep School children also took part in the annual sponsoredswim, which is an opportunity for them to receive a distance swimming certificate whilst

raising money for charity. Whether they managed a few metres or the maximum 200 lengths, all the childrenswam extremely well. With all the distances added together, the Prep School swam the equivalent of the English Channela phenomenal five times! The children also raised a fantastic amount for St David’s Hospice. A special thank you must goto all the parents who sat the poolside day after day, marking off the lengths for the children.

The weather has been a key factor in the rounders’ calendar thisseason, with (to date) just three U11 fixtures being played. Theyplayed a nervous first match against St Mary’s, with whom they weredrawing at the end of the 1st innings, but then could not maintainthe standard. The team then played Abbeygate College, where theyhad a convincing win, in a match played with good spirit. They havealso travelled to Terra Nova School with U11s and U10s, where theU11s sadly lost against a well-drilled team, but the U10s werevictorious. Lower down the school, the U9s and U8s performedwell against The Ryleys.

Tennis

The U9 Girls’ Tennis team of Brona Richardson, Isabella-MayHardman, Phoebe Taylor and Raha Aminnejad travelled to theJames Alexandra Barr Tennis Centre in Eirias to take part in theMini Orange Tennis Tournament.

Playing extremely well the team played and won their ten singlesmatches and three doubles games – winning the tournamentconvincingly. The team also represented the school at the NorthWales Regional Tennis Finals where they finished in fourth place.

Rounders

Swimming

Cricket

This season the U11 cricket team has been successful on a number of fronts. Theterm started well with a fine 10-wicket victory over St Mary’s Hall and a crunchingwin over St Joseph’s in the local league competition. A hard-fought game at TerraNova resulted in a narrow loss and the U9 and U8 teams were also unlucky to loseout to The Ryleys School in their games. In the IAPS six-a-side tournament, playedat Stockport Grammar, the U11 team progressed through to the final where theybeat Altrincham Prep School in a thrilling encounter, to lift the trophy for the firsttime and cap a memorable final term for the Year 6 boys involved.

Page 11: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

11

Our Prep sailors have been busy this term, enjoying sailing on both

Tuesday and Friday afternoons. The after school club on Tuesdays has

seen a good turnout of quickly improving sailors and a good number

have been joining the Senior Squad on Friday nights for racing.

Representative sailing began this term with the Welsh Youth

Championship in Pwllheli, where Tom Bale came 1st, sister Amy 2nd,

and Henry Noad 3rd in the Regatta fleet. The annual expedition to

Sedbergh for the Northern Prep Schools Regatta was without tents

this year due to the inclement weather. Our boys and girls were kindly

hosted in boarding houses by Sedbergh School. In a tough day’s racing

all of our sailors performed magnificently. The A team including Tom

Bale and Ewan Luke came home with the trophy; the Rydal C team

which included Henry Noad and Eddie Farrell secured 3rd overall.

The last event and highlight of the term was the Rydal Penrhos Regatta.

Again strong winds tried to thwart our sailors but everyone battled on.

After two days of challenging racing, Tom Bale secured 1st, with Ewan

Luke 2nd and Henry Noad 5th in class. With the recent purchase of two

new small boats and great support from Prep sailors, the future of Sailing

at Rydal Penrhos looks bright. We look forward to our return to the water

in September.

A successful ski season drew to a close with the team travelling to the North WalesSchool Ski Championships which were held in Runcorn. Despite some of the squadbeing unavailable due to the Year 5 residential trip to Ilam Hall, the team performedexceptionally well returning to school with a Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

The team went to the Chill Factore in Manchester for the second day of the Inter-House Skiing Competition. Following some excellent skiing Brecon secured firstplace followed by Pembroke and Snowdon.

The team would like to thank Mr Craig Bonnington for all of his help training thesquad this year.

In February, Year 1 registered to take part in the Potato Council’s ‘Grow Your Own’competition. They planted seed potatoes in March in grow bags, nurturing them withwater. The potatoes will be harvested in June and weighed so that the results can besent to the Potato Council for the competition. Good luck Year 1!

Year 1 also started a Gardening Club after Easter, wearing their waterproofs to workin the unseasonally cold weather in the school garden! So far they have sowed carrots,onions and beans in one of the raised beds, and tomatoes, sunflowers and sweetpeas inside ready to be planted outside in the warmer weather. The cold spell ofweather in the spring has delayed the growth of our plants, but it has been veryexciting to see our efforts begin to flourish.

Year 5 have used two raised beds in the school garden to carry out various experiments in their Science lessons. Theyhave been investigating the importance of light, different soil types, the effect ofacid rain on plants, and have been observing the germination of beans. It will beinteresting to find out their results.

Gardening Club

Skiing

Sailing

Page 12: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Trip

sTrips

Year 1 visit Penrhyn CastleThere are no excuses for Year 1 children notpulling their weight with chores at homeafter their recent visit to Penrhyn Castle! Inresponse to one of the children’s questions“Can we find out about cooking a long timeago?” in our Food topic we went off to findout about life in a Victorian kitchen. Onarrival at Penrhyn Castle children were kittedout in appropriate attire and then set to work

as Victorian servants. Children tried their hand at a number ofspecial jobs in the various ‘downstairs’ rooms – the brushingroom, the scullery and the kitchen. Even though the childrenthoroughly enjoyed themselves I’m sure they were quite relievednot to have to be up at 4am every morning, living the life of aservant!

Year 2 visit RSPB

Year 2 spent a fun and exciting day at the RSPB Conwy nature

reserve learning about wildlife. The children were fascinated by

the different birds and especially enjoyed the mini-beast hunt.

Pupil Katie Pritchard-Jonas said of the trip: “We learnt really

interesting things and there was a gate with a blue tit nest in it. I want to go

again, everyone loved it there.”

Classmate Niall Richardson said: “I learnt lots of facts like water

boatman are called water boatman because they look like a man rowing a

boat.”

Issue 2 – Page 12

Trip to the zoo for Early Ye

ars

The Early Years pupils were brimming full of excitement as they

visited the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay. Armed with

their packed lunches the eager

children climbed aboard the

School Minibus for their trip. After seeing lots o

f wild animals,

the children then enjoyed a picnic

before returning to school. Vrishali, Year 3

Teddy, Year 4

Finan, Year 4

Isabella, Year 3

Eleanor, Year 4

Olivia, Year 3

Page 13: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Adventures in Capel Curig for Years 3 and 4

Years 3 and 4 had a fabulous two days at The Towers in CapelCurig. The weather was kind and the children were able to takepart in canoeing, kayaking, climbing, abseiling and walkingactivities. The children were a credit to themselves and a sourceof great inspiration to others. We returned to school on Fridayexhausted but happy – and that was just the teachers!

Year 5 enjoy Peak District trip

Pupils in Year 5 enjoyed a huge range of extracurricular activit

ies as

they travelled to the Peak District for an exciting resid

ential trip.

Beginning their trip at Cromford Mill, the pupils were taken on a tour

around both the mill and surrounding village, participating in a

number of workshops and activities as they went. Following this the

pupils travelled to the beautiful Ilam Hall, a fabulous Youth Hostel

where they’d be staying for two nights. After settling in the pupils

rounded off the day with a quiz in the evening.

The next morning the pupils travelled to Conkers, at the heart of the

National Forest. This has a unique mix of indoor and outdoor

experiences and kept the pupils engaged for hours to

uring around the

interactive indoor Discovery zone with over 100 exhibits and

exploring the 23 different outdoor activities on offe

r.

For the final day the pupils visited Warwick Castle

and attended a workshop with the birds of prey

which allowed them to get up close and personal

with eagles, owls and vultures! other things.

A tired but very content group arrived back at

school late on Friday, ready to tell their tales of

adventure.

Issue 2 – Page 13

Year 6 study Vile Victorians

Year 6 have been studying the Victorians this yearand so the Horrible Histories: Vile Victorians show atVenue Cymru was a perfect end to their studies. Wediscovered many new fascinating facts about theVictorian age and through our 3D goggles we wereentertained by flying rats and a steam train zoomingtowards us at an alarming rate!

Olympic inspired artwork

Page 14: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

New

sEarly YearsThe best way to describe the Early Years Department is ‘a community’ andthrough the past academic year this community has developed andflourished.

Lead from the front by Mrs Roberts this cohesive team encompasses theother teachers, including Miss Roberts, Mrs Saunders, Mrs Williams, MrsShilton and Miss Fox, as well as the new addition to the team, MissBrindley, who has fitted in wonderfully. It also includes all the parenthelpers who jump in to assist on trips and special events and the childrenthemselves who complete the circle and who rise to every occasion withenthusiasm and vigour.

At Rydal Penrhos Prep we like to think that ‘a smile is part of the uniform’ and thisis certainly a truism in the department, from jumping monkeys, to safari explorersthe children accompanied by their teachers travel from planet to planet, continent to

continent learning about different cultures andhabitats and climates and languages... it is thechildhood anyone would wish for their son ordaughter.

A big thank you goes from Mrs Roberts to herteam, the children and also to the parents whomake each and every day in Early Years a fun adventure.

Speech Day

Issue 2 – Page 14

The Prep School Speech Day and Prize Giving was a sun blessed occasion based in the celebration marquee onNew Field. With lots of parents in attendance and the opportunity for every child to go on stage to perform orreceive a prize the event was hosted by the Headmaster Mr Roger McDuff and the Guest of Honour Mrs PatJones. Head girl Emma Murphy spoke of the school giving her “the opportunity to learn, make new friends andthe confidence to try new things” and head boy Ewan Luke talked about “the butterflies… raging on my firstday but all that wasn’t necessary because the minute I walked through the front door I was blown away by theinstant friendliness off my soon to be fellow pupils” and the fact the school had prepared him for “lookingforward to the next stage in my school life and the new challenges ahead”. Speeches were also made by HelenaRowlands and Ben Subkovas on the Academic life of the school, and Daisy Lee-Browne and Thomas Bale onthe Extra-curricular aspects of the school.

The Year 6 pupils were each celebrated as individuals by the Headmaster and then Mrs Hind and Mrs Pat Jonesconducted the Prize Giving ceremony. Finally a vote of thanks concluded the afternoon led by Gowri Pradeepand Zac Roberts. Parents, staff and pupils then joined together for refreshments in the marquee and spilled outon to New Field to enjoy the sunshine.

Page 15: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Senior School NewsTrips and Activities

Rydal Penrhos alumni are getting into the Olympic spirit with several members beinginvolved in the games.

Torch bearers include the Frobisher sisters (Charlotte RPS 04-06, Alice RPS 04-09 andHarriet RPS 04-06) who ran through Llandudno, and Keri Ringstead RPS 95-05 who tookthe torch through Liverpool.

Hayley (Mount) Leanoard RPS 95-02 has been selected to be aphysiotherapist with the international medical team at theOlympics, and says “There were over 6,500 applicants forphysiotherapy roles, and after a series of interviews I was stunnedto find out that I had been successful. When I left school 10 years ago, I wrote in our year book thatmy ambition was to work at the Olympics – I never actually thought that it would ever happen!”

If you are a former student and would like to get in touch, please email Sarah Ritchie, Alumni &Development Director at [email protected]

Issue 2 – Page 15

Rydal Penrhos Society

The best education begins in the classroom but it doesn’t end there… subjects learned in theclassroom, on the sports pitch or in the music and drama studios are supported and developedthrough activities beyond school.

A huge array of cultural, charity and educational trips took place in 2011-12. They included: amathematics trip to Manchester; a physics and geography trip to Deeside Power station; the jazzband performing in Dublin; a geography trip to Morzine; the modern language trip to Bonn; theart trip to Paris and Tate Modern, Liverpool; a skiing trip to Mammoth Mountain, California; thehistorians to Russia, visiting both Moscow and St Petersburg; Year 7 having great fun in London;the rugby players at Twickenham and the kayakers in Slovenia.

Two of the biggest trips of the year were to Uganda and New York. In July 2011, a group of ninepupils and four teachers flew to Uganda for two weeks. The main aim of this trip was to visitvarious projects in poor rural areas that are supported through the Methodist Relief andDevelopment Fund. The trip was organised as part of the World Action in Methodist Schools(World AIMS) charity, which encourages pupils to be more aware of the wider world and the waysthey can give back to other communities. Rydal Penrhos has previously established links with threeschools in Southwest Uganda; on this trip the group visited each of the schools where they werewelcomed warmly.

Easter 2012 saw more than 40 pupils and staff from the drama department off to the ‘Big Apple’– and from the moment they arrived, it was all go. On the first night, the delights of Times Squarewere followed by Sister Act and then Chicago while sitting in the orchestra pit. Pupils and staff weretreated to a four-hour guided walking tour of the city, a journey on the subway, two performanceworkshops (one with the Dance Captain from Chicago and a professor of acting at NYU; the otherwith two of the performers from Sister Act) not to mention the unforgettable view of night-timeNew York from the top of the Empire State Building. They also managed to squeeze in GroundZero, the Statue of Liberty, the Trump Tower, Fifth Avenue, 42nd Street, the NBC Studios, theWinter Gardens, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Central Park. All in all, a fantastic trip!

As we go to print the history trip is just returning from Rome inspired by a unique opportunity toview some of the documents that are to be released from the Vatican Secret Archive. It will be thefirst and possibly the only time in history that these documents leave the confines of the VaticanCity walls. A Latin/Classic Civilisation trip will visit the Bay of Naples, home to some of the mostwonderful remains from Classical Antiquity, including possibly the most famous and well-preserved archaeological sites of all – Pompeii& Herculaneum. Meanwhile the geographers are going to the Lake District; the kayakers to Scotland; the jazz band to Cornwall; membersof the lower school have a trip to Jordan, and the Sixth form a three-week expedition to Borneo which will include helping to carry outrestoration work at a community forest, a three-day guided jungle experience, and climbing the 4095-m Mount Kinabalu.

Answer to the maths quiz on page 5: 13

Uganda, July 2011

New York, Easter 2012

Skiing, Califorina 2012

Page 16: Rydal Penrhos Prep School Newsletter - Issue 2

Rydal Penrhos Preparatory SchoolPwllycrochan Avenue

Colwyn BayLL29 7BP

Telephone: 01492 530381Email: [email protected]

www.rydalpenrhos.com

The Heart of the School...