5 Rhagfyr 2025
Croeso
This week has been a wonderful celebration of the values that define Castell Alun—Respect, Determination and Honesty. Across Performing Arts, Sport and Modern Foreign Languages, our students have shown what it means to embrace opportunities, work with integrity, and support one another. From the joy of the Year 7 pantomime trip to Theatr Clwyd, to outstanding community involvement at the Advent Light Switch-On, to inspiring visits from industry professionals, our learners continue to make us proud. We are also delighted to highlight exceptional individual achievements—from national dance selections and netball nominations to boxing success and sporting triumphs within our cluster. This Blog showcases the talent, dedication and spirit of our students, and celebrates the vibrant school community they help create.
Year 7 Pantomime Trip to Theatr Clwyd
This week, our Year 7 students enjoyed one of the most anticipated events in the school calendar – the annual pantomime trip to Theatr Clwyd! This year’s production of Cinderella was nothing short of magical, filled with laughter, music and plenty of festive cheer.
The pantomime trip is more than just a fun day out; it’s an important part of our Performing Arts curriculum. In Year 7, students explore the unique world of pantomime as part of their scheme of work. Seeing a professional production live gives them the perfect opportunity to experience the energy, comedy and audience interaction that make pantomime so special.
From dazzling costumes to hilarious characters and clever stagecraft, Cinderella provided countless examples for students from which to draw inspiration. They’ll now take what they’ve seen and use it to create their own pantomime performances before the end of this half term – just in time to spread some Christmas joy before we break up for the holidays.
A huge thank you to Theatr Clwyd for another unforgettable show and to all the members of staff who helped make this trip possible. We can’t wait to see how our Year 7 students bring the magic of pantomime to life in their own performances!
Advent Light Switch-On
Last Sunday, our Sixth Form Performing Arts students proudly supported the local Advent Light Switch-On at Hope Parish Church. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with festive cheer, laughter and community spirit.
The much-loved annual service brought families and friends together to mark the beginning of Advent. Our students contributed both on stage and behind the scenes, delivering lively comedy sketches and helping create a smooth-running event.
The highlight was the outdoor countdown to illuminate the star that shines out over Hope, signalling the start of the Christmas season. This tradition never fails to bring joy, and we’re thrilled that our students played such an important role in making it special once again.
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our talented Sixth Form students for their creativity and hard work, and to the local community for turning out in such great numbers to support this event.
A Visit from Airbus
On Monday, Year 9 students of French and German took some time out of lesson to attend a talk by Larissa and Catherine from Airbus about the power of studying a language. Students and staff learned all about how speaking additional languages has helped them progress in their careers and also about the assembly of an Airbus plane, including wings from Broughton and final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg! The talk finished with information about different employment routes into Airbus, including apprenticeships, degree placements and graduate schemes. Staff were very impressed by students’ insightful questions for our visitors. Diolch/ Danke/ Merci to Larissa and Catherine for their interesting presentation.
Celebrating Joe’s Boxing Success
We are incredibly proud to share the achievements of one of our talented students, Joe, who has recently showcased exceptional skill and determination in the boxing ring. Joe talked to us about his fantastic performances at the Global Glove event in Bolton, and it was a real pleasure to hear firsthand about his success.
Over the weekend, Joe delivered two outstanding bouts—first defeating the Nordic champion by decision over three hard-fought rounds, and then going on to beat the number two ranked boxer in Britain, an impressive feat, made even more remarkable given that his opponent was 18 years old.
Alongside his sporting achievements, Joe continues to work hard in his academic studies, balancing his training with an ambitious programme of History, Criminology and Biology. His dedication both in and out of the ring makes him a wonderful ambassador for the school.
Joe will be taking a well-deserved rest over Christmas before returning to training in preparation for the Welsh Championships in Cardiff this February. We look forward to following his journey and celebrating the many successes we know lie ahead.
A huge congratulations to Joe—we are all incredibly proud of you!
Dancers Selected to Represent Wales!
We are absolutely delighted to share some incredible news from our Performing Arts community. A group of our talented dancers have been selected to represent Team Wales at the Dance World Cup 2026, which will take place in Dublin—an extraordinary achievement and a testament to their hard work and dedication.
These remarkable students have excelled in competitions across Wales, placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in all of their group routines to secure their place on the national team. Their commitment, discipline and passion for dance truly shine through in every performance.
A special congratulations also goes to Bethan and Seren, who will be representing Wales in several solo categories, including Commercial, Acro, Jazz, and Lyrical. Competing at this level in multiple disciplines is an outstanding accomplishment.
We are incredibly proud of all the girls. We cannot wait to support them on their journey to the World Cup stage in 2026. Llongyfarchiadau pawb—what a fantastic achievement!
Erin Nomimated for Prestigious Award!
We are incredibly proud to announce that Erin, one of our outstanding Year 10 students, has been nominated for the highly prestigious ENG Senior Player of the Season award!
Erin is an exceptional netballer who consistently plays at an elite level. She represents Kingsway Power, and when her busy schedule allows, she also plays for North Dragons. Her talent has also earned her a place in Franchise Netball, competing for Cardiff Dragons last season and Manchester Thunder this year. On top of this, Erin proudly represents her country, Wales, and is a key member of the Mighty Castell Alun Netball Team.
This nomination places Erin among only five players across the entire UK—an incredible achievement in itself. To help her secure the award, she needs as many votes as possible. It takes just 10 seconds to vote, so please show your support for Erin!
Vote here: https://pollie.app/topm0
Well done, Erin! We are all behind you—good luck!
Sporting Updates
It has been an exciting week of sport for our school and primary cluster! Our Year 6 Primary Cluster Netball and Football events were a great success. Diolch to our brilliant officials Annabelle, Faye, Amelie, Ava, Sophie, Seth, Anna, Sophie M and Ruby for helping the day run so smoothly. The U18 girls’ football team showed tremendous determination in the Welsh Schools Championships. They narrowly missed out with a 2–1 loss to Welshpool; we are extremely proud of their efforts. Our U15 girls delivered an exceptional performance in their home fixture against Rhyl. They secured a thrilling 4–3 win and earning their place in the national final 16.
We also had strong results in boys’ football this week. Year 9 defeated a strong Ysgol Maes Garmon side 2–1, thanks to goals from Austin and Sam. Year 8 followed this with a convincing 9–0 victory against the same opponents—an outstanding achievement.
A huge congratulations also goes to Sam in Year 9. Sam has qualified for the Cross Country All Wales Finals in Brecon in the junior boys category. What a fantastic week of achievements—well done to all involved!
Upcoming Events
Hope Community Council is running its annual Christmas Lights Competition! This encourages residents to decorate their homes and gardens to spread a bit of festive magic. There are prizes to be won! All of the details — including how to enter — are available on the Council’s website here.
Entries close on Wednesday 18th December 2025, so get your lights ready and brighten up the community this Christmas!
New Lost Lost Property
To make it easier for students to get their lost items back, we’re introducing a new lost property system. Each Friday, photographs of all unclaimed items will be taken and shared in two ways. The first is here on the School Blog for parents to view, and on Google Classroom for students to check. Students can then email their teachers to arrange collection during registration or at another suitable time during the day. At the end of each half term, any remaining unclaimed items will be donated to charity. We hope this new system will help everyone reunite with their belongings more quickly and easily!
In Closing
As we come to the end of another vibrant week at Castell Alun, we are reminded of how much our students achieve—through creativity, commitment, teamwork and the values that shape our school community. Thank you to everyone who continues to support and celebrate the successes of our learners. We look forward to sharing even more exciting updates with you in the weeks ahead.
Diolch yn fawr iawn / Thank you very much,
Safeguarding
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Officers: Mr Ellis, Mrs Davies or Mr Stewart. You can reach them via the School Office or by using our Contact Form.
