P’nawn Da,

We faced some unpredictable weather again this week and school certainly feels full! However, students’ behaviour is generally excellent and this was further evidenced when we held our lockdown practice and, just a few days later, an unanticipated fire alarm practice. The fire alarm was triggered by a faulty censor and should give no cause for concern.

We are very grateful to Only Boys Aloud and, in particular, ex Castell Alun student, singer and comedian Tom Roberts for all of the fun and encouragement experienced by a number of boys at Castell Alun during the workshop on Tuesday this week. Some of our current students are members of Only Boys Aloud and it is easy to see how singing is becoming more popular amongst lads, once again.

This year’s Mold Food Festival was a great success, despite the weather and Castell Alun students worked with celebrity chefs in the cooking theatre. Our students engaged with Graham Tinsley MBE, Executive Head Chef at Carden Park, and a number of tasty dishes were showcased. Graham also holds the title of Culinary Director for Culinary Association of Wales. The students also worked alongside Calum Smith, Sous Chef at Shrewsbury Private School, and Harry Paynter Roberts, Sous Chef at the Vines Restaurant, also located at Carden Park. We strongly recommend that everyone befriends the students who participated in the Food Festival, if you enjoy a scrumptious meal! Our students worked behind the scenes, preparing and serving dishes for the chefs during their demonstration. Everybody involved enjoyed the weekend and it was an incredibly valuable experience for those wishing to pursue a career in hospitality and catering. We would like to record a great big diolch to Ava (Year 11) and former student Nattaya, who certainly made a lasting impression at the event.

Llongyfarchiadau to the Year 9 boys football team who beat Glan Clwyd in the Welsh Cup this week and now progress onto the next round. Great job also to our Year 8 netball team, who played in the Sisters in Sport National Schools Tournament and won 34-15 against Birkenhead School. This result allows us to progress onto the next round once again. Please do remember that we love to celebrate all successes in all areas of life and do keep us informed of these important moments in students’ lives. It is probably worth mentioning once again that we run a full programme of activities after school in both the sporting and non-sporting arenas, and our extra-curricular timetable is available on this link.

Students in Year 7 coped very well indeed with their CATS tests this week and all students in Year 12 will also sit these standardised assessments on Monday and Tuesday next week. Once again, please remind students that there is no preparation necessary for this event.

We are proud to announce that the new School Prospectus is now available on our school website, and you may well recognise a number of the photographs in there! On Thursday next week (28th September) we will hold our New Intake Open Evening from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Everybody is welcome to attend, although the event is aimed primarily at students in the current Year 6. The Headteacher and other specific staff will participate in a presentation at 6.30pm and this will be repeated at 7.15pm in order to accommodate all families who wish to attend. The evening provides excellent opportunities to see all areas of the school, meet relevant staff and have your questions answered. If you are unable to attend this open evening, a smaller open morning is available on the next day Friday, 29th September. Please be so good as to book a place on this in advance via the school office if you would like to attend this event and were unable to come along to the Open Evening. We really look forward to seeing you all, Please be so good as to park at the rear of the school as this event is usually very well attended!

We have a rising star of stage in our midst, di iawn to Olivia (Year 10) who is performing at Storyhouse, Chester, in the ‘Wizard of Oz’ on Thursday 28th and Saturday 30th September. However, it doesn’t stop there! Olivia has made so much progress in the performing arts and reached such a high standard that she will also be on stage at Her Majesty’s Royal Theatre in the West End in London in November in a performance organised by The Pauline Quirk Academy. After that, you can also see Olivia performing a showcase at Llangollen Townhall in November.

Flintshire Council Council are running a new campaign entitled ‘Green Dog Walkers’. The aim of the campaign is to get dog walkers to ‘Take the Pledge’ to always clean up after dogs. We would all probably agree that it would be good to ensure everybody has the right attitude towards maintaining health and wellbeing in this way. Welsh and English versions are available.

Have a lovely weekend!