Take pride in how far you've come, and have faith in how far you can go.
 
There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there will be success.

This term our topic in Welsh has been 'Gwyliau' - 'Holidays'. As the weeks have gone by, we have been working hard at learning how to talk and write in Welsh about where we have been on holiday. We have, for example, learnt how to explain where we went, when we went, who we went with, how we travelled, how long we stayed for and what we did on our holidays. Recently we wrote our own Welsh postcards using a writing frame and example postcards to help us. This week, we have written our very own Welsh postcards with no help at all!: no Welsh words written on the board to guide us and no examples to look at. It was quite challenging but we did it really well! We are great Welsh writers! Ysgrifenwyr Cymraeg gwych! We hope you enjoy looking at and reading a selection of our Welsh postcards. Mwynheuwch darllen ein cardiau post. 

In English, we have been learning all about journalistic writing. We have watched and analysed examples of TV news reports, as well as reading models of TV news scripts written for actual TV news reports. Following a series of lessons using the BBC News School Report resources, we have learned the importance of sharing the 5Ws quickly with the audience - the WHAT, WHO, WHEN, WHERE and WHY (not forgetting the HOW). Huw Edwards, the BBC news presenter, has shared with us his advice for writing TV news reports. He stressed the importance of making sure that any report is balanced - with a fair representation of different opinions and points of view about an issue. He also talked to us about the 3Cs - making sure that our journalistic writing is CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT! 

We have been doing some journalistic writing of our own - writing our own TV new scripts for a report about the Escape from Island Farm POW Camp, Bridgend during World War Two. Before we were able to do this, we had to research and make notes about the events of the 10th March 1943 when seventy German prisoners of war crawled to freedom along an escape tunnel. We had to gather our 5Ws - our facts about the escape from Island Farm - making sure that they were CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT. 

We worked with a partner on our journalistic writing. We drafted our TV news reports using a word processing program on the computer. We were then able to proof-read and edit our journalistic writing as it developed. When writing, we used some of the BBC's key technical terms and abbreviations such as:
VO: Voice-Over
SOT: Sound on Tape (an interviewee's words)
UPSOT: Sound on Tape other than an interviewee's words.
  PTC: Piece to Camera (when a journalist talks directly to the viewer/camera. 
Our journalistic writing/TV news reports are available for you to download and read below. We hope you enjoy reading them. We would be interested in your feedback about whether they effectively communicate the 5Ws to the audience in a CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT way.

Be the best you can be - EVERYDAY!

Forces - pushes and pulls.
Our second 'Learning Log' task was to'become an expert about one force'. We chose one force e.g gravity, friction, air resistance, upthrust, magnetism.......and found out as much as we could about it. We interpreted this task in our own way. Some of us, for example, did some research and presented facts about our force in different formats e.g as a factfile, as a bullet-pointed list of key facts, as a mindmap.......... Alex planned and carried out his very own experiment about magnetism in action. Rhys made a fantastic plasticine model of Isaac Newton sitting beneath an apple tree! Osian's learning log was all about 'Moments', something Mr. Evans knew very little about. He learnt a lot from reading Osian's work and looking at his diagrams. Well done to all of J11 for putting so much effort into your learning logs. Take a look at the gallery of some of our learning logs below: 

Happy Birthday William and Siona. Penblwydd hapus i chi. We hope you have a lovely day.

Happy birthday Rebecca from J11 and Mr. Evans. Penblwydd hapus iawn. We hope you have a lovely day. 

We were all looking a bit messed up today in J11 as we came to school with mad hair and dressed in wacky clothes to raise money for the BBC's 'Children in Need' appeal. We all brought in some money to donate to this worthwhile charity. During assembly, we watched a film about Ellie May who has a serious  medical condition and who has been a victim of bullying. Mr. Morrison talked to us about the film and helped us to understand how important the 'Children in Need' charity is in offering help and support to children less fortunate than ourselves. We certainly realised how important it is to raise money so that the great work being done by 'Children in Need' continues - making a real difference to children's lives.

lA popular 'Children in Need' savoury sale was held at playtime where we could buy some delicious savoury snacks. We all enjoyed a fun day and the school raised an amazing amount of money (to be confirmed) for 'Children in Need'. Pudsey would be proud of us! Thanks to everyone  - pupils, teachers, staff and parents for supporting 'Children in Need' today. Diolch yn fawr i bawb am gefnogi 'Plant Mewn Angen' heddiw.  

Congratulations to Calum and Carwyn for winning the Year 6 JRSO Road Safety Poster Competition. The winners were announced in assembly today by the JRSO squad. They said, "Judging the competition was so difficult because of the high standard of the entries." Pupils were invited to design a poster with a clear road safety message. Calum's poster was awarded first prize in the competition with Carwyn's poster a close runner-up. We are sure that you'll agree that they've both designed colourful, striking posters with a powerful message. Llongyfarchiadau bechgyn! Posteri gwych!   

In Science, we have been studying ‘Forces’. We have enjoyed working in groups to plan a fair test to investigate the effect of applying force to an elastic band. By talking together, we had to decide how and where to hang an elastic band to which we would add weights (force), adding more weight (force) each time. To make sure that the test was fair, we decided to change only one variable – the weight added to the elastic band each time. Everything else had to stay the same - where the band was hung, how the weights were attached to the band etc. Today we worked in our groups to carry out the experiment we had planned. Some groups attached the elastic band to the branch of a tree. Some groups attached the elastic band to  window fixtures. One group attached the elastic band to a door handle. Each group recorded their results, measuring carefully how far the elastic band stretched each time a weight (and force) was added to it. Back in class, we discussed what we found out, drawing conclusions about our results. Some groups planned a different experiment - keeping the weight added the same but changing the elastic band each time. In this way they investigated whether there was a difference between the elasticity of  thin and thick elastic bands.  

Today we held a special Remembrance service in assembly to remember all those men and women who lost their lives or were injured fighting for our country during wars around the world. The service was led by our Chairman of Governors, Mr. Owen Rayment and Pastor Neil, helped by our very own Alex Allen. Mr. Rayment talked to us about how brave these men and women have been, laying down their lives so that we can live in a free world.

At eleven o'clock we all stood in silence for two minutes - time to reflect about the sacrifice those men and women had made for us. This was followed by the sounding of 'The Last Post'. During a moving assembly, many children took time to remember great grandparents and grandparents who had served during World Wars - some of whom had tragically died; some who had fortunately survived.

Today is Remembrance Sunday - the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Special services are being held at war memorials and churches all over Wales. This is the time of the year when we wear a red poppy in memory of those brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for us during the two World Wars and other conflicts. A national ceremony takes place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London where the Queen lays a wreath on behalf of the nation. Wreaths are layed beside the war memorial in Bridgend and all over the country. People also leave small wooden crosses in remembrance of a family member who died in the war. At 11am on Remembrance Sunday a two minute silence is observed across the UK - a time to show respect to those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for us.

"They Shall not grow Old"
A poem called 'For the Fallen' is often read during remembrance services; the most famous stanza of which reads:
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
 Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
 At the going down of the sun and in the morning
 We will remember them."  

Today some members of our class, along with other Year 6 pupils, welcomed their parents, relatives and family friends to our Entrepreneurial Cafe. At the cafe, Mr. Evans talked briefly to our parents and family about the importance of reading regularly at home and also about why it is so important that parents read aloud and discuss stories with their children. Then he read aloud an extract from Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in which Augustus Gloop falls into the Chocolate River before being sucked up a pipe heading towards a room in which he will be turned into "strawberry coated chocolate fudge."

Soon it was time to have real fun making Augustus Gloop's Scrumptious Chocolate Fudge with our families. We enjoyed working with our mums, dads and nans to make the delicious chocolate fudge. The recipe was easy to follow and we had such fun along the way. First we melted dark chocolate before stirring in butter and condensed milk. Next we sieved in some icing sugar before stirring the fudge mixture. Then we spooned the chocolate fudge into tins and some of us crumbled biscuits over the top. Finally we put the fudge mixture into the fridge to chill. We are all looking forward to tasting our chocolate fudge on Monday. An important part of our 'Entrepreneur Cafe' is that we sell squares of the fudge in order to make a small profit that we will then donate to the BBC's 'Children in Need' appeal.  

Bonfire Night - 5th November - Noson Tan Gwyllt - Tachwedd 5ed. 
Have a wonderful Bonfire Night tonight. Enjoy the spectacle of colourful fireworks lighting up the night sky and the roar of the blazing bonfire but above all keep safe.
"Remember, remember the fifth of November,
 Gunpowder, treason and plot.
 We see no reason why Gunpowder treason
 Should ever be forgot!" 
In November 1605, the Gunpowder Plot took place in which Guy Fawkes and a group of other Catholics plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James 1 on the day the king was due to open Parliament. They placed barrels of gunpowder in the basements of the Houses of Parliament in London. The Catholic men were angry because the king had treated them badly. The story of Guy Fawkes is remembered on November 5th when 'Guys' are burned in a celebration known as 'Bonfire Night'.