We are the Welsh entry for the Schoolovision Song Contest 2013.
The competition, run in the similar way to Eurovision, links schools from nearly 40 countries from across Europe.
Each school records a song in their own language or about their own country, films a video, then uploads it to the competition blog (schoolovision2013/blogspot.com). The other schools watch these videos and then vote to choose their top ten songs.
This Friday, the live voting will take place through a videoconference to decide on the best school song in Europe.
Our school has been taking part in the competition as the Welsh entry since the very start of the eTwinning project in 2009 and are very proud of our past achievements - our best result so far was 5th overall in 2011.
The competition has deservedly won many awards for linking schools, collaboration and communication across Europe. Watch our video here, then visit the competition website to watch and leave comments for the songs from all the other schools competing this year - click on the schoolovision title to get there!

Eisteddfod Dydd Gwyl Dewi Arbennig yn ein ysgol ni. A Special St. David's Day Eisteddfod at our school. 
Today was a special day at Llangewydd as we celebrated St. David's Day with our exciting school Eisteddfod. The hall was a sea of scarlet as we all sat in our house colours, many of us dressed in our national rugby jerseys or in traditional Welsh costumes and wearing our daffodils and leeks. The excitement was building as we waited for the day's competitions to begin.        

After weeks of hard work in class, we looked forward to a day of on-stage Welsh and English recitations, singing, dancing, the announcements of who had won the class-based competitions in writing, Welsh writing, handwriting, Art and IT and of course the chairing of the bard. At the start of our school Eisteddfod, the house points were: Tŷ Gwyrdd - 444 pwyntiau, Tŷ Coch - 398 pwyntiau, Tŷ Aur - 380 pwyntiau and Tŷ Glas - 384 pwyntiau. The judges were ready, Miss Jury and Mrs Page were ready to count all the points throughout the day and so the competitions could begin. Very exciting! Gyffrous iawn!   

The on-stage competitions got underway with Year 5 singing the traditional Welsh song 'Ar Lan Y Mor'. In each of the singing competitions, the judges were listening for tuneful singing, accurate pronunciation of words as well as more technical aspects such as pitch, timing and breathing at appropriate places. The judges commented on the high standard of the singing throughout the day and had to make some difficult decisions at times as each of the competitors were so impressive.       

Everyone in the hall clapped and cheered as children from their houses took to the stage to take part in competitions. How brave they were to sing and recite poems in front of a hall full of children, teachers and staff! Finalists had put so much effort into learning both Welsh and English poems off by heart. Again the judges were amazed by the high standard of the poetry recitations. Bendigedig! Judges focused on the accuracy of the recitations as well as the children's use of pace, expression and movements to bring the poems to life for the audience. We all thoroughly enjoyed listening to each of the poetry recitations and they brought a smile to our faces.   

Throughout the day, the house point totals were announced and the competition became more and more exciting with not many points separating the leading two houses - Tŷ Gwyrdd and Tŷ Coch. Instrumentalists had an opportunity to earn points for their houses by performing a piece of music for the school. Carwyn and Dafydd both wowed everyone with how well they played the piano. We were amazed at the standards they have achieved. Mr. Evans had better watch out! You could have heard a pin drop as Cerys sang Adele's 'Someone Like You' with such sophistication, accompanied beautifully by Celyn on the piano. We all enjoyed listening to the violinists and the brass instrumentalists who have made such great progress with their music. Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd! Congratulations to all of you!

The morning's competitions closed with the much anticipated 'House Choir' competition where each house had to sing the Welsh song 'Y Plant Dyn Ni'. There were much needed house points at stake - 50 for the winning house, 40 for the runner-up, and 30 and 20 for the third and fourth-placed houses respectively. Miss Hatch and Mrs. Evans, the judges, listened to each house choir singing, making notes about their performance. They looked to see whether each choir knew the words, as well as listening carefully to their diction, their pitch, their tempo. They also looked to see how well each house sang together as a choir - with one voice. It was a close run thing but the judges' final adjudication placed Tŷ Glas in first place just ahead of Tŷ Gwyrdd. Llongyfarchiadau i dŷ Glas! 

Our Eisteddfod continued after lunch with some traditional Welsh folk dancing by Mrs. Evans' class. Dawnsio gwerin gwych! Dressed in traditional costumes, the children danced in time to the Welsh folk music Cylch Circassian. We all clapped along as the dancers danced rownd a rownd with their partners, weaving in and out of each other and changing direction. 

At points throughout the day, teachers announced the winners of competitions that had taken place in classrooms in the weeks leading up to the Eisteddfod. These included IT, Art, Writing, Welsh Writing and handwriting competitions. Again the judges had been impressed by the high standards of the work produced in all year groups. The winners of the Home-School tasks were also announced and everyone could enjoy looking at the colourful models/items on display around the school hall. Year 3 had made some impressive Chinese dragons. Year 4 had made models, mobiles and all sorts of other items on the theme of 'Space'. Year 5 had made some eye-catching Welsh shields whilst Year 6 had been challenged to make something useful out of a plastic takeaway food container! All the staff at the school were amazed by how inventive and creative you had been with your home-school tasks. Bendigedig!

The Chairing of the Bard. Cadeirio'r Bardd. The exciting climax to the day soon arrived with the chairing of the bard - the highest honour of the day awarded to the pupil in Year 6 who had written the best poem in the poetry competition. As tension mounted, Mrs. Davies talked to the school about how difficult it had been to judge the poetry competition owing to the high standard of so many of the poems written. Year 6 had been asked to write a poem titled 'The Sorrows of Winter' .  

Each pupil in Year 6 had submitted a poem to the competition using a nom de plume to keep their identity secret. Before the nom de plume of this year's bard was revealed, Mrs. Davies announced which pupils had been in close contention for the ultimate accolade. Abby Pye, Teigan Watson and Caitlin Rees were joint second runners-up with Mia Thomas and Shannon Treharne joint first runners-up. Finally the moment had arrived! Silence fell around the school hall as Mr. Morrison called out the name of the winning poet, asking if they were in the hall one......two......three times: "Oes______________yn y neuadd?" Each time, the Eisteddfod sword was almost removed from its sheath but was returned as everyone in the hall called out "Heddwch." On the third asking, Celyn stood up to be revealed as Llangewydd's bard of 2013.        

As everyone around the hall clapped and cheered, Celyn was escorted to the stage where she was dressed in the bardic robes before sitting in the bardic chair to be crowned. Mrs. Davies invited Celyn to read her poem to the school and everyone agreed that its high quality made Celyn a most well-deserved bard. Llongyfarchiadau i Celyn!  

As it approached a quarter past three, it was time to reveal which house had earned most points and so won this year's Eisteddfod. In fourth place was Tŷ Aur, in third place was Tŷ Glas, the runners up were Tŷ Coch but winning our Eisteddfod 2013 were Tŷ Gwyrdd! Tŷ Gwyrdd clapped and cheered in celebration as their House Captains came to the front of the hall to be presented with the Eisteddfod trophy by Mrs. Davies. It was an exciting end to what had been a memorable day punctuated by some outstanding performances and achievements. The day ended with everyone standing to sing our national anthem 'Mae hen wlad fy nhadau' with pride.

This afternoon, staff, parents, pupils, past pupils and friends of Llangewydd all worked together as a team to help clear the snow from the paths and car parks around the school. Thanks to everyone's hard work the school will open tomorrow with clear access from the school gates to the school buildings. Do take care though, as conditions are still icy.  

Clearing the snow was hard work but great fun. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and set to work digging out the snow with their snow shovels and spades. Some of the team cleared the snow from the school gates, others tackled the car park whilst some shovelled snow from the path leading from Heol Y Frenhines. It was a real community effort with everyone working together whilst having a chat and enjoying being out in the fresh air. Some of the children had great fun in the snow throwing snowballs and using their sledges.    

Soon it was time for a well-deserved break. Mrs. Davies and Mrs. Deb Jones brought around a tray of tea and chocolate biscuits. But the snow wouldn't clear itself! Soon everyone was back to work shifting the snow. After a few hours' hard work the car park and paths around the school were clear of snow and safe for everyone to return to school tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who gave up their time this afternoon to help us out. A real team effort! Diolch yn fawr iawn i bawb sy wedi helpu clirio'r eira y prynhawn 'ma. Enjoy a well-earned rest and a long, hot soak in the bath!   

This morning the Pandemonium Theatre Company visited our school to perform 'We'll Meet Again' , a World War Two themed production for Year 6. Y bore' ma, daeth y cwmni theatr 'Pandemonium' i'n ysgol ni. We all thoroughly enjoyed the performance and learnt so much about the Second World War from it. In the school hall, just two actors brought the Second World War to life for us in front of our very eyes. They told the story of Tom, an evacuee who went to live on a farm in the safety of the countryside with Mr.and Mrs. McCready.

Throughout the performance, we learnt so much about life in Wales on the Home Front. One of the characters was an ARP warden who told us how important it was to wear gas masks, to go to the air raid shelters when the 'Moaning Minnie' sounded, and to turn off our lights during the Blackout. Emily and Jordan had the opportunity to become 'Fire Watchers' who put out the fires caused by incendiary bombs with sand from their buckets.

The characters in the play helped us to understand how frightening it must have been to live through the bombing raids over our cities during World War Two. Tom received a letter informing him that his home in London had been destroyed and that his mother was injured in hospital. We learnt how ordinary people had to 'Make Do and Mend', getting by as best they could with rationed food and clothes.   

Perhaps most moving of all were the scenes set in Nazi Germany where we began to realize how cruelly Jewish people had been treated during the awful events of the Holocaust. We learnt how the Jewish people had been rounded up and transported to concentration camps before being killed in the horrific gas chambers. In the play, the character of Mary, a Jewish lady, was shot for standing up to a Nazi officer. As the smoke from the gun faded, you could have heard a pin drop in the school hall as we realised what had happened to her.

The drama production was a great treat during which we laughed, smiled but also thought seriously about some important issues. Following the play, the two actors kindly answered our questions in a 'Question and Answer' session. Many of us shared wartime stories that we had been told by members of our own families. Many thanks to the 'Pandemonium Theatre Company' for such a fantastic production. Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r cwmni theatr 'Pandemonium' am y ddrama bendigedig. 

A Debate in the council chamber.Trafodaeth yn y siambr cyngor.

Today Llangewydd Junior School became the first ever school in the county borough to take part in a debate about a local issue in the council chamber. The School Council and a group of Year 6 children visited Bridgend Civic Offices Council Chambers to participate in a formal meeting and debate about our local parks and green spaces. Aethon ni i mewn i'r siambr cyngor i drafod parciau lleol. 

We were welcomed into the council chamber at 9.45 am and each member of our school group was shown to their specially labelled seat. We all settled into our seats to prepare ourselves for the meeting that would be chaired by the Mayor, her worship Councillor Marlene Thomas. An officer of the council chamber then explained to us how the technology of the chamber worked. If we wished to speak during the debate, for example, we had to push a red button and wait in a 'queue' until it was our turn to speak. When speaking to the chamber, our image and name would appear on a large screen at the front. It was exciting (and slightly embarrassing) to see our names and pictures appear on the screen. The officer also showed us how councillors would push different buttons in front of them to vote 'Yes', 'No' or to 'Abstain' in a vote on a recommendation.  Roedd rhaid i ni wasgu botwm i siarad yn ystod y gyfarfod.     

At ten o' clock, the gavel (a small mallet) was struck and we all stood as the Mayor, her worship Mrs. Marlene Thomas, entered the chamber. She thanked us for our courtesy, asked us to be seated and declared the meeting open. We had each been given a formal agenda for the meeting which began with the Mayor introducing those present and receiving apologies for absence. Next Mayor Thomas asked us to declare any personal interests. This meant that we were asked if we knew anyone who worked in the council's 'Parks and Playing Fields' department. Sefyllon ni pan daeth y feiri i mewn i'r siambr cyngor.      

It was then that the meeting could really get started. Gareth Evans, the Parks and Playing Fields manager approached the lectern. He gave an interesting presentation about parks and green spaces throughout Bridgend County Borough. He told us many interesting facts and figures about them. Did you know, for example, that every year over 3 000 000 visits are made to parks and green spaces throughout the borough? Mr. Evans told us about some of the problems his department face such as vandalism and criminal damage done to our parks - all of which costs many thousands of pounds to put right. The Mayor encouraged us to report anyone we see vandalising our parks to appropriate authorities such as the police or our local councillors. Siaradodd Gareth Evans aton ni am y parciau ym Mhen-y-bont. 

Following this presentation, Councillor Cheryl Green from Laleston and Bryntirion Community Council talked to us about the work of the community council in providing safe, fun park areas and play equipment for us to enjoy on our doorstep. She said how important it was that children talk to their councillors about what they want to see in their local parks, as well as about any worries or concerns they might have. The Mayor had to interrupt Councillor Green and tell her that she had spoken for more than the allowed three minutes! There are strict rules and timings to follow in the council chamber. Councillor Christina Rees then gave an inspiring talk to us in her role as a member of the Sports Council of Wales. She told us all about what sport and exercise had given to her life. It was fascinating to hear her story of how the sport of squash helped her transform from a painfully shy young girl to a confident Olympic athlete. She is now an award-winning coach of the Welsh national squash team. Some of us even had an opportunity to bounce a squash ball on a racquet in the council chamber. Even the Mayor had a go!!!!!  Siaradodd Christina Rees aton ni am chwaraeon.   

Then it was our turn! Dafydd S and Cerys Gulliford addressed the council chamber on behalf of the school. Dafydd approached the lectern first showing no sign of nerves. He talked to the chamber confidently and clearly about the School Council's recommendation that all children should be encouraged to use the play facilities in our local parks in order to improve their health and fitness levels. Dafydd made many interesting points, justifying his opinions with examples and facts and figures. He warned of the dangers of children leading inactive lifestyles and made clear how it is important that Wales changes its status as a country with one of the largest numbers of obese people in the world. He certainly gave the chamber food for thought! Siaradodd Dafydd am sut mae'n bwysig iawn i gadw'n heini.       

Next it was Cerys' turn. She too approached the lectern with confidence - as if she'd been a councillor all her life. She impressed everyone in the chamber by speaking so clearly and authoritatively about our school's recommendation that all children and others who use our local parks share responsibility for keeping parks clear of rubbish and free of graffiti and damage. The Mayor and councillors really sat up and took notice of Cerys' suggestion that perhaps parks should be monitored by CCTV cameras so that those damaging the parks could be identified, and made to pay for and repair any damage they are responsible for. Siaradodd Cerys am ofalu am barciau lleol.  

As the meeting drew near its conclusion, there was a question and answer session in which we had an opportunity to pose any questions about the issue being debated to the Mayor, to the councillors or to Gareth, the Parks and Playing Fields Manager. Many of us asked some probing, thought-provoking questions. Others of us made helpful suggestions. Jack Crawford, for example, suggested providing parks with equipment especially designed to help some teenagers release negative feelings such as anger. The Mayor and the councillors were so impressed with our ideas and suggestions. The meeting ended with an unanimous vote in favour of the school's recommendations that: all children should be encouraged to use the play facilities in our local parks in order to improve their health and fitness levels and all children and others who use our local parks share responsibility for keeping parks clear of rubbish and free of graffiti and damage.    

On behalf of the school, Mrs. Davies, our headteacher, thanked the Mayor, Councillor White, Councillor Huw David, and all the other parties involved in organising such a rewarding experience, for the time and effort they had put into making this event so successful. We had all thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being councillors involved in a topical debate about an issue that is so important to us. The Mayor expressed how much she had enjoyed the morning's meeting and said that "all the children spoke so well and had such impressive ideas." Councillor Huw David, the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, commented on "how well the children of Llangewydd had conducted themselves in the chamber". The business of the morning being over, we were all treated to drinks, biscuits and chocolate in one of the civic office rooms. There we had an opportunity to chat to the Mayor and the other councillors about the morning's events. Some of us even got to wear the Mayor's chain of office! Before leaving for school, we were all delighted to be presented with a special certificate by the Mayor to mark the occasion. We look forward to building on our links with Bridgend County Borough Council in the near future. Rydyn ni'n edrych ymlaen i weithio gyda'r cyngor yn y dyfodol.         

Year 6 pupils have been working hard on a mini-enterprise project in their DT lessons. They have formed business groups to plan, make and sell Christmas cards. Please support our year 6 pupils by coming to the Card sale next week. The sale will be open on Tuesday December 11th between 9:00 and 10:30 am for parents and families and on Wednesday 12th at the same times for pupils. There will also be an opportunity to buy cards before the year 6 Christmas Concert performance on Thursday 13th December.

On Thursday, Bridge FM Lee Jukes officially opened our Reading cafe.
He spent time with some of our pupils and read them a story. The cafe is a an area with two rooms where pupils and parents can come and enjoy reading and family learning activities, bringing learning right into the community. A big thanks to Lee for finding time for us in his busy schedule.

We hadn't finished with Lee, though. He also officially opened our school radio station. We've been using it for a little while, but we jumped on the opportunity to interview a local DJ and ask him about his broadcasting tips and advice. He gave lots of good tips and tricks and was impressed with our DJs newly acquired skills

This Monday, we held our remembrance service to remember the brave members of the armed forces who died or were injured in wars. The service was led by our chair of governors, Mr Rayment and we all observed 2 minutes silence