CAREERS DAY
Yet another successful Yr 9 Careers/Options Fair was held at school on Thursday, January 23. A number of guest speakers discussed various opportunities available post 16 with one entertaining each group with information on entrepreneurship!
Following the morning activities, a careers convention was held in the hall and gymnasium with exhibitions from 20 local employers.
The feedback from pupils has been very positive and employers are now queuing up for next yea'rs event.
INDUSTRY DAY
AT MAGSTIM
What do you get if you mix 20 Year Ten pupils from Dyffryn Taf School with a world-leading medical electronics company and one of the best trainers from Careers Wales West?
Answer: Industry Day at Magstim!
Pupils were treated to a packed day of interesting talks, stimulating tours of the facilities and a challenging practical task, which really kept them on their toes. This was a further example of the firm links between Dyffryn Taf School and the Magstim Company, which other schools would do well to copy.
ATHLETICS
On the January 11 and 12, Emily Mitchell, of the Carmarthen Harriers, came first in the 60m and 200m races of the Welsh Indoor Athletic Championships. The Harriers were competing against clubs from around Wales, including Cardiff, Pembroke and Bridgend.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Brianne Championships were held at Tregib School on January 23. Dyffryn Taf fielded full teams in all age groups and all athletes ran brilliantly to give our school some of the best results for many years.
This fixture was the selection event for the Dyfed cross country championships and the following students were selected to represent Brianne schools.
Year 7 girls - Alex Pearce, Charlotte Enoch, Eleanor Stephens, Emily Mitchell. This was an exceptional team performance, half of the Brianne team being from Dyffryn Taf.
Year 8 girls - Sophie Heath.
Year 10/11 boys - Ian Davies, Matthew McCabe.
Year 12/13 boys - Sam Ridge, Dan Robinson.
Reserves are Daniel Edwards, Duncan Evans, Rebecca Evans, Tanya Davies.
We are hopeful of similarly good results in the Dyfed Championships where athletes will be selected to represent Dyfed at the Welsh Schools finals at Brecon in March.
BRIANNE LEAGUE
The final fixture of the Brianne Cross Country League took place at Amman Valley on January 14. Sixty-five athletes took part.
Dyffryn Taf have been top of the league all season, with Amman Valley very close behind.
The competition was fierce in each race. Dyffryn Taf held its small lead until the final race for Year 9/10 boys.
Despite a great team effort by the 11 Dyffryn Taf boys in the race, Amman Valley proved too strong and Dyffryn Taf had to be content with second place overall by only 12 points.
However, four athletes won individual awards: Alex Pearce was third Year 7 girl; Stephen Owen was third Year 8 boy; Rebecca Evans was third Year 9/10 girl; Alex Powell was second Year 9/10 boy.
Other outstanding individual performances throughout the season were produced by:
Year 7 - Duncan Evans, Tony Evans, Jordan Williams, Emily Mitchell, Charlotte Enoch, Eleanor Stephens .
Year 8 - Aron Keen, Josh Layzell, Sophie Heath (fourth in every race), Tanya Davies, Cathy Rodenhurst.
Year 9 - Joely Davies.
Year 10 - Nathan Evans, Tom Douglas.
Congratulations to all athletes who took part. The enthusiasm level was high, and team spirit fantastic.
COMPETITION WINNERS
As part of the school's literacy strategy, all students in Year 7 read for half-an-hour each morning during the autumn term.
Students are encouraged to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction and to discuss and review their reading.
To mark the end of this year's sessions, students entered a competition to devise a reading quiz or an alternative book cover.
Winners were as follows: 1. Ceri Eynon 7D; 2. Christopher Jones 7G, Richard Price 7D and Emily Rees 7D.
Congratulations to all four!
TALL SHIPS CRUISE
Kirri Williams, a Year 12 student, has been accepted by Worshipful Shipwrights to sail on a tall ship cruise. This involves becoming a member of a large crew on a tall ship, learning important aspects of navigation and team-work skills. Kirri regards this as valuable experience for her as she wants to join the police force as a future career.
"I feel that pupils don't know much about tall ships and this is a shame because I have been told it's a fantastic thing to be part of. I am looking forward to being part of this once in a life time experience," says Kirri.
Worshipful Shipwrights have offered Kirri £650 to spend on a tall ships cruise. Sponsorship from local outlets and companies will be highly appreciated.
On behalf of Dyffryn Taf, it's staff and pupils, we wish Kirri good luck and a safe journey.
FOOTBALL
U16 Girls v Amman Valley: Result - Dyffryn Taf 3 Amman Valley 2.
After only one intensive training session the night before, the girls faced their opponents with confidence.
Amman Valley scored their first goal within five minutes of kick-off. However, a penalty taken by Joely Davies soon put Dyffryn Taf in the running.
A slightly lethargic defence allowed Amman Valley to score their second goal, and just as our confidence was beginning to waver, Tammy Howells used her speed to score a superb second goal, bringing the score up to 2-2 just before the half-time whistle.
In the second half, the Dyffryn Taf team showed their opponents and the spectators exactly what they were made of, with some excellent tackling from Hannah Francis and Claire Shipton, and some great runs up the wing by Katie Tanner and Joely Davies.
The winning goal was scored by Rachel Cole, aged only 13, with a powerful strike into the top right corner.
The final score of 3-2 means that Dyffryn Taf progress to the next round of the cup competition.
Player of the match: Gaynor Walters (Yr 9), who played goalkeeper for the first time. She made several match-saving 'saves' and her 'goal kicks' would make any male 'keeper fearful of his position in his team!