Winter 2014-15 Gaeaf 2014-15 St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College Coleg Catholig Chweched Dosbarth Dewi Sant in partnership with Mary Immaculate Catholic High School Principal’s Message Neges Y Pennaeth University, making the College the largest single provider of undergraduates to Cardiff. Welcome to our Mary Immaculate partnership newsletter. This publication has been designed to showcase the successes and achievements of St David’s students, who are former students of Mary Immaculate Catholic High School. All articles have been written by the students themselves. Applicants for entry in 2015 will be recruited to the College’s new ‘learning portfolios’, which are based upon distinct industry and career pathways. An applicant’s choice of A level or vocational course will result in a focused curriculum designed to facilitate learners’ progression to the best universities or training opportunities. The College’s learner support team will also ensure students have high quality guidance from the College’s team of dedicated learner coaches. The emphasis on maximising learner achievement and progression to the top universities or training providers ensures that our students have the best possible foundation for their future. The academic year 2013/14 was hugely successful for St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College. On average, 44% of the College gained A grades at A level (including Welsh Baccalaureate). The College successfully placed four hundred and seventy students at university in 2014, with over a quarter progressing to the most prestigious Russell Group universities. St David’s sent sixty four students to Cardiff Mark Leighfield, Principal Outstanding Success at St David’s College Llwyddiant Arbennig yng Ngholeg Dewi Sant appealed to me most. I studied Chemistry, Biology and Psychology at St David’s College between 2011 and 2014 and I have now moved on to study for a degree in Biochemistry at the University of Southampton. The friendly advice and assurance of my teachers helped me to push myself to apply for top Russell Group universities. The constant support available for all aspects of my student life was key to ensuring that my college experience was an educational but also enjoyable one. I chose to progress to St David’s College after completing my GCSEs at Mary Immaculate High School for a number of reasons. The most important of which was because the college gave me the opportunity to focus on the areas of study that With the help and support of all of my teachers, I was able to achieve A level grades that were beyond what I expected of myself. St David’s helped to become a mature, responsible and confident person and gave me the right support and guidance to be able to achieve what I have. I made many IMPORTANT DATES DYDDIADAU PWYSIG Applications open November 2014 Open afternoons Wednesdays at 2:20pm through January and February 2015 Applications close Monday 2nd February 2015 Interviews January – May 2015 Taster sessions July 2015 Enrolment End of August - September 2015 great friends during my time there and have only the students and staff at St David’s to thank for the memories I was lucky enough to make. In the future I hope to be able to use all the knowledge I have gained throughout my education to do further study in the form of a PhD, followed by research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. - Alexander Lester Lourdes Group Grŵp Lourdes You’ve probably heard your Religion teachers talk about Lourdes, a great town and one of the most important Where are they now? Ble maen nhw nawr? I chose St David’s because I knew it would be the best place to help me achieve my goal of going to university. I made the right choice because I am currently studying Film and Television Studies in Aberystwyth University and I couldn’t have achieved this without the support I had from my tutors in St David’s. They encouraged me to strive for the best in my coursework and exams, and gave me excellent guidance whilst applying for universities. I enjoyed the opportunities I was given by the media department to record and edit my own short films An Evening of Music Noswaith o Gerddoriaeth On Thursday 27th of November, students from AS and A2 music hosted a performance evening for their family and friends. We had decided to hold a performance evening because many of the students have not had much performance experience and were very excited to show each other, as well as the audience, our skills and talents. places of pilgrimage in the Catholic faith. What makes Lourdes even more important for us at St David’s College is our part in the annual Welsh National Pilgrimage. Every year, a group of elderly, sick, and disabled people are given the chance, by us, to have an enjoyable and spiritual holiday in Lourdes. We work hard to give them the best time possible, and through this, we gain unforgettable experiences. Friendships are made that will last for the rest of our lives. The skills and training we are given also makes the pilgrimage great for CVs, interviews and university while making new friends along the way. Eventually, I hope to break into the film or television industries and possibly even go on to teach media studies or film. - Alessandro Cavarra-Weyman I chose St David’s College after Mary Immaculate as I visited while in high school. My sister also attended St David’s and very much enjoyed it. I am currently working as a health care assistant in a care home which is a difficult but amazing job. St David’s has supported me both as a current student and past student. I am currently applying for university and my old tutors have helped me by checking my personal statement and What made it such a wonderful evening was the variety of instruments and styles. We had classical piano, vocal solo and duets, classical and rock guitar, trumpet, keyboard, drums played in a rock style, and reggae played on the steel pans. To start the evening off, we had Josh Dickins on electric guitar playing ‘Little Wing’ by Jimi Hendrix which was played beautifully and was the perfect opening to our show. Following Josh in the first half of the show, Shu-Ying Gan played a piano piece called ‘Canzonetta’ by Frank Bridges. This piece played by ShuYing was 2 grades above the required standard for A2. Shu-Ying now currently studies with the Royal Welsh Conservatoires which we are all very proud of. We then had a range of brilliant applications. For many of us, nothing can stop us going again, and again, and again. From your first year in St David’s you will have the opportunity to join our community. By fundraising throughout the year, we make sure that anyone can come to Lourdes, no matter how religious you are, or how much you think you can afford. Lourdes is not like other school trips. It is the experience of a lifetime, and we believe everyone should have the chance to go. We hope to see you there! - Meg Harrington UCAS application. What I most enjoyed about being in St David’s was joining the Lourdes group. We would begin our travel to Lourdes each year not really knowing each other, but throughout our time there working as teams to care for the elderly and disabled and spending so much time together, we come back as a big family. In September I hope to start at university and train to become a nurse. - Sarah Carpenter performances on the drums, keyboard and the trumpet. Nicole Placide performed ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley on the Steel Pans, accompanied by her father, a performance which went down well with the crowd. As well as covers, I performed my own composition on the piano. Some of the students showcased some of the pieces that they will be playing for their performance exam in the spring term. Overall the night was a huge success and very enjoyable for both the performers and the audience - thanks to our wonderful music teacher Miss York. We all look forward to the next performance which will be at Christmas time for our carol service held in the St David’s College chapel. - Wojciech Przybylski We are offering free performing arts workshops to the students of Mary Immaculate High School. Please contact Mr Crowley on 02920 498 555 or [email protected] for more information. Academic Achievement - Scholarship Winner 2014 Cyflawniad Academaidd – Enillydd yr Ysgoloriaeth 2014 My name is Paul Murphy and I came to St David’s College from Mary Immaculate High School. I chose St David’s because I saw that the college had high achievement scores and pass rates. The open evening was an excellent introduction to the college, showing me that it had a calm, friendly and inviting atmosphere, and that the teachers were approachable, welcoming and professional. Another factor which helped me in my decision to attend St David’s was the offer of an Academic Achievement Scholarship. This was based on the high GCSE grades I gained while at Mary Immaculate. The posibility of winning a scholarship put St David’s leagues ahead of other institutions as it demonstrated that St David’s was willing to reward its best students. This was something which was of particular interest to me, increasing my desire to come to St David’s. Scholarships at St David’s Ysgoloriaethau yng Ngoleg Dewi Sant At St David’s College, we believe that education is about transforming lives and allowing learners to reach their full potential, and we are committed to attracting the most talented and dedicated learners, regardless of their geographic, social or financial background. Now that I am here I enjoy a friendly, competitive and hospitable environment in which I can grow both academically and emotionally. The staff at the college have given me great help and support and were instrumental in helping me to settle into the college. We are offering two types of scholarship for 2015/16; one for academic achievement and one for contribution to the community. I am currently studying AS History, Chemistry and Biology, and in the future I would like to attend a Russell Group university to further my study of History. I believe that chosing St David’s as my sixth form has given me the best chance to achieve my future ambitions. A scholarship application form is available on our website, or by calling 02920 498 555. - Paul-James Murphy Completed applications can be posted to the College address, for the attention of Mrs L. Newman, Vice Principal. Alternatively, applications may be emailed to LNewman@st-davids-coll. ac.uk. You do not need to send any copies of qualifications with your application form as these will be shown during enrolment. Learner Support Centre Canolfan Cefnogaeth Dysgwyr Our new Learner Support Centre was launched in September 2014 with the aim of providing advice and support to students struggling with any aspect of College life, and to those with additional learning needs. We work with students in a number of different ways, depending on the nature of the difficulties and what best suits the individual student. For example, we offer: * Additional, quiet working space * One-to-one academic support * Group support lessons * Advisory appointments * Screenings for specific learning difficulties * Coordination of support and reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities * Appointments with the College counsellor * Referral to our peer mentoring scheme * Referral to external support organisations This year we are delighted to introduce our new team members: Angela McMillan, our College counsellor, and our new Learner Support Assistants Samantha Monks and Paul Waters. They have joined Learner Support Manager Dr Ellie Russell, and Senior Learner Support Assistant Leanne Young. HOW TO APPLY 1 APPLY 2 CONFIRMATION 3 To fill in an online application visit the ‘apply’ section of our website: www.st-davids-coll.ac.uk You can request a paper application form by calling 02920 498 555. Students applying online will receive confirmation of receipt within 24 hours of submitting their application. OFFER 6 TASTER SESSIONS 7 ENROLEMENT INVITATION TO INTERVIEW All applicants will be invited to interview. These take place from January to May. 4 5 INTERVIEW At interview we will discuss your application and your course choices. Please come to the interview ready to discuss your career ambitions. If you have any further questions about admissions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 02920 498 555 or email us at [email protected]. All being well, we will make you a written offer of a place at the College. This offer will be conditional on you achieving GCSE (or equivalent) grades which meet our entry criteria. We will ask you to confirm your acceptance of the offer in writing. In July, the College arranges taster sessions in order for you to experience your chosen courses at AS level before you commit to them. This also gives you the opportunity to try courses you may be interested in but have not experienced at GCSE. Enrolment will take place shortly after your GCSE results are released. We will write to you with details of your enrolment date and time during the summer. It is important that you attend enrolment as failure to do so may put your place at the College at risk. Your studies will begin shortly after enrolment. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER 2015 ENTRY IS 2ND FEBRUARY 2015 St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College | Ty Gwyn Road | Penylan | Cardiff CF23 5QD Tel: 02920 498 555 | Email: [email protected] www.st-davids-coll.ac.uk
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