Stories that made the local news.

Pupils at Bigyn School are really getting to grips with modern technology after taking part in their third live video conference link-up.
Four pupils took part in the link-up this week. Speaking to the director of education and their headteacher Leighton Rees, who were miles away in Aberarad, Newcastle Emlyn.
They have recently taken part in live link-ups to an American school, and one closer to home in Bancffosfelen in the Gwendraeth Valley.
The pupils from years three and five, made a presentation about space to coincide with International Space Week over the conference, talking about a banner that the school had made to be sent into space on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in September.
Year five teacher Suzanne Gravell helped to co-ordinate the link-up.
“ The County Council asked us to take part in a pilot project to link schools up via computer link-ups and video conferencing,” she said. “ It basically takes place through the computer. There is a camera recording the children talking which is picked up on the other computer which it is linked up to. We’ve done a few practice runs, but the kids are getting a bit nervous now this is the real thing.  It’s nice that they can share things with other children the same age as them that they don’t know. They were a bit in awe of the modern technology at first, but now they’ve got used to it and they are really enjoying getting involved in it.”

A new leaf: Bigyn school pupils celebrate the opening of their new library with MFI store managers Terry Thomas, May Thomas, Christopher Phillips, David Stokes, Steve Hawke and Alan Fender.
Only bookworms and not woodworms, were coming out of the furniture at Bigyn primary school this week as they officially opened their new library department.
The school unveiled their new department after months of work to transform the open plan section of the school into larger classrooms and a library.
Five local MFI stores came together to donate a series of shelving units to house the school’s books.
Headteacher Leighton Rees is more than happy with the new asset.
“This is an open-plan school and over the past few months we have been opening up some areas by taking down the partitions.
“By doing that we have been able to create larger classrooms and an adjoining library,” he said.
“The children have been seeing it going on and have been itching to get in here! It’s a superb improved facility which is child friendly and very accessible.
“We are very grateful to MFI who have supported us greatly by supplying us with the book units.”

Bigyn primary school pupils had a ball this week as two of Llanelli’s biggest rugby stars popped over for a quick training session.
Welsh international rugby heroes Scott Quinnell and Garan Evans visited the school to help raise money for the schools funds as they took part in a sponsored pass the ball event.
The attempt was to try and pass a rugby ball as many times as possible through the hands of all the junior pupils in the school in half an hour.
Scott Quinnell and Garan Evans along with members of the Llanelli youth team, were at hand to get the ball rolling.
Headteacher, Leighton Rees, who co-ordinated the event, said they were hoping to raise money to bump up the schools funds.
“The school needs funding for a number of different things including trips, trophies, sporting fees, transport and visits, so we’re just trying to raise money for that.” He said.
“We’re over the moon that the players agreed to come and help us out, the children were really excited and couldn’t wait for them to arrive.

Bigyn School infants pupils have been fast-tracking their school project by inviting snooker ace Matthew Stevens and his Ferrari and a 1901 vintage car and its owner to their school.
The infants, taking part in a school project on transport , spent the afternoon looking at and comparing the two cars, produced almost 100 years apart, to help their project work along. 
Matthew Stevens showed the little ones the mod cons of his £90,000 bright yellow Ferrari including the flip-up headlights and soft-top roof with a maximum speed of 180 mph.
The 1901 Colliot owner Tony Davies showed off the car’s wind-up enine and horizontal steering wheel with a maximum speed of 24 mph.
Headteacher Leighton Rees said  “We had arranged originally for the vintage car to visit the school as part of the infant’s project on transport, but Matthew Stevens very kindly agreed to bring his Ferrari as well so the pupils could have a contrast.”
It was very useful and was beneficial to them to be able to see the cars close up.  The learnt far more by seeing them first hand the from a book.
“I would like to thank then both for taking the time to come to the school and giving up their spare time to help the pupils with their project.”  We are very grateful and the children were thrilled.”

The sky’s the limit for pupils at a primary school who have been given their very own mission impossible. 
Children at Bigyn School are sending a message of peace and goodwill into space.
The pupils have made a banner of peace which they will send to NASA to take with them on their next shuttle mission.
 After its journey into space the banner will be sent back to the pupils so that they can put it on display at the school.  Headteacher Leighton Rees said it all started when the school decided to send an Email of peace and goodwill.
“We were sent emails back from all over the world”, he said.” We had one reply from NASA in Houston, Texas, asking us if we would like to send something to them for them to send up into space onboard the Shuttle Mission in September.
“We were told that it had to be something lightweight and of little value.  Something that could be folded up in the palm of your hand.  The school decided to make a banner of peace, with a dove, a rainbow, and children on it and with the school’s name.

These potential journalists are pupils at Bigyn School, who are launching their own newsletter after Easter.
Last week children from Year 5 visited the Llanelli Star for advice on how to set the form and content of the newsletter.
Headmaster Leighton Rees said the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
The newsletter will be used as a record of what’s gone on in the school, as well as a bulletin for coming events.
Children will provide the content for the newsletter in an after school club, supervised by Harriet Day.
The children will become versed in IT and benefit from the use of the Internet and digital cameras.
Bigyn school are also aiming for the newsletter to be self-sustaining and are looking for sponsorship.  For more information, call the school on 771817. 

Teachers get lessons in IT.

Bigyn Primary School is one of the first schools in Carmarthenshire to have all its teachers trained in Information Technology through a Government funding scheme.
Bigyn Primary School is celebrating eleven teachers completing their New Opportunities Fund ICT training.
The school is one if the first in Carmarthenshire to train all of its teachers under the government- led initiative, which aims to see all UK teachers capable and confident of using ICT as part of their everyday teaching.
The school choose The Learning Schools Programme, one of the approved training providers, to deliver the school’s training.
The Programme allows teachers to work through the course in their own time, using both CD ROM and paper resources, as well as receiving support, via the Internet and benefiting from national on line conferences with other teachers on the programme.
All eleven teachers began the ICT training course in the Spring term last year and finished at the end of the Autumn term.
The school’s Programme Organiser, says that overall staff use of ICT, both in and out of the classroom, has increased greatly and there is a great enthusiasm for its future use.

One of the next projects planned at the school is to develop a fully equipped computer room, which will be used by the children and staff during the day, and hopefully, by the community in the evening.
This will be an ideal situation where children and their parents can be educated together.  The school is in the process of seeking additional funding for the project.

A banner hand-crafted by Bigyn Primary School has been returned to the school after embarking on a space mission with NASA.
Two teachers from NASA in America came to visit the children and to return the banner to its rightful owners after its ascent into the unknown.
Jim Christenson and Norma Rhodes were visiting Llanelli in order to present the banner and certificates to the pupils at Bigyn School.
Rowland Rees, a teacher at the school organized the link through good relations with the NASA and was invited to a programme with 25 other US teachers in Houston.
Whilst out there Mr Rees met George Abbey, the Director of NASA who offered to take something from the school into space on one of the missions.
The school carried out a number of space projects to gain understanding of where exactly their banner is going.
The hand made banner with the Bigyn School logo on flew 4.9 million miles into space.
“It flew all that way and doesn’t show any wear,” said Jim Christenson who presented a certificate to Bigyn School along with his colleague Norma Rhodes to certify that the banner has flown to space.
The school celebrated the occasion by dressing up in American attire including cowboys and Indians and performing a medley of songs for the visitors.
The space shuttle Atlantis and its seven member crew landed at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
While in orbit the STS 106 crew successfully prepared the international space station for the arrival of the first permanent crew.
The shuttle landed back on earth on September 20, 2000 after being in space for 11days, carrying the Bigyn School banner.

SCHOOL CHILDREN across Llanelli had a splashing time at the recent swimming gala. Some 25 primary schools competed in the Llanelli and District junior schools  championship event.
Now in its fifth year, the gala is held to encourage younger children to swim and to give them an opportunity to compete against others. 
Swimming coach Steve Kohert said: ‘I think it’s important for children to have swimming galas in the junior schools.
‘During the school year, the children will have progressed and improved their skills in swimming and attained their swimming awards’.
He added: ‘The majority of children that competed in this year’s primary school swimming gala may not be of a swimming  club level.  But they have the opportunity to take part, represent their school, be part of a team and use the skills they have learned during their swimming lessons. Not all children want to compete, but this yearly swimming gala is there for the enthusiastic'.

A  LLANELLI pupil is hitting the high notes.
Kayleigh Jones missed out on her school trip to St Fagan’s in order to represent Bigyn Primary School in the Llanelli and District Junior Proms concert held at Theatre Elli.
The annual event has been running for approximately seven years in the first week of July each year.
The plucky eight-year-old has always had an interest in music and has played the violin for over two years with a musical group known as the String Builders. As a result of her dedication to the school and her music she was unable to go on her school trip due to the rehearsal purposes. 
Kayleigh said ”I decided not to go so I could rehearse for the concert”.
Kayleigh’s violin teacher Janet Thomas said: ”We’re very grateful to Kayleigh for missing the school trip.”
She explained how Kayleigh had improved greatly since becoming a member of String Builders.
She added: “I think the String Builders is very successful and I believe it’s very important to have groups like this to help children develop.”
The Llanelli and District Junior Promps concerts holds all the musically talented pupils from local primary schools and gives them a chance to perform in front of an audience.
Ysgol Y Strade violin pupils were also present to give the younger children a helping hand.
Janet said: “They have willingly given up their time despite their studies as a favour to help the younger ones in the Llanelli and District Junior Promps.

PUPILS at a Llanelli primary school were dragged from their classrooms by a marauding bear this week.
Thankfully, nobody was injured as it was only Pudsey Bear coming to see how their preparations for Children in Need day were going. 
Arriving at Bigyn Primary School in a specially decorated car, Pudsey spend the morning admiring the weird and wonderful hats which the pupils will be wearing on 
Children in Need day to raise money for the charity.
Headmaster, Leighton Rees is particularly keen to see the children come in wearing headgear of their own creation, and said “ The more outrageous, the better! 
Mr Rees said that charity events of this kind are important for his pupils. “We have a very active fundraising ethos here. I think it is important for the children for the children to be aware of the needs of others and how they can help in their own small way”. 
The children will each be making a donation for the privilege of wearing their wacky headgear, in an effort to beat the £240 the school raised for the charity last year.
The visit was part of a drive by supermarket chain ASDA to promote the charity extravaganza on November 16. The foodstore giant currently has four  Pudsey cars touring the country to drum up support for the charity among school children.

Pupil of the week

Our Star pupil this week is eight year old Sophie Morris, who attends Bigyn School.
Sophie who recently competed in the under 11 Llanelli Schools Gymnastics came third.
The event was held at Coedcae School.
She has been described as a very pleasant, well behaved pupil who always does her best and has a special smile for everyone.
Head Teacher, Mr Leighton Rees said:
“Sophie has done exceptionally well, especially as the competitors who came first and second were 11 years olds".

Helping to keep Ark fund afloat

Pupils at Bigyn Primary School have been coining in the cash for the Noah’s Ark Appeal by bringing in their pocket money two by two, just like Noah and his animals.
The Noah’s Ark Appeal, which is raising money for a Children’s Hospital in Wales, was lent a helping hand by Bigyn pupils as part of a national non-school uniform day.
They saved up their two pence coppers for weeks before bagging them up and bringing them in for a mammoth art attack in their school hall.
Teacher Suzanne Gravell, who co-ordinated the event, came up with the idea for two by two after reading with the children about Noah bringing the animals in to the art two by two during the big floods. 
Children right through from the early years to senior school children helped to make a giant mural on their hall floor made completely out of two pence coins. 
Then they helped to count them all up before shipping them off to the Noah’s Ark Appeal. 
They also wore their own clothes to school and got the opportunity to giggle at their teachers who swapped roles for the day and wore school uniform themselves !
“We already had £50 in the kitty from when we sang at Asda at Christmas time,” said head-teacher Leighton Rees.
“Then we came up with the idea to bring in two pence coins.”
Miss Gravell said: “It’s gone really well and everybody has enjoyed taking part in it, from the nursery who started it off this morning to the older children.”
“They have all been saving up their two pences for weeks and they’ve been happy to bring them in to give to the Noah’s Ark Appeal.”

Cashing in: Bigyn primary school teacher Suzanne Gravell with pupils who are raising money for the Noah’s Ark Appeal.
Dressed up: Bigyn teachers go back to wearing school uniform. Pictured with headteacher/headboy Leighton Rees are ‘pupils’ Suzanne Gravell and Mair Watts.

Coin counting: Carly Dix, aged nine of year five, counting the coins laid down for the Noah’s Ark Appeal.

Greenfield Baptist Church, Llanelli  Newsletter  -  Sunday 12th May, 2002.

Thought for the Week 

It was a lovely letter and I was so pleased to receive it. Class 5G from Bigyn school had come along to the chapel as part of their art studies. With sketchpads in hand and pencils at the ready in no time at all they were busily sketching away. Well behaved, polite and appreciative it was good to have welcomed them. The letter arrived the following day. They thanked me for allowing them to come and that was nice. The letter went on to mention the things that had really caught their attention. The Cross, the colourful organ pipes, the patterned ceiling under the gallery. Some had liked the stained glass windows, the pulpit and the lectern, while others had been fascinated by the memorial stones of ministers long passed on. Before too long it made me realise that even though I see these again and again I had never appreciated them, as did these young artists. Realising my lack of appreciation I had a good look at the organ pipes, and yes they are quite attractive, and the ‘thistle’ pattern under the gallery that was rather unusual for a chapel built by the Welsh Baptists for the influx of English people in the industrious days of the late 1850’s. Could it have been that a Scotsman had been one of the builders and had left his mark ? I wonder ! I spent some time looking at the stained leaded glass and realised that it was rather beautiful. These youngsters saw in one hour what I had just observed for all my years at Greenfield.

Rev David Jones

Greenfield Baptist Church, Llanelli  Newsletter  -  Sunday 5th May, 2002.

Young Artists

Form 5G at Bigyn visited the chapel last week as part of their art work. It was good to receive a letter of thanks from the form, which read:
“We would like to thank you for letting the class visit your chapel to do our art work. The chapel had very interesting things in it. I think all of the class liked the cross, the pipes of the organ and the patterns on the ceiling underneath the gallery. We also liked the memorial stones on the wall and we also liked the pulpit and the lectern and the drop, which had the letters on. We got a lot of detail and good drawings from the chapel. We all enjoyed the visit to the chapel. Thank you, Form 5G Bigyn.” A big thank you to Bigyn School for such a nice letter.

Getting taught a lesson: Llanelli Town mayor, Coun Edward Skinner.

Llanelli Town Mayor, Coun Edward Skinner recently returned to Bigyn Primary School to present  mugs, commemorating the Queen's Golden Jubilee to the pupils.
It was a case of back to school once again for Coun Skinner, as he was a former pupil at the old Bigyn School, sharing the same class as Gareth Jenkins, the Scarlets Director of Rugby.
Coun Skinner was pleased to witness the work the school was doing with its European partner schools.
The school currently works closely with schools in Italy, Portugal and Germany.
Coun Skinner stated that he was very much in favour of these links, and would like to further develop and extend the twinning links that Llanelli Town Council currently have.

Bigyn primary school has been given a refreshing new look by the mum of two pupils. 
Nicola Eedy has painted murals on the school’s nursery, reception and main hall.
Primarily paintings familiar children’s characters, she has voluntarily been working a couple of afternoons a week to brighten up the building.
"It all started as a hobby", said Nicola. “I love watching TV shows like Changing Rooms and I enjoy painting and colouring.
“I decided to decorate my children’s bedrooms with themes - and  I’ve been updating them ever since.”
Whilst nine year old  Sean’s room has a Harry Potter theme and five year old son Jordan has a dinosaur theme, the school walls were an altogether different challenge.
“I approached the school because I had some spare time and I thought that painting some murals would give me and the children some enjoyment,” said Nicola.
“The headmaster gives me an idea of what he would like painted and I do the rest.
“I’m not really sure where my inspiration comes from.
“My children are very proud that their mum is painting in their school, and I am very proud of my work.
“My Bob the Builder painting is one of my favourites, and I am pleased with Peter Pan too, that was the first I did.”
Headmaster Leighton Rees is delighted with Nicola’s brushwork.
He said, “She is a supportive and talented parent and, as a school, it is important to use our parents talents for the benefit of our children.”
Mair Watts, the school’s co-ordinator, agreed that the new look school walls were of benefit to the pupils.
She said, “The walls were blank before Mrs Eedy began her work.
“Now they are far more attractive and interesting. They are more exciting, more friendly and they create an enjoyable atmosphere.
“The children are pleased with it and started asking questions.
“The school has links with schools in Italy and Portugal.
“Mrs Eedy has painted displays in the school hall which will help the children learn about these countries.”
 Nicola has also painted for St Paul’s Family Centre.
She said, “ I enjoy painting and have always got a paintbrush in my hand."

Jugglers’ magic message so vital

School children from Llanelli have been learning about road safety though the medium of magic and entertainment.
Pupils of Bigyn School meet local juggling theatre company Jugglestruck.
The performers have been visiting schools throughout the area to perform two shows written with the help of Carmarthenshire Council road safety officers.
One show is aimed at the juniors, the other at infants.
The show use magic, puppets, juggling, balloon modelling and humour to promote road safety. Topics discussed including the Green Cross Code, cycle helmets and the danger of playing games close to busy roads.
Performers Lucy and Luke Jugglestruck have been professional entertainers for over ten years. Their road safety help teach children in a fun and memorable way, the simple message of looking, listening and holding hands while crossing the road.