Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Feast of St Therese of Lisieux- 1st October
St Therese was born in France. She always wanted to become a nun and joined the Carmelites in Lisieux when she was 15. She was only 24 when she died. Therese helped others with small acts of kindness.
How can you act on St Therese's example and share small gifts of kindness in your home, with you family and in the wider community?
Feast of St Francis of Assisi- October 4th
On-Line Parents' Evenings- Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th October- 15:30-17:40
Please see email sent on 1/10/24 and link to on-line Teams Parents' Evening booking system. Please ensure that you have booked an appointment with your child's class teacher. (Weds 9th & Thurs 10th October)
World Cerebral Palsy day
Thank you to everyone who came in to school dressed in green today. We raised a super £242 so far for Noah's favourite charity. Da iawn pawb. If you forgot your money today, please remember to bring it in on Monday! Diolch
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
HARVEST FESTIVAL AT ST MARY'S FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER
Friends of St Mary's (Parent Teacher Association Committee -PTA) Annual General Meeting- Monday 14th October 15:30 in school
Everyone is welcome- parents, grandparents, carers and friends of the school
Come along to help us review last year's events and hear about the funds we raised. Share your ideas on how we can come together to fundraise and bring our community together this year. We would love to hear your ideas and work with you to support our school!
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ECO Request to all families
Attendance Matters
Please note school starts 08:55 and finishes at 15:15.
St Mary's Attendance Race 2024-25
Please remember that children should not worry about having to stay off school if they are poorly. Children should only attend school if they are fit and well enough to do so. Routine appointments, holidays during term-time, days off for birthdays however, are not valid reasons to stay off school.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding with this very important matter.
Foundation Phase winners this week are:-
Dosbarth Parotiaid AGAIN with a fantastic- 99.2%
Dosbarth Palodau- 86.7% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 99.2%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-98.3%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 92.6% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 97.8% Dosbarth Dryw-91.1%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Clywedog with 98.9 %
Dosbarth Clywedog-98.9% Dosbarth Conwy- 97.9% Dosbarth Alyn-92.7% Dosbarth Gwenfro-95.3% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 96% Dosbarth Gwaun- 96.6%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE - 95.7% (ALMOST THERE!)
Forthcoming events and dates for your diary
First Parent Drop in session- Monday 7th October- 9am
Years 1 and 2 Manchester Airport Trip- Weds 10th October
Parents' Evenings- ONLINE- Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th October 15:30 - 17:40
Well-being/ Mental Health Day Thursday 10th October- wear yellow
Harvest Festival - Friday 11th October - bring a harvest donation
Friends' AGM- Monday 14th October at 15:30.
Please download the school calendar or access it via the school website
LINK TO WEBSITE & INSTRUCTIONS
SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS
Please be aware that there is no cover in the school office between these hours:-
08:30-09:00 (mornings)
11:45-13:15 (lunchtimes)
15:10-15:20 (afternoons)
ATTENTION:- DROP IN FOR ALL OUR PARENTS
School Dinner orders
Please ensure that school dinners are pre-ordered at home. Teachers should not be ordering meals in school, as previously advised by WCBC. Thank you
Patrwm Yr Wythnos
The Criw Cymraeg’s ‘Patrwm yr Wythnos’ (Phrase of the week) this week is: Croeso/ Welcome
See VIDEO LINK
Nursery & Reception- Samantha went to the ice-cream farm, Emily went to gymnastics and saw Maxine
Years 1 & 2-Elliot's dad has a new house and Kharis has started swimming lessons, Dewi spent Saturday doing an Autumn scavenger hunt at Erddig and Bellevue with Nana Marie and on Sunday they made autumn decorations and brought them to school. They were lovely! Dewi also brought in some lovely roses for St Therese's feast day- how kind! Nathan has had a football medal, Mia is going swimming on Sunday, Hallie is going to Center Parcs, Jan and Elliot's teeth are wobbly, Nelly is having a playdate with Benj and Sophia, Alice is going to Flipout, Lena is going to her friend's house, Lennon is turning 6 soon, Jan is going to Mc Donald's, Isabella is going on holiday, Yemi is having a football medal soon, Lennon has a new cat called Leo and Hallie is going bowling in Chester, Oliver might have a PS5 from Santa and Freya is asking for a baby monkey from Santa! Emilia and Ines are starting swimming lessons, Abigail has lost 2 teeth and Lucja is going to tennis lessons.
Years 3 &4- It is Lily's sister's birthday on Saturday, George finally moved house and Zuzanna went to the Titanic museum. Julian and Zion are competing for their green belt, Artur is competing for his Wave 6, Dylan, Benj and Rene are having a treat evening, Cassiephea's dad is celebrating his birthday and Arthur's mum is coming home from Portugal. Nathan is starting boxing, Szymon is going to a water park, Amelia is going to Greenwood, Oyintaena has got his yellow belt and Finn passed Wave 6
Year 5 & 6-Daniel has a new cat,Grace is now an altar server, Niamh has Brownie badges and certificates, Pati won dance medals and is going to the Wxm game on Saturday, Isabella has won a dance competition, Dylan's family have adopted a new cat, Matilda has tickets to see Becky Hill, Sophia's sister's birthday on Saturday, Sophie is having a sleepover at the weekend, Molly H's brother has his first car and her cousin is turning 21, Noah's going to his cousin's birthday party and Franek went to Morrison's and saw Mr O'Toole!
Please email / Seesaw with any special good news or remind your child to tell their class teacher so that all good news can be shared on our weekly newsletter. Thank you.
Local Support for Families
At this difficult time of austerity, please see some information about local services that are available to provide support to families in need.
Please contact school if you find yourself in a difficult situation and need some help/ support to signpost you to an appropriate service. Your requests will be handled in confidence and with sensitivity. Diolch. Mrs Acton.
If you need help from our foodbank there are a few simple steps to follow. THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP IS TO GET A FOODBANK VOUCHER.
In order to provide the most appropriate help for the circumstances of your situation we work with local agencies. If they feel you are struggling to put food on the table, they will issue you with a foodbank voucher. The local agency can also provide long term support if needed to help address some of the issues behind the reasons for your crisis. Agencies we work with include: Citizens Advice, housing support officers, children’s centres, health visitors, social services and some local charities.
1. GET IN TOUCH WITH US.
If you call or email our foodbank we can talk through your situation and put you in touch with a relevant local agency.
2. ARRANGE A VISIT TO THE REFERRAL AGENCY.
They will discuss your situation and supply you with a foodbank voucher where appropriate.
If you can’t afford food, you can call 0808 2082138 (freephone) to speak to a trained and independent Citizens Advice agent (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm). Please note this number is for people who do not have enough money for food – if you are a local organisation or charity that works with people who might need the food bank, please contact us directly.
Alternatively, please call 0300 330 1178 to speak to Wrexham’s Citizen’s Advice Bureau, who will be able to issue you with a food bank voucher if necessary.
3. BRING YOUR FOODBANK VOUCHER TO YOUR NEAREST FOODBANK CENTRE.
You can find a list of our local centres and opening times here. When you arrive, we’ll welcome you with a warm drink and our trained volunteers will chat with you about your situation. We’ll also discuss any dietary needs you may have and exchange your foodbank voucher for a parcel of three days of emergency food. We’ll also help to support you in any other ways that we can. Most of our foodbank centres offer a cafe style environment and our aim is to provide non-judgemental support at the point of crisis.
If you have any further questions our FAQ’s page may help, or feel free to give us a call.
Yellow and blue (YaB group ltd) is a social enterprise non profit project. Underpinning community projects including positive pathways, food provision and social isolation beating events and activities. With a digital vision within the community - we aim to support vulnerable groups whilst creating a vibrant, supportive and uplifting experience. Creating moments, chances and smiles when people need it most.
Please get in touch by emailing:- info@yellowandblue.org
Pupil Development Grant
The Welsh Government funded Pupil Development Grant is available to help towards the costs of a child’s school uniform and equipment, for those on a low income. Any child eligible for free school meals in the year groups listed below are eligible. However, those receiving free school meals due to transitional protection arrangement would not be eligible.
Depending on the school year your child will be entering in September 2021 you could receive a grant of £125 or £200. Link
Anyone eligible for free school meals and in the following year groups will qualify for the grant: Entering reception class in primary school, Entering school years 1 to 11, In a special school, special needs resource base or pupil referral unit and are aged 4 to 15.For any looked after children of compulsory school age who are not receiving free school meals, please email uniformgrant@wrexham.gov.uk for an application form.
Welsh Courses for Parents
Are you interested in becoming a volunteer in school?
Here at St Mary’s we are very keen to involve parents, grandparents and family members in the life of the school. We are always looking for volunteers to help out a wide range of activities such as school trips and walking the children to sporting events. We are also very happy to invite volunteers to share special skills, interests or experiences to enhance the children’s opportunities or provision e.g. gardening, sewing, sharing job skills/ experiences etc.
If you would like to be involved in any volunteer work for the school, please click on the link and complete and return the forms attached.https://stmarys-wxm.co.uk/about-us/forms/volunteer-form-2/
Please note:- All volunteers will be subject to DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance. Thank you
Many thanks.
Welsh Government Announcement
Physical punishment of children is now illegal in Wales. Children have the same protection from assault as adults. This is to protect children and their rights. To find out more visit: http://gov.wales/EndPhysicalPunishment
Support the Friends of St Mary’s
to raise much needed funds for the benefit of all our children Friends of St. Mary’s School are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online. Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!
These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment.
Do it today- Sign up by clicking on the link below
Please encourage your family and friends to do the same.
Keeping everyone safe- Covid 19
Local Authority advice remains that all children and staff who are displaying symptoms of illness or testing positive on an LFT or PCR test should not come to school and continue to isolate.
In addition to the 3 classic symptoms of a cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell, we are noticing that many children who are testing positive are also displaying some of the following symptoms :- vomiting, headaches, runny nose, sore throat (symptoms similar to the common cold)