Croeso to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Earth Day- Monday 22nd April- Link to Pope Francis' prayer for our earth (Cafod)
Shared Family Mass- Reception and Year 4
On Thursday 25th April, Dosbarth Parotiaid, Dosbarth Pengwiniaid and Blwyddyn 4 joined together in the cathedral with their families and Fr Nicholas and Deacon Michael celebrated Mass. All children participated well and behaved beautifully, especially our youngest children! We were particularly proud of the way that the Year 4 children supported the younger children during Mass and walking to and from the cathedral. One little Reception pupil commented how she'd even made new friends! How lovely!
A big thank you to all parents and family members for attending Mass- your support is greatly appreciated.
Keeping our Children safe
During assembly today, I reminded the children about our 'Lockdown/ Emergency Sheltering' procedures ( both full & partial lockdown) in the event of an emergency situation taking place on the school site. So as not to unduly frighten any of the children, I explained if a nasty dog got onto the school yard, for example, we would need to have a quick and easy way to get everyone into a safe place. As you may be aware, the governors installed a specific 'lockdown' alarm to initiate the procedure and each class has a designated safe space to remain until they are given the secret code to come out.
Next week, we will be having a 'lockdown/ emergency sheltering' practice and going forwards, we will continue to have a lockdown/ emergency sheltering practice each half-term alongside the usual fire evacuation practice. Parents will be informed via Seesaw that this has taken place.
In the unlikely event of a real lockdown/ emergency sheltering situation, school would need to follow advice and guidance from relevant bodies such as the local authority, police or emergency services and parents would be informed via the usual channels- i.e. Seesaw & email. If parents have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to ask in school.
St Mary's Family Spring Clean Up Day- Saturday 27th April
Spring is here! Another clean up day is needed!
Please do join us on Saturday between 10am and 1pm- we are looking forward to tidying up the school grounds and getting together as a school family. Hope to see lots of you there!
Carnival of Words Competition
Our winners Zi Ying, Kourtney & Amelia K attended Wrexham library on Saturday for the Carnival of Words poetry competition presentation. The children were presented with some wonderful prizes by John Isherwood from Erddig Rotary Club. Once again, we are grateful for the support for our school.
Year 5 Wow Day
Tae Kwondo Fun
Diolch to Ady Jones Taekwondo for providing free taster sessions to all classes this week. Everyone had a great time! Diolch to Miss Edwards for organising this for us all.
School Photographs
On Wednesday 1st May, Tempest Photography will be coming to school to take class photographs of NURSERY, RECEPTION & YEAR 6 CLASSES ONLY.
This year, we will also be having a WHOLE SCHOOL photograph on the yard. We haven't had one of these photos for a number of years so it will be a good opportunity to have it taken in Mr O'Toole's final year of teaching too. The whole school photograph will be taken on 19th June. Diolch
Calling all St Mary's Family- present and past...
Can you help us?
After Easter, our whole school topic is 'A twist in time' and we are going to be delving back into our school history books to find our more about the history of our wonderful school here in Wrecsam. If you or any members of your family or friends attended St Mary's or if you know of any past teachers or staff members, please share this information with them. We have shared the link via our social media platforms @stmaryswxm. We look forward to sharing our learning with you all. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Please click on the link to add your memories. Please see our school social media accounts to share. Diolch.
The day has arrived...MONDAY 29th APRIL
The Friends of St Mary's present for us...
Put your dancing shoes on, don your favourite dance gear or wear your PE kit to school on Monday! We are looking forward to a day of dancing to raise money to buy new school class resources. Please do not forget to make your donation on-line. Diolch to Mrs Astbury for organising a super timetable for us all! I can't wait!!
The Friends have made it easy for everyone to gather sponsors by setting up a JUSTGIVING fundraising page. This saves paper and saves time- just share the link below and gather as many sponsors as you can! Diolch o galon.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO SPONSOR OUR CHILDREN AND DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL! LINK
KS 2 Athletics Club
Every Thursday until 4.30 pm finish- Mrs Worsnip & Mr O'Toole to share information via Seesaw.
Criw Cymraeg on duty!
Next Tuesday, our Year 5 and 6 Criw Cymraeg members will be undertaking a very important role. Alongside Mrs Astbury and I, the children will be conducting a learning walk in all classes to evaluate how we are all doing to improve the standard of Welsh in our school. Improving our use of Welsh in and beyond the classroom is one of our school development plan priorities so we have all been working very hard to develop our confidence in this area and wish to achieve the Bronze Siarter Iaith award. We will let you know how we get on next week. Pob lwb pawb!
Why not join Brownies!
Year 4 pupils Martha and Niamh would like to promote joining Brownies to all our families, in particular Bishop's Own Brownies. please see below:-
Attendance Matters
Please note school starts 08:55 and finishes at 15:15.
Please remember, 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.
Joint Foundation Phase winners this week are:- Pengwiniaid and Robin Goch with 97.6%
Dosbarth Palodau-92.3% Dosbarth Parotiaid-91.2% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-97.6%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 97.6%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-93.8%. Dosbarth Dryw- 94.3%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Gwenfro with 98.8%
Dosbarth Clywedog-91.7% , Dosbarth Conwy-91%, Dosbarth Alyn-95.6%, Dosbarth Dyfi-93.6%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-98.8%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-97.1%, Dosbarth Gwaun-92.1%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 94.4%- an increase this week! GREAT JOB!
Please help us achieve our target next week!!
Patrwm Yr Wythnos
The Criw Cymraeg’s ‘Patrwm yr Wythnos’ (Phrase of the week) this week is: Dwi'n ffrind i ti- I'm your friend
Class Assemblies 2023-24
Today's wonderful assembly was led by Dosbarth Robin Goch. The children retold the story of Jack and the Beanstalk in Pie Corbett style with such enthusiasm and confidence - they were amazing! They linked the story beautifully to their REVE work on the Road to Emmaus. Da iawn pawb. A special diolch to Miss Davies for coming in on her day off to support the children this morning. Parents are going to love it this afternoon! We can't wait for you to watch.
Please see the list of class assembly dates for the school year ahead below:-
Early Years-Alfie won a trophy at football and Isabella is having a sleepover at her cousins. Michael won a medal for tennis, Loura went to Bala lake with her friends, Noah enjoyed going on the bouncy castle at Nelly's party and his nany & grandad are going to Florida to see Mickey Mouse.
Years 1 and 2-Nikola is getting her ears pierced, Elena has started swimming lessons, Kharis is going to have a 'yes' day with her mum and sister, Nazif got a medal from football for tackling, Nicholas walked to the top of Snowdon, Eulla is excited to go to the Philippines and Szymon is having a new cousin soon. Matthew won a medal for winning 8 tennis games, Blossom passed Level 2 in swimming, Tommy went to the launch of his auntie's book called ' Disabling Ableism' and Hunter got a medal for winning a football match.
Years 3 and 4-Arthur is getting a pet chicken, Madison has a dancing competition this week, Scarlett is now in Wave 5 and Andy rode on a camel in Tunisia on holiday. Thea's gymnastics group came 1st, Noah got man of the match in rugby, Grace & Martha went to the Crocky trail with Cubs, Charlie got a VR headset, Isabella has a dance competition again, Rozalia came 3rd in a fencing competition and Pati won a trophy for dance.
Year 5-Mark has passed Wave 7
Year 6-Sophia had a netball session with a professional player and Alicja's cousin from Poland is visiting on Friday
Past pupil news- Amelia W and Bethan B who have represented Wrexham School Girls' football team have reached the final in the Cup. Da iawn girls! we are very proud of you both and wish you all the best! Pob lwc!
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