Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Jubilee Year 2025
“For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.” Pope Francis
Wonderful News!
"Peace be with you all."
May is the Month of Mary
Shared class Mass- Reception & Year 4
Yesterday, Dosbarth Parotiaid, Pengwiniaid, Conwy and Alyn attended the cathedral for a shared class Mass in honour of Pope Francis- the Good Shepherd. It was a beautiful celebration where many of our family members and members of the parish joined us in prayer and song. Thank you to father Nicholas and Deacon Michael for their warm welcome and for making the Mass so memorable. Diolch to everyone for their wonderful participation. Da iawn pawb.
V E Day 2025- 80th Anniversary- Thursday 8th May
Yesterday, Mark, Annabelle, Gabriel and Alexandra joined me in attending the VE Day service in St Giles Church which was a very beautiful service to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE day. The service was attended by representatives of the different military units including war veterans and young cadets, representatives from the Catholic church, the Anglican church and Church in Wales, Members of the Senedd, Members of Parliament, local councillors and other dignitaries. In addition, a number of our classes; Dosbarth Tylluanod, Dosbarth Robin Goch stood proudly on the streets of the city of Wrexham as the Wrexham VE Day Parade passed by to honour and remember those who served in World War II. We all then assembled at the Cenotaph for a further service and the laying of wreaths and a 2 minutes silence. What a moving celebration and a very fitting memorial to those lost or affected by the pain of war and an opportunity for our local community to join together to work for peace and justice.
Well done to everyone for wearing Union Jack colours / Welsh flag colours today. A big thank you to the kitchen staff for helping us arrange a 'street party-style outdoor lunch' to commemorate this important day in a fun and festive way! Da iawn pawb.
Another Super Week for the Healthy Tuck Shop!
A big congratulations to everyone for another successful week at the Healthy Tuck Shop! It's fantastic to see so many children making great snack choices. Just a reminder — pupils in Years 3 to 6 are invited to join us every Tuesday for a range of delicious, healthy items priced between 50p and £1. Don’t miss out next week!
Sports Days 2025
This year, we will be holding our annual school sports day events on 13th and 15th May. All sports days will be held on Belle Vue Park except the Early Years' Sports day and Robin Goch's sports day which will be held on the Nursery playground. Unfortunately, due to site health and safety reasons, there will be NO PARKING on the school yard. In the event of bad weather, school will inform parents via email and Seesaw if the events need to be postponed. Thank you.
TUESDAY 13TH MAY- YEARS 3 & 4- CLYWEDOG, CONWY & ALYN- 10AM (RESERVE DAY- Tuesday 20th MAY 13:30 10AM) (BELLEVUE PARK)
TUESDAY 13TH MAY- YEARS 5 & 6- GWENFRO, DYFRDWY & GWAUN 13:30 (RESERVE DAY- Tuesday 20th MAY 13:30) (BELLEVUE PARK)
THURSDAY 15TH MAY- EARLY YEARS-PUFFINS, PARROTS AND PENGUINS' SPORTS DAY- 10AM (RESERVE DAY- Monday 19th MAY 10AM) (NURSERY PLAYGROUND)
THURSDAY 15TH MAY- YEARS 1 & 2- WRENS & OWLS SPORTS DAY 13:30 (RESERVE DAY- Monday 19th MAY 13:30) (BELLEVUE PARK)
ROBIN GOCH SPORTS DAY 13:00 (NURSERY & Year 1 & 2 PLAYGROUND- due to accessibility) (RESERVE DAY- Monday 19th MAY 13:30)
Welsh Government National Assessments- Years 2-6
In the coming weeks, all children in Years 2-6 across Wales will be participating in the Welsh National Assessments, which will be held online. These assessments are adaptive and intuitive, meaning they are designed to adjust to each child’s individual ability and help to provide an appropriate level of challenge in line with each child's ability.
The assessments cover three key areas: Reading, Procedural Numeracy, and Numerical Reasoning. They help us to better understand where your child is in their learning journey and celebrate the progress they’ve made so far.
Please rest assured that the Welsh Government's aim is to support your child’s growth and ensure they continue to thrive. These assessments are just one of a number of tools for our teachers to help guide future learning, but they are not meant to cause any anxiety and no undue pressure will be placed on any of our children.
A summary of the children's attainment in the assessments will be provided with their annual progress report at the end of the academic year.
If you have any questions or queries don’t hesitate to get in touch. Thank you for your continued support!
Criw Cymraeg- Non- negotiables
We are progressing well towards achieving the next level of the Cymraeg Campus award. However, in order to help us further, the Criw Cymraeg are setting some 'NON NEGOTIABLE' language patterns to use instead of speaking in English. The NON- NEGOTIABLE this week is:-
Wedi gorffen- I'm finished
Parents can also help our efforts at school by using these patterns at home, by the school gate and with your friends and families. Diolch for your continued support!
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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 Palodau with 97.1%
Dosbarth Palodau- 97.1% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 95.8%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-91.3%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 93.5% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 88.9% Dosbarth Dryw-94.8%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Clywedog 93%
Dosbarth Clywedog-93% Dosbarth Conwy- 90% Dosbarth Alyn-88.7% Dosbarth Gwenfro-85.9% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 90.7% Dosbarth Gwaun- 92.5%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -91.4% - taking extended holidays around half term has affected our target this week! Please do not book holidays in term time.
Forthcoming events and dates for your diary
Tuesday 13th May- Years 3 & 4 Sports Day- 10am / Years 5 & 6 Sports day 13:30 (reserve date-20th May- same times)
Thursday 15th May- Early Years' Sports Day- 10am / Years 1 & 2 Sports day 13:30 (reserve date 19th May- same times)
Thursday 22nd May -Own Clothes day and School Discos
INSET DAY- Friday 23rd May- no school for children
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)
School Dinners- please remember to pre-order meals at home each day
Nursery & Reception-
Years 1 & 2-Elliot has been to Alyn Waters. Kiki went to Manchester airport and had lots of fun watching the aeroplanes. Isabella went to Chirk castle. Lena is going to get a pet bunny. Tom is going to get a tablet. Jacob went to Alyn Waters too. Danny saw Kiki in church. Lennon is going camping. Nelly went to watch Snow White for the second time. Alice went to see the Minecraft movie. Dewi bought a magazine at the weekend. Noah went to Llangollen with his cousins Benj and Sophia.Elliott went to the Wrexham Championship. Hunter is excited to go on holiday soon.Chinua went to his cousin's house in Winsford. Zera is very excited to become a big sister., Willow passed wave 4 swimming and has also had her ears pierced. Patrycja has had a new bike, Nancie-Mae went to the fayre, Reid went to see a castle, Harri won another medal in football
Years 3 &4-William has been to the Monkey Farm. Amelia went camping on the weekend, Madison enjoyed playing in the river and climbing the mountain in Llangollen.Maya is going to join a boxing club.George went to Alton Towers and rode his third ever roller coaster, Thea is representing Wales in a gymnastics competition this weekend - Pob Luc! Akain has been working with his dad to create his own YouTube video. He also went to see Minecraft. Dylan has moved to Bronze in his swimming club - congratulations! George went to Monkey Forest with William.
Year 5 & 6-David is going to the beach with his cousin. Grace has moved up to Bronze in swimming.Daniel went crabbing and caught 14 crabs.Theo and Gabriel used an air rifle in Scouts. Jerome’s sister is celebrating her birthday this week.
Please email school/ Seesaw class teachers to share good news for 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.
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.
Credits:
Created with images by phonlamaiphoto - "Gold star trophy" • Maya Kruchancova - "cupcake with sparkler on old wooden background" • Irina Schmidt - "Adoralbe little toddler girl with rainbow and heart painted with colorful window color during pandemic coronavirus quarantine. Child painting rainbows around the world with the words Let's all be well"