Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple- Candlemas- February 2nd 2024
Almighty Father, you have given us Jesus your Son, the light of the world. May we always walk in his light and live by his truth. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen
Shared Year Group Family Mass- Y3 & Y6- 09:45 on 8/2/24
On Thursday, our Year 3 and 6 classes will be coming together to celebrate Mass in the cathedral. Family members are invited to join our service. We hope you can attend.
Please click on the link to indicate if you are able to attend. LINK
Nursery Admissions to St Mary's Catholic Primary School- Sept 2024
Last week, we held our Nursery open morning and welcomed prospective new families to our school. If parents are aware of any other families who were not able to make the open morning and would like to visit our school, please do ask them to contact the school office and we will happily arrange another opportunity to visit. Diolch.
Children's Mental Health Week-Your Voice Matters
5th-11th February
Our Eco Team and School Council are teaming up to plan some exciting Children's Mental Health week activities for us all based on this year's theme 'Our Voice Matters.' We look forward to a 'Break the Rules' day, collaborative indoor and outdoor activities, an 'Express Yourself- dress up day' and much more. Please see below.
End of Term Discos
School Council Tuck Shop Special Next Friday 9th February- Pancakes Galore!
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.
Foundation Phase winners this week are:- Pengwiniaid with 97.6%
Dosbarth Palodau-93.8% Dosbarth Parotiaid-86.5% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-97.6%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 92%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-96.9%. Dosbarth Dryw- 91.4%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Clywedog with 95%
Dosbarth Clywedog-95% , Dosbarth Conwy-88.4%, Dosbarth Alyn-94.7%, Dosbarth Dyfi-92.8%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-94%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-94.6%, Dosbarth Gwaun-83.9%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 92.4% - a reduction of 1.8% from last week
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: 'Beth wyt ti'n 'wneud?' What are you doing? 'Dwi'n...' 'I'm...'
See FIDIO link
Class Assemblies 2023-24
Today, Dosbarth Conwy led the whole school assembly based on their big question- 'Earth Our Common Home- Are they listening?' The children shared important information about the impact of climate change on our planet and in particular they talked about the damage the wonderful polar bears' habitat. The children recited a poem, danced and sung and were just amazing! Da iawn pawb and diolch yn fawr iawn. Gwasanaeth arbennig o dda!
We look forward to welcoming parents to watch the assembly in the hall at 2:30.
Next class assembly after half term- Dosbarth Dryw Friday 23rd February
Please see the list of class assembly dates for the school year ahead below:-
Early Years- Abigail is going to Banana Ben's with Willow, Noah went to the zoo, Freya has started Wave 1 swimming, Zayden & Daniel are going swimming, Isabella is going to Banana Ben's with her mum and brother, Zofia, Maria and Nancie are going to Ines' party and Marvel is having a special day out with her dad, including having ice-cream!
Years 1 and 2- Szymon went rock climbing, Dorian won 'Man of the Match', Amelia W went on a snow scooter in Poland, Tiara moved up to Wave 3, Amelia M went to the library and Nathan scored 9 goals in training! Sasha is starting swimming lessons, Joanna B is going to a dolphin show and Elena is having a sleepover at her friend's house. William is having his party on Saturday!
Years 3 and 4-Lea is off to a restaurant to celebrate her grandma's birthday, Isabella has a dance competition coming up, Jiya has moved house, Zion has got a white belt in taekwondo, Abigail has been to Disneyland Paris and David has entered a taekwondo competition. Afie -Jay has lost two teeth!
Year 5- Evie might be going on holiday to Turkey, Sam might be getting 2 cats and Mollie is going on holiday to Spain. Ella is getting a new white violin, Ivy's dog Poppy is having her birthday on Saturday and Alexandra has received her new glasses.
Year 6- Filip's sister passed her grade in Taekwondo and Sophia's team is first in the netball league.
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