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
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Rest in Peace
Pope Francis 1936-2025
We are sad to share that Pope Francis, the leader of our Catholic Church, has passed away. He was a gentle and loving shepherd who showed us how to live like Jesus—with kindness, mercy, and joy. When he became Pope in 2013, he chose the name “Francis” to follow the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who loved the poor, cared for creation, and lived a simple life close to God. Just like his namesake, Pope Francis reminded us to care for our world and for each other.
He said:
“The Earth is our common home, and we must protect it.”
Pope Francis taught us that when we care for nature—plants, animals, and people—we are caring for God’s beautiful creation.
One of Pope Francis’s greatest gifts was his love for people who are often forgotten—those who are poor, lonely, or suffering. He reminded us that every person is a child of God, saying:
"The Lord asks us to be close to those who are forgotten and suffering.”
In his final days, Pope Francis showed his deep love once again by visiting a prison. He spent time with the people there, listened to their stories, and reminded them that God’s mercy is for everyone. This was a powerful sign of his lifelong message—that no one is beyond God’s love.
He also said, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
Pope Francis helped make the world warmer and more loving through his words and actions. Even though he is now with God in Heaven, we remember him with thankful hearts. He encouraged us never to give up, saying: “Let us not lose hope! Let us never give up!”
These words are especially meaningful during this Jubilee Year of 2025, a special time for the whole Church to celebrate forgiveness, hope and new beginnings.
A Prayer for Pope Francis
Dear God,
Thank You for Pope Francis, who showed us how to love, forgive, and care for others. Thank You for his heart, which was open to everyone—especially those in need. Welcome him into Your heavenly home, where he can rest in peace and joy. Help us to follow his example each day, especially as we follow his call to be Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year. May we bring light, kindness, and mercy to the world, just as he did.
Amen.
Let us keep Pope Francis in our prayers and remember the love he shared with the world. May we continue his mission of hope, mercy, and joy.
“Love is the language of the heart.” Pope Francis
May he rest in the peace of Christ.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH A BEAUTIFUL MEMORIABLE SLIDE SHOW IN MEMORY OF POPE FRANCIS- DIOLCH
May is the Month of Mary
The month of May is specially dedicated to Mary, Jesus' mother and our Heavenly mother. During this month, we are asked to think about Mary, say special prayers to Mary, have May altars, sing hymns to Mary, have May processions with statues of Mary-all to tell Mary how much we love her – and to ask her to help us to stay close to her son Jesus and to try to live as Jesus shows us.
Crowning Mary
During this special month dedicated to Mary, our Messengers of Christ group led a beautiful service in honour of Our Lady, Mary. Together, we prayed, sang hymns, and remembered how much Mary loves and cares for us.
As part of the celebration, we held a whole school procession and gathered in our prayer garden, where Anaisha (our May Queen) lovingly crowned the statue of Mary with flowers. It was a wonderful way to show our love and devotion to the Mother of Jesus.
Thank you to all the children who helped lead the service with such reverence and joy. Da iawn pawb.
Shared class Mass- Reception & Year 4
Next Thursday 8th May, Parotiaid, Pengwiniaid, Conwy and Alyn will be having a shared Mass in the cathedral. We warmly invited families to join our celebration and hope that you are able to attend. Diolch
Please click on the Link to complete a FORM
to let us know whether you are able to attend to help us with seating arrangements
School P. E. Kit Expectations
Please ensure that your child wears the correct PE kit for school PE sessions/ Sports days and events. Please see above- burgundy t-shirt (does not need to have school badge on) and blue sports shorts (do not need school badge on). Children should also wear black P.E. pumps or trainers.
We have noticed that a number of children are starting to wear fitted cycling shorts, very short fitted lycra/ gym shorts, fashion shorts and t-shirts, football shirts and converse style pumps for PE. All of these items ARE NOT school PE kit and should not be worn. Thank you for your support to maintain our very high standards of dress code. Diolch yn fawr.
V E Day 2025- 80th Anniversary- Thursday 8th May
We are proud to be marking VE Day this year with two special events. On Thursday 8th May, representatives from our school will attend the Wrexham VE Day Parade to honour and remember those who served.
Then on Friday 9th May, the whole school will join in the celebrations by wearing Union Jack colours or Welsh flag colours. We'll also enjoy a street party-style outdoor lunch to commemorate this important day in a fun and festive way!
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)
Eco News
Fruit Tuck Shop - run by Year 6 entrepreneurs Bartosz, Henri & Noah
A huge congratulations to Bartosz, Henri, and Noah for their fantastic effort in hosting a successful healthy tuck shop today! They organised a fruit sale for the Year 5 and 6 children, demonstrating their entrepreneurial skills by managing the budget and selling delicious, healthy fruit. Their hard work and teamwork made it a brilliant and enjoyable event for everyone involved. Well done! Excitingly, they will be opening the sale to Year 3 and 4 students next week. More details to follow!
Thank You – Dragon Bags Clothing Collection Success!
A huge thank you to our amazing St Mary’s family for supporting another successful clothing collection for Dragon Bags. We’re proud to share that we collected a fantastic 65kg of textiles—all of which will be recycled and reused. This brilliant initiative was once again led by our dedicated Eco Team, whose efforts continue to inspire our whole school community to make more sustainable choices. Thank you for helping us take another meaningful step towards a greener future!
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 Pengwiniaid with 96.3%
Dosbarth Palodau- 93.3% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 90.8%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-96.3%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 87.7% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 91.1% Dosbarth Dryw-85.2%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Alyn 98.3%
Dosbarth Clywedog-89.7% Dosbarth Conwy- 94.1% Dosbarth Alyn-98.3% Dosbarth Gwenfro-92.5% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 95.7% Dosbarth Gwaun- 95.6%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -94.8% - below our target again this week but a slight increase from the previous week! Hopefully this will continue to rise for the last term!
Forthcoming events and dates for your diary
Last day of term today!
Monday 5th May- Bank Holiday- No School
Thursday 8th May- Shared Reception & Year 4 family Mass
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-Nathan has had a fresh haircut. Lennon has also had a haircut and visited his grandparents in Ireland. Nelly went to Poland and had fun at her birthday party. Danny has had a haircut and went to the garden centre to buy some fish. Oliver went to a Wrexham pub and saw all of the Wrexham players. Nancy went to Kent with her Mummy. Hallie went on holiday in the caravan and had lots of fun. Tom went to his friend’s house. Kiki went to the duck pond and fed some geese. Elliot went to Chester. Owen went to Chester Zoo with his family and saw a giant python. Freya enjoyed her brother’s birthday party. Alice went to Noah’s party and to Manchester visitor park to see the aeroplanes. Sasha, Lucja and Jan went to see some animals. Michael went on holiday to Spain and has had a haircut too. Isabella went to Butlin’s and saw the Gladiators. Yemi went to church and saw Kiki at the park. Noah enjoyed his birthday party in Ten Pin bowling. Fiadh has finished wave 6.Lily Rose went to a Victorian event. Chinua saw the Minecraft movie. Nikola went to Gran Canaria and stroked a Dolphin. Annwen has had new glasses. Zera had a sleepover at her friend's house. Hunter went to the new Airhop in Eagles Meadow. Lena is excited to go to Airhop. Ameya went to Mcdonalds. Seth went to the cinema. Harri and Luka won a medal in football for scoring lots of goals, Kuba went to Poland to see his family. Roche went to Legoland. All of the children in dosbarth Dryw had lots of adventures over the Easter holidays. Luka went to Haven Blackpool with his family
Years 3 &4-Finn went to the Lego shop in Liverpool. Sarah went to Airhop on the weekend. Rylie has a new car. Eulla went bowling over the holidays with her family. Jaden went to Chester Zoo. Dorian went to Airhop. William has been to see his Grandparents over the holidays. Franek has achieved Bronze with his swimming challenges. Kelly went to London with her family. Oyintaena had Finn round his house to play. Hania swam 400 metres in her swimming lessons. Katlyn has some new school shoes. Nazif has a new car. Veronika’s mum has opened a Greek bakery in Eagle’s Meadow. Nicolas won 2nd and 4th in motocross. Lilianna finished reading a long book. Aditi finished the whole Narnia series. Erin moved up to Wave 4.Tommy and George were at The Racecourse when Wrexham were promoted. They ran on the pitch and had shirts signed by some players. Mateusz spent a fun day at Ellesmere lake. Madison’s line won first in Morris Dancing. She also won ‘Dancer of the Day’. Rene swam 100 lengths in a swimathon and received a medal. He also received a trophy for having a super season in football. He also went to Germany. Akain went to Bodnant gardens. George went on a boat trip with his grandad. Benj climbed Moel Siabod- well done! Franek’s brother has joined St Mary’s playgroup. Dylan competed in a swimming gala. Vanessa and Julian climbed Eryri -Snowdon. Paulina went to Poland to see her family. George, Julian, Mitchell , Sophie, Szymon and Thea went to AirHop. Florence came 1st,1st, 3rd and 3rd again in her dance competition- da iawn! Artur and Tony passed Wave 6 in swimming- congratulations!
Sophie has received ‘Gymnast of the Week’ this week for improved flicks and for being able to squat on the bars- Keep up the great work!
Year 5 & 6-We have had a lot of half term fun, a lot of trips to the beach, waterfalls and plenty of visits to airhop. As well as some well needed relaxation! Joia came first in her fencing competition, Iris’ aunty got married and she was a bridesmaid, Niamh won a medal in her swimming gala. Lois and Niamh have moved up to Guides.
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"