Croeso to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
The Feast of St Peter & St Paul -29th June
St. Peter and St. Paul,
Please pray for us to grow in faith every day so that we can spend eternity with you and God in heaven.
Please pray in a special way for all of our priests and for our Holy Father, that they may remain close to the Lord.
Amen
Friday 5th July- Whole school Holy Communion Mass
All children who have made their communion in their parishes this year, are invited to wear their Holy Communion clothes to school on Friday 5th May. Fr Jaspher will be celebrating a very special whole school Mass for us. It is always a wonderful opportunity to mark this very important event in the children's faith journey. The children should bring a change of clothing for a little party in the afternoon.
Class organisation for September 2024- updated
This week our Year 6 children took part in transition visits to their designated high schools. The children who are going to St Joseph's took part in the annual 'rocket week' transition project and all had a great time.
On Thursday, all the children visited their new classes and met their new teachers. Everyone seemed happy and are looking forward to September already. Lots of teachers are having a change too, which is also very exciting!
Year 6 Residential to Cardiff- Friday 28th June to Monday 1st July
Today, Mr O'Toole, Mrs Gillett, Mrs Hall, Mrs Robertson/ Mrs Sinclair and I took our Year 6 classes on school journey to Cardiff. We have an action packed schedule of activities planned, including a trip to Big Pit, a visit to Cardiff castle and the Senedd, as well as a speed boat ride, bowling, swimming and a day at Barry Island beach. Fingers crossed the weather stays fine for us.. We are all very excited for a trip of a lifetime!
A big thank you to the SVP (St Vincent de Paul Society) who have supported funding for some pupils on the trip. We are very grateful for this generous support.
Teddy Bears' Picnic for new Nursery children-Tues 25th June
We had a lovely Teddy Bears' picnic in the sunshine on Tuesday. It was nice for all our new nursery children and their parents to meet each other ready for September.
Please join us for our whole school Family Picnic on the Playground on Thursday 11th July at 3.30 p.m.
Dates for your diary- seeing us to the end of the school year
New Nursery Parents' information Evening-Wednesday 10th July - 5-6pm
Friends' Summer Family Picnic- Thursday 11th July after school on the playground- see poster
Thursday 11th July- Attendance race assembly where winners will be announced!
Frday 12th July- Year 6 Leavers' Retreat in Parish Hall and takeaway pizza lunch & Annual School Reports distributed to all children
Monday 15th July- Annual Reports to parents discussion evening 3:15-5pm
Year 6 Leavers' Mass for Y6 parents and family members- Tuesday 16th July 10am in the cathedral
Year 6 Leavers' Disco & Beach Party - Weds 17th July 4:30-6:30 in school
Last day of term - Own Clothes day and Leavers' whole school assembly- Friday 19th July
Important Letter regarding office hours (issued Friday 20th June)
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 98.4%
Dosbarth Palodau-88.5% Dosbarth Parotiaid-89.2% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-98.4%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 95.8%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-97.3%. Dosbarth Dryw- 92.2%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Gwenfro with 98.3%
Dosbarth Clywedog-90% , Dosbarth Conwy-97.1%, Dosbarth Alyn-88.1%, Dosbarth Dyfi-92.8%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-98.3%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-91.8%, Dosbarth Gwaun-96.8%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 93.6%- a slight dip again sadly!
Please help us achieve our target next week!!
Early Years- Emily was awarded gymnast of the month, Loura, Akia and Olivia went to the beach, Lucja is going to play tennis with her dad, Nancy went to see Frozen in London and Owen went to Puffin Island. Zayden went to a family party, Alice's sister is going to see Paul Mc Cartney, Harri & Alfie went to the beach, Roche celebrated his sister's birthday and the rode motorbikes and Max went to the Zog production with his family. Lekshana will be leaving the Penguins' class and all her friends would like to wish her all the very best. They will miss you a lot!
Years 1 and 2-Elena is having her party on Saturday, Mia is having a new scooter, Daniel is making his promise in Beavers, Lena has a new bike, Nissi is going to the beach on Sunday. Finn went to the Bellevue park picnic, Oyintaena won a football trophy, Nazif, Nicholas, David and Oyintaena were graded in taekwondo last weekend and Matty has passed Wave 2. Rylie had the best time celebrating her birthday on the weekend and Hanna is going kick-boxing. Sahasra is leaving the Robins' class and her friends will miss her!
Years 3 and 4-Zion got his yellow belt and David, Julian and Daniel got green belts, Benj went to watch a warm up for Wimbledon in Birmingham, Dylan has been fishing for the first time and Olivia's mum is getting married on Saturday. Pati has a gym competition, Noah's dad has a new BMW, Lois was awarded a Brownies' Broze award and Alyn are all excited to find out their classes for September. Madison's dance group won a trophy, Alfie-Jay climbed Snowdon, Clara went to a picnic on Saturday, Mitchell is moving house in the summer, Leon had a grading in taekwondo and got a green belt and Sophie moved up a Wave in swimming.
Year 5-It's Sophie's show week and Joseph's first MGA competition this weekend on his new horse called Foxy. Evie's baby cousin is going to be one on Friday, Molly went to see Wicked in Liverpool, Molly, Matilda, Evie and Snoor are having a sleepover, Jian went to the Ponderosa, Sam has a new cricket bat and Anastazja, Janelle and Mollie are going to Airayanne's party.
Year 6-Zofia got a green belt in taekwondo, Serwaa has been to Chester Zoo
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