Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Advent- Week 2- PEACE/ Heddwch
Christmas Concerts 2023
This week our Early Years and Year 1 & 2 classes performed their concerts before for an audience of their parents and family members. We were so proud of everyone- they were amazing! It was so wonderful to see how the children have all grown in confidence since their starting points and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of staff for all the hard work in preparing the children and giving them the confidence to shine so brightly on the stage! Diolch o galon! I'm sure you all enjoyed the shows!
Key Stage 2 Concerts next week
Please purchase any remaining tickets on ParentPay. There are still some available
Polite Request regarding Babies and Small Children at Christmas Concerts
Wherever possible, we ask that you do not bring babies and pre-school children to the Christmas concerts. There are at least 2 concerts for each year group to support families to make childcare arrangements, where possible. The staff work so hard to prepare the children for the concerts enabling them to feel confident enough to perform in front of an audience. Any background noise can be very distracting for the children, and it would be a such a shame for any parent to miss their own child's speaking part. Thank you for your understanding. Please see Mrs Acton if you have any questions or queries. Diolch.
Erddig Rotary Club- St Mary’s Year 5 & 6 Concert evening- Monday 11th December- 6pm in Ty Pawb
Year 5 and 6 children are performing their Christmas concert in Ty Pawb theatre on Monday 11th December at 6pm. The Rotary Club are selling tickets at a cost of £5 each and all proceeds will be generously given to St Mary’s. This will include a glass of festive mulled wine and a mince pie. Tickets are on sale on ParentPay on a first come, first served basis. There are still a few available.
Dates for your Christmas Calendar
Friends' Festive Film Night
A big thank you to our Friends for organising another very successful Festive Film night. The children all had a lovely time watching their Christmas films with their friends. Diolch pawb.
Free Colouring/ Art Competition
Christmas Dinner- Thursday 14th December
Children may come to school dressed in their Christmas jumper/ festive clothing, Christmas hats/ boppers (no charge) Please ensure that you have pre-booked your child's Christmas dinner, as usual. Diolch yn fawr.
St Mary's Christmas Jumper Day- in aid of Nightingale House Hospice
Once again, we will be holding our own Christmas jumper day to support the amazing work of Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham. Please pay £1 at the gates in the morning. Diolch
Friday School Council Tuck shop is back!
All items are 50p each
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:- Tulluanod with 96.5%
Dosbarth Palodau-94.6% Dosbarth Parotiaid-84.9% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-82.4%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 88.5%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-96.5%. Dosbarth Dryw- 94.8%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Gwenfro with 97.6%
Dosbarth Clywedog-91.3% , Dosbarth Conwy-96.1%, Dosbarth Alyn-97.5%, Dosbarth Dyfi-90.8%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-97.6%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-81.8%, Dosbarth Gwaun-86.3%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 91.1% (Lots more poorly children this week! Hope everyone is better soon!)
Please help us achieve our target next week!!
Free School Meals- Are you eligible?
May I remind all families who are eligible for free school meals to make an application via the link ‘Free school meals | Wrexham County Borough Council. This will not only provide your child with a daily free meal in school but will also allow parents the opportunity to apply for a Pupil Development Grant (PDG) | Wrexham County Borough Council to help with the cost of uniforms, resources, equipment and devices etc. By making your application, school will also receive the correct amount of funding from Welsh Government.
Please note:-
Your child is eligible to receive free school meals if you or your child receive the following...
• Income Support (IS)*
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)*
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance (IR)
• Child Tax Credit - providing you’re not entitled to Working Tax Credit with an annual total income below the HMRC set limit
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you are working you must be earning less than £7,400 per year (£616.67 per month) to qualify for free school meal
From September 1st, all primary aged children (Reception- Year 6) in Wrexham can have a free school meal as part of the WG universal offer. However, if you are in receipt of the above benefits, please remember to make an application via the links above as well to ensure access to the PDG and to enable school to receive the additional funding.
I urge all families to take up this wonderful universal offer. Diolch
School Dinner orders
Please ensure that school dinners are pre-ordered at home. Teachers should not be ordering meals in school, as previously advised by WCBC. Thank you
Patrwm Yr Wythnos
The Criw Cymraeg’s ‘Patrwm yr Wythnos’ (Phrase of the week) this week is: Ga i help os gwelwch yn dda? Can I help please?
See Link
Early Years- Willow is going to play the part of a clown and a cat in the upcoming Pinocchio show with Delta Academy and Isabella has moved up to Wave 2.
Years 1 and 2-Georgie is going to a panto at the weekend, Evelyn will be performing in her ballet this weekend, Daniel is going to see Santa reindeer and real snow, Tiara's dad has a new job, Lily is going to see Santa on Sunday at the North Pole
Years 3 and 4-David has moved to Stage 9 in TaeKwondo and Joia won an award at a party for her Lego tower, Saoirse is performing in a show in Bitesize this week, Pola went to Flipout on Sunday and Liliana's dog has turned 1 this week. Arthur is moving house and Aditi, Sophie and Ariana have a gym competition.
Year 5-, Sophia's sister has her birthday this week, Sophie's mum had her birthday on Monday and Annabelle has joined a gymnastics club.
Year 6-Zofia is doing her Tae Kwondo grading on Sunday, Evelyn went to Chester Zoo lantern parade and Issy has her singing exams soon
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