Croeso to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Lent 2024
Wishing you all a very happy and Holy Easter with your families.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Diolch to Fr Jaspher and Fr John for providing the opportunity for our children to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week. This is a wonderful way for us all to say sorry for our wrong-doings and grow closer to God during Lent. The children were very sensible, reverend and respectful - da iawn pawb.
Stations of the Cross
On Thursday 21st March, we all prayed the Stations of the Cross together as a whole school community in the hall. It was a very beautiful and moving opportunity to walk beside Jesus on his way up Calvary. The atmosphere in the hall was incredible. Da iawn pawb.
Calling all St Mary's Family- present and past...
Can you help us?
After Easter, our whole school topic is 'A twist in time' and we are going to be delving back into our school history books to find our more about the history of our wonderful school here in Wrecsam. If you or any members of your family or friends attended St Mary's or if you know of any past teachers or staff members, please share this information with them. We have shared the link via our social media platforms @stmaryswxm. We look forward to sharing our learning with you all. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Please click on the link to add your memories. Please see our school social media accounts to share. Diolch.
Friends' Easter Bingo
Diolch o galon to Mrs Astbury and all the Friends and staff of St Mary's for planning, organising and running the bingo night last night. It was a great success and so lovely to see so many families having such fun together! Thanks for all the generous donations making for some 'egg-cellent' prizes! We will let you know how much we raised after Easter.
The Masked Reader 2024
Click on the link to watch the BIG REVEAL!
Take it off! Take it off!
Answer sheet...
Thank you to all participants- hope you had fun guessing who was behind the masks!
The Winners are:-
Joint 1st- Eleanor James, Neave D & Alfie D- 14/14, 2nd- Sophie Jenkins- 12/14, 3rd Julia D- 11/14, 4th Fiadh & Saorise -10/14, 5th- Julia M, Seth , Amelia M- 9/14, 6th Niamh- 8/14 Joint 7th- Pati & Isabella Gr 7/14 Runners up- Lucja N, Yemi, Jiya, Harri & Alfie
Half term-COMPETITION TIME FOR KS 2 CHILDREN
World Down Syndrome Day- Rock Your Socks
We all wore odd socks on Thursday 21st March to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day with us! Diolch to everyone for buying a gingerbread sock to support the wonderful work of FrienDS support group in Wrexham.
WG Workplace recycling Law- 6th April 2024
Please see below the information shared with all staff and children this week regarding the new recycling law in Wales - effective from 6th April. As a school, we must ensure that all children, staff and visitors to our site, follow the law and dispose of all recyclable waste in the correct bins. Diolch
COMING SOON...
The Friends of St Mary's present for us...
Easter Holidays - School Closes on Friday 22nd March and reopens to children on Tuesday 9th April. (Mon 8th April is a staff training day)
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:- Parotiaid with 92.8%
Dosbarth Palodau-92.3% Dosbarth Parotiaid-92.8% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-91.6%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 90.8%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-91.9%. Dosbarth Dryw- 91.4%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Dyfrdwy with 99.3%
Dosbarth Clywedog-94% , Dosbarth Conwy-97.1%, Dosbarth Alyn-92.8%, Dosbarth Dyfi-93.6%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-93.6%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-99.3%, Dosbarth Gwaun-92.9%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 93.5%- another slight dip again this week!
Please help us achieve our target next week!!
Early Years-Lucja and Ines are excited to go to Noah's birthday party, Jacob is going bowling with dad, Nathan is going to the beach with his family and Nelly is going to the fair with her dad. Luka went camping in his new camper van, Ashani has gone to Spain to see her brothers, Max is moving house, Isabella is going to Butlins, Sam went with his family on a snake slide for Mother's day, Zayden went to a forest, saw owls and created a crocodile. He is also going on holiday this weekend. Harri went to the arcade by the beach. George S is going to London and Budapest! Nancie Mae has been given a star award from netball for strong passing!
Years 1 and 2- Matthew won a tennis match and has a lovely gold medal, Elliot went to see Tom Walker in town and Blossom went to see the new baby giraffe at the zoo. Joanna B's grandma is coming to visit, Neave won a certificate in gymnastics, Jiyanna is moving house, Katlyn has a new Stitch bed cover, Elena is going to France for Easter. Bobby had lots of fun making an Easter bonnet, Amelia W passed Wave 4 and Finn passed Wave 3. Finn's dad is coming back from Scotland on Friday and he's very excited!
Years 3 and 4- Benj, Rene and Dylan have been on cub sleepover, Vanessa M won 2 trophies in a gym competition, Vanessa K passed Wave 6, Andy got 3 medals for Futsal, Flo has been to Presthaven and Scarlett is joining Brownies after Easter. Aiden has new shoes, Isabella has a dance competition this weekend, Niamh got lots of PBs at her swimming gala last weekend, Julia M organised a surprise Escape room for her sister and friends, Rosalia has a fencing competition in Poland, Noah is going to Leicester for a rugby tournament, Pati has a dance competition in Deeside, Emilia is going to Florida on Sunday and Gabriel is going to Poland. Saorise is going on holiday over Easter, Alfie-Jay is going shark- diving over Easter and Arthur is moving house. Tony has a pet turtle
Year 5- Year 5s are having a 'fab' time in Glan Llyn! Sophia's cat is having kittens, Ella is getting a silver Labrador puppy who will be called Boston, Alexandra's mum is getting a new car, Ivy joined Ella nd Sophia's dance club, Sophia's aunty is coming for Easter, Gracjan went to see bodybuilders in Birmingham and Iris has moved to Wave 4.
Year 6- Sophia was player of the match in netball, Amelia J got invested in Scouts, Amelia, Izzy S, Sophia and Evelyn visited RAF Cosford with Scouts at the weekend and Zofia has her Taekwondo grading for her green stripe belt on Sunday and is going to Poland for Easter. Evie is also going to Portugal for Easter and Anna is going to Germany. Matthew is going to Cormwall over Easter and Eni went to Chester Zoo.
Bog diolch to Eleanor James and her dad for making the Parotiaid and Pengwiniaid some fantastic blocks for their loose parts area. The children LOVE them- diolch!
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