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
.
Lent 2025
Messengers of Christ- Lent Journey
FUN FIT DAY- HEALTHY TUCK SHOP PLANS- our Year 6 entrepreneurs!
"This week, the whole school took part in a fantastic Go Fit Day! Everyone dressed up in vibrant fruit colours and enjoyed a variety of fun PE exercises. Year 6 students had the opportunity to help out with the younger classes, making it a great team effort for all involved!
We’re also excited to announce the launch of our mini business - a healthy tuck shop! We’ll be offering affordable fruit and vegetables as snacks for everyone, promoting healthy eating. Thanks to the support of our non-uniform day, we raised £130 to purchase stock for the tuck shop. All profits will go back into the school to support the children’s learning." A note from Henri. Bartosz and Noah- Year 6
WHOLE SCHOOL EISTEDDFOD
Today, we all dressed as proud people of Wales and celebrated our language, culture and heritage by holding whole school eisteddfodau. We had lots of fun dancing, singing, reciting and sharing our art work and beautiful handwriting. Da iawn pawb!
Year 5 Hwyl at Glan Llyn
Da iawn to our fabulous Year 5 children for being ARDDERCHOG on the trip to Glan Llyn this week. Diolch also to Mrs Hall, Miss Edwards, Mrs Sinclair and Mrs sawyer for taking our children and volunteering their precious time. DIOLCH O GALON!
.
TRIP TO PARLIAMENT
A week next Tuesday on 25th March, a group of Year 5 and 6 children, Mrs Gillett and I, some former staff and governors will be visiting the UK Parliament in London. We had to apply for this free interactive trip and once we heard we had been successful, all interested pupils completed an application form stating why they wanted to visited the historic UK government buildings. Due to the overwhelming response, names had to be picked at random as there was very limited space on the trip- only 30 pupils!
The selected children are very fortunate to be attending this 'once in a lifetime' engaging educational experience, and will have the exciting opportunity to see where important decisions are made, learn about how laws are decided upon and hopefully , we will get the chance to meet our local Member of Parliament, Andrew Ranger. Here's to a great day out!
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY
Once again we will be celebrating World Down Syndrome day and ROCKING OUR SOCKS on Friday 21st March. Wear odd socks in support of this great day and bring a £1 to buy a biscuit to support our Friend William's favourite charity FrienDS. Diolch o galon
From William's mum:- "World Down Syndrome day is on the 21st March and this represents the third copy of chromosome 21. With the continued support of the St Mary's family, we are able to raise funds to help the local down syndrome support group. FrienDS is a local group run by Mums based in Wrexham which provides support for families of children with Down syndrome. William is one of those children, and both him and us as a family have benefited greatly from their support. They fund training events for school staff, parents and professionals on topics such as Speech and Language, Numeracy and Literacy, and Behaviour and Social Skills. They also fund parties and get-togethers throughout the year for all family members to attend. FrienDS have no income other than the money they raise themselves, and as it costs up to £350 for one half day's training course from a specialist in Down syndrome, you can see how crucial this money is. Your donation will go a long way to helping."
Parents' Evenings March 2025
Thank you to all parents for attending this week's parents' evenings. Diolch for your support!
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- NEGOTIABLES this week are:- DIOLCH (thank you) and CROESO (you're welcome) 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!
URDD DANCE COMPETITION
Huge LLONGYFARCHIADAU (congratulations) to our amazing Creative Dance group who competed in the Urdd Creative Dance competition in Mold last Friday. Sadly there were no other competitors in the competition, but the judges announced that we were worthy winners of the first place position. Da iawn pawb. We are awaiting further information about the next round which is due to take place during the May half term holiday in Port Talbot, South Wales, to see whether we are able to attend.
COMING UP SOON
.
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 Robin Goch with 99%
Dosbarth Palodau- 95% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 95%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-97%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 99% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 95% Dosbarth Dryw-95%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Dyfrdwy with 99%
Dosbarth Clywedog-95% Dosbarth Conwy- 97% Dosbarth Alyn-96% Dosbarth Gwenfro-97% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 99% Dosbarth Gwaun- 95%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -96.2% - YAY! Above our target again! Ardderchog!
Forthcoming events and dates for your diary
Rock Your Socks- World Down Syndrome day- Fri 21st March
Tues 25th March- Parliament trip- Y5/6
Fri 28th March- Robin Goch Assembly (14:30 parents to attend)
Weds 2nd April- Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
Thurs 3rd April- Easter Bingo
Friday 4th April- Spanish Fiesta day of celebration/ Gwenfro Assembly
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- George S won a trophy at football for being a fantastic goal keeper.
Years 1 & 2-Elliot went on his bike for a 25 mile ride. Nathan is going to get a new iphone soon. Nelly went to watch Disney on Ice and it was super. Freya went to a party with her brother Hugo. She also went to the zoo. Jacob went to taekwondo and played games with his Mum. Alice felt poorly and now feels better. When Lena is 9 she is going to Poland. Isabella went to the park and saw Lennon and she also went to ballet and saw Joanna B. Lennon is going camping. Yemi went by the deep river and went on his scooter. Danny went to his neighbour’s house and saw their doggy. Nancy is going to have a look at her Nanny and Grandad’s caravan. Tom’s dad bought him new shoes. Kiki is going to her swimming lesson and hoping to move to Wave 2. Hallie has started swimming lessons. Jan is going to football after school. Oliver is going to play football with his Dad. Noah went to Prestatyn beach and out his feet in the sea. Harri was captain for his football team. Olivia is starting drama and singing. Akia is starting gymnastics Enzo had a new toy Zayden has moved on to juniors in Taekwondo Ashani is going to the circus
Years 3 &4-Jack moved up to Wave 2 in swimming, Nazif had a new bike. Madison won 2nd place in Morris Dancing on Sunday. Melvin D, Melvin O and Zuzanna were happy to tell us about winning the school Urdd Dance competition in Mold.Dylan competed in a swimming gala. He finished in the top four out of five races. Da iawn! Rene received Man of the Match in football. On Saturday, George is going to Cubs for a camping sleepover. Abigail has joined Cubs. Logan’s basketball team won a tournament. On Saturday, Dylan, Julian, Rene, Tony and Szymon went to Artur’s birthday party
Year 5 & 6-Pati had a dance competition on Sunday and she came first. Isabella has a trophy for dancing. Theo went on a bike ride with Noah and found some bullets.
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.
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
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.
Keeping everyone safe- Covid 19
Local Authority advice remains that all children and staff who are displaying symptoms of illness or testing positive on an LFT or PCR test should not come to school and continue to isolate.
In addition to the 3 classic symptoms of a cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell, we are noticing that many children who are testing positive are also displaying some of the following symptoms :- vomiting, headaches, runny nose, sore throat (symptoms similar to the common cold)
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @stmaryswxm
Credits:
Created with images by oksix - "Young children adore doing physical activities at preschool" • alice_photo - "Big Ben and Westminster abbey in London, England" • 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"