Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
This morning we held our annual Harvest Festival in the school hall. We were once again overwhelmed by the generosity of our school family and thank you all most sincerely for the wonderful harvest donations. We all had a wonderful celebration, sharing songs and offering our prayers of thanks to God for the harvest. We look forward to sharing the fruits of our harvest with those in need within our school community and beyond. If you or anyone you know would like to receive a harvest gift, please email the school office. All requests will be dealt with confidentially. Diolch o galon.
Thank you to all parents, carers and children who attended this week's online parents' evenings. It was a very beneficial opportunity for everyone to catch up and discuss the children's progress to date. As always, if you have any questions or queries, we invite you to contact school straight away and we will always do our best to provide support or advice as required. Diolch o galon.
Years 1 and 2 Manchester Airport Trip- Weds 10th October
What a fantastic trip to Manchester Runway Visitor centre on Wednesday! We all had a great time watching the planes take off and land on the runway, we were wowed by the sight and information shared about Concorde and had fun dressing up as pilots, cabin crew and fire fighters. As always, the children behaved impeccably and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences offered. A huge DIOLCH to all parent helpers and to all the staff for arranging such a worthwhile learning experience for our year 1 and 2 children. Da iawn pawb.
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
A huge DIOLCH to Miss Davies for organising a wonderful well-being day yesterday. The day started with a wonderful assembly led by Miss Davies and followed with a collection of engaging and exciting activities to support our well-being, including a super 'Make a Scarecrow' class competition! The winning class was announced today after our Harvest festival. Please see below.
Well-being day-Scarecrow competition winners
LOOK AT ALL THE WONDERFUL SCARECROWS MADE BY EACH CLASS AS PART OF THE WELL-BEING CHALLENGE SET BY MISS DAVIES.
The winning class scarecrow chosen by the Messengers of Christ is:- Dosbarth Gwaun's scarecrow called MRS ACTON! The scarecrow has a lovely floral dress, red nails and beautiful high heels! Not sure about the 'just got our of bed' hairstyle but... well done to everyone. A great job and lots of fun!
Friends of St Mary's (Parent Teacher Association Committee -PTA) Annual General Meeting- Monday 14th October 15:30 in school
Everyone is welcome- parents, grandparents, carers and friends of the school
Come along to help us review last year's events and hear about the funds we raised. Share your ideas on how we can come together to fundraise and bring our community together this year. We would love to hear your ideas and work with you to support our school!
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ECO Request to all families
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 a fantastic- 96.7%
Dosbarth Palodau- 90.5% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 92.7%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-96.7%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 95.2% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 87% Dosbarth Dryw-94.4%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Dyfrdwy with 99 %
Dosbarth Clywedog-96.1% Dosbarth Conwy- 94.3% Dosbarth Alyn-90.3% Dosbarth Gwenfro-98.4% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 99% Dosbarth Gwaun- 95.6%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE - 94.5% - a dip on last week!
Forthcoming events and dates for your diary
Friends' AGM- Monday 14th October at 15:30.
Book Look- joined by Dafydd Rhys from GwE Wednesday 16th October
Gwaun Assembly- Friday 18th October
Year 5 & 6 Xplore Workshop- Wednesday 23rd October
School Discos- Autumn themed fancy dress- Thursday 24th October 4:30-5:30 (FP) 5:45-7pm (KS2)
End of Term Thursday 24th October.- Welsh colours Eisteddfod fundraiser- £1 per child please
INSET DAY/ Staff training day - Friday 25th October
Class Assemblies 2024-25
Please see a list of the class assembly dates for the year ahead below. As you are aware, parents, carers and family members are warmly invited to watch their child's class assembly in the afternoon from approximately 14:15. Teachers will provide information about exact times via Seesaw.
Our first class assembly of this school year will take place on Friday 18th October- Dosbarth Gwaun- Year 6..
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 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: Croeso/ Welcome
See VIDEO LINK
Nursery & Reception-
Years 1 & 2-Fiadh is going to Ireland for her dad's birthday, Hunter has been to a birthday party with his cousin and Nikola has been to Majorca. Lily is going to Joana's house next weekend and Antoni is going on holiday. Neave celebrated her birthday last Saturday. She went to Flipout and Anaisha is going to see her sister.
Years 3 &4- Flo competed in a dance competition and came 3rd, Dylan had his first swimming session for Wxm Swimming club. Artur and Tony have passed Wave 5, Good Luck to Thea who is competing in a gymnastics competition on Saturday, Arthur has been learning to ride his bike and Vanessa's gran has a new dog. Madison is participating in a Morris dancing championship this weekend, Saoirse is going to Ireland for her Daddy's birthday, Melvin D is starting swimming lessons, Zuzanna, Liliana, Emilia, Kordian and Gabriel have started Holy Communion classes, David, Nazif, Leon and Nicolas passed taekwondo grading, Lauren is going to Blackpool, It's Veronica's mum's birthday and George is getting internet in his new house. Maya was awarded the Key of Knowledge in her Bulgarian class for being a fantastic reader.
Year 5 & 6- Gracjan is having an early birthday party on Sunday, it's Daniels' dog's birthday, Isabella has a dance competition and Bartosz is going to Turkey. Peter is joining a boxing club and Fabian went to the Wxm match and Paul's cousins are coming to stay. Olivia has a medal for judo.
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)