Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Welcome Back to School-Croeso yn ol!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Our Lady's birthday- 8th September
It has been lovely to welcome everyone back to school after the summer break and we are all enjoying settling back into school life with our friends. A special word of welcome to any new children who have joined our school family- croeso mawr!
Thank you so much for your commitment to uphold our very high standards and expectations for presentation; uniform, hairstyles, jewellery etc. Your continued support and cooperation is very much appreciated. (Please see information from the school prospectus regarding acceptable hairstyles and wearing jewellery)
Please note- shaven heads, extreme haircuts, tramlines etc are NOT permitted.
Reminder regarding P.E. Kits
Children should wear full school P.E. kit to school on their P.E. day. Our school P.E. kit consists of a school burgundy t-shirt, blue P.E. shorts, black P.E. pumps/ trainers. In the colder weather, children may wear dark coloured jogging bottoms or leggings. Cycling shorts, very short fitted shorts or coloured/ patterned shorts are not school P.E. kit.
Data and Parental Consent Booklets
Once again, we have refined our processes for capturing important data and consent information on all children. This year, 3 on-line Google forms will be sent via Seesaw to each child's class account. i.e.- 1) Contact Details 2) Medical Information 3) Digital consent. It is very important that each form is completed in full for each child. This important information is held on our school central data collection and registration system.
It is vital that school has the correct information on every child. This is especially important if we need to contact parents in an emergency situation. Please ensure that you contact school if any contact/ consent/ medical details change during the year. Thank you for your support and understanding.
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Safeguarding of all children
Teachers and school staff are responsible for 'handing over' children to parents/ carers or other pre- advised adults/ older siblings. It is vital that parents inform the school office, if a different person is collecting your child at the end of the school day.
Staff will not 'hand over' a child to another adult if school has not been informed. This is to ensure that all children are safeguarded in our care. Many thanks for your support and understanding.
Please note:-Seesaw App
Attendance Matters
Please note school starts 08:55 and finishes at 15:15.
St Mary's Attendance Race 2024-25
Once again, our attendance race is on! Each week during our whole school assembly, the weekly attendance figures for each class will be announced and displayed on the attendance race display in the school hall and reported in the weekly newsletter (from next Friday). The classes in Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 with the highest overall weekly attendance will be awarded the prestigious attendance trophy or shield to keep for the week.
At the end of the school year, the winning class will have the opportunity to go to the cinema/ receive a treat for a well-deserved reward! In addition, on an individual basis, ALL children with consistent 100% attendance for the year will receive a special attendance badge.
As I explained to the children in assembly this week, 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.
First Holy Communion Classes 2024-25
If you wish for your child to make their First Holy Communion next summer, please contact the parish catechists in your own church. First Holy Communion preparation is provided in individual parishes and not in schools. (Year 3 children upwards.)
Parents of children who are members of St Mary’s Cathedral Parish need to contact the parish secretary on secretarywrexhamcathedral@rcdwxm.org.uk by the end of September please. Parents of children who are members of Llay/ Rossett Parishes, should email Oonagh Thompson on o.thompson58@btinternet.com by the 15th September. Please provide Name of child, Date of Birth, Date & place of Baptism, name of school, Year of attendance and parents' contact details. Any questions, please ask.
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)
Being mindful of this, we ask that parents/ carers do not arrange to contact the office or pick up your child/ren between these times, as we are unable to guarantee that anyone will be available to attend to the gate. Should there be an emergency and you are unable to contact the office via telephone, please contact your child’s teacher via Seesaw.
Whilst we recognise that this may be inconvenient, we really do not have any other option at this time and ask for your patience, kindness and understanding.
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: Croeso/ Welcome
See VIDEO LINK
Nursery & Reception- The Penguins and Parrots have settled well and made new friends.
Years 1 & 2- Enzo went to Portugal, Reid went to Kefalonia, Zayden went to Spain and Zofia's mum passed her driving test. Nelly and her dad had fun at the Crocky Trail, Mia is going to the playground, Freya is going to the zoo with baby Alfie, Nancy is going to a waterpark, Lena's friend is coming to play, Lennon is going for a sleepover at his Nanna's, Alice has been camping and Lucja has been to Sasha's house. Eliott has ben to Hot Wheels Land and Gulliver's World, Hunter has been on holiday to Crete, Lily M is excited tostart gymnastics, Daniel went to Blackpool and Lily Rose had a lovely time in London.
Years 3 & 4- Saoirse had a dance award ceremony in the holidays, Zuzanna went glamping, Lucia went camping, Nicolas is going to a motocross race, lily passed Wave 4, Nazif had a medal in football, Ariana went camping in Llandudno, George won 3 medals in a football camp. Franek finished his Polish exams in Poland, Scarlett became an aunty over the holiday- welcome baby Arlo! Rene passed Wave 7 in swimming, Dylan went to the Silver Swim challenge, Akain passed Wave 2, Arthur went to Portugal and Arthur's dad built a new house for his chickens called Tia and Maria. Mitchell has a new puppy, Sophie has been to Portugal over the summer, Rupert went to Greece on holiday, Thea went to Turkey on holiday, Pola went to Spain on holiday and Julian had a great time visiting family in Poland and Esmond had fun visiting Liverpool.
Year 5- Lea is going to Italy in 2 weeks, David went to Spain for a week and Jeremiah went to India for a month.
Year 6- Mark's dad has a new BMW convertible, Julia climbed Snowdon, Niamh moved up to Bronze in swimming club, Theo is in Wave 7 swimming and Isabella visited Portugal in the holidays and saw her family. Evie went to see Taylor Swift at Wembley, Sophie fell in a lake on holiday, Franek spent the summer in Poland, Ella went to Germany and drove to Italy and Switzerland, Matilda went camping, Henri has been to turkey and Tenby, Adam S went to Glasgow, Alexandra went to a christening in Portugal, Nathan has been to Tenerife and turkey, Jian went to Zip World and Molly went to Cyprus.
Please email / Seesaw with any special good news or remind your child to tell their class teacher so that all good news can be shared on 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)