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
The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple Last Sunday 2nd February
Feast of St Blaise Monday 3rd February
Saint Blaise was originally born in Sebastea. He preached Christianity in his home town and was well-known as a healer. He became famous for performing certain miracles such as helping the sick animals and people around his home town.
Saint Blaise is recognised as the patron saint of throat disease or 'The Blessing of the Throats' in the Catholic Church. Saint Blaise Day is celebrated on the 3rd of February each year by Christians globally.
Did you know? He is also the saint of wool combers and is considered as one of the 'Holy Helpers'. These helpers were called upon to help during the time of plague, in the hope they would cure those that were ill.
Saint Blaise's most famous and memorable miracle was when he healed a young boy that choked on a fishbone. The boy was placed at the Saint's feet by his mother, and he healed straight away! Crossed candles are an important part of Saint Blaise Day, they commemorate the mother of the boy who choked on the fishbone. She presented Saint Blaise with crossed candles to light his way to jail when the ruler of Sebastea ordered his arrest. The origin of the blessing of throats uses crossed candles as a symbol.
Children's Mental Health Week
This year's theme-'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself'
3rd -7th February
Our Children's Mental Health Week started with our wonderful Eco team leading an inspiring and information whole school assembly about the importance of recognising our emotions to have healthy minds and bodies. The theme of this year's Mental Health Week was 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.'
The Eco team planned a fun-filled week of games and activities to explore our emotions and to help us grow as healthy and confident individuals.
Please see the activities below:-
Monday- Meet your emotions Monday- learning about and valuing all emotions and feelings. Tuesday- Talk Tuesday - learning about the Hippocampus and sharing special memories and emotions. Wednesday- Walk Wednesday- taking a walk to enjoy the outdoors and help process our feelings and emotions; good for both the mind and body. Thursday- Feel it Thursday listening to music and playing 'Emotion Freeze' to match your our emotions. Friday- Feel Free Friday dressing in a colour to match our emotions.
Shared family Mass Thursday 13th February- Years 1, 2 and 5
On Thursday 13th February at 10am, our Year 1,2 and Year 5 classes will be attending Mass in the cathedral. Families are welcome to join us for this celebration. Please click on the link to indicate if you are able to attend. LINK TO FORM
Criw Cymraeg- 'Patrwm Yr Wythnos'- Pattern of the Week
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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 AGAIN with 98.9%
Dosbarth Palodau- 96.2% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 93.9%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-93.8%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 98.9% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 93.2% Dosbarth Dryw-95.6%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Gwenfro with 98.4%- YAY! Winners once again this week!
Dosbarth Clywedog-98% Dosbarth Conwy- 94.7% Dosbarth Alyn-96% Dosbarth Gwenfro-98.4% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 96.3% Dosbarth Gwaun- 97.8%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -96.1% Fab news- we've reached our target this week! Da iawn pawb!
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-Carlota has a new baby sister called Alicia, Anwaar has been to the dentist and got a sticker for being a good girl, Eliah went to Taekwando, Cora is going to a birthday party
Years 1 & 2-Nikola passed wave 1, Joanna went to her aunties birthday party, Chinua has passed wave 3, Lily M went to pick her brother and sister up from the airport on Saturday. Willow is going aerial hooping on Thursda, Reid is going on holiday and going to eat a lot of food, Ashani is going to Spain, Loura went cycling without any training wheels, Abigail went on a bike ride with her family. Elliot is going to the park and hire a motorbike. Nancy is going for dinner with Stanley and Joey. Alice has a wobbly tooth and has already lost 4! Dewi’s sister’s birthday is very soon. Dewi’s birthday is very soon too. Jacob went to taekwondo and went out for a meal at Nando’s. Yemi went to the skatepark with his Mum and little brother Zion. Kiki is enjoying her swimming lessons. Hallie enjoyed watching Nancy swimming.Elliot is going to a new park with his Dad. Lennon is going to race Elliot on a motorbike. Isabella enjoyed Hallie coming to her house to play. Freya’s Mum’s birthday was on Sunday. Nelly went to a trampoline park with her Dad and cousin. Danny is going to get a new Spiderman bike and Noah went to Ty Mawr at the weekend and Nancie-Mae is now on Wave 5 in swimming.
Years 3 &4-Mitchell went to Harry Potter Studios, Rene completed the Bronze Swimming Challenge, George has moved up to Wave 6 in swimming, Katlyn had her birthday party at a spa. Thea came first in a gymnastics competition, Tony’s cousins from Poland came to visit him. Dylan yr4 and Owen yr1 had a lovely weekend as Julia M and family came back from Poland for a visit. Years 3 and 4 had a very important visit from PC Ellis, who taught us about the importance of stranger danger, talking to people we can trust, and how to stay safe online. We enjoyed acting out different scenarios and discussing the correct safe behaviours. PC Ellis also shared SchoolBeat.org and Childline with us, so we know who to contact if we need help. She talked to us about identifying safe people we can approach. It was a very important message for all of us. Tiara has passed wave 4, Jaden has passed a maths test at home with mum and dad.
Year 5 & 6-Bianca is getting a kitten soon! Raissa celebrated her sister’s birthday this week - Penblwydd Hapus Sabrina! Ashley has started swimming lessons andJoia’s Mum and baby brother have come back to visit Rozalia is going to the Ballet of Shen Yen. Aimee and Mitchell went to Harry Potter World. Jian is pleased that India won the cricket series against England.
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.
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Credits:
Created with images by gabriffaldi - "presentazione di Gesù al tempio; affresco nella chiesa di San Pietro a Cembra" • 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"