Croeso to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
We have all been learning to recite the Hail Mary in Welsh. Please click on the link to pray with us LINK
Today, our Messengers of Christ led the assembly about Our Lady and led our whole school in procession to crown Mary's statue and lay flowers at her feet. Mrs Jones, Mrs Wilkinson and I were talking about this lovely annual event that we all used to look forward to when we were pupils at St Mary's. As little girls, we were all desperate to be chosen as the 'May Queen' to lead the procession and crown Mary. Alexandra (Year 5) is the lucky Messenger to have this important and very special role to revive this lovely St Mary's tradition. She did a beautiful job and it was so special to sing some traditional hymns to Mary together on the yard. Da iawn pawb. Please do stop to lay your own flowers our the feet of our statue of Mary in our prayer garden. You're very welcome to pause and pray with your child before or after school.
More sad news to share with parents and carers
Once again, I am in the very sad and unfortunate position to announce that another much- loved and respected member of our school family will be leaving us at the end of the summer term. 24 years ago, Mrs Sinclair and I joined the St Mary's family on the same day. During this considerable amount of time, Mrs Sinclair has become a firm favourite to many, many children and a highly respected teacher, colleague and friend. Mrs Sinclair will be sorely missed by us all but we wish her all the very best in the next exciting chapter of her life.
Updated Safeguarding Arrangements- Drop off and Collection Time
We have made some minor changes to the gate and entrance arrangements.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience, however we are constantly reviewing arrangements to ensure safeguarding procedures are as robust as possible.
Please see changes below:-
Year 4 ALYN- Morning arrangements- Children to come into school via the MAIN ENTRANCE rather than through the dining room door. Mrs Trawally is on duty at the main door from 08:45. After school collection point remains the same.
THE BUS GATE (via STEPS) are now CLOSED to all parents/ carers and will be used by BUS CHILDREN ONLY.
Parents/ carers dropping off or collecting children from the Early Years, Years 1, 2 and 4 who usually leave via the Bus Gate, should leave the site via the DRIVE GATE only.
Please share this information with those who drop off or collect your child.
Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding. It is always very much appreciated.
Unfortunately, due to the rain we had to postpone the FP & KS 2 Sports days on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Weather permitting the Sports days will take place next week as below:-
YEARS 5 & 6- DYFI, GWENFRO, DYFRDWY & GWAUN- Monday 20th MAY 10AM (BELLEVUE PARK) (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)
YEARS 3 & 4- CLYWEDOG, CONWY & ALYN 13:30- Monday 20th MAY 13:30 (BELLEVUE PARK) (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)
EARLY YEARS- Nursery & Reception children SPORTS DAY Tuesday 21st MAY 10 am (NURSERY PLAYGROUND)
YEARS 1 & 2- WRENS, ROBINS & OWLS SPORTS DAY - Tuesday 21st MAY-13:30 (BELLEVUE PARK)
Unfortunately, due to site health and safety reasons, there will be NO PARKING on the school yard. In the event of bad weather, school will inform parents via email and Seesaw if the events need to be postponed. Thank you.
PE Kits
Please ensure that your child wears the correct PE kit for school PE sessions/ Sports days and events. Please see above- burgundy t-shirt (does not need to have school name on) and blue sports shorts (do not need school name on). Children should also wear black PE pumps or trainers.
FRIENDS' SCHOOL DISCO NEXT WEEK!
A number of children are starting to wear fitted cycling shorts, very short fitted lycra shorts, fashion shorts and t-shirts, football shirts and converse style pumps for PE. All of these items ARE NOT school PE kit and should not be worn. Thank you for your support to maintain our very high standards of dress code. Diolch yn fawr.
Years 3 & 4 WW 2 Matchbox Challenge
Free Tennis Coaching
Mrs Sawyer (Dylan and Owen's auntie and a former teacher at St Mary's) has managed to secure free tennis coaching on Bellevue Park every Friday until the end of June. We are really grateful for this fabulous opportunity!
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:- Robin Goch with 94.2%
Dosbarth Palodau-90.4% Dosbarth Parotiaid-88% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-93%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 94.2%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-90.9%. Dosbarth Dryw- 88.8%
Joint Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Clywedog and Gwaun with an unbeatable 100%
YAY! GWAUN ARE FINALLY ON THE MOVE IN THE RACE!
Dosbarth Clywedog-100% , Dosbarth Conwy-91.1%, Dosbarth Alyn-96.1%, Dosbarth Dyfi-95%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-87.5%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-90.2%, Dosbarth Gwaun-100%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 92.2%- an increase on last week-good news!
Please help us achieve our target next week!!
Patrwm Yr Wythnos
The Criw Cymraeg’s ‘Patrwm yr Wythnos’ (Phrase of the week) this week is: Dwi'n ffrind i ti- I'm your friend
Early Years- Yemi is going to Banana Ben's Abigail is excited for her birthday party, Noah saw Hallie at the weekend, Lennon went to his football presentation and got a trophy and a medal and Jacob went to a party with his cousins. Lots of children went to the seaside and enjoyed the sunshine and Sammywon a trophy at a dance class.
Years 1 and 2- Seth has moved up to Wave 3, Matthew went to the cinema on Sunday, Hunter have moved to Wave 4, Elliott and his family had an amazing time in Alton towers last week and Maria has moved to Wave 2. Nicolas is going to Germany in half term, Szymon went camping, David had his white belt in taekwondo, Daniel is having the training wheels taken off his bike, Oyintaena has started taekwondo, Finn went to Lion Quays for his Grandma's birthday and Veronika is going to Turkey. Lucja and Jan are going on holiday, Kiki is going swimming and Kharis is competing in a gymnastics competition. Finn passed wave 4
Years 3 and 4-Ariana is starting Taekwondo, Melvin O has moved up to Wave 5, Madison has moved up to Wave 4, Julia auditioned for the Voice kids in Poland, Charlie's mum is getting a new car and Lois rode a motorbike on Saturday. Szymon went to Chester fair, Jerome has a new baby sister and David has moved to Level 10 in Taekwondo.
Year 5- It's Sophie's dad's birthday, Noah won 'Man of the Week at Futsal, Sophia, Ivy and Ella are rehearsing for their dance show for 3 hours on Friday and Diego's dad's football training starts again this week. Joseph has a new horse and Ella has a gymnastics competition on Saturday.
Year 6-Sophia is going to watch a football match at Old Trafford at the weekend.
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