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
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Lent 2025
Ash Wednesday Wednesday 5th March
Today, in our Ash Wednesday service, Deacon Michael commissioned some Year 6 volunteers to distribute the ashes to all children and staff in Foundation Phase and Key Stage two. It was a beautiful service
Lent is a very special time of year in the church calendar where we do our best to grow closer to God. We are reminded to make a special effort to pray more, to be kind, and to help others. Lent is 40 days long, just like Jesus spent 40 days in the desert praying and preparing for His mission.
All children are invited to bring in some spare change to put in the class CAFOD boxes to extend our support for those in need across the world. Children are encouraged to walk and pray as part of the CAFOD BIG LENT WALK- aiming to walk 20,000 steps during Lent.
We hope to hold a special LENT WALK in the coming weeks. More details to follow.
Messengers of Christ- Lent Journey
Attention!!
WORLD BOOK DAY
Today we celebrated our own World Book Day by coming to school dressed in PJs or book character costumes. We all came together to enjoy a fun story to kick start the day and had lots of fun sharing stories and book related activities.
A huge thank you to everyone who made World Book Day so special! From the amazing costumes to the inspiring book discussions and activities, it was wonderful to see our community come together to celebrate the joy of reading.
Let’s keep the reading spirit alive all year round and continue to be inspired by a wide range of books and literature!
Parents' Evenings March 2025
Please click on the LINK HERE to book an appointment
Criw Cymraeg- 'Patrwm Yr Wythnos'- Pattern of the Week
URDD DANCE COMPETITION
Tonight, at Ysgol Maes Garmon, our KS 2 dancer will be taking part in the Urdd Creative Dance competition. We wish them POB LWB and are so proud of all their hard work and preparation for this wonderful competition in such a short space of time. The children have all been ARDDERCHOG! Da iawn pawb. Special DIOLCH to Miss Edwards and Mrs Binnersley for choreographing the dance and for coaching the children. We very much appreciate all your hard work and dedication. Diolch o galon. Parents and families are welcome to come along tonight to support our dancers at Ysgol Maes Garmon, Conwy Street- Mold CH 7 1JB - the Eisteddfod starts at 16:45 .
Friends' Posts
Poster links will not work- Please see below-
Link- What is matched funding Companies offering Matched Funding
COMING UP SOON
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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 Palodau with 99%
Dosbarth Palodau- 99% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 91%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-96%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 90% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 97% Dosbarth Dryw-95%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Clywedog, Gwenfro and Gwaun with 97%
Dosbarth Clywedog-97% Dosbarth Conwy- 94% Dosbarth Alyn-95% Dosbarth Gwenfro-97% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 96% Dosbarth Gwaun- 97%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -95.2% - slightly below the target.
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-
Years 1 & 2-Kiki has been swimming and wants to move to wave 2.Lennon is going swimming too. Nancy is making pancakes this week. Sasha went to Chester Zoo. Elliot saw Jacob in the Portuguese cafe. Tom’s dad is buying him some new shoes. Yemi went on a plane to Ghana, it was a long journey! Danny has new Paddington clothes. Isabella watched Gladiators and had a KFC. Noah went to holiday club with Maddie. Kharis attended her cousin's baptism at St Mary’s. Anwen is very excited to join our school and have pancakes at home. Joanna and Nikola can now ride their bikes without stabilisers. Anaisha’s Grandparents are coming tomorrow from India. Elliot went to the Cinema to see Dog Man. Seth celebrated Deacon Michaels Birthday, Loura completed a park run and was 28th in the race. Abigail received 2 medals for gymnastics and climbing. Willow received a medal for coming 6th in a skiing competition in Italy. Sammy received a medal for skiing in Andorra. Daniel passed Wave 1.
Years 3 &4-Evelyn has got a medal from swimming, Sarah has started swimming lessons, Franek has passed wave 7, Katlyn has a new backpack, William is going to his friends house. Nazif won a gold medal in a Tae Kwando competition, David went to Disneyland Paris, Lily went to Centre Parcs, Nicolas also went to the Tae Kwando competition and won a bronze, silver and gold medal, Maya had a Spa party in the holidays, Lilianna used her Learning Powers and wrote her own shape poem which she enjoyed reading to her friends- da iawn! Emiia went to Spain, George went to Centre Parcs, Alfie-Jay brought in the medal he won when he achieved the Fox Trophy before the holidays, Madison’s aunty has had a baby girl. Benj went skiing in Bulgaria, Julian went to Poland and enjoyed going to a football match, Andy is going to Spain to join Real Madrid’s football training camp, Tony went ice skating, Florence came first place in a dance competition- well done! Scarlett went pottery painting in Spavens, Arthur went to a women’s football match. George, Julian, Scarlett, Sophie and Okedinachi went to the St David’s Day parade in Wrecsam. Dylan went to the largest Lego exhibition in the UK. Paulina went swimming with Emilia. Rene went on a mini break to Ribby Hall. He also enjoyed fossil hunting with Dylan. Rupert went to Morocco with is family. Thea competed at the Welsh NDPs and came first. As a result of coming first, she has now been chosen to represent Wales in the British NDP- Well done!
Year 5 & 6-Olivia came first in her judo competition, Vanessa passed Wave 6 and has progressed to Wave 7, Rozalia was at the music festival last week and got honours for her performance of Ashokan Farewell, Joia has completed all of her swimming waves! Da iawn. Cody played basketball and his team ended the season with 12 wins and 0 losses! Ella and Ivy got medals at their dance competition (photo in folder) Xavier went to Monkey World, Matilda went to Center Parcs, Noah went camping, Jian went to a Welsh cafe and saw two donkeys, Aiden went on a steam train, Sophie went to see Jesus Chris Superstar, Evie is going to Disney on Ice with her sister this weekend.
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 vegefox.com - "danger risk" • 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"