Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Peace begins with me...
Peace Sunday 2024 was last Sunday 14th January and the theme chosen by Pope Francis was ‘Artificial Intelligence and Peace’ . You can read a full copy of his message for the World Day of Peace here: Link
Nursery Admissions to St Mary's Catholic Primary School- Sept 2024
Join our wonderful school family! Please pass on the information to all friends and family. Diolch
'Our 6 Bs' - 'Metacognition in Action at St Mary's'
In order to further support our children to become ambitious, capable and independent learners, our fantastic team of staff have been undertaking some research into metacognition.
We have devised a common strategy list to help all children to think about ways to approach challenges during their learning activities. We have called this strategy list 'the 6 Bs'. Perhaps you can talk to your child about how they are using the '6 Bs' to help them while they are working in class.
Course for Parents/ Carers
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:- Pengwiniaid with 96.4%
Dosbarth Palodau-93.3% Dosbarth Parotiaid-95.4% Dosbarth Pengwiniaid-96.4%, Dosbarth Robin Goch- 89.4%, Dosbarth Tulluanod-89.9%. Dosbarth Dryw- 94.4%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are:- Dyfrdwy with 99.6%
Dosbarth Clywedog-96.7% , Dosbarth Conwy-95.6%, Dosbarth Alyn-96.9%, Dosbarth Dyfi-88.5%, Dosbarth Gwenfro-95%, Dosbarth Dyfrdwy-99.6%, Dosbarth Gwaun-97.3%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET - 96%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE- 94.7% - a marked improvement but still waiting to achieve our target! We can do this!
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: Esgusodwch fi! Excuse me!
See LINK
Early Years- Eliza was baptised last week
Years 1 and 2- Daniela is having her ears pierced, Nazif's uncle and cousin are going to visit and Ameeya has joined Dryw class. Joanna B is going on holiday and Kiki has taught her mum how to do meditation. Blossom has been to Disney!
Years 3 and 4- Vanessa M is in a dance competition, Julia M is going to be Alice in Wonderland, Lois and Niamh visited Wxm Fire Station with Brownies, Ricky got man of the match at football
Year 5- Iris got 2nd place in adance competition, Sophia bought an 'Aunty' sweater, Michalina is going to Chillfactor in Manchester with her big sister and Evie is going to have a new baby cousin
Year 6- Amelia J has got Scouts, Amelia K and Zofia are going to the cinema and Gabby is performing in the Storhouse in Chester with Stagecoach.
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