Spring Term
Where has the time gone, so much has happened and our children have grown in so many ways. We are over half way through this academic year and it is a joy to watch the development and progress.
Monster Phonics has taken off and our children are enjoying learning about the characters that will help them with with their reading and writing. You can read more about this in this newsletter.
This week is our 'Holy Week' as we are not in school actual Holy Week. Everyone is welcome to our assemblies;
Tuesday 2.30pm - Nursery & Reception - Palm Sunday
Wednesday 2.30pm - Year 3 & Year 4 - The Last Supper
Thursday 2.30pm - Year 5 & Year 6 - The Crucifixion
We are a Catholic Family learning together
Mass Times on Saturday evening / Sunday
Fr Paul welcomes you all to Mass. He would love to meet you and discuss anything with you. If you would like to have your child Baptised, please speak to Fr Paul. You could call to the Presbytery or the Church Number is 01656 733282.
We know how busy life can be, I always find it handy knowing the time of Masses around our area. Here is a list of Churches near by and the time of Sunday Mass.
Our Lady's & St Patrick's RC Church. Maesteg Sunday 11am & 5pm
St Robert's RC Church. Aberkenfig Sunday 9am
St Mary's RC Church. Bridgend Saturday 6pm Sunday 11am & 6pm
St Joseph's RC Church. Port Talbot Saturday 6pm Sunday 10am
Contact details
Please make sure we have the most up to date contact details for your child, including any allergies, medical issues or anything we need to know to support your child's needs.
Handle with Care
If your children needs a gentle approach any day, please text 'Handle with care' to either the school messaging service or on Class Dojo. You do not have to tell us anymore than 'Handle with care'. We will know that your child will need extra time, patience or help.
If you would like to discuss anything with your child's class teacher, please can I ask you to make an appointment or send them a message on Class Dojo. When you are dropping off or when we are seeing children home at the end of the day, it is not the best time to discuss important information about your child.
Brawddeg yr Wythnos
Later comers - We have many pupils arriving late for school. This is picked up on registers by our Education Welfare Officer and reported to BCBC and Welsh Government. Please can I ask you to ensure your child is in school before 8.55am. We open the doors at 8.45am for children to come in and settle in before the day begins. Staff set activities and children are ready to begin their day at 8.55am. If your child would benefit from Breakfast club, please speak to Mrs James and complete a form. Emma, our cook is wonderful and welcomes all our children.
School Day
School begins at 8:55 am - Doors open at 8:45am. School day ends at 3pm for Nursery pupils, 3.15pm for rest of the school.
Drop off & Pick up arrangements:
• Breakfast Club – the main gate to the yard is the entry point – Doors are open between 8.15am and 8.30am.
• Staff will be on the doors from 8.45am to ensure the children, unaccompanied, go in safely.
(The hall door must remain closed as it as a Fire Exit)
Bus children are accompanied by staff, and they come in as soon as they arrive.
If you are on the yard with your child, Please, do not send your children in at this time.
Doors are open from 8.45am for children to come in to class, to complete morning activities, ready to begin their day at 8.55am.
Nursery pupils come in to school via the Main Reception Gates, where they are greeted by staff, this is from 8.45am.
If you access the school from the Church steps, Commercial street, the Main Reception gates are open from 8.45am for children to come into classes.
The main gate and the Reception door will be maned by staff to ensure safe entry for children.
This will be the same for pick-up
Nursery - 3pm - Main Reception Gate
Reception to Year 6 – 3.15pm - Yard
If your child/ren are to meet you at the Main Reception gate or at the bottom of the Church steps, a member of staff will always let them out of the door.
If you want your child/ren to walk home or there are any other arrangements at the end of the day, please speak to myself, Mrs James or the Class teacher please.
Please can I ask you to be very mindful of parking and DO NOT park in the Church grounds. We all have the safety of our children at heart.
April Dates
- Week Beginning 7th April - Holy Week @STMP
- 8th April - 2.30pm - Nursery & Reception - Palm Sunday
- 9th April - 2.30pm - Y3 & Y4 - The Last Supper
- 10th April - 2.30pm - Y5 & Y6 - The Crucifixion
- 11th April - Easter Bonnet Parade / Easter Egg Raffle / visit from the Easter Bunny
- 11th April - Last day of Spring Term
- 28th April - Return to School - Summer Term
- 29th April - 2.30pm - Y1 & Y2 - The Resurrection
Dates for the year ahead
- 5th May - May Day Bank Holiday
- 23rd May - Last Day of Summer 1
- 24th May - 1st June - Half Term
- 2nd June - Return to School - Summer 2
- 4th - 6th June - Y6 Residential PGL
- 17th June - Governors Meeting 5pm
- 19th June - Sports Afternoon - Nursery to Y2
- 20th June - Sports Afternoon - Y3 to Y6
- 18th July - End of Academic Year 24-25
- 21st July - INSET Day
INSET Days;
- 2nd September 24
- 11th Novemeber 24
- 20th December 24
- 13th January 25
- 21st February 25
- 21st July 25
Jesuit Pupil Profile
Attentive & Discerning
Prayer (St Ignatius Loyola):
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous; Teach me to serve you as you deserve, To give and not to count the cost, To fight and not to heed the wounds, To toil and not to seek for rest, To labour and not to seek reward, Except that of knowing that I do your will. Amen.
- Are you listening to God?
- What is he saying?
- Why is being attentive so important?
- How could you use your gifts to be attentive to others?
- Could you be a good listener?
- Could you help your friends?
- Could you give money to charity?
CAFOD BIG LENT WALK
On Friday our RE Council launched our Lent Charity work - This year we are taking part in The CAFOD Big Lent Walk.
The link to our JustGiving Page;
https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/stmp-cafod-big-lent-walk-2025?utm_medium=email&utm_source=PostOffice&utm_campaign=DS_EVENTS-LFC_Trans_PageCreated
We will be updating our km as the weeks go by.
School Uniform
Please can I ask that you make every effort to ensure your child wears correct uniform.
NO jewellery should be worn. If earrings must be worn, they must be studs. Only one pair of studs are to be worn. If they can not be taken out on PE days, please can you send in plasters that can cover the earrings for the session.
Please can long hair be tied back.
These rules are in place for the health and safety of all our children. I am sure that you will support us in tightening up on these rules.
On Thursday I had a meeting with Mrs Howells - Headteacher of Archbishop McGrath. We spoke about transition and the issues unique to our school, STMP.
Uniform is a big issue. We have been very relaxed since Covid regarding uniform, however, I would not be helping our pupils to grow if I ignore the concerns of Mr Howells.
After the Easter holidays I will expect All Year 5 & Year 6 pupils to be in full school uniform.
Blue or white polo shirts / Blue jumpers or cardigans.
Black or grey school trousers / Black or grey school skirts.
Black School shoes
I appreciate that we are at the middle of the academic year and you may not be buying school uniform, however, I ask if you having to buy new uniform, please can you ensure that the uniform is correct.
If you have spoken to me regarding uniform, I have made a note of this and will not be sending letters home.
Thank you to the parents whose children are always in full school uniform, across the school.
In July, I will send out an update on school uniform and the expectations for all classes, for the academic year 2025-2026.
Attendance and punctuality
Please can I remind you of the school times;
8.55am until 3.15pm - Reception to Year 6.
This is a legal requirement of children attending school, above the age of 5.
Our attendance is tracked on a 3 week basis, by BCBC. Letters will be issued if your child is persistently late in the morning or collected early at the end of the day.
The Governors of STMP have permitted 10 days authorised holidays. Please ensure you complete a holiday form.
I thank you for your support in working with us to improve our attendance.
School officially begins at 8.55am. Please inform Mrs James of any absences before 10am in the morning of the first day. This can be done by text or phone call. If you need to collect your child early for any reason, please ring the office to explain.
The Monster Phonics Approach
Monster Phonics is an enhanced systematic synthetic phonics scheme. It teaches phonics in a comprehensive structured progression but provides additional multi-sensory support to make learning more memorable and engaging. It uses colour coding and monster sound cues to support learning when children encounter long vowels, silent letters, and tricky letters. This additional support is used consistently and then cleverly phased out, creating confident independent readers. And, it’s not just about the colours; the monsters themselves each represent a sound which brings phonics to life. This creates engagement, and speeds up the learning process for everyone.
I will post on Class Dojo the Parent Letter for you to read how this has been developed with children in mind.
In the Summer Term, we will host Family workshops, so we can share the teaching and ways in which you can support your child.
Credits:
Created with images by MarekPhotoDesign.com - "Hello April greetings with viola flowers" • ungvar - "Christians symbols Holy communion on wooden table in church wine in the church during the communion" • photosaint - "dandelion flower seeds fly away from the base of the flower" • Bits and Splits - "Astronomical Clock on Prague Old Town Square" • Tierney - "Hello April message with Easter eggs on a pink background" • komthong wongsangiam - "inscription on the cubes of the world, 2025 new year concept " • Angelov - "Child girl with book and bag breaking through yellow paper wall. Happy smiling kid go back to school, kindergarten. Success, motivation, winner, genius concept. Little kid dreaming to be superhero" • Odua Images - "School supplies on blackboard background" • MarekPhotoDesign.com - "love, harmony, kindness, peace and joy"