Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us Pray- Gweddiwn
Advent
Third Sunday of Advent (Year C) Luke 3:10-18
Joy-Llawenydd
The third Advent candle is rose pink, and is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. This candle represents joy, and marks a shift in the tone of Advent from penitential reflection to joyful anticipation, inviting us all to rejoice as the birth of Jesus draws nearer.
How can we all try our best to share and to spread joy in our homes and families during the coming week?
Christmas Concerts 2024
Key Stage 2 Concerts
Another wonderful week of Christmas concerts! Well done everyone. As I said during the concerts, it is so wonderful to see how the children mature, develop and grow in confidence each year; it really is a joy to watch them shine on the stage. A big DIOLCH to all the staff who helped prepare the children and to all families for your support with costumes and props etc. Da iawn pawb. Huge thanks also to Erddig Rotary club and especially to Mr John Isherwood for inviting us to perform our Year 5 and 6 concert at Ty Pawb theatre again and for sharing the profits with us. It is so very kind of them, and is a privilege for our children to share their talents within our local community. Well done everyone.
Early Years Travelling Crib
Beautiful photos of the class travelling cribs visiting our children's homes.
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 Tylluanod again with a fantastic- 98.6%
Dosbarth Palodau- 84.8% Dosbarth Parotiaid- 84.5%- Dosbarth Pengwiniad-72.1%- Dosbarth Robin Goch- 95.9% Dosbarth Tylluanod- 98.6% Dosbarth Dryw-88.9%
Key Stage 2 winners this week are :-
Dosbarth Dyfrdwy with 97.3%
Dosbarth Clywedog-94.3% Dosbarth Conwy- 96.4% Dosbarth Alyn-88% Dosbarth Gwenfro-96.6% Dosbarth Dyfrdwy- 97.3% Dosbarth Gwaun- 95.9%
WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TARGET- 96%
THIS WEEK'S WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE - 91.9%-a lot of illness this week sadly
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)
Christmas Dinner
A big THANK YOU to Mrs Price and her team of kitchen staff for another WONDERFUL Christmas meal yesterday. Everyone had a lovely day which ended in a fun movie afternoon. Diolch pawb.
Nursery & Reception- Elodie went to Valentina's party, Eliah went to Magical Woodland, Harrison went skating and Anna Maria made cookies for Santa. Valentina enjoyed her party at Round the Twist
Years 1 & 2-Jacob saw Jan in Wrexham, Mateen saw Noah shopping, Mia went to Round the Twist and Elliott and Lucja have put their Christmas tree up. Kiki is going swimming, Isabella is going to ballet practice as she's going on stage, Nancy helped mummy and nanny decorate the tree, Freya has an Advent calendar, Owen and Oliver had a movie night, Lennon is going on his motorbike soon and Danny has a new Spiderman bike. Dewi's mummy and daddy have bought him superhero masks and capes, Nathan watched a movie from South Africa, Noah went for afternoon tea in the Lemon Tree with his family and had a cup of tea. Parthiv has moved house, Mariana has a new bike, Hunter has been to the cinema and so has Joana. Elena has got a new leotard for gymnastics, Loura had a good time in Brighton, Olivia went to Winter Wonderland and Akia has gone to the Philippines to visit her family for the first time. Hunter has a football medal for scoring 10 goals and has a special medal.
Years 3 &4-Akain went to Chester Christmas shopping and to see the lights, George sold cards at his Christmas fayre, Julian and Zion have taekwondo grading at the weekend, Andy, Artur, Benj, Pola, Serah, Sophie and Szymon made their First confession last weekend. Rene played football and went to Oswestry to a Christmas fayre, Florence will be performing in Peter Pan soon, Sophie is moving house and Scarlett came 1st Vault 6th on the floor & overall gymnast 3rd at Wrexham Gymnastics Club. Zuzanna is getting glasses, Saoirse is having her party on Sunday, David, Nicolas and Nazif are being graded for taekwondo.
Year 5 & 6-Joai came second in a fencing competition, Lea went to a Panto ' Snow White' , Charlie is counting down to Christmas, Rozalia got 5th in her under 12s fencing competition, Ella has a party on Sunday
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 Daniel - "nativity scene on wooden background" • phonlamaiphoto - "Gold star trophy" • Daniel Vincek - " Roasted chicken for Christmas lunch" • 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"