Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us pray...
Gweddiwn...
This weekend, some more of our children will be making their First Holy Communion. Let us pray for every blessing on the children on this very special and important day as they welcome Jesus into their hearts for the very first time.
Own Clothes Day- Friday 23rd June in Memory of Callum Jones
On Friday 23rd May, I attended the funeral service of one of our lovely former pupils, 20 year old Callum Jones. In Callum's memory, his family and friends are raising money to support the work of two very important charities- Papyrus and Andy's Man Club.
Today we were delighted that so many children came into school in their own clothes and gave a £1 donation. As a school family, we came together to support Callum's family in their efforts at this very difficult time and raised a super £272.79 (excluding staff donations) Diolch pawb.
First Holy Communion Celebration Mass in School
On Thursday 29th June on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, Father Nicholas will be coming to school to celebrate a special whole school Mass for all our children who have made their First Holy Communion in their own parishes this year. It is important that we mark this very special day and gather together in prayer as a whole school family. The children will be able to wear their First Holy Communion clothes to school on that day but will need to bring their school uniform to change into after Mass. Children may bring in their Holy Communion clothing and change in school if they prefer. In the afternoon, the children will have a little party with a special cake to celebrate this wonderful occasion. Year 6 children who will be attending St Joseph's transition rocket week, can still attend Mass in their First Holy Communion clothes. After Mass, they will be taken across to St Joseph's to re-join the transition activities. Any questions, please ask.
Year 6 School Journey to Cardiff
Next Friday, Mrs Acton, Mr O'Toole, Mrs Hall, Mrs Sinclair and Mrs Gillett are taking our Year 6 children on school journey to Cardiff. We have a wonderful itinerary of fun-filled activities to enjoy over the weekend, ranging from visits to Big Pit, the Principality stadium, Royal Mint and Barry Island Beach to a thrilling speedboat ride, visiting the swimming pool and going Ten Pen Bowling! What fun we are going to have! Letters have been issued to parents regarding final arrangements and we look forward to sharing our fun via our usual social media channels.
A very special word of thanks to all our wonderful teachers who are giving up their weekend to facilitate this amazing trip for our children. Diolch o galon!
Joiners/ Carpenters, can you help us, please?
We need a new WELCOME / CROESO sign for our Puffins' Nursery building wall, could you help us by donating your time and any spare wood to make us a new one please? Contact the school office if you are willing and able to help us! Diolch.
Da iawn Cadwyn!
Pupil Voice- Friday Tuck Shop
Well done to our Pupil Voice groups for organising a weekly tuck shop to continue to raise funds to buy new PE and outdoor benches and tables. So far we have raised a super £430.44 excluding £98.68 made in our tuck shop today, bringing our grand total to £529.12
Please see items below that we are raising funds for. PE benches cost £220 each (we need 4-6 new benches), picnic tables cost £475 each (we would like 3 more) and outdoor benches cost £ 316 each (we would like 3 more.)
Friends' Discos
Thank you to everyone who came along to support the school discos last night. We all had a wonderful time and it was especialy lovely to welcome our Nursery children to their first ever school disco with their parents! Da iawn pawb! A big thank you to DJ 'Tooley Tables' and his Year 6 DJs! A great job pawb! Da iawn chi! An amazing £720 raised- DIOLCH PAWB!
KEEP THE DATE!!
End of Term Family Picnic after school on Wednesday 12th July 15:30-17:30- bring your own picnic, blankets and enjoy an outdoor picnic as a St Mary's family!
Lots of fun activities, stalls and games to enjoy!
New Nursery pupils 'Stay and Play Sessions'
It was lovely to meet our second group of new Nursery children to our 'Stay and Play' session in Nursery on Tuesday. We look forward to welcoming all our new children and their parents to our Teddy Bears' Picnic on Tuesday 27th June 13:45-14:30.
Transition and Classes for September 2023
Next week, our Year 6 children who will be attending St Joseph's in September will be visiting for 'Rocket Week' on Monday to Thursday. (They will be unable to attend on Friday as we are going on School Journey to Cardiff.) Next Thursday 29th June, all children will be spending some time in their new classes. They will meet their new teachers and spend some time getting familiar with their new classrooms and year group 'blocks'.
We have a few minor staffing changes for September. Please see below:-
Puffins visit Xplore!
On Wednesday , our Puffins' class visited Xplore! They had a super fun day and were so well behaved! What super chidren!
Attendance Matters
Please note school starts 08:55 and finishes at 15:15.
From September, please DO NOT book routine appointments or holidays within term-time. The governors of St Mary's will not authorise holidays taken within term-time.
Please support us to ensure all children are in school on time to receive their education as long as they are fit and well to do so.
Following the WCBC policy, arrivals after 09:15 when the registers close, should be marked as an absence.
St Mary's Attendance Race
Our Whole School Attendance target is 96%
Our whole school attendance figure is 92.6%
Foundation Phase- Winners are ...Penguins with 93.3%
Puffins-83.3% Parrots-91% Penguins-93.3%
Robins-92.3% Owls-92.9% Wrens-88.3%
Key Stage 2- Winners are ...Gwaun with 96.8%
Clywedog-91.6% Conwy-94.7% Alyn-90.6%
Dovey-93.8% Gwenfro-96.3% Dyfrdwy-93.3% Gwaun-96.8%
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.
ATTENDANCE RACE LEADER BOARD UPDATE
THE FOUNDATION PHASE WINNERS SO FAR...
Penguins (have taken the lead!)
KEY STAGE 2 WINNERS SO FAR...
Conwy
St Mary's Cathedral Parish Events
'St Mary's Cathedral is looking to develop their choir. On the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, there will be a choir practice from 11 am- 12 in the cathedral.All children are welcome to come and join in. It will be lovely to have a variety of voices singing in Mass.'
National Personalised Assessments Year 2-6
Over the coming weeks, pupils in Years 2 - 6 will be undertaking mandatory national assessments in reading, procedural maths and numerical reasoning. The assessments are now administered on-line and adapt to how children respond to the questions presented, adjusting the level and type of question accordingly. As always, no pressure is put on the children. The data and information gathered is only one small part of the jigsaw of assessments we use in school to build a picture of how children are progressing in their learning.
This week's class assembly- Dosbarth Dovey. The children led an amazing and very interesting assembly all about technology. The children confidently shared their learning and were a credit to Mrs Sinclair! Da iawn pawb!
Parents are welcome to join us to watch the assembly in the Junior hall at 2:15. We look forward to seeing you all!
Next assembly- Owls- Friday 7th July
Free School Meals- Are you eligible?
May I remind all families who are eligible for free school meals to make an application via the link ‘Free school meals | Wrexham County Borough Council. This will not only provide your child with a daily free meal in school but will also allow parents the opportunity to apply for a Pupil Development Grant (PDG) | Wrexham County Borough Council to help with the cost of uniforms, resources, equipment and devices etc. By making your application, school will also receive the correct amount of funding from Welsh Government.
Please note:-
Your child is eligible to receive free school meals if you or your child receive the following...
• Income Support (IS)*
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)*
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance (IR)
• Child Tax Credit - providing you’re not entitled to Working Tax Credit with an annual total income below the HMRC set limit
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you are working you must be earning less than £7,400 per year (£616.67 per month) to qualify for free school meal
From September 1st, all Reception children in Wrexham can have a free school meal as part of the WG universal offer. However, if you are in receipt of the above benefits, please remember to make an application via the links above as well to ensure access to the PDG and to enable school to receive the additional funding.
I urge all families to take up this wonderful universal offer. Diolch
School Dinner orders
Please ensure that school dinners are pre-ordered at home. Teachers should not be ordering meals in school, as previously advised by WCBC. Thank you
Criw Cymraeg's Brawddeg Yr Wythnos
The Criw Cymraeg’s ‘Patrwm yr Wythnos’ (Phrase of the week) this week is: Beth ydi dy hobi di? What is your hobby?
See VIDEO LINK
Makaton Signs of the Week is hot
Click on the LINK
Good news!
Early Years-Noah went on an aeroplane to Disneyland and saw Mickey Mouse, Nissi is going to Banana Ben's and Lennon is going to Liverpool.
Year 1 & 2-George did sports night with Beavers and he won a 1st , 2nd and 3rd badge in the races. Maya has moved up to Level 2 in swimming, Erin's sister is starting in Nursery, Franek is performing in his drama class and nicolas has moved to Wave 5. Saoirse has moved to Wave 4, Alfie- Jay is going to do his next grading in Tae Kwondo, Mitchell has another kitten, Liliana is going to Poland in a couple of weeks, Scarlett is going to Xplore this weekend and Clara is starting gymnastics.
Years 3 and 4-Emilia made her First Holy Communion at the weekend, Alexandra has a new baby cousin, Amelia and Evie made their Holy Communions last weekend and Ella had a gym competition in Bolton last weekend. Dylan received a trophy at his football presentation, Daniel's sister is coming to live in Wrexham, Pati is excited to get her new laptop and start creating her own slides at home and Thomas passed Wave 5 and is now in Wave 6. Molly H was at a higher level gymnastics competition and received a participation medal and certificate and Rozalia made her First Holy Communion on Saturday, Aime has a new kitten and David has a new pet fish. Years 3 & 4 are off the Liverpool World Museum on Weds 28th June!
Year 5- Mateusz is going to Gran Canaria and maya is getting new glasses.
Year 6-Victoria, Maja and Emilia are going to a swimming gala and Jayden is going to a charity Summer Ball on Saturday. Scarlett is doing The Library of Lost Stories on Sunday, Mathew is doing well in art competitions and Natasha's football club won their match
Some children in Years 1 -6 are attending a Martial Arts workshop on Friday in Ty Pawb.
WCBC SCHOOL TERM DATES
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.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @stmaryswxm
Credits:
Created with images by Sebastian Duda - "Bible, Eucharist, sacrament of communion background" • dizain - "Thank You Word Cloud in all languages with marker, concept background" • TheVisualsYouNeed - "young stressed and depressed Asian Chinese businesswoman working overwhelmed and exhausted as corporate business employee asking for help desperate" • GVictoria - "Mirror disco ball" • Artur - "Handwriting text Do Not Forget Motivational Call. Concept meaning Remember Keep in mind Reminder Schedule" • adrian_ilie825 - "Little baby hand playing with colorful toys and cubes" • vegefox.com - "danger risk" • phonlamaiphoto - "Gold star trophy" • Kenishirotie - "Checklist on clipboard" • enterlinedesign - "Choir Letterpress Concept on Dark Background" • WavebreakmediaMicro - "Children having lunch during break time in school cafeteria" • coco - "fleur de jonquille sur fond jardin" • TinPong - "Young boy feel hot" • Maya Kruchancova - "cupcake with sparkler on old wooden background" • Li Ding - "Decoration for the party" • nito - "coffe and news" • Rawpixel.com - "Children Friendship Togetherness Playful Happiness Concept"