Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Christmas Concerts 2022
Concert ticket order forms will be issued today. Please complete the form and return it to school as soon as possible. A total of 2 tickets per child will be allocated initially. Spare tickets will be distributed, subject to availability.
Important- Babies and Pre- School Children
Wherever possible, please do not bring babies and pre-school children to the Christmas concerts. We are performing at least two concerts for all classes (except Puffins) to enable parents/ carers to make childcare arrangements. Unfortunately, due to staff availability, we are unable to organise a creche this year,
The staff work so hard to prepare the children for the concerts enabling them to feel confident enough to perform in front of an audience.
Any noise can be very distracting, and it would be a such a shame and wouldn't be fair for any parent to miss their own child's speaking part due to a noise made by another family's baby / young child.
Please note- NO babies or pre- school children in any professionally filmed concerts
In the event that no alternative childcare arrangements can be made for the concerts that are not being filmed, we politely ask that babies/ pre- school children are taken out of the performance if they make any noise and suggest that parents try to sit near the hall exit /doors. This is to be fair to all children performing and to all families who wish to enjoy the concerts.
Please speak to Mrs Acton if you have any questions or concerns.
Please see concert dates below:-
Mon 5th December- Puffins' concert- 10am (FILMED- No babies/ pre-school children)
Tues 6th December- 10am -Parrots & Penguins' concert (FILMED- No babies/ pre-school children)
1:30- Year 1 & 2- Wrens, Robins, Owls' concert (FILMED No babies/ pre-school children))
Weds 7th December- 10am -Parrots & Penguins' concert
1:30- Years 1 &2- Wrens, Robins, Owls' concert
Erddig Rotary is holding a Christmas community concert and has invited Years 5 & 6 to perform their Christmas concert in Ty Pawb on Friday 9th December at 6pm- Tickets will be on sale for £5 each to include festive mulled wine and mince pie. Erddig Rotary Club are kindly donating all proceeds to our school. Diolch yn fawr
Tues 13th Dec- 10am- Years 3 & 4 concert (FILMED- No babies/ pre-school children))
1:45- Years 5 & 6 concert (FILMED- No babies/ pre-school children)
6pm- Years 3 & 4 concert
Weds 14th Dec- 10am- Years 5 & 6 concert
1:45- Years 3 & 4 concert
6pm- Years 5 & 6 concert
Please see letter sent via email regarding concerts, Christmas preparations etc
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.
From September, gates will be locked at 08:55 by which time ALL children should be in class and ready to begin their school day.
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%
W/E - 11/11/22-This week's whole school attendance is 92.6% (Fingers crossed we will reach our target soon!!)
Foundation Phase- Winners are Penguins once again with 98.4%
Puffins-73% Parrots- 92.2% Penguins- 98.4%
Robins-90% Owls-96.9% Wrens-86%
Key Stage 2- Winners are Gwaun with 99.3%
Clywedog-90% Conwy-93.1% Alyn- 93.7%
Dovey-95.2% Gwenfro-96.5% Dyfrdwy-89.6% Gwaun 99.3%
At the end of the school year, the winning class will have the opportunity to go to the cinema for a well-deserved treat! In addition, on an individual basis, ALL children with consistent 100% attendance for the year will receive a special 'GOLD' medal.
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.
Children in Need Friday 18th November
Today we celebrated BBC Children in Need Day. The School Council planned a wonderful day's events and we all had fun raising money for children less fortunate than ourselves.
Thank you to everyone for dressing up and bringing in money to spend in our class cake sales. Yummy! Each class had a great time following the clues and completing the trials in the treasure hunt and lots of children enjoyed having their faces painted. Da iawn pawb!
Thank you to all School Council reps for all your hard work preparing for today, and to Mrs Robertson for providing your support and guidance. Diolch yn fawr and da iawn i chi!
So far, we have raised a super £533.62
Fingers crossed, we will see our name on the BBC Children in Need show on TV this evening! Keep your fingers crossed!
Joint Y3,4 & 6 Family Mass
On Thursday 24th November at 10am, Years 3,4,&6 will be co-leading their special joint year group Mass in school. A Google form will be sent to parents via Seesaw to ascertain numbers for seating and Holy Communion. We look forward to welcoming families back to share in the Catholic life of the school once more.
FRIENDS' CHRISTMAS EVENTS
Please return the booking forms as soon as possible! Diolch
Santa's coming to St Mary's Grotto!
(Santa booking forms will be sent home on Monday)
Festive PJ & Film Night- Thursday 8th December- 3:30-5pm
(***Please see letter sent today via email regarding an important event taking place during the Film night***)
Friends' Children's Calendar 2023- Fundraising
The calendars will be on sale before Christmas for approximately £8 and would be an ideal Christmas gift for family and friends as well as a wonderful opportunity to help raise funds for our school. Booking forms to follow.
Children in Need Assembly
Today, we had lots of fun in assembly! Our amazing staff were all great sports and took part in Pudsey's St Mary's Staff Challenge- 'The 'Wheel of Forfeits'
Pudsey spun the wheel to choose a teacher who then had to pay £1 to do a silly challenge in front of the whole school! Some lucky children were chosen to pick out the random forfeits and everyone had lots of laughs!
We had Scottish dancing, hoola hooping, ballet dancing, star jumps, skipping and much more!
A great way to raise money for Children in Need! Bendigedig!
SPIN THE WHEEL! SPIN THE WHEEL!
After School Clubs on Tuesday next week (Staff training on Monday sorry! Apologies for confusion last week!)
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
Good news!
Early Years-
Year 1 & 2- Abigail had a medal from Hope House for donating books and toys, Scarlett is performing in a Christmas play with her ballet class and Dillan moved up to Wave 4. Georgie received a medal from Hope House for raising money and also joined a dance class. Dylan R took part in a remembrance parade and laid a wreath and has also passed Wave 4. George W had a sleepover with Beavers and went to see the RAF Cosford airshow. Tommy and Lily are starting Beavers soon and Cassiephea has a new puppy called Soda.
Years 3 and 4- Daniel is going to have a sleepover at his brother's house, Jeremiah's mum is going to India soon, Max might be getting a dog, Gabriel's mum is going to Poland and Hanna has found out she is having a new baby cousin. Pati is having a sleepover with Bianca this weekend. Henri's mum has had her graduation, Fabian S is going go-karting on Saturday, Sophie is going to see the lights in Blackpool on Saturday and is going to meet some Strictly starts! Joseph has a horse-riding competition at the weekend and Andrea is going to London this weekend to see her Grandma. Theo's cousin has graduated! Adam is starting tennis training, Noah and David are going to a rugby disco, Niamh has moved to Wave 7 and Martha went to the new Harry Potter experience.
Year 5- Violet is going for a special dinner with her family, Evelyn went to the Forbidden Forest, Sophia got 'Player of the match' in netball, Gabriel and Maks are going to a trampoline park, Maja is going to a horse show, Issy G is going to a birthday party on Saturday and Zofia is going to Dancing Shoes at the weekend.
Year 6-Phoebe is swimming in a gala on Sunday, Seren has been invited to the semi-final of White Lodge, Nataniel won a trophy and medal in a fencing competition in Manchester fencing centre and Natasha and the county tennis team raised £720 for Children in Need. Scarlett and Natalia have made a 'Stand up to Bullying' club and hope to do an assembly.
St Mary's Cathedral Parish Council - Important Notices to share
St Mary's Pre-School Christmas Fair
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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