Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.
Rest in Peace- R.I.P. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Created cardinal: 27 June 1977, by Paul VI
Papacy began: 19 April 2005
Papacy ended: 28 February 2013 (resigned)
Rest in Peace- Deacon Iain Cameron
Just before Christmas, we heard of the very sad loss of Deacon Iain Cameron from the Cathedral parish. Deacon Cameron was a faithful and very well- respected gentleman and a dedicated servant to the church. He and his lovely family have a long history with our school family and we keep them in our prayers at this difficult time. Mr O'Toole and I will attend his funeral today on behalf of the staff, pupils and governors of St Mary's. May he rest in peace. Amen.
New Year School Mass
Next Friday 20th January, Year 1 -6 will be attending Mass in the Cathedral to celebrate the start of the New Year 2023. This Mass is traditionally led by the staff. We look forward to celebrating together with Father Nicholas and Deacon Michael.
World Day for Peace - 15th January
We observe PEACE SUNDAY on the second Sunday of January and this year the message from Pope Francis tells us: ‘No one can be saved alone. Combatting Covid-19 together, embarking together on paths of peace’. The Holy Father’s 2023 Message for the 56th World Peace Day can be read via the link below:-
Friends of St Mary's 2023 Calendars
Christmas Concert Film Link
Updated information- As you are aware, we are not selling concert DVDs this year, instead we are selling links to all the professionally filmed Christmas Concerts. Therefore, if you have more than one child in school, you only need to pay once to access links to all concerts you wish to view.
You can still pay £10 for the link on ParentPay up to the January 9th. We will assume that you only want access to the concerts that your child/ children are performing in and those links will be emailed to whoever is contact number one on your child's school in the new year. If you wish to receive links to other concerts, please email the school office and this can be organised as soon as possible.
Please note, parents should download the links onto their own devices or save a hard copy onto a memory stick etc. Any queries please do not hesitate to contact school on the mailbox email address.
Year 6- School journey to Cardiff Information Evening
Notice from Mrs Roberts- Year 2 Owls
This is a heartfelt request to our Polish families to share this message with friends and family. Diolch, dziękuję.
Diocesan Family Prayer Group Notice
Would you and your children like to connect with other families across the Diocese? The Marriage and Family Life Commission are starting a new Family Prayer Group, to run fortnightly from Monday 23rd January 2023. Online via Zoom from 6:00pm - 6:45pm. Come and join us as we explore our faith in the home as a family, through the sharing of our favourite faith traditions, reflections on scripture, hymns and prayers. For more information and to sign up, please contact Jeanie at mfl@rcdwxm.org.uk , telephone: 07542 268728, or at ‘Marriage and Family Life, Diocese of Wrexham’.
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.
Attendance Letters to Parents
A number of parents have received letters regarding pupil absences before the end of term. In line with the revised WCBC attendance policy, schools are now required to inform parents using template letters when pupil absences hit certain triggers, regardless of whether absences are authorised for illness or not. This is to ensure that parents are kept informed about the current levels of attendance and to ensure that schools have appropriate measures in place to monitor absences and safeguard all children.
As a school, we ask that parents keep us informed about the reasons behind any absences and any underlying health/ medical conditions that could affect attendance.
We do appreciate that there have been a significant amount of 'bugs' going around that have affected many of our children. Please do not hesitate to contact school if you would like any further clarification or information. Diolch.
St Mary's Attendance Race
Our Whole School Attendance target is 96%
Attendance for this week will be shared next week
Foundation Phase- Winners are ...
Puffins- Parrots-Penguins-
Robins- Owls- Wrens-
Key Stage 2- Winners are ...
Clywedog-Conwy- Alyn-
Dovey-% Gwenfro-% Dyfrdwy- Gwaun
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.
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- Vanessa has moved up to Wave 3 and Benjamin has a wobbly tooth. Saoirse is starting dance class on Saturday and Eula and Blossom have started swimming lessons. Hanna has joined a dancing club and George D has started Taekwondo.
Years 3 and 4- Niamh has her birthday party this weekend, Alexandra is having a new baby boy cousin soon and Sophie and Alexandra are taking rehearsals for we will Rock you at the Stiwt. Sabrinah's Auntie is coming from Kenya to live in Wrexham, Jewel is going to India today and Szymon has enjoyed riding his bike over Christmas.
Next week, Y3 & 4 vist Xplore on a school trip.
Year 5- Alfie has a new dog called Teddy, Noble has moved into his new house and the children are excited to go to Glan Llyn soon!
Next week, Year 5 visit Dangerpoint to learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations and settings.
Year 6- On Boxing Day, Joakhim was presented with a Guild of St Stephen medal for altar serving. Nataniel has his green belt karate grading on Wednesday and Natasha won a tennis badge for her effort in her Welsh tennis team. Scarlett started at the Story House Drama School in Chester and Natasza, Natasza and Alicja have Rookie Life Guard Gold and are now on the Bronze Swimming Challenge
Look what we have been learning!
Year 4 launched their new topic with a 'Dress to Impress' WOW day yesterday.
See photos below...
Early Years, Years 1 & 2 and Year 5 will be celebrating their Wow days next week.
Early Years' Wow day is Monday when the children are coming in and having a 'wintery surprise'. Years 1 and 2 are having an Ugly Bug Ball and are coming to school dressed as bug. They are having a little party with crafts and games and Super Worm is dropping off some of his friends for the children to look at.
Year 5 are having their Wow day based on the theme 'Little Inventors.' What fun!
Exploring Factors, making parachutes, calculating fractions, learning about place value and sharing topic work.
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.
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 arinahabich - "New Year Eve party" • Sebastian Duda - "Eucharist, sacrament of communion background" • lotus_studio - "Dove in the air with wings wide open" • vegefox.com - "danger risk" • phonlamaiphoto - "Gold star trophy" • MarekPhotoDesign.com - "Happy New Year in wood type" • WavebreakmediaMicro - "Children having lunch during break time in school cafeteria" • coco - "fleur de jonquille sur fond jardin" • puhimec - "Festive balloons in from the numbers 2023 on a pink background." • krzysztofrow - "Robin in the garden" • 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" • 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"