Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
Let us pray...
Our Prayer Garden Easter Cross
Please continue to keep Mrs Williams and Mrs Myers in your prayers.
Goodbye and Good Luck!
We are very sorry to announce that Mrs Bea Talkowska will be leaving St Mary's today to take up a new position as a residential children's worker. Mrs Talkowska has worked in St Mary's for almost 15 years in different classes in the Foundation Phase and has been a very valued member of the team. Mrs Talkowska has been a dedicated and hardworking teaching assistant who has not only supported many children to progress in their learning but has also supported many new families who have joined our school, in particular the families from Poland. On behalf of the staff, parents and governors, I would like to thank Mrs Talkowska for all she has contributed to the St Mary's family and wish her all the best in her new career path. Good luck and God bless. Powodzenia!
We would also like to wish Miss Megan Conway ( agency support TA in Early Years' Parrots' class) all the very best as she embarks on a 6 week adventure to Costa Rica to undertake voluntary work. Have a wonderful time!
Relationships and Sex Education Meeting with Parents and Governors
As you are aware, education in Wales has been undergoing a significant amount of statutory change and this includes the provision for Religious Education and Relationships and Sex Education.
As recommended by the Diocese of Wrexham, the school’s governing body has approved use of ‘Life to the Full’ published scheme of work which is in line with the new statutory relationships and sexual education code commissioned by the Catholic Education Service (CES) and pays regard to the Welsh Government RSE curriculum.
As part of the new statutory RSE curriculum, schools are required by law to consult with parents about programme content and choice of resources. Therefore, a sub-committee of staff and governors has been formed and we are looking to include a group of parents to represent children from across all age ranges to join the discussions.
A meeting is being held in the junior hall in school on Wednesday 26th April at 6pm to share the resources and gain the views of all members of the group in order to formalise our school’s programme.
Please complete the Google Form using the LINK to indicate if you are able to attend the meeting.
Please see letter sent to parents via email today
KS 2-Half term Poetry Competition
Thank you and well done to all 116 entrants who were presented with an Easter chocolate treat in assembly today. The poems were all wonderful and it was a very difficult task to choose just 3 winners.
Congratulations to Kasia (Y6) who came 1st and Anna MB (Y5) and Julia M (Y6) who came highly commended as the runners up. Our winning girls will be presented with their prizes at the Wrexham library at 12 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Everyone is welcome to attend the library 'Carnival of Words' events from 10am. Da iawn pawb and thank you for taking part! Ardderchog!
IMPORTANT- Universal Free School Meals Roll out for Years 1 and 2 AFTER EASTER!
Please follow the link to find out about how all years 1 and 2 children will be receiving a free school meal after Easter https://news.wrexham.gov.uk/universal-primary-free-school-meals-scheme-rolls-out-to-years-1-and-2/
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 94.4% - Let's see if we can reach our target next week!
Foundation Phase- Winners are ...Penguins
Puffins-89.2% Parrots-94.2% Penguins-98.9%
Robins-96% Owls-96.7% Wrens-92.7%
Key Stage 2- Winners are ...Conwy with 96.7%
Clywedog-96.2% Conwy-96.7% Alyn-96.3%
Dovey-91.2% Gwenfro-92.2% Dyfrdwy-91.9% Gwaun-92.9%
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...
Robins
JOINT KEY STAGE 2 WINNERS SO FAR...
Gwenfro and Conwy
Dosbarth Conwy led an incredibly powerful assembly about 'What is invisible?' The children led us in story, poetry, dance, song, film and scripture and reminded us to recognise and be thankful for both visible and invisible heroes and feelings. Da iawn pawb! What super children! You were confident and clearly enjoyed sharing your assembly with us all. Diolch
Parents are invited to watch the assembly in the junior hall. Gates open from 2:15. Diolch.
Next Week- Dosbarth Gwenfro's assembly
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:
See VIDEO LINK
Good news!
Early Years- Mariana has a new baby brother, the Parrots have welcomed a new friend called Parthiv to the class, Joanna and Antoni have both lost a tooth and it's lovely to see Daniel's mum back at school!
Year 1 & 2-Daniela has had a certificate from gymnastics and Nazif has started karate. Pola had a certificate for doing well in gymnastics, Abigail achieved her Earth badge in Rainbows, Leon has started Tai Kwondo, Scarlett is starting gymnastics and Benjamin has moved to Wave 4. Amelia M and Daniela have had certificates in gymnastics, Melanie's cat has had 3 kittens and Nathan has started football.
Years 3 and 4- Hannah has started gymnastics, Jewel visited her cousins over Easter, Max is excited that he is going to Florida on holiday this year, Joia's baby is soon to be born, George is excited to be going to work with the fair again, Raissa is excited to be going to Greece on holiday, Isabella is having a sleepover with her friend next door, Dylan is excited to go to the caravan to celebrate his dad's birthday and David is excited to visit London. Rozalia went to London for a fencing competition and came 5th. She had a gold medal in Manchester too! Sandy went to I-fly and has passed Wave 3, Mark passed Wave 5 in swimming, Julia M has received a dance award, Iris has joined a new dance club and Aimee has adopted 11 guinea pigs! Evie met her new baby cousin called Caleb, Fabian is going to t=Turkey in May, Ella got presented with her Surplice at Church on Easter Sunday which she will wear each Sunday at church, Sabrinah had a lovely time in Liverpool at Easter and Ivy has a new Cockapoo puppy called Poppy. Joseph's brother Sam has been chosen to represent Wales at the Royal Windsor Horse show and Noah passed Wave 7.
Year 5- Lily J's uncle has a special birthday, Violt's mum is enjoying her new job, Eni's grandma arrived from Ghana last week, Nelson passed Wave 4 and Matthew enjoyed a few days in London last week.Ben went to visit newborn golden retriever puppies and will be getting one soon, Maja has a horse competition coming up and Alicja went to Poland over the Easter holidays and had a wonderful time.
Year 6-Victoria has a swimming gala in Wrexham, Natasha is doing a LAMDA exam on Sunday, Seren got into the mid- associate Royal Ballet, Phoebe is watching Arsenal ladies play Manchester United on Sunday, Mathew won 2nd place in an art competition and Nataniel is 1st place in UK fencing under 12s
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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