Welcome to our St Mary's Weekly Newsletter!
RIP- Queen Elizabeth II
Welcome Back to School
It has been lovely to welcome everyone back to school after the summer break and we are all enjoying settling back into normal school life, at last!
Thank you so much for your commitment to retain our very high standards of presentation, which includes school uniform, hairstyles, no jewellery etc. Your continued support and cooperation is very much appreciated.
As a school, we are very conscious of the effects that the current cost of living crisis is having on our families and will continue to offer ‘donated uniform give away’ stalls, in addition to having the on-going low cost sale of good quality second hand uniform as well.
In addition, we are also looking into the possibility of having our own confidential St Mary’s ‘food bank’ where willing families can donate goods/ food to provide support to any needy families in our school.
More information to follow.
School Visits and Trips
As always, we will do our level best to ensure that school visits and trips are priced at an absolute minimum and we will use local facilities as much as possible.
We are pleased to announce that we have won free tickets for the whole school to visit Chester Zoo in November and are looking to issue information about the residential trips to Glan Llyn (Year 5s) and Cardiff (Year 6s) in the coming weeks to allow for parents to pay in instalments to ease the financial burden as much as possible.
Attendance Matters
Please see letter below provided by WCBC Education Support Manager (June 2022) regarding the return to strict attendance monitoring from September following the past couple of disrupted years. 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.
The school's Educational Social Worker monitors the school attendance figures every half term in line with the local authority and school's attendance policy. Please support us to ensure all children are in school to receive their education as long as they are fit and well to do so. Please note that the Welsh Government are reverting back to issuing fixed penalty notices for unauthorised non- attendance at school. Any questions, please ask.
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.
Please note school starts 08:55 and finishes at 15:15.
St Mary's Attendance Race
The St Mary's Attendance race is back on!
Each week during our whole school assembly, the weekly attendance figures for each class will once again be announced and displayed on the attendance race display in the school hall and reported in the weekly newsletter. The classes in Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 with the highest overall weekly attendance will be awarded the prestigious attendance trophy or shield to keep for the week.
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.
As I explained to the children in assembly last week, 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.
First Holy Communion Classes 2022-23
Please see messages about enrolling for First Holy Communion classes in the cathedral Parish and the Parishes of Llay and Rossett. (Year 3 upwards)
First Holy Communion 2022/ 2023 St Mary’s Cathedral Parish
The Parish First Holy Communion programme for children who belong to St Mary’s Cathedral Parish and who regularly attend Mass at the Cathedral will begin in October 2022 with First Communion Masses in June 2023.
Names of children and Date of Birth and contact details( including email) must be given to the Office before the end of September 2022 in order that children can be included in the programme. Details in person at the Cathedral or via email or phone 01978263943 / secretarywrexhamcathedral@rcdwxm.org.uk
First Holy Communion 2022/ 2023 Parish of Llay & Rossett
The Parish First Holy Communion programme for children who belong to Llay & Rossett Parish will begin on 1st October 2022.
If your child belongs to Llay Parish and wishes to make their First Holy Communion next year, please call Miss Oonagh Thompson on 07477547574 or email your child's details to o.thompson58@btinternet.com .
St Mary's School Family Clean Up Day
On Saturday 1st October, we are holding a St Mary's family clean up day in school from 10am- 2pm. All staff, families and friends are invited to join us to give our school gardens and grounds an 'autumn clean up'. Come along to help out, have a chat, get to know each other and make a difference within our school community. It will be lovely to see as many families as possible, particularly after the past few years where we have not been able to come together as a school family. We will even provide bacon butties and a warm drink for all busy helpers! Please email school to let us know if you are able to join us. Diolch
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
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.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @stmaryswxm
Credits:
Created with images by LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "closed laptop, green apple, notebooks and color pencils on desk with welcome back to school lettering on black" • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "group of happy pupils standing in row in front of school bus" • phonlamaiphoto - "Gold star trophy" • mariusz szczygieł - "Christian holy communion" • wip-studio - "Small organic vegetable garden in urban area. Vegetable garden boxes. Home grown vegetables. A garden wheelbarrow full of soil. beautiful garden arrangements" • coco - "fleur de jonquille sur fond jardin" • nito - "text good morning on a cup of coffee or tea" • 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"