Friday Messages

11th April

Easter Holidays

We hope you all have a lovely Easter holiday / gwyliau'r Pasg and enjoy the two week break. We’ll look forward to seeing everyone back and raring to go on Monday 28th April.

School Drive

We're receiving more complaints about parents/ guardians/ grandparents using the drive when they shouldn't. Can we please remind you all that only those with a permit should be using the drive and it's closed between 8:30 – 9:00 and then again at 3:00 – 3:40. Please ensure grandparents are aware too.

Before School club (BSC)

After our previous message, we are still seeing more cases where children aren't booked into BSC. We have been lenient and not invoiced parents for sessions that haven't been booked/paid for but starting after Easter, any child(ren) that come in before 8:20am and are not booked in, will be invoiced. To make this clearer on the day, there will be a notice on door clearly stating the changeover from Before School Club to Breakfast club.

Playful Learning Tip

Over the holidays help your child to keep reading and learning through play! One great way of doing this is to put a word on every step of your stairs at home and encourage them to read them every time they walk up/down. When they know them change the words for new ones. You could make this more difficult for older learners by asking them to use the word in context in a sentence.

Year 5 Residential

We still have a handful of consents and payments outstanding for the Year 5 Residential. This will take place during the first week back after the Easter holidays with Mr. Owen, Mrs. Cowling and Mr. Williams accompanying the children. If you are a Y5 parent, please ensure you have completed the Llain consent form and settled the balance for payment asap. Thank you.

Sports and Race Day

Sports and Race Day will be combined this year-Friday 24th May. Both are on the back field. Foundation Phase will be in the morning and KS2 will be in the afternoon. More details to follow after Easter.

PTA update

As of September, the PTA will be in need of a new lead as Ros and Zoe are stepping down due to children leaving school and work commitments. Unless we have someone new to lead, the kids will miss out on discos, lantern parades, fun runs, father / mother day sales but more importantly, a vital fundraising opportunity will be lost and the teachers will have a lot less money to spend on resources and equipment. Please get in touch if you are interested in supporting us!

4th April

Next week

BIG WALK AND WHEEL - keep it going for the rest of the Summer!

Friday 11th – Sky Phase (Y5/6) Beach School – packed lunches needed

Parent Help Day

Huge thanks to all the parents who were able to join us today. We got an amazing amount of work done and that was before we’d even had a tea break! We’re so proud of how far our school site has come in the last few years and we couldn't do it without the support we receive from parents. If you didn't make today, please keep an eye out for the next one!

Playful Learning Tip

This is an excellent game for younger learners who are learning to read, spell and word build. Go outside with some bubbles, blow them into the air and shout a word that they are learning. Your child has to sound out the word, one letter at a time and pop a bubble as they say each letter sound. The active nature of this game helps children to remember the spelling of words more readily. To make it more competitive you can race your child to be the first one to sound out a word and pop all the bubbles first!

Residentials

Y5 parents, please ensure you have read and ticked off the ‘to dos’ on the message sent through ipay and Seesaw on Thursday 3rd April. Thanks!

Key Dates Ahead

Monday 5th May – May Day Bank Holiday

Friday 16th May – Mr Evans’ Welsh Coffi Morning, 9am – not to be missed!

Monday 19th May – School Nurse visiting Reception children, looking at their height, weight and vision

Friday 23rd May – our combined Race and Sports Day. (Lots of positive feedback last year.)

Monday 2nd June – INSET day, no children in

Wednesday 4th June – Ros and Kirsty in doing Class Photos

Friday 6th and 13th June – PTA Father’s Day sale

Thursday 12th June – Y2 transition to Y3 – Mrs Gorvett’s Coffee morning, 9am

Friday 13th June – Y6 transition to Y7 – Mr Elias’ Coffee morning, 9am

Friday 27th June – PTA fun run

Thursday 3rd July – Mr Williams’ ICT safety Coffee morning, 9am. (Hugely important topic!)

Friday 4th July – HT and DHT meeting Nursery Parent to prepare for Reception

Friday 11th July – Reports come out

Monday 14th July – Moving up morning, children meet their new class teachers

Wednesday 16th July – Y6 Leaver Concert

PTA update

Big thanks to everyone who supported our most recent event, the Mother's Day Sale. We’re really pleased to announce we made an extraordinary total profit of £715!

We have some exciting news that will be unveiled after the Easter break, so watch this space (or the infant yard to be more precise, hint hint). We’re always keen on suggestions from parents about how best to spend the money raised, so if you do have any thoughts, please email them into the office. We are still looking for someone / a partnership to take the reins in September – it would be a real shame for the school if the PTA disbanded.

Easter Holidays

The Easter holiday / gwyliau'r Pasg is for 2 weeks. We’ll look forward to seeing everyone back and raring to go on Monday 28th April.

28th March

Next week

BIG WALK AND WHEEL all week – please make every effort to get some extra exercise coming into school next week

Monday 31st – Land Phase (Y1/2) Beach School – packed lunches needed

NHS dentist

Is your child registered with an NHS dentist? Weve been contacted by Russell Street dental clinic who have confirmed they have 300 NHS places available. Please email the clinic directly if you need to register your child: dentist@swanseaclinic.net

Working day – April 4th

There are always lots of jobs to be done, that anyone can help with. We would love you to come in and have a few projects that we would really appreciate your help with. Please wear old clothes and bring gloves. If you have friends or relatives who may be able to help, we’d love to hear from them too...

https://forms.office.com/e/4mAnHMQvYe

Playful Learning Tip

Lots of children struggle with telling the time using an analogue clock, you can help with this by turning it into a game at home! Draw a chalk circle on the ground outside or create a circle on the floor using items such as a hula hoop, socks, duplo blocks...be creative, make the circle quite big (as large as your child if you can!) Using post it notes or small squares of paper, encourage your child to write the numbers 1-12 and place them in the correct position inside the clock face circle. Next, find household items to represent the hands of the clock explaining that one needs to be bigger than the other. Have fun finding these objects, you could use kitchen utensils, build your own Lego towers or use long strips of paper. Depending on the age of your child you can now ask them to show you various times on the clock, because it is practical and feels like a game children enjoy learning this way. If your child is in Foundation Phase focus on o’clock, half past, quarter to/past. In KS2 we focus on telling the time to five-minute intervals. You can play another version of this at the beach, draw a huge clock face and let your child and their sibling/you/a friend be the clock hands. They love racing to lay down on the sand in the correct position.

Breakfast club BSC / ASC

We’re seeing more cases where children aren't booked into before school club / breakfast club / after school club. Please remember to book your child in via iPay. We are going to have to get a little stricter with the register each day.

Ipay funds

Please ensure you pay promptly for school trips; the school cannot afford to subsidise places and shouldn't have to chase.

The following funds are still open. If your child’s year group is listed below, please log into iPay to check you have paid:

Animal encounters Reception

02/04/2025 Year 5 St Helens Primary School

06/03/2025: Y6: Careers and the world of work event at Swansea Arena

3/12/24 OR 4/12/24: Oriel Science School Workshop - Y5&6

Year 1& 2: Interactive story

Year 4 Residential Urdd Centre 25-26/3/2025

Year 5 Residential Llain: 28/04/2025 - 2/05/2025

Year 6 Residential Llangrannog 16-20/6/25

PTA Update

The Mother’s Day sale has been a great success, so big thanks to all of you who showed your support! We have some exciting news that will be unveiled after the Easter break, so watch this space (or the infant yard to be more precise, hint hint). We are still looking for someone / a partnership to take the reins in September – it would be a real shame for the school if the PTA disbanded.

21st March

Next week

Monday 24th – Sustrans, The Big Walk and Wheel 2025 - for the next two weeks

Tuesday 25th – Wednesday 26th March – Y4 Residential in Cardiff

Friday 28th – PTA Mother’s Day sale (see poster below)

PTA Mother’s Day sale – 28/3/25 - See poster

Today’s PTA sale was such a phenomenal success, a couple of classes didn't get to buy. Don't worry, they will be back on 28/3/25 with lots more stock! This year, to give Mums a special pamper, the children will have a chance to purchase a small organza bag and fill it with their choice of product. From Eden Days handmade soaps, lip balms, bath bombs, hand creams, or scented candles; you will hopefully be receiving something nice! Items will be individually priced and range from 50p - £2.50. Pink envelopes will be going home with the children so they can keep their money safe. This has proved to be very popular in the past and the children have been super excited to choose and give their own special ‘surprise’ gift. The PTA will arrive at school and take care of everything, so please show your support and send them off with some cash.

Parent Work/DIY Day – Friday April 4th

https://forms.office.com/e/4mAnHMQvYe

Playful Learning Tip

If your child is a reluctant writer then encourage writing (or simple mark making if your child is younger-those squiggles on the paper are the first step to forming letters and words!) for authentic purposes. Ask your child to write the weekly shopping list, write a post it note to put on the fridge as a reminder for someone or write a card/letter to a friend/family member. If they have a particular interest such as football, ask them to write a list of their favourite teams or players in rank order. Choose a topic that will motivate them and praise them for elements of their writing they have done well. This will encourage them to write with self-motivation in future.

Y4 Residential

The children in Y4 going on the residential on Tuesday should come to school at the usual time. If parents want a final look at the kit list, that is still on our website. We will gather the luggage in the school hall, have a chat then get gong by 9.15am. Follow the fun on the school’s Instagram.

Sustrans The Big Walk and Wheel 2025

Please remember that children must wear a helmet if they are cycling or scooting to school.

Thank you for your ongoing support! Remember, we encourage active travel choices every day, not just during the event.

Looking on the website https://bigwalkandwheel.org.uk there are loads of resources to help encourage pupils to use active travel to get to school along with some amazing prizes for the school up for grabs!! Some local parents are meeting on the grass at Pyle corner on Monday 24th at 8.30am to walk to school together. If you live that way, please do join!

14th March

Next Week

Friday 21st – PTA Mother’s Day sale (see poster)
Friday 21st – Red Nose Day. We have such a lot going on in school at the moment, we’re keeping this low key. Children are welcome to wear red. We’re not collecting money in school this year though.

Picking up

Staff have a meeting every Monday at 3.30pm, please do your best to ensure you have picked children up and don't hold the teachers up to get there. We're always happy to meet, but Monday is our meeting day.

‘Playful Learning’ tip of the week

Play this ‘What number am I?’ game to develop your child’s mathematical language.

This is one to play in pairs, trios or even the whole family to join in! Each player writes a number on a post it and gives it to another player to stick on their forehead where they can’t see it. Each player has to try and guess the number they have been given by asking questions such as, “Is it in the 2 times table?” or “Is it more than 5?” The other players are only allowed to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This can be tailored to the age and ability of your child, if they are older and up for a challenge you can model asking questions such as, “Is it a prime or composite?” or “Is it divisible by 10?” The first one to guess their number is the winner!

Sustran’s The Big Walk and Wheel 2025

We are excited to take part in the national Big Walk and Wheel Week 2025, running from Monday 24th March to Friday 4th April. This event encourages children to travel to schools in active ways, such as walking, cycling, or using a scooter. Please remember that children must wear a helmet if they are cycling or scooting to school. Thank you for your ongoing support! Remember, we encourage active travel choices every day, not just during the event.

Looking on the website https://bigwalkandwheel.org.uk there are loads of resources to help encourage pupils to use active travel to get to school along with some amazing prizes for the school up for grabs! Some local parents are meeting on the grass at Pyle corner on Monday 24th at 8.30am to walk to school together. If you live that way, please do join!

PTA Mother’s Day sale – 21/3/25 & 28/3/25 - See poster below

This year, to give Mums a special pamper, the children will have a chance to purchase a small organza bag and fill it with their choice of product. From Eden Days handmade soaps, lip balms, bath bombs, hand creams, or scented candles; you will hopefully be receiving something nice! Items will be individually priced and range from 50p - £2.50. Pink envelopes will be going home with the children so they can keep their money safe. This has proved to be very popular in the past and the children have been super excited to choose and give their own special ‘surprise’ gift. The PTA will arrive at school and take care of everything, so please show your support and send them off with some cash.

Payment reminder for the Residential trips

Please go to the relevant purse on ipay. If you haven't sent in the consent form, please sort that too. All forms are on the school website. https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/

7th March

Next Week

Monday 10th – St David’s Day Celebrations happening in school, children can wear traditional clothing or red

Tuesday 11th – Mountain Phase (Y3/4) Beach School, packed lunches needed

Friday 21st – Red Nose Day. We have such a lot going on in school at the moment, we’re keeping this low key. Children are welcome to wear red. We’re not collecting money in school this year though.

PTA Mother’s Day sale – 21/3/25 & 28/3/25

This year, to give Mums a special pamper, the children will have a chance to purchase a small organza bag and fill it with their choice of product. From Eden Days handmade soaps, lip balms, bath bombs, hand creams, or scented candles; you will hopefully be receiving something nice! Items will be individually priced and range from 50p - £2.50. Pink envelopes will be going home with the children in the foundation phase so they can keep their money safe. This has proved to be very popular in the past and the children have been super excited to choose and give their own special ‘surprise’ gift. The PTA will arrive at school and take care of everything, so please show your support and send them off with some cash.

Punctuality and Appointments

Please do not bring your children to school late, it impacts on our ability to give the rest of the class a good education, obviously it impacts on your child if they come to school late. We also have difficulties when parents make appointments and take children out during school time, I am sure you understand that we simply don’t have spare staff to walk around the school picking children up and dropping them off. Every time it happens; a class of children are having their teaching time disrupted.

Careers Afternoon – Thursday 13th March 1330-1500

Next Thursday we have a Careers Afternoon where children in Y5 learn about different jobs that are out there. We’ve traditionally been really well supported, this year we have hardly got any volunteers. Please would you consider coming in? The children will quiz you about your job and what it entails. You can imagine that for lots of children the only jobs they can picture are: teachers, nurses and policemen! By giving them a sense of the variety of jobs out there, we can be giving them a goal to work to.

Attendance

Our school attendance has dropped a lot this term. It’s the lowest it’s been in the last few years. Please don’t take children out of school during term time. Schools are increasingly being picked up in inspections for this, we would be gutted to lose what we have spent many years trying to get to a good place.

Nursery Parents – Parent's Meetings

Parents of children in the morning Nursery, please use the following booking form to book an appointment to talk about your child’s progress. https://forms.office.com/e/93H484iu2a

Coffee Morning cancellation

Our next Maths coffee morning was scheduled for this Wednesday 12th , this has now been cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Healthy Snacks

We are finding that an increasing number of older children are bringing unhealthy snacks to school at break time. We are a healthy school and only allow fresh fruit or vegetables at break times. On Beach School days pupils are still not allowed to bring big bags of sweets or chewing gum to school. Please support us in this to ensure our pupils grow up with healthy habits for the future. A small, nut free treat is ok in packed lunches but please do keep break time snacks healthy.

Learning through play –tip of the week!

This short game is called ‘Back-to-Back’ and takes no time at all to play but has lots of benefits for concentration, listening and communication skills. Stand or sit back-to-back with your child, each holding a piece of paper and a pencil. One of you will begin to draw a simple picture, describing to the other what they are doing e.g. “I am drawing a circle in the top left- hand corner of the paper” The other player attempts to copy what their partner is doing in order to make their pictures identical. When the drawing is complete you can have a big reveal and see how you did, now swap roles! This game can also be played in a more challenging way, with both partners holding an identical pile of 10 Lego bricks and one person being the ‘builder’ describing how they are joining the bricks. Do your creations look identical at the end?

Residentials

Any children not going on a residential, will still be looked after and educated in school for those days. We can’t authorise absences for children to do something outside of school on those days. If your child is going, please ensure payments have been made and the consent form has been given into the office (Residentials | Bishopston Primary School).

Land Phase Beach School

The next Land Phase Beach School – Tuesday 18th – is being postponed. We will let you know a new date asap.

21st February

Scroll down to see some suggested free and cheap half term activities.

Week after half term

Monday 3rd - School INSET day, no children are in

Tuesday 4th - Sky Phase Beach School Day – packed lunches needed

Thursday 6th – World Book Day (see below)

Thursday 6th – Y6 Trip to Swansea Arena, careers event

World Book Day

This World Book Day we are keen to extend the children’s vocabulary with a ‘wear a word’ fancy dress theme as we did last year! Please choose an exciting word with your child and be creative with your ideas. See the costume ideas below as examples. We will be holding a vocabulary parade on the day so the children can learn as many new words as possible! Children in Y6 are on a trip that day with a date we had no choice on, they can come in normal school uniform.

Play Based Learning Tip

If your child needs is struggling with some key words in their reading book, then turn it into a game and get them moving! If it is a fine day, hide the words you want them to learn in the garden on post it notes and ask your child to hunt for a word at a time and spell it aloud for extra points. Or alternatively, line up the words the furthest end of a room away from your child, get them to race against the clock to find the word you say and bring it back to you. Turning the word recognition into a game will help your child remember the words more quickly and retain the information. (See pics below for ideas.)

STEM week

We are looking for volunteers with careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) to inspire our young learners during our careers afternoon at 1:15 pm on Thursday 13th March. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your experiences, showcase the exciting aspects of your work, and help spark curiosity and ambition in the next generation. If you're passionate about what you do and would like to contribute to our children’s understanding of STEM careers, we’d love to hear from you. Please let us know if you can join us!

St David’s day celebration

This is taking place on Monday 10th March – all children are encouraged to wear red. Lots dress up in traditional Welsh costumes too. It’ll be a great day in school.

Do something amazing, give blood

The Welsh blood service have asked us to promote their next session in our area on Thursday 27th February at the Ostreme Community Centre, Mumbles. There are 55 appointments remaining. At present only 3% of the population donate blood. Each donation will save three lives or six premature babies.

Please find below the booking link

English

Welsh

The Welsh Blood Service need more donors at their sessions coming up in Mumbles next week!

Could you help? Your 1 donation can save 3 adults or 6 babies!

Book your appointment here 🔗

https://wbs.wales/BishoptonPriSch

Mae Gwasanaeth Gwaed Cymru angen mwy o roddwyr yn eu sesiynau yn dod i fyny yn Y Mwmbwls yr wythnos nesaf!

Allwch chi helpu? Gall eich rhodd 1 arbed 3 oedolyn neu 6 babi!!

Archebwch eich apwyntiad yma:🔗

https://wbs.wales/BishoptonPriSch

Free and Cheap February Half Term Activities 2025.pdf

7th February

Inset day reminder 3/3/25
World book day reminder (dress up-wear a word) 6/3/25
St David's day celebration (dress up in red) 10/3/25

Next week

Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th - Parents’ Evening

Thursday 20th – Maths workshop for Sky Phase (Y5/6) parents. The last one was really well attended. Come along, you’ll find it super useful.

Healthy Snacks

Please don’t send unhealthy snacks to school with children, no one should be bringing in sweets, chocolate or crisps for a snack at break time. We will not allow the children to have it during break. They are welcome to have fruit or another healthy snack.

PTA Valentine’s disco

Thanks so much to all who helped make this event so lovely for the children; the ones who made it had a fab night and loved every minute! Special thanks to Louis in year 6 who did a great job with the light show! Together we raised a grand total of £644 which is pretty amazing considering we had to pay for a DJ, the sweets and most of the other snacks. We are very lucky to be able to work with our Tesco Community Champion in Fforestfach, Trevor, who always supports our events with some donations. Well done to the PTA members who made this happen!

PTA update

Please go for it! Let Zoe in the office know, or contact me directly. We need your support.

Play Based Learning Tip

Improve your engagement with nature, by taking time to notice the beauty all around us. Next time you are out and about with your families, why not challenge yourselves to scavenge, hunt and listen for specific things. For example:

Something that makes a sound (e.g., wind rustling leaves, a bird call, etc.)
A colour you’ve never seen before in nature
An object that has a story (e.g., a rock that looks like something familiar, a strange shaped stick, etc.)
A place that feels peaceful or mysterious (e.g., under a tree, near a pond, etc.)
An animal (real or imaginary) that would fit into a story
A plant or flower that could be part of an adventure or magic spell
Something that looks out of place (e.g. a pinecone on a flower bush, a bright object in the mud)

Exchange workshops for pupils with ALN

The following workshops are being run by Exchange in half term for children with additional learning needs.

Self Regulation

Self-Esteem and Confidence

These will be face to face sessions for the children on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th of February. The workshops will be held at 9 Axis Court, Mallard Way, Swansea, SA7 0AJ. They will also be running a parental peer support group alongside these workshops. Please see leaflets for more information.

Parents/carer can reserve a place onto these workshops by calling 03302020283 or emailing admin@exchange-counselling.co.uk.

Reminder - Residentials

Can we politely ask that parents please take note of the payment dates, it’s such a waste of our time having to chase parents for payments.

Please also ensure you have sent in the medical consent forms, these can easily be downloaded from the school website https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/

Y4, 25-26th March 2025 – Urdd Centre in Cardiff

The information session happened on Thursday 17th October

Payment is overdue

Y5, 28th April – 2nd May 2025 – Llain Residential Centre

The information session is Tuesday 21st January 2025

Payment is due by 28th February 2025

Y6, 16th – 20th June 2025 – Urdd Centre in Llangrannog

The information session is Wednesday 5th February 2025

Payment is due by 31st March 2025

7th February

Inset day reminder 3/3/25

World book day reminder (like last year children will be asked to come as a a word) 6/3/25

St David's day celebration (dress up in red) 10/3/25

Next week

Monday 10th – Mountain Phase (Y3-4) Beach School (packed lunch needed)

Tuesday 11th – Land Phase (Y1-2) Beach School (packed lunch needed)

Wednesday 12th – Valentine's Disco – see info below

Thursday 13th – Parents’ Maths workshop for Y3-4 Parents. If your child is struggling with maths in Y5-6, you too might find this a useful workshop to be at. The workshop is about showing parents how we teach maths – it's not a test of your maths skills! Come along, if you can, you’ll enjoy it.

Friday 14th – Sky Phase (Y5-6) Beach School (packed lunch needed)

Being on time

Please can we all make an effort to be here on time each day. School starts at 0850. Please don’t get into a habit of bringing your child to school late. We completely understand that sometimes things go wrong, but the norm should be that children are on the playground ready to come in at 0850 each morning. Thanks so much.

Parents Evening – 18th-19th February

Parents evening is coming up in the last week of this half term. Please use the link below to let us know when you would like to meet your child’s teacher. Bookings will be stopped after Wednesday 12th February, we’ll then get appointments out to parents by Friday 14th. Everyone will be given an appointment.

https://forms.office.com/e/2MiZdjztNf

Share my work feedback

If you came to the Share My Work session, please use this link to give us feedback.

https://forms.office.com/e/5jZscGdU5J

Mental Health Week

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week; here’s some further info and resources to support children, young people, parents, carers and professionals.

Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week - Official site

tidyMinds - Mental health advice for young people

(12) Facebook

‘Play Based Learning’ tip of the week: Positional language for our younger learners

Set up some treasure - Hide some small toys in the room. E.g. Under the chair, behind the sofa, next to the table. Then give clues using positional words e.g.

The treasure is under something we sit on

Look behind the sofa

It is between two big pillows

It is beside the shoes

Then let your child search encouraging them to say the positional words as they look. You can then let the child hide the objects and give clues to others using positional words. Celebrate when the child finds the toys by reinforcing the positional language e.g. "You found it under the chair!"

PTA Valentine’s disco – see poster below

This year the disco will be held on Wednesday 12th February; we hope you can make it! The foundation phase disco will be from 5:30 – 6:15 (parents are welcome and encouraged to stay) and the Juniors is 6:30-7:30 (parents can drop off or are welcome to stay if you would like to). This is a cash only event and will be £1 entry. Please remember how busy the drive gets; foundation parents will need to leave promptly as juniors will be dropped off for 6:30 so street parking would be best.

Head lice

Please can all parents be extra vigilant and check regularly / treat head lice. It seems to be a reoccurring issue in reception and Y1/2.

31st January

Inset day reminder 3/3/25 - it's the Monday after half term

Next week

Wednesday 5th – Y6 Residential - Parent information session on Llangrannog at 1530-1600. If you can’t make it, the key information is on the school website: https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/
Thursday 6th - Share My Work session, see times below

Letting us know about Absences

Polite reminder to use the official absence phone line if your child will not be present at school (01792 232754 option 1). Whilst emails and Seesaw messages will be picked up, it makes sense to have this information in one place. The LA have asked us to capture the reason for the absence, so please be specific and not provide a general “not feeling well” “not 100%”. Each day your child is absent you will need to call the line to provide an update.

Parents Evening – 18th-19th February

Parents evening is coming up in the last week of this half term. Please use the link below to let us know when you would like to meet your child’s teacher.

https://forms.office.com/e/2MiZdjztNf

PTA Valentine’s disco – see poster below

This year the disco will be held on Wednesday 12th February; we hope you can make it! More info is on the poster below. The PTA are asking for any sweetie donations so they can keep costs down, please bring them in ASAP to the office / class teacher. They are also looking for helpers on the night so please do volunteer if you can, its nice to see some new faces.

Learning tip of the week

This week’s tip of the week has a literacy focus. Improve your child’s vocabulary by creating a word treasure chest. This could be a drawing or printed picture, or a filled box or container with strips of paper or gold coins inside. Throughout the week, challenge family members to collect a wonderful word of the day - a word that they have found in a book, heard in school or seen out and about that they find interesting, cool or intriguing (try to choose words that your child will be able to use). At the end of the week, everyone draws a word from the treasure chest. Orally make up a silly sentence or a story using this word. Whose is the best?

Information for parents of children with ALN

Please find a flyer attached for parents and carers with concerns about their child’s communication and social interaction skills. The Local Authority are holding ‘Time 2 Talk’ sessions which will provide an opportunity to meet with representatives from the Additional Learning Needs Inclusion Team, with a view to building parent partnership and provide signposting to support. See the ALN NEURODIVERSITY FLYER below for times.

Advanced warning - Parent Work Day – April 4th

There are always lots of jobs to be done that anyone can help with. A big job we need some muscle for, is to get a stretch of fencing done in the Foundation Phase area. If we pay a company it will cost a lot of money from the school budget. We are more than happy to order the materials, but we really do need your help. We’ll need to do some post digging, then fixing the arris rails, then putting on the feather edge fencing. If you could help, please do sign up so we can get organised for the day. If you have friends or relatives who may be able to help, we’d love to hear from them too...

https://forms.office.com/e/4mAnHMQvYe

Consent forms for Residentials

Please can we remind parents to send in the consent forms for the residentials (Ys 4,5,6). They are all available on our website: https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/

Half Terms Sports

The LA will be running Multi-sports camp over half term. Activities will include: Basketball, Football, Pickleball, Orienteering, Trampolining and other fun games and activities. Anyone wishing to attend will need to contact Bishopton Leisure Centre to book. There is also a Mountain Bike activity at Clyne Park. See the posters below for details.

Reminder of our Maths Workshops for Parents

Owen Price, a lovely teacher, is going to be running some maths workshops for parents. He has our Calculation Policy, so he knows the methods we use to teach children. He will teach them to help you feel more confident supporting your children. Our TAs did this session during our recent INSET day, they were really positive about the session, so much so that I recommended it to all Swansea schools. I am sure anyone who comes will enjoy it and find it useful.

Mountain Phase Parents (Y3/4) - Thursday 13th February 1pm-3pm

Sky Phase Parents (Y5/6) - Thursday 20th February 1pm-3pm

Reminder of Share My Work – 6th February

Once again we have a Share My Work session coming up. In the Foundation Phase this will involve showing you activities in the hall as well as books.

The session times are...

Foundation Phase - in the FP Hall

Reception – Mrs Thomas & Mrs Gray/Jones – 1400-1430

Year 1/2 - Mrs Ellis and Ms Melling & Mrs Gorvett - 1430-1520

Key Stage 2 - in the KS2 Hall

Year 3 - 0900-0940

Year 4 - 0940-1020

Year 5 - 1400-1440

Year 6 - 1440-1520

Please use this booking form to let us know you’re coming so we can get books ready.

https://forms.office.com/e/S3zYCNgy9T

Providence lane housing development

The Application Reference is: 2024/2259/FUL and the closing date is 3/2/25. Follow this link to have your voice heard.

Half Term Sports Camp Bishopston

ALN NEURODIVERSITY FLYER

24th January

Next week

Monday 27th – expect to see scaffolding up in the KS2 playground, we’re getting the final part of the roof done. The work will take around 6 weeks.

Thursday 30th – 9am, Coffee Morning with Mrs Beynon, ‘How children learn’.

It's been suggested that each week on the Friday messages we will give a tip for parents where they can help their children learn skills in a playful way. Children respond far more positively to learning through play or authentic contexts and we want to help our parent community to engage with learning in this way. Scroll down for this week's tip of the week!

Coffee Morning

Next week Mrs Beynon is running a coffee morning on our curriculum and how children learn. This is open to parents of both Foundation Learning and KS2. If you want to find out more about how we plan for your children’s learning, our emphasis on learning through play when children are younger, our skills-based project approach or assessments then this is a great opportunity.

Share My Work – 6th February

Once again we have a Share My Work session coming up. In the Foundation Phase this will involve showing you activities in the hall as well as books.

The session times are...

Foundation Phase - in the FP Hall

Reception – Mrs Thomas & Mrs Gray/Jones – 1400-1430
Year 1/2 - Mrs Ellis and Ms Melling & Mrs Gorvett - 1430-1520

Key Stage 2 - in the KS2 Hall

Year 3 - 0900-0940
Year 4 - 0940-1020
Year 5 - 1400-1440
Year 6 - 1440-1520

Please use this booking form to let us know you’re coming so we can get books ready.

https://forms.office.com/e/S3zYCNgy9T

Feedback on Share my Work

We do our best to listen to feedback and respond where we can. The feedback to this session is brilliant. However, sometimes different parents suggestions are polar opposites. For example, previously parents asked us to put 'Share my Work' near to parents evening so parents could feel more clued up discussing their child’s work during parents evening (hence it is placed where it is). Another parent fed back last time to say please could it not be so close to parents evening. I highlight this simply to let you know, we always ready your comments, often they’re given anonymously so we can’t directly feedback. We discuss as a leadership team and then go with what we think will be of most use to as many of you as possible. Please do keep the feedback coming!

Play based learning tip for the week

When you are out and about with your child point out numbers in the environment around you, this could be road signs, door numbers, aisle numbers in the supermarket, etc.

If your child is in Sea Phase then simply getting them to identify the number will be enough, you could also encourage them to count the number of steps, number of cars in the street, etc to practice their number skills in a meaningful way. If your child is older you can move on to harder skills such as:

What number comes before/after?
Can they count to that number in steps of 2, 5 or 10?
How many hundreds/tens/ones are in the number?
Which times tables can you think of that has the number as an answer?
Can you divide the number equally?
What are the factors of that number?
What is ten times the number?

Planetary Parade!

You may have heard that there is a planetary alignment this weekend. You can use the Sky Tonight App https://get.skytonight.app/pp_01 to see how the planets will look from our location on Gower when the alignment happens.

Did you want to make a comment on this - the deadline is coming up?

https://property.swansea.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

17th January

Next week

Monday 20th – Sky Phase Beach School (Y5,6) – packed lunch needed

Tuesday 21st – Y5 Residential, Parents Information Session, 3.30pm.

Thursday 23rd – 1pm, Y1-2 Parent workshop on Maths – see last week’s Friday message

Coffee Morning

On Thursday 30th January Mrs Beynon is running a coffee morning on our curriculum and how children learn. This is open to parents of both Foundation Learning and KS2. If you want to find out more about how we plan for your children’s learning, our emphasis on learning through play when children are younger, our skills-based project approach or assessments then this is a great opportunity.

STEM week

Residentials

We have planned residential trips for children. These will be great trips for the children. Can we politely ask that parents please take note of the payment dates, it’s such a waste of our time having to chase parents for payments. It is essential that the deposit has been made to ensure the place is booked. Please also ensure you have sent in the medical consent forms, these can easily be downloaded from the school website https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/

Y4, 25-26th March 2025 – Urdd Centre in Cardiff

The information session happened on Thursday 17th October

Payment is now due

Y5, 28th April – 2nd May 2025 – Llain Residential Centre

The information session is Tuesday 21st January 2025
Payment is due by 28th February 2025

Y6, 16th – 20th June 2025 – Urdd Centre in Llangrannog

The information session is Wednesday 5th February 2025
Payment is due by 31st March 2025

School Essentials Grant

This could help you, check it out...

https://www.gov.wales/school-essentials-grant-help-school-costs

Parking Near School

Please be mindful when parking locally if you have to drive to pick up/drop off. We’ve had a number of local residents who are unhappy with the way some people are parking as they are unable to access their driveway. If you know of others who need a lift, perhaps a car share could be arranged?

Drive and Car Park Safety

Please can we remind everyone to use the footpaths around school wherever possible. One of our little ones walked out in front of the car in front of a teacher driving up during the times when the drive is open for cars. We’d also like to remind parents not to walk through the staff car park as a route into breakfast club, Nursery etc.

10th January

Welcome back!

Hopefully everyone had a good break and feels refreshed and ready to go for it.

Next week

Tuesday 14th – Beach school for Land Phase (Y1/2) - packed lunch needed. Please send children in with sensible shoes and coats, hats etc.

Thursday 16th – ALN Coffee Morning @9:00AM, this one has a particular focus on dyslexia. These are informative and helpful sessions so please come along to learn how best to support your child.

Contacting the office

If you need to contact Zoe in the office please use the official communication channels of the school telephone 01792 232754 or the school email bishopstonprimaryschool@bishopston-pri.swansea.sch.uk

Reminder to apply for Free School Meals (FSM)

Not to be confused with free school dinners, FSM provides access to uniform grants and discounts on educational trips. Find out if you are eligible: https://www.swansea.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

Maths Workshops for Parents

Don’t be frightened! This is a good thing! Owen Price, a lovely teacher, is going to be running some maths workshops for parents. He has our 'Calculation Policy', so he knows the methods we use to teach children. The session will help you feel more confident supporting your child. Our TAs did this session during our recent INSET day, they were really positive about the session, so much so that I recommended it to all Swansea schools. I am sure anyone who comes along will enjoy it and find it useful. Any parents/grandparents can join any of the sessions, but the sessions will be aimed at teaching the strategies for each particular phase.

Land Phase Parents (Y1/2) - Thursday 23rd January 1pm-3pm

Mountain Phase Parents (Y3/4) - Thursday 13th February 1pm-3pm

Sky Phase Parents (Y5/6) - Thursday 20th February 1pm-3pm

13th December

Next week

Thursday 19th – Choir singing in the community. They will leave school at around 9.15am, go dowo to Pile corner and sing some carols etc. They’ll then be back in school by 10.45am. In the afternoon we will be taking the choir to a local care home for some singing too.

Christmas shows

Wow what a fantastic performance by our Sea and Land phase children – they did so well. We hope you all enjoyed too.

Just a friendly reminder that school gates will be locked during school hours for safeguarding reasons. The main driveway and parallel footpath are open for people coming to watch Christmas shows; please pass this info onto family members if they are attending. The PTA hamper raffles have gone exceptionally well, so thank you to all those that have showed their support so far. Be it sending in an item, or buying a ticket, we couldn't raise money without our supporters. In just 3 shows we have raised just over £450.

Plant Plea

If anyone has any spare plants (or even cuttings in small pots), the school would love to have them. Artificial, real, trailing, large plants, pots, carriers, you name it - we could use them. It would be lovely if each class could have some greenery.

Painting Plea

We want to get some decorating done in the school. If you know of someone good that works locally, let us know and we’ll get onto them for a quote.

6th December

Next week

Monday 9th - Flu nasal spray for anyone who missed the last session – Please give your consent ASAP via the link: https://forms.office.com/e/zV0bjq9QNm Full info was sent out via iPay (06/12/24 at 11:03).

Christmas Shows

Please scroll down to last week’s messages to see all the details of the Christmas shows.

Homework

Homework won’t be sent home on the last week of term.

Snacks

Please don’t send children to school with chocolate bars. We do not allow that in school. If you want to send them with a snack it must be a healthy one.

PTA

Huge thanks to everyone who supported the PTA’s recent events. Even in such dire weather, the lantern parade was a great night and in total, the PTA made the following profit: Lantern Parade & Christmas market £737, Golden raffle £925. A big thank you to the local businesses below for providing such great raffle prizes! Cadog Homecare Ltd, Eden Days, Surfside Cafe, Gower Coast Holiday Homes, Beauty Box, Bay Fitness, Gower Inn, The Plough and Harrow, South Gower RFC, Belvoir Estate, The Joiners Pub, The New Gower, Hotel, Worms Head Restaurant, Hot Dog surf shop, Shepherds, Copper Boat, Bishopston Gym, Clyne Farm Centre, Gower Heritage Centre, On the Rocks, Flow Yoga Wales, The Valley Pub, Jenkins Brothers Garage, Beaufort Arms.

During the Winter term, the PTA have given each class teacher £250 to spend on items they believe will enhance their students’ learning. This has been a great initiative to ensure each pupil can benefit directly from fundraising.

The last PTA activity of the year will be the Christmas show hamper raffle. Each year group has been asked to bring in a specific item so we’ll receive an array of lovely things to include in the raffle (see attached poster). Please can we have donations in ASAP as the Foundation shows start next week! Items can be handed to the class teacher or in at the office. Thank you!

Flu nasal spray - for anyone who missed the last session. Ifd you have not yet given consent, please do so via the link: https://forms.office.com/e/zV0bjq9QNm Full info was sent out via iPay (06/12/24 at 11:03.

Christmas Show tickets – You should now be able to purchase a maximum of 4 tickets per child on iPay. On Tuesday 10th December, any unsold tickets will be available to purchase if you need more.

Drive issues

Please do not stop illegally at the end of the drive to drop off. If we are handed photos of cars doing this, we will pass them on to the police. Please do not use the drive unless you have a pass. No one should be using it between 0830-0900 and 1500-1540.

Data updates

Please do email the school office if you have any changes to phone numbers or addresses etc.

Coming in late

If you come in late with your child, please do ensure they are booked in for dinners.

29th November 2024

Tonight – the Lantern Parade – come to the school from 5pm or meet us on the route. Bring your gloves and umbrellas! The school gates will be locked at 6:00pm so please don't park in school.

Next week

Tuesday 3rd – Mountain Phase Beach School (packed lunch needed)

Tuesday 3rd – CAMHS Coffee morning at 9am (see below)

Wednesday 4th – Choir singing in town centre, leaving school at 1pm

Friday 6th – Mrs Beynon’s RVE coffee morning

Coffee Morning CAMHS-Managing Big Emotions

Those who have been to these CAMHS session have told us how useful they are. This is particularly helpful for parents of children who struggle with emotions – possibly get angry, scared, anxious etc.

Governors QUESTIONNAIRE on the After School Club

If you use ASC or not, Governors would love to hear your views on the ASC provision. Please fill out this short questionnaire for them: https://forms.office.com/e/1XFbdPTK26

Christmas show arrangements

Please read through the information below to understand what we’re doing with the shows this year. Tickets are now available to purchase via iPay. The last opportunity to buy two tickets for your child's show is on Wednesday 4th. After that, the remaining tickets will be put on sale for people to purchase more.

The Foundation Phase show normally lasts for around 50mins. The Mountain Phase shows is new this year, but we’re expecting it to last for no more than an hour. An important change is regarding the Y3/4 show, it will be in school now, no longer Murton church hall. The Sky Phase show will be just over an hour.

Raffle tickets will be sold and the wonderful prizes given out at the conclusion of each show.

AM Nursery

Friday 13th December at 9.30am (no tickets needed)

Please bring the children to school as usual. The show will involve walking around the outside of the school before finishing in the Foundation Phase Hall. Please bring warm clothes. At the end of the show you’ll have an opportunity to chat over a mince pie and cup of tea. After this, you will be able to take children home if you want to. There is no show for the afternoon nursery, that happens next year!

Foundation Phase (Reception and Y1-2)

Wednesday 11th December at 9.30am

Wednesday 11th December at 5pm

Thursday 12th December at 1.30pm

This will be in the junior school hall. Those with tickets will need to come to the side entrance of the hall, go through the wooden gate on the left hand side of the bin area (not the main entrance to the school). The door will open 20 minutes before the show begins.

For the afternoon show, parents can take children home after, but it will be from the FP playground.

For the evening show, please bring children to the main door of the school, where the Reception is, at 4.30pm. After the show children will get changed and then will be dismissed from the main door, it will be dark on the car park, so those picking up will need to come to the door to collect. For this evening show, the school playground will be a carpark for anyone to use. Please drive exceptionally carefully.

Mountain Phase (Y3-4)

Monday 16th December at 1.30pm
Tuesday 17th December at 5.30pm

This show is going to be more of a music concert, it will be in the junior school hall. Those with tickets will need to come to the side entrance of the hall, go through the wooden gate on the left hand side of the bin area (not the main entrance to the school). The door will open 20 minutes before the show begins.

Parents will be able to pick up from the playground at the end of the show.

For the evening show, please bring children to the Y3/4 door of the school at 5.00pm. This is the door at the far end of the playground, close to the walk through to the comp and leisure centre.

Children will be dismissed from the Y3/4 entrance, it will be dark on the car park, so those picking up will need to come to the door to collect. Children will not be allowed to walk home alone, so please do arrange pick-ups.

For this evening show, the school playground will be a carpark for anyone to use. Please drive exceptionally carefully.

Sky Phase (Y5-6)

Tuesday 17th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th at 6pm

Parents will be able to pick up from the playground at the end of the show.

For the evening show, please bring children to the Y5/6 door of the school at 5.30pm

Children will be dismissed from the Y5/6 entrance, it will be dark on the car park, so those picking up will need to come to the door to collect. Children will not be allowed to walk home alone, so please do arrange pick-ups.

For this evening show, the school playground will be a carpark for anyone to use. Please drive exceptionally carefully.

22nd November

Next week

Friday 29th – the world famous Bishopston Lantern Parade! Come to the school from 5.00pm (definitely not earlier) ready to set off for 5.30pm.

Coffee Morning CAMHS-Managing Big Emotions

This is on Tuesday 3rd December; those who have been to these CAMHS sessions have told us how useful they are. This is particularly helpful for parents of children who struggle with emotions – possibly get angry, scared, anxious etc.

Children in need raised a total of £178.00 so thank you to all those that donated.

Christmas Shows

Having listened to feedback from parents over the last couple of years we have made a change to our Christmas Show arrangements. Please make a note. If you subscribe to the school calendar these will automatically come up on your phone calendar. Tickets will be added to iPay next week.

Nursery

Friday 13th December at 9.30am (no tickets needed)

Foundation Phase (Reception, Years 1-2)

Wednesday 11th December at 9.30am

Wednesday 11th December at 5pm

Thursday 12th December at 1.30pm

Mountain Phase (Years 3-4)

Monday 16th December at 1.30pm (at Murton Church Hall)

Tuesday 17th December at 5.30pm (at Murton Church Hall)

Sky Phase (Years 5-6)

Tuesday 17th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th at 6pm

Ordering a Christmas Dinner for the last day of term

All children in the school have the option of free school meals now. For Nic, the cook, it’s really helpful to get the order right for Christmas dinner. Even if your child normally has a school meal, please could everyone who is going to have a Christmas Dinner fill in this form by 29/11/24. It will be on the last day of term, Thursday 19th December https://forms.office.com/e/fUzBCG7yvi

We have a lot of lost property that has no name label. If your child has lost something, please come to the office and have a look. Anything unclaimed by the end of this term will need to be recycled.

Flu nasal spray – The school nursing team will be back in on 9/12/24 to give the Flu nasal spray to anyone that missed the last session. Please give your consent ASAP via the link: https://forms.office.com/e/zV0bjq9QNm Full info was sent out via iPay (24/10/24 at 13:41).

Pallet wood

If you have any spare pallets – not old and rotten – that could be brought to school. We’re going to do some woodwork with some of our children in KS2. If you ould drop them near to the bins that would be great.

Volunteers

As ever a big thank you to those of you who kindly come in and support the school by volunteering to help. It’s been suggested we see if some of the grandparents (some already do) would like to come in and read with children and then have a coffee break together where they can enjoy a chat with others. If you think any of your family might be up for this idea, please email Mr Owen owenj142@hwbcymru.net

PTA

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Lantern Parade next Friday (29/11/24) from 5pm at the school. Lantern kits are available to buy at Northway Garage for £7. If you have a lantern from last year and you only need additional lighting, glow wands can be bought from the office for £3.

The last few remaining seats are available for the Bath Christmas market (7/12/24). Contact Aimee (07947719377) to reserve your place; there’s even a complimentary glass of fizz. Last year was a great opportunity to have a fun time travelling together and then to go off to do our shopping / lunching.

Sweetie jar donations – this year any sweetie jar donations will be rewarded with 1 dojo per jar, so get creating! Please see poster for more info. If you need a jar please come and collect one from the office.

More prizes have been added to the Golden raffle, so get your ticket(s) quick! This year, as well as the star prize, a Smyths Toys voucher for £150 kindly donated by Cadog, there are numerous meal vouchers for local restaurants such as The Plough and Harrow, The Valley, On The Rocks, The Gower Inn, to name but a few, plus a couple of overnight stays! Tickets cost £1 each and can be purchased via iPay – the fund is called ‘PTA Golden Raffle - tickets £1’ (tickets will be in the name of the child who's account they have been purchased via). Tickets will also be available to purchase at the carol service, the lantern parade, Murton light switch on and the Christmas market (29/11/24). The draw will take place via a video on 29/11/24 which will then be sent out via the school WhatsApp groups and the local FB site. Prize winners will be contacted via txt. Good luck!

If anyone is having a clear out, we would really appreciate any good quality soft toys / teddies you may be getting rid of. Please bring them into the office by Tuesday 26th November for our Teddie tombola at the Christmas market (29/11/24).

15th November

Next week

Monday 18th – Reception children having hearing screening

Coffee Morning CAMHS-Managing Big Emotions

This is on Tuesday 3rd December, those who have been to these CAMHS session have told us how useful they are. This is particularly helpful for parents of children who struggle with emotions – possibly get angry, scared, anxious etc.

PTA – The Golden raffle is back with a bang with over 20 wonderful prizes to be won! This year, as well as the star prize, a Smyths Toys voucher for £150 kindly donated by Cadog, there are numerous free meal vouchers for local restaurants such as The Plough and Harrow, The Valley, On The Rocks, The Gower Inn, to name but a few, plus a couple of overnight stays! Tickets cost £1 each and can be purchased via iPay – the fund is called ‘PTA Golden Raffle - tickets £1’. Tickets will also be available to purchase at the carol service, the lantern parade, Murton light switch on and the Christmas market (29/11/24). The draw will take place via a video on 29/11/24 which will then be sent out via the school WhatsApp groups and the local FB site. Prize winners will be contacted via txt. Good luck!

Bath Christmas Market – 7/12/24 - last few tickets remaining.

Contact Aimee (07947719377) to reserve your place. Last year was a great opportunity to have a fun time travelling together and then to go off to do our shopping / lunching. The ticket price even includes a glass of fizz! Bingo tickets can be purchased on the day - there's an opportunity to win a £50 meal voucher for 2 at Worms Head Hotel as well as a luxury hamper.

Christmas Tree Lights Competition

Councillor Lyndon Jones runs a competition each year for children to be able to turn on the Christmas Tree Lights at Murton Green. This year children need to draw/paint a Christmas scene, they can do this with any medium of art. Entries need to be on A4 paper and in school by 9:00am Monday 25th November.

Book Fair

Please can anyone who hasn't yet paid for their book/stationary come to the office and pay cash. The online link has now closed. Thank you all for your support, it was a really successful event.

AM Nursery collection – use of car park

Please can we remind all parents that unless you have a pass for the drive you shouldn’t be using the school drive. Most parents have this sorted, those picking up at the end of morning Nursery need a reminder. We don’t want to run patrols! Please can everyone support by not using the drive. Please pass this information on to any friends/relatives who pick up.

Ordering a Christmas Dinner for the last day of term

Many children in the school have school meals now. For Nic the cook it’s really helpful to get the order right for Christmas dinner. Even if your child normally has a school meal, please could everyone who is going to have a Christmas Dinner fill in this form. It will be on the last day of term, Thursday 19th December. Thanks

https://forms.office.com/e/fUzBCG7yvi

8th November

Monday 11th November - Flu nasal spray – please give your consent ASAP via the link: https://forms.office.com/e/zV0bjq9QNm Full info was sent out via iPay (24/10/24 at 13:41).

Tuesday 12th November – Moutain phase beach school – packed lunch needed

Thursday 14th November - Lantern making workshop Junior hall: afterschool. No need to book. Lantern kits available to purchase too if needed (£7 cash)

Friday 15th November – Children in Need – wear spots. We'd love to make a great contribution to Children in Need. Please use the ipay purse 'Children in Need 2024'. We used to ask for £1, just pay whatever you want to pay.

Friday 15th November – Scolastic payment deadline - see below

Coffee Morning change

Next week our planned coffee morning on Religious and Values Education (RVE) has been moved to December 6th – apologies for the change.

Book Fair

Please can anyone who hasn't yet paid for their book/stationary pay online before 15/11/24 https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/pay/1425487/checkout. It's easier to follow this link but cash payments can be made at the office.

Attendance and Punctuality Reminders

Please try to avoid wherever possible taking children out during term time. Our attendance is normally good. Please help us to stay good! Punctuality is improving, some families still need a gentle reminder that school starts at 0850.

PTA Updates

Thanks to everyone who helped support the PTA in the glow wand sale during Bonfire night; it was really nice to see some new faces helping out! They made a grand total of £320 profit. The PTA are always very busy around the Christmas term, please see posters for the upcoming events listed below.

Lantern making workshop – Thursday 14th November – after school: come to the main reception. Get ready for the annual village Lantern Parade (29/11/24) by attending this free session with your child that has been kindly organised by Gini Lawson. Kits will be available for you to purchase if necessary (£7) and Gini will guide you through how to make your lantern. Lantern making kits will be available to buy from Northway Garage very soon, keep an eye for the WhatsApp update.

Lantern Parade - Friday 29th November

We will leave school at 5.30pm - come a bit early for a warm drink. After the parade, the Christmas lights are switched on and the Christmas Market is open so come and have a browse and support local small businesses.

Bath Christmad Market - Saturday 7th December

If you haven't yet bought your ticket for the Bath Christmas market (7/12/24) there are still some left. Contact Aimee (07947719377) to reserve your place. Last year was a great opportunity to have a fun time travelling together and then to go off to do our shopping / lunching.

HELP!

The PTA are desperately low on volunteers and Christmas is a busy time for fundraising. If you can spare even just half an hour it would be really appreciated! Be it selling glow sticks at the firework display in Murton (5/11/24) or manning the teddy tombola at the Christmas market (29/11/24) we could really use your help. Contact the school office if you can lend a hand. Each year they ask parents to decorate jars and fill them with sweets for the tombola and also any teddies that are in good condition.

Ros and Zoe are looking to hand over the chair position of the PTA, if you're interested, please let them know. The PTA is most effective when different parents are willing to take a turn.

25th October

Next week is the half term holiday

The week after:

Monday 4th November – all children back after half term

Monday 4th November – Sky Phase (Y5/6) Beach School – packed lunch needed

Tuesday 7th – at 9am, Coffee Morning - CAMHS - Emotional Regulation

Tuesday 5th – Land Phase (Y1/2) Beach School – packed lunch needed

Book Fair

From 3:15-3:45pm on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th we will have a Book Fair in the KS2 School Hall. There are always lots of books on offer, it’s worth coming for a peruse and it's a more cost-effective way to buy books your child may be interested in. They have now developed an online payment system so no need to bring cash.

In parents evening, a number of parents mentioned that it’s a struggle to find age appropriate books for their children that they are interested in. This might be a real help!

Ros and Kirsy Photographs – last order day is today, Friday 25th October. Check your email for your unique link.

Tree for firewood

Lots of you will have seen that a tree has come down on the school grounds – near to the fence between the FP and KS2. If you could come up over half term and saw it up, you’d be welcome to any wood for firewood. Branches that are left over we’ll get into the hedgerows after half term. This will save us £450 for a tree surgeon to come and get rid of it.

PTA

Such a great Halloween disco this year – we made over £750! Huge thanks to Natalia Marie for her DJ skills and Louis Kennedy-Mort for his epic light show. It’s lovely having some new faces join the team with fresh ideas and extra help.

Lantern making workshop –

This will be on Thursday 7th November – after school: come to the main reception. Get ready for the annual village Lantern Parade (29/11/24) by attending this free session with your child that has been kindly organised by Gini Lawson. Kits will be available for you to purchase if necessary (£7) and Gini will guide you through how to make your lantern. Lantern making kits will be available to buy from Northway Garage very soon, keep an eye for the WhatsApp update.

Ros and Zoe are looking to hand over the chair position of the PTA, if you're interested, please let them know.

Christmas Tree Lights Competition

Councillor Lyndon Jones runs a competition each year for children to be able to turn on the Christmas Tree Lights at Murton Green. We will once again have a lantern parade on Friday 29th November. This will finish at Murton. It’s normally a very lovely evening. This year children need to draw/paint a Christmas scene, they can do this with any medium of art. Entries need to be on A4 paper and in school by 9:00am Monday 25th November.

Free bus travel

In Swansea free bus travel will be back in the run up to Christmas. The dates this is available can be found in the link below:

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/9473/Free-bus-services

A huge thank you from Crisis Homelessness Charity!

We have received a thank you letter from Crisis Homeless charity thanking us for the generous food donations made by parents in our school community. It says:

‘Thank you for your generous donations which were collected in aid of Crisis, as part of your Harvest festival this year. This Christmas, your support will help us to provide food hampers and warm meals to our members, as well as offering a range of activities for them to benefit from at our Skylight, in Swansea. Our team at Skylight work tirelessly to support our members out of homelessness, helping to find them a place of their own, which they can call ‘home’. ‘

If you would like to find out more about volunteering or fundraising for Crisis, please follow this link: www.facebook.com/crisissouthwales

Half Term Fun -

The Swansea Science Festival returns with the main event on the weekend of 26th and 27th October 10am - 4pm, at the National Waterfront Museum.

The grand finale on Monday, 28th October, will showcase the much-loved TV presenter Andy Day with his exciting show, Andy’s Dino Rap.

Throughout the weekend, enjoy FREE exhibitions showcasing groundbreaking research at Swansea University. No booking is required—just drop in to explore hydrogen energy, meet robotic dogs and cats, uncover the secrets of ancient Egyptian mummification, and even learn how to love a maggot!

There are lots of bookable events. Hands-on workshops and inspiring talks that delve into the mysteries of oceans, the wonders of electricity, and the incredible stories of people shaping our world. Weekend highlights include a science rap workshop with presenter Jon Chase, insightful talks with TikTok star Big Manny, renowned explorer Ray Mears, and wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin.

18th October

Next Week

Monday 21st at 9am – Coffee Morning (Play Based Learning) with Mrs Ellis

Monday 21st – Y6 Cycling proficiency. A message has been sent via the Y6 WhatsApp group detailing who is in each group – please remember the bike and helmet and suitable clothing whatever the weather! Ideally bikes will go home each night.

Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd – Parents' Evening. For those who booked a slot, slips with times on them should have come home. Please touch base with your child’s teacher on Monday if you haven’t had that.

Thursday 24th – PTA Halloween Disco

PTA Halloween disco – 24th October. Please keep sweetie / costume donations coming in, we can't run these events without your generosity and support. The last date we can accept donations is Monday 21st.

Seesaw: If you are having trouble accessing this application and either need a new QR code or need the teacher to send an email to initiate private messaging, please let the office know ASAP. We will need your child's name and teacher as well as details of the issue.

Roz and Kirsty photos – now available. School photos are ready! Please check your email for their link so you can place your order. Parents have until Fri 25 Oct 2024.

Absence - Polite reminder to call the absence line to report your child ill. Please do give some details about the issue; ‘feeling unwell’ doesn’t give us much to go on.

Christmas Shows

Nursery

Friday 13th December at 9.30am

Foundation Phase (Reception, Years 1-2)

Wednesday 11th December at 9.30am

Wednesday 11th December at 5pm

Thursday 12th December at 1.30pm

Mountain Phase (Years 3-4)

Monday 16th December at 1.30pm (at Murton Church Hall)

Tuesday 17th December at 5.30pm (at Murton Church Hall)

Sky Phase (Years 5-6)

Tuesday 17th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th December at 1.45pm

Wednesday 18th at 6pm

Blood donation session - coming up at Ostreme Community Centre Mumbles on the 31st October. They are really struggling to fill the sessions and have 92 appointments still available. Book an appointment today 🔗 https://wbs.wales/BishoptonPriSch

Beach Clean Session

Keep Wales Tidy are running a beach clean, open to all on Sunday 19th October at Llangennith Beach between 10.00 - 12.00 (meet time is 09.45) Any families that would be willing to go along and support would be hugely appreciated. Please wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather. Litter picking kit and bags will be provided. Please bring your own gloves if you can.

Hill End Car Park, Swansea, SA3 1JD

What3words: ///occur.suits.prove

Y4 Residential

The presentation for parents giving key information is now available on the website

https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/bishopston-primary-school/UploadedDocument/c054b0b9-8205-4464-b6ca-44bd4fa500fe/year-4-urdd-residential.pdf

11th October

Next week

Monday 14th – Y6 Cycling proficiency. A message has been sent via the Y6 WhatsApp group detailing who is in each group – please remember the bike and helmet and suitable clothing whatever the weather! Ideally bikes will go home each night.

Monday 14th – Harvest Festival. Nothing is needed from the parents but please do donate dried food items if you are able to (tins, cereals, pasta, rice etc.) This year we will be giving donations to CRISIS Homeless Charity.

Tuesday 15th – Shwmae Day – celebrating Welsh, please wear red

Tuesday 15th at 2.30pm - come and meet the Governors.

Wednesday 16th – Share my Work Day (please ensure you have used the booking system as shared in previous week’s Friday messages, just scroll down).

Thursday 17th at 3.30pm – Y4 Residential Information evening. No problem to bring children in. This will be in Mrs Cowling’s classroom.

Friday 18th – Show Racism the Red Card Day – please wear red

REMINDER - Parents Evening booking form

We were asked last year to send out the booking form for Parents’ Evening a bit further in advance. Here it is. Our Parents’ Evening is for the final week of the half term: Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October. We will send out the appointments in the week before. Please ensure you have filled this by Monday 14th October.

https://forms.office.com/e/SBV5i54DPj

Coffee Morning – Monday 21st October

Mrs Ellis is running a session at 9am on Play Based Learning. This will be a useful session for parents of Foundation Learning children, (Nursery, Reception, Years 1-2).

PTA – Volunteers needed

Murton Firework display (5/11/24)

Help make lantern kits (November)

Set up Santa’s grotto / support the lantern parade / run PTA stall for an hour (29/11/24)

If this is something you can help with, even for just an hour, please txt Ros: 07790005953.

Homework Clarification

In KS2, Your child will be given literacy homework every other week, alternating with maths homework. The literacy task will reflect the topic covered in class the previous week and will offer at least two levels of challenge. If your child wants to stretch themselves to do the higher level work then they can complete the extra challenge questions independently or it may be that working through the main task with your support is challenge enough for them. When your child has literacy homework, they will also have a Mathletics task set online. All children are given spelling words to learn at home and are tested on those spellings each week.

As you are aware, we set for maths and your child may have a different teacher for this lesson. The maths homework is set by your child's maths teacher, while all sets work on the same skills, they do so at different levels of difficulty. This is reflected in the task sent home. When your child has maths homework they will also have a Reading Eggs task set online.

In Land Phase we have the traffic lights system must do, should do, could do. As part of the "must do" your child will be given literacy and mental maths homework every week. These are differentiated using our Dewi flames. The aim of the mental maths is that it can be done orally and does not need to be recorded in any way. We are hoping that with regular exposure to these skills your child will develop rapid recall of these number facts. The "could do" task will reflect the topic covered in class that month.

In Reception your child will be given a weekly reading book or library book to take home. Families will also be asked to practice early mathematical skills in an informal way e.g. counting on, counting back etc.

Parent Help Day

Thanks so much to the parent and grandparents who gave up their time this morning to help improve our Nursery outdoor area. We really do rely on the ‘Parent Help’ days to keep our beautiful school grounds in order. Diolch yn fawr!

Lottery Funding questionnaire

At the end of last year I mentioned that one of our parents is kindly supporting the school to write a bid for lottery funding. It would really help the bid if more families filled in the questionnaire. We may be able to get funding to improve the school.

https://forms.office.com/e/yvE5r3EvVs

Does your family need financial support?

All of our pupils are fortunate to be offered free school meals now.

While families don’t need to apply for the free meal offer, many may still qualify for additional support, such as help with school uniforms and discounts on school trips. Applying for this support not only benefits families but also greatly helps the school, as it increases our eligibility for additional funding – and we need every penny we can get!

Please can we ask that you take the time to learn more or check your eligibility, you can visit Swansea Council Free School Meals by using the following webpage - https://www.swansea.gov.uk/schooluniformgrant

The School Essentials Grant is available to children and young people:

eligible for free school meals (eFSM)

Looked After Children (LAC), (must attend a Swansea school)

those who are classed as No Resource to Public Funds (NRPF)

in year groups Reception to Year 11 (as of September 2024)

*Pupils who receive free school meals due to transitional protection do not qualify for this funding*

Funding available is £125 for each eligible learner with the exception of those in Year 7, who will be entitled to £200.

The grant can be spent on:

School uniform including coats and shoes;

School sports kit including footwear;

IT Equipment: laptop and tablets ONLY (School Essentials should only be used in limited situations where a school is unable to loan equipment to the family).

Uniform for enrichment activities, including but not limited to: scouts; guides; cadets; martial arts; sports; performing arts, or dance;

Equipment - for example, school bags and stationery;

Specialist equipment where new curriculum activities begin such as design and technology;

Equipment for out-of-school hours' trips such as outdoor learning - for example, water proofs.

We are able to offer help to children whose parents or carers receive the following support payments. (The term 'parent' includes someone living in the household as the partner of a child's biological parent.)

Universal Credit if your annualised net earnings are £7400 or less*

Income Support

Income based Job Seekers Allowance

Income related Employment and Support Allowance

Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Child Tax Credit where total annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Custom service) is less than £16,190 a year

Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - this is the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit (usually when their employment ceases or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week).

4th October

Next week

Monday 7th – Sky Phase (Y5/6) trip to the Civic Centre to examine WW2 archives –packed lunch needed for all children

Thursday 10th – Sky Phase (Y5/6) Beach school – packed lunch needed

Friday 11th October – Parent Help Day – Focus on FP Outdoor Learning Areas – please call / email the school office if you can make it. Let us know what time you can be here. We really appreciate even an hour of your time.

Calendar Dates

We are trying to put whole school diary dates onto our shared calendar which you are able to subscribe to: https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/diary/grid/2024/10/

You’ll note that we have Shwmae Day on Tuesday October 15th and Show Racism the Red Card Day on Friday October 18th. We simply ask the children to wear something red on both days. Nothing complicated.

Parents Evening booking form

https://forms.office.com/e/SBV5i54DPj

Share my Work

We have our Share my Work session coming up – Wednesday 16th October. This is a lovely opportunity for parents, carers, grandparents to come in and spend a bit of time

https://forms.office.com/e/viYwASAtWe

Help with finances

Governors of the school have asked I remind parents about this. The school receives a grant that is dependent on the number of pupils in the school who are eligible for FSM. We would encourage you to apply. The Welsh Government now offer universal free school meals to all primary aged children. However, the website below refers to ‘eligible free school meals’ (eFSM). Parents/carers can apply for this in order to receive other benefits such as school uniform payments or discounted trips. eFSM figures are used by the Welsh Government to allocate grants such as the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) and so we encourage parents/carers to continue to apply where they believe they are eligible. The website contains further information on the eligibility criteria.

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/3204/Apply-for-free-school-meals#:~:text=Fill%20out%20a%20form%20to,are%20%C2%A37%2C400%20or%20less

PTA Halloween disco

It's looking likely that events may need to be cancelled next year due to the dwindling number of helpers. We know how busy everyone is these days, but it would be a shame to see this vital revenue stream for the school disappear and we all know how much the kids love the events that are put on. So please volunteer if and when you can. Currently the PTA are asking for sweetie donations to help make up the sweetie bags. Please can you hand donations to the class teachers or bring them into the office. The PTA are also selling pre-loved Halloween costumes so would welcome any you may have gathering dust in the back of a wardrobe. If you're looking to buy Thanks for the support we have received so far.

No bikes on the school yard

We’ve been asked to mention again the policy of no bikes or scooters on the school yard before and after school. This is for the childrens’ safety as there have been some near misses recently, we appreciate your support.

27th September

Next week

Tuesday 1st October – Land Phase (Y1/2) Beach School – packed lunch needed

Thursday 3rd October – School PHOTOS. Consents must have been given to Roz and Kirsty for children to have their portrait photo. They are beaut photos normally.

Friday 4th October – 0900 – Coffee Morning It’s an ‘Introduction to sensory processing’ with Hannah Childs. (Hannah is one of our parents, she is an Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner.)

Parent Help Day - Friday 11th October

Focus on FP Outdoor Learning Areas

Parents Evening booking form

https://forms.office.com/e/SBV5i54DPj

Share my Work

We have our Share my Work session coming up. This is a lovely opportunty for parents, carers, grandparents to come in and spend a bit of time

https://forms.office.com/e/viYwASAtWe

PTA

Please support us by helping and or / donating sweets for our Halloween disco (poster below). We are also collecting and selling Halloween outfits so save some money and recycle at the same time by purchasing your outfit from the PTA this year. Costumes are on a rail near the office in the juniors and start at a bargain price of £3.

Bishopston Comprehensive Y6 Open Evening - Thursday 3rd October 2024, 6:15PM - 8:00PM

Bishopston Comprehensive are holding an information evening for current Year 6 pupils and parents. This is a ticketed event so your place will need to be pre-booked. Full details have been sent via iPay but if you need more information, please contact the office and we can provide you with the booking link.

Parking at the Comprehensive

Please do not part on the comprehensive school site. This is a message from them:

Can we please remind parents/carers to refrain from entering the school premises at the start of the school day between 8.10am and 8.45am as there are 15 buses as well as taxis requiring clear and safe access. Also we are unable to allow vehicle access to the school grounds between 2.45pm and 3.20pm.

We have picked up issues with primary parent/carers parking in our staff car park and the back car park to drop off their children to primary school. Primary pupils should not be cycling or on scooters through the main staff car park/school site

We greatly value being a 'community school' but have to put measures in place as advised by health and safety. The footpath which goes past the BT Exchange Building is for public access and there is safe passage through to the primary school from there. The community car park is for people accessing the leisure centre.

Drive use in the mornings

Please can we remind everyone that unless you have a pass you should not be using the drive at any time. Those who do have a pass are still not to use the drive between 0830-0900 and between 1500-1540.

BSC/breakfast club/ASC timings

Before school club and Breakfast club timings are as follows:

0750 – BSC opens
0820 – Breakfast club opens
0830 – Breakfast club shuts the doors
0850 – School starts

After school club timings are

1520 – School finishes, ASC starts
1715 – ASC shuts, please don’t be late picking up. Staff aren’t paid to be there past that time.

Trip payments

Please pay on time. When you consent to the trip the school is therefore committing to the payment. We do not have the time to be chasing parents for payments, so please do pay on time.

20th September

Next week

Tuesday 24th – Mountain Phase (Y3/4) Beach School (packed lunch needed)

Wednesday 25th – Some pupils from Sky Phase coasteering

Friday 27th – Sky Phase (Y5/6) trip to Talesin (no packed lunch needed)

PTA Meeting 26/09/24 @ 7:30 in the Valley pub

Please come along and get to know the team if you can. We are always keen to welcome. We will be planning the year’s activities and organising the Halloween Disco (24/10/24). Don't worry if you can't make it, there are still lots of ways you can help support the PTA... we would really appreciate any sweetie donations to help keep our costs for the disco as low as possible - please hand them to the class teacher. Other ways to help can be found: https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/how-to-raise-money-for-the-children/

Help with finances

The Welsh Government now offer universal free school meals to all primary aged children. However, the website below refers to ‘eligible free school meals’ (eFSM). Parents/carers can apply for this in order to receive other benefits such as school uniform payments or discounted trips. eFSM figures are used by the Welsh Government to allocate grants such as the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) and so we encourage parents/carers to continue to apply where they believe they are eligible. The website contains further information on the eligibility criteria.

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/3204/Apply-for-free-school-meals#:~:text=Fill%20out%20a%20form%20to,are%20%C2%A37%2C400%20or%20less

Photo Consents

We understand that some parents choose not to give consent for the school to put photos of their children on social media. Our policy is that if parents don’t want photos on social media the child isn’t in the photo. It leads to mistakes when teachers are bringing children into the photo and then taking time editing photos with blurs over faces etc. We find nearly all parents want their children on photos when it comes to residentials, trips etc. Please do give it some thought as to whether you really do not want your child to be on photos taken in school. Notify the office of any changes, we will then update our records.

Pick ups

If you decide your child is going to go home with someone else, please make sure the school knows.

Site Security

Padlocks are now going on most of the gates each day at 9am and coming off again at 3pm. If you are coming in the middle of the day to pick up, this includes Nursery families, you will need to come up the main school drive.

Lose Parts' Shed

The shelter on the Foundation Phase playground to the right of the stage area is for ‘loose parts’ play. This is specifically for school break times and lessons. Please don’t allow your child to help themselves before or after the school day.

Coffee Morning – Guest Speaker coming up on Friday 4th October

Last week we had a great turn out to our Phonics Coffee Morning, there was barely any space! We have an interesting one coming up on Friday 4th October. It’s an ‘Introduction to sensory processing’ with Hannah Childs. Hannah is one of our parents, she is an Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner. It should be a really useful session for all parents and carers.

Taking children from school early!

Please avoid wherever possible taking children out from school early. Please book appointments outside school time. The impact on the Foundation Phases classes in particular is causing a real stress. We simply don’t have spare staff to be running around getting children. It means staff are leaving valuable teaching time.

Parent Hack....

We all know how hard it can be to keep track of log ins. Teachers either send you them via Seesaw or stick them into the home learning book. As soon as you have them, take a photo, favourite the photo and you will always have them to hand 😉

Residentials

We have planned residential trips for children in Y4 (1 night), and Y5 and 6 (4 nights). Information is on the website https://bishopstonprimaryschool.wales/residentials-1/ . We will send out more information next week this will include how to pay.

13th September  

Next week... 

Monday 16th at 9am – Phonics Coffee Morning. This will be led by Mrs Ellis and will be held in one of our support rooms in KS2 (just come to the main office). This will be invaluable advice to support your children learning to read at home. For any parents that cannot attend, a slide deck will be available on our website (ADD LINK)

Tuesday 16th – Y4 Museum trip – packed lunches needed

Friday 20th – Y3 Museum trip – packed lunches needed

Healthy Snacks!

We have been asked to clarify where the school stands with snacks. We love them! Children must bring in a healthy snack for morning break. They are not allowed chocolate, sweets, or crisps etc at that point. At lunch time if you choose to send them with a packed lunch, we simply ask that they have a balanced diet, if a small treat is in the box, no problem.

We should also remind parents we are a NUT FREE school. We have both children and staff with severe allergies.

PTA Meeting

The PTA do an incredible job raising vital funds for our school and they are always looking for new members to help whenever they can. The next meeting will be held on 26th September at the Valley pub so please come along and get to know the team if you can. The next event will be the Halloween Disco (24/10/24), so if you can help decorate the hall or man one of the stalls please contact the office.

6th September  

Welcome back, or welcome to our school, everyone!

Next week... 

Tuesday 10th  - 3.30pm meet the teacher

Key Reminders 

The Drive  - no one should be using their vehicles on the drive unless they have a pass.

Booking for BSC, ASC  - please use ipay for booking either Before or After School clubs.

Phones  - children cannot use phones on the school grounds.

 All families are now eligible for Free School Meals.

Appointments - wherever possible, please ensure appointments for dentists etc are made outside of the normal school day.
School uniform - please wear uniform if possible. Second hand uniform is on sale at the school office. Uniform labels are available through Stikins, our school code is 2074

Padlocks on the gates

From Monday, our caretaker will be putting padlocks on all the gates, except the one leading into the car park and up to the front entrance. This is to further improve our safeguarding. The padlocks will go on at 9am and come off at 3pm.

Please can we urge you to be on time. It is a real hassle for staff when parents bring children in late, it interrupts the learning of everyone else in the class.

SeeSaw

All parents should have a QR code come home which you need to scan to join the class SeeSaw. Paper copies went home this week. This enables teachers to be able to communicate with you. Please don’t delay signing up.

Coffee Morning

Phonics on Monday 16th September– this will help you to understand how you can help your child learn their sounds at home which in turn has a huge impact on their reading, writing and future academic success.

Dismissal

At the beginning of term, dismissal takes a bit of extra time simply because teachers are getting to know new faces. Bring an umbrella if it’s wet, you might have to wait a few extra minutes.

Late comers

Anyone who is late for school needs to come to the main entrance and sign the late book.

Food bank

Sketty food Bank are desperate for carrier bags; they give out over 100 per week! Tracy from the kitchen has kindly agreed to collect any unwanted extras we may have, so please bring them into the main office and we can help recycle and reuse.   

Message from Swansea Council

Proposed new model for Specialist Teaching Facilities (STFs) across Swansea

Swansea Council is consulting on a proposal to redesignate 25 STFs, change the specialism of 3 STFs, expand 4 existing STFs and close 5 STFs in Swansea with a phased implementation commencing in September 2025.

A copy of the consultation paper, including the impact on each school affected, along with all associated documents can be found via the following link:

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/schoolorganisationSTFreview

If you have any comments, please use the on-line response form available on the link above or refer to the consultation document for alternative ways to send us your views. All responses must be received by no later than 17 October 2024.

If you would like to know more information or would like an opportunity to ask questions, you can attend one of the following:

an online consultation meeting on 9 October at 1pm on Microsoft Teams (please register your interest in attending this session by 30 September 2024)

an in-person meeting will be held on 16 September at 4pm in the Scout Hut, Bryn Road, Brynmill, Swansea, SA2 0AU (please register your interest in attending this session by 10 September)

an additional in-person meeting will be held on 8 October at 5pm in the Scout Hut, Bryn Road, Brynmill, Swansea, SA2 0AU (please register your interest in attending this session by 30 September)

To register your interest in attending one of the above consultation meetings, please email schoolorganisation@swansea.gov.uk by the dates specified above. If we do not receive any bookings to attend these sessions, then these meetings will not proceed.

You are welcome to use the Welsh Language in any of the above meetings. We kindly ask that you inform us when booking if you require the presentation to be delivered through the medium of Welsh, this will allow us to make arrangements for simultaneous translation to be available at the meeting specified.

If you require this information in a more accessible format, or you are unable to access the website to view the consultation document, please contact Michelle Thomas on (01792) 636686 or email schoolorganisation@swansea.gov.uk to arrange for an accessible copy of the consultation document to be delivered to you.

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