Weekly Newsletter 05.06.26

School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

Welcome back to the second half of the Summer Term!

It was lovely to welcome everyone back after such a sunny half-term break. The children have returned full of enthusiasm and have quickly settled back into school life, ready for another exciting half term of learning.

ASPIRE Curriculum
We have been delighted to see our new STEM Outdoor Classroom being used so successfully by both Dosbarth Porffor and Dosbarth Enfys this week as they continue to develop our ASPIRE Curriculum. It has been fantastic to watch the children working independently, exploring, creating and problem- solving using the kindly donated tools from members of our community. The authentic learning opportunities taking place have been truly inspiring, with children showing tremendous excitement, engagement and curiosity in their learning. We have already worked our way through a large amount of our nail supplies, so if anyone is having a sort out and has any spare nails, we would be extremely grateful for your support.

A Generous Community Donation
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the local crafting group who thought of our school when awarding us a generous donation of £250. We are incredibly grateful for their kindness and support. We are looking forward to asking the children how they think the money should be spent and involving them in making decisions that will benefit our school community.

Trips and ParentPay Reminders
We are excited about the educational visits and experiences planned for the coming weeks. Please keep an eye out for letters and emails regarding upcoming trips, and ensure payments and permissions are completed promptly via ParentPay. If you need any support accessing the system, please contact the school office.

Year 5&6 Spain Trip
It was lovely catching up this week with the teachers and children who attended the Year 5 and 6 London trip. Hearing about their adventures and experiences was an absolute pleasure. The children spoke enthusiastically about how much they loved the trip, with some of the highlights including visiting the beach, jumping in the waves, practising their Spanish and making new Spanish friends. What a worthwhile experience and a wonderful opportunity for the children to develop their confidence, independence and cultural understanding.

Attendance
Attendance continues to be a key priority for us. Every day in school matters, particularly when there are so many exciting learning experiences taking place with teachers and friends. Regular attendance helps children build confidence, maintain progress and feel fully involved in all aspects of school life. The competition for BABS the Bear is certainly heating up, with children desperate to achieve the highest attendance and win the chance for BABS to spend the week in their classroom. We look forward to seeing which class will be victorious!

Thank you
Finally, we would like to thank our school community for its overwhelming generosity in supporting one another. It has been incredibly touching to receive so many donations of food, clothes and other products to help support families within our community. Your kindness, compassion and willingness to help others truly reflects the special community we are fortunate to be part of

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Kind regards,
Mr Lloyd, Mrs Lloyd and the Derwendeg team

Important Dates

Key Dates for 2025-26 – Term Dates

Spring Term: Monday 5 January – Friday 27 March 2026
Half Term: Monday 16 February – Friday 20 February 2026
Summer Term: Monday 13 April – Monday 20 July 2026
Half Term: Monday 25 May – Friday 29 May 2026

Please remember these are the dates of the school year, but below are the dates for the Insets to reflect when the children are in school.

INSET Dates
Monday 5^th January
Friday 13^th February
Monday 13^th April
Monday 20^th July

June
Monday 8^th June – Year 6 leavers photos
Thurs 11^th June – Dosbarth Gwyrdd Class Trip
Friday 12^th June – 1.30pm Reception-Year 2 Sports Day
Wednesday 17^th June – Dosbarth Glas Ystrad Mynach Library visit
Thursday 18^th June – Dosbarth Porffor Ystrad Mynach Library visit
Friday 19^th June – Dosbarth Enfys Ystrad Mynach Library visit
Monday 22^nd June – Year 6 swimming sessions start (3 week block)
Tuesday 23^rd June – Bible exhibition Bethel Chapel – Gwyrdd
Wednesday 24^th June – Bible exhibition Bethel Chapel – Glas, Porffor, & Enfys

July
Wednesday 1^st July/Thursday 2^nd July – Lewis school Transition days
Wednesday 1^st July – Dosbarth Coch, Oren & Melyn Class trip
Monday 6^th July – Spain visit to our school
Wednesday 8^th July – Dosbarth Glas class trip
Friday 17^th July – break up for Summer holidays

School Menu
Click here to see the school menu.
Week beginning Mon 8^th June will be Week 2

Attendance Matters
The United Nation Article 28 states ‘every child has the right to have a primary education’. We are linking our attendance performance to this article.

We want our children to have the best possible education to give them the best chance in life. If your children aren’t in school we can’t give them this opportunity and can’t give them the opportunity to ‘be the best they can be.’

School target: 93%
Annual % to date: 91%

Weekly total
(Week ending 22nd May): 89%

Dosbarth Oren: 93%
Dosbarth Melyn: 87%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 86%
Dosbarth Glas: 90%
Dosbarth Porffor: 89%
Dosbarth Enfys: 92%

Congratulations to the classes who surpassed our school target of 93%. It is important all of the children are in school every day to ensure they aren’t missing out on important learning.

Heroes of the Week

Dosbarth Coch: Ella S & Arthur-Jay F
Dosbarth Oren: Noah D & Harlan P
Dosbarth Melyn: Mylee W & Nora M
Dosbarth Gwyrdd Asher W & Maisie A
Dosbarth Glas: Emelia-Rose G & Harper-Rae PD
Dosbarth Porffor: Aneira McG & Lilia McG
Dosbarth Enfys: Olivia O’C & Ashton M