Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you are all well. It has certainly been a very challenging start to the Spring term for us all but as usual, our children have displayed resilience and dedication to their learning and we are so very proud of them!
Unfortunately, as you will have seen from our updates, covid-19 is very much with us and isn’t going away. It is clear that the new variant is spreading very quickly so we must continue to be as careful as possible to reduce the spread. Please see the covid section of the newsletter below for further advice on how you can help us to reduce the spread.
Although we currently have a high number of covid cases in the school, please don’t be alarmed. This is the situation in many schools at the moment and is reflective of the situation across Wales. Although the new variant is spreading much quicker, all of the cases are OK with varying symptoms and are resting at home.
We are expecting to see further cases in the coming weeks so I will continue to update you daily on the numbers. Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.
Take care,
Mrs Wangiel
This half term’s value is:
HARD WORK AND EFFORT
Heroes of the Week
This week’s heroes are:
Dosbarth Coch: Tobias and Emelia-Rose
Dosbarth Oren: Clark and Skyla
Dosbarth Melyn: Joey and Eva-Leigh
Dosbarth Glas: Joshua and Penny
Dosbarth Porffor: Kurt and Molly. F
Dosbarth Enfys: Kaley and Dyllan
Well done to all of our certificate winners, we are very proud of you all!
Covid-19
With the quick spread of the new variant of covid, we must continue to follow our health and safety protocols to reduce the spread. You can help us in the following ways:
- Please do not send your child to school if they are feeling unwell in any way. If they are displaying any of the symptoms of covid, including the wider symptoms, please keep them at home and arrange for them to have a PCR test.
- If your child has been identified as a close contact of a positive case, they should do a lateral flow test every day before attending school. Please wait the full 30 minutes to confirm the result.
- Ensure your child has thoroughly washed their hands before coming to school.
- The children shouldn’t bring in anything unnecessary from school. (No pencil cases)
Pupil Development Access Grant (PDG) – Additional Year Groups Added
Welsh Government are pleased to announce that they are extending the grant for additional year groups for this academic year, namely, Years 2, 4 and 6, at a rate of £125 per learner. This is in recognition of the extreme pressures facing many families, and the subsequent rise in eligibility of Free School Meals. The grant is now available to all school years Reception – 11.
If you have already made a claim or received a payment for a year 2, 4, or 6 pupil under the LAC criteria, then no application can be made this academic year. Details on how to claim, along with the terms and conditions can be found here –
https://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/Services/Schools-and-learning/Travel,-grants-and-funding/Pupil-Development-Grant-(PDG)-Access
Parent Council Meeting- Tuesday 25th January 5pm
There will be a parent council meeting on Tuesday 25th January at 5pm (please note the date has been changed from the original meeting date due to illness).
The meeting will be focused on addressing any issues raised in the parent/ carer survey from the Autumn term. We would very much appreciate as much input from as many parents as possible to gain a fuller understanding of the issues raised and potential solutions to address them.
All parents and carers are welcome to attend, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t attended a meeting before. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Online Safety
Further advice about setting up new devices for your children:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pTQtkwUrf8aqnmOtzwJdw855aXIsRYO-/view?usp=sharing
Big Talk (Please discuss with your children):
This week’s topic is… what’s more important – hard work or talent?
Upcoming Dates
Thursday 17th February – break up for half-term
Thursday, 10th February – School photos
2021-22 INSET Dates
Friday, 18th February
Friday, 24th June
Friday, 17th December – Bank holiday in lieu of Queen’s Jubilee