Weekly Newsletter 18.09.26

School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

What a great week! We would like to thank all the parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and carers who supported the children at our Meet the Teacher and Stay and Play sessions this week. Your involvement and enthusiasm were fantastic. It was lovely to welcome you into school, share our Aspirations for the year ahead, build relationships, and hear about your hopes for the future too. The children’s aspirations were a joy to listen to — from Moana nurses and princess doctors to superheroes, teachers, scientists, firefighters and so many more. Their imagination and ambition always brighten our week.

Attendance – A Fantastic Start

We are delighted with the excellent attendance across the school so far. It is lovely seeing the children arrive each morning with smiles, ready to learn, and settling so well into their classrooms. This year, our new whole-school attendance target is 95%, and we are already making a strong start towards achieving it. Regular attendance has a huge impact on learning and wellbeing. Being in school every day helps children build strong friendships, feel secure in their routines, and make steady progress in all areas of learning. Even small amounts of missed time can make it harder for children to keep up, so thank you for your continued support.

Expressive Arts – Recorder Lessons Begin

This week, Dosbarth Porffor and Dosbarth Enfys took part in their first music lessons, and it has been a joy to celebrate the Expressive Arts AOLE as an active part of our ASPIRE Curriculum.

The children absolutely loved their first recorder lesson, learning how to hold the instrument, produce clear notes, and explore simple rhythms. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and we are very much looking forward to weekly lessons for the rest of the term.

More sporting success in Derwendeg this week!

We are incredibly proud of Emiah, who competed for Wales in gymnastics and became the Wales Bronze Floor Champion, achieving silver on every other piece and finishing 2nd all around — an outstanding accomplishment. She will now go on to compete at the National Classic Challenge on 26th September in Cardiff. Good luck, Emiah!

It’s been a very busy few weeks of competition for her, and she isn’t slowing down — this weekend she has chosen to compete in the Wales Karate League. Another huge good luck from all of us!

Kind regards,
Mr Lloyd, Mrs Lloyd and the Derwendeg team

Important Dates

Key Dates for 2026-27 – Term Dates

Autumn Term: Tuesday 1 Sept – Friday 18 December 2026
Half Term: Monday 26 Oct – Friday 30 Oct 2026
Spring Term: Monday 4 January – Friday 19 March 2027
Half Term: Monday 8 February – Friday 12 February 2027
Summer Term: Monday 5 April – Tuesday 20 July 2027
Half Term: Monday 31 May – Friday 4 June 2027

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
Tuesday 1^st September
Friday 2^nd October
Friday 5^th February
Monday 5^th April
Monday 19^th July
Tuesday 20^th July

September
Friday 25^th Sept – Science in Schools Interactive Performance
Monday 28^th September – Harvest Festival Celebrations

October
Thursday 1^st Oct – Y3-6 Caerphilly School’s cross country event
Friday 2^nd Oct – Inset Day
Wednesday 7th October 9:00am – Early years phonic workshop
Monday 12th-14^th October – Parent consultations.
Friday 16^th October – Wear it Red – Show Racism the red card.
Friday 23^rd Oct – Flu Spray for whole school
Friday 23^rd Oct – Break up for half term

November
Mon 2^nd Nov – Children return to school
Wednesday 11^th November – Year 5/6 Remebrance Service – Dosbarth Porffor.
Friday 13^th November – Children in Need
Friday 13^th November – Anti-bullying Assembly – Dosbarth Glas.
Thursday 19^th November – ALN Coffee afternoon
Mon 23^rd Nov – Snow White Pantomime in School

December
Christmas events TBC
Monday 14^th December – Christmas party week
Friday 18^th December – Pupils finish for Christmas

School Menu

Click here to see the school menu.
Week beginning Mon 21st Sept will be Week 1

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: 93%

Weekly total
(Week ending 11th Sep): 93%

Dosbarth Oren: 97%
Dosbarth Melyn: 91%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 97%
Dosbarth Glas: 94%
Dosbarth Porffor: 91%
Dosbarth Enfys: 89%

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 Oren: Leia L & Nova B-D
Dosbarth Melyn: Lily B-G & Bodhi G
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: Janos S & Nancy E
Dosbarth Glas: Freddie H-S & Lily B-D
Dosbarth Porffor: Jaden M & Baden M
Dosbarth Enfys: Millie B & Emily E