Dear Parents and Carers,
Half term is now upon us and I’m sure we are all looking forward to a well deserved rest. Even though we can’t go very far under the lockdown rules, half term is an opportunity for us all to stay safe, rest and recharge. This half term has certainly been a challenging one for many reasons. Our children have been remarkable throughout it all; we are so proud of them. They have adapted to the changes so well and continued to try their best in all they do.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our remarkable team of staff who have been amazing, as always. The whole team have carried on educating and supporting the children in difficult circumstances and have made sure the children have gone home with a smile on their faces every day. We are so incredibly lucky to have the dedicated team of staff we have at Derwendeg and I am truly grateful for their professionalism and positivity.
Thank you to you all once again for your support and understanding through a difficult time. Please continue to support us by adhering to the lockdown rules. We all need to work together to keep our school safe. The virus clearly spreads incredibly quickly so our collective actions will make a difference. The main rules we need to follow, as outlined by the Welsh Government, are to stay at home (except for very limited purposes) and do not visit other households or meet other people you do not live with. We never know if the person next to us is positive. They may appear to be well and asymptomatic but they could still be carrying the virus.
I hope you all have a restful half term.
Take care, stay safe. Mrs Wangiel
This half term’s value is:
RESPECT
Brawddeg yr Wythnos (Welsh Phrase of the Week)
Ga i fynd i’r ty bach os gwelwch yn dda?!
Can I go to the toilet please?
Hero of the Week
We held our certificate assembly virtually yesterday to celebrate all of this week’s certificate winners. This week’s heroes are:
Dosbarth Coch (N/R): Zachary M and Evianna. H
Dosbarth Oren (R/Y1): Eva-Leigh. R and Thea. M
Dosbarth Melyn (Y1/2): Rowan. T and Elliot. P
Dosbarth Gwyrdd (Y3): Toby. M and Maisie. C
Dosbarth Glas (Y4): Ruby. O and Roisin. M
Dosbarth Porffor (Y5): Sophia. A and Ruby. J
Dosbarth Enfys (Y6): Ava. O and Harry. G
We recorded our assembly this week to share with those children learning at home.
You can watch the assembly at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIqH_zAjPYU
Well done to all of our certificate winners, we are very proud of you all!
Breakfast Club
As explained in a letter posted this week, following a risk assessment and consultation with the full Governing body at Derwendeg Primary School, we have made the difficult decision that the free breakfast club provided by the local authority in our school should be postponed until safe to do so. We will review this on a monthly basis with the governing body and I will let you know If the situation changes.
Dinner Money
As you will be aware, hot meals will resume after half term on the 2nd of November in the form of box meals delivered to classrooms. The children will be able to order in the usual way in their classes in the morning. All dinner money needs to be paid for the week on a Monday morning and we are unable to accept any loose money because of the risk of cross contamination of covid-19. Please ensure all money is in a sealed envelope clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please be prepared and ensure you have envelopes at home ready to use for dinner money, school are not able to provide these. We are also unable to give out any change at this time; any additional money will be kept on your child’s account for the following week.
Online Safety
Over the half term week, please continue to monitor your child’s use of online devices, games and social media platforms. We are still alarmed daily by the number of children we have accessing age-restricted games and apps such as TikTok.
I am once again sharing the guide at the link below giving more information about TikTok and its often inappropriate content: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GhsP4_cbewmQYjddrYED1EVnugmdx1I-/view?usp=sharing
Rose’s Way
Please see the poster at the link below for details about how Rose’s Way Foundation are making it their mission to support families with terminally ill children and give them a chance to create lasting memories and provide them with both emotional and financial support.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n33u34ibgVGGAIvT9biUWps1pS0xcsqt/view?usp=sharing
Derwendeg Primary School will continue to be a drop off point for gifts after half term but there are also alternative drop off points detailed in the poster above. Thank you in advance for your support for Rose’s Way Foundation.
Big Talk (Please discuss with your children):
This week’s topic is … What are you most proud of this half term?
Upcoming Dates
Monday, 2nd November – All pupils return to school
Week beginning 16th November – Film Night (held in classes). More details to follow.
Thursday, 10th December – Flu Immunisation (Reception – Year 6)
Friday, 18th December – Break up for Christmas holidays
Monday, 4th January – INSET Day (school closed to pupils)
Tuesday, 5th January – Pupils return to school