Weekly Newsletter 27.03.26

School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

What a fantastic term it has been here at D! We are incredibly proud of all that the children have achieved over the past few weeks. From wonderful showcases of their work to the enthusiasm shown in every lesson, it has truly been a term to celebrate.

A highlight has been the brilliant response to our pupil-led projects, where families generously supported the children by purchasing their creations.

Thanks to this, the children now have a significant amount of money to manage, and they have been working hard to apply their maths skills to make thoughtful decisions about how to spend their profits. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they budget, calculate, and plan together.

This term has also been enriched by the many opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. The children have loved spending time outdoors, making full use of our cob oven and enjoying hands-on experiences such as bug hunts and nature-based activities. These moments have not only supported their learning but have also encouraged curiosity, teamwork, and a deeper appreciation of the world around them. We are also incredibly excited about the ongoing development of our curriculum. Our highly skilled staff have shown great enthusiasm in designing and refining our Early Years curriculum, building on our ASPIRE principles. This curriculum is rooted in developmental pathways, ensuring that learning is carefully sequenced and responsive to the needs of our youngest pupils. We are grateful for the support of our governor, Kelcie Stacey, who has been working alongside us in shaping this important work. Alongside this, our new STEM room is just beginning its journey, and we look forward to seeing how it will further enhance opportunities for creativity, exploration, and innovation across the school. opportunities that motivate every pupil to achieve their very best.

Our ASPIRE curriculum continues to be at the heart of everything we do. Built on the principles of being aspirational, skill-based, purposeful, inspirational, rooted in real-life experiences, and engaging, it is wonderful to see how this approach is bringing learning to life for our children. Our staff have shown incredible enthusiasm and dedication in developing this curriculum, continually striving to create meaningful and inspiring opportunities that motivate every pupil to achieve their very best.

The children have thoroughly enjoyed this term’s topic, which has inspired a great deal of creativity across the school. From art and design to imaginative projects, their ideas and efforts have been impressive and a joy to see.

We are already looking ahead with excitement to next term and our new topic, “Let’s Clean Our World.” This will include lots of outdoor and authentic learning experiences, giving the children opportunities to explore, discover, and make a positive impact on their environment. We also have so much to look forward to, including exciting trips to London and Spain for our Year 5 & 6 pupils, visits to the Senedd with our school council, Heddlu Bach training from the police, theatre performances of The Secret Garden, swimming lessons, and even more sports opportunities through our Rugby HWB.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We wish you a restful break and look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term!

ParentPay

As we look ahead to upcoming school trips and activities, we kindly ask all families to make sure they are signed up to ParentPay. This will help us manage permissions and payments more smoothly. If you need any support setting up your account, please contact the school office — we’re happy to help!

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

Important 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

March
Friday 27^th March – break up for Easter holidays

April
Monday 13^th April – INSET
Tuesday 14^th April – pupils return to school
Wednesday 15^th April – School Council visit Senedd
Monday 27^th April – Whole school Secret Garden show
Wednesday 29^th April – Year 5/6 visit to London

May
Monday 4^th May – BANK HOLIDAY (SCHOOL CLOSED)
Monday 18^th May – Spain trip
Friday 22^nd May – break up for half term

June
Monday 8^th June – Year 6 leavers photos
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, Bible exhibition – Bethel Chapel – Porffor, Bible exhibition – Bethel Chapel – Enfys

July
Wednesday 1^st July/Thursday 2^nd July – Lewis school Transition days
Monday 6^th July – Spain visit to our school
Friday 17^th July – break up for Summer holidays

School Menu

Click here to see the see the school menu.
Week beginning Mon 13^thApril will be Week 3

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: 92%

Weekly total
(Week ending 20th Mar): 92%

Dosbarth Oren: 90%
Dosbarth Melyn: 90%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 91%
Dosbarth Glas: 92%
Dosbarth Porffor: 96%
Dosbarth Enfys: 96%

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: Luca S & Ella S
Dosbarth Oren: Bodhi G & Lily B-G
Dosbarth Melyn: Logan C & Hallie-Rose MP
Dosbarth Gwyrdd Reyansh P & Lottie A
Dosbarth Glas: Oliver W & Olivia N
Dosbarth Porffor: Maxx R & Hollie E
Dosbarth Enfys: Annamarie J & Joey T
Dosbarth Seren: Max L