Weekly Newsletter 5.12.25

School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at school! Decorations are going up, concerts are being rehearsed, and our pupils are getting into the festive spirit. We have so much to celebrate and look forward to and we’re excited to share all the news with you in this edition of our newsletter.

Year 5 & 6 London Trip Raffle

To support our exciting upcoming Year 5 and 6 trip to London, we will be holding a raffle at each of the Christmas concerts. Tickets will be available to purchase before and after the performances.

All proceeds will go towards helping our pupils enjoy a truly memorable adventure.

Please support our raffle if you can—every ticket makes a difference! If anyone would like to donate a prize that would be appreciated too.

What’s Planned for the London Trip

Our Year 5 and 6 children have an incredible experience ahead of them. During their visit to London, they will:

Take a flight on the London Eye

See some of the capital’s famous sights

Enjoy a trip to the theatre to watch Matilda the Musical Finish the day with a lovely meal in a restaurant

Thank You to Our Valley View Volunteers

A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful children who regularly visit Valley View Care Home, especially at this time of year. Your kindness, conversation, and smiles mean so much to the residents, who always look forward to your visits. You are making a real difference in our community, and we are incredibly proud of you.

Upcoming Spain Trip f or Year 5 & 6

We are also thrilled to share updates about the Year 5 and 6 trip to Spain taking place later in the school year.

Members of staff recently visited Spain to build strong links with the schools our children will visit. They have already established connections with pupils abroad, and our children will begin writing to their new friends in the coming weeks.

This cultural exchange promises to broaden horizons, strengthen language skills, and give pupils a rich understanding of life in another country.

Christmas dinner

Christmas Dinner Day will take place on Wed 10^th Dec. See below for Christmas

Dinner menu. No other options are available unfortunately, if your child doesn’t like these, please provide sandwiches.

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 for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Mr Lloyd, Mrs Lloyd and the Derwendeg School Team

Important Dates

Key Dates for 2025-26 – Term Dates
Autumn Term: Monday 1 September – Friday 19 December 2025
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 Monday 21 July 2025

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

December
Friday 5th December – Christmas treats with Santa PTA
Monday 8th/Tuesday 9th December 9.30am – N-Y2 Nativity
Wednesday 10th December – Christmas dinner day
Thursday 11th/12th December 1.45pm- Christingle Y3-6
Monday 15th December – Christmas party week
Friday 19th December – Pupils finish for Christmas

January
Monday 5th January – INSET

School Menu

Click here to see the school menu.
Week beginning Mon 8^th Dec 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: 93%

Weekly total
(Week ending 28th Nov): 88%

Dosbarth Oren: 88%
Dosbarth Melyn: 87%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 95%
Dosbarth Glas: 90%
Dosbarth Porffor: 91%
Dosbarth Enfys: 88%

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: Raya J & Luca S
Dosbarth Oren: Bodhi G & Riley T
Dosbarth Melyn: Eloise P & Zayden P
Dosbarth Gwyrdd Amelia E & Elsie B
Dosbarth Glas: Theo R & Isla-Mae D
Dosbarth Porffor: Maxx R & Summer I
Dosbarth Enfys: Daniel C & Skyla P
Dosbarth Seren: Isaac M