Weekly Newsletter 8.05.26

School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

Well done to all of our pupils for their hard work, positive attitudes, and enthusiasm throughout the week. We are incredibly proud of the many achievements celebrated both inside and outside of school, from excellent effort in lessons to sporting successes and acts of kindness.

The Importance of Attendance
Regular attendance is one of the most important parts of a child’s success at school. Even the occasional day off can create gaps in learning, confidence, and friendships. Lessons build carefully from one day to the next, and missing just one day can mean children miss key skills, explanations, or practice activities that are difficult to fully catch up on later. School is also about so much more than lessons — children miss out on exciting classroom activities, special visitors, creative projects, games, and opportunities to make memories with their friends. We are so proud of the wonderful learning experiences taking place every day and want every child to enjoy every moment possible.

We would also like to thank the parents and families of children attending football and rugby tours for their positive and thoughtful approach towards attendance. We greatly appreciate families arranging for children to leave in the afternoons after registers have been completed wherever possible. We understand what valuable opportunities these tours provide for children to spend time with family and friends and create lasting memories, and we are very grateful for your support in helping us maintain our attendance targets while ensuring children can enjoy these special experiences.

Healthy Habits
Please remember to send children to school with a water bottle each day and encourage healthy snacks where appropriate. A good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast, and plenty of water all help children stay focused and ready to learn.

Uniform Reminder
We are very proud of how smart our pupils look in their school uniform. Please ensure all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child’s name to help us return any lost items quickly. This is happening more regularly due to the change in weather and children taking jumpers and cardigans off because they are warm.

Trips and ParentPay Reminders
We are excited about the range of educational visits and special experiences planned for the coming weeks. Please keep an eye out for letters, emails, and updates regarding upcoming school trips and activities. Payments and permissions should be completed promptly using ParentPay to help us organise events smoothly and securely. If you have any difficulties accessing ParentPay, please contact the school office who will be happy to help.

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

Important Dates

Key Dates for 2025-26 – Term 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

May
Monday 18^th May – Spain trip
Friday 22^nd May – break up for half term

June
Thursday 4^th June – 1.30pm Reception-Year 2 Sports Day
Friday 5^th June – 9.15am Nursery Sports Day
Friday 5^th June – 1.30pm Year 3-Year 6 Sports Day
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
Wednesday 1^st July – Dosbarth Coch, Oren & Melyn Class trip
Monday 6^th July – Spain visit to our school
Wednesday 8^th July – Dosbarth Glas class trip
Friday 17^th July – break up for Summer holidays

School Menu

Click here to see the school menu .
Week beginning Mon 11th May 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: 92%

Weekly total
(Week ending 1st May): 92%

Dosbarth Oren: 89%
Dosbarth Melyn: 91%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 86%
Dosbarth Glas: 97%
Dosbarth Porffor: 92%
Dosbarth Enfys: 89%

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: Winter B & Nellie-Rose H
Dosbarth Oren: Ella T & Hunter G
Dosbarth Melyn: Eloise P & Hollie C
Dosbarth Gwyrdd Amelia E and Reyansh P
Dosbarth Glas: Nile R & Paige I
Dosbarth Porffor: Amelia M & Maxx R
Dosbarth Enfys: Jessica-Mae H & Ava J
Dosbarth Seren: Lee P