News Update – Friday 8th November ‘24

8 Nov 2024

We are now well into the second half of what is always a very busy term in school. You will be aware of school being full of music, song and verse as we prepare for our Christmas performances. It is the time of year when our curriculum planning allows us to focus on drama, singing, music, speaking and listening and performance. These Literacy and Expressive Arts activities give children an opportunity to excel, grow in confidence and shine in a variety of ways.

In order for us to maintain our high academic standards and to ensure that all children reach their full potential, we will still be covering all aspects of the curriculum that we have planned to cover. Our curriculum plans are designed to ensure maximum coverage and progression over the year, taking annual events into consideration.

Year 1 visit to Shree Swaminarayan Temple

Today, as part of their Cynefin project, Year 1 visited the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff. The children learnt about key beliefs in Hinduism, explored the Temple, played musical instruments and learnt about festivities surrounding Diwali. All of the children had a fantastic time – da iawn pawb. Diolch all those parents who were able to help us with making the visit possible.

Firework Safety

This week we were also lucky enough to have a visit from Sargent Broad who spoke to the whole school about firework safety during our whole school assembly. She reminded the children to be careful when they are out enjoying firework displays; if they find a firework they mustn’t touch it and should tell an adult. Thank you very much Sargent Broad!

Fire Service Visit

This week Year 2 and Year 5 had a visit from the Fire Service; they learnt all about the role of the Fire Service and fire safety.

PTA Success

Glasllwch has an excellent Parent Teacher Association (PTA) who work very hard to organise events to raise money for our children. Their support is hugely appreciated and helps raise funds for much needed resources within school. A HUGE thank you to the PTA who have had a really successful academic year so far with events raising the following amounts:

Spooky Discos – £558
Break the Rules – £399
Spooky Trail Maps and Doughnuts – £247

Together these events have raised over £1200 – an incredible achievement in the first half-term! A MASSIVE thank you to the PTA for their commitment in organising these events and to all those who have got involved and supported the events! It has been lovely to see our school community pulling together to make these events a success – diolch pawb!

PTA Diary Dates:

Christmas Wreath Making – Thursday 5th December 6-8pm
Christmas Fete – Friday 13th December, 3:10pm
Christmas PJ Day – Friday 20th December

All parents are automatically members of the P.T.A. We really do need as many people as possible to get involved in PTA events which will continue to raise money to buy essential resources and equipment.

Please visit our PTA web-page on the Glasllwch Primary School website for more information about how to support our PTA.

Community Forum

On Friday 15th November at 9am, we will be hosting our first Community Forum session of this academic year. We are really excited to welcome back parents, carers and community members into school to work collaboratively with staff. We hope that the Community Forum will continue to be a partnership between the community and school; a valuable platform to share ideas, views and make suggestions for improvement.

The Community Forum are keen to welcome new members so if you would like to come along please contact Mrs Zahr via the school email address: glasllwch.primary@newportschools.wales A big thank you to Mrs Zahr for her ongoing commitment to the success of the Community Forum.

Communication Between Home and School

Last half-term you will have received an email outlining the methods of communication we use to ensure effective partnerships between home and school. This is vital to ensuring children reach their full potential and maintain high levels of wellbeing. Please refer to the poster below which outlines how communication methods should be used.

We politely ask that you do not message your child’s teacher through your child’s Seesaw account. If you are unable to speak to your child’s teacher at pick-up/drop-off, please use the school email address or telephone number to contact them and they will get in touch as soon as possible. Thank you for your ongoing support.

School Meals

Please ensure you book school meals for your child by the cut-off point which is Sunday 1 week in advance. You can book for several weeks at a time. We have had a lot of children this week with meals not booked which causes confusion. If you know you have not booked a meal please send in a packed lunch. Thank you for your ongoing support and co-operation.

Children in Need

Friday 15th November we will be taking part in BBC Children in Need Day – all children are welcome to wear something spotty or Pudsey related. Our Community Committee have organised events for all children to take part in throughout the day. A link to a Parentpay BBC Children in Need donation page will be sent out early next week, funds donated go direct to the charity.

REMINDER – SCHOOL PLACE APPLICATIONS

Year 7 Secondary School Applications

A letter has been emailed home to all current Year 6 Parents/Guardians with information on how to apply for a place at Secondary School for your child. Applications for places are open from 25th September to 13th November 2024, places allocated will be issued on 1st March 2025. Please make sure you put down more than one school choice, as in the past when only one school is applied for – if there is no availability or you do not meet the criteria you will not be offered another school. This causes unnecessary distress to your child and yourselves.

Please apply within the application window to – www.newport.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Reception – Primary School Applications

Applications for Reception places starting September 2025 open on 6th November 2024 and close on 9th January 2025 at 5pm. It is vital that you apply between these dates. Apply on-line via www.newport.gov.uk/schooladmissions Decisions are issued on 16th April 2025.

Should you wish to look around Glasllwch School before making your application we have set the following dates for prospective parents/carers to look around: Thursday 21st November at 4:30pm and Thursday 12th December at 4:30pm. To attend you would need to book a place – please phone the school office: 01633 266398.