Gwersyllt CP

Dear Parents/Guardians,

A lengthy note from myself this week- my apologies in advance.

KS2 pupils finished off the remaining performances for the Eisteddfod and received their well-deserved certificates. We have so much talent in the school we could have kept on going for another week or two.

Year 6 had a wonderful visit to DangerPoint in Talacre, and we are sure they have returned with a stronger awareness of health and safety.

On Thursday, pupils also enjoyed dressing up as their favourite characters to celebrate World Book Day. They learned about books, authors, and many other aspects of the literacy world. Thank you, as always, for the effort put in at home to help prepare for this special day.

Looking Ahead to Next Week

We have another busy week planned, with several exciting opportunities for our pupils:

• Years 3, 4 and Onnen will be visiting the Iron Works on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• The majority of Year 6 pupils will be attending our annual residential to Glan Llyn, running from Wednesday to Friday.
• On Monday and Tuesday afternoon, Year 6 will also be working with an artist and the local Congregational Church to create a mural for the church. We look forward to seeing the finished piece.
•  

Breakfast Club Debt

It has come to our attention that a small number of parents have noticed unwarranted Breakfast Club debt appearing on their accounts. We were advised last week that any initial queries should be directed to the county contact numbers listed in the newsletter of last week.

However, several parents have informed us that when they call these numbers, they are told to speak with the school instead.

Therefore, if you have any concerns or notice any discrepancies:

1. Please try contacting the county number first, as advised.
2. If you are then redirected back to school, please email us so we can look into the issue further.

We appreciate your patience while this matter is resolved.

Parents Evening – appointments on MCAS

On Monday 9th March, our Parents’ Evening appointment system will go live on MCAS. We are trialling this new method and are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that everything works smoothly. If things do not go quite as planned, please bear with us — we will make sure to find an alternative way for you to book your appointments. If all goes well, most families should be able to book their appointments from 9th March through to 12th March, ahead of the following week’s meetings.

Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.

Dates

A reminder of dates below- plus a couple of extras:

• Year 6 Art Murial workshop-Monday 9^thand Tuesday 10^th March
• Year 3/4 & Onnen Trip: Tuesday 10^thand Wednesday 11^th March
• Glan Llyn Year 6 trip: Commences Wednesday 11^thMarch
• PTA Non school uniform for tombola-Friday 13^thMarch
• Parents Evening: Week Beginning 16^thMarch – see above
• PC Stu Reeves Year 1 & 2 sessions: Wednesday 18^thMarch
• Comic relief- Friday 20^thMarch
• PTA Easter Bingo: Monday 23^rdMarch
• Attendance/Pupil of the term awards: Wednesday 25^thMarch
• Bedwen & Llwyfen Easter performance- Wednesday 25^thMarch @ 2pm
• Odd Socks/Wear blue and yellow for World Down Syndrome Day- Friday 27^thMarch

PTA Easter Bingo

Please note that there is a change of date to the PTA Easter Bingo. This will now take place on Monday 23^rd March – Eyes down at 6.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have had the pleasure of welcoming the pupils back after the half‑term break. What has made this week even more enjoyable is the wonderful sunshine we’ve experienced—it has made the whole school feel that little bit brighter. Long may it continue!

This week has seen a huge focus on cycling across the school. All Key Stage 2 pupils have taken part in a puncture‑repair session to equip them with practical skills should they ever need them. In addition, our Year 5 pupils have had the opportunity to develop their cycling skills further through Level 1 and Level 2 training.

We were also delighted to receive a wonderful message from Sainsbury’s. As part of their work on recycling, reusing, and caring for the environment, our Year 3, 4, and 5 classes sent letters to a range of organisations. They were fortunate enough to receive a thoughtful reply and a very generous gift from Sainsbury’s, which was greatly appreciated.

Of course, the main event this week has been our Eisteddfod celebrations. I am delighted to say that the standard of work produced is as impressive as ever. We look forward to celebrating this fully at the end of the week and hope to display the work throughout school over the coming weeks. Well done to everyone who took part. And the children dressed up in Welsh outfits looked fantastic as always.

Looking ahead to next week, Year 6 will be visiting DangerPoint on Monday, and we will also be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5^th March.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we come to the end of the first half-term of the new year, I wanted to write to you and reflect on what has been a busy—somewhat cold and certainly very wet—six weeks. Despite the weather, the children have enjoyed a wide range of activities and learning opportunities, and I think most of them would agree that they are ready for a well‑earned break (and the staff are too!) before we begin the next half-term leading up to Easter.

As always, the children have been fantastic, and I am very much looking forward to all the trips and activities planned for after half-term. Below is a reminder of just some—though not all—of the events and sessions that will be taking place. More will, of course, be added as we move through the term.

Dates (and Corrections)

Apologies- a couple of dates were incorrect last week- the fog has cleared and I’ve amended them.

• Year 5 Cycling: Thursday 26^th 27^th  February- for those that brought in return slips
• Eisteddfod: Friday 27^th February  – Welsh dress or red if pupils wish
• World Book day: Thursday 5^th March – Pupils are welcome to come in costume of a book character
• Yr 6 Art Murial workshop-Monday 9^th and Tuesday 10^th March
• Year 3/4 & Onnen Trip: Tuesday 10^th and Wednesday 11^th March
• Glan Llyn Year 6 trip: Commences Wednesday 11^th March – 13^th of March
• Parents Evening: Week Beginning 16^th March
• PC Stu Reeves Year 1 & 2 sessions: Wednesday 18^th March
• Attendance/Pupil of the term awards: Wednesday 25^th March
• PTA Easter Bingo: Thursday 26^th March
• Bedwen & Llwyfen Easter performance- Wednesday 25^th March @ 2pm

Nursery Spa Day

This week Dosbarth Glasbren had a Spa day to encourage us to think about connecting with others and building friendships. The theme of this years Children’s Mental Health week is ‘Belong’ the Spa day offered an excellent opportunity for the children to develop their sense of belonging! It also looks like they had a pretty relaxing time! 

Farewell

The school say farewell and a huge thank you to Ms Hayley Edwards who worked alongside Mrs Sailes and Dosbarth Onnen over the past year. We are extremely grateful for all the support, dedication and effort she has given to the class and wish her all the best moving forward. Diolch.

Have a lovely weekend and forthcoming week,

Welcome back! We hope you all had a fantastic couple of weeks. We’re delighted to say that, despite the weather, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the children back in school. We really appreciate the effort you made to get them in, particularly on that first Tuesday when conditions were quite challenging. Despite the dicey conditions, our attendance was still strong.

School communication

We want to let you know about an important update to how we communicate with you. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be transitioning from Teachers2Parents (T2P) to MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) as our main communication platform.

This change will not happen overnight. There will be a period where both systems run side by side to ensure a smooth transition. Eventually, Teachers2Parents will be phased out, and MyChildAtSchool will become our primary tool for messages and updates.

What does this mean for you?

• You will receive instructions on how to access and use MyChildAtSchool.
• During the transition, please check both platforms for messages.
• We will provide plenty of notice before Teachers2Parents is fully retired.

Message from County Catering

We wanted to make you aware of a change to the bread supplied in primary school meals this week, and to apologise for the short notice.

We have arranged with Dairylink to replace the white sliced bread with a 50:50 alternative across all primary school orders.  This change has been introduced to ensure we are compliant with the new nutritional regulations, which will soon become compulsory for all schools.

Unfortunately, we did not notify our school cooks in advance, which means they were unable to inform or prepare for any questions from pupils or parents.  We’re sorry for the oversight and for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any queries about the change, please feel free to direct them to the Catering team and they will be happy to provide further explanation.

Schoolmeals@wrexham.gov.uk

As we come to the end of a very busy week, I’d like to start with a few heartfelt thank-yous:

• Thank you for joining us at our pupil-led Christmas Fair. It was a little different this year, but I hope you enjoyed seeing the creativity and ideas the children brought to life through their stalls.
• Thank you for your generosity today in supporting the PTA Tombola ahead of the Christmas Bingo, which will take place next Thursday in the school hall.
• A huge thank you to the PTA, staff, and pupils for all the hard work that went into the Christmas Fair and the many events leading up to Christmas.

Finally, an apology for the frustrations with the school phones this week. We’ve been working closely with the county to resolve the issue. While the phones have worked intermittently, they have often been down. If you are struggling to get through by phone, please contact us via email. Although responses may not be immediate, this ensures we can receive your messages while the phones are unreliable.

Looking ahead to next week:

• Cinema Trips:
  • Year 1 & 2 – Monday
  • Year 3 & 4 – Tuesday
  • Year 5 & 6 – Friday
• Christmas dinner and Christmas Jumper Day on Thursday
• Llwyfen and Bedwen: Sing-along and Christmas Crafternoon on Wednesday afternoon. Doors open at 1:15 pm, event starts at 1:30 pm.
• Glasbren Performance: Friday morning at 10:00 am. Doors open at 9:30 am.

We look forward to seeing you at these events. Have a lovely weekend!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Christmas Market

We are excited to invite you to our Christmas Market on Thursday 4th December, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm.

This year will be a little different, as the event will largely be led by pupils and their classes, with a couple of external stalls joining us. Here’s how it will be organised:

• Key Stage 2 stalls – in classrooms
• Foundation Phase stalls – in Playmates
• External stalls – in the Learning Plaza
• Food and drink – in the hall

Please collect your children from their usual doors first, before entering through the front reception to enjoy the market.

Thank you for your support – we look forward to seeing you there!

Your child may be eligible for free school meal support.

This is more than just free meals in both primary and secondary schools—it can also include: ✅ Uniform grants ✅ Free school trips and music sessions ✅ Reduced costs on other aspects of education

Click the link below to check if this applies to your child:

https://www.gov.wales/free-school-meals-get-help-school-costs

Have a great weekend,

Cofion cynnes

Joel Moore

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we move past mid-November, it’s lovely to hear the sound of various classes beginning to practice for the festive season. There’s a real buzz around the school! You will already have the dates and times for these performances. There will be more information about coming to see these performances out soon.

Poverty Proofing

This week, we welcomed two visitors who audited the school to review the impact of costs on pupils’ education. We’ve always worked hard in this area, and Estyn’s recent visit agreed that we are strong at this aspect of school life. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and we look forward to their report to see what further positive changes we can make.

Pick-Up of Pupils

A quick reminder: whenever possible, please ensure pupils are picked up promptly at the end of the school day or after clubs. Staff often have meetings and commitments after school, both linked to work and personal, and waiting with pupils can impact these arrangements. Your support is greatly appreciated.

As always, thank you for your continued support and have a lovely weekend.

Cofion cynnes,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The end of a very wet week, here is hoping there are a few drier days ahead. Apologies that the majority of my communication seems to be festive based. Its quickly becoming that time of year.

Christmas Dates

We have now confirmed Christmas times and dates for all performances. Please see the information lower down in the Newsletter.

Cinema Trips

Please note that payment is required as confirmation that you wish your child to take part in the cinema trips (again listed below in the dates). If we don’t receive payment the assumption is that the pupils do not wish to go on the cinema trip. In these cases, provision will be made for them in school on that day. 

Poverty Proofing

Gwersyllt CP are working alongside our cluster schools to look at the impact of proofing on families within our school. Two visitors will be in our school on Wednesday and Thursday next week. There is a chance that they will present during drop off in the morning on these days and may wish to ask questions. If you have a minute of your time whilst dropping your child/children off, this would be greatly appreciated.

Have a lovely weekend,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to the pupils this week, we hope everyone had a lovely week last week. As I write, we have 6 weeks of a packed half term ahead of us. December in particular, gets very busy. We will do all we can to communicate everything as soon as possible. Please do check updates etc as and when you receive them.

Change of Date

Previously, you will have received dates of many of the activities that are happening this term. We have two changes of date currently. Christmas dinner will now be on Thursday 11^th December rather than Wednesday 10^th December (This will also be Christmas Jumper day). Party Food will be on Thursday 18^th December rather than Wednesday 17^th December.

Data Collection

Just a polite reminder to bring in your Data collection forms as soon as possible, even if no changes are required. Many thanks in advance.

Children in Need

The school will be taking part in Children in Need next week (Friday 14^th November). Pupils are welcome to dress in non-school uniform, yellow or Pudsey clothing in particular. The recommended donation is £1.  Link for donations can be found in the newsletter.

Have a lovely weekend,

Cofion cynnes,

Next week is the final week of the current half term. A quick reminder that school is closed to pupils for a staff training day on Friday 24^th October. The final day for pupils is Thursday 23^rd October. Pupils will start back at school again on Monday 3^rd November.

Menu Change – Thursday 23^rd October

We are serving lunch in classrooms on Thursday 23^rd October. Due to this, we have had a menu change on this day. If you have already ordered for the 23^rd October please do check that this order is still in place. If not, it should simply be a case of reordering. Diolch and apologies for the inconvenience.

Cinema Trips

The trips planned for September should be payable by the end of next week. Please be aware that this is a non-curriculum trip. Therefore, pupils attending depends on payment and continued good behaviour. Those not attending will remain in school for these mornings.

Data Collection Sheets

After half-term, your child will be coming home with a Data Collection Sheet.  This is for you to check that all the details on the form are correct.  Please send back to school even if there are no amendments.