Gwersyllt CP

The end of another week. I can’t believe that the first half term since the Christmas break has only 1 more week left.

You will hopefully have noticed through  the website or the Newsletter that Gwersyllt CP are looking for those amongst you who may be interested in a Parent Governor or Community Governor role. Please contact the school if you think this could be you.

Recently I have been taking an interest in some of the healthy food that the pupils have brought in. A nutritious, well balanced lunch really helps the pupils get the most out of the afternoon- meaning concentration levels are higher and they can participate fully. Here are some of the lovely examples this week.

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On the note of lunches, the canteen put on a Chinese New year inspired menu this Tuesday. The pupils could have fries, chicken, rice, sauce or spring rolls. Not quite as healthy perhaps but very tasty.

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This week has marked the end of our time with the Read’s construction company on our site. They completed the project last week and left last Friday afternoon. This means that, save some snagging issues that may need to be addressed, all the work on site has been completed. They will revisit the site occasionally to take down necessary fencing around the playground or over see issues that crop up. This also means that the car park next to the school will no longer be in use and staff will be using the new car park placed at the lower end of the field.

This will alter a few aspects for the school. It will mean locks placed on the gates along the path that leads to the car park. This was an aspect that was always going to be necessary with the warmer months around the corner and the field being used more regularly during the school day. Now that Reads are no longer using the site at the bottom of the field and it will now be a car park it is a priority that the gates a locked during the day to ensure the pupils are safe (particularly when using the field).

What this has left us with is a large car park with ample parking space and a new fenced area for forest schools.

This forest schools site will take some time to develop but should be a lovely space for all pupils and classes to use in the coming years.

As promised last week the Foundation Phase have been working hard with money funded from many places (Thank you again to the PTA and the community council- As well as the Howells trust) to improve the outdoor spaces and utilise it for the pupils as much as possible. Mrs Davies has been leading this and all other staff have been heavily involved to make the outdoor spaces as much an opportunity to explore, challenge and learn as the indoor spaces are. As the space is nearing completion here are a few more photos of the pupils exploring it for the first time.

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Of course, we still find it possible to make just as much mess indoors as outdoors. The photos are testimony to that and you can trust that the staff and pupils of Kestrels will always find a way. Here they are making rockets out of recycling. The finished products are out of this world!

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Early Years had the first of their open mornings on Tuesday (the 2nd will take place at 9.30 on the 4th Feb). The class was looking immaculate as well as the previously mentioned outdoor areas. Remember all are welcome!

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Finally, it was nice to see such healthy food in the pupils sandwich boxes. The food the pupils eat has such an impact on their day- a healthy snack and a balanced lunch box goes a long way to setting them up for their day. See a few fab examples below!

On Monday the year 6 pupils visited Dangerpoint to learn all about remaining safe in a selection of environments from home and road to train line and substances. They behaved themselves impeccably and had a great time. Thank you to the staff that volunteered to take the pupils around. A lot of the pupils have said they didn’t know what to expect but enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank  you to the community council for funding this.

The out door space for the foundation phase continues t be worked on and we hope to get it sorted by the end of the month- Expect more photos to follow.

Welcome back everyone, I hope you had a good festive break and a great new year. It is lovely to be back with the pupils and straight back into our familiar routines.

A relatively quiet 4 day week is behind us and it is like we have never been away. Next week we have a Year 6 trip planned to Dangerpoint (thank you again to the community council for this funded trip) and the pupils will be fully immersed into their new topics. Clubs will restart (check the newsletter for more details) and we will commence our first full week.

You may also be aware that the Early Years staff are hosting 2 open days on the 21st January and the 4th of February for any interested parties and parents with prospective pupils. Please let anyone know who may be interested to come and have a look around. There will be tea, coffee and cake as well as an opportunity to talk with our pupil committees and look around the new build. These will both take place between 9.30am and 10.30 am.

Early Years and Foundation Phase also received late Christmas presents as orders of our new outside equipment arrived. This has been funded through access grants as well as hugely kind donations from the PTA and the community council. Thank you for this the staff here are extremely grateful and we look forward to seeing the hours of pleasure and education the pupils take from these resources.

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Please see the poster below for our two Early Years open days. Please come and join us.

Wow! What a busy week that was.

Thanks you to everyone involved. The pupils, of course for their outstanding performances across the board. The staff for all the hard work, enthusiasm and endeavor. And a thank you to all the friends and family that came to visit and made the new hall brim with atmosphere- you were great audiences.

It has been interesting using the new hall for the performances- Obviously it holds a lot more people- so the space was not an issue as it has been in the past. However, we did have to learn to get use to the new sound and lighting system- as well as the projector. And then came the new problem of FP and KS2 all needing to practice in the same space.

I think you can agree though that these problems were overcome and the performances were extremely enjoyable- 11 months until we start the process again 🙂

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The concerts really do takeover the week in many ways and despite how much will still be going on next week- Trips, parties, reward ceremonies etc. It will seem relatively quiet in comparison. There will be plenty to show you on next weeks blog though – I am sure.

As always at this time of year it was an extremely busy week. The first set of Christmas events took place. The PTA organised and put on a fantastic Christmas Fair on Wednesday raising in the region of £850 pound- all of which will go towards the school and the pupils. The PTA do a wonderful job for the school and many of the trips, IT and outdoor provisions this year have been funded and partly funded through the hard work of the PTA. They are always looking for parents to help and to get involved so please do let them know if you are keen. There were a whole host of stalls available this year as well as the grotto. Raffle prizes were handed out (and some still remain in school). We hope everyone enjoyed it.

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Jane and Nicky also cooked the Christmas dinner this week and it was delivered to the pupils with the help of all the staff. Delicious it was too!

The children looked great in their Christmas jumpers- very festive. A quick reminder that their is Christmas Jumper day on Friday 13th as well.

We also found time to fit in some hard work- Year 5/6 have been busy creating Anderson shelters and were working together to discuss these aspects as well as review their work.

Christmas ramps up an extra gear next week with all the concerts taking place. We look forward to seeing you there.