Dear All,
Well done to all the Year 5 pupils who took part in the Duffryn Transition Concert on Wednesday. It was a lovely opportunity to get together with pupils from all across our cluster of schools and I know that they had a great day and performed really well with their samba playing!
This week starts with our Enterprise Shops in the afternoon today and tomorrow. The Foundation Phase shops are today from 3.00 in your child’s classroom. Tomorrow, the Junior Shops will be in their classrooms on the top floor. All classes will be able to keep the money that is raised to buy things for their class. There will be a breaktime sale for the rest of the week so that children can buy some items from other classes.
There will be no Football, Music or Craft clubs tomorrow because staff will be working with the shops. Playground Games club will run as usual.
Lost property has been washed and it will be out in the hall tomorrow at the end of the day if you would like to look at it. We will also be selling new grey boys’ shorts, which have been donated by Tesco, for £2.00 a pair.
The dental nurses are visiting children in Year 3 on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, the Reception class are visiting Cattle Country Park.
The New Reception Intake Meeting is on Wednesday at 6.30pm and parents have had a letter inviting them to this.
Children starting at Duffryn High in September are going there for a taster day on Thursday. PC Amy is also visiting Year 3 and Year 4 on Thursday.
Attendance
This has continued to improve and is currently at 93.6% for the year. Please help us to ensure that we maintain that figure for the next few weeks. Attendance is very important because children need to be in school regularly in order to learn.
No matter how many initiatives they have taken to improve attendance or how good they are in other areas, if schools do not have high enough attendance figures, they will be downgraded in the new Welsh Government banding system for primary schools which is due to start in September.
Remember that if your child has attendance of 90% they have missed the equivalent of half a day every week. Attendance of 80% means that your child has missed an equivalent of a day’s education every week.
Classes and Staffing 2014
Our numbers have continued to grow and we will therefore be opening an additional Reception class in September 2014. There will also be some changes to the staffing because Miss Woolford has been offered a job in Hengoed in Mid. Glamorgan and so will be leaving us at the end of the school year. I’d like to thank her for her work with us this year and wish her all the very best in her new school.
Two new teachers are starting with us and I am sure that they will settle in quickly. They are
Miss Ennis BA (Hons) PGCE and Miss Spearey BA (Hons) PGCE.
Staffing for the year is as follows:
Nursery – Mrs Davies, Miss Lott, Mrs Abbas, Mrs Parkinson, Miss Winfield and Ms Bedborough
Reception-RS Miss Spray, Mrs Ramzin
Reception-RD Mrs Dickenson, Mrs Fowler
1/2E Miss Ennis, Mrs Jarrett
1/2S Miss Spearey, Mrs Jones
1/2DJ Miss Driscoll/Mrs K Jones and Mrs Bashir
3/4C Miss Carlyle
3/4G Miss Goodwin
4/5B Miss Bishop
5/6PB Miss Pretty/ Mrs Barton
5/6P Mrs Parry
School Meals and Trips
Please pay any money outstanding to Chartwell’s as soon as possible because their credit control department will become responsible for collecting money owing. If you receive Income Support or Child Tax Credit, you may be entitled to
Free School Meals and we have application forms in schools. If your application is successful, you do not need to take the meals up unless you want to. It may be helpful for you to know that children receiving free school meals are eligible for a reduced charge for the Y6 Talybont visit because it is run by Gwent Education.
Please also pay any money still owing for trips or activities as soon as possible.
Young Savers
I am sorry that Communities First are unable to continue to run the Young Savers Club. Please see Mrs Kidd if you would like any information about collecting your money if you have not already done so.
Reception Class
There will be a brief meeting for parents of Reception children on Wednesday 9th July at 2.45pm to let you know about some information ready for Year 1.
Mrs Luckett, who is at the side door in the morning, will be at the Reception entrance door in the last week of term so that you can get used to her and the system that we use for all pupils from Year 1 upwards.
Bonus Ball
There is a rollover this week!
Yours faithfully,
H Vaughan
Headteacher