Headteachers Blog /Blog Prifathro.

If you're looking to discover more about our weekly news at PPS, you've come to the right place!

• Headteacher Weekly Blog

  Mon 31 Jan 2022 Mrs R-M
  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  What a fabulous week we had in class ! All classes have been very busy.

   

  Our Urdd birthday celebrations 

  We loved celebrating Mr Urdd`s birthday and being part of the two world records !!! BENDIGEDIG PAWB!

  Please click here

   

  Dydd Santes Dwynwen

  As ethically informed citizens with the right to speak our own language we also enjoyed celebrating this special day in school. St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.

  Click here

   

  Daily mile

  We love keeping fit and healthy and all classes enjoy our daily mile. Reception/Year 1 wanted to measure their distance today. Mrs Thompson said -  `The children's endurance and perseverance was amazing!` - see picture below

   

  Weekly headlines

   

  As updated by Welsh Government the Covid alert level reduced to zero level on the 29th January .Schools are advised to keep all existing restrictions in place until after half term. Therefore, after half term we will revert to hometime for all classes at 3.10pm, via the one way system.

   

  We have a few staff off this week, so please be patient when contacting the office as I am trying my best to multi-task! Please leave a message if needed ,and I will get back to you.

   

  We are really looking forward to making plans for the second half Spring Term and the Summer Term.  We are hopeful that  we can soon be announcing arrangements for some of our whole school events, but will remain cautious as we do not wish to raise hopes, and then to disappoint our families and children.   

   

  Parents' Evening Spring term 2022

  The dates for this are :

  N- Y2 : March 21st 

  Y3 -Y6: March 28th 

  For this term , these will take place over the telephone. As we only have 2 lines we are spreading these appointments over 2 weeks. Your classteacher will be in touch via Seesaw to arrange. In the summer term we are looking forward to offering parents a face to face appointment to discuss the end of year report.

   

  Fund raising

  Thanks to our amazing community who supported our non-school uniform day. We raised £130. We have spent this money on buying a new plastic shed for the forest, which will store all our gardening equipment. This will be used by ALL classes. See pic below.

   

  After School Teacher led Club

  As promised, we said we will review this, and feel that we can re-start after half term - w/c 28.2.2022.  By then we hope that Covid will be more under control, and also the nights will be lighter and the weather warmer.  Obviously we will keep this under review, but we hope to resume on the first week after half term. Class bubbles will remain in place for clubs, until, further notice. Please look out for a Seesaw from your classteacher with the club details.

   

  Local Area Co-ordinators (LACs)

  We have a new LAC : Brian Farr , who is available to help and support our families with a wide range of issues.  We have created a page on our website with more information.  Please signpost anyone you know in the area if you feel they may need support.  In addition there is information regarding the North Gower Food Bank which can support anyone with short or long term financial difficulties. 

   

  Year 6 Transition Days

  Gowerton Comprehensive have planned 4 transition days between the 11th and 14th July.  Fingers crossed these will go ahead as planned and the pupils will have a great time meeting their new peers.   

   

  Dydd Miwsig Cymru / Welsh Language Music Day - Friday Feb 4th

  Our Criw Cymraeg would like us all to wear something red/coch, green/gwyrdd and white/ to celebrate this fab event. 

   

  Community news

  Good luck to Ella and Halle who are travelling to Liverpool on Saturday, for the U11 girls semi-finals! ⚽️⚽️⚽️ 🦢

   

  Staff well-being

  As a school we really value our hard working staff. This week Team Penclawdd are all working incredibly hard , due to staff absence. On a weekly basis our staff can win a small treat. Last weeks winner was Mr Andrew . He really enjoyed his healthy treat! 

   

  Thanks for your support. 

  Mrs R-M x

  

• Headteacher weekly blog

  Mon 24 Jan 2022 Mrs R-M

  Right of the Month - Article 29 : The right to be the best you can be

  Value of the month  - RESPONSIBILTY

   
  Dear Parents /Guardians, 

   

  We had a great week of topic fun! 

   

  Y4/5 visited Big Pit (virtually) for their new topic `Pits and Ponies`. They dressed up as miners and even had a go at baking bread!
  Click here

  
  Y6 explored Mexico! Hola amigos !

  Click here

   

  Nursery 

  Look at these shining stars , who made their own `Disco Dough` video!!! 
  Click here

   

  LA Covid updates

  While Covid restrictions are being reduced in Wales, schools are still being advised to operate under the high alert in schools and governed by a stringent  risk assessment. Like you I am sure, we too are looking forward to a Spring and Summer of some normality. However, in the meantime, we are still following our guidance and must be vigilant for Covid symptoms in school. Thanks for your support.

   

  Ventilation in schools

  In accordance with guidance from the LA/WG , we follow our risk assessment, as agreed by our Governing Body . We need to ensure that we have appropriate ventilation in place re Covid-19. Replacing internal classroom air with fresh air from outside remains a key requirement in the control of Covid-19, as well as other viruses such as colds and flu.Last week we had a particularly cold spell, so I checked the temperature daily in all classes - which I continue to do. And all temperatures , in all classes, were appropriate. However, we don`t want any child to feel too cold, so we do open/close windows in a controlled manner.  We also ask that you please provide your child with extra layers if they do feel the cold. If you have any concerns regarding ventilation, please don`t hesitate to contact me.

  Weekly Headlines

   

  Fundraising

  As you know , we have lost a lot of income from not being able to hold our fab school/community events.  We will be facing many financial challenges in the months to come, so if you could support us through entering our lottery, donating to our non-school uniform day, class raffles etc it would help us greatly.   Please ask your family and friends to support us too. Thanks for all your ongoing support.

   

  Our School Lottery 

  Thanks so much to one of our lovely parents who last week kindly donated their winnings , we are very grateful . For more information on our lottery click here.

  
  NON- School uniform day

  Our next fundraising day is this Friday January 28th. Please support us if you can , by donating a £1. All monies raised are for resources/ equipment for the children.

  
  Power down day - 2nd February 2022

  Please see the letter from our Eco Wombles!

   

  Admission of new Nursery Pupils 
  The admission processes for nursery are now dealt with at school level.  If you know of any new families who wish their child to come to Penclawdd,   please tell them to contact Mrs Beynon, in the school office so we can help with this process.  

   

  School uniform grant

  The grant is now available for children who are currently entitled to free school meals and in these year groups in September 2021:  Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 . It is £125 per learner. Applications can be made from 13 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 and take up to 7 days to process. Please click here for more information.

   

  Wipeout school uniform

  We are now working with Wipeout creations in CKs Penclawdd to sell our school uniform. Please click here to see our available uniform. Currently, Year 6 hoodies are sourced from a different supplier.

   

  Community news

  We are so proud of these pupils for representing our school in high level teams (see pics below)

  Iestyn and Harrison Y6 - School Boys Rugby

  Ella and Halle Y6 for a fantastic 8-0 win for our U11 girls in the quarter finals of the English Cup against Wokingham! Bring on the semi finals ⚽️⚽️⚽️ 🦢

   

  Staff well-being

  As a school we really value our hard working staff. One a weekly basis our staff can win a small treat. Last weeks winner was Mrs Thompson . We hope she enjoyed her lovely surprise. 
   

  School calendar - on the website

  Please click here for all the dates you need! This is updated regularly.

   

  Have a great week!

  Mrs R-M x 

  

• Headteacher Weekly School Blog 14/01/2022

  Fri 14 Jan 2022 Mrs R-M

  Right of the Month - Article 29 : The right to be the best you can be

  Value of the month  - RESPONSIBILTY

   

  Dear Parents /Guardians, 

   

  We have had a super week of learning, with classes introducing their topics with such exciting hooks. 

  Y2 saw seen aliens landing in our playground!! -click here

  Y3/4 have been investigating different organs - click here

   

  Masks on site

  Thank you once again for helping us keep safe and wearing masks on our school grounds. If you are exempt please wear your lanyard , as this is helpful for staff.  Please could you pass this message onto anyone collecting your child. We have had a few more cases this week and we must try to keep our staff safe to avoid closing classes. 

   

  I have sent you the updated/FAQ guidance in last weeks letter, but here is a reminder:

   

  All schools continue to work closely with the Local Authority to closely monitor the impact on learners’ education and wellbeing. Our main aim is for learners to have face to face learning in schools wherever possible. However, inevitably, we will have to react quickly and make some key decisions at short notice, and we thank you for your understanding with such matters.

   

  Symptoms

  No one should attend school if they have any symptoms associated with the coronavirus. They should self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test – https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.

  The main symptoms include:

  • a high temperature

  • a new continuous cough

  • a loss or change to sense of smell or taste.

   

  You should also be aware of other symptoms early on, such as headaches, tiredness and general aches and pains usually associated with the flu.

   

  FAQ

  My child has been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID- can they attend school/childcare?

  Yes, your child can still attend school or childcare. However, we now ask that all children aged 5 to 17 years old (as well as vaccinated adults) identified as a close contact of a positive case to take lateral flow tests every day for 7 days. This is known as ‘Daily Contact Testing’. Tests should be taken before they arrive at school each day. These individuals do not need to self-isolate unless they have a positive lateral flow test and/or develop symptoms. If they have a positive lateral flow test and develop symptoms, they should self-isolate and book a PCR test as soon as possible. However, if they have a positive lateral flow test without symptoms, they are no longer advised to have a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result, unless they are in a clinically vulnerable group, but will need to self-isolate for 7 days and have a negative lateral flow test result on days 6 and 7.

   

  Someone in my household has coronavirus symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus. What should I do?

  If someone in your household has coronavirus symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus, you should follow the latest guidance.

  All over 18s who are fully vaccinated (having received two full doses of an approved vaccine) and children aged 5 to 17 are now asked to take lateral flow tests every day for 7 days if they are identified as a contact of a positive COVID-19 case. We recommend those undertaking Daily Contact Testing take their test before they arrive at school each day. These individuals do not need to self-isolate unless they have a positive lateral flow test and/or develop symptoms. If they have a positive lateral flow test and develop symptoms, they should self-isolate and book a PCR test as soon as possible. However, if they have a positive lateral flow test without symptoms, they are no longer advised to have a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result, unless they are in a clinically vulnerable group, but will need to self-isolate for 7 days and have a negative lateral flow test result on days 6 and 7.

   

  Unvaccinated adults identified as a contact of a positive COVID-19 case must isolate for 10 days. They should now take a lateral flow test on day two and day eight instead of a PCR test. Our position on children under 5 years old remains unchanged - they are not required to self-isolate or test as contacts but we advise that they remain at home if they are unwell.

   

  I have previously tested positive for COVID-19. Do I still need to test as a contact?

  We do not recommend that people use PCR tests if they have been confirmed positive via a PCR test in the last 90 days. Those aged 5-17 and fully vaccinated adults should still use the LFD tests for 7 days from when a household member has tested positive, even if they have previously had Covid in the last 90 days.

   

  Regular Testing

  How often do I need to take a Lateral Flow Device test?

  All staff and secondary aged learners are advised to take a LFD test three times a week and report the results.

  Where do I report my result?

  It’s important to record your test result as soon as you can, whether it’s positive, negative, or void. You can report your results on gov.uk or by calling 119. It means new outbreaks are identified and we understand how the tests are being used.

   

  If you have any questions, please contact us.  We all need to reach a sensible and balanced approach to ensure our pupils and staff are as safe as possible. 

   

  Weekly Headlines

   

  Home learning agreement - Penclawdd NEEDS YOU!  Please click here to watch

  Our pupils deserve the best we can offer in terms of learning, and for this to be most effective, we need your help.  We know that Covid has had a huge impact on pupils' readiness to learn.  We need to further develop pupils' positivity towards learning as well setting high expectations of themselves.  Please help us to help your child by agreeing to the expectations for home learning set by your class teacher.  Together we can develop the skills of "how to learn" to embed independence and positive attitudes to learning. This term homework will be set on Teams. Please see your class newsletter for further information

   

  Our School Lottery 

  We launched our new fundraiser in December.  Please support us with just £1 per week, as this makes a huge difference to the resources and opportunities we can offer our pupils.   Please ask your relatives and friends to support us too! Thanks to our families who have already purchased tickets. You could even win a forest holiday this term - see here for info.

  For more information on our lottery click here. 

   

  NON- School uniform day

  Our next fundraising day is Friday January 29th. Please support us if you can , by donating a £1. All monies raised are for resources/ equipment for the children.

   

  Power down day - 2nd February 2022

  More information to follow from our Eco Wombles!

   

  After School Club

  As a North Gower Partnership, we will review the decision to postpone club regularly.  We really hope to resume as soon as we can. 

   

  INSET days/Extra bank holiday - reminders

  These dates are below. We have 1 more INSET day to take - we will notify of you this date shortly.

   

  School calendar - on the website

  Please click here for all the dates you need! This is updated regularly.

   

  Thank you for all your support.

  Have a great weekend!

   

  Mrs R-M x