School Photographers – Our school photographers will be here on Tuesday to take individual and sibling photos of children in school. They may also be here on the Wednesday if they don’t finish taking all the photos.

They will need parental consents filled in from each child by Thursday 6th October at the latest. Please follow the link below to access the form. Thank you.

https://schools.rozandkirsty.co.uk/add_consent/13?pin=5825

Volunteers – Thank you to everyone who responded to our volunteers questionnaire. We have a meeting on Monday 17th October at 9:15am for anyone who is interested in volunteering.

School Trip – Oxwich classes will be going to Theatre Na Nog on Wednesday 26th October, we are asking for Voluntary Contributions of £13.00. Unfortunately if we do not cover the costs we may have to cancel the trip. Please pay on sQuid.

School Trip – Caswell classes will be going to Caerleon on Monday 24th October, we are asking for Voluntary Contributions of £20.00. Unfortunately if we do not cover the costs we may have to cancel the trip. Please pay on sQuid. Please note the children will return to school at 4:00pm approximately.

Inset Day – Our next Inset Day is Friday 14th October, when school will be closed to pupils for staff training.

Half Term – Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November

Class Assembly – Oxwich J have their class assembly next week on Tuesday 4th October at 9:10am. Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend. Please start queuing at Gate 2 on Trafalgar Place from 9:00am. As that gate is in use by Caswell T & Caswell J, please let the classes enter first, and wait for the gate to close before queuing, we will reopen the gate once the classes are in.

Parent/Teacher Meetings – Meet the Bay Team. As you may be aware we have renamed our classes this year after various bays/beaches around Swansea. Therefore Year Group Meetings are now called Bay Team meetings. These take place next week:-

Oxwich D – Mr Davies
Oxwich E – Mrs Evans
Oxwich J – Mrs Jenkins

Monday 3rd October 2022 at 4:00pm
Please use Gate 1

Caswell H – Mrs Howard
Caswell T – Mrs Timaeus
Caswell J – Mr Jenkins

Wednesday 5th October 2022 at 4:00pm
Please use Gate 1

Bracelet L – Mrs Lewis
Bracelet B – Mrs Breeze
Bracelet M – Miss Maliphant

Tuesday 4th October 2022 at 4:00pm

Please use Gate 1

Pobbles R – Mrs Roach

Pobbles B – Miss Brown

Tuesday 4th October 2022 at 3:30pm

 Please use Gate 5

Come along to an event on:
Thursday 13th October 2022 at 5.30 p.m. – 6.30 p.m., George Hall, Guildhall,
Swansea. SA1 4PE
Where you will:
• Discover more about the role of a governor
• Find out about the work of the B.A.M.E. governor working party
• Hear from current governors and find out what it actually entails for them
• Listen to a Headteacher of a Swansea school regarding the importance of the
governing body being a true representation of the community the school
serves
• Speak to the School & Governor Team to find out how they can help you
become a governor
• Opportunity for a Q + A session
This event is free but booking is essential. To book a place please visit
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/governors/governor-recruitment-event/e-avlpga

Bank Holiday – Monday 19th September is a bank holiday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. School will resume on Tuesday 20th September.

As part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations last term we ordered books for the children, which we received last week, and so we are offering children a copy of the book to take home today.

Year 2 children will be having Kerb Craft lessons starting next week from the Local Authority’s Road Safety Team. Please ensure you have signed and returned the permission slip.

School Grounds – A huge thank you to one of our parents Jodi Moss, and her volunteers for all their work in fundraising and transforming an area of the Pobbles’ yard over the summer holidays. We are very grateful. Jodi hopes to keep the fundraising and transformation going as they have plans to improve and introduce green areas in our other yards.

Oxwich J Assembly – Due to the bank holiday we have postponed Mrs Jenkins’ Class Assembly until October 4th.

PTA – Parent Teacher Association – PTA events have been on hold over the last couple of years due to lock downs and restrictions, and we would like to start it again. There is a meeting on Monday 26th September at 3.30 pm for anyone interested in joining. After you have collected your child, please come to Gate 1 (please wait until the children have been dismissed from that Gate). The PTA put on events such as Disco’s and Fetes to raise money to benefit all children in the school.

We are so pleased to start the school year in a much more positive and familiar way than the past couple of years. We are delighted to say that we plan to return to in-person class-led assemblies, end of term concerts and workshops. These opportunities have been very much missed by staff, parents and pupils alike. We do not underestimate the value of events like these in terms of building a strong school community.

We are in a position to share key planned dates for the Autumn term which are as follows (times to be confirmed):

20/9/2022 – Class Led Assembly Oxwich J

w/c 3/10/22 – Parent / Teacher meetings: Getting to know the new class teams – Oxwich, Caswell, Bracelet and Pobbles – details to follow.

21/10/22 – Harvest assembly for parents (Oxwich D, Caswell J and T, Bracelet L, Pobbles R and B.

w/c 24/10/22 – Safety and Well-being workshops

8/11/22 – Class Assembly Bracelet B

15/11/22 – Class Assembly Oxwich E

29/11/22 – Class Assembly Bracelet M

w/c 12/12/22 – End of Term Concerts – dates to confirmed.

Mrs Lewis and Mrs Morgans are organising volunteer induction meetings for October. The link to the questionnaire if you are interested is here. Please note if you have already responded to this in the summer term there is no need to respond again.

Welcome!

We hope the children have enjoyed the start to the new academic year.

As many of you are already aware, Welsh Government have reviewed the old curriculum and developed an exciting new curriculum with the intention of creating a generation of pupils who will be :

• ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

The new curriculum is a continuum of learning for children from 3 to 16 years of age. There will no longer be a separate Foundation Phase or Key Stage 2, instead, all children are learning along the continuum.

After so many years of referring to Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2, we needed to consider how we would move away from these well known and understood terms. We looked to our local area for inspiration and settled on Gower beaches, which will also form part of the name of each class as follows:

Nursery & Reception
Mrs Roach – Class Name – Pobbles R
Miss Brown – Class Name – Pobbles B

Years 1 & 2
Mrs Lewis – Class Name – Bracelet L
Mrs Breeze – Class Name – Bracelet B
Miss Maliphant – Class Name – Bracelet M

Years 3 & 4
Mr Jenkins – Class Name – Caswell J
Mrs Howard – Class Name – Caswell H
Mrs Timaeus – Class Name – Caswell T

Years 5 & 6
Mr Davies – Class Name – Oxwich D
Mrs Evans – Class Name – Oxwich E
Mrs Jenkins – Class Name – Oxwich J

September ‘Meet the teacher’ event: . As always, we have planned for an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher who will share some useful information including the new curriculum. Details to follow

Updating Contact Details

At the start of the school year we check and update everyone’s contact details, please complete the online form. (One form per family). If you have recently changed your address please provide proof such as a driving licence, council tax bill or tenancy agreement.

New Pupils

We are looking forward to all our new pupils joining us over the next few weeks. Please remember to complete the admission form, and provide proof of your child’s date of birth as well as proof of your address.

Inset Days and School Holidays

Our next Inset Days are Friday 14th October, Thursday 22nd December and Friday 23rd December. School will be closed to pupils for staff training. October half term is Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November.

School Trips

Advance Notice – Oxwich classes are going to Theatre Na Nog on Wed 26th October to see the production of The Trail of Elgin Jones. The cost will be approx. £15.00 to £20.00 and we will confirm the exact price once we have confirmed the transport costs.

Safety and Wellbeing

Before the summer we shared the Cluster RSE leaflet which outlined recent changes to the RSE curriculum, and a brief questionnaire.

Thank you to those who responded; it was clear that many of you would welcome the idea of Safety & Wellbeing workshops. To help us to plan these, please would you complete the following form:

https://forms.office.com/r/caceNZVRaW

Below are links to information you may find useful regarding keeping safe online:

https://brynmill-primary-school1.j2bloggy.com/en_GB/in-the-know-the-latest-on-apps-social-media-and-games-for-families/

Stop the spread of misinformation

Dropping off and Collection Arrangements

Can we please ask that once you have collected your child at the end of the day, that you move away from the gate areas this will help with safety. If you would like to stop and chat with other parents please cross the road, thank you! We have had some complaints from neighbours about cars parking in residents parking areas, so if possible please park a couple of streets away, and walk the rest of the way to the school.