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 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:
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.
Christmas Jumper Day – On Friday 10th December we will be celebrating Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save the Children. Children and staff are invited to wear their Christmas Jumper, or dress up in anything Christmassy, and donate to this worthwhile Charity. Please donate via the Charity Donation Offer on sQuid. Diolch
Christmas Holidays – Our last day in School is Friday 17th December, and we finish at the normal time.
We have an Inset Day on Tuesday 4th Jan when school is closed to pupils for staff training, so our first day back in school is Wednesday 5h Jan 2022.
Outstanding Flu Vaccine Consent Letters – We still have a few outstanding forms, please complete the form indicating whether you DO or DO NOT give consent, and return on Monday morning. The School Nurses will be chasing up any outstanding forms (Reception to Y6).
Y6 Leavers Hoodies – The deadline is approaching. If you would like to order please do so via Squid by Tuesday.
Afternoon Nursery – reminder that the session times are changing from January to 12.50pm to 3.20pm.
Drop off & Pick Up – Please do not leave your car engine idling if you are dropping off or picking up your child as it is harmful to the planet and children’s health. Please do not stop on the double yellow lines or zig zag lines, as this causes obstructions, and can endanger the lives of children crossing the road. If you arrive at school via a taxi, please ask them to pull into an appropriate parking space, and not stop/wait in the middle of the road.
Absences – if your child is not going to be in school, please message Miss Rees our Attendance Officer by 9.30am. You can email the school at brynmill.primary@swansea-edunet.gov.uk, leave a message on our absence line on 01792463019, or send Miss Rees a message via ClassDojo. Please remember the school has two sessions per day (am/pm) so if the children have an appointment during one session, very effort should be made for them to attend the other session.
Children In Need – A huge thank you to everyone who supported Children in Need last week. We raised £200.00!
Defibrillator – We are very pleased to let you know that we now have a defibrillator on the school premises. Staff have attended a training session, but we obviously hope that we will never need to use it.
Children in Need – Next Friday children are invited to dress up or dress down for Children In Need, and donate to this worthy cause. Please pay online via the Trips & Offers Purse on sQuid. at the checkout please change the amount from £0.00 to your chosen donation amount. Thank you
Flu Vaccinations – Letters were sent home yesterday for Reception, please complete and return as soon as possible with either a YES or NO answer.
Applications for Reception & Year 7 – The deadline is later this month, if your child is currently in Nursery or Year 6, please make sure you have applied. Please contact the office if you need help.
Year 6 Leavers Hoodies – Edward’s mum has kindly offered to organise the Leavers Hoodies. Please order via the Trips and Offers Purse on sQuid. The deadline is Tuesday 30th November at 3.30pm. Unfortunately we can not guarantee that we will be able to order any hoodies after the deadline. The cost of a child size hoodie is £ 15.50. The cost of an adult size hoodie is £ 21.00.
School Photographs – The photos are now ready to view and buy! Please check your junk email folders as sometimes the link goes there. If your child’s photo was taken on the day, but you hadn’t already registered with the photographers, you will need to register your consent and agree to the T&Cs before Roz & Kirsty can email the photos. Please go to https://schools.rozandkirsty.co.uk The school PIN is 5825, you will need this to register, and may need it to view the photos.
Last Day of Term – Friday 17th December 2021. First Day of Spring Term – Wednesday 5th January 2022.
Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine. The school nurses will be with us on Friday 3rd December, to give the vaccine to those who have consent in Reception to Year 6. In the next couple of weeks a letter will be sent home, with more information and a form for you to indicate if you agree or not agree for your child to receive the nasal flu immunisation. Please complete and return the form EVEN IF YOU DO NOT CONSENT, as the school nurses need to check they have had a completed form from everyone.
We hope you all have a lovely half term break, and look forward to seeing you on Monday 1st November.
Bumped Head Messages – We are changing the way we inform parents about minor bumped head injuries (if they have opted in to receive a message). Previously we have used a texting service which is only accessible to the Admin Team and which we have to pay for, but in the future we will use ClassDojo to send bumped head messages, allowing more members of staff such to send the messages, as well as save the school some money.
Class Dojo – We are very pleased that nearly 99% of children have one or more parents accessing ClassDojo. If you would like to add another parent, have changed phones and forgotten how to log in, or if you have any other query, please contact the school office and we can assist you.
E-Safety – Useful information for parents – The E-Safety page of our website contains a useful collection of guides for the most popular social media and gaming apps that children are using today. Each guide includes key information including the official age ratings, how children and young people are using the app, potential risks and design, data & costs.
Admission to Reception or Year 7 for September 2022 – The deadline is Friday 26th November, please follow the link to apply online www.swansea.gov.uk/applyforaschoolplace
Outstanding Paperwork – We are chasing some outstanding paperwork
For children joining us since September, we are chasing outstanding Admission Forms, Proof of Date of Birth, and Proof of Address.
If you receive or have recently received a message, please complete the relevant online form as soon as possible, and for the proof please either bring the original documents to school for us to photocopy, or send a photo or scan of the original document to bynmill.primary@swansea-edunet.gov.uk
INSET DAYS –
Inset Day 3 -Tuesday 4th January 2022
Inset Day 4 – Monday 6th June 2022
Inset Day 5 – Tuesday 7th June 2022
Inset Day 6 – To Be Confirmed
After School Club – We are very pleased that our After School Club is restarting after Half Term. For any enquiries please contact Playworks on 02920 864780 or enquiries@playworks-childcare.co.uk
Absence Messages – There are a number of ways you can inform the school if your child is going to be absent. Please ring the school on 01792 463019 and leave a clear message on our absence line or our answerphone, you can send a message via ClassDojo to Miss Rees our Attendance Officer, you can text the school on 01792 720076, or you can email the school at brynmill.primary@swansea-edunet.gov.uk Which ever way you would like to get in touch please do so before 9.30am. Thank you.
Embassy Letters/ Copy Reports – We have had a number of requests for Embassy Letters and Copy Reports this week. Please note that they cost £5.00 per child per letter or copy report, please pay on sQuid in the Trips & Offers purse. Once we have received payment we will produce the documents in up to 5 working days.
The School Photographers will be with us on Monday & Tuesday to take individual and sibling photos of pupils attending our school. If you would like your child/ren to be included please give your consent via https://schools.rozandkirsty.co.uk and use the PIN 5825. You are under no obligation to buy the photos. (Please note they will not be photographing pre – school children or any siblings who are not in our school, to minimise the amount of people coming in and out of the school).
Fruit Tuckshop – This half term we have reintroduced our Fruit Tuckshop and it has proved to be very popular (especially the mini cucumbers!) If you would like to join in for next half term the price will be £7.00 payable on Squid. Sorry this offer is not available to Shooting Stars or Rainbows, and all children are welcome to bring in a healthy snack from home to enjoy at playtime.
#HelloYellow – A big thank you to pupils and staff who have worn yellow and donated for YoungMinds World Mental Health Day.
Late Arrivals -We are having a lot of children regularly arriving late in the morning and missing their class line up. They are then missing the start of their lessons. The gates open at 8.40am and the classes start lining up at 8.50am. Please make every effort to arrive on time.
School Photographer – Roz & Kirsty our school photographers will be with us on Monday 18th October to take individual and sibling photos of pupils attending our school. If you would like your child/ren to be included please give your consent via https://schools.rozandkirsty.co.uk and use the PIN 5825. You are under no obligation to buy the photos. (Please note they will not be photographing pre – school children or any siblings who are not in the same school, to minimise the amount of people coming in and out of the school.)
Admissions – The admission window for parents to apply for Reception and Year 7 places for September 2021 is now open and will close on Friday 26th November 2021. Please contact the school if you haven’t received an Admission letter by email.
Parental Consent Form – If you haven’t already done so, please provide up to date information for school trips, photographs & videos, bumped head texts etc. Please complete the online form here (one form per family). Thank you.
Admissions – The admission window for parents to apply for Reception and Year 7 places for September 2021 is due to open on Monday 4th October 2021 and will close on Friday 26th November 2021. Please check your inbox for an email from the school with an information letter which informs parents of the admission round process.
Non School Uniform Day – Next Friday we will be joining thousands of schools, offices and communities on Friday, 8 October by taking part in #HelloYellow and raising vital funds to young people’s mental health. Dig out your neon socks, custard scarf and banana hat – let’s show young people they’re not alone with their mental health!
If you would like to donate you can do so online via sQuid, and choosing the Charity Offer, just enter the amount you would like to donate. Thank you.
Y5/6 Parents – Just a reminder, as previously mentioned – Parents of pupils in Upper Key Stage 2 may consider their child mature enough and ready to walk to and from school unaccompanied, with the safeguards that parent deem necessary. If this is the case, please contact your child’s class teacher in writing giving permission for your child to walk to and from school without adult supervision. This would also apply if you would like your child to leave school unaccompanied to meet you at a pre determined place. Please note, we would expect pupils under the age of 10 year old are collected by a responsible adult.
End of the day procedures – we would just like to thank parents for their patience with our end of the day procedures, and in the spirit of fairness request that all parents queue to collect their child(ren).
Fundraising Pearl’s mum from LFPR- is kindly raising some much needed funds for our school by running 50 kilometres a month, for a year. The money raised will buy resources for our pupils. Hannah has smashed her original target of £650.00, but is still accepting donations, and her employer will match the figure too!
If you would like to donate please follow the link https://gofund.me/585bc836
From all of us at Brynmill – Thank you Hannah, and keep running!
