HALF TERM – Next week is Half Term, school starts back Monday 3rd March.

St David’s Day Celebrations – We will be celebrating St David’s Day on Friday 7th March. Children are invited to wear Welsh costumes, Rugby or Football Shirts, or anything red.

After School Activities – There is no Choir or Netball for the week after half term.

World Book Day – We will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 14th March – children are invited to dress up as their favourite book character, or bring their favourite book in to school. Here are some links to easy costumes.

https://www.goodto.com/family/world-book-day-costume-ideas-

14804https://www.redtedart.com/world-book-day-easy-costume-ideas/

https://www.madeformums.com/toddler-and-preschool/last-minute-easy-world-book-day-costumes/

Class Assemblies. Please queue at Gate 2 once you have dropped your child off. Parents/Grandparents welcome.

Friday 14th March – Caswell M – Miss Maliphant

Friday 21st March – Pobble N – Mrs Nicholas (Reception children only)

Friday 28th March – Pobbles T Mrs Timaeus (Reception children only)

Friday 4th March – Bracelet L – Mrs Lewis

Family Learning Session – Wed 12th March – Please see the post on the School Story on Dojo

Parent/ Toddler Group – Monday 10th March – Please see the post on the School Story on Dojo

Easy Fundraising

Brynmill Primary School has been paid £162.73 this week thanks to our community shopping online! A huge thank you to everyone who supports us. Want to get involved? Sign up to easyfundraising so your online shopping at your favourite retailers turns into much-needed funding for us. It’ll take you two minutes to sign up: https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/brynmillps/kay456/dda/U5SijpKB/Q4244/facebook/162.73

PTA News: We have a fantastic lineup of events planned for parents, carers, and children after the half-term break! Take a look at the poster below for all the details. 

To stay updated on PTA news and events—or if you’re interested in helping out—follow our Facebook page or join our WhatsApp group on the link below:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DXuGTJivzjEGr03Bmosqvv

You can also find all PTA updates in the school newsletter and on Dojo. Thank you for your continued support!

Green Scene: Thank you so much to those who joined us for last weekend’s Green Scene volunteer session!

We did some weeding, topped up around the tree in Bracelet yard, decorated milk planters and planted some flowers in them for Oxwich & Caswell yard, watered the bamboo in Pobbles yard, found caterpillars, cocoons and worms, repotted the Christmas tree and ate the most delicious cookies! 

We also practiced our wheelbarrow skills! Top work, Kai, Mark, Mari, Dillon and Bethany. We also found a buried egg in Oxwich & Caswell yard which we think might have been a fox. The veg in Oxwich & Caswell yard is also doing great and we’ve spotted our first turnip. 

Our next session will be on Sunday March 16th from 10-12:30pm and we’d love to see as many of there as possible.

Follow us on Instagram for more updates: 

https://www.instagram.com/greensceneswansea?igsh=a2xrenY2bTkxMnJv

2025 – Online Safety Regulations come into force: What Parents Need to Know

Link: Ofcom: Time for tech firms to act UK

The Online Safety Bill is a new law which aims to create a safer online environment for everyone.

Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, said:

“For too long, sites and apps have been unregulated, unaccountable and unwilling to prioritise people’s safety over profits. That changes from today.

The safety spotlight is now firmly on tech firms and it’s time for them to act. We’ll be watching the industry closely to ensure firms match up to the strict safety standards set for them under our first codes and guidance, with further requirements to follow swiftly in the first half of next year. 

Those that come up short can expect Ofcom to use the full extent of our enforcement powers against them.”

Here’s how it will help:

• Responsibility of Social Media Companies: Social media platforms will be required to take steps to protect their users, especially children and young people.
• Quick Action on Harmful Content: These companies must remove illegal content quickly, including anything that encourages self-harm.
• Prevent Access to Inappropriate Content: Social media sites will work to stop children from seeing harmful or age-inappropriate material.
• Age Limits and Checks: They will enforce age restrictions and check users’ ages to keep younger users safer.
• Transparency About Risks: Companies will need to clearly share information about the dangers children might face on their platforms by publishing risk assessments.
• Reporting Issues: Parents and children will have simple and accessible ways to report any problems they encounter online.

Dropping children off –

A reminder to parents that dropping children off on the zigzag lines outside the school is illegal, and stopping in the middle of the road causes obstructions, here is a link to Police guidance https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rs/road-safety/parking-outside-schools/

After School Activities Next week

Monday – Choir until 4:15pm

Thursday – Netball – Until 4:15pm

School Essentials Grant – Families on lower incomes with children in Reception to Year 11 could be eligible for the School Essentials Grant:

✔️ £200 for learners entering year 7.

✔️£125 for other year groups.

Your school will receive funding too.

Visit: https://www.gov.wales/get-help-school-costs

Family Learning Session

We are excited to launch our ‘Family Learning’ sessions at Brynmill. After working closely with our Community Group, we have decided that the sessions should be a fun and engaging way for the whole family to learn together. Please bring your children with you. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please see the ClassDojo post to sign up.

Parent & Toddler Session

We are very excited to share with you that after half term, our wonderful community group will be running a weekly ‘Parent & Toddler’ session.

This is a great opportunity to build connections with other parents and our school. If you would like to come along, please see the Class Dojo post to sign up.

The sessions will start on Monday 10th March (9:15 – 10:15) and will run weekly.

Diolch,

Mrs. Nicholas & The Community Group

Community Group Meeting

Next Wednesday, the Brynmill Community Group will be meeting at 2:00 – 3: 00 pm in our school hub. Anyone can come along. Please come via the main gate and someone will sign you in. Looking forward to seeing you all then and updating you on some exciting news.

Green Scene:

Join us on Sunday, 16th February, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM for our monthly Green Scene volunteer session at Brynmill Primary School! This session helps maintain the gardens that Green Scene has created for the school. Everyone is welcome—parents, carers, children, students, and community members.To help us plan equipment for the session, please let us know if you can attend by emailing Jodibethanmoss@gmail.com. All equipment will be provided, along with tea, coffee, fruit, and cake—we’d love to see you there!

PTA News

On Thursday, 6th March, Friends of Brynmill Primary will be holding another second-hand uniform sale! We are currently accepting donations of outgrown uniforms, including:

• T-shirts• Jumpers• Cardigans• Coats• Trousers• Dresses• Skirts• Tights• Shoes

If you have any items to donate, please drop them off at the school office. We kindly ask that all donations are clean and dry. Thank you for your support!

We’ll also be announcing dates soon for our upcoming Board Game Nights—a fun events for all parents and carers.

To stay up to date with our events, check our Facebook page, WhatsApp group, school newsletter, and Dojo. If you’d like to join our WhatsApp group, feel free to email us at friendsofbrynmill@gmail.com.

With Ramadan approaching, we refer to guidance produced by both Communities in Action and Muslim Council of Britain, to support children’s fasting. We understand that fasting during Ramadan is an important practice for many Muslim families, and while it is obligatory from puberty, we recognize that some children may fast for a few days, especially as they get older.

If your child is aged 8 years or older and wishes to fast on a school day, we kindly ask that you inform the school. It’s also important for your child to have a healthy pre-dawn meal before starting their fast to help keep them energized throughout the day.

For more information and guidance, please visit our dedicated website page:

Ramadan 2025 Guidance for Schools & Parents.

Dates for the Diary

Friday 31st January – Caswell H Class Assembly – please queue at Gate 2, after the children have been let in at the beginning of the school day.

Friday February 7th – Bracelet R Class Assembly

Friday 14th February – Oxwich D Class Assembly

Friday 21st February Oxwich J Class Assembly

Friday 14th March – Caswell M Class Assembly

Please check our school calendar to keep up to date with all school events

BRYNMILL SCHOOL CALENDAR

If you would like to subscribe, click HERE using your phone, and you can automatically add all school events into your own calendar.

After School Activities

Choir & Netball are back on next week, if you would like to join but haven’t yet completed a form this academic year please find links to the forms below.

Monday – Choir – Caswell & Oxwich classes https://forms.office.com/e/Bt9B1gm62P

Thursday – Netball – Oxwich classes https://forms.office.com/e/VhfjmFMhfT

Safety Drills

We would like to inform you about our upcoming annual Invacuation practice, scheduled for next week.This mandatory exercise is a part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our children.

We understand that discussions about safety can be sensitive, and we want to reassure you that our approach is thoughtful and age-appropriate.

For more details about our sensitive approach and what the practice entails, please visit our website https://brynmill-primary-school1.j2bloggy.com/fire-drills-evacuation-and-lock-down-drills-invacuation/

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to keep our school community safe

PTA News:-A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our second-hand uniform sale yesterday. It was wonderful to see so many families finding what they needed. We are now collecting uniform donations for our next sale. If you’re having a clear-out, we’d greatly appreciate any of the following items: 

 • Jumpers 

 • Cardigans 

 • T-shirts 

 • Polo shirts 

 • Trousers 

 • Skirts 

 • Dresses 

 • Shoes 

 • Coats  

Please ensure all donated items are clean and dry before dropping them off at the school office.  Thank you for your continued support!

Green Scene:– Want to make a positive impact at our school? Join us for Green Scene Swansea’s next volunteer session!

School Comms – Advance notice, we will no longer be using School Comms by the end of March. We therefore ask that all correspondence comes in to us via dojo message, email or phone call. If you are currently using School Comms to send absence messages, please start using Class Dojo to send a message to the school office instead. Thank you

Our school payments are fully cashless with iPayimpact, the ultimate school payment app!

At Brynmill Primary School we use iPayimpact so that parents can enjoy hassle-free and lightning-fast school payment experiences right from the palm of your hand. From small purchases to quick top-ups, iPayimpact is your go-to app for managing all your school payments with ease.

It’s the perfect solution for busy parents and guardians who want to keep track of school-related purchases anytime, anywhere. You can check your live cashless balance and manage all school purchases in one place, including trips, events, and clubs.

With iPayimpact, you can easily manage school purchases from your desktop, tablet, or mobile app. For registered parents, you can access iPayimpact via:

• Download app from Apple Store: iPayimpact – Apps on Apple Store
• Download app from Google Store: iPayimpact – Apps on Google Play
• Website: www.ipayimpact.co.uk

 To register for iPayimpact, please get in touch with the school directly.

Second Hand Uniform Sale – Our lovely PTA – the friends of Brynmill Primary will be running a second hand uniform sale on Thursday 23rd January ( times to be confirmed) If you have any uniform to donate please send it in to the school office. Thank you

Dates for the Diary

Fri 24th January – Bracelet B Class Assembly – please queue at Gate 2, after the children have been let in at the beginning of the school day.

Friday 31st January – Caswell H Class Assembly – please queue at Gate 2, after the children have been let in at the beginning of the school day.

Please check our school calendar to keep up to date with all school events

BRYNMILL SCHOOL CALENDAR

If you would like to subscribe, click HERE using your phone, and you can automatically add all school events into your own calendar.

After School Activities

There are no After School Activities next week.

Welcome to the new term, we hope you had a lovely break.

After School Activities

There are NO after school activities for the next couple of weeks. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for information on when they will restart.

Parent/Carer Workshop – Parents and Carers are invited to a workshop on how to support their child with Big Emotions- Worries, next Friday in School.

Fruit Tuckshop –

SCHOOL FRUIT can now be paid for the next 6 weeks. It is available for pupils in Bracelet, Caswell and Oxwich classes. If you would like your child to have a daily piece of fruit at break time, please pay £7 for this half term on iPay.

Please note – the option to pay for fruit is now in the SHOP section:

– Log into iPay
– Go to the menu, accounts, and select your child
– Find the Shop fund and click the shop button
– Choose Fruit tuckshop category
– Click on the offer and change quantity to 1
– Save the item in your basket and then check out

Any problems, please contact the school office.

Governors

Here is an updated list of our Governors.

Chair of Governors – Anwaar Younis – Community Governor

Vice Chair – Graham Davies – Parent Governor

Rosh Ali – Parent Governor

Balaussa Shaimakhanova – Parent Governor

Hywel Vaughan – Local Authority Governor

Cllr Peter May – Local Authority Governor

Julie Warren – Community Governor

Owen Davies – Teacher Governor

Angharad Timaeus – Teacher Governor

Kim Morgans – Clerk to Governors

Dates for the Diary

Please check our school calendar to keep up to date with all school events

BRYNMILL SCHOOL CALENDAR

If you would like to subscribe, click HERE using your phone, and you can automatically add all school events into your own calendar.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or just having a break in the lead up to the New Year, we wish you a relaxing break. We will see you all for the start of Spring Term on Tuesday 7th January 2025.

Fruit Tuckshop

SCHOOL FRUIT can now be paid for the next 7 weeks after Christmas. It is available for pupils in Bracelet, Caswell and Oxwich classes. If you would like your child to have a daily piece of fruit at break time, please pay £7 for this half term on iPay.

Please note – the option to pay for fruit is now in the SHOP section:

– Log into iPay
– Go to the menu, accounts, and select your child
– Find the Shop fund and click the shop button
– Choose Fruit tuckshop category
– Click on Autumn Term 1 and change quantity to 1
– Save the item in your basket and then check out

Any problems, please contact the school office.

The School Nursing service are holding drop in Flu catch up clinics between 10am and 3pm on the following days. Please bring your child along to any of the sessions to receive their flu vaccine.

Monday 30^th December – Cwmbwrla Clinic (10-3pm)  80 Caebricks Road, Cwmbwrla, SA5 8NS

Thursday 2^nd Jan 25- Resource Centre (10-3pm) Morr Road, Port Talbot SA12 7BJ

Friday 3^rd Jan 25 Gorseinon Hospital (phlebotomy) (10-3pm) Brynawel Road, Gorseinon, Swansea, SA4 4UU

Here is the link for the Consent form, Please note –  If you have previously completed a consent form there is no need to complete another one. Fluenz Nasal Vaccination Form

PTA News:  

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and shared our Christmas Raffle Fundraiser. You helped raise £795 for our school! 

This money will be spent on vital school resources. All winners have been contacted via email or text. 

Thank you so much for your support during the last month and throughout 2024. We can’t wait to host more events next year! 

What’s coming up?

NO After School Clubs this week

Dates for the Diary

Please check our school calendar to keep up to date with all school events

BRYNMILL SCHOOL CALENDAR

If you would like to subscribe, click HERE using your phone, and you can automatically add all school events into your own calendar.

Christmas Parties

Wednesday 18th December~

Children are invited to wear their party clothes to school.

Children are asked to bring in some party food for themselves on a labelled plate.

Please note that as we have some nut free classes, please do not send in anything that contains nuts.

Please note the party food is in addition to normal lunchtime arrangements, so please ensure your child has a packed lunch/ school dinner.

Christmas Café

Our Enterprise Troopers would like to invite all parents / carers to our Christmas Café on the morning of Wednesday 18th December. Come along and enjoy a hot drink and a festive snack in our Christmas grotto.

Autumn Term Reports

Next week you will be receiving a brief report to let you know how your child has settled in to their new class this year. For pupils in year 2 to year 6, further information on how your child is progressing can be found by accessing their personalised assessment progress reports on Hwb. See the link below for instructions:

Progress Reports and Personalised Assessments

Thank Yous

Thank you to Elliott’s Dad Michael for the £500 Admiral Donation, which we have used to buy playground resources for Bracelet classes

Thank you to Buddy’s mum Leanne for repairing our stage curtains

Message from Swansea Council

Proposed new model for Specialist Teaching Facilities (STFs) across Swansea – Consultation Response Report Available

Following the recent consultation regarding the above proposal, the Consultation Response Report is now available on the link below:

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/schoolorganisationSTFreview

This Consultation Report will be taken to Cabinet on the 12 December 2024 for a decision on whether to proceed to publish a statutory notice.

A hard copy of the consultation report is available on request.

PTA News

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas stalls during the Christmas concerts. You helped us raise an amazing £474.58 for our school! 

Thank you so much to those who volunteered to run the stalls and set up. Without you, we wouldn’t have raised such a brilliant amount. 

Our Christmas raffle fundraiser is still live for another few days until Wednesday 18th December when we’ll be drawing our winners. If you’re able to purchase some entries, we’d hugely appreciate it. 

Entries can be purchased online via the link below: 

https://go.rallyup.com/friendsofbrynmillchristmasraffle2024

Please do also share with family and friends if you can. Entries start at £2 for x10 entries.

Thank you so much for all your support at this time of year.