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.
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.
