Well the school may have been closed for the Summer but the work didn't stop in school. The Foundation Phase side of the school has finally received that long awaited new boiler and the lovely new radiators in all classrooms and corridors. We will be toasty warm now this Winter. 

The second phase of the new fire alarm system has also been completed which has taken much of the holiday period.

Mr Miles our lovely caretaker  has also been super busy painting walls, putting up lovely bright notice boards and also putting up the new shed for our gardening club - to name but a few things he has been doing. 

This week teachers have been in school setting up the new classrooms ready for our learners. 

We can't wait to start the new year with you all on Tuesday 3rd, it's going to be a wonderful term!

Congratulations to Mrs Gibbard for receiving a commendation in the award for Employee of the Year in the field of health and safety, from the South and West Wales Safety Group. Mrs Gibbard is the first education based employee receiving a nomination for this award since the awards have been running. Mrs Gibbard was presented with the award at an annual Mayor's dinner at Parc y Scarlets. 

 

Mr Phill Jones the Chairman of the South and West Wales Safety Group said:  

 

10 May 2019

Dear parent/guardian

Re: Polling Day

I am delighted to announce that after long negotiation and deliberation I have today made the decision for the school to remain open to pupils on polling day, Thursday 23^rd May. I sincerely apologise that I have not been able to advise you until now. These things take some time, and we had a duty to advise you of the date initially in order for you to have sufficient notice. To make things more difficult, we were only advised of the date of the election on our first day back after the Easter break, which gave us very little time to make suitable enquiries with the Local Authority Health and Safety team and the Electoral office.

However, it was always my intention to try to make things work, in order for your child/children’s learning to have the least disruption.

 

We have been discussing the use of the school as a polling station for some time now and over the past 2-3 years there have been several measures put in place to ensure that health and safety risks are minimised such as new fencing and CCTV. Two years ago attempts were made to open the school to pupils by moving the polling stations to the Community Rooms from the school hall, however, without the fencing, lockable gates and CCTV this was not possible.

Can I thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. I will be sending out some important Health and Safety notices closer to the time with instructions for keeping yourselves and our pupils safe on polling day. I would be very grateful if you would read these thoroughly and follow any instructions given, so that we can continue to keep the school open to pupils in future when there are elections.

 

I have also been working for some time to try to find an alternative location for the polling station, however, none of the locations suggested have been suitable. Both suggestions so far have been the Church community centre, which is already used, and the community centre on Gors Avenue which is not possible. If you have any other suggestions then please let me know and I can forward them to the electoral office. If we make a request for change then responsibility lies with us as school to find an alternative when making that request.

 

Should you have any further queries or wish for any further detail as to the process we have to follow, then please contact me personally and I will be more than happy to see you,

Many thanks,

 

Fiona Gibbard

Head teacher

 

Hope you all had an enjoyable Easter and are now ready for our new Summer term.  There are a few events happening for you to be aware of –

· Monday 6 May 2019 will be Bank Holiday May Day so school will be closed for all.

 

· St Peter’s Church Vestry, Cockett Road will be opening a school uniform bank where there will be clean, nearly new, free of charge uniform available on Saturday 4 May 2019 from 10am – 11am.  There will also be refreshments and crafts for the children to do.

We had a very special visit today from CBeebies television The Ridiculous Rhyme Show.  Joe Chambers who presents brought along his two pals Henry and Dickey to entertain the whole school and they certainly did! They had so much energy and got all the children involved.  It was an unusual way of teaching reading and phonic awareness, one that allowed the children to have fun at the same time.  They participated in making up a rhyme about making a cake, thinking of words that rhyme such as bake, fake, take.  We all loved having them here for the morning.

Onesie Wednesday is April 3rd where staff and children can come in to school in a onesie in support of Autism Awareness Week.  Suggested donation of £1 or what ever is affordable to be donated to the Autistic Society.