Week 27 - Friday 5th April 2019

Welcome to our newsletter for week ending 5th April. Don't forget to look for our new communication app - The School App in the Play Store or App Store if you haven't already downloaded. This app is used frequently to keep you up to date with activities and notifications regarding your child and the school.

Parents Focus Group - School Reports

This week we held a Parents Focus Group to discuss a revised approach to our end of year school reports. The meeting was extremely useful and allowed the school to gain valuable feedback from parents. School reports are being reviewed to adopt a new approach to the Curriculum for Wales, and will provide parents with information relating to their child in the following areas:

• Language, literacy and Communication (English and Welsh)
• Mathematics and Numeracy
• Science and Technology
• Humanities
• Expressive Arts
• Health and Well Being

The feedback from the Parents Focus Group will be used as part of our review and amalgamated following consultation with staff and governors. Thank you to the parents who were able to attend the meeting and engage with the school.

We plan to hold additional Parents Focus Groups in the future and we will keep you informed when dates are confirmed.

Year 5 Staffing Arrangements

We have written to parents in Class 5C today to inform them about a staffing change that will be in place from 29th April 2019. We have received notification from the school that Mr Clements has been seconded from stating that they required his urgent return due to a significant change in their circumstances. This request was unexpected and very unfortunate. Reluctantly we have had no option but to honour this request.

Therefore, having met with governors this week, it has been agreed that Mr McNally will teach the class until the end of the school year. We are pleased that through an internal reorganisation we have secured such a high calibre teacher and we are confident that Mr McNally will continue to develop on the progress already made this year.

We know that you will share our disappointment in Mr Clements leaving but will share in collective gratitude the excellent work he has undertaken with our year 5 children.

Miss Mullins maternity leave

Today we have said farewell to Miss Mullins who has started her maternity leave. We wish her well and hope she enjoys her maternity leave. Miss Vaughan will continue in this class supported by Miss Hodgson.

Miss Hodgson will also be the SENCO coordinator for the school.

Cross Country

Reminder that there will be a cross country event for years 3 to 6 at Bryntirion Comprehensive School on Saturday April 6^th. The event will begin at 10am. Following the events there will be a presentation. The whole event is likely to be completed by 11.15am.

Choir concert

The Oldcastle School choir will be performing at a concert this evening with Bridgend Male Voice Choir in St Mary's RC Church. The choir this year is extremely popular and there will be 38 children performing. We hope you all enjoy and we look forward to hearing about the experience.

Summer Term Sports Club

We are pleased to be able to offer after school sports clubs to children in years 1 to year 6 in the summer term. Emails and app messages have been sent home with a link to an enrolment form. The years 1 and 2, and years 3 and 4 clubs are now full. There are still a few spaces in the years 5 and 6 sports club.

Nut free school

Reminder - as a school we strive to be 'nut free'. Please can we ask that food containing nuts is not included in children's lunch boxes. We have a number of children with an intolerance to nuts as well as a few children who have a severe allergy who may experience an anaphylactic shock as a result of coming into contact with nut products. Please can we ask that you consider the products being put into lunch boxes and check whether these items contain any form of nuts.

Headteacher Award

The following children were presented with a Headteachers Award during assembly today. This weeks theme is perseverance.

• Reception Miss Waters - Logan
• Reception Miss Williams - Ivy
• Year 1 Mrs Morcom-Lewis - Amelia
• Year 1 Miss Mullins - William
• Year 2 Mrs Roberts - Oliver
• Year 2 Mrs Evans - Hope
• Year 3 Miss Minkowski - Tabitha
• Year 3 Miss Davies - Lydia
• Year 4 Miss Jones - Olivia
• Year 4 Miss Craven - Jay
• Year 5 Mr Clements - The whole class
• Year 5 Miss James- Riley
• Year 6 Mrs Coleman - Seren
• Year 6 Mrs Taylor-Jones - Matty

Class of the week for the best attendance was awarded to 2R (97.7%) in Foundation Phase and 5J (98.5%) in Key Stage 2. Our whole school attendance target is 95.9% for the year. This week's attendance was 94.3%.

Year 1 have been making clay pots this week.

Year 5 have been building bridges!

Year 4 have been creating stop motion picture films in preparation for their science lessons next week. Please take a look by clicking these links Year 4 projects, Year 4 projects, Year 4 projects, Year 4 projects

Year 6 have been busy creating a 3D water cycle as part of their atmosphere investigations.

Diary Dates

• Wednesday 10th April - PTA Disco (Nursery, Reception and Year 1)
• Thursday 11th April - PTA Disco (Years 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Friday 12th April - School term ends at normal time
• Easter Holidays - 15th April to 26th April
• Monday 29th April - Back to School
• Monday 6th May - Bank Holiday
• Wednesday 15th May - Reception and Year 6 Class Photos
• Monday 20th May - PTA Clothing Collection
• Half Term - Monday 27th May to Friday 31st May
• Monday 3rd June - Back to School
• Wednesday 12th June to Friday 14th June - Year 6 residential trip
• Wednesday 19th June - Class and team photos
• Friday 5th July - Sports Day years 1 to 6
• Friday 19th July - School Term Ends
• Inset Day - Monday 22nd July 2019

Inset Days 2019/20

• Monday 4th November 2019
• Tuesday 5th November 2019
• Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd June 2020
• Monday 20th July 2020