We made it to the end of the school year and what a year it has been.  Thank you to all our children, parents, carers and staff for making the school year 2022/23 such a memorable one.  We have been really busy as a school community and we are so grateful for all the support we receive.  We are looking forward to further developing our school community and can't wait to welcome pupils back to school in September.

Today, we said an emotional goodbye to our year 6 pupils who will all be attending Brynteg School from September.  Our year 6 children are a credit to Oldcastle and we know they will all enjoy their time in Brynteg.  As is tradition, every year 6 child rung the school bell as they exited the school and we were delighted to have parents form a guard of honour to clap them on their way.  Good luck year 6!

Ringing the Bell Video

In assembly we thanked our junior leadership team for all their hard work this year.

Psychedelic Cinderella

We are so proud of all of our year 6 children who performed magnificently for the whole school, their parents and grandparents this week.  The show was a resounding success that received a standing ovation!  We are very grateful for all the support we have received from parents in preparation for the show and to our year 6 teachers who worked so hard with Mrs Littlewood to create such a wonderful performance.  We have shared some lovely photos on our Facebook page but here are a few.

Year 6 Leavers Presentation

On Monday evening we celebrated our year 6 pupils in their leavers presentation. Everyone that attended enjoyed the presentations and also enjoyed BBQ food and drinks. During the presentation the year 6 teachers spoke about every child and there were lots of tears!  All children were presented with a Leavers Hoody at the end of the event and the children have worn these with pride since the event!.  Thank you to Sam and Lowri for helping out with the BBQ. Congratulations to the pupils who won an individual award. 

Rewards Day

We had such a fun day on Wednesday with our end of term rewards day for the whole school.  In the morning, Mrs Littlewood held a virtual assembly and announced the annual results for the token collection.  Throughout the year, children have collected a staggering 101,878 tokens!!!! Wow!

This term the results were:

• 1st Place - Blue House 26368

• 2nd Place - Green House 25617

• 3rd Place - Yellow House 25027

• 4th Place - Red House 24866

Following the assembly year groups were invited to enjoy the inflatables and other games in their timetabled slot.  Children were also treated to an ice cream or lolly from the ice cream van.  Overall a lovely day and lots of smiling faces.

It has certainly been a busy school year - we are very grateful for all the support we have received from parents, carers, pupils, staff, governors, PTA and our local community. Here is a small reminder of what we've achieved during the school year 2022/23. 

September - School values were Managing Changes and Discrimination and Perseverance

We love the return to school in September and seeing all the excited faces ready to see their friends and their new teacher.  In the first week of term we learnt that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth had  passed away. This news made us sad but as a school community we came together to commemorate the life of the Queen and understand the importance of the Queen.   We relaunched enrichment in September with some exciting new activities to thrill the children.

October - School values were Respect and Responsibility

In October we were delighted to finally start the nursery toilet refurbishment.  It was a large project that took a number of weeks to complete but we are so pleased with the development and happy to be able to provide bright and colourful toilet facilities for our youngest pupils.  In the autumn term. we launched our new literacy scheme  which has a focus on class books.  Children have loved reading these  new books and have used them to aid writing, spelling and comprehension.  Our reading for pleasure approach has developed pupils' independence and enjoyment of reading. We are now a Flagship School demonstrating a high-quality approach to teaching literacy across the school. The PTA held a Halloween disco for the children in October and raised funds for our school. We published the Governors Annual Report to parents which highlighted the achievements from the previous school year. We also launched Voice 21 our oracy scheme in the autumn term and this has been established in all classrooms.

November - School values were Friendship and Forgiveness

Parents evenings were held in November providing the opportunity for parents to talk with your child's class teacher.  We remembered those that died as a result of conflict with a whole school gathering on our main yard.  We marked Anti Bullying Week on the 114th November by wearing odd socks and supported Children in Need on 18th November by wearing spots.  Pupils in years 4 - 6 participated in swimming lessons at Ynysawdre Swimming Pool. Pupils continue to develop our radio station and even our youngest members of the school have enjoyed a session!

December - School values were Compassion and Hope, and Understanding and Patience

In December we held Christmas concerts for all year groups - 16 concerts in total! Miss Lincoln ran a parents maths session for parents in years 3 to 6 to show how we teach maths in school. Our catering team provided 390 Christmas dinners!  We arranged our first book look of the year for parents to view children's school books.  The PTA arranged a special event for our children on 19th December -  Countdown to Christmas involved a very naughty Grinch causing chaos in school but we were delighted to have a visit from Father Christmas. We celebrated Barney's second birthday and sang Happy Birthday to him in assembly!

January - School values were Community and Service

We held another of our School Community Forum meetings in January to discuss various aspects of school life.  We installed a plaque and commemorative bench in the school yard to remember the dedication and resilience of our pupils, staff and families during the Covid pandemic.

February - School values were co-operation and being a good citizen within society

We celebrated National Golden Retriever day on 3rd February when Barney had some friends in to play with.  We supported Wear Red for Wales and raised money for Velindre. We were delighted to announce we retained the Platinum Eco School award. We held an open day for prospective nursery parents.  We immersed children in a  Welsh Week from 13th February where children worked very hard to produce some amazing artwork, writing poetry, learnt welsh songs and folk dances. We supported the Children's Mental Health week to encourage pupils to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways. Language and play sessions were arranged for our nursery parents.

March - School values were Learning and Effort

We held our annual Eisteddfod on the 1st March to celebrate all things welsh.  All children were involved in preparing entries for the competitions and Ty Glas / Blue House won the overall Eisteddfod. We also Chaired the Bardd in our whole school assembly.  We held parents evenings in March and following feedback from parents we offered all appointments face to face.   Children in year 6 went on their residential visit to Culmington Manor and had a fabulous time. They took part in a range of outdoor pursuits which looked great fun.  In March we competed in the Urdd girls touch rugby competition.

April - School Values were showing gratitude

Mrs Littlewood and the junior leadership team planted a time capsule in a Valleys 2 Coast development in Bridgend.  We continued to offer exciting activities as part of our enrichment sessions.  Year 6 visited Sony and took part in some wonderful sessions learning all about film. 

May - School values were care and generosity

We celebrated the King's Coronation in May with a lovely event supported by the PTA.  All children were able to plant flowers in the colour of red, white and blue and create some amazing displays throughout the school grounds.  We also held a Coronation Cake competition and were blown away by the standard of cakes supplied! The Mayor of Bridgend visited to present all children in the school with a packet of wildflower seeds.  Our school choir, choral speakers and musicians wowed the audience in Ewenny Priory with an outstanding concert.  Our cross country members were awarded 1st place in the years 3 and 4 boys competition, 1st place in the years 5 and 6 boys, and 1st place in the years 5 and 6 girls.  The pupils have attended various events throughout the year and it was lovely to see them recognised.

June - School values were honesty and trust

In June we had some of our success stories celebrated in the Central South Consortium 'Snippets of Success' publication.  The report highlighted success with our well-being dog, family engagement and well-being champions.  We launched our second Careers Week in June and were so pleased with the success of it.  Children were inspired by all the visitors we had into school and provided some wonderful feedback on the week.  91% of pupils said they have more idea about the types of jobs that are available. We are already planning next years Careers Week!! We were delighted to be named as a Flagship School for The Literacy Tree which is the literacy scheme we use in Oldcastle.  We held our annual 'Bump Up Day' on 29th June to give pupils the time to meet their new teacher and familiarise themselves with their new classroom.   Our rugby teams competed in the Brynteg Festival and were victorious in the South Wales Police school rugby tournament. Some of our year 5 boys represented the school in the Bridgend schools football competition.  Children from years 3, 4 , 5 and 6 took part in the Bridgend Schools tennis competition and we were delighted with their sucess.  Year 6 were runners up, years 5 boys won their group and years 3 & 4 boys and girls won their group too.  Children who won the regional events went on to represent the school in the Tennis Wales South Wales Regional finals in Cardiff. 

July - School values were taking and managing risks

July has been incredibly busy.  Our nursery and reception sports day was held on 6th July and it was lovely to see so many parents and grandparents supporting the children.  We  were delighted to be able to hold our rearranged sports day for children in years 1 to 6 on 12th July and again we were so pleased to see so many parents and grandparents supporting the children.  Another hugely successful event was arranged by our PTA on 8th July.  Oldcastle Rocks was an amazing community event that raised over £3000 for our school. We held a Welsh assembly to celebrate our Criw Cymraeg and were delighted to be awarded the Welsh Language Charter (Siarter Iaith) Bronze Award. following an assessment. School reports were sent home and parents were invited into school for our second Book Look of the year. We also held our first meeting of the Community Food Hub with some parents helping us develop this new initiative that we will launch in September.

It's been an emotional period for our year 6 pupils (and staff!) as they complete their 'last' activities in Oldcastle Primary.  This week the children have performed magnificently in their end of term production.  Psychedelic Cinderella was a tremendous success and we are so proud of every pupil for their contribution to the production.  We held a Leavers presentation earlier this week, and todays we said our final farewell to the children in a whole school assembly. 

Barney

Barney is looking forward to the school holidays but will miss all the children and staff.  We will keep you updated on his summer holidays via our Twitter and Facebook pages. Here he is enjoying his new toy today!

Siarter Iaith Award

We are delighted to announce we have achieved the Welsh Language Charter (Siarter Iaith) Bronze Award. Newyddion ardderchog.  Well done to Miss Craven for gathering all the evidence towards the award and Criw Cymraeg for showcasing the school.  Dai Iawn.

Community Food Hub

We had a really useful first meeting with parent volunteers regarding our Community Food Hub this week.  Thank you to the parents who attended and helped us create some lovely  ideas to take forward into the new school year.  We hope to provide further information to you when we return to school in September.

We are looking to create a Community Food Hub for the wider community to provide food parcels.  The food parcels would be offered at a discounted or pay as you feel rate and would be operated as a not for profit enterprise.  Our aim is to contribute to the reduction of food poverty and food insecurity. We would like reach out to our school community to find out if there are any volunteers that would be able to set up and run this venture once a month.  We would also be grateful for businesses to support the venture and help with initial set up costs.

If you think you can help please get in touch with Sara Peters via our ask@oldcastleprimary.co.uk or by phone on 01656 815790.

Uniformerly

We have registered our school with Uniformerly - the online free or paid marketplace for school uniform.  Please share items with other parents via this website if you have uniform to donate or sell.  Uniformerly – Buy, Sell and Give Away outgrown school uniform to other parents at your school ♻️  

Weekly Newsletter Feedback

Earlier this week we asked parents to complete a short google form to gain feedback on our weekly newsletter.  Thank you to the parents who completed the form and provided us with valuable feedback.   91% of parents told us that they read the newsletter every Friday which is good to hear.  Lots of parents have provided some reallu useful comments and we will take these on board for the newsletter in the next academic year.  The google form is still live and available for parents to provide feedback.  If you would like to provide feedback please click on this link.  Newsletter Feedback Form

Nut Free School

Please can we remind parents that we strive to be a nut free school as we have a number of pupils who have a severe allergy to nuts.  

This includes nut products such as peanut butter and nutella. 

On Thursday we held our annual staff vs year 6 children netball matches!  The whole school came out to watch and cheer every one on.  The staff teams were victorious in all of the games!  Well done everyone.

Year 6 helped our nursery pupils make some lovely friendship bracelets this afternoon. 

Year 3 held their own banquet to finish off their topic this week.  Mrs Littlewood was treated to some really bad jokes, super singing and dancing!

We presented the Sports Day trophy to the Red House captains in assembly today.

Final photo of year 6 children from today

Contact details

Please ensure we have up to date contact details for you to ensure you keep up to date with school news and we are able to contact you during the school day if required.  You can either email us with change of details (ask@oldcastleprimary.co.uk) or complete the change of details form.  

We love to hear about all of the exciting achievements of our pupils during out of school activities. Please share any successes with us at ask@oldcastleprimary.co.uk and include a photograph and details of the achievement to be included in future newsletters. 

Congratulations to Eliza from year 6 for passing your Violin Grade 1 exam with a merit.

Congratulations to Zoe from year 6 for passing your Piano Grade 1 exam with a merit.

Congratulations to Lewis and Theo from year 5 who have been selected to be part of the Bridgend Schools District Rugby Team following their recent trials.  Well done boys we look forward to hearing about your journey.

Congratulations to Libby in year 1 who won the Greatest Progress Award in her Musical Theatre Group recently. Libby preformed on stage at the Grand Pavilion dancing and acting on stage to various musical theatre  numbers. They even had a visit from the mayor of Bridgend. On Sunday during her presentation there was three awards given to students; Most improved, Greatest Progress and Superstar.   Well done Libby.

Pupil Fundraising

Avya in Year 2 is fund raising again this year for Velindre.

“With the enormous support and kind donations, Avya in Year 2 managed to fund raise £2050 by walking 50km in August 2022. This has motivated her to fund raise again this year for Velindre cancer institute in memory of her beautiful mom (Sauj). She has set herself a “Big 4 challenge” of reading ‘4 books a week’ and ‘walking 40km’ in August 2023 during her summer holiday.

The donations will be primarily contributed towards Velindre family room and to support young families who have a family member diagnosed with cancer. This will include memory boxes, worry monsters and educational books on how to explain a cancer diagnosis to child. Also, maintenance of family room and children’s room which allows families to spend private and quality time with their loved ones while in the hospital. This would make a big difference to improve the experience and outcomes of patients and families with young children receiving care and support in Velindre.

You can help this great cause by donating directly to the fund raising page - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/avyakta

Summer Holiday Tennis Camps 2023 in Bridgend Tennis Club

WEEK 1: Mon 24th- Fri 28th July 

WEEK 2: Mon 31st July- Fri 4th Aug 

WEEK 3: Mon 7th- Fri 11th Aug 

WEEK 4: Mon 14th- Fri 18th Aug 

WEEK 5: Mon 21st- Fri 25th Aug 

Blue 3-4yrs: 10-11am Daily 

Mini 5-10yrs: 10-1pm Daily 

Junior 11-18yrs: 1.30-3.30pm Tue & Thurs

20% Discount for Club members

Full week discount available 

For more information or to book a space please click on the link below: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/BridgendTennisClub/Coaching/Camps

Football News

Summer Events

Parents may find these useful during the summer holidays.

https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/visit-us/nature-reserves/family-activities-at-kenfig-nature-reserve/

https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/media/13971/wellbeing-on-your-doorstep.pdf

https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/?fbclid=IwAR12ESvkQ8KCN6XcVfLZqNrCAaNeml0VghKmH5cpMQ-_BJuHBjKxqWnypkg

Woodland Wednesdays at STEER, Tondu

http://specialfamilies.co.uk/about-us/#1476683355159-23903a7f-3287

https://www.odeon.co.uk/accessibility/autism-friendly/   

https://www.porthcawlmuseum.com/monthly-events.html

Bridgend Library and surrounding branches offer junior reading group, junior craft groups and junior animation workshops – details are on the Bridgend Library website.

http://www.margamcountrypark.co.uk/media/18686/margam-park-summer-fun-2023-v4.pdf?v=20230617115333

In September, we have an inset day on Monday 4th September.  Children will start back at school on Tuesday 5th September.

Inset Days 2023/24

Inset Days have been approved by Governors for 2023/24 and they are as follows:

• Monday 4th September 2023

• Friday 22nd December 2023

• Monday 19th February 2024

• Friday 22nd March 2024

• Monday 3rd June 2024

• Monday 22nd July 2024

In the event that you have a concern regarding a child please follow this procedure:

• During school hours please contact Mrs Ceri Littlewood, safeguarding lead at Oldcastle Primary School.

• Out of school hours please  contact  the  out of hours Emergency Duty Team Tel No 01443743665

More information on Safeguarding at Oldcastle can be found on our website. 

At Oldcastle, we are proud of each other and ourselves. We nurture all of our community so that we grow as confident, responsible and happy people. Oldcastle school is more than just learning.

• We try hard for each other

• We act responsibly

• We treat people how we’d like to be treated

• We work as a team

• We trust and respect each other

• We listen and learn together

• We share knowledge and experience

Together we make the difference

Together we shape innovative experiences 

More information on our values and visions can be found on our website.  Visions and Values