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January 2025

It has been a really busy and successful start to the new school term with the children settling back into school routines so well. It has been particularly pleasing to welcome so many parents into school for our Funky Phonics and health and wellbeing family learning programmes. The uptake has been so high and we really value your efforts and support in participating with these important initiatives.

In this month's newsletter, we celebrate a wide range of events and updates across the school. This includes information on extra-curricular clubs, trips and activities both inside and outside the classroom.

Please also note the dates for the diary section at the bottom.

Many thanks for your continued support,

Mr Raymond

attendance & Punctuality

'Late on the Gate'

You may have seen Gemma Stone, the local authority Education Welfare Officer currently working with the school, outside the main entrance after school drop off. She will be visiting the school regularly to undertake 'late on the gate' monitoring and to speak to families about support in regards to punctuality and attendance. As always, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs H Middleton or Mrs Julie Jenkins if we can support in any way with attendance/punctuality.

Gate Closure

Due to health and safety reasons, the main gates will be closed shortly after 9:00 each morning. Please ensure that you arrive on-site before this time.

school news

y1-y6 open evening - book look with pupils

After school on Wednesday 19th February , parents and carers of pupils in years 1 - 6 will have the opportunity to come into classes and have a look at their child's books and discuss their learning and progress with them. Although staff will be in attendance, the purpose of the open afternoon is for pupils to share their learning. Official parent/carer meetings will take place after half term, this is where progress and attainment will be discussed.

Please note, opportunities for parents and carers in our Early Years and ALN phases will be provided during the summer term.

PARENT/CARER MEETINGS - WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY 10th MARCH

We will again be offering the option of a face to face meeting or a phone call with your child's class teacher.

We will also be providing an interim progress report which will provide specific information about your child's learning.

Further information about how to book a face to face meeting or a phone call will be issued soon.

SAVE THE DATE - FACE TO FACE MEETINGS:

10th March - 1/2NS, 2CJ, 2CC, 4CD, 4HC, 3/4LC, 6KM, 6AW

11th March - 1GP, 1RB, 3SM, 3JM, 5MC, 5LA, 5/6LR

12th March - RHH, RER/MR

LRC classes - flexibility between Monday 10th - Wednesday 12th

spring term clubs

It has been fantastic to start our spring term extra-curricular club provision this month, a huge thank you to our staff who volunteer to run these clubs.

Many clubs are now full but if you would like to add your child's name to a reserve list, please email: clubs@pencoedprimary.co.uk and include your child's name, class and club choice.

If your child has been allocated a place but can no longer attend, please inform the member of staff who runs the club or email us ASAP in order for their place to be reallocated. Thank you.

readingo

REMINDER: we have launched our brand new reading challenge - READINGO! It is based on the same idea as BINGO - but instead of ticking off numbers - pupils will tick off different reading challenges. Dojo points are awarded as lines are completed and pupils who complete a 'full house' will be entered into a prize draw and will be invited to have hot chocolate with Mr Raymond.

For more information about how to play click here.

Please email contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk if you have any questions about the challenge.

Supporting My Child with their Emotional Wellbeing - workshop for parents/carers

Thursday 13th February - 9:00 - 10:30 - All welcome!

Please complete the form below to sign up for this workshop - feedback from parents who previously attended has been extremely positive.

https://forms.gle/eeM3EJV75bo6U6o96

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch.

bringing the beach to pps

Sunbeams and Stargazers children enjoyed a visit from Beach Academy Wales last week. This visit helped to expose the children to ocean and beach habitats. The children were able to ask questions and explore artefacts. It was a wonderful hands-on learning opportunity for the pupils.

Middle School's

Marvellous Marble Runs

As part of their ‘Forces’ science topic, Middle School has been learning about Sir Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity.

It was fantastic to see the children using their cooperation and resilience skills to create an effective marble run.

They had so much fun and were so proud of their end products. Well done everyone!

little stars den building

Our Little Star pupils have been been enjoying the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They had lots of fun building a home for the three bears using den building materials.

Upper School WWII

Upper School pupils have thoroughly enjoyed learning about WWII. As part of this topic, the pupils have explored why the war started, the impact of the war on men, women and children, as well as undertaking their own research into an area of their choice.

rugby News

Last Friday, our school rugby squad took on near neighbours Croesty Primary in a round robin of fantastic fixtures. Our pupils played very well, but more importantly, represented the school with maturity and excellent team spirit. Many thanks to Mr Hopkins for organising the fixture and to Pencoed Comprehensive School for the use of their pitch.

pizza! Pizza!

Year 2 have been busy using fractions in real life contexts. They were set a mission by Pizza Hut to practise their halves and quarters!

Premier League Primary Stars

Some of the Upper School classes have been lucky enough to be involved with the Premier League Primary Stars programme. This 6 week programme is being delivered by the Cardiff City Community Foundation, who uses football as a tool to engage, inspire, and motivate pupils.

year 5 transition

Our year 5 pupils were excited to visit Pencoed Comprehensive this month as part of their transition journey. The pupils took part in a Health and Wellbeing (HWB) AoLE morning. The experience gave pupils an insight into what HWB entails in Pencoed Comprehensive School and the opportunity to engage in activities with the PE team and Food and Nutrition practitioners.

There will be further transition visits for both year 5 and year 6. More details to follow.

We are so pleased to announce that following our Bronze Award status with Supporting Service Children in Wales for the support of service children in school, we applied for a school cluster grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust. Ourselves, Coety Primary and Pencoed Comprehensive were granted a fantastic £43,000 between us to invest in children's learning and wellbeing support. As a result we have employed a fantastic speech and language therapist who also specialises in supporting children with neurodiversity, specific learning needs such as dyslexia and a great ability to puzzle out what teachers and parents can do to maximise their children's learning experiences. We are already learning so much from Siwan's expertise and starting to implement it in our classrooms so that all children can benefit from her work. Siwan will be completing training with us and feeding back to parents about any strategies she uncovers and advice for next steps over the coming months.

We would like to thank the Armed Forces Covenant Trust for this sizeable grant award - it will make such a difference in these financially challenging times!

Lost property reminder

We accumulate a significant amount of lost property each week, lots of which is not labelled. PLEASE ensure that you label your child's uniform and belongings to help ensure that it can be returned to them if lost/left.

Any labelled items are sorted weekly and returned to the correct classroom.

Unlabelled items are initially displayed on the lost property rail before being donated to the pre-loved uniform rail.

pupil news

cross country

Well done to Belinay in year 3 for taking part in the Bridgend Schools Cross Country.

The next cross country race is at Pencoed Comprehensive on Saturday 15th February. It would be fantastic to see lots of children from PPS at our home race. Any child in years 3-6 is invited to come along. You do not have to be part of the cross country after school club.

If your child would like to join in, please meet at Pencoed Comprehensive for 9:30am (races start at 10am).

family engagement

family learning - Lower School

1/2NS welcomed parents into school for the first of our family learning sessions with a focus on Health and Wellbeing within the curriculum. It was inspiring to see children confidently articulating their feelings and discussing the Zones of Regulation. Parents had the opportunity to join in with activities, gaining insight into the tools their children use to manage emotions. The session concluded with a few calming minutes of mindfulness breathing. Many thanks to 1/2NS parents and we look forward to welcoming other classes over the upcoming weeks.

family learning - early years

Our FUNKY PHONICS programme has been a great success with 52 of our Reception's parents/carers attending the programme last week. Thank you to all those who came to learn about how their children are taught phonics and how to support their learning at home. The children then got to work with their adult to complete phonics tasks together. We look forward to seeing the impact of all the hard work that is being completed at home over the next six weeks.

pencoed food bank & PPS Cwtch Cupboard

Pencoed Foodbank operates every Monday 1-3pm from the Church Hall. Mrs Julie Jenkins can issue foodbank vouchers, and provide food supplies from our 'Cwtch Cupboard'. Please contact her via email or Dojo for further details, or email juliejenkins@pencoedprimary.co.uk

well-Being

Staff Well-Being Award:

Our Catering Team

For maintaining their five star hygiene rating.

Staff Recognition Award: Mrs M. Halse

For her fundraising efforts for the school.

Recognition Award:

Mrs L. Harvey

For volunteering her time to support pupils in Stargazers.

30th January 2025 - Parent Mental Health Day

Parent Mental Health Day aims to encourage understanding and awareness of the importance of parent mental health and its potential impact on the whole family system with the theme ‘Balance’. The day aims to get parents and carers to take a moment to reflect on the balance they have in their lives, as well as how they balance looking after their family’s mental health and to take steps to make a positive change and ‘balance out’.

dates for your diary

Thursday, 13th February - 9:00am - CAMHS Shine Workshop for Parents
Monday, 17th February - 2:00pm - ALN Parents Coffee and a Chat
Friday, 14 February - Deadline for Reception applications
Wednesday 19th February 3:15-5:00PM - OPEN EVENING 'Book Look' FOR Y1-Y6
Monday 24th - Friday 28th February - Half Term
Monday 3rd March - Pupils return after half term
Wednesday 5th - Friday 7th March - Y6 residential visit to PGL Liddington
Monday 10th & Tuesday 11th March - Y6 Cycling Proficiency (Only those pupils who have signed up)
Monday 10th & Tuesday 11th March - Parents Evenings (more information to follow)
Friday 11th April - End of the spring term
Friday 11th July - PPS Summer Festival
BCBC Term Dates - https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/residents/schools-and-education/term-dates/

Family Learning Programmes

Wed 5th February - 1GP
Wed 12th February - 2CJ
Wed 19th February - 2CC

Wed 5th March - 4CD
Wed 12th March - 3/4LC
Wed 19th March - 3JM
Wed 26th March - 3SM
Wed 2nd April - 4HC

(Please note that there will be an additional 'showcase' event for Years 3/4 on 9th April - more details to follow)

Wed 30th April - 6KM
Wed 7th May - 5LA
Wed 14th May - 5MC
Wed 21st May - 5/6LR
Wed 4th June - 6AW

All sessions will take place in the school hall at 9:15am and will be approximately 1 hour.

Remaining Inset Days

Monday 28th April
Monday 21st July

Safeguarding

At Pencoed Primary School, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children. If you have a concern about the safety or well-being of a child, please report this immediately to either Mr A. Raymond, Mrs H. Middleton, Mrs K. Maund or Mrs A. Brennan (Designated Safeguarding Leads). In addition, advice can be sought from Mrs A. Williams, Designated Governor for Safeguarding.
If you are a parent or a visitor to the school and you are worried about the safety or well-being of a child or family please ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Leads or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Please access our child protection and safeguarding policy here - https://www.pencoedprimary.co.uk/school-policies-1/

Please let us know if you have any comments regarding the contents of this newsletter or any other matter relating to Pencoed Primary School. All issues will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. If you would prefer to make a personal appointment, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Email: admin@pencoedps.bridgend.cymru
School contact email: contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk
Phone: 01656 815730

For regular updates

please check Class Dojo

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