Parent's Bulletin February 23rd 2024

(Posted on 23/02/24)

Dear Parent/Carer,    

Please find information below about all our upcoming events, assessments and activities and get in touch via the contact details at the bottom if you have any further questions.

School Times
School begins at 8.50am and ends at 3.10pm daily. All students are expected to be on the school site in readiness for registration.  

Attendance – End of Term Absences        
All absences from school should be reported on the morning of each day of absence before 9.15am and provide a valid reason.   
1. Email –        [email protected] (School Attendance Officer)  
2. Telephone –            01978 833010
3. Free Text – 07908670242

Failure to report your child’s absence from school creates a safeguarding issue.

Assemblies   
Assemblies this week will celebrate St David’s Day.

Uniform         
We appreciate your support in maintaining our uniform standards. School uniform embodies our values and promotes our strong sense of cynefin. Please note the following items are not acceptable: leggings, converse footwear, denim or leather jackets, miniskirts, jeans and hoodies. Blazers are compulsory. Plain blue jumpers are optional but should always be worn with a school blazer. Please see the Uniform Policy on the school website for further clarification.

Year 10 Mock Exams
Year 10 students will begin their first GCSE mock exams on Monday March 4^th and they will continue for two weeks until Friday March 15^th. Exam timetables have been given to students and revision materials either have been or will be provided by class teachers. Revision support and guidance has been emailed home but see below for more information.

Year 10 and 11 Revision     
If you are thinking about how you can best support your child while they are preparing for and going through their exams, check out the resources attached (these have also been emailed to parents/carers).

Year 7 Parent’s Evening      
The Year 7 Parent’s Evening booking is now open for parents to book their appointments. Instructions for this have been emailed home. If anyone is still struggling to access SchoolCloud, please contact the school office for more information.

Year 9 Careers Fayre
On Wednesday 28^th February all Year 9 pupils will have the opportunity to participate in a Careers Fayre. The following local employers are supporting the event in school – Charles Owen, Archwood Group, Hafren Dyfrdwy Water, Scottish Power, MPCT, Litegreen, MPCT, We care Wales – Childcare and Thomas Plant Hire.

A Plea for Toys        
To support staff in offering mental health and well-being support, we are in desperate need of donations of small toys for sand-play therapy in school. This therapy helps our children to express their feelings without the need for words, also helping to reduce anxiety and stress.
Figurines, such as small plastic characters, farm animals, dinosaurs, unicorns, dragons, etc. Also, building toys such as blocks (no Lego please), plastic fencing, small toy buildings and small toy vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses, etc.   
Any donations can be dropped off at the school office. Thank you so much for your support.

Mental Health Support        
The Young Person’s Mental Health toolkit hosts a number of online resources to help your teen manage their mood: Mental Health Toolkit     
If you’re the parent of a younger child, there are lots of useful resources for you on the Welsh Government website too:     
For 0-4 years : Give it Time 0-4 years       
For 4-7 years : Give it Time 4-7 years

Gair Cymraeg yr Wythnos / Welsh Word of the Week    
To help promote the Welsh language in school we post a ‘Gair Cymraeg yr Wythnos’ (Welsh Word of the Week) each week on the school X (Twitter) page. Each week a pair of our T?m Iaith (Language Leaders) will film themselves saying a word in Welsh.
This week’s word is: Dewi Sant (St David). 
To see two of our T?m Iaith; Celine and Miriam, demonstrating how to say the word, click here.

Brilliant Books         
Each week we recommend a ‘Brilliant Book’ for students. These books will always be aimed at young people and are available in the school Library. Our recommendation this week is ‘Failosophy For Teens’ by Elizabeth Day. An empowering guide for those moments when things don’t go to plan. This book is great for teens, exploring how to embrace failure and giving a new perspective on what it means to succeed.

Film Club                  
Continuing our season of 1980s films, we will be screening ‘Karate Kid’ (1984) 3.10pm- 5.10pm. All students are welcome but please make sure parents know if you intend to stay behind after school.

Current Initiatives    
We continue to look for donations of second-hand clean uniform items, including shoes in good condition. Anyone who has any uniform which no longer fits their child can bring it in to school and leave it at the School Office.        We really appreciate your help.

Dates for Your Diary
Wednesday February 28^th                  Year 9 Careers Fayre
Monday March 4^th                               Year 10 PPEs begin
Thursday March 7^th                             Year 7 Parent’s Evening
Wednesday March 13^th                      Visit from Catspaw Theatre for Year 9
Monday March 18^th                             Year 11 GCSE PE Moderation
Thursday March 21^st                           Year 8 Parent’s Evening
Friday March 22^nd                               Close for Easter holidays at 3.10pm

Timetable   
This week’s timetable will be on Week 2.     
The week beginning Monday March 4^th will be on Week 1.

Contacting School   
Telephone: 01978 833010    Email: [email protected]          

Diolch yn fawr

YYG Community