Parent's Bulletin March 8th 2024

(Posted on 08/03/24)

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 and Punctuality           
Regular attendance at school is important for your child’s mental health, wellbeing and attainment. Therefore, please ensure you child attends school every day when they are able to do so. Students need to be on the school site by no later than 8.50am. We do not authorise holidays during term time. If you wish to discuss your child's attendance, please contact their Head of Year or our Attendance Officer.          
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.

End of Term Attendance       
As we approach the Easter holiday, we politely request your support in ensuring that your child continues to attend school every day. Students will be expected to be in school up to and including Friday 22nd March at 3.10pm. We monitor end of term absences very closely and students do not need an extended holiday; they have two weeks to relax and enjoy their free time. Therefore, all students should attend school until the end of term.  

To encourage attendance, for the last two weeks of term we will put all students with full attendance into a prize draw to win one of 4 x£25 Amazon vouchers.          
Students must have 100% attendance between Monday March 11^th and Friday March 22^nd to be in with a chance of winning.

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.

Paperless Email Communication   
In the coming weeks, to help reduce costs we will be adopting a paperless approach for all communication between school and home. To ensure you receive school information, it is very important that we have your current email address for the first priority contact. If you have changed your email address, home address or telephone/mobile number in the last 12 months, please click into the link below and complete the form. https://forms.office.com/e/ALcFrFHMYB      
The deadline for completion is today, Friday 8^th March 2024.                   

We will be running a test email to all parents on Friday 15^th March 2024, so If you do not receive anything by the end of the day on this date please contact school reception on 01978 833010 or alternatively email [email protected]     
From Wednesday 20^th March 2023, all communication will be via email. In short, if we do not have your current email details, you will not receive any information about your child from the school.

Year 8 Parent’s Evening
The Year 8 Parent’s Evening will be held on Thursday March 21^st. More information and how to book appointments has been emailed home. If you are still struggling to access SchoolCloud, please contact the School Office on 01978 833010.

Year 10 Mock Exams
Year 10 GCSE mock exams will continue this week until Friday March 15^th. Revision materials have been provided by class teachers.

Big Book Week         
Our annual Big Book Week is back for 2024 with lots of book-themed events and activities for everyone to get involved with.  
Our week of literary celebrations will begin on Monday March 18^th, culminating in our Big Book Character Dress-Up Day on Friday March 22^nd. Students are welcome to dress-up as any book character for a contribution of £1 which can be paid on ParentPay.   

Nurture Garden Plea
Our Nurture department is in need to materials to help continue to improve the Nurture garden in school. Hardcore (rubble), Sand, Slate chippings, Bamboo canes, Fence paint and paint brushes are all needed.     

If you can support us with any of these supplies, please email [email protected] or contact the school office on 01978 833010 to arrange delivery or collection.

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.

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: Amgylchedd (Environment). 
To see two of our T?m Iaith; Deacon and Oscar, demonstrating how to say the word, click the link here: https://twitter.com/YsgolyGrango/status/1766032781941883192 

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 ‘Heroes’ by Marcus Rashford. This book is about how to turn inspiration into action and shines a light on ten brilliant people who have inspired Marcus Rashford and many others to be more and make a difference.

Film Club                  
Our season of 1980s films continues this week with a screening of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981) 3.10pm - 5pm. 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 March 13^th                      Visit from Catspaw Theatre for Year 9

Monday March 18^th                             Year 11 GCSE PE Moderation

Monday March 18^th                             Big Book Week begins

Thursday March 21^st                           Year 8 Parent’s Evening

Friday March 22^nd                               Book Character Dress-Up Day

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 18^th will be on Week 1.           

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

Diolch yn fawr

YYG Community