Author Archives: LouiseD
Weekly Newsletter
Dear Parents/ carers,
Newsletter Week Beginning 20th September
Thank you for attending the parent meetings this week with your child’s class teacher and following the Covid safe rules. Feedback from many of you has been really positive so a big thank you for coming along but remembering to stay safe whilst in the building.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding if we’ve telephoned you to collect your child this week, especially if they are showing Covid symptoms. We are taking a cautious approach and hopefully this will help to stop the spread in our local community. At the moment cases are very low in our school and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible!
If your child has any of the 3 main symptoms, please keep them at home and book a PCR test. You will need to keep your child at home until they have a negative test or the isolation period is over. TTP will advise you on this. If you are unsure, please telephone us in school and we will help to answer any questions you may have.
Dates for your diary
School Photographs- Friday 1st October
INSET day- Friday 22nd October
Half Term – Monday 25th– Friday 29th October
Year 6 Open evening at Pen-yr-heol Comprehensive-Wednesday 10th November 6pm-8pm
End of Autumn Term Friday 17th December
The following dates are provisional due to government guidelines changing if cases of Covid rise. Hopefully we will be in a position to have a concert and a pantomime this year-fingers crossed!
Foundation Phase concert December 7th at 1.30pm
December 8th 9.30am Foundation Phase concert including our nursery pupils
December 14th– Key Stage 2 panto
Parents Evenings
Parents evening will be the week commencing Monday 8th November. After the positive feedback from parents last year, we have decided to do this by telephone call. More details about this will follow over the coming weeks. Hopefully, in Spring term we will be able to invite you into class to look at the children’s books and have a face to face appointment with the class teacher.
As you know, I will always make myself available to discuss any concerns you may have, preferably by phone but I’m always out on one of the yards every morning.
Morrison’s ‘It’s good to grow’
We are collecting the Morrison’s’ It’s good to grow’ vouchers for gardening equipment. If you have any vouchers from your shopping, please put them in the box in the foyer. Many Thanks
School uniform
We have a large selection of unwanted uniform that has very kindly been washed and ironed by one of our lovely teaching assistants. We will put these items on a rail in front of the main foyer from Monday morning. If you would like any of the items on the rail, please help yourself, we would rather it be used by the children than sitting in a box in a cupboard! There will be an honesty box next to the rail if you would like to make a small donation but don’t feel like you have to!
Schoop
Please download the schoop app if you haven’t already, to receive regular updates on your phone of any school information. We will be using this form of communication more over the next few months. It’s particularly useful for Year 5 and 6 parents who don’t have access to class dojo. It also has a tool that you can use to inform us of any absence without having to ring the school office. Many thanks to those of you who have used this feature already, its much quicker!
Events this week
Monday 20th September
Year 2 meeting at 3pm
Tuesday 21st September
Year 6 visit to 1940’s museum
Thursday 23rd September
Violins- Please make sure your child brings their violin to school every Thursday
Year 1 – String along Music workshop
Friday 24th September
Year 4 Swimming- Please can all Year 4 children bring a swimming kit
Tuesday 28th September
JSTF coffee morning
Mrs Pugh will finalise a date for ISTF coffee morning over the next week and let parents know via class dojo.
Have a lovely weekend and stay safe!
Mrs Davies
Newsletter 10.9.21
Dear Parents/ carers,
Newsletter Week Beginning 13th September
It has been lovely to welcome the children back to school with slight relaxation of the rules and regulations, which we have all followed over the last 18months. The children have settled well and I’m pleased to say they ALL look super smart in their school uniform. Reception are all in school today after a staggered week and have made a great start to the term. Our new little nursery class look tiny but so grown up! Thank you for making sure they have the correct uniform and have what they need. Just like you, I’m also a busy parent of two boys and I know it’s no mean feat to get what they need in the right place on the right day!
Thank you again for your patience and understanding when we’ve had new guidance to follow, particularly with testing and isolation. I am so grateful to you for your compliance and understanding with new rules and TTP processes. If you are unsure about anything, please look at the website below or contact Mrs Seager in the school office.
Now we are starting to open up our school activities further and I would ask you to read the following information carefully so that you know what to expect in the weeks ahead.
Breakfast Club.
As you should know, Breakfast Club has opened up again for children from Nursery to Year 6. We are still keeping the Foundation phase pupils separate to KS2 pupils as much as possible and so KS2 will have their breakfast club in the gym and Foundation phase children will be in the hall. You don’t need to book the children in but they will need to continue to sanitise on entry to school. We do need to keep the rooms fully ventilated so it might get chilly when the weather changes.
Breakfast is still toast or fruit and a bottle of water and will be served from 8.20am. As before, children can arrive before this time (from 8am) but will be charged £1 to cover additional costs.
School Dinners
Hot school dinners are continuing and children from Foundation phase will eat in the dinner hall from 11.45am. It is then cleaned before KS2 children come in at 12.25. Please ensure you have put money on your sQuid account as this is the only way you can pay. We have a weekly list of children entitled to free school meals. Please check with Mrs Seager in the school office if you think you might be entitled to claim free school meals. The menu for the meals can be found here.
https://www.swansea.gov.uk/primaryschoolmeals
Snack
Foundation phase pupils are welcome to bring in £1 per week for fruit. We have a selection of Gower-grown fruit delivered from our local greengrocer- Shepherds. You are more than welcome to provide your own fruit snack but please can I remind you that it is fruit only. Some children have brought in yoghurts, biscuits, pepperami and fruit winders. These items would need to be eaten at lunchtime as part of their packed lunch if they bring them to school.
Drinks
Please also continue to send in a named water bottle for your child which they can refill throughout the day.
Kids Club
After school Kids club has also started again on Monday but you will need to book your children into club in the usual way. Strict procedures will still be in place to keep your children safe and to ensure we maintain hand hygiene at all times.
Information about your child’s new class!
Pre-covid we would normally invite you in to meet your child’s new class teacher to find out all the important information you need. This would normally be held with the children in their new classroom. For obvious reasons, we can’t do this in the usual way. However, we feel it’s important for you to meet your child’s class teacher to ensure a smooth transition to their new class. Next week, we will hold a socially distanced and safe meeting for parents who would like to meet their child’s class teacher.
There are some rules you will need to follow and we completely understand if you wish to receive the information by letter. To attend the meeting safely only one parent per child can attend. You will need to wear a mask and sanitise on your way in to school. You will meet the teacher in the hall and will remain seated in a socially distanced way and not move seats. The doors and windows will be open to ensure the hall is well ventilated. You will need to wear your mask throughout the meeting and the children will remain in their classroom with me. At 3.30pm I will bring the children to the hall and then you will leave in a socially distanced way following the one-way system.
The meetings will be held on different nights so that there will be no more than 25 people in our large hall. Year 3, Nursery and Reception have already had a meeting outside in Summer Term so we will NOT be holding a meeting for parents of children in these classes. You will need to arrange for siblings to be looked after as we won’t be allowing other children in the hall at this time. I understand that this might be difficult which is why we will also provide the information by email or letter home. The meetings will take place as follows:
Monday 13th September 3pm- 3.30pm Year 5
Tuesday 14th September 3pm-3,30pm Year 4
Wednesday 15th September 3pm-3.30pm Year 6
Thursday 16th September 3pm-3,30pm Year 1
Monday 20th September 3pm-3.30pm Year 2
Again, if you would prefer to have the information by letter or email please let us know. If you have any questions for Mrs Mead Yr3, Mrs Glass Nursery and Miss Trotman Reception, please ask via class dojo in the usual way.
Children in ISTF and JSTF will have a socially distanced coffee morning once we have worked out how to do this safely and with minimum risk to the children, staff and parents. More information will follow.
Parents Evenings
Parents’ evenings will be after half term and will be via telephone call just like last year. More information will follow later on this term.
As you know, I will always make myself available to discuss any concerns you may have, preferably by phone but I’m always in one of the yards in the morning before school.
PE KITS
The children will wear their PE kit to school on their PE day. Staff will inform you of this in the meeting or via class dojo if you haven’t already been told.
PE kit consists of trainers, a plain white round neck t-shirt OR a plain house colour t-shirt with the school logo, black shorts, black leggings or black tracksuit bottoms. Please do not send the children into school wearing a football kit, rugby kit, crop top, and brightly coloured leggings or a t-shirt with a slogan or sports brand. I have a selection of plain white t-shirts in my office for those children who may forget!
Rainbow Room and Thrive Hive
We have a duty of care for ALL children in our school. At times children become distressed or upset about things that might have happened at home, in the yard or in school. The staff who work in the Thrive Hive or the Rainbow Room focus on children’s well-being. They have been trained and are very experienced. If children need support for something linked to their well-being they might spend some time with Mrs Bessent or Miss Kelshaw. This could be anything from a 2-minute chat to reassure them or a 20-minute session once a week. Please always know that we have the children’s best interest at heart and we want them to succeed. If your child wants to share good news or is particularly proud of their work, they might also pop in to see Miss Kelshaw or Mrs Bessent.
Please be reassured we will always inform you if the children need further support because working with you, together as part of a team, will always get the best outcome. Please give me a ring if you have any questions.
Events this week
Monday 13th September
Year 5 meeting at 3pm
Tuesday 14th September
AM- Roman Visitor to Year 4
PM- Celtic Visitor to Year 3
Year 4 class meeting at 3pm
Wednesday 15th September
Year 6 Parent meeting at 3pm
Thursday 16th September
Year 1 Parent meeting at 3pm
Friday 17th September
Year 4 Swimming- Please can all Year 4 children bring a swimming kit
Monday 20th September
Year 2 Parent meeting at 3pm
Tuesday 21st September
Year 6 visit to 1940’s museum.
Year 2 visit to Loughor Castle
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Kind Regards
Mrs L Davies
Changes to contact tracing and self isolation- 3/9/21
Dear Parents/carers
Changes to contact tracing and self-isolation from this September
I hope you and your child have enjoyed the summer break.
As we return to school, there are some new arrangements in place when someone tests positive for COVID-19. These changes have been made possible by the vaccination programme and the significant reduction in numbers being hospitalised and suffering severe illness due to COVID-19 over recent months.
If your child tests positive for COVID-19 using a PCR test, NHS Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) will contact you, using the details provided when the PCR test was ordered. They will ask questions designed to identify recent close contacts of your child, and for contact details – if you know them – of the individual or their parent/guardian. TTP will then get in touch with these close contacts to provide instructions or advice.
Those who are under 18 or fully vaccinated are no longer required to self-isolate if they are identified as close contacts. But they will be contacted to let them know that they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. They will also be offered two PCR tests and provided with information and advice on how to minimise the risks of onward spread. If your child is identified as a close contact, they can still attend school unless they develop symptoms or are advised otherwise by TTP. Please continue to let us know if your child tests positive.
If a child tests positive, only a minority of their classmates will be identified as close contacts. But if there is a pattern of cases TTP may ask us to update you on the situation and remind you of key steps, including advising you to keep an eye out for new symptoms your child may develop, and to stay away from vulnerable family and friends in the short-term.
We do expect that there will be cases of COVID-19 across our community over the coming weeks, but this does not mean that COVID-19 is spreading within the school. Please continue to be vigilant for symptoms. If you are in any doubt, order a PCR test for your child at www.gov.uk/get‑coronavirus‑test or by calling 119.
Anyone with symptoms – a new continuous cough, fever or high temperature or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste – should remain in self-isolation until the test result is known. You can find the latest information on self-isolation arrangements at www.gov.wales/self‑isolation.
We recognise how difficult the past 18 months have been and the sacrifices that all families have had to make. Thank you for everything you have done to support your child and our school.
Kind Regards
Mrs L Davies
Information Video for returning to school on Monday
Welcome back!
We are looking forward to seeing you on Monday 6th September. Don’t forget some children in nursery or reception will be starting later on in the week so please check your letter.
The video below is to give you some information about returning on Monday. We look forward to seeing you bright and early at 8.50am!
Mrs Davies
Newsletter
Tre Uchaf Primary School Newsletter Week Beginning 12th July 2021
Dear Parents,
This is our final Newsletter of the year as we finish school for the summer break on Friday. Reception – Year 6 parents should today have received your child’s end of year report together with a letter from myself. Nursery reports will be given out on Monday.
Monday 12th July
STF Trip (Let’s hope for good weather!)
Tuesday 13th July
School Fun Day and Picnic for Reception- Year 6.
Foundation phase 11am-1pm and KS2 1pm-3pm on the school field.
The children will need to bring a picnic (packed lunch), something to sit on and if they would like to participate in the water fight, a water gun or pistol. A change of clothes and a small towel is recommended because the children have been soaking wet in the past, which as you can imagine they absolutely love!
Children in receipt of free school meals have had a note sent home today to order a packed lunch. You will need to complete this and return it to school on Monday if you would like your child to have one.
Wednesday 14th July
2.15pm Meeting with Miss Lowe for parents of children moving into year 3. This will take place on the junior yard outside the year 3 classroom.
Thursday 15th July
Reserve Picnic/Fun Day (if needed)
Friday 16th July
Year 5 Swimming – Fun Day!
10.00 Year 6 Leaver’s Assembly and presentation by the Mayor on the school field. This is for year 6 children and one of their parents only. The event will take place in a strictly socially distanced way and face masks must be worn Please go straight to the school field.
1.00 Year 6 Fun Afternoon on the school field. This event is for children only, not parents, sorry!
sQuid Dinner Money Payments
With the end of summer term fast approaching please can we ask parents of those children leaving in July to use up any credit on sQuid before the end of term. You can request a refund from sQuid if you are still in credit when your child leaves school. You may also need to cancel auto top ups.
Money can be transferred to sibling accounts at Tre Uchaf school but not to a different school.
Please also make sure that there is no money owing as this means that we will have to invoice you and inform the County Council of any debts in your name.
Residents
We have had a considerable number of complaints from the residents in Cwrt-yr- Ysgol over the last few weeks. They have reported anti-social behaviour and abusive language from some of our parents who are parking in their allocated spaces. The PCSO has been informed and will be patrolling the area from now on. A big thank you to the majority of our parents who are respectful in our community, and are setting a good example to our children, we really appreciate it!
September Dates
Thursday 2nd September and Friday 3rd September are INSET Days. The children return to school on Monday 6th September.
C M Hewitt
Parent newsletter
Tre Uchaf Primary School
Parents Newsletter Week Beginning 24th May 2021
Dear Parents,
This is our final week before half term and some of the children are tiring and ready for a break! We hope they will come back refreshed and ready for the final six weeks of this very strange year. We will do our very best to make these weeks as productive and enjoyable as possible.
Schoop! One Final Reminder!!
There are still too many parents not fully signed up to Schoop! Please note that signing up is a two stage process so don’t ignore any prompts from Schoop to give further registration details once you have downloaded the App and entered the school code. I know it’s a bit tricky as I didn’t get it right the first time myself!
Absence
We still have quite a few ‘unauthorised absences’ on our registers because we don’t have reasons for children’s absences. Please remember to let us know the reasons for your child’s absence straight away by phoning school or using the ‘Schoop’ absence messaging system.
DATES
Just another reminder of important dates ..
Half Term 31st May – 4th June
INSET Day 7th June
Class Photographs 9th June
Year 5 swimming starts Friday 11th June
Year 5 Transition Day 29th June
Year 6 Transition Days 5th and 6th July
Last Day of Term 16th July
Plants
Nigel our caretaker has made us some fabulous planters that really enhance our school environment. If you have any cuttings or plants that you would like to donate to school he would be delighted to use them. He is often pottering around near the gym in the mornings so please have a chat to him if you can help in any way.
The Boot Room Project..
If you have any unwanted football or rugby boots that you would like to donate, please leave them in the box just outside the main foyer.
New Deputy Head Teacher
On Friday the governors will be interviewing candidates for the Deputy headship of Tre Uchaf. This will be someone who is new to the school and I am confident that the governors will make an excellent choice. We should be able to let you know on Monday who has been appointed
Please remember I am always happy to take a call from you if you want to discuss anything. Alternatively, you can email me on HewittC23@hwbcymru.net
Yours faithfully,
C M Hewitt
Newsletter 17th May
Tre Uchaf Primary School
Parents Newsletter Week Beginning 17th May 2021
Dear Parents,
Many thanks to those of you who have asked your children not to ride bikes and scooters in the yards this week. The situation has improved with just a couple of children not yet complying. Could you also please remind them that they should not be playing football in the yards before school as there are many parents, some with babies in prams.
Schoop!
There are still too many parents not fully signed up to Schoop! Please note that signing up is a two stage process so don’t ignore any prompts from Schoop to give further registration details once you have downloaded the App and entered the school code. I know it’s a bit tricky as I didn’t get it right the first time myself!
Absence
Please remember to let us know the reasons for your child’s absence straight away by phoning school or using the Shoop absence messaging system. May I remind you that if your child has been sick they must not attend school until 48 hours after their last bout of sickness. I do realise that this can be very frustrating for families but this is the rule we have been given by Public Health Wales.
DATES
Just a reminder of important dates ..
Half Term 31st May – 4th June
INSET Day 7th June
Class Photographs 9th June
Year 5 swimming starts Friday 11th June
Year 5 Transition Day 29th June
Year 6 Transition Days 5th and 6th July
Last Day of Term 16th July
The Boot Room
We are taking part in the Boot Room project which enables you to donate unwanted football and rugby boots to children who may not be able to afford new boots. You can leave you donations in the box in our outside foyer and we will arrange for them to be collected.
Please remember I am always happy to take a call from you if you want to discuss anything. Alternatively, you can email me on HewittC23@hwbcymru.net
Yours faithfully,
C M Hewitt
Newsletter
Tre Uchaf Primary School
Newsletter for Parents Week Beginning 10th May 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
School Trips!
We were delighted to hear this week that we are once again allowed to take the children on school trips, which is lovely news! The teachers are already thinking about trips which will enhance the topics the children are currently doing. We will still keep the classes in their contact bubbles which means that classes cannot share buses. We will try our best to keep costs down and will let you know about trips in plenty of time. This doesn’t include residentials so we are planning to take our Year 5 and 6 children on some extra special trips instead.
Bikes and Scooters!
It is lovely to see so many children coming to school on their bikes and scooters. I would ask you to remind your children that they should not be riding them around the yards at the beginning and end of the day as this is a hazard and an annoyance to parents and younger children. Thank you.
Schoop
We are still looking for that first full class to sign up to Schoop! As I have said before it is so important that we are able to contact you quickly and to let you know the latest news. Reward for the first class to have every family signed up!
Just a few dates for your diary….
Half Term 31st May – 4th June
INSET Day 7th June
Class Photographs 9th June
Year 5 Transiton Day 29th June
Year 6 Transition Days 5th and 6th July
Last Day of Term 16th July
We will let you know the dates as soon as we can if we can run Sports Days and Concerts!!
Best wishes
C M Hewitt
Newsletter
Tre Uchaf Primary School Newsletter W/b 26th April 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
Parent Phone Calls
Many thanks for making your appointments for parents evening phone calls this week. We had an excellent take up on this and teachers now have spoken to nearly every family! If you still haven’t managed to talk to your child’s class teacher please contact them either through DoJo or by email and they will find a time to fit this in. If you have any concerns following your phone call please don’t hesitate to contact me either by phone or by email on HewittC23@hwbcymru.net.
Communication
A few of you still haven’t registered with ‘Schoop’, our new texting system. It is really important that you do this so that we can contact you at short notice if necessary eg in the event of your child’s class having to isolate. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on important information so please go to our Parents Page on the website to find out how to do this.
Also would you please ensure we have your correct phone numbers and also alternative contact details in case we need to contact you in the event of your child’s illness or an accident. There have been times when we have been unable to contact parents or other relatives and children have had to wait a long time to be collected from school.
Social Media
Many of our older children are using apps such as whatsapp despite them having a much older age rating. In the interest of your child’s well-being, please remove your child from any groups that are using inappropriate language and monitor messages closely.
Nuts
Some of our children have a nut allergy. Please do not send any nut products into school in packed lunches including Nutella sandwiches and/or hazelnut spread.
Getting Back to ‘Normal’
School is slowly beginning to return to ‘normal’. Violin lessons have started again and take place on Thursdays so please ensure your children bring their instruments and music to school each week, not forgetting to bring them home again to practise!
Kerbcraft is taking place in year 2 on Thursdays each week, outside in the school yard, so please ensure your child has a coat to wear in chillier weather.
We are still unsure about sports events and concerts this term but we will do our very best to do something within the guidelines we are given for June and July.
Looking Ahead
Following the appointment of Mrs Davies as head teacher from September the governors are busy recruiting a new deputy head teacher. This will all be finalised by half term and we will let you know who has been appointed as soon as this has been confirmed.
We will have decided on the new class structure by early July and we will let you and the children know who their new class teacher will be around that time. There will be plenty of opportunities for transition to their next class and we are still hoping that year 6 will be able to have their transition days in Penyrheol Comprehensive on 5th and 6th July. Before this time our year 6 will have been visited by staff from Penyrheol so that they can ask questions and find out more.
May I remind you that next Monday 3rd May is a Bank Holiday so there will be no school. Let’s hope this lovey weather continues so that the children can enjoy lots of outdoor time both at home and at school!
Thank you again for helping to keep our school community safe by following our rules and routines and minimising your family contacts for just a little bit longer!
Best wishes
C M Hewitt