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Welcome Back Letter Autumn Term 2023
Sun 10 Sep 20236th September 2023
Dear Parents
A warm welcome back to our pupils, parents, and staff. I hope you all enjoyed your summer holidays. As we begin the new school year, you will be given the annual consent and medical questionnaires as well as a data checking sheet. Please complete both forms and return to school signed and dated (please do this at the bottom of the data sheet) by MONDAY September 11th 2023. These forms are personal to your child and need to be completed to update all our records. If your child is new to the school, you will already have received this pack and if you haven’t done so already, please return it by Monday also.
It is extremely important that you keep us up to date of any changes in circumstances throughout the year e.g., change of home address, new telephone numbers or any medical conditions. Our data privacy notice is available upon request and on our school website. Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this matter.
Some general information:
Access to school: Both the bottom gate and the main parent gate will be open each morning and afternoon for drop off and pick up. Please use the walkway around the car park for safety.
School start: School starts at 9:10am when class teachers take the register. This means that your child needs to be in school before or by 9:10am to avoid a late mark being given. We noticed a rise in persistent lateness last term and ask that every effort is made for children to arrive at school on time to not miss out on their learning time and minimise the disruption for those who are in school in time and already learning.
Hot weather: During this period of extended summer, please make sure your children have sun cream on and hats as you would during the summer term. Water bottles: Pupils are to bring their own water bottles to school on a daily basis which can be filled up at our cold-water dispensers to stay hydrated. Please write your child’s name on their bottle.
Snacks: We actively encourage children to bring in healthy snacks such as fruit and water, instead of fizzy drinks, sweets, crisps. This will help with your child’s health and their development and goes hand in hand with the Healthy Schools Award Scheme. We are a nut free school. We have some individuals at school who suffer with severe nut allergies. Considering the severity of these allergies, our school needs to be nut free. We ask for everyone’s cooperation on this matter. Please do not send your child in with any food that contain nuts e.g., tracker bars, snickers, granola bars, snack packs etc.
Uniform is to be worn for all children (Nursery to Year 6). We still have some pre-worn uniform available in the main entrance if you’d like to pop in and take whatever you need. Uniform consists of white polo t-shirt, blue jumper or cardigan with school logo, grey or black bottoms – trousers, skirts/pinafores, black school shoes or black trainers. New uniform can be bought at Picton Sports, Heol Aur, Dafen Industrial Estate. Book bags can be purchased at Picton or at school. Please write your child/ren’s names on ALL uniform (and reapply after washes) to help reduce the amount of lost and found and to make it easier to return to the correct owner if lost.
P.E forms part of the curriculum. Pupils are to wear their school PE kits to school on their allocated days (below). This consists of a blue round neck t-shirt with school logo and blue or dark shorts. We are awaiting a delivery of PE t-shirts at school for you to purchase directly from us (or go to Picton Sports). In the interests of health and safety children are discouraged from wearing jewellery at school. If jewellery is worn, it must be removed during PE sessions. The school will accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of items of jewellery.
Nursery/Reception Monday
Years 1 and 2 Thursday
Year 3 Tuesday and Friday
Year 4 Monday and Friday
Year 5 Wednesday and Thursday
Year 6 Tuesday and Wednesday
School Meals: Meals can be pre booked and paid for on the school meal website www.parentpay.com . Parent Pay is also used for school trips. If you have not received your log in, please let us know. Any pupils new to the school will have their log ins soon as it takes a few days for the system to set up. Universal Free School Meals are currently available for all full-time pupils in Nursery, Reception, Years 1,2,3 and 4. The Welsh Government Universal Free School Meals will be rolled out to Years 5 and 6 soon.
Some pupils may be eligible for Free School Meals which also allows access to other grants. If you think you qualify, please visit https://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/council-services/education-schools/school-meals/free-school-meals/
The Car Park since our return to school has been extremely busy and occasionally gridlocked. If the car park is full, please do not double park, find an alternative parking spot outside the school premises. Please do not park on the drive and please do not park on the entry way to the staff car park. In case of an emergency, this is the route that emergency vehicles will take and must not be blocked. Many parents are turning up very early to park to collect their child who may not finish until 3:40pm. This then takes up spaces that the 3:20/3:30 parents need. If it helps, if you have a children across the school who finish at different times, you may collect all children at the later time of 3:40pm. All we ask is that you let us know if you plan to do this.
After school clubs letter is attached to this pack. Clubs will start the week after next on Monday September 18th 2023. Payment is to be made via Parent Pay. Please await further information and return the full consent forms to successfully book your child’s place at the club of their choice.
Our school Website is live and is being updated regularly. It is a work in progress so please bear with us if some content is not available yet. The new website much more user-friendly with options for translation to multiple languages. https://www.stmarysllanelli.org/
Own clothes days will continue the last Friday of every month. We kindly ask for a donation of £1 per child on these days. See the school calendar below for dates.
We will celebrate Roald Dahl Day next week on Wednesday 13th September. Pupils are invited to dress up as their favourite Roald Dahl character (or wear school uniform). We will have a theatre group at school on Monday 11th September undertaking Roald Dahl workshops with all classes. We kindly ask for £1 from each pupil to go towards the cost of the session.
Thank you for taking the time to read this rather detailed letter. Please remember to return your completed data forms by Monday so that we can update your child’s records.
Wishing you all a warm welcome at the beginning of a new school year.