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Summer Term Letter 1 May 2026

Tue 05 May 2026

5th May 2026

As you can see from the school calendar below, the summer term will be another busy one! More dates will be added. Summer term will hopefully continue to bring the sunshine. As the children are outdoors for some of their learning (as well as playtimes), please ensure your child has a bottle for water daily, and a sun hat and sun cream on sunny days.

Seagull nest warning: Over the weekend, a seagull has made itself a nest in one of the raised flower beds at the front of the school near the decking. A request for support has been logged with the local authority as seagulls can be quite temperamental when nesting. The area has been cordoned with barriers for now. Please be mindful of this when you approach the main school door. In addition, please could all Y3 parents congregate on the junior yard for pick up time in the afternoons until the matter is resolved. Thank you.

04/05/26	May Day Bank Holiday – school closed	All
07/05/26	First Confession for FHC pupils	FHC
12/05/26	Sports Day	All
13/05/26	Junior Proms Practice	Y6
14/05/26	FHC practice at Our Lady Queen of Peace	FHC
14/05/26	Rocksteady – Rock Music trial sessions at school	Rec-Y6
17/05/26	FHC Day	FHC
18/05/26	FHC party day	FHC
21/05/26	May Procession	All
22/05/26	Own clothes day	All
WC 25/05/26	Whitsun half term – school closed	All
01/06/26	Back to School	All
08/06/26	Junior Proms Concert Theatr Ffwrnes 7pm	Y6
15/06/26	Personalised Assessments Y2-6 Reading	Y2-6
17/06/26	Personalised Assessments Y2-6 Reasoning	Y2-6
22/06/26	Personalised Assessments Y2-6 Procedural	Y2-6
26/06/26	Own Clothes Day	All
26/06/26	Y3 & Y4 trip to Penclacwydd WWT *details to follow	Y3/4
02/07/26	Moving up day	All
03/07/26	School Reports out	All
06/07/26	Drop in parents evening	All
10/07/26	Y6 Leavers Show * parents invited	Y6
15/07/26	Y6 Leavers Mass * parents invited	Y6
17/07/26	Y6 Presentation Assembly * parents invited	Y6
17/07/26	Own clothes day, Last day of school year	All

Some further information regarding some upcoming dates:

After school club reminder: There is no drama club today Tuesday 5th May. There will be no Rounders on Monday 18th May and no Sewing on Wednesday 20th May. The only clubs running after half term will be drama and jujitsu. Booking for Drama club for after half term will be on parent pay by the end of this week.

12th May: Sports Day will start at 9:30amand run until approx 11:30/12pm on Tuesday 12th of May. We ask that pupils wear a t-shirt in their house colour. If they don’t know their colour, please ask their class teacher. Parents/Guardians/Grandparents etc are all invited to attend. Feel free to bring your own seating /blankets to sit on the grass bank.

14th May: Pupils from Reception to Y6 will have the opportunity to take part in a Rock Music taster session with a company called Rocksteady who are one of the UKs leading music tuition companies offering rock and pop band lessons for children age 4-11. Your child will bring home more information after their visit.

17th May: Congratulations to all children who are making their First Holy Communion at Our Lady Queen of Peace. All First Communicants are to be left in the care of teaching staff in the Parish Hall by 9.30 a.m. Parents then need to take their seats in the Church. Fr Martin is very kindly providing light refreshments for all First Communicants in the Parish Hall after the service. We will also have a celebration at school on Monday 18th May – please could children bring their FHC outfits to school on this day.

21st May : As part of our celebration of May as the month of Our Lady, the school will be holding a May Procession on the 21st of May. The children will sing Marian hymns, share in reflective prayer and process around the school to the statue of Our Lady, this will culminate in the crowning of Our Lady with flowers. Our First Holy Communion children are encouraged to wear their First Holy Communion outfits to lead this procession. It is advisable that children wear uniform to school and change into their First Holy Communion outfits at school. All pupils are welcome to bring a single flower (artificial or fresh) or a small posy of flowers to lay at the feet of Our Lady.

Personalised Assessments for all pupils in Years 2- 6 will take place on the 15th, 17th and 22nd of June. The personalised assessments are based on the skills in the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) and will provide information on the reading and numeracy skills of individual learners and whole classes which teachers can use to plan next steps in teaching and learning. (These dates could change but will need to be undertaken during our 2-week window between the 15th and 26th of June).

2nd July is Moving Up Day - Year 6 will spend the day at St John Lloyd (parents will soon receive information directly from SJL regarding arrangements – if your child is not attending SJL for Y7, they can attend school as normal). All other pupils are to go into their current classrooms as normal upon arrival and will move up to their next year groups after registration to spend time with their new teachers.

3rd July: Annual school reports will be sent home with your child. 6th July: Teaching staff will be available between 4pm and 5pm to discuss your child’s school report if required. No appointments needed – drop-in session only.

As always, my door is open if you have any queries.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Howells

Headteacher

February Update

Wed 04 Feb 2026

Dear Parents

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you as parents, pupils and extended family members for your support this term during the schools’ recent Estyn Inspection. I am very proud of how our pupils, parents and staff present themselves on a daily basis and look forward to reading the Inspectors report which will be published towards the end of March. I will forward a copy on to you when I am able to do so.

Some information:

Musical Theatre After School Club: For the next 2 weeks (this week Wednesday Feb 4^th and next Feb 11^th) our student teachers will be running a Musical Theatre After School Club for pupils in Y3-6. Spaces are limited to 25 cost £2 per week via Parent Pay and are allocated on a first come first served basis. If you need log ins to Parent Pay, please contact Mrs Partridge in the office.

School Photographs New Date and Company: Next week on Monday February 9^th, a company by the name of Roz and Kirsty will be at school to take individual and sibling photographs. This is a change of date to the one issued previously. The company require ALL parents wishing their child to have a photograph taken to complete the registration link online https://randk.uk/register/st-marys?pin=1224

When you log in, if it asks for the school PIN this is 1224. This change is due to current GDPR laws and legislation. If you do not register your child, they will not be able to have their photograph taken. If anyone needs help to complete the registration, please call in to see Mrs Partridge (she is not available tomorrow morning Tuesday 3^rd Feb).

Lost and Found: There are a lot of uniform items left at school on a weekly basis. We do our best to reunite the items with their owners, but this can be difficult when there are no names written on the clothing. Please could you write (and reapply) your child’s names on their clothing to help with this. We also have several items of pre-loved uniform that has been donated to school so before you buy any new items, please call in to see what is available in your child’s size.

PE Days: PE Kit consists of a blue crew neck t-shirt and dark bottoms with trainers. We kindly ask that children adhere to the school uniform policy. PE forms part of the curriculum and pupils are to wear a school PE t-shirt with dark shorts/bottoms. There will also be adhoc sports days during the year but the children will be notified of this as they happen.

Nursery, Reception, Year 1 Thursday

Year 2 and Year 3 Tuesday

Year 4 Friday

Year 5 and Year 6 Thursday

Snacks: We are a NUT FREE school due to a few children suffering with serious nut allergies. We ask for everyone’s cooperation on this matter. We encourage children to bring in healthy snacks such as fruit and water, instead of fizzy drinks, sweets, crisps. Energy drinks are not permitted. This will help with your child’s health and their development and goes hand in hand with the Healthy Schools Award Scheme.

Our Year 6 class have recently started a Fruit Shop during morning break. Fruit is available to buy at 40p per item (cash only).

A reminder for Years 3-6, ALL pupils in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) need to bring their own pencil case to school daily. A pencil case will need pens (black ink), pencils, rubber, sharpener and a ruler. Thank you in advance for helping us with this request.

As we are almost half way through the school year, just a reminder that 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.

School start: Your child needs to be in school before 9:10am as this is when children are in class ready for registration. Arrival after this time is marked as late which is monitored by the school and local authority attendance officers. If you arrive late, please escort your child into the main reception area so that you can sign them in to the Late Register on the iPad. We do understand that there may be one off occasions where lateness happens however, we need to record reasons for all late arrivals. Persistent late arrivals will be monitored, and the school will need to follow the appropriate procedures. Late arrivals not only impact your child’s learning but also the others in class who’s learning is disrupted.

School Meals: Meals can be prebooked 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 possible - 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, 4, 5 and 6. Some pupils may be eligible for Free School Meals which also allows access to other grants and provides additional funding to the school. If you think you qualify, please visit https://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/council-services/education-schools/school-meals/free-school-meals/

The school calendar is below (this is also uploaded to our website https://www.stmarysllanelli.org/

This has a range of information on it including updated class information. The website has a translation tool (click on the British flag at the top right of the screen for different languages).

05/02/26	Y2 visit Llanelli Docks	Y2
06/02/26	Basketball Skills Y4/5	Y4/5
08/02/26	FHC Group Mass	FHC
09/02/26	Y6 Cycle training (all week)	Y6
09/02/26	School Photos * NEW DATE * Please complete the link emailed to you	All
12/02/26	PTA Disco	All
13/02/26	Stick 2 Drum Session	All
WC 16/02/26	Half Term – school closed to pupils	All
23/02/26	Diocesan Inset Day – school closed to pupils	All
WC 24/02/26	Welsh Week	All
24/02/26	Cricket Sessions start for Y3-6 (weekly on Tuesdays)	Y3-6
26/02/26	Lenten Reconciliation Service at school	All
26/02/26	Carmarthenshire Schools Football tournament TBC	Team
27/02/26	Eisteddfod (wear Welsh Costume/Red)/own clothes	All
05/03/26	World Book Day	All
08/03/026	FHC Group Mass	FHC
16/03/26	Launch of our Annual Easter Competitions	All
17/03/26	School Nurse Team visit - Reception class Measuring assessments	Rec
19/03/26	Y5/6 Visit to the Senedd in Cardiff	Y5/6
22/03/26	FHC Group Mass	FHC
25/03/26	Stations of the Cross Service at school	All
27/03/26	Easter Performance TBC	All
27/03/26	End of term – Own clothes day	All
WC 30/03/26	Easter Holidays – school closed	All
WC06/04/26	Easter Holidays – school closed	All
13/04/26	Back to school	All

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Howells,

Headteacher

School Calendar (more dates will be added – please check the website throughout the year)

Autumn Term Scoop 2025

Thu 11 Dec 2025

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/d64iheqNf3SAAuXC?ref=email

Autumn Term Run up to Christmas

Fri 28 Nov 2025

28^th November 2025

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe that it is the 1^st of December on Monday-this year is flying by! As always in the run up to Christmas, the school calendar is a full diary. This is also available on the school website and updated regularly https://stmarysllanelli.org Photos from many of our school activities and events can be found on our school Instagram page @stmarysllanelli Here is the information you need regarding the upcoming events:

TODAY Friday 28^th November	Dafen Christmas Fayre: Pupils from Years 3 to 6 will be taking part in the Fayre, singing around the tree for the annual Christmas light switch on in Dafen. Everyone is welcome to attend the fayre as it is open to the public. For the singers, please meet by the tree at 5:45pm.
Saturday 29^thNovember	Parish Christmas Fayre from 1pm to 4pm at Our Lady Queen of Peace where there are a number of stalls selling books, bric a brac, cakes, games, gifts etc including our PTA stall.
Sunday 30^th November	Family Advent Mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace. Many children are taking part in the Mass and have been practising their readings all week. Please arrive by 9:45am at the lastest (in school uniform). We look forward to seeing many of you to celebrate the beginning of Advent.
Monday 1^st December	Y5 will attend a St John Lloyd transition event in the afternoon (1:30-3pm) all linked to Santa’s Workshop
Wednesday 3^rd December	Y6 will visit Llanelli Library for a Welsh Football Exhibition (from Wrexham Museum) from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. All transport costs are covered by Welsh Football.
Wednesday 3^rd December	PTA CHRISTMAS DISCO. Foundation Phase (Nursery,Reception, Y1 & Y2) 5pm – 6pm. Juniors (Y3,4,5,6). £2.50 entry fee (Cash only on the night). Refreshments/Christmas Stalls with items for sale. Parents are to stay with the Foundation Phase children.
Thursday 4^th December	Advent Reconciliation Service at school
Tuesday 9^th December	CHRISTMAS CONCERT – SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
Wednesday 10^th December	CHRISTMAS CONCERT – SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
Thursday 11^th Decmber	Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day. We invite all pupils to wear Christmas jumpers/clothes on this day with all donations received going directly to Save the Children.
Monday 15^th December	Party day for classes. Party clothes can be worn. Class teachers will ask for food donations to class parties closer to the time. Reminder: We are a NUT FREE school due to allergies.
Wednesday 17^th December	Christmas Dinner Day. This is a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and a pudding. Please pre-book in advance on Parent Pay (bookings usually open about 14 days in advance).
Thursday 18^th December	End of term Mass at school
Friday 19^th December	Last Day of Term and Own Clothes Day
Monday 5^th January 2026	School Closed for Staff Training Inset Day
Tuesday 6^th January	School reopen to all pupils for the start of the Spring Term

CHRISTMAS SHOWS 9^th and 10^th of December 2025

Foundation Phase (Dosbarth C & H - Nursery-Y2) are performing “A KING IS BORN” on:

Tuesday 9^th of December at 2pm

Wednesday 10^th of December at 10am

Pupils in the Junior classes (Dosbarth R, I, S, T - Y3-6) are performing “SUPERSTAR” on:

Tuesday 9^th of December at 10am

Wednesday 10^th December at 4pm

This will be an opportunity for parents, children and staff to come together to celebrate this important time of year. Every child will be taking part, and you should have had information regarding costumes for your children (if applicable) (if not please ask your class teacher). 

Part time Nursery pupils are not expected to return for the afternoon performance.

For the Juniors 4.00p.m.performance, children are required to remain in school at the end of the day. They will be given a drink and small snack at 3.15p.m. It is anticipated that the show will last approximately 45 minutes. (if there is any issue with children staying, please let your class teacher know asap). 

There will be a small raffle at the end of each performance – tickets are £1 each if you wish to partake.

The number of tickets sold are limited to comply with school health and safety capacity limits and will be intially restricted to 2 tickets per show. 

To reserve your space at the shows, please book online VIA PARENT PAY ONLY between Monday 1^st December and Thursday 4^th December. Your tickets will be sent home on Friday 5^th December. All remaining tickets will go on sale from Friday 5^th December.

The PTA have sourced some exciting prizes for the Christmas raffle on sale next week. We will send a book home next week for you to have the option to enter the raffle.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Howells,

Headteacher

Attendance Letter September 2025

Mon 08 Sep 2025

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Dear Parents,

We believe passionately that every school day matters in a child’s education. This is

backed up by plenty of research to show how crucial regular attendance is in ensuring children reach their full potential in our education system and develop into confident, wellrounded adults who are equipped for life.

What is good attendance?

There are 190 school days each year. To ensure a child fully achieves their potential, they should be in school for at least 95% of this time (180 days). If a child is taken out of school for a 2-week holiday in termtime then any further absences e.g. through illness will immediately put that child below the 95% threshold. We encourage our pupils to be a HERO – “Here, Every day, Ready, On time”.

Can I take my child out of school for a holiday in term time?

Headteachers have the discretion to approve up to 10 school days over an academic year for family holidays. This is done on a case-by-case basis and the decision to approve will be based on a number of factors, including the child’s attendance over the last year. All requests for term-time absence must be submitted in writing to the Headteacher prior to going away.

What do I do if my child is absent from school?

Parents have a responsibility to inform the school if their child is absent and provide a valid reason for the absence. We ask that parents ring the school on 01554 759178 or contact us by email (admin@stmarysllanelli.ysgolccc.cymru) as early as possible ON THE FIRST DAY OF ABSENCE. In line with many other schools, we also send text messages to remind parents to contact us if their child is absent.

What about lateness?

The law states that parents are legally required to ensure their children attend school

regularly and on time. Persistent lateness is dealt with in much the same way as irregular attendance. Persistent lateness can be every bit as harmful to a child’s education as missing school. We encourage all children to be in school by 9:10am. Children who arrive in school after the close of register will be marked as an unauthorised absence.

How do we deal with persistent absence?

We like to keep parents informed about their child’s attendance, so we will be providing termly reports for every child. We also make contact with parents of children whose attendance is a cause for concern. The purpose of these meetings is to identify the reasons for persistent absence and to identify any support the school or outside agencies can give to ensure the child’s attendance improves. There are occasions where there are significant and ongoing concerns about a child’s attendance which necessitate the school referring the matter to the School Safeguarding and Attendance Team.

What can I do as a parent?

As parents, we all want the very best for our children and key to this is a good education.

We are proud of what we do for our pupils here at St Mary’s School. We endeavour to provide educational experiences tailored to a child’s developmental needs and which feed their interests, enthusiasm and specific abilities and talents. For this to work, they need to be with us for as much of the journey as possible, so we urge that, as parents you:

ensure that your child arrives at school on time each day

ensure that your child only misses school for reasons which are unavoidable or justified, such as illness or days of religious observance
always notify the school as soon as possible - preferably on the first morning of any absence

try to avoid booking family holidays during term-time and
talk to the school if you are concerned that your child may be reluctant to go to school.

I hope you will support us in our attempts to ensure that your child has the very best start on their lifelong learning journey

Welcome Back September 2025

Mon 08 Sep 2025

8^th September 2025

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 find attached the Consent and Medical questionnaires as well as a Data Capture Sheet. Please complete both forms and return to school signed and dated (please do this at the bottom of the data sheet) by WEDNESDAY September 10^th 2025. 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. A Home-School Agreement will follow for you to sign.

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 car park – thank you for your support and cooperation on safe use of the carpark.

School start: Your child needs to be in school before 9:10am as this is when children are in class ready for registration. Arrival after this time is marked as late which is monitored by the school and local authority attendance officers. If you arrive late, please escort your child into the main reception area so that you can sign them in to the Late Register on the iPad. We do understand that there may be one off occasions where lateness happens however, we need to record reasons for all late arrivals. Persistent late arrivals will be monitored, and the school will need to follow the appropriate procedures. Late arrivals not only impact your child’s learning but also the others in class who’s learning is disrupted.

The school attendance target for the year is 95% which is attending for 180 days out of a possible 190 days. We encourage all our pupils to become a “HERO - Here, Every day, Ready, On time”. Please read the information on the school attendance letter attached for our school procedures in relation to absence and attendance.

Uniform: As you already know, the school uniform consists of a white polo t-shirt, dark bottoms and a royal blue jumper or cardigan with the school logo and black school shoes. PE Kit consists of a blue crew neck t-shirt and dark bottoms with trainers. We kindly ask that children adhere to the school uniform policy. PE forms part of the curriculum and pupils are to wear a school PE t-shirt with dark shorts/bottoms.

There are several items of free pre-loved uniform available throughout the year at school if you require any. New uniform can be bought at Picton Sports, Heol Aur, Dafen Industrial Estate. Book bags can be purchased from the school or from Picton.

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.

Please write your child’s name 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.

Water bottles: Pupils are to bring their own water bottles to school daily which can be filled up at our cold-water dispensers to stay hydrated. Please write your child’s name on their bottle.

Snacks: We are a NUT FREE school due to a few children suffering with serious nut allergies. We ask for everyone’s cooperation on this matter. We encourage children to bring in healthy snacks such as fruit and water, instead of fizzy drinks, sweets, crisps. Energy drinks are not permitted. This will help with your child’s health and their development and goes hand in hand with the Healthy Schools Award Scheme.

A reminder for Years 3-6 as per end of term letter, all pupils in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) need to bring their own pencil case to school daily. A pencil case will need pens (black ink), pencils, rubber, sharpener and a ruler. Thank you in advance for helping us with this request.

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 possible - 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, 4, 5 and 6. Some pupils may be eligible for Free School Meals which also allows access to other grants and provides additional funding to the school. If you think you qualify, please visit https://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/council-services/education-schools/school-meals/free-school-meals/

The After-school club letter will be issued next week with clubs starting the following week commencing Monday September 15^th 2025. Please return the club booking letter asap. Spaces are allocated on a first come first serve basis. If you are successful in being allocated a place in your chosen club, your child will be added to the club list on Parent pay which will be open for you to complete the consent and payment information to secure your space prior to its start. Refunds will only be issued if the club is cancelled by the school.

Our school Website https://www.stmarysllanelli.org/ has a range of information on it. Class information is in the process of being updated so please check it throughout the term. Our website also has the option to be translated into multiple languages (click on the British flag at the top right of the screen for different language).

Own clothes days will continue to be held on the last Friday of the month. We kindly ask for a donation of £1 per child on these days. The option to pay in full for the year is available on Parent Pay.

The school calendar on the website will be updated over the next week. See overleaf for a snapshot of dates.

National Roald Dahl Day is on Friday 12^th September. During the first two weeks of term, all pupils are taking part in different classroom activities based on Roald Dahl’s vast collection of books and stories.

TOMORROW Tuesday 9^th September 2025: We have arranged for Shine Drama to attend to lead pupils from Year 1 to 6 in a performing arts day and kindly ask for a small contribution of £2 each towards the cost of this day via parent pay. All pupils are invited to dress up in their favourite costume on Friday 12^th September.

Thank you for taking the time to read this detailed letter. Please remember to return your completed data forms by Wednesday so that we can update your child’s records.

Wishing you all a warm welcome at the beginning of a new school year.

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Howells,

Headteacher

School Calendar (more dates will be added – please check the website throughout the year)

01/09/25	Designated Inset Day – school closed to pupils	All
02/09/25	All pupils to attend school – start of Autumn Term	All
04/09/25	Y4 attend launch of Treasure School – Film Skills Project	Y4
08/09/25	Start of term Mass	All
09/09/25	Roald Dahl Drama Workshops – Shine Drama	Y1-6
12/09/25	Roald Dahl Day	All
WC 15/09/25	After School Clubs start this week	Y1-6
17/09/25	School Council Presentations in classes	Y2-6
24/09/25	Head Boy/Girl Presentations delivered to whole school	Y6
26/09/25	Macmillan Coffee Morning * more details to follow – date to be confirmed	All
26/09/25	Y3 Y4 trip to Dylan Thomas Museum	Y3/4
26/09/25	Own Clothes Day £1	All
30/09/25	Y4 First Holy Communion Parent Meeting	Y4 FHC
10/10/25	Inset Day – school closed to all pupils	All
13-15/10/25	Y6 Manor Residential trip	Y6
16/10/25	PTA Autumn Disco To Be Confirmed	All
17/10/25	Show Racism the Red Card Day	All
19/10/25	FHC Inscription Mass	FHC Y4
24/10/25	Own Clothes Day £1	All
WC 27/10/25	Half Term – school closed	All
03/11/25	Parents Evening	All
04/11/25	Parents Evening	All
13/11/25	Y3 Y4 Stick 2 Music session	Y3/4
14/11/25	Y6 Class Assembly	Y6
14/11/25	Children in Need Day	All
16/11/25	FHC Group Mass	FHC
28/11/25	Own Clothes Day £1	All
30/11/25	Advent Mass OLQP	All
04/12/25	Advent Reconciliation Mass at school	All
09/12/25	Christmas Concert TBC	All
10/12/25	Christmas Concert TBC	All
11/12/25	Christmas Jumper Day	All
15/12/25	Christmas Party Day	All
16/12/25	Christmas singing in the community	Choir
17/12/25	Christmas Dinner Day	All
18/12/25	End of term Mass	All
19/12/25	Last day of term – Own Clothes Day £1	All
WC 22/12/25	Christmas holidays – school closed	All
WC 29/12/25	Christmas holidays – school closed	All
05/01/26	Inset Day – school closed	All
06/01/26	All pupils back to school	All

Summer Term Letter 3

Thu 17 Jul 2025

17^th July 2025

Dear Parents

As we approach our last day of this school year, it is time to say goodbye to our Year 6 class. They will all be missed at St Mary’s, but it has been a joy to watch them grow and blossom before our eyes. Their leavers performance of 80 Days Around the World was excellent – it was evident how hard they have all worked on the show. All school staff wish them the very best for this new chapter of their lives.

Tomorrow, Friday 18^th of July, is the last day of the year. School is closed to pupils on Monday 21^st of July. There is a county designated INSET day on Monday 1^st of September so all pupils will return to school on Tuesday the 2^nd of September 2025. There is a scheduled INSET day on Friday 3^rd October.

As this year closes, in addition to the announcements last week regarding staffing changes, we can also now confirm that Mrs Joel, who has been a Teaching Assistant at St Mary’s for 21 years will be leaving us tomorrow. Many of you may already know that Mrs Joel is getting married next week and will start her married life as Mrs Pine in a beautiful area of Somerset, England as her husband is a member of the Armed Forces. Mrs Joel has been a dedicated and loyal member of the staff team at St Mary’s – she has supported learning with almost every year group, nurtured and cared for generations of families, hundreds of pupils and parents and made long lasting friendships as a lifelong member of the St Mary’s family. Thank you, Mrs Joel, for all that you have done for our pupils, parents and staff. We wish you and Mr Pine good health and happiness for your forthcoming marriage CONGRATULATIONS!!! We will miss you very much in September – it will be very odd without you being a part of the school, but we are very happy for you as you move into this next phase of your life.

Information for September 

CHANGES TO THE CAR PARK: Over the summer holidays, the entire carpark is being redesigned to create more space and be in line with current health and safety regulations.

The work includes extending the main entrance by moving the pillars and gates; removing the roundabout; creating a free flow drop off system and removing all current silver low level fencing around the car park, and creating a walkway accessible from every car park space, which will lead to the new entrance point (for the morning and afternoon for drop offs and pickups) which is the gate at the bottom of the car park leading on to the junior yard.

This will be very different to what is currently in place, so we ask that you take the utmost of care whilst using the car park to learn the new system, whether that be driving or walking.

PENCIL CASES: All pupils in Years 3, 4,5 and 6 are required to bring their own pencil case in daily. This should include black pens, pencil rubber, sharpener and a ruler. Pencil cases can stay at school but will need to be refilled throughout the year as items are used up.

School starts at 9:10am when class teachers take the register. If you arrive after this time, your child will be marked in as late. If you arrive after the gates have been locked, please bring your child to the main Reception via the electronic entrance gate to sign them in. A child who is 10minutes late per day, misses 32.5hours of education in a school year. We ask you to arrive early to school to minimise the disruption to their learning and also the learning of those who are already in class. Persistent lateness may result in a referral to the Education Welfare Department.

Attendance is compulsory at school for pupils over the age of 5. To maximise progress with learning, we expect our pupils to attend school regularly and for at least 95% of the year. This percentage is in line with the Welsh Government target figure for learners. Pupil absences are carefully monitored by the local authority. If a pupil is absent, parents are asked to telephone the school on the first day of any absence. If no contact is received regarding a pupil absence, parents will receive a text or an email alerting them to the absence and request that parents contact the school to explain the absence. Any unexplained absences will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’. Medical and dental appointments should, as far as possible, be arranged out of school hours. Permission to take pupils on holiday during term time must be requested in writing from the Headteacher and will only be authorised if overall attendance is very good.

Uniform is to be worn for all children (Nursery to Year 6). New uniform can be purchased at Picton Sports, Heol Aur, Dafen Industrial Estate. Book bags can be purchased at Picton or at school. However, before you buy anything new, please call into school and take whatever you need from our pre-worn uniform stock. Uniform consists of

white polo t-shirt
blue jumper or cardigan with school logo
grey or black bottoms – trousers/tailored shorts, skirts/pinafores (no leggings/tracksuit bottoms)
black school shoes or black trainers

The P.E kit consists of a blue crew neck school t-shirt with logo on front and dark coloured bottoms. The P.E timetable will follow in class newsletters in September. Please write your child/ren’s names on ALL uniform (and reapply after washes) to help to make it easier to return to the correct owner if lost.

Water bottles are required daily and can be refilled at the water fountain. Please write your child’s name on them.

After school clubs will not be available in the first week of Autumn term whilst new clubs are being arranged. Further information regarding the new clubs will be issued during the first week back.

I would like to thank you as pupils, parents, extended family members and friends for your continued support of our school. I am very proud of our achievements this year both at school, in the community and our parish. We are thankful for our pupils and enjoy teaching and nurturing them as they progress through the school. Have a happy and enjoyable summer.

We look forward to welcoming you back to school on Tuesday 2^nd of September 2025.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Howells

Headteacher

Summer Term Letter 2

Mon 23 Jun 2025

Dear Parents

Changes to Classroom Structure – Autumn Term 2025

As we prepare for the upcoming Autumn Term, we would like to inform you of an important change to our class structure, designed to better support our pupils’ learning and development.

Due to changes in pupil numbers and in alignment with the Curriculum for Wales, we will be forming new class. This new structure allows us to tailor teaching more effectively to developmental stages and learning needs, whilst also fostering a nurturing and collaborative environment.

In keeping with our Catholic identify and values, we are also moving away from the traditional year group labels. Instead, each class will be named using the acronym C.H.R.I.S.T., reflecting our commitment to Christ-centred education and community. The classes will be led by the following teachers:

C Miss Clark (age Reception and Y1)

H Miss Penn (age Y2)

R Mr Williams (age Y3)

I Mrs Upton (age Y4)

S Mr Gill (age Y5)

T Miss Healy (age Y6)

Nursery provision will be provided in the room adjacent to the Reception class.

We believe that these changes will enrich the learning experiences for all our children and help us continue to provide a warm, including and faith-filled environment. We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we implement these positive developments.

As you can see from the staffing list, we will sadly be saying goodbye to two of our teachers. Miss Annabel Jones joined us last September for her first year of teaching and has been successful in gaining a new position at a school in Mumbles for the next stage of her teaching career. Mrs Low has been with us for the last three years teaching in Year 5 initially and for the last two years, she has been the class teacher of our Nursery and Reception pupils. Both leave St Mary’s to begin new chapters of their life.

In addition, two of our Teaching Assistants are coming to the end of their temporary contracts and will be leaving at the end of the summer term. Mrs Eleri Jones (Nursery) and Mrs Strasdin (Nursery/KS2) have been a great support to their classes, helping the teachers create a nurturing, inclusive, fun and exciting learning environment.

Thank you all for your hard work and kind and caring support that you have shown both pupils and staff throughout your time at school. We wish you the very best for the next stage of your lives.

From September, we welcome a new Teacher, Mr Gill, who will be teaching Class ‘S’. We extend Mr Gill a very warm welcome to our school. The children are very excited to be in your class in September.

Please read on for information below regarding upcoming dates and general information:

Monday 30^th June	Girls Cricket Final in Carmarthen
Tuesday 1^st July	Moving up day Year 6 will spend the day at St John Lloyd (parents will have received information directly from SJL regarding arrangements – for those not attending SJL in September, you are expected to attend school as normal). All other pupils will arrive at St Mary’s and go into their current classrooms and move up to their next year groups after registration to spend time with their new teachers. Technocamps will also be at school to run sessions with KS2.
Wednesday 2^nd July	PTA Summer Disco. Nursery to Y2 from 5pm to 6pm. KS2 pupils Y3-6: Disco 6:15pm-7:30pm. Parents are to stay with children in the Nursery to Y2 disco.
Friday 4^th July	School reports will be sent home
Monday 7^th July	Inset Day – school closed to pupils
Tuesday 8^th July	Football tournament Swansea KS2 Team
Tuesday 8^th July	Teaching staff will be on hand between 4pm and 6pm to discuss the school reports with parents if required. No appointments needed – drop-in session only.
Friday 11^th July	Y6 Leavers Show “80 Days Around the World” 10am
Wednesday 16^th July	Y6 Leavers Mass 1:45pm
Friday 18^th July	Last Day of School Year. Summer holidays begin. Y6 Leavers and Celebration Assembly 9:30am
Tuesday September 2^nd 2025.	All pupils return to school
Wednesday 1^st October 2025	School Culture Day – more details to follow
Friday October 3^rd 2025	Inset Day – school closed to pupils

Summer necessities: Please can you ensure your child has a water bottle daily. Suncream and sun hats are strongly advised during sunnier days. Please label everything with your child’s name. Tip Tops will be on sale every Friday until the end of term. They are 20p each. Lost and Found: There are many school jumpers left in almost all classes – please check in with your class teachers if you are missing any jumpers. Uniform for September: Uniform is to be worn by all pupils from Nursery to Year 6. We are aware that the cost of living is having an impact on almost everyone. To help, we have a range of uniform at school that has been donated or left in lost and found over the past few years. Again, please call in from next week to see what will fit your child before you buy any new items. Currently, there are more smaller sizes than larger sizes, but we will also happily accept further donations for us to distribute to others.

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Alison Howells

Headteacher

Summer Term 2025 Letter 1

Fri 23 May 2025

19^th of May 2025

As you can see from the school calendar below, the summer term will be another busy one! More dates will be added. Summer term will hopefully continue to bring the sunshine. As the children are outdoors for some of their learning (as well as playtimes), please ensure your child has a bottle for water with them daily, and a sun hat and sun cream on sunny days.

28/04/25	Back to school – start of summer term	All
29/04/25	Mini London Marathon -sponsor forms	All
30/04/25	Y6 Junior Proms practice – Theatr Ffwrnes	Y6
	First Confession	FHC pupils
02/05/25	Start of term Mass with Fr Martin	All
05/05/25	MayDay Bank Holiday – school closed to pupils and staff	All
08/05/25	VE Day 80^th anniversary – Tea Party on the field	All
09/05/25	LLAMAS’ Coffee afternoon at school 2pm	All
12/05/25	School Nurse Reception Class Health Screening	Reception
	Film Workshop	Y3
13/05/25	Llanelli School Cricket Tournament – Llanelli Cricket Club	Y5/6
14/05/25	Film Skills Launch Day – Waterfront Swansea	For Y3
14/05/25	Y6 Junior Proms practice – Theatr Ffwrnes	Y6
16/05/25	First Holy Communion Practice at OLQP	FHC Y4
18/05/25	First Holy Communion Day at OLQP	FHC Y4
19/05/25	First Holy Communion celebration party at school	FHC Y4
	Llanelli Schools Girls Cricket Tournament – Llanelli Cricket Club	Y5/6
	Film Workshop	Y3
20/05/25	No Drama Club	Drama
	Y2 Class Assembly at 10am – parents invited	Y2
21/05/25	Entrecomp Games session at SJL	Y5
22/05/25	May Procession (FHC children to wear outfits)	FHC Y4
23/05/25	Last day of half term	All
	River Studies trip	Y6
	Own Clothes Day - £1 donations please	All
26/05/25-30/05/25	Whitsun Half Term – school closed all week	All
02/06/25	All pupils and staff return to school for last half term of the year	All
03/06/25	Y7 Form Teacher to see Y6 Greenfutures Day Y5/6	Y6 Y5/6
04/06/25	River Studies trip	Y5
10/06/25	Sports Day new date see information below	All
13/06/25	Y1 Class Assembly – parents invited to attend * new date	Y1
13/06/25	Y5 transition morning at SJL	Y5
16/06/25-27/06/25	Personalised Assessments will take place over the next two weeks for all pupils in Years 2 to 6	Y2-6
20/06/25	School Nurse to see Y6	Y6
27/06/25	Own Clothes Day - £1 donations please	All
	Bronze Young Ambassador (BYA) Celebration Day	BYA
01/07/25	Moving up date – Y6 will go to SJL for the day, all other classes move up	All
02/07/25	PTA Summer Disco (Nursery-Y2 5pm-6pm, Y3-6 6.15pm-7.30pm)	All
03/07/25	Nursery/Reception Class Assembly	NR
04/07/25	School Reports out	All
08/07/25	Open evening to discuss school reports (if required)	All
11/07/25	Y6 Leavers Show	Y6
14/07/25	Film Skills Wales Y3 Film Launch Day	Y3
16/07/25	Y6 Leavers Mass	Y6
18/07/25	Y6 Leavers Celebration Assembly	Y6
	Last day of school year	All
21/07/25	Inset day – school closed to pupils	All

Some further information regarding some upcoming dates:

18^th May: Congratulations to all children who made their First Holy Communion at Our Lady Queen of Peace. We are all very proud of you. Thank you to our pupils, families, friends and staff for supporting you in this wonderful celebration.

20^th May : Y2 Class assembly starts at 10am. Parents of Y2 pupils are welcome to attend.

20^th May : There is no drama club this week due to Jo (drama club leader) being away on holiday. This is already included in your parent pay payments for the term.

22^nd May : As part of our celebration of May as the month of Our Lady, the school will be holding a May Procession on the 22^nd ^of May. The children will sing Marian hymns, share in reflective prayer and process around the school to the statue of Our Lady, this will culminate in the crowning of Our Lady with flowers. Our First Holy Communion children are encouraged to wear their First Holy Communion outfits to lead this procession. It is advisable that children wear uniform to school and change into their First Holy Communion outfits at school. All pupils are welcome to bring a single flower (artificial or fresh) or a small posy of flowers to lay at the feet of Our Lady.

23^rd May: Y6 River Studies trip to the Gower. Please be on time to leave for the trip. Please make sure you have read the information letter. If a child is asthmatic, they MUST have their pump or they will not be allowed to attend (organiser rules) and if they have an open cut, please inform class teacher asap. This information will also apply when Y5 go on their trip on the 4^th of June.

There will be no school led after school clubs after Whitsun half term (week commencing 26^th May).

Jujitsu and drama will continue to run on a Tuesday.

10^th June New Date: Sports Day. The event will start at 9:30am and run until 12pm with all pupils taking part. Parents/Guardians/Grandparents etc are all invited to attend. Feel free to bring your own seating /blankets to sit on the grass bank. £1 entry for adults which includes a raffle ticket for prizes to be drawn on the day. We are aiming to start at 9:30am and finish by 11:30/12pm. Children are to wear their house colours. Cold refreshments will be on sale for adult spectators.

11^th June: Y1 Class assembly starts at 10am. Parents of Y1 pupils are welcome to attend.

From the 16^th of June for two weeks, Personalised Assessments will take place for all pupils Years 2-6. The personalised assessments are based on the skills in the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) and will provide information on the reading and numeracy skills of individual learners and whole classes which teachers can use to plan next steps in teaching and learning.

1^st July: Moving up day Year 6 will spend the day at St John Lloyd (parents will soon receive information directly from SJL regarding arrangements). All other pupils will arrive at St Mary’s and go into their current classrooms and move up to their next year groups after registration to spend time with their new teachers.

2^nd July: PTA Summer Disco. Foundation Phase pupils (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & 2 Disco is at 5-6pm Parents to stay and supervise their child. The Year 3-6 Disco starts at 6:15pm and finishes at 7:30pm. Parents are welcome to stay but don’t have to.

4^th July: Annual school reports will be sent home with your child.

8^th July: Teaching staff will be available between 4pm and 6pm to discuss your child’s school report if required. No appointments needed – drop-in sessions only.

Y6 Leavers information: At we approach the end of the Y6 pupils’ final term at St Mary’s, there will be three key events that parents and families of Y6 pupils are invited to attend. The Leavers Show will be on the 11^th of July at 10am. Leavers Mass is on the 16^th of July at 1:45pm and the final event will be the Awards Ceremony on the 18^th of July at 9:30am. Please could you let us know if you are able to attend these events and how many seats you require so that we can make the necessary arrangements. Thank you in advance.

Tip Tops will be on sale every Friday until the end of term. If you would like your child to purchase a tip top, please send in 20p on Fridays.

Further dates will be added as the term progresses.

More information regarding some of the future events will be released as soon as possible. Please visit our school website and social media pages for information relating to school life (details below).

As always, my door is open if you have any queries.

Yours faithfully

Mrs Howells

Headteacher

Calendar Update 20.02.2025

Thu 20 Feb 2025

20^th February 2025

Dear Parents,

Please find below the school calendar for the upcoming months. Some things are to be TBC (To be confirmed) and information will follow as soon as plans are finalised. The school calendar can also be found on the school website www.stmarysllanelli.org under the News and Events>Calendar tab as well as on this letter which can be found on the Notice Board at the bottom of the website page. Did you also know that much of the information on the website can be read in a wide range of languages – to change your language, please click on the tab next to the search magnifying glass at the top right of the page.

Thank you for your cooperation with the car park. It was unfortunate that we have had to cone off some areas but for safety reasons as advised it was essential. Further changes will be happening to the car park in the coming months – we will keep you posted.

Please visit the link for this term’s School Scoop – QR code has been shared on school social media https://sway.cloud.microsoft/OWEsRJAdu1yDmQM8?ref=email

Attendance as you know from letters issued in January, is something that we are monitoring as a school and at local authority level. Improvement has been noted this term for many pupils – thank you for your support and cooperation on improving your child’s attendance. For those whose attendance continues to be a concern, you will receive a letter after half term inviting you to attend a meeting with Mrs Howells.

After half term, we will have an electronic signing in system for visitors and for any pupil who arrives late or leaves early. We ask that an adult comes to the school’s main reception if they are late arriving or picking up early in order to sign in/out on the electronic system.

We have noticed a recent increase in pupils not wearing school uniform. As a gentle reminder, our uniform consists of black or grey trousers, skirts, pinafores with a white polo t-shirt and a royal blue jumper or cardigan (preferably with a school logo on the jumper) with black shoes. PE kit consists of a blue round neck t-shirt and dark bottoms. We are in the process of changing the colour of the PE t shirt to a royal blue, but this won’t be in place until September 2025. Before buying any uniform, please always check with us first as we have some pre-loved uniform free for you to have (FYI- we are running low on middle sizes age 5-9 at the moment). If you prefer to buy new uniform, please visit the Picton Sports shop in Dafen (or their online shop) https://www.pictonsports.co.uk/

Diary Dates below:

21/02/25	Own Clothes Day £1 donations gratefully accepted	All
24-28/02/25	February Half Term – school closed	All
03/03/25	Diocesan Inset day – school closed to pupils	All
WC 04/03/25	Welsh Week	All
04/03/25	All pupils back to school	All
05/03/25	Ash Wednesday mass at school	All
05/03/25	Llanelli Rural Council Time Capsule Burial Ceremony at Dafen Park 10am	Various
06/03/25	World Book Day – pupils invited to dress up	All
07/03/25	School Eisteddfod – pupils invited to wear Welsh costume or red clothes	All
09/03/25	FHC Group Mass	FHC
10/03/25	Y4 Basketball festival (TBC)	Y4
WC 10/03/25	Parents Evenings – letters to follow	All
12/03/25	Y5 transition session at SJL	Y5
21/03/25	Launch of Easter Competitions – details to follow	All
24-26/03/25	Y6 Residential trip to Manor Adventure	Y6
24/03/25	Y2 Multiskills training (TBC)	Y2
26/03/25	Y1 Dental study at school	Y1
27/03/25	Y6 transition at SJL	Y6
28/03/25	Own Clothes Day £1 donations gratefully accepted	All
01/04/25	Y6 transition at SJL	Y6
02/04/25	Y5 transition at SJL	Y5
06/04/25	FHC Group Mass	FHC
07/04/25	Wellbeing and Digital Detox Sessions	Y5 Y6
08/04/25	Easter Bonnet Parade (N/R)	N/R
09/04/25	End of term mass	All
10/04/25 10/04/25	Y3 Class Assembly Last day of Spring Term	Y3 All
11/04/25	Inset Day – school closed to pupils	All
14-27/04/25	Easter Holidays	All
28/04/25	All pupils back to school	All
30/04/25	Y3/4 Tennis Skills – (TBC)	Y3/4
01/05/25	First Confession	FHC
02/05/25	Start of Term Mass	All
12/05/25	School Nurse Team Reception Class Health Screening	Reception
15/05/25	Y2 Class Assembly	Y2
16/05/25	FHC Practice	FHC
18/05/25	FHC Day	FHC
22/05/25	May Procession	All
23/05/25	Own Clothes Day £1 donations gratefully accepted	All
26-30/05/25	Whitsun half term	All
02/06/25	All pupils back to school	All
05/06/25	Potential day for Sports Day (TBC)	All
06/06/25	Potential day for Sports Day (TBC)	All
12/06/25	Y1 Class Assembly	Y1
WC 16/06/25	Personalised Assessment week one for Y2-Y6	Y2-Y6
WC 23/06/25	Personalised Assessment week two for Y2-Y6	Y2-Y6
27/06/25	Bronze Ambassador Celebration Day	BYA
27/06/25	Own Clothes Day £1 donations gratefully accepted	All
02/07/25	PTA Summer Disco (TBC)	All
03/07/25	Nursery and Reception Class Assembly	N/R
04/07/25	School Reports out	All
08/07/25	Drop in evening for school reports	All
11/07/25	Y6 Leavers Show	Y6
16/07/25	Y6 Leavers Mass	Y6
18/07/25	Y6 Leavers Celebration Assembly	All
18/07/25	Last day of school year	All
21/07/25	Inset day – school closed to pupils	All

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Howells

Headteacher

ST MARY'SCatholic Primary School

Summer Term Letter 1 May 2026

February Update

Autumn Term Scoop 2025

Autumn Term Run up to Christmas

Attendance Letter September 2025

Welcome Back September 2025

Summer Term Letter 3

Summer Term Letter 2

Summer Term 2025 Letter 1

Calendar Update 20.02.2025

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