Friday May 6th

It’s been another busy week at Waunarlwydd with children enjoying the start of new topics! There have been loads of highlights to choose from this week!

Morning Nursery have had great fun searching for numbers and Numicon in the woods and going on a number hunt around the school with their clip boards. Morning and afternoon Nursery have been singing lots of Nursery rhymes with afternoon nursery really enjoying their first experience of activities on the school field. Reception have been learning all about ducks and birds. They loved reading the story ‘The Best Nest’ and working in groups to collect materials and make their own nests on Welly Wednesday. They used the ‘5 Little Ducks’ song to help with taking away and worked hard to draw and label the parts of a bird. 

The overwhelming highlight for Year 1 and 2 was their wonderful visit to Singleton Park, looking for signs of Spring, identifying lots of different flowers and wildlife and, most importantly, having fun! Other high points have been using wow words to improve Spring sentences, writing spring poems, building bird nests and creating their very impressive ‘Garden centre’ role play areas.

Year 3 have been rounding off their ‘Dream the Impossible’ Topic by creating BFG movie trailers. There has also been some amazing independent writing when setting the scene for a spooky story and the childen are looking forward to finishing the topic with a movie afternoon on Monday. Year 4 have thoroughly enjoyed the start of their new topic, ‘Our wonderful world.’ The children have been looking at maps of our world, continents and started to look at our environment and what affects the quality of the air we breathe. The legends of year 5 and 6 have enjoyed writing their own legends based on the Lady of the Lake. As always they have loved Big Maths, Beat That, especially those that beat their best ever scores. Year 5 have loved developing their swimming skills, with the Year 6 children working together in different groups, developing teamwork skills. This should come in handy during their residential at Margam next week!

Personalised assessments

Over the coming weeks, children in Years 2 to 6 will be completing personalised assessments in Reading and Numeracy. These are not used as “tests” or have any form of high accountability stakes for pupils or the school.  They do, however, provide us with some information about what your child can do well, and needs to do next. They will be delivered in an informal manner which minimises any potential anxiety. Please be assured that pupils will not be put under any pressure, and will see these as an activity like any other.

Dates for the diary

Monday 9th May to Wednesday 11th May – Year 6 Residential (Margam)

Wednesday May 25th – Year 3 to 6 Fire Engine Visit

Friday June 24th – INSET DAY

Monday June 27th – INSET DAY

Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June – Provisional dates for sports days.

Thursday July 7th – Provisional date for pupil/parent workshops.

We have other trips, visits and events planned for the summer term. We will let you know details as soon as we can!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend! See you all on Monday!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Thursday 28th April

It has been great to welcome back our wonderful children after the Easter break. All the staff are very excited about the summer term ahead and all the opportunities the children can look forward to! Staff and children have been working hard planning new topics and it has been incredible to see such enthusiasm towards learning during our first week back.

Ukrainian refugee fundraising

It gives us great pleasure to announce the grand total raised from our sponsored events and cake sale before Easter, which will be donated to the Red Cross Ukraine appeal! A massive thanks for all your support! Through the outstanding efforts of the whole school community we were able to raise the magnificent sum of :

£2480

Summer term after school clubs

Due to a lack of staff availability for school related reasons, we are delaying the start of our after school clubs this term. Clubs will begin on the following weeks and continue until the end of term unless told otherwise.

Years 1, 2 and 3 – Cwl Cymraeg and Creative Kids will commence the week beginning Monday 9th May.

Years 4, 5 and 6 – Sports clubs will commence the week beginning 16th May.

Forms will be sent out next week with details if you wish your child to attend.

Dates for the diary

Friday April 29th – School’s Bank Holiday (Queen’s Jubilee)

Monday 2nd May – Bank holiday

Wednesday 4th May – Year 1 and 2 Singleton Park Trip

Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th May – Year 6 Residential (Margam)

Wednesday May 25th – Year 3 to 6 Fire Engine Visit

Friday June 24th – INSET DAY

Monday June 27th – INSET DAY

Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June – Provisional dates for sports days.

Thursday July 7th – Provisional date for pupil/parent workshops.

We have other trips, visits and events planned for the summer term. We will let you know details as soon as we can!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great long weekend! See you all on Tuesday!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Friday 8th April

We’ve come to the end of another great term at Waunarlwydd and what a busy week to end with! Our Easter celebrations have been full of fun – Easter egg hunts, Easter discos and even a visit from a very special guest! Our incredible children all enjoyed completing their sponsored runs which, along with the Year 5 and 6 cake sale, has seen us raise a great sum of money which will be donated to support refugees. We will continue collecting sponsorship money after half term before announcing our grand total! A huge thanks to the firefighters that visited our younger children this week. The children thoroughly enjoyed asking questions, firing water from the hose and learning all about the life of a fire fighter. A big well done to our football teams that have represented the school in tournaments this week! We look forward to many more sporting events during the summer term.

As always, a huge thanks for your ongoing support! We can now look forward to a summer term full of learning and laughter! Have a wonderful Easter Break and we will see you all on Monday 25th April!

Friday 1st April

After such a long time, it has been amazing to welcome parents back into school to meet with teachers. We hope it has been as worthwhile for you as it has been for us!

Another week full of highlights in Waunarlwydd Primary School!

Morning Nursery thoroughly enjoyed using clues from photographs on the ipad to search for monsters on Welly Wednesday. They also enjoyed investigating materials that were magnetic and non magnetic, while afternoon Nursery have started their Easter craft and are looking forward to their first Easter in school. Reception children have loved getting out and about searching for signs of Spring and labelling parts of a plant. Year 1 have found out lots of information about how to be safe in the water and enjoyed writing all about what the RNLI flags mean.  They have also enjoyed learning about electricity and making their own circuits. Year 2 have enjoyed making superhero maths games, writing Spring poems and completing their awesome junk modelling.

All the children thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the RNLI and learnt so much. A big thanks to all involved!

Year 3 have continued their BFG focus, designing their own giants and completing their soundproofing Science investigation to help out the BFG. They also had a great time developing rounders skills in the sunshine. Year 4 have been busy this week investigating all the countries in Europe where the Celts settled in the past. They have also learnt about roundhouses and Hill forts, looking at aerial photographs of Wales and Swansea and finding the remains of hillforts that can still be seen today! Year 5 and 6 have enjoyed using spreadsheets to work out profits this week. This is in preparation for their cake sale next week, where they will be fundraising for the Ukrainian refugees. In drama, they enjoyed role playing different situations that refugees find themselves in. It has also been great to see all the Year 5 and 6 children developing their swimming skills over the past few months.

A big thankyou to Councillor Wendy Lewis for her donation of £300. This has been used to purchase PE equipment for use across the school.

Reminders

Lots of Easter activities have been planned for next week. Please note that BOTH Wednesday 6th April and Thursday 7th April are non-school uniform days.

Reminder – Children break up on Thursday 7th April (Friday 8th April is INSET DAY)

As always, thanks for your support and, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Friday 25th March

Firstly a huge thanks to all for the contributions towards our Comic relief fundraising last week! Together we raised a magnificent £696.

Another busy week full of learning and laughter! Morning Nursery had a great time at Gowerton Library on Wednesday, enjoying stories and choosing a book to bring back to class (see below for events run by the library). Afternoon Nursery have spent every day enjoying the sunshine outside and have had fun in the giant sand pit and riding the bikes and cars for the first time.

Reception children have loved learning more about fire engines, discovering how fire engines have changed over time and spraying numbers outside with their fire hoses. Year 1 and 2 met more real life superheroes when the nurses came to visit. They asked really thoughtful questions and learnt so much! A big thanks to the wonderful nurses! The BFG has been the stimulus for Year 3 this week, with the highlight some fantastic independent diary writing based on Sophie’s experiences after she meets the BFG.

Year 4 have loved learning about the Celts in the Iron Age and their fights with the Romans. They have also been making Celtic knots, which have been tricky! They also enjoyed reading lots of poems and picking out favourites to write and read on World Poetry Day. Year 5 and 6 have had an exciting week of enhanced provision. Shelter building, batik printing, making a water filtration system and clay sculptures were just some of the amazing activities. It was great to see the children directing their own learning and working together!

Parent/Teacher meetings

Our teachers are looking forward to meeting or calling parents and carers next week. We politely request that face coverings are worn inside the building and if you are feeling unwell please contact us to rearrange your appointment.

After school childcare facility – Expression of interest

We are looking into the possibility of resuming an after school childcare facility (run by an outside agency) at Waunarlwydd Primary School. We are asking for initial interest. Unfortunately, the facility will only be able to run if there are sufficient numbers. The after school club would run until 17.25 each school day at an estimated cost of £12 per session, with payments made a month in advance. Please only complete the following form if this is a facility you would be interested in using! Please ignore if you have already completed the form! Diolch!

https://forms.office.com/r/b1A3PgW3b2

Gowerton Library events

Reminder

Friday April 8th is an INSET DAY. Last day of the Spring Term for children will be Thursday April 7th!

Staff are busy preparing Easter activities for the last week of term. We’ll send out the details next week!

As always, thanks for your support and, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the sunshine!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Friday 18th March

What a fun-filled day to end the week! The sun has been out for us to enjoy all our Comic Relief fun. A big thanks to you all for your support of such a worthwhile cause! We’ll let you know how much we’ve raised next week! Another big thanks to DJ Dan for organising and running our ‘danceathons’. The children have had a ball!

Another week full of highlights! The Nursery have loved listening to and retelling the story “What the ladybird Heard” and painting their own ladybirds. There was excitement in afternoon nursery with the children having milk and fruit for the first time. This week has been all about real life heroes in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Reception have enjoyed making shape fire engines, exploring different ways to make a ramp that will help the fire engines go further and faster. Year 1 have loved writing all about their personal heroes and making their own emergency vehicles, while the new ‘vets’ role play area has been a big hit. The highlight in Year 2 has definitely been junk modelling, creating some awesome emergency vehicles. A big thankyou to PCSO Breslin for visiting the children, answering questions and showing them around his police car.

Year 3 have had a busy week, creating carbon dioxide to inflate balloons, using the literacy shed to inspire story starters and working on their body shapes and movement during their Real PE session. Year 4 have continued their journey through time, completing their Ancient Egyptian Research work and beginning to learn about the Iron age, Celts and Romans. Year 5 and 6 have loved their morning science experiments on the theme of growth, thank you Swansea University. They have also really enjoyed learning circus skills with Circus Eruption and writing persuasive letters to organise a fundraising event.

Parent/teacher meetings

Parents/carers will have the opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher during the fortnight beginning Monday 28th March. You will be able to book an appointment using SQUID from Monday 21st March (we will send a text when the booking system is live). These appointments will be face to face. However, if you would prefer to speak with the teacher over the phone, please contact the school to arrange a suitable time for the teacher to phone you.

Reminder

Friday April 8th is an INSET DAY. Last day of the Spring Term for children will be Thursday April 7th!

Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in COVID cases within the school. As with any sickness, we wish anyone that has tested positive a speedy recovery and hope that any symptoms are mild!

As always, thanks for your support and, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Friday 11th March

Another great week at Waunarlwydd with loads of highlights. Morning nursery’s highlight during ‘k’ week has definitely been designing, making and flying kites, while it’s been a pleasure welcoming our newest members of the school to afternoon nursery. Lots of smiling faces which is always a great sign! Reception’s highlight was venturing into the woodland to create and toss natural pancakes. Miss Tyrrell’s class have thoroughly enjoyed discussing what it means to be Welsh and performing their folk dancing. Mrs Horseman and Mrs Tucker’s class have also been enjoying their ‘Wales’ topic and thoroughly enjoyed making love spoons out of clay. Year 2 have been film directors and critics this week, using ‘Lucky dip’ to develop their film making skills.

The undoubted highlight for Year 3 and 4 was their incredible trip to Techniquest where they thoroughly enjoyed the practical tasks as well as the show. Most pleasing for us were the comments made by Techniquest staff highlighting the children’s wonderful manners and behaviour! We are proud of you all!

The highlight for Year 5 has been developing their first aid and life saving skills with Mrs Cornish. A big thanks to Mrs Cornish for delivering the sessions in such a fun yet informative way. Finally, ‘Circus Eruption’ proved a big hit with Year 6 where the children enjoyed watching and learning all sorts of circus skills! They’re looking forward to their next session! A super week all round!

Dates for the diary

Thursday 17^th March – Year 5/6 Circus Eruption 

Friday 18^th March – Comic Relief (non-uniform day)

Friday 18th March – Fire safety talk (Year 2 and Year 5)

Fortnight beginning 28^th March – Teacher/ parent meetings (Face to face)

(We will update you with any further dates regarding trips and events as soon as possible!)

Speaking with Children about the War in Ukraine

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

Friday March 4th

What a wonderful week to begin another half term! It’s been great to see more learning and laughter across the school! Let’s hope today’s sunshine will stay around for as long as possible! We’ve had two celebration days this week and we’d like to thank all our families for the awesome effort on both St David’s Day and World Book Day!

The beginning of the week focused on celebrating all things Welsh and it was amazing to see the enthusiasm and positive attitude of all the children towards Wales and the Welsh language. Children across the school produced some wonderful artwork, poetry, music and craft! Great work everyone!

It was a pleasure to see the array of costumes entering the school on Thursday for World Book Day! Superheroes, wizards and all kinds of characters filled the school and everyone enjoyed celebrating the wonderful world of literature! It was great to end the the week with the long awaited return of celebration assemblies!

Children have also enjoyed the return of after school activity clubs this week! A big thanks to staff for making them so enjoyable!

For your information

With the terrible situation unfolding in Ukraine, the following link offers advice on how to discuss the issue with children should they ask questions:

Speaking with Children about the War in Ukraine

INSET DAYS and extra Bank Holiday 

Spring term INSET – Friday 8^th April

Summer Term INSETs – Friday June 24^th and Monday June 27^th

Bank holiday (Queen’s Jubilee) – Friday April 29^th

Dates for the diary

Thursday March 10^th – Year 3 and 4 Techniquest trip

Thursday 10^th March and Thursday 17^th March – Year 5/6 Circus Eruption 

Friday 18^th March – Comic Relief (non-uniform day)

Fortnight beginning 28^th March – Teacher/ parent meetings (Face to face)

(We will update you with any further dates regarding trips and events as soon as possible!)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Have a great weekend! Let’s hope the sunshine stays!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher

IMPORTANT!!!

You should all have received the information regarding school closures tomorrow (Friday 18^th February). Due to the weather warning for tomorrow rising to RED due to the severe storm forecast, the local authority has advised schools that they should close for all pupils and staff! It is essential that we take on board the expert advice given and we all take every precaution to keep ourselves and our family safe throughout!

Teachers have provided pupils with activities that they can get on with at home tomorrow! Staff will be working from home!

 Although this is not the way we had hoped to end the half term, we would like to thank all children, staff and families for their efforts and support throughout another challenging but rewarding time. Once again, the children of Waunarlwydd have shown what superstars they are! As we look to be heading towards a more settled time concerning COVID-19, we will be making some alterations after half term. The wearing of face coverings will be optional outdoors, although staff will continue to wear them within communal areas indoors. Our drop off and pick up process will remain the same. There will be more updates following half term.

Clubs will resume after half term for those that have completed the online forms.

Dates for the diary

Tuesday March 1^st – St David’s Day (Children can wear Welsh costumes, colours or kits)

Thursday March 3^rd – World Book Day (Children can dress up as their favourite character)

Thursady March 10^th – Year 3 and 4 Techniquest trip

Thursday 10^th March and Thursday 17^th March – Year 5/6 Circus Eruption 

Friday 18^th March – Comic Relief (non-uniform day)

Fortnight beginning 28^th March – Teacher/ parent meetings (As it stands, these will be face to face)

(We will update you with any further dates regarding trips and events as soon as possible!)

INSET DAYS and extra Bank Holiday 

Spring term INSET – Friday 8^th April

Summer Term INSETs – Friday June 24^th and Monday June 27^th

Bank holiday (Queen’s Jubilee) – Friday April 29^th

Once again thanks for your support and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate in getting in touch!

Stay safe tomorrow and have a great half term!

See you all on Monday 28^th February!

Mr Jamie Evans

Deputy Headteacher