Reminder – On Monday 21st January we will be holding our Book Day celebrations. Pupils are invited to dress as a character from a book on this day and will enjoy a range of activities on the day.
Winter Weather
As the Met Office have started to issue weather warnings, we would like to remind you of the following procedures:
- If it snows during the school day and conditions worsen, we will update the school blog and ask you to pick up your children from school. If you ever feel that you need to pick them up before because of any extra transport difficulties relating to where you live then that is obviously fine.
- If it snows overnight a decision on whether the school will close will be made by 7.30am. This information will be available on the Caerphilly School Closures website http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/Services/Schools-and-learning/Schools,-term-dates-and-closures/Check-if-your-school-is-closed.aspx
It is always a difficult decision to make but all decisions will be made in the interests of everyone’s safety.
Parking
We have had some concerns raised regarding unsafe parking in the area surrounding the school. Whilst we are unable to police the roads ourselves, we ask that parents abide by the Highway Code in the interests of the safety of our pupils. Concerns have been logged with the local PCSO and we urge parents to report any further concerns with the police in the future so that they can monitor the situation.
Diary Dates
| Monday 21st January | Bedwas Book Day Celebrations |
| 18th February | Yr 6 Trip to Crucial Crew |
| 22nd February | INSET Day 4 – School closed to pupils |
| 25th February – 1st March | Half-Term Holiday |
| Tuesday 5th March | St David’s Day Celebrations |
| 15th – 27th April | Easter Holidays |
| 6th May | May Bank Holiday |
| 7th-14th May | National Tests |
| 27th-31st May | Half-Term Holiday |
| 22nd July | INSET Day 5 – School closed to pupils |
| 23rd July – 30th August | Summer Holidays |
Art and Crafts After School Club
Art & Crafts club is heavily oversubscribed; letters have gone home today to children from last term’s waiting list to offer a place first. If there are any spaces available after Tuesday morning then spaces will be offered on a first come first served basis as the forms have been received. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me. Mrs Luff.
Welcome Back
I hope that you all had a restful and happy time over the Christmas holiday. It was lovely to see all the children back after our break. I would like to thank you all for the support you give the children; they are a credit to you, themselves and the school. Almost without exception, every visitor we have at school will make a point of complimenting their attitude and the atmosphere within the school.
Bedwas Book Day
On Monday 21st January we are delighted to be welcoming Robin Etherington, a renowned comic book writer and artist into school. During his visit, he will be providing a lively and highly creative workshop for the children as well as signing copies of his best-selling books. Copies of his books will be available for purchase – please see the order form provided. We would encourage children to visit his website to learn a little about Robin before the visit: http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/
As part of the celebrations, children are asked to dress as book characters for the day. We are very aware of how expensive this time of year can be and are therefore encouraging children to reuse existing costumes or make their own using items/ materials readily available to them. Prizes are up for grabs for the best-dressed in each class!
PTA Meeting
There will be a PTA meeting being held on Wednesday 16th January at 3:10pm at the school. All PTA members are welcome as well as any parents interested in joining the committee. Please sign in at the office upon arrival.
Free School Meals
Your child may be eligible for free school meals if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits/support payments:
- Income Support
- Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and their annual income does not exceed £16,190
- Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit.
- Young people who receive Income Related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance in their own right may also be eligible to receive FSM.
Your child will also need to be attending school full time, which can include full days at nursery and sixth form students. In order for your child to receive free school meals, you will need to fill out an application form either online by visiting www.caerphilly.gov.uk and typing free school meals into the search field or complete an application form which is available at our school and return to Catering Services, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Penallta House, Tredomen Park, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, CF82 7PG.
If you pay for your child to have school meals you could save around £500 per year if your child qualifies for free school meals.
You may also qualify for the Welsh Government Pupil Development Grant (PDG) – Access Funding of up to £125, this is available to pupils who are eligible for free school meals or are looked after by a Local Authority if they are:
- entering reception class in primary school
- entering year 7 in secondary school
- aged 4 or 11 in special schools, special needs resource bases or pupil referral units.
The purpose of this PDG funding which is to provide grant assistance to families on low incomes for the purchase of:
- School uniform including coats and shoes;
- School sports kit including footwear;
- Uniform for enrichment activities, including but not limited to, scouts; guides; cadets; martial arts; sports; performing arts or dance;
- Equipment e.g. school bags and stationery;
- Specialist equipment where new curriculum activities begin such as design and technology; and
- Equipment for out of school hour’s trips such as outdoor learning e.g. waterproofs.
Think of the time you would save if your child is eligible and has free school meals instead of packed lunches, you could save up to 190 hours a year, which is the time needed to make packed lunches that meet the nutritional standards of school meals – that’s just over a week!
Our school will also receive £1150 additional funding for every child registered for Free School Meals. This funding must be directly targeted at Free School Meal pupils. This year we have used that additional funding for interventions in Literacy and Numeracy.
If you require any further advice, please contact Catering Services on 01443 864055 (or email catering@caerphilly.gov.uk). A member of the team will be able to advise you.
Diary Dates
| Monday 21st January | Bedwas Book Day Celebrations |
| 18th February | Yr 6 Trip to Crucial Crew |
| 22nd February | INSET Day 4 – School closed to pupils |
| 25th February – 1st March | Half-Term Holiday |
| Tuesday 5th March | St David’s Day Celebrations |
| 15th – 27th April | Easter Holidays |
| 6th May | May Bank Holiday |
| 7th-14th May | National Tests |
| 27th-31st May | Half-Term Holiday |
| 22nd July | INSET Day 5 – School closed to pupils |
| 23rd July – 30th August | Summer Holidays |
After School Clubs
Just a reminder that there will be no after school clubs run this week. Information for clubs being run this term will be on this week’s newsletter. Thank you.
Pantomime – Late Return to School
Apologies but the children will be returning back to school from the Pantomime close to 3.30pm. Thank you.
After School Clubs
A reminder that there are no after school clubs this week; this includes teacher run clubs and clubs run by Creazione. If you have any questions please contact the school.
Merry Christmas!
We’ve come to the end of a long and busy term and it’s definitely time for the children to take a well-earned break! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, safe and peaceful Christmas.
School Uniform
In readiness for the new school term, we would like to remind parents of our expectations for school uniform. Most children wear the correct uniform on a daily basis; however, some children are still coming to school without the appropriate footwear.
As stated in our school prospectus, the school uniform comprises:
- Navy jumper with ‘Bedwas Junior School’.
- White polo-shirt.
- Grey trousers for boys/girls. Girls may wear grey skirts also. Blue and white checked dresses may be worn in the summer months.
- Dark coloured shoes. Black trainers which are designed to look like shoes are acceptable. However, no other colour other than black is allowed on the trainer.
- Dark or grey coloured socks.
Diary Dates
| Christmas Holiday Monday 24th December – Friday 4th January | |
| 7th January | INSET Day 3 – School closed to pupils |
| Tuesday 8th January | Children return to school |
| 22nd February | INSET Day 4 – School closed to pupils |
| 22nd July | INSET Day 5 – School closed to pupils |
PTA Quiz
The PTA quiz will be held on Monday 17th December at a cost of £3.00 per child which includes a hot dog, drink and sweets. The quiz will start at 3.10pm and finish at 5.15pm. To collect children at the end of the quiz please enter the school via reception and collect children from the hall.
PTA Christmas Jumper Day
Pupils are invited to wear Christmas/festive jumpers to school on Thursday 20th December in return for a donation.
Whole School Trip to the Pantomime
All children have received a separate letter detailing information about this trip. Please send all completed consent forms and monies into school in a clearly labelled envelope as soon as possible so that final arrangements can be made. Thank you.
Teacher 2 Parents Text Service
We have bought into the ‘Teacher 2 Parents’ texting service as a way of improving home/school communication. In tandem with the Blog this service will enable us to keep you up to date with any important information.
It is an effective way for us to inform both specific groups such as parents of children in an extra-curricular club which has had to be cancelled as well as the whole parent body e.g., in the case of extremely bad weather that could cause the school to close. It will also be used to inform parents of up and coming PTA organised events.
If you would like to receive messages through this service please contact Mrs Luff in the school office for a consent form or use the slip on this week’s printed newsletter.
