Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

Spring has very much sprung as we return to school this week following the Easter break. The weather has switched back from ‘holiday mode’ and is now glorious again, with the children all enjoying the opportunity to get onto the school field and to take their learning outside, sun-safe of course. There are preparations aplenty for our Rhos St Eisteddfod, scheduled for May 8th, and we are all very excited about sharing our Welsh performances and artwork.

Cricket Sessions

Yrs. 4, 5 & 6 enjoyed their second cricket session with Sam Painter on Wednesday. This time the focus was on batting. Sam has kindly agreed to deliver an additional cricket session later in the term.

The Anxious Generation
As a senior leadership team, we have been following the work of Jonathan Haidt on the rewiring of childhood and the epidemic in mental illness. We have a copy of his book, The Anxious Generation, in school which outlines the ways in which the decline in free-play and the rise of smartphone / screen usage have caused an increase in mental illness in Generation Z. We will be discussing the findings and recommendations of Dr Haidt in school with staff and governors and will be looking at ways in which we can develop our practice to support our learners with these challenges.
I previous shared with you details of the charity Smartphone Free Childhood, who look to provide solidarity, support and solutions to parents and carers in the defining challenge of this generation. You can find more information about Smartphone Free Childhood by following this link: https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/ and can subscribe to their newsletter via this link: https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/newsletter

“The global parents’ revolt against the phone-based childhood has just begun in the UK – bravo Smartphone Free Childhood!”
Dr Jonathan Haidt – Official Ambassador
NYU Professor and bestselling author of The Anxious Generation

Sun Safety
Please see below information about our sun protection guidelines which are based on national best practice. These are the skin cancer prevention messages recommended by Sun Smart (Cancer Research UK):

S Stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm
M Make sure you never burn
A Always cover up with t-shirt, hat and sunglasses
R Remember to take extra care with children
T Then use at least factor 30+ sunscreen*

The sun’s rays are particularly strong over the summer, and they can damage children’s skin. Sadly, this can lead to skin cancer in later life. Your child’s health and well-being are very important to us, which is why we:
· Include sun protection related activity in the curriculum.
· Encourage pupils to play in the shade.
· Hold outdoor activities where possible outside of 11am and 3pm; or in the shade.
· Encourage pupils to wear a hat that covers the face, neck and ears, and sunglasses.

Your support is important, and you can help us by:
· Talking to your child about the importance of sun protection
· Sending your child to school with a hat (named please) that protects the face, neck and ears and UV
protective sunglasses.
· Applying sunscreen to your child before school*
· Sending your child to school with a bottle of sunscreen labelled with their name*
· Reporting to school any sunburn that you think may have been sustained at school or at home.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/

X-Plore Science
Monday saw the final session from the X-Plore science team. The children have been working over three sessions learning all about the scientific method and hydroponics, as well as making some origami plant pots to develop their own green fingers. A big thank you to X-Plore Science for providing the sessions free of charge, to the children for their positive attitude and interest and to parents and carers for supporting the project.

Toys and Doodads in School
We have unfortunately had some issues around toys, keyrings, badges, and doodads attached to school bags this week. Could I please request that school bags are not brought in with these aesthetic embellishments to avoid similar issues and upset in the future. Many thanks for your help and support.

Tool Kits
Huge thanks to Kris Roberts who delivered some toy tool kits to us this week, sponsored by MKM Building Supplies. The kits are fantastic and I’m sure will inspire all of our little engineers and tradespeople of the future.

Spectrum PSE Sessions
Yrs. 2 & 5 enjoyed some PSE sessions yesterday, delivered by Spectrum PSE. The sessions covered aspects of the Heath and Wellbeing Curriculum for Wales including recognising emotions, relationships, and work on keeping safe.

Dates for the Diary
5th May Bank Holiday
7th May Yr. 5 Rugby Session
8th May Rhos St Eisteddfod – Infants 9.15am / Juniors 2.00pm
16th May PTA Meeting 3.15pm
19th – 23rd May Personalised Assessment Week
22nd May Yr. 1 Family Service
26th – 30th May Half Term
6th June Yr. R Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
12th June Kick-It Sports Football
13th June Staff Training Day
17th June Yr. N Trip to Welsh Mountain Zoo
18th June Urdd Athletics
19th June Yr. 6 Brynhyfryd Sports Afternoon
Kick-It Sports Football
26th June Yr. R & Yr. 1 Trip to XPlore Science
Kick-It Sports Football
1st July Sports Day
2nd July Yr. 2 Trip to Ninja Tag
Nursery Transition Event
3rd July Reserve Sports Day
Kick-It Sports Football
4th July Yr. 6 Transition Day
Yrs. N-5 Moving-Up Morning
7th July Parental Consultations
9th July Yr. 6 Leavers’ Service
10th July Yr. 5 Trip to Imperial War Museum
Yr. 6 Trip to Laser Combat
16th July Yrs. 3 & 4 Trip to XPlore Science
21st July Staff Training Day
Additional dates will be added once confirmed.
First Experiences in Music
On Tuesday the Yr. 3 class had a recorder session delivered by Denbighshire Music Cooperative as part of their First Experiences in Music programme. All of the children got to grips with their own recorder and really enjoyed learning the fundamentals of the instrument.

Weekly Wellbeing
This week’s quote is about spring is from Matsuo Bashō the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period.

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself.”
― Basho
Achievers

This week’s fantastic achievers are Charlotte, Summer, Oliver, Ruby, Poppy, Tobias, Dexter, Carter, Theo, Jack, and Arlo.
Isla shared her ‘Girl of the Year’ swimming trophy. Well done to all our brilliant achievers.