Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

After the disruption of last week’s snow, it’s been great to have a straight-run this week at business as usual. The much-anticipated return of family services has been a major highlight, with Yr. 5 doing themselves proud. Our Red-Nose Day fund-raising activities, organised by the school council, have also been a great success with lots of money raised for the excellent charity.

Chester Football

It was wonderful to have Kalvin, form Chester Football in on Thursday working with the Reception and Yr. 3 pupils in the afternoon. They had a brilliant time, showing off their football skills.
The Chester Football after-school club had its first run-out, and everyone enjoyed the activities and games on offer. There will be more sessions up to and after Easter.

Music Tuition
Can all outstanding monies for music tuition owed for this term, and previous terms, please be paid through ParentPay as soon as possible. Children with outstanding bills for music tuition will, unfortunately be unable to continue if their lesson payments remain in arrears. Many thanks.

Yr. 5 Family Service

The Yr. 5 children produced a lovely performance in their family service on Tuesday, all about Japan. There were lots of fascinating facts, about the geography, culture and history of Japan. Some wonderful singing and a fully-fledged, choreographed fight sequence in the Momotaro and the Peach story, in which I was almost accidentally involved; It’s OK Goblins, I’m fine, the swelling has gone right down! Yr. 4 are next in line and their family service is scheduled for Thursday 23rd of March.

Yr. 6 Group Photo
Tempest Photography came in on Tuesday to take the Yr. 6 group photo. The pictures are taken in small groups and then digitally collated in to a single image. They are really effective and a bit more dynamic than the old standing-in-line school photos of yesteryear. A sample copy will be sent out to the Yr. 6 parents and carers in the near future with an option of purchasing copies if required. Some children got the long straw and were snapped with Miss. Price and Eira, one group got the short straw and ended up with me… sorry boys.

Comic Relief

Many, many thanks to the School Council and Miss. Davies for organising another brilliant Red-Nose Day event at school. Everyone looked resplendent in their red clothes and noses and had a fantastic time at the Danceathon and playing the games, including ping the nose on the funny-looking bloke! Many thanks also to parents and carers for supporting the event and to those who provided the lovely cakes for the cake sale. I will share the total raised for this excellent cause as soon as we have it.

Parental Consultations
Rhos St will be holding the spring-term parental consultations next week. You should have received an appointment slip with the date and time of your consultation. If you are unable to attend the appointment, for any reason, please notify school as soon as possible and your child’s class teacher will arrange an alternative. Please wait outside your child’s classroom, prior to your appointment, and the class teacher will greet you at the appropriate time.

Universal Free School Meals
Universal Primary Free School Meals will be made available to children in year 2 from April 2023. The aim is that all other primary aged pupils will receive Universal Primary Free School Meals by 2024. All children (in a year group where Universal Primary Free School Meals are available) will be asked daily by their school if they would like to have school meals. More information can be found by following the links below:
https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/education-and-schools/grants-and-funding/universal-primary-free-school-meals.aspx
https://fb.watch/iP2X28TfcK/

Wales is committed to providing Free School Meals to all primary school children by September 2024.

Find out about support available to you: https://t.co/3l2m8YlTVp
#FeedTheirFuture pic.twitter.com/7CQgXYG9E6

— DenbighshireCC (@DenbighshireCC) February 17, 2023

School Meal Price Increase
The Denbighshire School Catering Service has faced ongoing increase in the prices for all major commercially procured food products, the domestic food market and across all food market supply chains.The Service has seen an average price increase of up to 20% across food suppliers, but is working with suppliers to mitigate increases.
In the face of rising prices the cost of school meals will increase by 5p to £2.50 per day, this will take effect from 1st April 2023

Covid-19 Guidance
We are experiencing a rise in reported cases of Covid-19 at school at the moment. Current guidance states that anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19 should avoid contact with other people for at least five days and should avoid contact with anyone at risk of becoming seriously unwell for ten days, from the time of the positive test or when symptoms started. The full guidance document can be viewed by following this link: https://www.gov.wales/guidance-people-symptoms-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19

Student Health & Wellbeing Survey
As part of our focus and emphasis pupil wellbeing, Rhos St has agreed to take part in the Student Health & Wellbeing Survey. This research, funded by the Welsh Government, is the second phase of a feasibility study to explore how the School Health Research Network (SHRN) might be developed further into primary schools to inform efforts to improve pupils’ health and wellbeing. Currently, SHRN brings together all mainstream secondary schools in Wales with researchers and policy-makers. Secondary schools receive tailored Student Health and Wellbeing Reports based on a survey conducted every two years. The data supports needs-based action planning, monitoring and evaluation of wellbeing activities. Across Wales, primary schools are being asked to participate in the Student Health and Wellbeing survey. This is an adaptation of the SHRN survey conducted in secondary schools. All Year 3-6 pupils are invited to take part in this piloting phase of the study and Rhos St will receive a Student Health and Wellbeing report based on the responses to the survey. This will allow us to focus the school’s resources and provision in the most effective areas to improve pupils’ wellbeing.
Please see information letter attached for full details of the study and your right, should you so wish, for your child not to be involved.

Kick It Sports
Kick It Sports are offering engaging and fun multi-sport sessions for Yrs. R, 1 and 2 beginning on April 17th. The session dates are as follows: Mon, 17 Apr ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Mon, 24 Apr ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Mon, 15 May ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Mon, 22 May ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm.
To sign up for the after-school sessions please follow this link: https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports
For more information about what Kick It Sports offers please follow this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I1xd6LiOVQ6jDrj6NbfdE6XDnVd9w-QD/view?usp=share_link
There are two sessions remaining of the Yrs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 Kick It Sports sessions:
Mon, 20 Mar ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Mon, 27 Mar ’23 3:15pm – 4:30pm

Dates for the Diary
Monday 20th – Thursday 23rd March Parental Consultations
Kick It Sports – Juniors 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Thursday 23rd March Yr. 4 Family Service 9:15am
Chester Football afternoon session
Chester Football after-school club 3:30pm – 4:15pm
Monday 27th March Kick It Sports – Juniors 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Thursday 30th Chester Football afternoon session
Chester Football after-school club 3:30pm – 4:15pm
Yr. 6 Introduction to Sign Language course am
Yr. 6 Emergency First Aid course pm
Friday 31st March Yr. 3 Family Service 9:15am
Break up for Easter holidays!

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

As we crash headlong in to the end of another busy half term I think everyone, after such a busy time, is ready for the half-term break and the chance to recharge the batteries. Hopefully the unpredictable Welsh, February weather will look kindly on us all and not show the teeth, that we all know it is certainly capable of. I wish you all an enjoyable and relaxing half-term holiday and look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on the 28th.

Industrial Action
The industrial action, by the NEU union, postponed from February 14th is now scheduled for Thursday March 2nd, following rejection by union members of the improved pay offer.

Following the completion of a risk assessment, Rhos St school will be closed to pupils from the Nursery, Reception, Yr. 1, Yr. 2, Yr.3, Yr.4, Yr.5 and Yr.6 classes on Thursday 2nd of March 2023.

NEU members at the school, despite there being no legal requirement to do so, have informed me of their intention to take industrial action in order to give parents and carers the greatest possible period of notice to make alternative childcare arrangements on the 2nd.

Breakfast Club will be open, as usual, from 8:00am, but any children accessing the breakfast club provision must be collected by 9:00am, as there will be no ongoing provision available for them after this time. In order to organise appropriate staffing levels, can I please request that any parents and carers wishing their child to access the breakfast club provision on March 2nd notify breakfast club staff no later than March 1st.

After-School Club will be available from 3:30pm – 6:00pm, as usual, with parents and carers requested to book this provision, in the standard manner, if required. Giggles Day Care will be open, as normal on March 2nd, but will be unable, due to Unison union guidance, to accept any children who would normally attend the Rhos St Nursery class, until after 11:30 am.

The school office will be open for any enquires or administrative matters, as per normal operation, on the day of the industrial action.

I am sorry for the disruption caused, by this industrial action, to your child’s education and to yourself. I am extremely grateful for the respect and courtesy shown, by all members of the school community, to each other in relation to the ongoing industrial action.

Living Classroom

The Yr.6 pupils, as usual, did themselves, and us, proud on Wednesday buddying-up with the children from the Reception class on their trip to the Living Classroom. A high old time was had by all, with lots of interesting things seen and discovered. As we head into spring more classes will be heading off on joint adventures to the Living Classroom, we can’t wait!

Kick It Sports
The planned sessions, for junior pupils, have been postponed until after half-term. The sessions are on a Monday evening, from 3:15pm – 4:30pm and cost £18 for the four sessions. Kick It Sports are also offering a half-term full-day session for interested families for Yrs. R – 6. You can find more information about what is on offer by following this link: https://www.facebook.com/kickit.sportscoaching/
All booking, for both the after-school club and half-term club is through the Kick It Sports website which can be found by following this link:
https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports#focus=ev-saey-20230213151500

Let’s Play Out
Denbighshire County Council are offering Let’s Play Out sessions over the half-term break. The sessions are for children to play, make friends and get messy. Sessions are ‘open access’ meaning that children are free to come and go. All sessions are child led, so they choose what they want to do, or what equipment they use. Let’s Play Out Sessions are for all children aged from 6 to 12 years old, children under the age of 6 are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. The Let’s Play Out session in Ruthin takes place on Thursday 23 February 2023, from 10:30am to 12 noon at Cae Ddol.
https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/leisure-and-tourism/play-ranger-service/lets-play-out-february-half-term.aspx

Rhos St Eisteddfod / St David’s Day
We have been practicing Welsh pieces from this year’s Urdd Eisteddfod and are hoping to share them with you all on March 8th at 2:30pm in Rhos St’s, very own, Eisteddfod. We will be welcoming families and friends to the school hall to see each class perform their very own Welsh-language pieces and a chance to peruse a selection of some of the brilliant art and craft pieces created by the pupils, along this year’s Urdd theme of Cynefin / Habitat.
On March 1st, St David’s Day, we are inviting pupils to come to school wearing Welsh colours and there will be fun Welsh-themed activities in the classes on that day.
The Yr. 3 children will be performing their Urdd piece at Café R, in Ruthin, on the 1st at 11:00am. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Dates for the Diary
Latest dates for the diary below:

Friday 17th Feb Close for Half Term
Monday 27th Feb Staff Training Day
Wednesday 1st March St David’s Day – Wear Welsh Colours
Yr. 3 Singing at Café R – 11:00am
Thursday 2nd March NEU Industrial Action – School closed to pupils Yr. N – Yr. 6
Friday 3rd March World Book Day – Come to school dressed as a favourite character
Monday 6th March Yr. 3 Denbighshire Music Cooperative Workshop
Wednesday 8th March Rhos St Eisteddfod – 2:30pm -3:15pm
Friday 10th March Yr. 5 Family Service 9:15am
Friday 10th March Urdd Chwarae yn Gymraeg Yr. 6
Monday 20th – Thursday 23rd March Parental Consultations
Friday 24th March Yr. 4 Family Service
Friday 31st March Yr. 3 Family Service

I will share additional dates when finalised

Achievers
This week’s brilliant achievers are:
Elliott, Isaac, Sophie, Lukas, Jude, Louie, Oliver, Thea, Oscar, Kush and Emily.
Isabella shared her gymnastics award, Bella shared her blue-belt certificate and Jessica gave us a lovely recital on her violin. Well done to all our brilliant achievers!

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

As we move, at terrifying pace, toward the half-term holiday the very first tentative signs of springtime are starting to appear. The children have really enjoyed the dry and sunny weather this week, and it’s been great to see them outside squeezing every last drop out of play and lunchtimes. In class everyone is busy preparing for our Rhos St Eisteddfod, watch this space for more information and invite coming soon! We have also scheduled the return of Family Services for all classes and I will share the dates with you all in the near future.

Turkey / Syria Earthquake
As I’m sure you are aware a series of devastating earthquakes have hit southern Turkey (now known as Türkiye) and north-west Syria killing over 17,000 people and injuring many more. DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) charities and their local partners are among the first responders providing urgent help. Immediate priorities are search and rescue, medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, heating in safe spaces, blankets, warm clothes, and ensuring people have food and clean water.
As a school we are supporting the Disasters Emergency Committee – Earthquake appeal. You can help people affected by the crisis by donating and helping to raise money for the DEC appeal. This will allow DEC charities and their local partners to scale up their response and reach more people. More information and a link to donate can be found here: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal

Dates for the Diary
Here is the latest version of the Key Dates for the Diary:

Monday 13th Feb – Kick It Sports Yrs. 3,4,5 & 6 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Wednesday 15th Feb – Reception Class hearing tests
Friday 17th Feb – Close for Half Term
Monday 27th Feb – Staff Training Day –
Monday 27th Feb Kick It Sports to be rescheduled
Friday 6th March – Yr. 5 Family Service 9:15am
Monday 6th March – Kick It Sports Yrs. 3,4,5 & 6 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Friday 10th March – Urdd Chwarae yn Gymraeg Yr. 6
Monday 13th March – Kick It Sports Yrs. 3,4,5 & 6 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Additional dates will be added when confirmed.

Industrial Action
As you may be aware the industrial action by the NEU union, scheduled for the 14th of February, has now been postponed while the union considers a new pay offer from the Welsh assembly government.
Rhos St school will therefore be open, as normal operation, to all pupils on February 14th. Breakfast Club, Giggles Daycare and After-School Club will operate as usual.

Kick It Sports
Kick It Sports will be beginning their Monday sports sessions for the Junior children beginning on Mon 13th of February. They are also offering a half-term full-day session for interested families for Yrs. R – 6. You can find more information about what is on offer by following this link: https://www.facebook.com/kickit.sportscoaching/
All booking is through the Kick It Sports website which can be found by following this link: https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports#focus=ev-saey-20230213151500
I am aware that one of the session dates for a Kick It Sports session is Monday 27th of February. This is a teacher training day, so that session will be rescheduled, I will share the new date when it has been confirmed by Kick It Sports.

Breakfast Club
Just a quick reminder of Breakfast-Club timings, as we have had some children recently brought to Breakfast Club after 8:30am, who have not had breakfast, causing some additional complexity for staff managing the setting. Breakfast club opens at 8:00am and breakfast is served until 8:30am. No additional children are admitted to Breakfast Club after 8:40am, until school opens at 8:50am. Many thanks for your support and understanding in relation to this.

Sister Act

The Yrs. 5 and 6 children had an amazing time on Wednesday when they were invited to watch Ysgol Brynhyfryd’s show Sister Act. The acting and singing were fantastic, with more than a few ex-Rhos St pupils in prominent roles, I taught them all they know (lies). A big thank you to Ysgol Brynhyfryd for the invitation to what was a really positive and enjoyable experience.

Achievers
This week’s brilliant achievers are: Megan, Henry, Abi, Eliza, Harri, Sebastian, Penny, Seren, Jade and Indi.
Elsie also shared her fabulous dance awards. Very well done to them all!

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

The oft misquoted and mis-attributed phrase: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ has seemed to be particularly pertinent in recent weeks, with last week’s snow and now the industrial action by the NEU union, being the most-recent iteration. I would like to thank the school community, as a whole, for their understanding in relation to the industrial action, about which I have no doubt people hold differing viewpoints, but have consistently maintained the positive, respectful interactions that we are so fortunate to experience every day here at the school.

Raising Standards in Reading
As you may be aware the School Development Plan is a document approved and monitored by the Governing Body to hold the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team to account on set targets. One of the targets this academic year is to raise standards in reading. With this in mind the Governing Body are announcing a new project aimed at improving our school library. Via the online store Bookshop.org teachers have been creating a ‘Wish List’ of books that they know the children will love to read. The whole school community are invited to purchase any of these books and donate them to school. Bookshop.org are committed to financially supporting independent bookshops with every book sale and over £2.6 million has already been generated for those stores through this scheme.
The Rhos Street School Wish List is available by clicking the link below. This will take you to a login screen that you will need to sign up to first.
https://uk.bookshop.org/wishlists/a1b9668a49371a 33c9566c2c6dfee815a3081262

Year 3 Music Session
The Yr. 3 children had a fantastic session on Tuesday working with Denbighshire Music Coorporative. There was singing and dancing aplenty and as you can see from the pictures a great time was had by all.

Message from Giggles Daycare
Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to inform you that we are planning to increase the prices at Giggles Daycare. As a charity we too have been affected by the rising costs, energy, minimum wage increases and general cost of living have unfortunately pushed us to look at our charges.
We have tried our very best to keep the price increase as low as possible.
The price increase that will be taking effect from the week beginning Tuesday 28th February.
There will continue to be a £2.00 deduction in fees per sibling attending a full session until 5.30pm.
Giggles Daycare Preschool After School Provision
8.30am-11.30am- £12.50 3.15pm- 4.30pm- £6.00
11.30am-3.15pm- £15.00 4.30pm- 5.30pm- £12.00
8.30am-3.15pm- £27.50 5.30pm- 6.00pm- £18.00

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your understanding, and your continued support.
Yours Sincerely,
Anna Edwards, Giggles Daycare Manager

NEU Industrial Action
Following the completion of a risk assessment, Rhos St school will be closed to pupils from the Nursery, Reception, Yr. 1, Yr. 2, Yr.3, Yr.4, Yr.5 and Yr.6 classes on Wednesday 1st of February due to industrial action by members of the National Education Union (NEU).
Although there is no legal requirement to do so, all NEU members at the school have informed me of their intention to take industrial action in order to give parents and carers the greatest possible period of notice to organise alternative childcare provision on this date. NEU members are taking strike action because of their concern that cuts to teacher’s pay and lack of funding for schools is causing a crisis in education. Please see attached information from the NEU union outlining the reasons why their members feel that this industrial action is necessary.
Breakfast Club will be open, as usual, from 8:00am, but any children accessing the breakfast club provision must be collected by 9:00am as there will be no ongoing provision available for them after this time. In order to organise appropriate staffing levels, can I please request that any parents and carers, wishing their child to access the breakfast club provision on February 1st, notify breakfast club staff no later than January 31st .
After-School Club will be available from 3:30pm – 6:00pm as usual, with parents and carers requested to book this provision, in the standard manner, if required. Giggles Day Care will be open, as normal on February 1st, but will be unable, due to Unison union guidance, to accept any children who would usually be attending the Rhos St Nursery class from 9:00am to 11:30am. The school office will be open for any enquires or administrative matters, as per normal operation, on the day of the industrial action.
The decision has been made by Denbighshire County Council that no payments will be made for universal free school meals (UFSM) or free school meals (FSM) on the day of the industrial action, provision of keyworker childcare will also not be provided by Denbighsire schools, similar to the position should schools be closed due to poor weather. I will update you directly should I receive any additional information regarding any of these aspects.

Achievers
This week’s fabulous achievers are: Jasmine, Ellie, Ted, Elianna, Finley, Billy, Elsie, Eliza, Ruben, Adriel, Riley and Tyler.

Yours sincerely / Yn gywir,

Andrew Davis, Headteacher / Pennaeth

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

The winter has made itself, very much, known to us all this week, bringing its own challenges, particularly for parents, carers and staff trying to get in to school. The children however have had a wonderful week and have made the most of and greatly enjoyed the snow. Next week’s weather is promising to be a little warmer and more benign, we shall see…

Contact / Medical Information
Please can I request that parents and carers inform us of any changes to contact information in order for us to ensure that our records are up to date. Could any new medical conditions or changes to existing medical conditions be shared with school please to ensure that we have the most current information. Contact and medical information can be updated by contacting the school office. Many thanks.

Kick It Sports
Due to unforeseen circumstances Kick It Sports were unable to hold the planned session on Monday 16th. The next session, for Yrs. R, 1 and 2, will be on Monday 23rd of January 3:15pm -4:30pm. The final session, to replace the missed session on the 16th, will be on Monday January 30th 3:15pm – 4:30pm.

Industrial Action
You may be aware from media coverage that the NEU and NAHT have declared strike action, which will take place on: Wednesday 1st of February 2023, Tuesday 14th February 2023, Wednesday 15th March 2023 and Thursday 16 March 2023. The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over teachers’ pay and conditions and not because of any issues at our school.
I’m sharing this to give you as much notice as possible that learning may be disrupted on these dates. This could mean a partial or full closure of the school to pupils. It may be worth considering possible alternative childcare arrangements for these dates.
I’m sorry about the potential disruption to you and to your child’s education. I understand that this situation may be frustrating, and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect. Rhos St remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our pupils and delivering high-quality teaching. We are working closely with our staff union representatives to keep up to date with the situation, and I will inform you of the final arrangements as soon as possible. Many thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Disabled-Access Ramp
The disabled-access ramp offers a very tempting ‘path of least resistance’ across the grass slope. Unfortunately, the grass is suffering from the footfall and is becoming churned-up, muddy and slippery. For safety reasons, to protect the grass and to reduce mud being trodden into the school could I please request that members of the school community entering and exiting the site by the ramp avoid the grassed area, particularly during the winter months? I have placed some barriers in the area as an aide-mémoire of the request. Many thanks, in advance, for your help.

Dydd Santes Dwynwen – Canteen Theme Day
On Wednesday January 25th the school canteen will be offering a Santes Dwynwen theme-day lunch. On the menu will be: Chicago Town pizza, wedges and salad with, thematically appropriate, homemade Jammie Dodgers for pudding. It sounds like a lunch that I could definitely fall in love with.

Achievers
This week’s fabulous achievers are: Dexter, Joseph, Amelia, Isla-Rose, all of Yr. 2, Lola, Charly, Tommy and all of the Yr. 6 class.
Katelyn, Grace and Aidan shared their martial arts certificates and belts.
Well done to all of our fantastic achievers.

Yours sincerely /Yn gywir

Andrew Davis, Headteacher / Pennaeth

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

It was wonderful to welcome everyone back to school on Tuesday after our, much deserved, Christmas holidays. There were a lot of bleary eyes on Tuesday morning as the reality of returning to school dawned, staff definitely included, but everyone is, mostly, over the shock and now back in the swing of school life and ready and raring to face the challenges of the new term.

Christmas Photos
If you have ordered and paid for cast photographs, and have not yet received them, please email me and I will ensure they are sent over. Some ‘idiosyncratic’ spelling and handwriting on the email form, as well as the many and varied vagaries of group emails, may have meant that you have not received the initial email message.

School Closure due to Adverse Weather
As the cold days of January beckon, and threats of possible snow next week, I wanted to make you aware of the protocols should the school have to close due to bad weather. In the event of adverse weather closing the school information will be shared on the school’s Twitter account. It is not always possible to access group emails from outside of school, but if possible an email message, outlining the closure, will be sent to parents and carers. Information on schools closed by adverse weather can also be found at: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/resident/education/emergency-school-closures.aspx

Music Tuition
This term’s music tuition fees are now on ParentPay. Please could all previous term’s outstanding payments be made as soon as possible. Many thanks.

Head Lice
I have been informed that there is an incidence of head lice in the school at present. Please can you check your child’s hair and treat if necessary. Additional advice on detection and treatment can be found by following this link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/

Universal Free School Meals
The roll out of universal free school meals has gone very well, since our return, with all Yr. 1 pupils now having the opportunity to receive a free school meal. There is unfortunately a cross-county issue with the automatic till system, which is currently being addressed, which may lead to incorrect charges being made to Reception class pupils’ ParentPay accounts for school lunches. Please ignore any Reception class school lunch charges. Many thanks.

Absence Request
I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and carers of the local authority and school policy on term-time absence. Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children attend school or the alternative provision on a regular basis. The Education Act 1996 makes it a criminal offence for a parent to “fail to secure their child’s regular school attendance at the school”. The view of Denbighshire County Council is that no term time holidays should be approved and headteachers must not grant any leave of absence (holiday) during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Exceptional circumstances are one-off events which are unavoidable and are based on the individual circumstances and the relevant context behind the request.
Examples may include:
• the death or significant illness of a close family member or friend
• the attendance at a wedding or funeral of a person close to the family
• where an absence is recommended by a health professional as part of a parent or child’s rehabilitation from a medical or emotional issue
• observance of a religious holiday or event

Parents do not have entitlement to take their child out of school for a holiday in term time. Please see attached: TAKING A HOLIDAY DURING TERM TIME -A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

Achievers
This week’s brilliant achievers are:
Tomos, Tahapenes, Amelia, Arlo, Daisy Madalyn, Harri, Neve, Eden, Esme, Bradley and Esme.
Well done to them all!

Yours sincerely /Yn gywir

Andrew Davis, Headteacher / Pennaeth

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

The, lengthy, autumn term draws to a close, and it’s been full to bursting with all manner of activities, from reindeer farm visits, Nant BH and Pentrellyncymmer residentials, football tournaments, adventures in the Living Classroom, not to mention lots of good old-fashioned teaching and learning. Many thanks to the wonderful Rhos St school community for their ongoing support, it is very much appreciated. As we hand over some, simultaneously tired and excited children, a classic pre-holiday combination, all of the staff here at Rhos St School would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Free School Meal Payments information for parents and guardians
Denbighshire County Council has welcomed news that the Welsh Government are continuing to make funding available to make free school meal payments for eligible pupils during school holidays, in response to the cost of living crisis. The Council have made arrangements for these payments to be made for the forthcoming Christmas holidays (26th December to 6th January), with the payment due to be made on Friday 23rd December.
Parents / guardians are being informed that the payments will be made based on eligibility for Free School Meals.
This is completely separate to the roll out of Universal Primary Free School Meals which has seen Reception age children being able to access free meals this school term and will be extended to Year 1 pupils in January 2023.
Councilor Gill German, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children and Families, said: “We welcome this funding as it will provide reassurance to some families, given the cost-of-living crisis. We want to make sure all children receive a proper meal and this payment, made directly into bank accounts of eligible parents automatically, will help with this cost. ”For more information go to: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/education-and-schools/grants-and-funding/free-school-meals.aspx

Car Parking
I have been informed by the taxi drivers that some parents are parking in the drop off area at the end of the school day. Ysgol Rhos St and Ysgol Pen Barras have been in consultation with Denbighshire County Council who will, in the new year, be demarcating a dedicated taxi rank on the school yard. Until this takes place I would request that parents do not park in the drop off area, at the end of the school day, as the taxi drivers are not authorised to walk children across the school car park and require the close proximity, offered by the drop off area, in order to safely collect the children travelling with them. Many thanks for your support in relation to this.

Christmas Shows
We are immensely proud of all of our children who shone so brightly in their Christmas performances. The acting, singing and dancing on display was wonderful and after the limitations imposed in recent years, it was lovely for school to feel like a primary school should at Christmas time. Many thanks to parents, carers and family members for supporting the performances. A huge thank you also to the brilliant staff of Rhos St school, whose dedication, professionalism and patience made this year’s shows the great success that they were. I am extremely grateful for their efforts and also for their own time that they gave to the evening performances. The money raised from ticket sales, cast photographs, refreshments and raffle tickets will be put to very good use, in the new year, for the children of the school. If you have ordered and paid for cast photographs, and have not yet received them, please email me and I will ensure they are sent over. Some ‘idiosyncratic’ spelling and handwriting on the email form, as well as the many and varied vagaries of group emails, may have meant that you have not received the initial email message.

School Closure due to Adverse Weather
As we head off for the holidays, and the cold days of January beckon, I wanted to make you aware of the protocols should the school have to close due to bad weather. In the event of adverse weather closing the school information will be shared on the school’s Twitter account. It is not always possible to access group emails from outside of school, but if possible an email message, outlining the closure, will be sent to parents and carers. Information on schools closed by adverse weather can also be found at: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/resident/education/emergency-school-closures.aspx

Christmas Sing-Along
No individual achievers this week, they’ve all done so well! So here are some pictures from our Christmas sing along in the hall this morning. Despite me singing, much to the abject horror of the children, a great time was had by all!

Yours sincerely / Yn gywir

Andrew Davis, Headteacher / Pennaeth