Chwefror 7fed / February 7th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

Another busy week draws to its end. We have had visits to Henllan Bakery, Mr. Urdd making a very welcome appearance, a performance of Matilda to enjoy, not to mention Indoor Athletics keeping us out of mischief this week.

Henllan Bakery Visit
Blwyddyn 1 have had fantastic and informative morning at Henllan Bakery on Tuesday finding out about how bread is made and enjoying some cakes! They had lots of questions for the inspiring owners and some children are now seriously considering a career as bakers!

PTA Wear What You Love
Friday the 14th of February will be Wear What You Love day here at Rhos St. Children are invited to come to school in their favourite clothes, for a suggested donation of chocolate for the summer fair: football kit, pyjamas, princess outfit, or anything else, it’s up to you!

Charity Bingo in Rhos Street School Hall
This term, as a school community we would like to support the charity 2wish. They support families who are affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young adult. They have been invaluable to one of our families and we would like to give something back to them.
There will be an own ‘Happy’-Clothes Day and Bake Sale for the children during school hours. Then we will be holding a bingo in the evening of Friday 28th March to help raise even more funds for this worthy cause. We are looking for donations of bingo and raffle prizes which can be given to the school office. More details to follow, it’s sure to be a fun night for everyone! Thank you.

Parental Consultations
We will be sending out appointment slips for parental consultations next week in readiness for parental consultation week 17th – 20th of February. Please let your child’s class teacher know if you are unable to make the appointment and we will endeavour to arrange an alternative time slot.

Dates for the Diary
Please see updated dates for the diary below:

Dates for the Diary
10th February Yr. 6 Humanities Transition Event
13th February Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
17th February Parental Consultations 17th – 20th Feb
18th February Yrs. 3/4 Tag-Rugby Tournament
20th February Yr. 3 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
4th March Tempest Photography Yr. 6 9.00am – 12.00pm
6th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
12th March Yr. 3 First Experience in Music Session
14th March Staff Training Day
17th March Xplore Science Hydroponics 3.30-5.00pm
20th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
27th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
28th March Yr. 2 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
Happy-Clothes Day for 2wish
2wish Bingo Fundraiser – evening (time TBC)
31st March – 1st April Yr. 6 Bikeability
3rd April Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
10th April Yr. 1 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
7th May Xplore Science Hydroponics 3.30-5.00pm
8th May Tempest Photography – Individuals, Siblings, and families
Rhos St Eisteddfod 2.00pm – 3.00pm
23rd May Yr. R Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
1st July Sports Day
2nd July Nursery Transition Event
3rd July Reserve Sports Day
9th July Yr. 6 Leavers’ Service
Additional dates will be added once confirmed.

Junior Pick-Up and Drop-Off
From the first day back after half term, March 3rd, we are changing the way that Junior pupils are dropped of and picked up from school. From this date Junior pupils will enter the school from the lower gate, adjacent to the Infant playground, and can then walk round to their playground or classroom (in the event of inclement weather). Parents and carers accompanying Junior pupils can then leave via the upper gate, adjacent to the Nursery classroom. There will be members of the senior leadership team available at this point every morning should parents or carers have any queries or concerns that they would like to discuss.
At 3.10pm the gates will be opened, and parents and carers collecting Junior pupils can make their way around to the upper Junior yard where the Yrs. 3, 4, 5 & 6 pupils will be dismissed from their individual classrooms. Children, parents, and carers can then exit the site via the upper gate. Class teachers will be available at the end of the school to share any pertinent information and to discuss any queries or concerns. Arrangements for Early-Years and Infant pupils will remain as is.
We are implementing this change to reduce congestion in the school foyer at the beginning and end of the day, allowing any parents and carers who wish to speak with the admin team a quieter and more private environment in which to do so, and to improve safeguarding for children moving to Little Acorns provision at the end of the day. Many thanks, in advance, for your support and cooperation regarding this.

Items Brought into School
We have unfortunately had some issues caused recently by unsuitable items being brought into school. Could I please request that children do not bring in toys, puppets, notebooks, Pokémon/football cards, or any other inappropriate items, as they can be a distraction to learning and may cause upset if they become lost or damaged. Junior pupils may bring a named pencil case into school, should they wish to. Foundation learners do not require a pencil case in school. Many thanks.

Don’t Touch Tell
On Wednesday we were visited by one of Adferiad’s Don’t Touch Tell team. The programme, funded by the North Wales Area Planning Board, delivers preventative information to primary schools across North Wales. Yrs. 1 and 2 enjoyed the Don’t Touch Tell show which deals with risks associated with handling discarded needles and paraphernalia,the dangers of taking medication that is not intended for them, and the dangers of household substances (cleaning products, etc.). Yrs. 3, 4, 5 & 6 participated in the Don’t Drink Think show which explains how peer pressure works, instilling the confidence to say “No”, as well as understanding the reasons why drugs and alcohol are harmful to young people. Both shows, delivered by a professional performer, were focussed on children making informed choices about keeping themselves safe, without being scary or worrying in any way.

Weekly Wellbeing
In this Children’s Mental Health Week, we have been focussing on the 2025 theme of ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’. We have been looking at ways for children, young people, and adults to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them. The aim is to help them grow and develop resilience to cope with what life throws at them.

Achievers
This week’s amazing achievers are: Joey, Henry, Dylan, Arlo, Bradley, Ayla, Tommy and Esme.
Ellie shared her Welsh award, Grace shared her karate brown-stripe belt, Isla shared her swimming medals and Ella shared her dance trophies and certificates. Well done to them all!

Mr. Urdd
It was great to welcome Mr. Urdd to Rhos St yesterday as part of our weekly Welsh-language service. He was very impressed with the children’s Welsh singing and stayed for a picture with our Criw Cymraeg.

Ionawr 31ain / January 31st

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

As we say farewell to January, and its mixed blessings, we can hopefully begin look forward to lengthening days and the first signs of spring appearing around us. School has, not unusually, been a bustling place with visits to the living classroom, the Big School Birdwatch and a family service to name but a few of the activities keeping us all busy this week. As usual the days are flying past, and we will soon be bumping into the spring half term break and the halfway point of the academic year.

Yr. R & 6 Visit to the Living Classroom
The reception class headed off with their Yr. 6 buddies for adventures in the Living Classroom on Tuesday. They had a fantastic time following in the footsteps of the heroes and heroines of the class book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Some children even saw bear tracks (absolutely not created by Mrs. Bourne in any way…).

Language and Play
Language and play sessions are free to attend and take place throughout Denbighshire. The sessions are run by Family Link Workers on a weekly basis during term time. All of the sessions have planned activities that help children build language and social skills in preparation for school in a fun, friendly environment.
Rhos St will be hosting a series of Language and Play sessions, in the school hall, Wednesday mornings 9.30am – 10.45am for children 1 – 3 yrs. old. Call Nicola on 07770681399 for details.https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/childcare-and-parenting/family-link/language-and-play-sessions.aspx

Yr. 1 Bakery Visit
Just a polite reminder for Yr. 1 parents / carers to return the permission slip and make the payment for the visit via the ParentPay app, as the trip may not be viable if sufficient payment is not received. Many thanks.

Yr. 4 Family Service
The Yr. 4 class treated us to a tour de force of singing, acting, dancing and presenting yesterday. Their Yr. 4 Newsround Special covered so many wonderful elements and showed off how much they have been learning and enjoying this term. A huge thank you to the pupils for all their hard work, to Mrs. Lewis and her team for preparing the children so well for their performance and to parents, carers, family, and friends for supporting us at the performance.

The Big School Birdwatch
The Yr. 2 children have had a wonderful time this week taking part in the Big School Birdwatch. They were amazed at the variety of birds that they saw in the eco garden and hedges around the school. After their hard work birdwatching, they uploaded their results to the Big School Birdwatch page to help the scientific understanding of the number and type of birds that visit school grounds in the UK.

PTA Wear What You Love
Friday the 14th of February will be Wear What You Love day here at Rhos St. Children are invited to come to school in their favourite clothes, for a suggested donation of chocolate for the summer fair: football kit, pyjamas, princess outfit, or anything else, it’s up to you!

Weekly Wellbeing
This week’s quote is from Albert Einstein the German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. It reminds us that mistakes are integral to learning and growth and embracing them leads to new experiences and breakthroughs.
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

Albert Einstein

Achievers
This week’s fabulous achievers are: Katelyn. Poppy, Amba, Jack, Oliver, all of Yr. 4, Ruby, Poppy, Daisy, Niamh, Max, and Antos. Isaac shared his Welsh award; Sebastian shared his badminton certificate and Poppy shared her dance trophy. Very well done to them all!

Ionawr 24ain / January 24th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

We seem to have replaced cold weather with stormy weather as storm Eowyn made her presence felt today. Let’s hope we have a slightly calmer weekend, and don’t end up blown back to Kansas.

Dates for the Diary

Please see updated dates for the diary below.

30th January Yr. 4 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
3rd – 7th February Children’s Mental Health Week
5th February Yr. 6 – Matilda at Ysgol Bryn Hyfryd
7th February Yr. 6 Indoor Athletics
10th February Yr. 6 Humanities Transition Event
13th February Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
17th February Parental Consultations 17th – 20th Feb
20th February Yr. 3 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
4th March Tempest Photography Yr. 6 9.00am – 12.00pm
6th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
12th March Yr. 3 First Experience in Music Session
17th March Xplore Science Hydroponics 3.30-5.00pm
20th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
27th March Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
28th March Yr. 2 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
31st March – 1st April Yr. 6 Bikeability
3rd April Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
Urdd Sports Club 3.15pm -4.30pm
10th April Yr. 1 Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
Yrs. 3/4 Rugby Training Session
7th May Xplore Science Hydroponics 3.30-5.00pm
8th May Tempest Photography – Individuals, Siblings, and families
Rhos St Eisteddfod 2.00pm – 3.00pm
23rd May Yr. R Family Service 9.15am – 10.00am
1st July Sports Day
2nd July Nursery Transition Event
3rd July Reserve Sports Day
9th July Yr. 6 Leavers’ Service

* Please note change of date for Yr. 6 Leavers’ Service

Disabled-Access / Obstructive Parking
I have been made aware that there are unfortunately ongoing issues with some car-park users inappropriately using the disabled parking bays. This has led to some blue-badge holders being unable to access the disabled-access spaces at the end of the day. This has caused considerable issues for those with genuine disabilities in accessing the school. The disabled-access spaces are for blue-badge holders only and should not be used by any other car-park user. I would request that all car-park users respect the signage and designation of areas, both inside and adjacent to the school car park, to ensure that those members of our school community who genuinely require priority parking are able to access it. North Wales Police have been made aware of the situation and will be monitoring obstructive parking in Ffordd Glasdir going forward. Many thanks, in advance, for your help and support with this extremely important issue.

Tree Planting
Denbighshire’s Biodiversity Officer, Ellie, and children from Rhos St completed our tree planting this week. We now have an array of new trees which will encourage wildlife to visit our site and promote the biodiversity of the local area.

Muddy Paths

We are unfortunately having some site users take ‘the path of least resistance’ through our beds. This is causing the formation of slippery pathways through the planting, which are dangerous, cause damage to the plants, look unsightly and lead to mud being brought into the school. Could I please request that site users stick to the designated paths. Many thanks.

Newspaper and Cardboard Request
Yr. 6 are asking for donations of newspaper and cardboard for their art and technology activities. Donations can be sent in with children and handed over to the Yr. 6 staff or left in the foyer behind the blue chairs. Many thanks.

Weekly Wellbeing
With mind to the current weather conditions here is a quote from Edward Michael “Bear” Grylls OBE. He is a British adventurer, writer, television presenter, former SAS trooper and survival expert.
“Struggle develops strength and storms make you stronger.”
Bear Grylls
Achievers
This week’s amazing achievers are: Liam, Linden, Rayne, Billy, Louie, Albie, Ethan, Esme, Chester, Chester, Megan, Maya, Alfie, Harry and Tobias. Cecily and Sebastian shared their badminton awards, Ella shared her dance trophy and Evie shared he brass certificate.

Ionawr 17fed / January 17th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

A belated Happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a wonderful festive period. A slightly calmer week this week after the disruption caused by last week’s wintry conditions. As usual the children seem to have taken it all in their stride and have settled back into school life as if it never happened. We look forward with great anticipation to what the, euphemistically titled, ‘spring’ term has to offer and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to getting through the traditional January blues and moving on to brighter, and hopefully a bit warmer, times ahead.

Urdd Sports Club

Please see the flyer attached for the Urdd Sports Club scheduled to begin in February 2025. Scan the QR Code of follow this link to book a place on the course:
Urdd – Gweithgareddau

Kick It Sports
Kick It Sports are offering a series of football sessions for Yrs. 1 to 6, at a cost of £18, on the following dates:
• Thu, 23 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 30 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 6 Feb ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Follow this link for the information video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V3YIROLym63NVdLaPY5up-LCZ8atCEjr/view?usp=drive_link
Follow this link to sign up: https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports

Inourplace
Inourplace is an online learning environment developed by psychologists and health practitioners that provides free accessible learning about emotional health and well-being. It has been proven to have a positive impact on mental health, behaviour, and relationships.

inourplace | Solihull Approach

Rugby Sessions

Kate Davies, the RFU Rugby Development Officer, came to work with the Yr. 4 children yesterday. She certainly put them through their paces, and they had a fantastic time in the sunshine honing their rugby skills and playing touch-rugby games. Kate will be returning to provide additional sessions in the forthcoming weeks.

Attendance
Good school attendance is key to helping children have the best possible start in life, to support and maximise their potential learning opportunities. There is clear evidence which links educational achievement to good school attendance. Rhos St School is determined to provide the best education to the children they serve. In recognition that school attendance and attainment are strongly linked a robust attendance procedure has been developed to support pupils learning. Please see the attached: Improving School Attendance information from the Welsh Assembly Government which outlines the importance of school attendance and the policy and procedures that support good attendance.

Statutory Framework
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him/her to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his /her age, aptitude, and ability and to any additional needs he/she may have either regular attendance at school or otherwise. A pupil is required to attend regularly at the school where they are registered as a pupil.
Furthermore, Section 444 states that:
“If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, his parent is guilty of an offence.”
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/56/section/444
Rhos St will use a variety of strategies to intervene at an early stage to encourage improved attendance of individual pupils and assist to overcome any barriers that may be preventing the expected level of attendance. Persistent absence in Wales is set at below 90 % all pupils below this level are a concern for school and will require monitoring and intervention. The use of school attendance data and coding of pupils is fundamental to tracking and monitoring pupil and school performance. Strategies to improve a pupil’s attendance may be school-based or involve joint working with other education services and partner agencies to ensure the most appropriate support for the pupil is in place supported by the parent/ carer.
Welsh Government in December 2023 changed the threshold for a pupil being persistently absent from previously being any pupils whose attendance was below 80% to those whose attendance is below 90%. This increased expectation underlines the importance attached to regular school attendance and the need for local authorities, schools, and families to work together to achieve this outcome.
Belonging, Engaging, Participation Guidance Welsh Government Guidance 293/ 2023

Reading with your child
At Rhos St we love books and reading, and we understand the amazing benefits that come from spending time with a book. It’s a time for closeness, laughing and talking together – and it can also give children a flying start in life and help them become lifelong readers. If you’re not feeling confident about reading aloud or sharing books, don’t worry – there’s no right or wrong way to enjoy a story together. But here are a few pointers to help you out:
Encouraging a love of reading
As children get older, with lots of other activities competing for their time, how can you encourage them to make time for reading?
• Read yourself! It doesn’t matter what it is – pick up a newspaper or magazine, take a look at a cookery book, read a computer manual, enjoy some poetry or dive into a romance or detective novel. And get your children to join in – if you’re cooking, could they read the recipe? If you’re watching TV, can they read out the listings?
• Give books as presents and encourage your children and their friends to swap books with each other – it’ll give them a chance to read new stories and get them all talking about what they’re reading.
• Visit the local library together. It’s always fun choosing new books to read and keep an eye out for special author events at the library or local bookshops – children love meeting their favourite authors. Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Horowitz always have signing queues that are miles long!
• Encourage children to always carry a book. That way, they’ll never be bored.
• Have a family bookshelf. If you can, have bookshelves in your children’s bedrooms, too.
• Keep reading together. Just because your children are older, it doesn’t mean you have to stop sharing stories – perhaps you could try the Harry Potter series or A Series of Unfortunate Events.
• Don’t panic if your child reads the same book over and over again. Let’s be honest – we’ve all done it!

Weekly Wellbeing
January comes with its own challenges, short, cold days with the warmth of summer a long way off. This quote reminds us that January is a time of change and is full of possibility for the new year to come:

“January: The month of opportunity, the month of inspiration, and the month of change.”
Achievers
This week’s fabulous achievers are: Henry, Oliver, Verity, Alice, Oliver A, William, Stanley, Fleur, Hannah, Orson & Sophia. Very well done to them all!

Rhagfyr 20fed / December 20th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

As we hurtle across the finish line in a flurry of tinsel and glitter, its lovely to look back on a really positive and productive autumn term. I’m always so proud of the children of Rhos St and this term has been another example of what brilliant pupils we have here. They have worked so hard, embraced every opportunity, and have embodied our Rhos St Core Values of respect, kindness and being your best. An enormous thank you to our amazing staff, governors, and PTA who have worked tirelessly this term. Thank you also to our fantastic school community for your ongoing support. From all of us here at Rhos St School, have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you all on January 7th.

Urdd Sports Club

Please see the flyer attached for the Urdd Sports Club scheduled to begin in February 2025. Scan the QR Code of follow this link to book a place on the course:
Urdd – Gweithgareddau

Cornel Cymraeg: Christmas Singalong with Ysgol Pen Barras
The Yrs. 4, 5 and 6 children had a fantastic Christmas singalong with children from Ysgol Pen Barras on Wednesday. The children have been practising songs and Christmas classics in Welsh and it was a lovely opportunity to all share our love of Welsh. Huge thanks to our Welsh coordinator here at Rhos St, Mrs. Lewis, for all her hard work preparing the children in her Welsh-Wednesdays assemblies, and for organising the singalong with our sister school.

Kick It Sports
Kick It Sports are offering a series of four football sessions for Yrs. 1 to 6, at a cost of £18, on the following dates:
• Thu, 16 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 23 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 30 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 6 Feb ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Follow this link for the information video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V3YIROLym63NVdLaPY5up-LCZ8atCEjr/view?usp=drive_link
Follow this link to sign up: https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports

Farewell Sara & Mali
Today brings mixed feelings as Sara, the excellent HLTA from the Yr. 1 class, is leaving us to head to pastures new. Sara has been an invaluable asset to Rhos St School and will be sorely missed. I have no doubt that she will bring same professionalism, positivity and warmth to her new role that has been her modus operandi with us. I’m sure you will join us in wishing Sara the very, very best as she takes the next step in her career.
Very best wishes also to Mali, from Little Acorns, who is moving to a new role out of the area. We are very grateful for all your hard work, professionalism, and support.

Employment Opportunity
We are looking to appoint a suitably qualified Supply Teaching Assistant to work in the infant department from January. All information pertaining to the post can be found on the Denbighshire County Council website by following this link:
https://workfor.denbighshire.gov.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID%3d237336Dt7P%1BUSESSION=821A8CE197638FC1D65AEC5B575EF645&WVID=7576912FL1&LANG=USA
Applications close on 6th of January 2025.

Primary School Menus
Please follow this link to the Denbighshire County Council – Primary Menu page to view forthcoming menus served in our canteen: https://www.denbighshireschoolmeals.co.uk/primary-menus/

Prize Winner
Congratulations to Ryan Killow, who won an Amazon Kindle at the Ysgol Brynhyfryd open evening. Ryan was presented his prize on Monday by Mr. Trefor Jones, the headteacher at Ysgol Brynhyfryd.

Christmas Gifts
Many, many thanks for the extremely generous gifts that staff members have received this week. It is never expected,
but always very much appreciated.

Early-Years Fundraising
A huge thank you to all of our Nursey and Reception parents and carers for all their fantastic support of this month’s early-years fundraising. Between the Christmas-craft mornings and sponsored walk over £1632 has been raised for the children.

Piano Recital

No certificates this week, as our service was a festive Christmas singalong. Poppy rounded off proceedings perfectly with a lovely piano rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Weekly Wellbeing
This week’s wellbeing is from the mental-health charity Mind and outlines the lessons we can all derive from that festive-staple, the Christmas tree.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Rhos St School.

Rhagfyr 13eg / December 13th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

As the clock ticks down on the autumn term, it’s great to see all the children and staff embracing the festive season, even me, in my role Rhos St’s arch-Grinch, is starting to succumb. Following on from the success of last week’s Christmas performances this week has seen two great visits to the reindeer farm and the Christmas-craft machine getting up to full speed with snowflakes, Christmas cards and festive bunting erupting from every classroom. Just one week to go before we close our doors for the Christmas holidays…not that we’re counting.

Reindeer Farm
We had fantastic visits to the North Hill Reindeer Farm on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The weather was dry, if a little chilly, and everyone had a wonderful time in the Christmas-tree maze, toasting marshmallows and feeding the reindeer. A huge thank you to Dom and Si for looking after us so well, to our very own Emma for organising it all so expertly, and to the, always brilliant, Rhos St PTA for subsidising the visit. There will be pictures aplenty of the visit on our Rhos St Flickr account coming soon…

Christmas Singing at Tesco

Our fab Rhos St choir headed off as far as Tesco on Tuesday to sing some well-known Christmas classics and favourite songs from our Panto Pandemonium show. The children had a lovely response from the shoppers and lent a wonderful Christmassy air to the place. Thank you to Miss. Davies, and Rachel, from Denbighshire Music Cooperative, for giving up their own time to practise with the children and for taking them on the day.

Tree Planting
Ellie, Denbighshire’s biodiversity officer, and Denbighshire Countryside Services staff have been working with groups of children this week planting trees around the school site. The children had a fantastic time and really enjoyed helping to increase the biodiversity of our school.

Urdd Sports Club

Please see the flyer attached for the Urdd Sports Club scheduled to begin in February 2025. Scan the QR Code of follow this link to book a place on the course:
Urdd – Gweithgareddau

Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day

Many thanks for the wonderful response to our Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day yesterday. The children looked great in their festive jumpers and over £150 was raised to support the incredibly valuable work conducted by Save the Children all over the world. One more Christmas Jumper day to go on, Friday 20th of December.

Kick It Sports
Kick It Sports are offering a series of four football sessions for Yrs. 1 to 6, at a cost of £18, on the following dates:
• Thu, 16 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 23 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 30 Jan ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
• Thu, 6 Feb ’25 3:15pm – 4:30pm
Follow this link for the information video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V3YIROLym63NVdLaPY5up-LCZ8atCEjr/view?usp=drive_link
Follow this link to sign up: https://bookwhen.com/kickitsports

A Very Special Visitor
It was wonderful to welcome Santa to Rhos St school yesterday. The great man must have heard that it was Rhos St’s Christmas jumper day and Christmas dinner day on Thursday and took the opportunity of all that ‘Christmassyness’ to make a magical appearance. Santa was helped by some of the Yr. 6 Elves to give out gifts to all the children and to keep abreast of how the naughty and nice list was shaping up (apparently it’s coal again for me this year). Huge thanks to the PTA for providing Santa with some of the gifts and to Santa himself for taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule, at this time of year, to come and visit us here at school. Fortunately, as the children of Rhos St had fed his reindeer so well, earlier in the week, his long trip form the North pole whizzed by in a flash.

Rhagfyr 6ed / December 6th

Dear Parents and Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,

This week has been all about Christmas shows, and it’s been lovely to experience the culmination of all the hard work and preparation that has gone into these performances. The children were amazing and really shone in their roles. Huge thanks to our fabulous Rhos St staff for all of their hard work in preparing the children so well and to our wonderful school community for supporting us at the shows.

Reindeer Farm
Our Reindeer Farm visits are scheduled for Tuesday (Infants) and Wednesday (Juniors) next week. The weather forecast is currently for cold, dry conditions on those days, but may very well change as we get nearer the time. I would request that children come to school on those days in warm clothing and appropriate footwear. A big thank you to the, always brilliant, Rhos St PTA for subsidising the visit.

Christmas Jumpers
We had another fantastic response to our latest Christmas Jumper Day today, the children looked fab in their festive attire.
We have two more Christmas Jumper days scheduled this term.:
Thursday December 12th – Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day (£1 donation to Save the Children)
Friday December 20th – Christmas Jumper Day (end of term)

There is no pressure whatsoever to purchase a Christmas jumper, own clothes on these days are fine. We will also be running our Christmas Jumper Exchange, in the foyer, where jumpers can be swapped; a great way to update your Christmas look for free! Just leave a jumper and take a new one!
Any donations of Christmas jumpers, for the Exchange, are very gratefully received. Just leave your donated jumper on the back of the blue chairs in the foyer.

Platinum Eco Award
It was wonderful this week to receive notification that Rhos St has retained our Platinum Eco School status, validating. the progress, new projects, and ideas that are such a big part of our Eco work at the school. A big thank you to the members of the Eco-Council who shared all they have learned about protecting the environment and nature, through their class work, with the assessor. It was also wonderful to hear how well they enthusiastically communicated their many fantastic ideas for taking positive environmental action for the year ahead. Huge thanks also to Mrs. Davies for all her work with the Eco Council and in leading us, as a school, so successfully on our eco journey.

Disabled Access
It has been reported to me that we sadly still have some car-park users inappropriately using the disabled parking bays, which has led to some blue-badge holders being unable to access the disabled-access spaces at the end of the day. This has caused considerable issues for those with genuine disabilities in accessing the school. The disabled-access spaces are for blue-badge holders only and should not be used by any other car-park user. I would request that all car-park users respect the signage and designation of areas, both inside and adjacent to the school car park, to ensure that those members of our school community who genuinely require priority parking are able to access it. Many thanks, in advance, for your help and support with this extremely important issue.

Cast / Event Photos
Many thanks everyone who purchased cast / event photos following our fantastic Christmas events and shows this week. I will be emailing them out shortly.

Urdd Sports Club
Please see the flyer attached for the Urdd Sports Club scheduled to begin in February 2025. Scan the QR Code of follow this link to book a place on the course:
Urdd – Gweithgareddau

Weekly Wellbeing

Our service this morning was all about the power and importance of gratitude. This quote is from Eckhart Tolle, the German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author, and reminds us about the psotive power in recognising and celebrating the good things in our lives.

Achievers
Classes from Yr. R to 6 were recognised for their brilliant Christmas performances this week. Alice, Albie and Maya were recognised for their super efforts and achievements this week. Amelia was recognised for achieving a distinction in her cello examination and Ella shared her trophy for her recent dance competition. Well done to all of our fabulous achievers this week.
Jess performed a wonderful violin recital to round of this morning’s service in the best possible way.

Yours sincerely / Yn Gywir

Andrew Davis, Headteacher / Pennaeth