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