End of term arrangements for the Junior pupils

The staff have asked me to write to parents to clarify the arrangements for the end of term arrangements.

Monday 16th December

Pupils will be rehearsing at the Chapel during the day. They will return to school at lunchtime and at the end of the school day. There will be no need for any additional arrangements to be made.

Tuesday 17th December

Concert arrangements
Mrs Johnson has suggested that all pupils who are in the choir wear the BLACK CLOTHING required for the performance to school in the morning to avoid changing. As you know we don’t ask parents to buy specific clothing for any school event any black shirt / T shirt will be acceptable, however, we will ask you not to display any prominent logos or words on them.
Those pupils who are wearing white costumes will need to wear school uniform and change for the afternoon. They can wear costumes to and from the Chapel at the evening performance.
Pupils are expected to attend BOTH concerts and should be in the Chapel by 5.40 p.m. for the evening performance at the latest. Pupils will be expected to be collected from the Chapel unless you give prior consent for them to walk home.
We will, unfortunately, be unable to accommodate any babies or toddlers as there will be no room for them to sit on laps during the concert or for any prams, pushchairs and buggies. I would appreciate your co-oporation in this matter.

Wednesday 18th December

School uniform is not needed today. There has been a suggestion that if pupils would like to wear a Christmas Jumper and bring in a small donation to charity the School Council will organise a contest to see which class has the best selection of jumpers. In addition pupils can bring in toys and games to play. Please can we not have expensive electronic games, mobile phones or any electronic device that need connection to the Internet. The school cannot provide this and parents are reminded that the school cannot accept any liability for loss or damage to these items.

Thursday 19th December

Pupils can bring in toys for the morning session as per yesterday’s arrangements. During the afternoon the pupils will be having their class parties and enjoying games and other activities in the hall. Pupils can wear party clothes to school if required.

Friday 20th December 2013, Monday 6th January 2014 and Tuesday 7th January 2014 are Staff In-Service training days and school will be closed for all pupils. School recommences for the Spring term on Wednesday 8th January 2014. The one remaining INSET day is an LA designated day on Monday 21st July 2014.

Please will all parents pay any outstanding balances on dinner money and ensure that all clothing and bags are taken home and not left in the cloakrooms.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity in sending in so many cards and presents, it is appreciated. On behalf of the staff and Governors may I wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Christmas Dinner 11th December 2013

Mrs Edwards and the Catering Staff will be preparing our special Christmas Dinner on WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER this year. If your child would like to participate in this event please will you order and pay for the dinner on the Monday as usual.

School INSET days

 

I have received confirmation that a training partner will deliver whole school staff training on the following days. School will be closed for pupils on Friday 20th December, Monday 6th January and Tuesday 7th January 2014. There will be ONE remaining INSET day on Monday 21st July 2014. I appreciate this is shorter notice than usual but the provider was only able to confirm these dates today.

Philippines Typhoon Disaster Appeal

I have received a request from Mrs Natalie Summerhill for assistance in collecting any unwanted clothes and shoes for adults and children to send over to help those affected by the recent typhhon in the Philippeans.
Bags can be sent to school and Mrs Summerhill will arrange for the courier to collect them and send them abroad.

Children in Need appeal 2013



Today the pupils raised £325.91 for Children in Need by donating money for not wearing school uniform, selling cakes and painting nails and faces. Thank you for your generosity and look out for our name on the TV tonight.

Link to the online consultation document for changes to nursery provision

As you may be aware from recent reports in the media, Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council is proposing to reduce nursery provision in its schools to part time from April 2014 along with other cuts to services.
The Council has now embarked on a period of consultation which commenced on Monday 4^th November for four weeks, closing at midnight on Monday 2^nd December 2013.
The link to the consultation page on the Council website can be accessed at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/servicechanges1

The Treorchy Comprehensive Cluster head teachers would like to encourage every parent to participate in the feedback. You are able to do this in the following five ways.

1.       On line at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/servicechanges1

2.       Via the leaflet – where there is a feedback form which can be posted to a freepost address.

3.       Via a questionnaire attached to the consultation pack.

4.       By email to servicechanges1@rctcbc.gov.uk

5.       By letter to the freepost address.

Consultation packs and leaflets may be obtained via e-mail to nia.a.bryan@rctcbc.gov.uk or by telephone 01443 424136

Completed returns should be returned to the following address.

Service Changes 1

Research and Consultation

Public Relations & Strategy,

The Pavilions

Cambrian Industrial Park,

Clydach Vale,

Tonypandy

CF40 2XX

Should parents not be able to access this online service from home or from the library, please make an appointment to use the internet at school by ringing Mrs Thomas.

Rewards for excellent behaviour

Alexia and Lillie-Mae have received lots of stickers for being good role models and upholding our golden rules. They have been kind and friendly to each other and to other pupils.

Start of the school year.

It's the time when mums are jumping for joy and the pupils and staff are resigned to coming back to school. After a fantastic summer school re-opens for the pupils on Tuesday 3rd September 2013. Breakfast club will be open as usual at 8.00 a.m..

The staff have a training day on Monday and will be in school. If you should wish to discuss any issues that have arisen during the holidays you can contact rthe school office to make an appointment to talk to the head teacher.

Gelli Playgroup Open Morning

Our staff at the playgroup are holding an open morning on WEDNESDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2013 at 9 15 am so that you can come along and chat with them and find out more about our pre-school opportunity. The playgroup will run on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 9.15 to 11.10 a.m.

Film Club Premiere at the Park & Dare Theatre

Year 6 have been invited to a Film Premiere on Friday afternoon 12th July. Some of the pupils are participating in a Film through the centuries project and will be receiving certificates and a DVD of the film. There will be a special screening also using the new digital equipment in the Hall. They will leave after lunch and return by 3 p.m. and be dismissed from school as usual.

An apology

I would like to offer my apologies for changing arrangements for tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon at such short notice. My original intention was to take our Foundation Phase pupils to the Phoenix in order that they could see the final dress rehearsal of Annie. At the time that we arranged this we were able to guarantee the appropriate staff / pupil ratios to safely transport them by bus to the Theatre. Since communicating this to you a while ago, I now find myself in a position that I cannot guarantee the health and safety of our pupils as the bus company are unable to provide us with the transport and, this hot weather make it inappropriate for the pupils to walk to the Theatre. I appreciate that many of you will have made alternative arrangements and will now have to undo them. Again I can only offer my apologies. We at Gelli Primary want to give pupils the opportunities to participate in school activities and taking the younger pupils to see the show during the afternoon and not in the evening was considered to be a better option. There has also been some confusion with informing you about house colours and arrangements for the sports. We will undertake a thorough review of our arrangements and communication to you this year and take on board some of the helpful suggestions that we have received from parents. Unfortunately, when we try to achieve so much in a short space of time there are inevitably errors in judgment made and some breakdown in communication occur. Hopefully we will not repeat these in future.

 

You will have received a series of texts informing you of this change of arrangements.

Summer Holiday Club

The Cambrian Trust is able to provide us with a Summer Holiday Club at Gelli Primary School FOR ONE DAY on THREE CONSECUTIVE WEEKS  in the Summer holidays. They will take place on Tuesday 23rd July, Wednesday 31st July and Tuesday 6th August 2013. The successful pilot during the Easter holidays received very encouraging feedback and we have now increased the provision to include pupils from Year 1 and 2.

There are only 30 spaces available for Key Stage 2 pupils and 20 available for KS1. The scheme will cost £6.00 and we hope that pupils will sign up for the THREE SESSIONS. If you wish for your child to participate in this project please fill in the form at the foot of this letter and return to school as soon as possible.  Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis for the three days. Please fill in the form below and return to school as soon as possible. Please DO NOT send in money until your child’s place has been confirmed.

 

A letter containing all the details was sent home today although some pupils practicing at the Phoenix may not have received their.

 

A copy of the letter and form is available from our Moodle site.

School Sports – Friday 12th July 2013 - Change of time due to hot weather

We will be holding our School Sports at the Pentre Astroturf on Friday 12^th July. Due to the hot weather forecasted for this week we have decided to re-schedule them to the morning. There will be NO BREAKFAST CLUB that morning and pupils can arrive at the Astroturf any time after 8.30 as they will be supervised by members of staff.  The event will NOW start at 9:30am and will finish at approximately 11:30am.  Pupils will return to school for lunch and the afternoon. Parents are more than welcome to come and support.  Entry for adults will be £1.  We look forward to see you on the day

Arrangements for rehearsals and performance of Annie

 

Every two years the Junior Department perform a production in the Phoenix Theatre, Ton Pentre. The purpose of this is to give each pupil the opportunity to perform on stage in front of an audience and to participate in a whole school event. We expect that all pupils, regardless of musical or acting ability, will be able to participate by joining in the chorus. We hold auditions for the main cast characters and pupils are invited to put themselves forward for each part. This replicates the scenario whereby should they wish to join a local amateur dramatic society or participate in music / drama activities in the Comprehensive School they will be prepared. There is no “opt out” clause in this. We are an equal opportunities school and we include everyone in all our activities where it is appropriate. Please will you ensure that you read the following information so that you are aware what we expect from you and your child next week.

Monday 8th July

Please can ALL children be at the Phoenix Theatre, Ton Pentre by 9.00 a.m. We have our first FULL rehearsal that morning. Pupils will return to school for at lunchtime for dinner.

Tuesday 9th July

The CAST MEMBERS supervised by staff will walk to the Phoenix Theatre after lunch at 1.00 p.m.

Please can you arrange for your child to be picked up from the Theatre or sign the permission slip allowing them to walk home.

Wednesday 10th July

The CAST MEMBERS supervised by staff will walk to the Phoenix Theatre after lunch at 1.00 p.m.

Please can you arrange for your child to be picked up from the Theatre or sign the permission slip allowing them to walk home.

The first performance takes place at 6.00 p.m. that evening. Cast members are requested to be in the Theatre at 5.00 p.m. Pupils who are in the CHORUS will be expected to arrive at 5.40 p.m. and enter through the side door. Pupils will be picked up after the performance which should finish around 8.00 p.m. or please sign the permission slip allowing them to walk home.

Thursday 11th July

The CAST MEMBERS and pupils who are in the CHORUS supervised by staff will walk to the Phoenix Theatre after lunch at 1.00 p.m. They will perform the show to the Infant pupils.

Please can you arrange for your child to be picked up from the Theatre or sign the permission slip allowing them to walk home.

The second performance takes place at 6.00 p.m. that evening. CAST MEMBERS are requested to be in the Theatre at 5.00 p.m. Pupils who are in the CHORUS will be expected to arrive at 5.40 p.m. and enter through the side door. Pupils will be picked up after the performance which should finish around 8.00 p.m. or please sign the permission slip allowing them to walk home.

Costumes

You will have received a letter earlier in the term requesting pupils who are in the CHOIR to dress as orphans i.e. dark, drab, messy clothes. As usual we do not require you to purchase a costume specifically for the occasion but use clothes that you already possess.

The main characters costumes have already been sorted and will be in the Theatre for the pupils to dress.

Ticket arrangements

Tickets are on sale from the school box office in Mrs Thomas's Office at the beginning and at the end of the day. There are no restrictions on the number of tickets that you can purchase. They are priced at £6.00 for Adults and £3.00 for OAP's, and School Pupils. Please will you encourage friends, neighbours and family to come to the production the pupils and staff have worked very hard over the past term and it would be great to see every seat in the auditorium full and for us to give the production such a wonderful reception as our previous successful productions have received.

We will text reminders during next week.

Ned Show Merchandise update

The NED Show Store at Gelli Primary will close tomorrow. Sales of the merchandise have been very positive and the pupils are co-operating by playing safely with the Yo's in the designated area in the yard.
There have been a few issues where some of the merchandise has been defective. Some times it is the way that the Yo's have been re-assembled after strings need to be changed and some of the merchanise has broken.
After we send the remaining stock back to the company on FRIDAY afternoon you are able to take advantage of the Ned 100% Satisfaction Guarentee.

Here is what you'll see on the website -

NED’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

At All for KIDZ, it’s all about encouraging kids. That’s why we guarantee 100% satisfaction!

If you have a product problem, return the item to your school if the sale is still going on (Please note: The sale is typically held in the five days following your assembly). Defective items will be replaced by new product at no charge. Guarantee is subject to normal wear and tear from regular use.
If the sale at your school is over, simply contact our Customer Care department. Give us your mailing address, the color and item name, and we will replace any previously purchased item that has a defect—free of charge. Did we mention that we’ll ship it to you for free too? We’re serious about your satisfaction!
Although The NED Show is only at your child’s school for one day, our Customer Care is available year-round to provide product support, answer product questions and offer free, downloadable resources for parents and teachers.
Whether you purchased your items from your school sale or from Shop NED, our online store, please contact Customer Care directly.

 

Investors in families Status

Today we were assessed for the Investors in families Award. The award is judged against seven core aims and we were successful in providing the assessor with sufficient evidence for the acreditation. This initiative has been led by Miss Davis with the help from several parents who were interviewed, the staff who drew together the evidence and the pupils who helped deliver our programmes. This is yet another achievement that we can be very proud of and goes to show the commitment we have in Gelli Primary School to ensuring that we put our families first and the relationship that we have fostered over many years has been recognised. Well done everyone. Llongyfarchiadau.

Box Office for Annie is OPEN

Tickets for our production of Annie are on sale from the school box office in Mrs. Thomas's Office at the beginning and at the end of the day. Ther are no restrictions on the number of tickets that you can purchase. They are priced at £6.00 for Adults and £3.00 for OAP's, and School Pupils. 

The Ned Show Merchandise

The NED Show visited us on Friday and we have agreed to make available the yo-yo's that Nate used in his performance. They will be sold each break time in the Hall. Please use the order form that we sent home with the newsletter last week. If you did not receive one you can access and electronic version from our Moodle site. Please will you send in the correct money with your order. We have sold a number of yo-yo's this morning and we have found that the more expensive the yo-yo is for advanced users and that the NED YO-YO works the best for our children's age. The pupils are using their Yo-Yo's in the designated area in the yard so that they can play safely with them. The NED STORE will be open UNTIL NEXT FRIDAY (July 5th) so hurry to the store and get your Yo-Yo.

Thank you for supporting the PTA Fete

The 2013 Gelli Primary PTA School Fete was held on Saturday 29th June. Despite the class with the Britsih & Irish Lions Second Test Match the weather was fine, the people of the village, staff, parents and pupils came out to support us. Thanks to Mrs Sims and the members of the PTA we raised jsut short of £1000 towards the PTA School Fund. A BIG thank you to all who attended, supporting us yet again this year. Here is a digital story about the day.

A Digital Story about our PESS Monitoring Visit

JD from Year 5 made a digital story during the lesson observed by Mrs McNamee-Britten when she came to Gelli Primary to monitor our Physical Education in School Sports (PESS)). As usual she left leaving us with some very positive comments.

Newsletter 4 for the Summer Term published today

We published a newsletter today. If you did not receive a copy you can view an electronic copy on our Moodle Site.

We needs a new Crossing Patrol person for Ty Isaf and Gelli Road

We need a new crossing patrol person to cross the children at the corner of Ty Isaf and Gelli Road. The Road Safety Unit has asked me to circulate this recruitment poster. If you know of anybody who's interested pass this information over to them.

Transition Day at Gelli Primary

The Ned show coming to us on Friday 28th June 2013

Next Friday I have arranged for “The Ned Show” to visit us The NED Show is the most popular assembly programme in the United Kingdom. They also perform in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even for special events at the White House. Nearly 2.5 million children will see The NED Show this year! Their goal in partnering with schools is to help improve pupil behaviour, enrich instructional time, increase academic achievement and enhance the overall school climate.

 

Our agreement with the Ned Show organisers is that we receive the show free of charge, (it would normally cost £1000) and in return we have agreed to make some merchandise available that they will use in the show for purchase. May I say that we are not obligated to sell on the company’s behalf only to make it available and we should you feel that you do not want to support the school in this venture you are not obligated to do so. The company have produced a parent’s letter which will be sent to pupils and parents which we will send home later this week. You can also visit the Ned Show website and find out more about what they do.

The Leaver's Ball and end of term disco

Leaver’s Ball

Mrs Sims would appreciate that any remaining contributions to the Leaver’s Ball be paid to school as soon as possible.

May I remind parents that the Leaver’s Ball is primarily for our Year 6 pupils but it is also an end of Year Disco for the whole school and parents to attend. This year it will take place on Wednesday 3rd July at the Ton Pentre Football Club from 6.00 p.m. until 9.00. p.m.  This disco is open to ALL PUPILS. Children from Nursery through to Year 4 MUST be accompanied by a responsible adult (18+).  During the evening, the presentations will be made to the Year 6 pupils who will leave to join their Comprehensive schools in September. We have a special CELEBRITY MYSTERY GUEST this year who will present the trophies and certificates. Come along and help us give them a good “Gelli Primary” send off!!  Entry is £1 per child. Hotdogs will be available on the night.

Haircuts

May I remind you that our policy clearly states that we do not accept hair styles which are inappropriate. This includes stripes, tram lines, highlights, unsuitable colours and Mohican styles. It clearly states in our prospectus and other school documents that if a pupil presents himself in school with such a hair style the Governing Body will support the Head teacher in upholding standards by requesting that the hairstyle be altered so that it falls in line with our expectation. Our policy, which is in line with our cluster Primary and Comprehensive schools will be to suspend any pupil until his hair is returned to an appropriate fashion should you not agree with us. May I also remind you that our home school agreement which states that parents agree to uphold the school rules and do everything to resolve any issues with the school.

 

School uniform during warm weather

May I remind you that if pupils intend to wear short during the hot weather our school uniform agreement states that only black, navy, blue or white shorts are encouraged. Bermuda style multi-coloured shorts that are more suitable for the beach are not permitted as are short T shirts and other such clothing. As usual, your co-operation will be appreciated.

Dinner Money

Can I remind parents that the school and Local Authority policy states that meals are to be paid for on a Monday morning, in advance.  This policy is clearly set out in our school literature and regularly mentioned in school newsletters. Money brought in to school should be put in a sealed envelope (which are freely available from the school office) with the child’s name, class, purpose and amount clearly marked on the front. These envelopes are then collected by staff and transferred to our school secretary for processing. Money is registered on the school electronic recording system for accounting purposes. I have instructed Breakfast Club staff not to receive any money from pupils or parents when they are being dropped off. When this policy and procedure is followed it works well but there have been recent instances where parents claim that money has been paid but our accounting procedures cannot verify this. As usual, your co-operation will be appreciated.

Clothing and other lost property

We are receiving a great number of enquiries about lost or mislaid clothing. There are a large amount of jumpers, cardigans, T shirts and coats in the cloak rooms. On examination the most of these are unmarked and have no individual identifying marks on them. In addition there have been instances where coats with logos such as Superdry have gone missing. May I ask you to examine any coat that has been brought home recently to check that it does belong to you and if it has been taken by mistake you can return them and be relocated with the ones that we have in school.

Contents of today's newsletter

Annie

As you may be aware, our Key Stage 2 production this year will be Annie. The production is copyright to Joseph Weinberger Ltd and we have needed to pay a substantial licence fee of around £500 to perform the show. The show is in fact a Junior version of Annie as a local theatre company are performing it a week later at the same venue. Tickets will be on sale from Monday 1st July and will cost £6.00 per adult and £3.00 for OAP and Children under 12 years of age. This is slightly more than we usually charge as we also have to give a percentage of the ticket receipts to the licence company. This year’s production costs have also risen and we will be unable to recoup some of those as we are not permitted to film the performances and sell the DVD on to you. This is frustrating as I know many of you enjoy purchasing performances and keep them for posterity. There is no limitation to the number of tickets that families can purchase and it would be encouraging for us to have a full house on both nights not only to help with the cost of staging such a production but to add to the atmosphere for the pupils to perform. I promise you that you will be in for a real treat again this year. Tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis. I hope that we can rely upon you to support us in the usual manner.

Newsletter distributed Monday 17th June 2013

 

A newsletter was distributed by pupil post today yiu can see and electronic version of it by visiting our Moodle site by following the link from here.

Here is a copy of the text.

Dear Parents,
Inappropriate haircuts
May I remind you that our policy clearly states that we do not accept hair styles which are inappropriate. This includes stripes, tram lines, highlights, unsuitable colours and Mohican styles. It clearly states in our prospectus and other school documents that if a pupil presents himself in school with such a hair style the Governing Body will support the Head teacher in upholding standards by requesting that the hairstyle be altered so that it falls in line with our expectation. Our policy, which is in line with our cluster Primary and Comprehensive schools will be to suspend any pupil until his hair is returned to an appropriate fashion should you not agree with us. May I also remind you that our home school agreement which states that parents agree to uphold the school rules and do everything to resolve any issues with the school.

School Summer Fete

The Friends of Gelli Primary School Fete will be held in the school grounds on Saturday 29^th June 2013. Details of the arrangements for the school summer fete are enclosed on the back of this letter. I hope that as many of you as possible can attend and support the school. We will be accepting donations from Monday 24^th June onwards. Please bring them to the school hall where they can be stored until the weekend. Details are enclosed overleaf.

Leaver’s Ball Contributions

Mrs Sims would appreciate that any remaining contributions to the Leaver’s Ball be paid to school as soon as possible.

Annie

This year Key Stage Two pupils will present a performance of “Annie” at the Phoenix Theatre in Ton Pentre on Wednesday 10^th and Thursday 11^th July. Each performance will begin at 6 p.m. Details of how you can obtain tickets will be circulated by the end of the week.

Important dates for the remainder of the term

June 25^{th -} Transition Day – Year 6 pupils to Treorchy Comprehensive and the remainder of our pupils visit next year’s classes and teachers.
June 28^th - The Ned Show – details to follow on a separate newsletter
June 29^th - School fete
July 3^rd  Leaver’s Ball and Disco for all the school at the Ton Pentre Football Club.
July 10^th Annie at the Phoenix Theatre.
July 11^thAnnie at the Phoenix Theatre.
July 12^th School Sports at Pentre Park Astroturf
July 18^th Leaver’s Assembly Year 6 parents only are invited. Invitations will be sent to parents by pupils soon.
July 19^th End of school year – School closes for pupils after registration at 1.00 p.m.
July 22^nd INSET day – school is closed for all pupils. The staff will be undertaking whole school training off site on this day.

School Council provide shade in our decking area.

The School Council met this week to discuss providing shade for pupils using our decking area during the hot weather. They asked me to look for some garden umbrellas. I managed to locate them last night in a garden centre just in time for today's scorching heat. The members are going to timetable it's use and Colin will help them store them overnight for safe keeping.

Legoland trip 14th June 2013

 

As part of our preparations for the excursion to Legoland the staff undertake a site visit. Miss Hatch has kindly provided us with an indication of some of the atractions and information that will hopefully make your trip memorable.



As you are aware our summer trip to Legoland is less than a fortnight away. The buses have been booked and our attendance at the park confirmed. Please read the following information which will hopefully help you to make the most of your day.

We have booked 4 Ferris busses which will leave school at 7:00am. Futher details with your bus allocation will be sent out next week. The buses will also leave Legoland at 5pm.

Duplo Valley is now open so be prepared to get wet. You are encouraged to take bathers and a towel if you visit this area. Duplo Valley is full of animals and Lego sculptures which spout water. Look out for the big red Lego brick which once filled with water, tilts and drops its confers on the people below. Also a change of clothes is recommended if you are willing and wanting to go on the water rides as you will get wet. Alternatively you can wear a poncho or purchase one in a shop for £3.50.

Photographs, magnets and keyrings can be purchased at a cost of £8 each. There is also a deal where you can purchase four from a variety of rides for £20.

A soft drink will cost approximately £3 though you can buy a refillable cup for £7.50. This can be refilled as many times as you like throughout the day at most kiosks and restaurants.

There are several places around the park to purchase food. At the kiosks there is ice cream (£3), donuts, waffles and hotdogs (£4-£6.50). There are also places to purchase baguettes, fried chicken and burgers or you can have a meal in one of the family restaurants (£5-£10).

If you're not so keen on rides take a look around MiniLand and walk amongst world famous landmarks. There are also several playgrounds and a maze to entertain the children. A puppet show can be found near Duplo Valley and a Pirates stunt show can be found in Lego City. Times for each show are displayed near the events.

All rides have two height restrictions. The first height is to ride alone, the second is to ride with an adult. If a child does not meet the minimum height they will not be able to ride. If you're unsure of your child's height there is a measuring service available at LEGO City Guest Services so children only have to be measured once and a band will be given for them to wear indicating their height. Parents and guardians with children who don't meet height restrictions can take turns in taking taller children on rides without having to queue twice. Please ask a member of staff at each ride for further details.

Finally, please wear sensible shoes or trainers as you will walk a fair amount during the day.

We look forward to seeing you all bright and early on Friday 14th June.

Year 6 visit to the Apple Store in Cardiff for a Field Trip

This morning Year 6 visited the Apple Store in St David's 2 Cardiff for a Field Trip. During the two hours they were in store they used the MacBook Pro notebooks to create a short movie in iMovie. I made a short trailer on my iPad mini to give you a taste of what we got up to. 

Olympic legacy week travel arrangements

Further to the information published in the newsletter published yesterday we have text parents for Year 1 pupils to request that they meet Mrs Dyer at Ton Pentre Railway Station NO LATER THAN 8.45 a.m. so that they can catch the train to Treorchy for the Cluster Olympic Legacy Week activities. This will also be the case for Year 3 on Tuesday and Year 5 on Wednesday. Further details will be text to parents during the week. Thank you for your anticipated co-operation.



Newsletter posted today

A newsletter has been distrubuted via pupil post today contatining information reagrding our Olympic legacy week and other announcemtents. An electronic copy can be viewed on our school Moodle site. Click on this link to download it.

RCT Summer Term Attendance Campaign - “Holidays are fine, but not in term time.”

At Gelli Primary School we place great emphasis on the importance of attending school every day and are committed to improving our attendance rates in order to improve the outcomes for our pupils. This is why we are supporting Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Summer Term Attendance Campaign that focuses on the impact of holiday related absence on educational achievement.

We understand that family holidays, can be an enriching experience and can have educational benefits however, we need parents/carers to appreciate that the loss to their child’s education of regular absence for holidays may actually outweigh these benefits in the long term. Even for pupils with excellent attendance taking just 2 weeks out for holidays every year will result in almost a year of schooling lost by the age of 16.

The Welsh Government states that primary schools should achieve an annual attendance target of at least 95% and secondary schools; at least 93%. For a pupil missing 10 days a year on holidays taken in term time, their attendance cannot be more than 94%. This is before any additional days lost to sickness or other unforeseen events. Research shows that a pupil who has 91% attendance across a school career can still result in a drop of a GCSE grade across all subjects.

It is for this reason that we urge absences to be kept to a minimum and family holidays taken during the school holidays.

Before booking a family holiday during term time, please consider that:   

The law states that parents/carers do not have a legal right to take their child out of school for holidays.

Parents have a right to apply to the school for authorised absence up to a maximum of 10 days however it is the school who agrees whether to authorise absence based upon assessment of the potential educational impact on the pupil. This decision is made by the Headteacher in consultation with the Governing Body.

Essential transition preparation for the following academic year is conducted during the Summer Term.

Attendance at the beginning of the Autumn Term is fundamental to the success of the academic year. This is particularly important for Year 7 pupils.

How will your child catch up with work they have missed?

This school’s policy is that you submit a request by filling in our holiday form which is available from the school office. We will then consider the application and inform you of our decision as soon as possible.

We thank you for your continued support.

Our Key Stage Two production this year will be .......

I'm pleased to announce that our Junior department will perform Annie at the Phoenix Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday July 10th and 11th, 2013. We have reched an agreement with Josef Weinberg, the musical's licencees, to embark on this exciting production. The Showkit has arrived and Mrs. Johnson is busy casting the parts and rehearsals will commence imminently.
Tickets for the two productions will be available at the beginning of next half term and a ticket order form will be distributed by pupil post early on in June.
The production costs for this particular musical are considerably higher than those of our previous productions. We have paid £420 to Josef Weinberg for the licence and they are also entitled to a percentage of the ticket sales. With the Phoenix hire and others scenary and audio costs we will be looking to seek alternative forms of fund raising so that we can break even. I would appreciate any ideas of how we can look for outside help to finance this project. As you can appreciate, our main objective in enebling these productions to take place is to give the pupils the opportunity to perform in a Theatre with a "professional" way that will hopefully give the pupils the type of experience which makes them want to join local theatre groups or continue with pereforming at Treorchy Comprehensive School.

Special Summer Menus from Catering Services

 

Catering Services have prepared three special menus during this term, they are as follows -
May 23rd - Spring into Summer Menu
June 27th - Wimbledon Special
July 19th - Summertime Special.
I hope that you will support the Catering staff's efforts in promoting these Special menus on these days.
A reminder that the cost of a school meal is £2.25 per day and is payable on a Monday to Mrs Thomas the secretary.

A reminder of the weekly menus

Here are copies of our weekly menus available from the Catering Services Staff. You can also download copies in pdf format by clicking on this link to our Moodle site or following the link from the sidebar to the right of this post.

 

 

Fair trade Recipe Booklets are on their way

Our Fair trade Recipe Book has now been prioof read and is in the process of being printed. Thnak you for your patience while we have been producing it, but I hope that you feel that once you have seen it the wait was worth it. Mrs. Thomas has a list of everyone who bought advance orders last term. Once we have printed them we will take orders for additional copies.

The Bowls Team reach the final.

This year, members of the Ystrad Sport Centre Bowls Club organised an inter school bowls competition on the indoor bowls rink. Our Year 6 team reached the final and are pictured here receiving their runners up certificates.

Arrangements for Year 6 this week.

This week is a particularly busy week for our pupils and you.
May I remind you that you should have received notification from Treorchy Comprehensive about the Year 6 Open Evening which takes place tomnorrow.

We have decided to call a meeting on Wednesday so that you can collect the money allocated to your child from the fund raising undertaken by Mrs Sims and Miss Dowling at Asda. You will be able to collect the money in cash at 3.45 p.m. onwards. We will ask you to sign a receipt acknowledging that you have received your refund. If you are unable to make this meeting you are requested to come to the school reception and receive the rebate from Mrs Thomas.

Thursday will see some pupils representing the school in the final of the Sports Hall Athletics finals. The remainder of the pupils will visit the Sports Centre for their swimming lesson. Three pupils will also visit Treorchy Comprehensive to participate in the Transition rehearsal and concert later that evening

The pupils will depart for Abernant att 11.30 a.m. Those wishing to bring luggage are requested to do so before 9 a.m. and leave it in the hall. You may use the school car park as a drop off point but please take extra care when reversing and leaving as the car park will be full of staff cars by then.

Golf taster days and after school club

Today Year 5 and 4 were treated to a golf taster day Year 3 will get theirs tomorrow. We also distributed a letter on behalf of the Rhondda Golf Club who are providing an after school club for those interested. 

The photographs have arrived back in school from the processors and are available for purchase from Mrs Thomas. The pack costs £10. May I remind you that you will be able to view your child's photographs but not take them away before purchasing them. Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 photos are with the teachers and the Junior classes will be available from Mrs Thomas in the school office.

Maths Masterclass at Treorchy Comprehensive

Four of our Year Six pupils visited Treorchy Comprehensive School this morning to participate in a "Maths Masterclass" where they jopind other budding mathematitions from the rest of the cluster schools in a morning of problem solving in mathematics. Thye were presented with certificates and from the smiles on their faces we can assume that they had a giood time. Da iawn fechgyn.

Legoland trip update

Due to the success and positive feedback received from parents last year we have decided to organize another whole school summer trip. This year we will be visiting Legoland in Windsor.

Based on your interest we have provisionally booked four, 70 seater coaches and we have calculated that the cost of the trip will be £20 per child and £28 per adult with infants 0-2 years old paying £12 for the cost of their seat on the bus. Children attending from a Comprehensive School are required to pay adult price.

Due to the high level of interest we are unfortunately unable to accommodate everybody on the trip and therefore places will be offered on a first come first served basis. Once all places available have been filled a reserves list will be made. If there is enough interest shown there is a possibility of booking a fifth bus.

PAYMENTS

To secure your place on the trip we kindly ask that you pay a non-refundable deposit of £5 per person by Wednesday 20th March with the remainder of the cost of the bus paid by Friday 19th April. The final amount will need to be paid by Friday 24th May as Legoland require payment before arrival. Failure to complete your full payment will result in your place being given to those on the reserves list. You are welcome to pay in installments to Mrs. Thomas.

Swimming sessions this term

The Junior classes will be taking part in the Learn to Swim programme this term. Swimmers and non swimmers will visit the Ystrad sport centre every THURSDAY for 6 weeks, starting this week.
Children will be put into appropriate stages and the lessons are adapted to each child. Sometimes pupils can be a little nervous in the first week but as soon as they get in the pool they have lots of fun.
Time is limited so pupils will not have time to shower and wash / dry their hair after the swim. It is sometimes a good idea to tie long hair up in a bun/plait so the water does not run down the back of their jumpers. Also please remember children need to be able to dress themselves which is sometimes tricky after swimming so easy clothing and footwear is a good idea (e.g. trousers and not tights)
Children will need to bring their swimming costume, a towel and a pair of goggles in a separate bag.
These lessons are an important part of the PE Curriculum and all pupils are expected to take part. If your child is unable to attend a session for medical reasons please can you inform the class teacher by letter.