Spring Term 2025

Dydd Gwener 10 Ionawr,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Apologies once again for having to close the side gates every morning this week. It has been particularly cold which had led to widespread frost and ice and we just want to keep everyone safe. Please keep and eye on dojo messages next week too.

Attendance:
Unfortunately, our attendance is not where we would like it to be, as we have dropped below our target of 95%. Whilst we are fully aware of various illnesses doing the rounds (including chicken pox), we would really like to discourage you from taking your children out of school for unauthorised reasons such as family holidays. Torfaen’s #notinmissout campaign is certainly true.
Now that we have a permanent School Support Officer in post (Mrs. Rebecca Watkins), please can ALL absences be reported to her in the first instance. You can send her a dojo message OR ring the school on 01633 877796 and leave a message. Please note that you must give a specific reason for the absence i.e. tonsillitis rather than ‘not well’ or attending a medical appointment rather than ‘not in school today’.
We would like to encourage you to still send your child into school if they are just ‘under the weather’ or have a common childhood illness in line with the attached guidance. Diolch yn fawr for your support.

Well done to the forty pupils who had 100% attendance for the Autumn Term.

Friends of Henllys P.T.A:
Diolch yn fawr to the P.T.A. for paying for Chaplin’s Pantomime treat for the whole school yesterday. The performance of Jack in the Beanstalk was enjoyed by all and a lovely surprise for our pupils. The P.T.A. is run by a small group of hard working parents but they do need other parents to join them to help run events etc. We would like to encourage all parents to attend their AGM in our ICT suite on Wednesday 29th January from 4.30pm to 6:00pm.
The next event is being run by Mr. Barton on Monday 27th January which is a Pokemon Trading Card event in our school hall starting at 3.15pm – everyone is welcome.

After School Clubs:
All after school clubs will be running as normal next week. We have not changed them this term, so pupils will just carry on attending them as per last term. If your child wants to join a different club they must be registered first, so please ask for a copy of the form from the office.

Spring Term Topic:
Our topic for this term is Ffau’r Ddraig or Dragon’s Den. This is a new topic for us all and will focus on business and enterprise encompassing lots of maths & numeracy, as well as Welsh culture. All pupils will be taking part in a ‘mini-enterprise’ project where they will be making and selling Welsh crafts. Teachers will post their Curriculum Overviews for the term next Friday to explain what your children will be learning about in more detail. As always, we will be asking the pupils what they want to learn about too to ensure we include Pupil Voice in our planning.

Summer Uniform Update:
Following a full Governors’ Meeting on Tuesday 10th December 2024 the GB have made the decision to broaden the summer dresses to include stripes or a gingham pattern in dark red or burgundy. The striped dresses are difficult to source and rather expensive whereas the gingham dresses are more widely available. We hope this meets with your approval.

Wrap up warm this weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Autumn Term 2024

Dydd Gwener 6 Rhagfyr,

Annwyl parents/carers,
It has been such a busy week this week, as we prepare for Christmas and our Nativity Concerts. Hopefully, all parents will have received the tickets they have paid for today and we are really looking forward to welcoming you to our special production ‘A Twinkly Treetop Tale’ next Tuesday and Wednesday. The concerts will start at 2:00 pm and the main gate will open at 1:45 pm.

Update on Mrs. Croft:
Mrs. Croft has now officially retired from her role at Henllys. After thirty three years of devoted service to the school, we do plan to give her a lovely send off but it won’t be until after Christmas. Quite a few parents have asked me if we are doing a collection for her and of course we are. If any parents would like to contribute, please visit the main office or you can send in money in a sealed envelope if you would prefer.
Mrs. Helen Moss has stepped in on a temporary basis and has been a huge help to the school – diolch yn fawr Helen. She will be leaving her post on Friday 13th December and our newly appointed School Support Officer will start on Monday 16th December. Her name is Mrs. Rebecca Watkins and I’m sure you will all warmly welcome her to our school community.

Christmas Dates:
Thursday 12th December: R, Year 1 & Year 2 trip to Perrygrove Railway Adventure.
Friday 13th December: Elf Day when pupils can dress as elves (or in Christmas colours), donate £2 to the P.T.A. and win a raffle prize (small elf, mug, hot chocolate and marshmallows).
Tuesday 17th December: Christmas Party Day (party clothes to be worn to school). We will also be holding a Christingle service in school for all the children.
Wednesday 18th December: Christmas Dinner Day (diolch for your food orders). Pupils can wear Christmas jumpers to school on this day.
Thursday 19th December: Full school uniform to be worn for our special Carol Service at St. Gabriel’s Church from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. All parents/grandparents are welcome to attend and ALL pupils will need to be picked up from the church at 2:30 pm.
*If anyone has a spare angel costume for ‘Junior’ children, we would be very grateful.
Friday 20th December: Training Day number 4 (school closed).

Boxed Party Food:
On Thursday 19th December the canteen will only be serving a boxed meal of party food. This will include chicken nuggets, sausages, pizza and chips – no cold option will be available on this date.

After School Clubs:
These have finished for this term and will resume again in the Spring Term.

Illnesses:
There are several illnesses going around at present. Please refer to the attached poster with a link to find up-to-date information about whether you can send your child into school or not. The key messages are that children can come into school with coughs and colds. However, if your child has sickness and/or diarrhoea, he/she must not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode. Obviously, this is to avoid any stomach bugs being spread across the class/school.

We need to ‘batten down the hatches’ again this weekend in preparation for Storm Darragh – stay safe pawb!

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 29 Tachwedd,

Annwyl parents/carers,
Well I have had a lovely week listening to the Nativity Concert rehearsals in the hall. The singing has been amazing and I’m sure parents will love it. Please don’t forget to send in your ticket orders and pay for the tickets on Civica Pay. At present, we are only allocating three tickets per family in total but hope to release more once every family has been given their three tickets. If you are having any issues with Civica Pay, please contact Mrs. Moss in the office.

Rugby Team:
Da iawn to our school rugby team who took part in the Pontypool District rugby tournament at Pontypool R.F.C. today. They played some excellent rugby and did the school proud.

Winter Uniform:
Please note that all pupils should now be wearing our winter uniform. Boys should be in trousers (not shorts) and all pupils should be wearing blue shirts/blouses (not polo shirts) and ties. Ties can be purchased from Pretty Miss in Cwmbran. Thank you for your co-operation.

Attendance:
Once again can I please remind you of the importance of attending school and not taking holidays during term time. Our current attendance is below our target of 95% and down compared to this time last year. We have so many lovely activities taking place between now and the end of term it would be such a shame for pupils to miss out.
#notinmissout

After school clubs:
We will not be running any after school clubs during the last two weeks of term i.e. w/b 9th December and w/b 16th December. All clubs will finish next week and start again after the Christmas break.

Out of hours dojo messages:
Our staff are available to contact via dojo from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm (weekdays only). We are having an increasing number of messages after 6:00 pm and over the weekend. Please be mindful that this is when staff are spending time with their own families. Also staff are not able to reply to dojo messages whilst they are teaching so please be patient. Diolch yn fawr for your understanding.

Well it is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Henllys Church in Wales School…have a lovely weekend pawb.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 22 Tachwedd,

Annwyl parents/carers,
We have had a very cold snap this week, but thankfully there were no accidents and everyone was able to enter and exit the school grounds safely. We now need to brace ourselves for storm Bert!
Please can we ask all parents and pupils to leave the site promptly at the end of the day and avoid playing on the astroturf. Thank you for your cooperation.

Contact details:
Please can all parents ensure that their contact details are up to date and that they include someone who we can get hold of in an emergency. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Christmas Dinner Orders:
The canteen have asked us to find out how many pupils want Christmas dinner on Wednesday 18th December. Can you please dojo your child’s class teacher by Friday 6th December (at the latest) stating whether your child wants cooked Christmas dinner or home pack lunch on this date. Please note that these are the only two options, as there is no cold option on this date.

Christmas Concert Tickets:
Letters will be sent out on Monday for parents of pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to order Christmas concert tickets for either Tuesday 10th December or Wednesday 11th December. All tickets will need to be paid for via Civica pay.

Have a lovely weekend pawb.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 15 Tachwedd,

Annwyl parents/carers,
We have had a lovely day raising money for Children in Need. I have never seen so many Superheroes in one building! Diolch yn fawr for your support and I am so pleased to announce that we raised £225.30 for this amazing cause.

Bus Stop Gate:
We are happy to announce that the bus stop gate will be open as normal on Monday 18th November. There may be the odd wasp still lingering so please be vigilant, but it is certainly safe to use.

Twilight Session:
We have another staff training twilight session on Wednesday 20th November so we are unable to run after school clubs on this date. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. Clubs will run as normal for the rest of the term.

Christmas Dates:
Here is a reminder of all our Christmas dates for 2024.
Tuesday 10th December & Wednesday 11th December: R, Y1 and Y2 Nativity Concert (2pm start)
Friday 13th December: Elf Day
Tuesday 17th December: Christmas Parties Day
Wednesday 18th December: Christmas Dinner Day
Thursday 19th December: Whole school Christmas Service at St. Gabriel’s Church (1:30 pm to 2:30 pm). Parents and grandparents are warmly invited to attend. All pupils to be picked up from the church at 2:30 pm.

Have a lovely weekend pawb – wrap up warm.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 8 Tachwedd,

Annwyl parents/carers,

Thank you very much for supporting our British Legion poppy sale. We have sold a large number of items this week which has been amazing. Thank you also to those of you who have sent in your painted plastic poppies. It’s not too late to make one and bring it in for our very special service on Monday! Please can we ask all pupils to wear a poppy to school on Monday too – diolch.

Dydd Gwener 27 Medi:
Annwyl parents/carers,
We have already announced our School Council and Eco-Committee members for this year and we are now in the process of getting our other pupil voice groups up and running. This year we will be giving pupils the opportunity to lead the following areas:

Worship Workers with Miss Bevan
Well-being Warriors with Mrs. Harris
Criw Cymraeg (Welsh language group) with Miss Standen
Digital Leaders with Mr. Barton
Young Writers with Miss Bailey
Sports Ambassadors with Mr. Smith
Librarians with Mrs. Morgan
Heddlu Bach (mini-police) with Mrs. Davies
Junior Road Safety Officers with Mrs. Chambers
Forest School (outdoor learning) with Mrs. Meehan

Each group will play an important role shaping different aspects of school life this academic year. We know they are all going to be fantastic leaders.

Harvest Eucharist Service:
All parents and carers are warmly invited to our Harvest Eucharist Service on Tuesday 1st October. The main gates will open at 10:25 am. Please can we ask for non-perishable food donations e.g. tins, dried pasta, rice etc. to be brought in for the special service on Monday or Tuesday. All items will be donated to a local food bank to help families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis. Diolch yn fawr in advance for your support – we really do appreciate it.

Football Team:
Da iawn to our Y5/6 mixed school football team who competed in the Urdd tournament at Cwmbran Stadium today. They played really well and were unlucky not to get through to the next stage. We are proud of you all.

No dogs on site:
This is a polite reminder that dogs are not allowed in our school grounds for health and safety reasons. Thank you for your cooperation.

E.L.S.A. School:
I am delighted to announce that we are now officially an Emotional Learning Support Assistant or E.L.S.A. network school. We have two fully trained staff who can help support the well-being needs of children at Henllys. Da iawn Mrs. Davies and Mrs. Cook – we know you will do an amazing job!

We hope you find the curriculum overviews for each year group useful and informative. Enjoy the weekend pawb – I am hoping for it to be a little drier than of late!

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 20 Medi,
Annwyl parents/carers,
The children have come up with some lovely ideas for our Autumn Term topic ‘World of Words’. Staff are in the process of finalising their Curriculum Overviews to include ‘pupil voice’ and these will be shared with parents next Friday.

School Council/Eco-Committee Elections:
We will be holding these on Thursday 26th September so it’s not too late for your child to grab application forms from their class teachers. May the best candidates win!

Friends of Henllys P.T.A. logo competition:
Your child will have come home today with a sheet of paper explaining a competition which is being run by the P.T.A. They want to design a new logo so please encourage your children to take part and be creative! The deadline is Friday 18th October so there is plenty of time.

Arrangements for After School Clubs next week:
Thank you for all your registration forms for our after school clubs which start next week. Please note the following pick up arrangements.

Football, Netball & Rugby: Junior Yard
Drama & Mindfulness/Yoga: Infant Yard
Eco/Gardening club: Red door by the turning circle

Please note that parents will have to walk onto site to pick up your children, as the main gates will be closed to cars.

Twilight Sessions:
Please note that we will not be running any clubs on Wednesday 6th November or Wednesday 20th November due to whole staff training.

Attendance:
Unfortunately, we did not hit our targets for attendance last academic year. Our target was 95% (strive for 95+%) and we achieved 94.8%. We also wanted to keep the unauthorised absences to below 1% but this rose to 1.43% due to parents taking their children on holiday during term time. Taking your child out of school during term time means that they miss out on valuable learning experiences. In line with Torfaen’s #notinmissout campaign, we strongly advise you to avoid this and take holidays during school holidays – thank you for your cooperation.

Torfaen Play Survey:
A lot of you used Torfaen Play services during the summer holidays and we also use them to support play during lunch times at Henllys. They have asked us to share a survey link to gauge pupils’ opinions on their services and they would be very grateful if you could complete it with the your children over the next week.

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/o3uu33

Have a lovely weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 13 Medi,
Annwyl parents/carers,
We have had a lovely week once again. The children have really settled well and there has been lots of wonderful learning activities taking place.

Dates for the Diary:
Please find all the dates for the forthcoming academic year for your diaries in the Parents’ Area. We hope you find them useful to plan ahead. I will update the school website in due course but please remember that the dates will not line up correctly if you look at them on your mobile phones. It only lines up correctly on a laptop.

Homework Policy:
Following analysis of your feedback and pupils’ feedback regarding homework, we have updated our homework policy and it will be taken to the next full governors meeting for approval. I have attached both survey results for you to read and thank all those parents who responded. In essence, parents and pupils agree that homework is important and that reading, spelling and maths are essential.
Today, all pupils have been given reading books and pupils in Y3 to Y6 have been given spellings and tables to learn in preparation for tests next Friday. Pupils in R, Y1 and Y2 will be given spellings and/or phonics to learn once we have set up the groups of learners. All we ask of parents is to hear your children read, read to your children and help them learn their weekly phonics, spellings and times tables (in Y3 to Y6).

Contact Details:
Please can you ensure that we have a full list of contacts for your child. We MUST be able to get hold of someone on the list in an emergency. If your contact details need updating, please contact Mrs. Croft in the office. Diolch yn fawr.

Letters about our after school clubs will be sent home on Monday. Enjoy a lovely weekend pawb and see you next week.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 10 Mai,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Huge thank you to all parents and pupils who brought in their Smartie tubes full of money this morning. The P.T.A. will be delighted to count all the money and we will find out soon how much you have raised in total. Da iawn pawb.

Taekwondo Sessions:
We have organised Taekwondo sessions for all pupils on Tuesday 14th May. The children will have around 30 to 40 minutes in the hall with a local Taekwondo provider. Please can ALL pupils wear P.E. kit on this date – thank you.

Walk to School Week:
Monday 20th to Friday 24th May is Walk to School Week so our eco-committee and Junior Road Safety Officers will be launching this during a special Worship on Wednesday 15th May – further details to follow. We will also be providing details about how to cycle safely to school too.

After School Pick Ups:
Please can we ask all parents to avoid coming onto the school yards until the after school clubs are due to end. If you do need to cross the astro or yard to get to your pick up point, please go around the outside and avoid cutting through the middle of any clubs – thank you.

Early Bird/Breakfast Club Registration Forms:
Don’t forget that all children need to be registered to access the Early Bird sessions or our Breakfast Club. All registration forms can be found outside Mrs. Croft’s office.

Pentecost Eucharist Service:
All parents/carers are warmly invited to our Pentecost Eucharist Service which starts at 10.30 am on Tuesday 21st May. Please note that the main gate will open at around 10.20 am.

Recruitment:
Adverts for our deputy headteacher, class teacher and teaching assistant are now all live on Torfaen’s website and on Eteach. Please pass the word around.

Enjoy the lovely weather over the next few days pawb and see you all on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 3 Mai,
Annwyl parents/carers,
We had a very productive training day yesterday, focussing on a Whole School Approach to Emotional and Mental Well-Being. This was our last teacher training day for this academic year. We hope you enjoyed the day too.

Staffing Update:
Huge congratulations to Mrs. Llewellyn who has recently secured a headship at a school in Newport. She has been an outstanding Deputy Headteacher/Acting Headteacher at Henllys for the past 5 years and will be greatly missed.
We will also be saying goodbye to Mrs. Sulway in July as she has decided to explore pastures new. Mrs. Sulway has been an excellent teacher at Henllys for over 16 years and will also be greatly missed.
We will certainly give them a lovely send off over the next few months and it has been an honour and a privilege to work with them both over the past few years. Their dedication and commitment to the whole school community has been second to none.

Recruitment:
We will soon be advertising for a new DHT, class teacher and teaching assistant so please keep an eye out for the adverts and pass the word around.

Thank you to those parents who attended the Year 5 coffee afternoon. We hope you enjoyed it. Well done to those children who went to the hockey festival in Cwmbran Stadium yesterday too. From what I understand, you won every game – da iawn plant.
Enjoy a wonderful bank holiday weekend pawb and see you all on Tuesday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 26 Ebrill:

Annwyl parents/carers,
The children have certainly enjoyed making full use of the field this week – apologies if they have come home with slightly muddy shoes and/or trousers but they are having lots of fun!

Thank you to those parents who attended the Year 6 coffee afternoon – I’m sure you enjoyed it. Don’t forget it is the turn of our Year 5 class next week – Wednesday 1st May at 2.00 pm.

Update from the PTA:
Your children have all been given a Smartie tube today. They may well have eaten the smarties by now but if not, they need to empty the tube and then fill it with 20 pence pieces. Once the tube is full, we ask that all tubes be returned to school to raise funds for the PTA. The deadline for returning the tubes is Friday 10th May. Thank you so much for your support – it really does help the school buy resources and equipment for the children.
Although the school does get a maintenance budget, it is used for much needed repair to the building. For instance this year, we have replaced the three main external doors, repaired the boiler and fixed numerous leaks in the roof. The PTA have kindly agreed to provide funds to repair our pagoda on the lower school yard and also for a picket fence to be built to stop the balls rolling down the bank onto the field on the upper school yard. I know the children will be delighted to hear this! They have also agreed to buy the school a greenhouse! Diolch yn fawr to our hardworking PTA for supporting the school so well – we really do appreciate it.

Tesco tokens:
I am delighted to announce that Tesco have donated £500 to the school, following the blue token appeal. The money is going to be used to develop the gardening areas around our school grounds.

Attendance:
Although our attendance is good, we please ask you to avoid taking children out of school during term time. They really will miss out on the lovely learning activities we have planned for this term.

#notinmissout

Well done to our school netball team for competing so well in the Urdd tournament yesterday – we are very proud of you. Please don’t forget that we have our last teacher training day on Thursday 2nd May so the school will be closed to all pupils. Enjoy the weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 19 Ebrill:
Annwyl parents/carers,
Mr. Jones has been busy mowing the school grounds on ‘Troubles’ this week. We are hoping that the children will be able to go on the field at some point next week, if this dry spell continues.

Summer term dates:
Here is a reminder of some key dates for this term (with some new dates added).
Wednesday 24th April – Y6 coffee afternoon (2.15 pm)
Wednesday 1st May – Y5 coffee afternoon (2.00 pm)
Thursday 2nd May – Teacher training day
Tuesday 21st May – Pentecost Eucharist Service (10.30 am) all welcome to attend.
w/b Monday 10th June – Business/Careers Week
w/b Monday 17th June – Healthy Schools Week
Wednesday 19th June – Sports Day (1.00 pm start)
Monday 1st July – whole school trip to the Bristol Zoo Project.
Wednesday 3rd July – moving up (transition) day.
Wednesday 10th July & Thursday 11th July – Y5/Y6 end of year production (1.45 pm).
Wednesday 17th July – Y6 Leavers’ Assembly (2.00 pm)
Friday 19th July – End of Year Service at St. Gabriel’s (1.30 pm)

During our Business/Careers week we would really welcome any parents/grandparents to come into school to talk to the children about your jobs/careers. If you are interested in coming in, please dojo your child’s class teacher.

Friends of Henllys PTA:
The PTA are running the Smarties Challenge again this year (refer to the poster). Tubes of smarties will be given out to all pupils on Friday 26th April. Once the smarties have been eaten, they would like the empty tube to be filled with 20 pence pieces. All tubes need to be returned to school by Friday 10th May. Diolch yn fawr in advance for your support.
The PTA will also be running the ‘Grow a Pound’ initiative again this year. This will be launched the week before half term – further details to follow.

Curriculum Overviews:
Staff have completed curriculum overviews for our summer term topic ‘Survival of the Fittest’ which have been posted on dojo. We really hope you enjoy finding out what your children will be learning this term.

Thank you to those parents who attended our e-safety parental workshop on Monday afternoon. Please let us know if you would like a copy of the powerpoint that was shared. Enjoy the weekend pawb.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 12 Ebrill:

Annwyl parents/carers,
It was lovely to see the children after the Easter break. It finally feels like spring is in the air at last! Don’t forget that we have changed to our summer school uniform now so the pupils do not have to wear shirts and ties anymore. Polo shirts, skirts/shorts and striped dresses are our summer uniform with black shoes.

After School Clubs:
You should have all had a copy of our after school clubs for the summer term and these will start next week i.e. Monday 15th April. Please note that all children need to be registered prior to starting their chosen clubs so please ensure the forms are sent back as soon as possible.

E-Safety Parental Workshop:
Thank you to those parents who have replied to say they will be attending our workshop. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of keeping your children safe online. There are still spaces to attend the event so please just let us know. It will start at 3.30pm on Monday 15th April in our school hall. Please note that it is NOT suitable for pupils – just parents/carers.

Summer Playscheme:
Henllys will be hosting a summer playscheme over the summer holidays this year. It will run from Monday 29th July to Thursday 22nd August from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm. Further details to follow.

Reception intake for September 2024:
We still have spaces in our Reception class for September 2024 so please can you pass the word around to friends and family. We are more than happy to show anyone around the school so please just ask them to contact the office.

INSET days 2024/25:
Some parents have been asking about our teacher training days for September. I can confirm that we will be having two training days at the start of the term i.e. Monday 2nd September and Tuesday 3rd September. All pupils will return to school on Wednesday 4th September.

Enjoy a weekend of sunshine at last pawb.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Spring Term 2024

Dydd Gwener 22 Mawrth:

Annwyl parents/carers,
We really hope you enjoyed visiting the school for parental consultations this week and were impressed with the progress your children have made. We love the new Learning Journals which we use to promote independent learning and we hope you liked them too.

Policy updates:
We have recently reviewed our Supporting Learner Progress and Assessment Policy so that it falls in line with Curriculum for Wales. A copy of the policy can be found on our school website. We have also amended our Strategic Equality Plan and this has been uploaded onto the school website too. If you have any queries regarding either of the documents, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Feedback from the Parental Questionnaires:
Thank you so much to all parents who completed the questionnaire we gave out in the Autumn Term. We were overwhelmed with such positive comments. Please refer to the attached document for a summary of the results. We really do value your opinions and actions have taken place as a consequence. We have already booked in more school trips this year and a full review of our Homework Policy will take place in the Summer Term. We will be seeking your views and the views of our pupils to help shape homework going forward.

School Prayer Competition:
Our Worship Workers have been busy this term and they would like us to have a new school prayer. They have decided to run a competition for all pupils to write a prayer based on our school (please see the photograph attached). The deadline for all entries is 19th April 2024.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Easter break. May the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ fill your heart with hope and purpose this Easter season.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 15 Mawrth:

Annwyl parents/carers,
Well the pupils certainly entered into the spirit of ‘Funky Friday’ for Comic Relief Day and we loved the weird and wonderful outfits on show today. I am very pleased to announce that the school raised £142.55 for Comic Relief so thank you very much for your support.

Easter Production:
We are hugely proud of our Year 3 & Year 4 pupils who put on such a professional Easter Production this week. The singing and acting was fantastic – thank you for such lovely feedback too.

Open Morning at St. Peter’s Church:
Just a reminder to all parents and pupils of the laying of the Prayer Stones at St. Peter’s Church at 10 am tomorrow morning. We are looking forward to seeing you all there.

Rags to Riches:
Please don’t forget to bring in your bags of clothes first thing on Monday morning (18th March). Members of the PTA will be on hand to count the bags, before they are collected during the morning.

Shadow Holy Week:
We will be undertaking a series of special Worships this week to mark Shadow Holy Week.

Monday 18th March – Palm Sunday.
The children will be given palm crosses to wave around our own cross to remember Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem.
Tuesday 19th March – Turning of the Tables Worship with Rev. Kerl.
Thursday 21st March – Washing of the Feet Service.
Friday 22nd March – Stripping of the Altar Service.

Our Worship Workers would also like the whole school to spend Friday afternoon watching a special film The Prince of Egypt. What a lovely way to end the term!

World Down Syndrome Day:
Please don’t forget to wear odd socks to mark WDSD on Thursday 21st March.

Music Concerts:
Year 6 have already performed Taiko and African drumming for their parents this week – da iawn Year 6. Next week it is the turn of Year 5, Year 2 and Year 1.

Monday 18th March – Year 5 Taiko and African Drumming performance for their parents (2.15 pm start)
Thursday 21st March – Year 1 & Year 2 strings concert for their parents (9:30 am start).

Parental Consultations:
Don’t forget we have parental consultations next week so we will not be running any after school clubs. Please walk through the corridors and take a look at the lovely Eisteddfod work that we have put up on display for everyone to see. All pupils will also have a piece of work on display that they have chosen as part of our Proud Boards.

Thank you to all parents who completed the Talented Register for us. What a broad range of talented children we have at Henllys! Enjoy a lovely weekend break pawb.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 8 Mawrth:
Annwyl parents/carers,
It’s been another busy week! Our Year 3 & Year 4 pupils have been rehearsing for their Easter production, Easter Rock and all pupils have made some amazing Mothering Sunday cards for all you lovely mums out there. I have to say the World Book Day costumes were fantastic yesterday too. Huge thank you for sorting out the costumes and for wrapping the books – what a lovely day!

Friends of Henllys PTA:
Huge thank you to the PTA for helping with the Mothering Sunday Sale this week – we hope you like the presents. You should have received your Rags to Riches bags this week too. Please don’t return the filled bags until Monday 18th March, as we simply don’t have the space to store them I’m afraid.

Open Morning at St. Peter’s Church:
Reverend Kerl has asked me to invite you all to a special open morning at 10.00am on Saturday 16th March at St. Peter’s Church in Henllys. Prayer Stones created by some of our pupils are going to be positioned around the church and she would like as many parents and pupils to be there to see it. Diolch yn fawr in advance for your support.

Parking to pick up from After School Clubs:
We have made the difficult decision to keep our main gates closed to all cars during pick up times for after school clubs. We have had a few near misses this week and also parents blocking the main entrance so staff were unable to leave the site. From now on all parents will need to park on the road and walk to pick up their children from after school clubs. Keeping everyone safe is our absolute priority so I’m sure you understand.
You will have noticed the new yellow zig zag lines outside the main school gates too. Parents are not allowed to park on these lines either. Thank you for your cooperation.

Parents’ Evening:
Your child should have come home with a parents’ evening appointment slot for the week beginning Monday 18th March. Please don’t forget to return the slip to confirm your attendance.

Next week is the last week for after school clubs – there will be no clubs running the week beginning Monday 18th March due to parents’ evening.

Comic Relief Day:
We will be raising money for Comic Relief Day on Friday 15th March by hosting a ‘Funky Friday’ clothes day. Our School Council have decided to invite all pupils to wear whacky, mis-matched clothing – the more weird and wild the better! Children can also adopt weird and wonderful hair styles too – but no hair dye please. We ask for a donation of £1 per pupil for Comic Relief.

World Down Syndrome Day:
WDSD takes place on Thursday 21st March this year. The theme is to end stereotypes and to celebrate the individuality of every person who has Down’s syndrome. We would like all pupils to wear odd socks on this day to raise awareness and to represent the extra chromosome that some people with Down syndrome have. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Enjoy a lovely weekend break, and I hope all the mums out there get truly spoilt on Mothering Sunday. I also hope Wales beat France, which would certainly make my day!

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 1 Mawrth:
Dear parents/carers,
What a fantastic day and huge congratulations to St. Gabriel’s and St. Mary’s on their win! All the photographs of our Eisteddfod have been posted on the School Story page so please check it out.

PTA update:
Your children will all be given a Rags to Riches plastic bag on Monday 4th March to take home and fill with unwanted clothes etc. Diolch yn fawr Emily (Reception) and Annabel (Year 2) for sorting them out for us. All filled bags need to be brought back into school on Monday 18th March (not before this date) please.
Mothering Sunday presents will be on sale on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th March so don’t forget to send in some money on these dates.

World Book Day:
Just a reminder that it is World Book Day on Thursday 7th March. Please encourage your child to dress up as a character from one of their favourite books. If they don’t want to dress up as a character from a book then they will need to wear school uniform, as this is not a non-school uniform day. Don’t forget to get them to bring in a wrapped book with clues on the back too.

Enjoy a lovely first weekend of ‘spring’ pawb.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 23 Chwefror
Annwyl parents/carers,
We have a busy half term coming up, especially as there are only 4 weeks before the Easter holidays! As a Church School the build up to Easter is a very special time for us at Henllys. Before I outline everything we have planned, can I just remind parents that there is Sunday School at the Worship Centre (our school hall) every week starting at 9:15am to which parents and children are warmly invited to. Please refer to the next post for further details.

Eucharist Service:
All parents/carers are invited to our St. David’s Eucharist Service on Tuesday 27th February. The main gates will open at 10:20 for a 10:30 start.

School Eisteddfod:
We are really looking forward to celebrating St. David’s day on Friday 1st March. Children are invited to wear traditional Welsh costumes or Welsh rugby/football shirts etc. on this special day. If your child is competing in the music competitions (open to any pupils who are learning to play an instrument both in school or at home), please can you ask them to practice at home and to bring in their instruments and music on Friday too.
It’s not too late to enter the Bardic poetry writing competition or to make a Welsh craft too – all entries need to be brought into school on Monday 26th February at the latest.

Easter Production:
Year 3 & Year 4 will be performing a very special Easter production on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th March. Parents will receive all the details in due course but can attend either performance.

Mothering Sunday Sale:
The PTA will be running a Mothering Sunday sale during lunchtime on Tuesday 5th March and Wednesday 6th March. Gifts vary in price from £1 to £3.

Huge thank you to the PTA for organising the disco this week too – the children really enjoyed it!

World Book Day:
Pupils are invited to come to school dressed as a character from one of their favourite books on Thursday 7th March. Please note this is NOT a non-school uniform or PE kit day! We would like all pupils to also bring their favourite book into school, wrapped up (like a present) with clues as to the title of the book on the back. We then invite other children in the class to guess the book from the clues.

Talented Register:
It’s also not too late to complete the form below to let us know about your child’s talents:

https://forms.office.com/e/1XHcijDNQX

Please complete it by Monday 26th February at the latest – thank you.

Enjoy the rugby over the weekend pawb and let’s hope for a Welsh win (but we are up against it!!).

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 9 Chwefror

Annwyl parents/carers,
The weather hasn’t been very kind to us lately so apologies if your children come home with muddy shoes and school uniform. We do try to get them out as much as possible but the yards are rather wet and muddy at present. Let’s hope it brightens up a little for the half term week.

Friends of Henllys PTA:
The PTA will be running a Valentine’s disco on Wednesday 21st February. Pupils in R, Y1 and Y2 are invited to wear their disco clothes into school. Their disco will finish at 4:15 with the usual pick up arrangements. Pupils in Y3 to Y6 will come back to school in their disco clothes for a 4:30 start and their disco will finish at 5:30. All pupils will need to be picked up by an adult at the end of the disco.
Entrance to the disco is £2 per pupil (which includes a drink and crisps) and there will be a selection of toys on sale ranging from 20p to £1.

The PTA are also organising another ‘Rags to Riches’ collection. They would like parents to have a good sort out of unwanted clothes and bring them into school on Monday 18th March. A company will then collect them and the school will receive a donation based on the weight of the clothes donated. Please can we ask you not to bring in bags of clothes before this date due to the limited storage we have in school. Diolch yn fawr to all PTA members and parents for your ongoing support.

NSPCC Workshops:
The workshops in Y2, Y5 and Y6 were a huge success and very beneficial to our learners. The volunteers stated that the children were the best they had ever worked with and that it was an absolute pleasure to visit Henllys!

Talented Register:
At Henllys, we would like to update our Talented register. Every Friday we celebrate the children’s achievements and successes outside school and we would like to keep updated concerning new achievements and progress in a range of talents. These can be musical, sporting or leadership roles such as being a involved in Cadets for example.
Please could you fill out the following form, adding the child/rens name, year group and also the talent. Please note that we are creating a register based at Academy club level, Grade 1 and above in music and advanced leadership roles.

https://forms.office.com/e/1XHcijDNQX

We would be grateful if you could complete the form by Monday 26th February at the latest – thank you.

Strings Concert:
Our Year 1 and Year 2 classes have been busy taking part in the strings project this term. We would like to welcome all parents of pupils in these two classes to a special concert at 9:30 am on Thursday 21st March – I have to say you are in for a treat!

Year 5 and Year 6 have also been learning Taiko and African drumming and we are hoping to organise a concert for these year groups too so watch this space.

Letters have been sent home about our St. David’s Eucharist Service today and about our Eisteddfod competitions in preparation for Friday 1st March so please check your children’s bags.

Have a lovely half term break pawb and we look forward to welcoming all pupils back to school on Tuesday 20th February.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 2 Chwefror
Annwyl parents/carers,
This term seems to be flying by and I cannot believe it’s half term soon. Don’t forget we break up on Friday 9th February and that Monday 19th February is a teacher training day (no pupils in school).

PTA survey:
Mr. Barton kindly posted a survey on dojo this week. Thank you to all parents who have already completed it. We would be very grateful if more of you could spare the time to complete it by the end of half term. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

E-Safety Parental Workshop:
In an ever changing world, we feel it is really important to provide you with up to date information regarding how to keep your children safe online. We will be hosting a parental workshop on Monday 15th April at 3:30 in our school. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Use of dojo:
This is a polite reminder to only contact staff via dojo between 8 am and 6 pm on weekdays only. We are having an increasing number of messages in the evenings and over the weekend. It’s really important that staff have this time to spend with their own families – I’m sure you understand and thank you for your cooperation.

We look forward to welcoming Year 1 parents to your coffee afternoon on Wednesday. Please note the main gate will be open just before 2pm.

Enjoy a lovely weekend break and let’s hope for a good start to our Six Nations campaign .

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 26 Ionawr,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Your child should have come home today with a letter explaining the NSPCC Speak Safe Stay Safe programme. We will be launching the programme in a special assembly on Monday 29th January and then the NSPCC will be undertaking workshops in Y6, Y5 and Y2 on February 8th. This is to coincide with Children’s Mental Health Week which starts the week beginning 5th February. For further information, please visit the site below:

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/speak-out-stay-safe

Parking:
Unfortunately, I had a phone call from the police this week regarding parking on the roads around the school. It appears that some parents are illegally parking on verges and blocking dipped kerbs (ramps for pushchairs etc.) The problem is particularly bad around the entrance to Primrose Court. The school is working with the local authority and the police to stop this irresponsible and dangerous parking. I have also been advised that the council are going to be coming out to issue tickets in the near future.

Jewellery:
This is a polite reminder that pupils are not allowed to wear jewellery to school for their own safety. We understand the need to wear earrings for recently pierced ears, but can we ask that children only wear small stud earrings. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Y5/Y6 Sports Ambassadors:
Da iawn to our Sports Ambassadors who attended a special leadership course at Pontypool Leisure Centre today. They worked with children across the cluster designing games for pupils to play during break and lunch times. They came up with some super suggestions and represented Henllys very well.

Enjoy a lovely weekend break pawb.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 19 Ionawr,
Annwyl parents/carers,
We have had some beautiful, cold crisp mornings this week and the views from the school have been fantastic (photographs to follow).

Scooters on site:
Please can we ask all parents not to allow your children to scooter/cycle on site. We really don’t want any accidents, especially when the yards can get busy at pick up and drop off times.

Parking:
Once again, please can parents not park outside the main gates or drop their children off by blocking the entrance to the school. It causes such an issue for staff entering the school and gets in the way of the minibuses. Thank you for your cooperation.

Curriculum Overviews:
We have shared the curriculum overviews for this term’s topic which is ‘The World is a Stage’ with you via dojo today. The children are certainly enthused by the topic so I hope you are too.

Friends of Henllys PTA:
The PTA have kindly organised a Valentine’s disco for Wednesday 21st February. Timings are as follows:

R, Y1 & Y2 – 3:15 to 4:15
Y3-Y6 – 4:30 to 5:30
Further details to follow.

Fruit Tuck:
As part of our Healthy Schools Phase 6 Award, we only allow pupils to bring fresh fruit or vegetables into school as a break time snack. We would be very grateful if you can avoid sending in fruit winders, cereal bars etc. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Enjoy a lovely weekend and see you on Monday.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 12 Ionawr,
Annwyl parents/carers,
What a lovely treat for the pupils on Wednesday afternoon watching Chaplin’s pantomime performance of Cinderella. The pupils (and staff) certainly enjoyed it! It was also a fitting way to launch our Spring Term topic – The World is a Stage. Curriculum overviews will be shared with you next week to give you some idea as to what the children will be learning about this term.

Adverse Weather:
It is very cold at present so please can you ensure you provide your children with warm coats, hats, scarves and gloves for the foreseeable future. Also we would be very grateful if these were clearly labelled. It is not clear what the weather will be like next week but in the event that the school has to close due to snow, you will be informed at the earliest possible time via dojo.

School Uniform:
Once again can you please ensure that your children are wearing our winter school uniform – including a school tie. These can be purchased from Pretty Miss in Cwmbran. Thank you for your support regarding this.

After School Clubs:
You should have all received a letter about the clubs we have on offer for this term. All children will need to be registered before they attend any clubs, so please ensure you return the letters as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to welcoming all Year 3 parents/carers to our coffee afternoon next Wednesday i.e. 17th January at 2pm. Please note that only the main gates will be open.

Wrap up warm pawb and see you on Monday.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Autumn Term 2023

Dydd Gwener 15 Rhagfyr 2023,

Annwyl parents/carers,
Huge congratulations and well done to our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils for putting on fantastic performances of our Nativity play ‘Baarmy Bethlehem’ this week. It really was a lovely show and you sang, danced, narrated and acted your hearts out. We are very proud of every single one of you. Thank you so much to all parents/carers and grandparents etc. for your support too. We really appreciated your very kind messages telling us how much you enjoyed the show too.

PTA Elf Day:
This has been a huge success again this year so diolch yn fawr to everyone for your support. The children looked amazing in their array of elf costumes and Christmas colours. We were hoping to announce the winners of the ‘Guess the Elf’ competition today but Santa has only just had all the entries. He has promised to let us know who the winners are on Monday so watch this space.
In total we have raised £194.50 for our PTA which we are very grateful for.
The PTA are kindly paying for all the Christmas party food for the children next week and they are buying the oranges for our Christingles too. The PTA are also paying for the Cinderella Pantomime treat for all pupils on Wednesday 10th January. On behalf of all the staff and pupils at Henllys – THANK YOU SO MUCH Friends of Henllys PTA for all your hard work and support.

A reminder of dates for next week:
Christmas Parties Day – Tuesday 19th December (party clothes to be worn to school).
Christmas Dinner Day – Wednesday 20th December (Christmas jumpers to be worn).
Christmas Service at St. Gabriel’s Church – Thursday 21st December (full school uniform). Please note all parents are welcome (1:30 start) and all pupils will need to be picked up from the church at 2:30.

*Don’t forget that there is only the ONE option for dinner on Wednesday 20th December (no cold salad option) so if your child does not want the Christmas dinner, you will need to provide them with a home packed lunch.

Tesco Blue Tokens:
Please remember to vote for the school, when you visit any nearby Tesco store. I’ve been told that we are featured in Tesco in Greenmeadow, Malpas and Spytty now.

There will be no After School Clubs running next week so all pupils will need to picked up at 3:15 (except for on Thursday when it’s 2:30 from St. Gabriel’s).

Have a lovely ‘Christmassy’ weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 8 Rhagfyr 2023,

Annwyl parents/carers,
It’s beginning to look a LOT like Christmas at Henllys now. Our decorations are up, our rehearsals for the Nativity concert are going well and pupils are already designing and creating their cards and calendars.

Nativity Concerts:
All tickets that have been paid for have been sent home with your children this week. We couldn’t give out any spare tickets until all parents had ordered and paid for the first round of tickets I’m afraid, hence the delay in releasing any spares. We have got a few spare tickets for Thursday’s concert so please contact Mrs. Croft, if you would like anymore tickets for this performance.
There will be programmes and raffle tickets on sale at the start of each performance so please remember to bring money if you would like to purchase these. The main pedestrian gate will open at 1.45 pm for both performances. You are definitely in for a treat!

Elf Day:
Just a reminder that it’s our PTA Elf Day on Friday 15th December. All pupils are invited to come to school dressed as elves or in Christmas colours. The PTA have asked for a donation of £1 per pupil. They will also be running a ‘Guess the Name of the Elf’ competition which will cost 50p per entry. Winners of the elf in each class will be announced on the day.

Other Christmas Dates:
Christmas Parties Day – Tuesday 19th December (party clothes).
Christmas Dinner Day – Wednesday 20th December (Christmas jumpers).
Christmas Service at St. Gabriel’s Church – Thursday 21st December (full school uniform). Please note all parents are welcome (1:30 start) and all pupils will need to be picked up from the church at 2:30.

Start/Finish Times:
This is a polite reminder that school starts at 8:50 and finishes at 3:15. We seem to be getting a stream of children who are arriving late for school and parents who are also arriving late for picking up. We totally understand if you get stuck in traffic etc. as this cannot be helped, but please try to stick to our start and finish times – diolch yn fawr pawb.

Sickness Bug:
We are really trying to avoid any sickness spreading through the school. If your child is sick at home or in school, please can you keep them at home for 48 hours after the last time they were sick. This policy is in place to avoid the sickness bug being passed on to other pupils or staff – thank you.

Staffing Update:
We are very sad to announce that we have two staff members leaving us at the end of this term.
Mrs. Gunningham has decided to retire after sixteen very happy years at Henllys. She has worked tirelessly to support the wellbeing and progress of a large number of pupils over the years and will be a great loss to the school. I am sure you will join me in wishing Mrs. Gunningham a very long and happy retirement. She will definitely be popping in to see us and I know she will always receive a lovely warm welcome from both staff and pupils.
Miss Needle is also leaving us, as she has secured a full-time post in a school in a neighbouring local authority. Miss Needle joined Henllys in September 2019 and has worked in Reception and Year 1, as well as being our Expressive Arts lead. Miss Needle has been an asset to the school and will also be greatly missed. We wish her all the very best in her new post – she will be amazing.
We are delighted to inform you that Mrs. Henson will be taking over the Reception class on a full-time basis after Christmas. This ensures that there will be no disruption to the class, as all pupils and parents are already very familiar with Mrs. Henson. Mrs. Henson will start full time on Monday 8th January 2024 and we are confident that this staffing change will be a very smooth transition.

Enjoy a weekend of festive fun pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 1 Rhagfyr 2023,

Annwyl parents/carers,
It is officially the start of Advent so our advent candles and calendars are out. It is such a special time of year in a faith school and we have such a lot to celebrate over the next three weeks.

Tickets for the Nativity Concert:
Letters have been sent home to parents of pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Please complete the slip with your ticket choices (3 per family) and return them to school at your earliest convenience. All tickets will need to be paid for via Civica Pay under shop items – Nativity tickets.

Governors’ Annual Report to Parents 2022/23:
The governors’ report to parents is always shared with you at this time of year. A copy of the report can be found in the Parents’ Area of this website but if you would like a colour printed copy, please just send me a dojo message.

Colorfoto Orders:
Please don’t forget to order your school photographs. If you need the access code again, please just contact Mrs. Croft in the office. If you order by December 10th, the photos will be delivered to school free of charge and in time for Christmas.

Road Safety Awareness Poetry Competition Winners:
I am delighted to announce the following winners.

Reception – Orla
Year 1/Year 2 – Isaac
Year 3/Year 4 – Lara
Year 5/Year 6 – Aria

Llongyfarchadau pawb and diolch yn fawr to everyone who entered the competition.

Brass Lessons:
We have started brass lessons in school which are going really well. We do have two cornets, a euphonium and a French horn in school which pupils are welcome to use if they are interested in starting lessons. The brass teacher is also willing to do group lessons which are a little cheaper. Please contact Sarah on 07963 181582 or sarahwbetty@gmail.com if you are interested.

Wrap up warm over the weekend pawb and enjoy the start of the festive season.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 24 Tachwedd 2023,

Annwyl parents/carers,
Well it is beginning to look (and sound) a bit like Christmas at Henllys, with the start of rehearsals for our Nativity Concert. Letters and tickets will be sent out in due course. It’s not too late to donate any old costumes you may have buried in the back of wardrobes.

School Uniform:
Just a polite reminder that all pupils should be wearing ties to school and black shoes (not trainers) every day except for on their P.E. day. On P.E. days, pupils should wear their house t-shirts and school jumpers or cardigans with black tracksuit bottoms/leggings please. Thank you for your cooperation.

Attendance:
As you are fully aware, attendance is really important. This year we have set a target of 95.1% with unauthorised absences to be reduced to below 1%. This is in line with the local authority target of strive for 95+ and their #notinmissout initiative. We understand that children become unwell, particularly at this time of year, but once again can we please ask you to avoid taking your children out of school for family holidays during term time. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Competition Winners:
Huge congratulations to the pupils whose climate change art work has been chosen to go on display in Llandaff Cathedral. We have also been informed that some pupils’ work has been selected to go on display in the Houses of Parliament in London too – how amazing is this! Miss Needle will post the competition winners and details in due course. Da iawn plant.
Llongyfarchiadau to Martha in Blwyddyn 2 who has been shortlisted for Torfaen Play’s Christmas Card competition. There were over 500 entrants so Martha has done really well.

School Rugby Team:
Da iawn to our rugby players who competed in the Pontypool Schools District Rugby tournament today. They did so well, especially as we had players from our Year 4 class in the team. We are very proud of you all.

Have a lovely weekend pawb. I wonder how many of you will be Christmas shopping or putting your Christmas decorations up this weekend – enjoy!

Kind regards,

Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 17 Tachwedd 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
It was lovely to see all the children dressed up for Children in Need Day today. We raised a total of £167.90 which is a really good effort. Diolch yn fawr for all your contributions.

Friends of Henllys PTA:
Huge thank you to parents and staff who helped run the light disco on Monday evening. It was a great success and very well attended.
The PTA have also booked a very special treat for all pupils in January as well. They have managed to get a fantastic pantomime company to come into Henllys to perform ‘Cinderella’ on Wednesday January 10th 2024. How lovely that the children have got something to look forward to after Christmas! Thank you SO much for all your support once again.
Last call for tickets to Bath Christmas Market on Sunday 3rd December too – please contact the PTA via the following e-mail address to book your place.

friendsofhenllyspta@gmail.com

Christmas Dates:
Nativity Concert (R, Y1 & Y2) – Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th December.
Elf Day – Friday 15th December (elf costumes or Christmas colours to be worn).
Christmas Parties Day – Tuesday 19th December (party clothes).
Christmas Dinner Day – Wednesday 20th December (Christmas jumpers).
Christmas Service at St. Gabriel’s Church – Thursday 21st December (full school uniform). Please note all parents are welcome (1:30 start) and all pupils will need to be picked up from the church at 2:30.

There is also a Ministry Advent Service at St. Gabriel’s Church on Sunday 3rd December at 11:00 which all parents and pupils are welcome to attend.

Our Eco-club would like to recycle any old nativity costumes you may have at home for this year’s nativity which is called Baarmy Bethlehem. If you want to donate your old costumes, please send them into school at your earliest convenience – thank you so much.

PDG Grant:
Every year, schools have to publish their Pupil Deprivation Grant Plan in accordance with Welsh Government requirements. The grant is awarded to schools based on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals. Our PDG plan can be found on our website or by clicking on the link below:

https://www.henllyschurchinwalesschool.co.uk/about-us/school-policies/

Although ALL primary aged pupils in Torfaen now receive free school meals, please visit the link below which details how you can apply for a School Essentials Grant. If you think you are eligible for this grant, please let us know by contacting Mrs. Croft in the office.

https://www.gov.wales/get-help-school-costs

Reading Books:
We have recently purchased over 200 brand new Oxford Reading Tree books for our ‘Junior’ pupils. The school has spent nearly £1500 replacing books that have been either damaged or not returned to school. Please, please can I ask all parents and pupils to look after these books and return them to school once they have been read. We really value the importance of reading at home but must ensure these books are looked after and respected.

Enjoy the weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 10 Tachwedd 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Huge diolch yn fawr for your support with our Poppy Appeal this week. We don’t know how much money we have raised yet but most of the merchandise and poppies were sold. Thank you to our School Council for running the appeal so well. I had the privilege of watching Eadie in Year 5 have 16 inches cut off her hair yesterday evening too. Her hair has been donated to the Princess Trust and will be made into a wig for children who are having cancer treatment. Once again, thank you to the generosity of parents and pupils at Henllys, Eadie has raised over £500 for the Shine Bright Support charity. Da iawn Eadie – we are so proud of you.

Odd Socks Day/Anti-Bullying Week:
To launch the start of Anti-Bullying Week, we would like all pupils to wear odd socks to school on Monday 13th November. Odd Socks Day is an annual event that encourages people to wear mismatched socks as a way of celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion. It is a light-hearted and symbolic gesture that serves as a reminder that being different is something to be proud of. Pupils are encouraged to embrace their individuality and support others in doing the same. Children will also be taking part in surveys and other activities linked to anti-bullying throughout the week.

P.T.A. Light Disco:
The Friends of Henllys P.T.A. are running a light disco on Monday 13th November too. All pupils will need to pay an entrance fee of £2.00 which includes a drink and some crisps. There will also be a selection of ‘light’ items for sale ranging from 10p to £1.00.
R, Y1 and Y2 pupils can come into school in their disco clothes (including odd socks) as their disco will run from 3.15 pm to 4.15 pm. All pupils will need to be picked up at 4.15 pm from their usual pick up points.
Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 pupils will need to wear school uniform (including odd socks) to school. They will need to be picked up as normal at 3.15 pm before returning to school for their disco which will run from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Please bring the pupils to the main reception entrance at 4.30 pm. Once again, ALL junior pupils will need to be picked up at 5.30 pm. They will be dismissed from the external exits in each of their classrooms.

Please note there will be NO after school clubs on Monday 13th November due to the disco.

*Also please note that the P.T.A. trip to Bath Christmas Market is on Sunday 3rd December.

Children in Need Day:
School Council have decided that they would like all children to come to school dressed from head to toe in their ONE favourite colour on Friday 17th November (except for black). They want to create a rainbow of colour on this special day. We ask for all pupils to bring £1.00 to school in support of Children in Need. Diolch yn fawr in advance for your support.

Christmas Dinner Day:
I know it seems early to be asking, but the catering team need to order food for our Christmas Dinner Day which is on Wednesday 20th December. There will only be the option of having a cooked Christmas dinner on this date (no cold option). If your child does NOT want Christmas Dinner on this date, can you please send a message to their class teachers by Friday 17th November at the latest. If we don’t receive a message from you, we will assume that your child wants a cooked dinner and will order food accordingly. Please note that you will need to provide them with a packed lunch on this date if they don’t want the hot dinner option.

Well that’s it for this week. Enjoy the weekend pawb and see you on Monday.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Iau 26 Hydref 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
It has been lovely to welcome all parents to Henllys for parental consultations this week. We hope you enjoyed looking through your children’s work and were pleased with the progress they have made. Thank you so much to everyone who visited our Book Fayre. We have sold over £1100 worth of books and will let you know how much commission the school will receive in due course.

Show Racism the Red Card Winners:
We were overwhelmed by the quality of posters the children designed last Friday and it was very difficult to choose the winners but here goes:

Reception – Norbert
Year 1 – Olive
Year 2 – Ashleigh and Huw
Year 3 – Skyla
Year 4 – Lara
Year 5 – Sophia
Year 6 – Jessica J.

Their posters (see the photo above) will now be put up around the school to remind us of this very important message.

Staffing Update:
Mrs. Ceri-Ann Jones has stepped down as our Senior Midday Supervisor and today was her last day at Henllys. Mrs. Jones has been actively involved with the school for over ten years – firstly as a volunteer and then as a midday supervisor for the past five years. We will all really miss her and wish her all the very best in the future.

EFL Football Tournament:
Thank you to the nine Y5 and Y6 pupils who represented Henllys in the EFL football tournament in Cwmbran Stadium today. The standard was very high but we are very proud of the way you never gave up.

Open Afternoon:
We will be hosting an Open Afternoon for all prospective parents and their children on Wednesday 15th November at Henllys from 2.00pm until 3.30pm. Everyone with pre-school children is welcome to attend. Please can everyone share the attached poster on social media so that we reach as many parents as possible – diolch yn fawr pawb.

Reminder of Dates:
Week beginning 6th November – after school clubs resume
Wednesday 8th November – Y2 coffee afternoon (2pm)
Friday 10th November – Colorfoto individual photographs
Monday 13th November – P.T.A. Light Disco

Have a wonderful half term break pawb and we welcome all pupils back to school on Monday 6th November.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 20 Hydref 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Thank you so much for dressing your children in red today. Showing our support for ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ is really important to us. All pupils will have experienced an ‘age appropriate’ lesson linked to anti-racism today and the posters they have designed are of a very high standard. I will dojo the winners next week, as not all pupils completed them today.

Parental Consultations:
You should now have received the times and dates for your consultations next week. The children have been working so hard, we hope you enjoy looking through their books. We have quite a few cakes left over from last week, so we will put these outside the classrooms for you and your children to have – please help yourselves.

Book Fayre:
There will be a large display of books that will be on sale in the hall from 3.15 pm until 6.00 pm Monday to Thursday next week. Please feel free to take your children into the hall on ANY evening to see if they want to purchase anything. There will be a card reader available so we can take cash or card payments. Thank you in advance for your support, as we do get a 40% commission on sales over £400.

School Uniform:
We have a small collection of pre-loved school uniform which will also be on display in the hall. All parents are welcome to help yourselves to anything of use.

Update from the Governing Body:
Following our AGM meeting, Mrs. Fran English has been appointed as our new Chair of Governors and Mrs. Claire Watkins is now our vice-chair. Rev. Elizabeth Kerl will continue to be a very active member of our Governing Body. Mrs. Ceri-Ann Jones and Mrs. Jean Geary are both stepping down due to other commitments. We thank them both for all their hard work and support over the past two years.

Safeguarding Policy:
Our annual safeguarding policy has been reviewed and formally adopted by our GB. A full copy of it can be found on our school website.

INSET Day:
Please note that Friday 27th October is a teacher training day so pupils will break up for half term on Thursday 26th October.

Well I have just got over the disappointment of Wales being knocked out of the Rugby World Cup. Da iawn to our Welsh Football Team on a good win against Croatia last weekend. Enjoy the weekend pawb – don’t get too wet!

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 13 Hydref 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Diolch yn fawr to all parents and guardians who came to our Welsh afternoon today. We really hope you enjoyed learning Welsh with our Criw Cymraeg and Miss Standen. We were overwhelmed by the support and very much appreciated you coming. Huge thank you for all the cake donations and money too. We raised just under £240 in total which will be used to purchase Welsh resources. What a fantastic Shwmae Su’mae day!

Parental Consultations:
Letters will be sent home early next week with times for your parental consultations, which are due to start the week beginning Monday 23rd October. Please note that there will be no after school clubs that week.

Book Fayre:
We will be hosting a Book Fayre in our school hall on Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th, Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th October to coincide with parental consultations week. Please pop into the hall on any evening to see the broad range of books that will be on sale.

Flu Immunisation:
If you haven’t done so already, please register your child for the nasal flu vaccine which is taking place on Wednesday 18th October. Here is the link again:

https://forms.office.com/e/eyggpck0Kf

Show Racism the Red Card:
All pupils are asked to wear RED to school on Friday 20th October in support of Show Racism the Red Card. Wearing red on this day is a celebration of anti-racism. Every heart and every mind that we change can change at least one life – Change Hearts. Change Minds. Change Lives. The children will be taking part in different activities such as quizzes and will be given the opportunity to design a ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ poster. The winning posters will then be proudly displayed around the school. We do not want the children to bring in any money for this event but if parents want to support the Show Racism the Red Card Charity, you can text ‘RED’ to 70470 to donate £1.

Enjoy the weekend pawb. We will all be glued to the television at 16:00 tomorrow afternoon. Come on Wales!!

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto

Dydd Gwener 6 Hydref 2023,
Annwyl parents/carers,
Hopefully, you will have all received the Christmas Card Design templates which have been sent out this week. Please can all designs be completed and brought back into school by Thursday 12th October at the latest. I’m sure the children will really enjoy being creative in their designs and we look forward to seeing them when they are brought back in.

Family Information Service:
I was contacting this week be a representative from Torfaen’s Family Information Service. They asked me to signpost their website which details lots of help and support for parents with things like childcare, Early Years support and information about Torfaen Play Scheme. All the information can be found by clicking on the link below:

https://torfaenfis.org.uk/

Tesco in Spytty:
We are delighted to let you know that we have a ‘live’ application to the Tesco Stronger Starts scheme. We successfully put in a bid for an outdoor learning project. This has been put forward to a customer vote in the Tesco store in Spytty. Voting has started and will be in store until mid January 2024. Please can you ask friends/family who live or work in Newport to look out for the voting box and put as many blue tokens in as possible. The winners will be given £1500 towards their project, second place are given £1000 and third place get £500. We really want to continue developing our outside areas and this money will be invaluable.

Shwmae Su’mae Day:
In traditional Henllys style, we will be celebrating Shwmae Su’mae Day again this year on Friday 13th October. Shwmae Sumae Day is a day marked each year in Wales to celebrate and promote the Welsh language. We would like all pupils to come to school dressed in red, white and green or in Welsh tops on this day. We would also like pupils to bring in cakes, which will be on sale throughout the day. We ask that children also bring in 50p in order to buy the cakes that are on sale.

All parents are cordially invited to come into school at 2pm to take part in Welsh games and activities too. This will be an opportunity for you to learn some Welsh and have fun. There will also be cakes on sale in the hall during the afternoon.

All money raised will go towards purchasing Welsh resources for the school. Please note that only the main gate will be open for this event and we will open it at 1:55 pm.

Have a lovely sunny weekend pawb and see you on Monday.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Philippa Minto