Weekly Class Attendance Results

Newsletter Summer Term Final Issue

New Term

Our Year 1- Year 6 pupils return to school on Monday 2^nd September. Please note that our Nursery and Reception pupils have all been given their return/start dates separately.

Training Days

There are five training days to be taken during the 2019-20 academic year. The dates we have allocated for these are:

Thursday 24^th October 2019

Friday 25^th October 2019

Monday 4^th November 2019

Monday 1^st June 2020

Monday 20^th July 2020

Music Experience Days

We have been able to provide our pupils with a Music Experience day using the funds raised at our two Music concerts held earlier this term. All of our pupils from Reception up to Year 6 enjoyed Celtic Band workshops delivered by Mr Stewart. This was a great day enjoyed by all!

Visiting Author

A big thank you to Mr Mike Robinson, one of our Dads, who has written his first children's book 'Ely the Elephant' for coming to school to share this and work with our Foundation Phase pupils.

Good byes

Very sadly we will be saying goodbye to some of our members of staff who will be leaving us at the end of this academic year, our midday supervisors Mrs Williams and Mrs Wall and Miss Morgan who has stepped in whilst Mr Moses has been off school. We wish then all well and good luck for the future as they all embark on their new adventures!

Signing in and out system

Over the Summer Holidays we will be having a new electronic signing in and out system installed for visitors, late arrivals, signing in and out for appointments. We require all pupils to be accompanied by an adult to the main office to enable them to sign in for their child.

School Uniform

Our uniform is white t-shirt/shirt/blouse, red sweatshirt/jumper/cardigan and grey trousers / skirt. Please note that for safety reasons sensible footwear should be worn. We have noticed that a number of pupils are wearing hooded tops / jackets to school that are not school uniform colours. Our main school uniform colour is red and we would expect pupils to wear jumpers / sweatshirts / fleece jackets / hooded top / jackets that are red. Could we please ask that when you are purchasing new uniform ready for September that you adhere to this as from September we will be asking pupils who wear the wrong colour jumpers / sweatshirts / fleece jackets / hooded top / jackets to leave these in the cloakroom areas. Many thanks for your support with this matter.

Stationery Items

I would like to request that pupils do not bring in stationery items from home. We provide all the stationery that your son / daughter need for use in school. Pupils often bring in pencil cases with numerous items within them, these take up a lot of space on pupil tables and pupils get very upset when items get lost or broken. I appreciate your cooperation with this matter.

Personal Items.

May I remind parents that any personal items brought into school are at a pupil’s own risk we do not take responsibility for any items that may get lost or broken. We prefer that such items are not brought to school. Please note that we do not allow pupils to bring mobile phones or other electronic devices to school.

Meet the Teacher

We normally hold a parental engagement event during the summer term for parents to meet their child’s new teacher. Unfortunately we have not been able to hold that event this year due to staff absence. Instead we will be holding this event at the beginning of the Autumn term on Wednesday 11^th September from 3.15-4.15pm. Hope you will be able to join us.

Parents Evening Dates

Just to give you some advanced notice that we have set our Parents Evening dates for the Autumn term as Tuesday 8^th October and Wednesday 9^th October. Further details will follow in September.

ICT

During the summer holidays we are having 30 Chromebooks installed and some of our existing laptops upgraded. A big thank you to our PSA for helping us to fund this project.

Enterprise Fayre

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our first ‘Enterprise Fayre’. This was a new experience for us with our pupils organising their own stall / events. I know that the pupils involved really enjoyed the experience and we thank our PSA for partnering with us for this event to raise money for the school. Each class have made their own money to spend on items for them to use in school with the winning class being awarded the Enterprise winner’s trophy for the most profit made per head.

I know that many of our pupils will have been inspired to aim for even greater things next year!

P.S.A.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped on stalls, the BBQ and behind the scenes for the summer ‘Enterprise' fayre. Everyone had a great afternoon. Special thanks to Emma Pickwell and her employers 3663 for supplying the food for the BBQ & to Vivian Baldwin of Zeus Handling UK limited for the refreshments. Also to S&R Whistance, Wye Valley Studios and all those who donated raffle prizes, decorated pots and gave bottle donations. All this helped to raise a fantastic PSA profit of around £1,100  - Well done everyone!

A huge thank you to our PSA for all their hard work as they continue to raise funds for the school. Our PSA had been fundraising to help us install a daily mile track however, due to the huge cost (around £16,000), we have decided to forgo this project. The PSA have instead provided funding to help us purchase a set if 30 Chrome books and are providing funds to help us set up a new art room for the pupils to use with Miss Ley.

The P.S.A. are always looking for extra help and support so if you are able to help out please let a committee member know! The next meeting will be the AGM which will be held at the beginning of the Autumn term.

Term Dates for 2019-2020

Plus May bank holiday on Friday 8^th May 2020.

Finally I would like to take this opportunity to wish our leavers all the best in their new school. They have been a credit to us here at Durand and we are very proud of them. GOOD LUCK!

Thank you for your support this year and I hope everyone has a very enjoyable summer break and I look forward to seeing you all again in September.

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

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Drama News

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Challenge Time

Challenge Time

Foundation Phase Author Visit

Monday 1^st July 2019

 Dear Parents/Annwyl Rhieni,

 Foundation Phase Author visit

One of our Year 6 parents, Mr Mike Robinson, has started to write children’s books. His first book ‘Ely the Elephant’ has now been published and he has offered to come in to school to read his story and talk to our Foundation Phase pupils about his book and being an author. In this book Ely asks ‘What is the meaning of life?’ and goes on an adventure to find the answer.

Mr Robinson will be visiting school for the morning on Tuesday 9^th July to visit our Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes. During his visit there will be the opportunity for the pupils to purchase the book ‘Ely the Elephant’ for a cost of £3.99 if they wish to.

 Thank you for your support with this.

Yours sincerely/Yn Gwir,

  A.L.Waters

Mrs. A. L. Waters

Headteacher/Pennaeth
 

Enterprise Fayre

Friday 28^th June 2019

Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

Enterprise Fayre

We are holding our very first Enterprise Fayre on Friday 5^th July starting at 2.15pm. This is a joint venture between the pupils and the PSA. All families are invited to join us

Each of our classes have planned activities / will be making products to raise funds at the fayre. The class that makes the most profit will be awarded our new enterprise trophy. Each class will decide how they spend the profit that they make.

Our PSA will be joining us for this event and will be providing refreshments and a barbeque together with a few of their most popular stalls.

Parents of pupil in Nursery up to Year 5 may collect their children from school early on that day at 2.10pm. Any pupils that cannot be collected early for any reason will be kept in school until our normal finish of 3.10pm. These pupils will either be supervised collectively by members of school staff in our Year 1 classroom or supervised by staff on their class stall.

Please note that all of our Year 6 pupils will actually be running events at the Fayre.

Thank you very much for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

A.L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

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Governing Body Annual Report to Parents

ANNUAL GOVERNORS SUMMARY REPORT

FOR PARENTS

YEAR 2017/18

Durand Primary School

Alianore Road, Caldicot

NP26 5DF

Telephone: (01291) 422296

Email: durandprimary@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Website: www.durand.wales

Chair of Governors: C.Cllr Jim Higginson

Headteacher: Mrs A Waters             

Deputy Headteacher: Mr A Moses

Monday 24^th June 2019
 

Dear Parents,

I am pleased to provide you with the ‘Governors’ Annual Summary Report for Parents’ covering the last academic year, 2017/2018. A copy of the full annual report is available on request from the school office should you wish to see one. All of the information contained in this Report is a legal requirement.

If parents would like the opportunity to discuss the contents of the ‘Governors’ Annual Report for Parents’ there will need to be a request made from 10% of parents, in writing, to the Headteacher by Monday 8^th July 2019 and a meeting with the Governing Body will then be arranged.

Yours Sincerely,

 C.Cllr Jim Higginson

Chairman of Governors

No meeting was held under Section 94 of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013.

Future Election of Parent Governors

All parents, guardians or carers of pupils attending the school will be eligible as candidates and all parents/guardians/carers are entitled to vote. If you would like to know more about being a governor, contact the Chair or Vice Chair via the school and arrangements will be made for an informal chat about the commitment required.

There are currently no Parent Governor vacancies.

End of Key Stage Assessment

Foundation Phase Comparative data as a percentage

(School 2018, National 2017)

Foundation Phase Indicator:                       School: 93.1               National: 82.6

N-not awarded                     D-disapplied              W-working towards Outcome 1

Key Stage 2 Comparative data as a percentage

(School 2018, National 2017)

Core Subject Indicator:                    School: 96.3               National: 89.5

N-not awarded                     D-disapplied              W-working towards Level 1

School Targets

The school sets targets for pupil attainment at the End of Foundation Phase (Year 2) and the End of Key Stage 2 (Year 6).

Below are the School’s targets for the next three years.

Attendance

In order to improve attendance rates and reduce the level of absence we operate a half-termly reward system for individual pupils. Pupils who have achieved 100% receive a certificate and gold sticker.Pupils who have achieved 95%+ attendance receive a silver sticker. In Spring 2017 a weekly class award system was introduced with a half-termly reward for the class with the best attendance.

Following on from the Estyn Inspection recommendation to improve attendance the Governing Body decided to introduce a half termly letter programme identifying to parents the attendance level for their son / duaghter for that particular half term together with the cummulative attendance level for their son / daughter for the year so far. This was introduced in the Summer Term 2018.

New Classes for September 2019

Tuesday 25^th June 2019

 Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

New Classes for September 2019

Today we have held our ‘moving up’ day when your son/daughter had a chance to spend time in their new class with their new classmates and teacher.

The classes have been set as follows:

Nursery         Mrs. L. Wilton

Reception     Mrs. J. Dunn

Year 1            Mrs. L. Johns

Year 2            Mr. W. Marangon

Year 3            Mr. R. Wilks

Year 4            Mrs. C. Sisson

Year 5            Mr. A. Moses

Year 6            Miss L. Collins

PPA                Mrs. K. Noblet and Miss S. Ley

Many thanks for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

  A.L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher/ Pennaeth

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Drama Trip News

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Newsletter Summer Term Issue 1

Drama Production

It seems a long time ago now but on Thursday 11^th April our drama club held their annual performance. This year it was ‘Little Mermaid’. The performance was, once again, fantastic and we were very proud of all our pupils who took part in this production. A HUGE THANK YOU to Miss Ley, Mrs Noblet, Mrs Jones, Mrs Wilton and Miss Jones for their hard work and also the pupils and their parents!

Sports Day.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Sports Day yesterday. I am sure you will agree that it was a wonderful event and that the children did you all proud with their great sportsmanship. Congratulations to Usk for winning the track events! We are still collating the field event scores and will let you know the winning house for that part of the day together with the Good Conduct winners when we have the results.

Music Concerts

We are holding our annual Music Concerts after half term. Our Foundation Phase String concert will be held starting at 2pm on Thursday 13^th June and our Key Stage 2 Concert will be held starting at 6pm on Friday 14^th June. Further details and how to purchase tickets will be sent out to pupils involved in these concerts shortly.

Clothes Collection

Please help our Eco-Committee who are collecting unwanted clothes / textiles to raise funds for school. They would appreciate donations of:-

• Clothes
• Bedding
• Shoes and boots
• Handbags
• Towels
• Hats, scarves and gloves

Collection bags were sent home earlier this week for donations to be brought into school but we can also accept donations in black bags. Please send into school on Monday 3^rd June.

Healthy Schools

As the weather (hopefully) gets better pupils may need greater access to water so please could you ensure that your son / daughter has their water bottle in school.

During the summer term we make greater use of our outdoor space so could you please apply an appropriate factor, long lasting sun cream to your son / daughter before they come to school in the morning and provide them with a sun hat/cap.

PE Kit

During the summer term many of our PE lessons are outside so could parents please ensure that their son / daughter has the correct PE kit together with an appropriate change of footwear to enable them to take part in outside PE sessions.

School Uniform

We have noticed that a number of pupils are wearing hooded tops / jackets to school that are not school uniform colours. Our main school uniform colour is red and we would expect pupils to wear jumpers / sweatshirts / fleece jackets / hooded top / jackets that are red. Could we please ask that when you are purchasing new uniform ready for September that you adhere to this as from September we will be asking pupils who wear the wrong colour jumpers / sweatshirts / fleece jackets / hooded top / jackets to leave these in the cloakroom areas. Many thanks for your support with this matter.

Mobile Phones

We have had an increasing number of older pupils bringing mobile phones to school. Please note that as a school one of our rules is ‘Electronic games, personal music players (Ipods, MP3 players), mobile phones and toys should not be brought to school without prior permission from the Headteacher or class teacher.’ We appreciate your cooperation with this matter.

Moving Up Day

On Tuesday 25^th June our Year 6 pupils will be visiting Caldicot School as part of their transition to Comprehensive School in September. We will be taking the opportunity on that day to hold our ‘Moving up’ morning when our remaining pupils will visit their new classes for September and our new intake will join us.

End of Year Showcase

A date for your diary - We are holding our annual end of year showcase exhibition on Friday 28^th June in our school hall starting at 2.15pm.

Enterprise Fayre

Starting on Monday 24^th June the whole school will be taking part in our own ‘Enterprise fortnight’. At the end of this we will be holding an Enterprise Fayre which will be a joint venture with our PSA in place of the usual summer fayre. This event will be held during the afternoon of Friday 5^th July. We will send out further details nearer the date but we aim to start at 2.15pm.

P.S.A.

A huge thank you to our PSA for all their hard work as they continue to raise funds for the school. The remaining events for this year are:

Non – school uniform – bring a bottle    Friday 28^th June

Non – school uniform – fill a beaker      Friday 5^th July

Enterprise Fayre (See above)               Friday 5^th July

Foundation Phase Party (Rec-Y2)        Tuesday 9^th July

DVD night Key Stage 2 (Y3-Y6)            Thursday 11^th July

The P.S.A. are always looking for extra help and support so if you are able to help out please let a committee member know! The next meeting is being held at 3.15pm on Tuesday 11^th June in our library!

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

 A.L.Waters

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

Its 'Chicky' time

Black tunnel

EOROPEAN ELECTIONS

Friday 17^th May 2019

Dear Parents/Annwyl Rhieni,

European Elections

I am happy to say that school will be open as normal for all pupils from Reception up to Year 6 whilst polling for the Local Council Election takes place. Please note that only our Nursery will be closed for pupils on Thursday 23^rd May due to the fact that the Nursery building is required for polling purposes.

We have arranged with Monmouthshire County Council to provide fencing in order to make the rest of the site secure for our pupils who will still be attending school. The fencing will run from the first pedestrian gate in Alianore Road to the double yellow gates at the side of the Nursery. Please note that these areas will be out of action on that day and that the first pedestrian gate on Alianore Road will be for polling use only on that day.

Pupils should be brought to and collected from school on that day either using the side entrance near Linnet Road or using the gate from the parent car park or through the double gates in the corner of the site in Alianore Road. Should parents require access during the day it will be the usual method via our security gate.

Hopefully this system will prove to be effective once again allowing us to remain open for all future elections.

Thank you for your support with this matter.

Yours Sincerely / Yn Gywir,

 A.L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

SPORTS DAY 2019

Friday 17^th May 2019

Dear Parents / Annwyl Rhieni,

 Sports Day

Weather permitting our sports day for pupils in Reception up to Year 6 will be held next week, on Wednesday 22^nd May, with field events during the morning and track events during the afternoon. Parents are invited to join us for the afternoon events which will commence at approximately 1.30pm. Please could you bring a deck chair with you if you wish to sit down.

Pupils will need to wear their PE kits with House t-shirts and appropriate sports footwear to school on that day. Could you please also ensure that your son/daughter has a hat/cap, water bottle and long-lasting sun cream applied as we will be outdoors for most of this day. We will be making use of our trees, particularly during the afternoon, to provide shade for our pupils.

If we are unable to hold our sports day on this date due to bad weather the reserve dates, in this order, will be Friday 24^th May, Wednesday 5^th June and Thursday 6^th June. (Please note that due to polling we are no longer able to offer Thursday 23^rd May as a reserve date).

We are keeping a close look at the weather forecast on the BBC Weather website and at present next Wednesday looks promising. We will keep you updated via Schoop.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at our Sports Day.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

 A.L.Waters  

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

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Water bottles

Wrap, Splat, Hat

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Drama Trip

Eco-Committee News

Clothes Recycling

Platinum Flag

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Drama Trip

More Photos of Nursery

New changes inside Nursery

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Drama News

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Newsletter Spring Term Issue 2

Eco Platinum Award

I am delighted to inform you that following our recent Eco-fashion show we were awarded our Eco-Schools Platinum Award. This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to congratulate the pupils who represent their classes on our Eco-committee, Mrs Noblet, Mrs Hampson, Mrs Dolbel, Mrs Salisbury and our pupils and staff as a whole! Well done everyone!

Easter Break

Just to remind you that we break up for the Easter Holiday on Friday 12^th April. We return to school on Monday 29^th April.

Sporting News

Congratulations to our Football team for winning the Monmouthshire County School Championship. Thank you also to Mr Wilks for coaching our team. WELL DONE!    

I am delighted to say that both our Football and Netball teams got through to their respective finals of the Caldicot Cluster Round Robin competition. Our football team played against Rogiet Primary and our netball team played against Magor CIW Primary. Both teams played exceptionally well with our football team winning their final! We are very proud of both teams!

Red Nose Day

Thank you to everyone for contributing to our fundraising event for Red Nose Day. We managed to raise £130 for this wonderful cause.

National Tests

Just to remind you that all our pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 will be sitting the Welsh Government National Tests for Reading and Numerical Reasoning between Tuesday 7^th May and Tuesday 14^th May. It is very important that pupils are in school during this period.

Attendance Monitoring

After the Easter break you will, once again, be receiving a letter highlighting your child’s attendance for this half term. We had a number of queries following the last letters that were sent out. Please note that the data and colour zone will relate to the half term period from March 4^th up until Friday 12^th April only. The cumulative attendance indicates your child’s attendance since the beginning of the academic year or when they joined our school if they have transferred to us mid-year.

No Smoking

Could I please remind parents that, in line with Monmouthshire County Council policy, there is no smoking allowed, including e-cigarettes, anywhere on our school site including the car park.

P.S.A.

Thank you to everyone who supported the PSA Mother’s Day sale. We don’t know how much it raised but judging by the sales it appeared to go really well!

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

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GILWERN VISIT

Thursday 21^st March 2019

Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

Year 6 trip to Gilwern

Final arrangements are all now in place for the visit to Gilwern next week. Mr. Wilks, Mrs. Noblet and Mrs. Brunnock, are packed and ready to go!

Pupils need to arrive in school at normal time on Monday 25^th March and make their way to the school hall. The bus will be leaving at 9.15am promptly. They will need to wear their normal clothes not school uniform. As explained during the parents meeting pupils will not be allowed to take mobile phones with them. Maximum spending money is £10.00 to purchase small gifts.

Please ensure that any medication needed by your child is clearly labelled as this will be collected on Monday morning for staff attending the trip to keep securely.

Pupils will be returning to school on Wednesday 27th March at approximately 2.30pm so we ask that parents collect their son/daughter from the School Hall.

Many thanks for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

 A.L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher/ Pennaeth

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The Big Welsh Challenge

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Eco-Committe Charity Fashion Show

Children's Charity Fashion Show

Weekly Class Attendance Results

Weekly Class Attendance Results

Staff illness

 Thursday 7^th February 2019

 Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

Staff Illness

Year 3 arrangements

Yesterday Mr Moses underwent surgery on his lower back and as a result of this will be off school for a period of time. I understand that his surgery went well and we wish him a speedy recovery.

As Miss Lene Collins has previous experience of teaching Year 6 pupils she will be moving classes from Monday 11^th February until Mr Moses returns to school. We are delighted to have recruited Miss Bethan Morgan to teach our Year 3 whilst Miss Collins teaches in our Year 6 class. I am sure that Miss Morgan will be a huge asset to our team.

Please note that I haven’t taken this decision lightly and aim to always provide the best education for all of our pupils within the school.

Thank you very much for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

A.L.Waters 

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

Staff illness

Thursday 7^th February 2019

Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

 Staff Illness

Year 6 arrangements

Yesterday Mr Moses underwent surgery on his lower back and as a result of this will be off school for a period of time. I understand that his surgery went well and we wish him a speedy recovery.

I wish to inform you that Miss Lene Collins will teach our Year 6 class from Monday 11^th February until Mr Moses returns to school. Miss Collins has previous experience of teaching Year 6 pupils.  

Thank you very much for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir, 

A.L.Waters 

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

Drama News

Monmouthshire County Council Admission Policy Consultation

Monmouthshire County Council are consulting on proposed changes to the school admissions policy.

The changes in particular propose 3 changes:

1. An introduction of a feeder school criteria into the criteria (for secondary school admission) for determining who is to be awarded places
2. A review of the criteria in respect of the positioning of children in catchment v children out of catchment but with siblings
3. Changes to secondary school catchment areas

They are consulting on whether children residing within a catchment area for the preferred school should receive priority over those outside of the catchment area, but with siblings attending the preferred school.  If the proposals are approved, and to minimise the risks of splitting siblings, the local authority will continue for a period of 5 years to prioritise out of catchment siblings links who are on roll at the school by September 2019, over those residing in catchment.  Any new children joining the school after September 2019 with younger siblings would be managed under the new policy from September 2020, if approved.

Parents can access the full information by visiting https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/admissionconsultation .  They can also find out more by attending one of the following sessions:

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Newsletter Spring Term Issue 1

Snow and adverse weather conditions

As you will probably be aware there has been a Yellow Warning issued for the end of this week, later on Thursday into Friday, for snow across parts of Wales. I know that very often Caldicot does not have as much snow as other parts of the country but I have to consider the home locations of our staff and their safety travelling to and from school when I make a decision about opening or closing the school. Should the school have to close, due to heavy snowfall either within Caldicot or in the outlying areas where our staff live, then there will be an answer phone message on our phone system, a message sent via our Schoop messaging service, a notice will be posted on our school website www.durand.wales and it will be on the Monmouthshire County Council website.

Attendance

One of the recommendations from our Estyn inspection last year was ‘Improve Attendance’. As a result of this our Governing Body decided that, in line with many other schools, we would send out standard letters each half term to all parents indicating their child’s attendance for that half term together with the cumulative attendance for the year to date. I will also continue to write to / meet parents on a more regular basis if their child’s attendance is causing a particular concern. I am delighted to say that at the end of the Autumn term our attendance rate was on target at 95.5%. This was an improvement of 1.1% compared to the same period last year.

Could I please ask that when leaving a message on our absence line you ensure that a reason is given for your child’s absence otherwise it will be an unauthorised mark. It is not enough to just state that your child will not be in for that day.

Many thanks for your support with these matters.

Training Days

Just to remind you that we have a training day on Friday 22^nd February which is followed by the half term break. 

Parental Engagement

We are holding a Parental Engagement Event for this term after school on Wednesday 20^th February. This time we will be focussing on Numeracy in our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes and Reading in our Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 classes.

St. David’s Day

As St David’s Day is during our half term break we have decided to hold our St. David’s Day Eisteddfod celebrations in school on Monday 4^th March. For this occasion we would like our pupils to wear traditional Welsh costumes / clothing - Welsh ladies, Miners, Welsh Rugby or Football players.

World Book Day

We will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 8^th March. This year we would like pupils to bring their favourite book and a cushion to school! Chepstow bookshop have agreed to join us again this year for pupils to use their World Book Day token. 

Red Nose Day

On Friday 15^th March we will be supporting Red Nose Day. We have decided that we will ‘Celebrate the Wig’ on the day so pupils can come to school either wearing a wig or with their hair in a creative style. Pupils can also come dressed in brightly coloured clothes to match their hairstyle. We ask for a contribution of 50p in order to fundraise for this event. 

Class Assembly

Please note that due to the above event we are changing the date for our Reception Class assembly from Friday 15^th March to Friday 29^th March. Sorry for any inconvenience caused by this change.  

Staff Changes

Back in the summer I informed parents that we were temporarily saying good-bye to Mr. James who was off to see the world for two terms. Sadly, Mr. James will not be returning to us as he has secured a position out of the education sector. We wish him all the best in his new career!

National Tests

All our pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 will be sitting the Welsh Government National Tests for Reading and Numerical Reasoning between Tuesday 7^th May and Tuesday 14^th May. It is very important that pupils are in school during this period. There is a change this year and pupils will only be sitting two written tests. The third test, Numerical Procedural, will be an online test this year and will be personalised to each pupil.

P.S.A.

A huge thank you to our PSA for all their hard work. At the Christmas Fayre they made a profit of £1175!

  Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

 A. L. Waters

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

SNOW AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

Snow and adverse weather conditions

As you will probably be aware there has been a Yellow Warning issued for the end of this week, later on Thursday into Friday, for snow across parts of Wales. I know that very often Caldicot does not have as much snow as other parts of the country but I have to consider the home locations of our staff and their safety travelling to and from school when I make a decision about opening or closing the school. Should the school have to close, due to heavy snowfall either within Caldicot or in the outlying areas where our staff live, then there will be an answer phone message on our phone system, a message sent via our Schoop messaging service, a notice will be posted on our school website www.durand.wales and it will be on the Monmouthshire County Council website.

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GILWERN VISIT

Tuesday 22^nd January 2019

Dear Parents/Annwyl Rhieni,

Visit to Gilwern Outdoor Education Centre

The date for the final payment, 31^st January 2019, for your child to attend the above visit is fast approaching. Please note that due to the nature of this trip there is a charge that must be paid to enable your son / daughter to take part.

At present we only have 10 pupils for whom full payment has been made. We also have a high number of pupils for which no payment at all has been made. The minimum number required for the trip to go ahead is 12 pupils. As it stands, at present, we would be looking to consider cancelling or taking a reduced number of pupils.

Please note that any pupils, for which there is an outstanding balance of any kind, after the deadline of 31^st January, will be withdrawn from the trip. Any funds paid will be refunded.

Yours Sincerely / Yn Gywir,

 A,L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

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Drama News

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Weekly Class Attendance Results

Christmas Parties

Thursday 20^th December 2018

Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

Christmas Parties

This year our Christmas Parties are being held on the following dates:

Tuesday 18^th December

Our Year 3 and 4 party will be held on the afternoon of this date. Pupils can wear their party clothes to school on that day.

Wednesday 19^th December

Our Year 5 and 6 party will be held on the afternoon of this date. Pupils can wear their party clothes to school on that day.

Thursday 20^th December

Our Foundation Phase party (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) will be taking place on this date.

Foundation Phase Pupils can wear their party clothes to school on that day as we have our Pantomime during the morning and party games in the afternoon finishing with our party tea.

Please note that all the above parties are being held during normal school hours so all pupils can be picked up as normal at 3.10pm.

Thursday 20^th December

Our afternoon Nursery Party will be taking place during their normal afternoon session. Nursery pupils can wear their party clothes to school for the party.

 
Friday 21^st December

Our morning Nursery Party will be taking place during their normal morning session. Nursery pupils can wear their party clothes to school for the party.

Party Food

In the past we have always asked parents to donate a food item for the ‘tea’ that we have at the end of the afternoon. This year our PSA have very kindly agreed that they will provide the funds for us to purchase ALL the food items for the ‘tea’ at the parties.

 Happy Christmas/ Nadolig Llawen,

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

 A.L.Waters

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher/ Pennaeth

Weekly Class Attendance

Class Attendance Results 2018

Newsletter Autumn Term Issue 3

The end of term is approaching quickly with only just over three weeks left to go!

Summary of Christmas Events

Wednesday 5^th Dec     Christmas Dinner                                        lunchtime

Friday 7^th Dec              PSA Christmas Fayre                                     2.15pm

Wednesday 12^th Dec   Years 5 & 6 Concert ‘Babuska’                       2.15pm

Thursday 13^th Dec      Years 3 & 4 Concert ‘Christingle rock’             2.15pm

Friday 14^th Dec   Nursery & Reception Concert ‘Born in Bethlehem’  9.30am

Friday 14^th Dec           Years 1 & 2 Concert ‘Nativity Rock’                2.15pm

Tuesday 18^th Dec       Years 3 and 4 Party                                        1.15pm

Wednesday 19^th Dec  Years 5 and 6 Party                                        1.15pm

Thursday 20^th Dec      Pantomime                                                      am

Thursday 20^th Dec      Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Party               1.30pm

Thursday 20^th Dec      Afternoon Nursery Party                            pm session

Friday 21^st Dec           Morning Nursery Party                               am session

Christmas Concerts

Our Christmas Concert dates and times are listed above. As a school we do not charge for families to attend the concert relevant to their child and we welcome all family members. However, we do have collection buckets and welcome donations to help fund specific large projects for the school. This year we are still looking to fundraise in order to provide an all-weather track for our Daily Mile programme. 

Christmas Parties

Every year we hold traditional Christmas parties in school for our pupils. In the past we have always asked parents to donate a food item for the ‘tea’ that we have at the end of the afternoon. This year our PSA have very kindly agreed that they will provide the funds for us to purchase all the food items for the ‘tea’ at the parties. 

Winter Jumper Day

On Friday 21^st December we will be holding a Winter Jumper Day. We are not asking for donations for this it is just for fun on the last day of term!

Children in Need

Thank you to everyone for supporting Children in Need with us. The final total that we raised grew to fantastic £178!

P.S.A.

Just to remind you that our Christmas Fayre is being held on Friday 7^th December starting at 2.15pm.

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

Weekly Class Attendance

Christmas Sale

Christmas Sale

• Box of 12 crackers - £1.00
• Gift bags - 3 for £1.00
• Gift stickers (100 on a roll)  - 25p
• Gift bows (pack of 25) - 25p
• Table runners - £1.00 each
• Xmas hats - 50p
• Copper glass tree - £1.50

Christmas Dinner

School Photographs

Your child was given their school photo/photos today to take home.

Please indicate clearly on the proof photo the quantity and pack/packs that you require.

Packs are priced at £15.00 for PRINTS ONLY and £18.00 for MOUNTED PHOTOS

Can you please make sure that you have placed your order through Parentpay by Wednesday 21^st November and return the proof to school to ensure that we have the printed photos delivered back in time for Christmas.

Only photos that have been paid through Parentpay will be sent to Wye Valley Studios to be developed.

Parent / Carer Perception Survey

Wednesday 14^th November 2018

Dear Parents/ Annwyl Rhieni,

Parent / Carer Perception Survey

Here at Durand we value our wider school community so as part of our Parental Engagement programme we would welcome your help by completing this survey.

In order to improve our service to you, and your child, we have commissioned an online Parent / Carer Perception Survey. This is a confidential survey that can be accessed using the link / web address below:

https://qdpservices.co.uk/OnlineQuestionnaire.aspx?code=81732-24594-20774196

The survey will be active until the Friday 30^th November 2018. Please note this survey is designed to enable us to use the feedback in order to make improvements to our service.

 Thank you very much for your support.

Yours Sincerely/ Yn Gywir,

A.L.Waters

Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

Admission to Primary School- Closing date 14th Jan 2019

Press Release - Monmouthshire parents advised to meet 14th January deadline to apply for 2019 reception class places

Monmouthshire County Council is alerting parents and guardians of children due to start primary education next September that the closing date to apply for school places is Monday, 14th January 2019.

Children born between 1st September 2014 and 31st August 2015 are eligible to start reception classes in September 2019 and parents are asked to complete their applications before the 14th January 2019 closing date.  This will give them the best chance of ensuring that their child attends their preferred school.  Parents resident in Monmouthshire must apply to the council even if their preferred school lies outside the county’s borders (excluding schools in Newport where applications are to be made directly to the city council).

Parents may apply using the council’s online application system.  For more information, visit:

https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/starting-primary-school

Alternately, parents may request an application pack by telephoning the council’s admissions team on 01633 644508 or emailing: accesstolearning@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Parental Engagement Event

Thursday 8^th November 2018

 Dear Parents/Annwyl Rhieni,

Parental Engagement Event

Just to remind you that our first ‘Parental Engagement Event’ for this year is being held on Wednesday 21^st November from 3.15-4.15pm and all parents are invited to come and join us. The opportunity is available for you not just to visit your child’s class but other classes within the school.

Our Foundation Phase classes, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be focussing on Reading and how parents can support at home. Our Key Stage 2 classes, Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, will be demonstrating the use of the secure ICT learning platform ‘Hwb’ particularly how this is used in our school but also how your child can use it at home.

I hope that you are able to join us for this event and thank you for your support!

Yours Sincerely / Yn Gywir,

A.L.Waters

 Mrs. Allison Waters

Headteacher / Pennaeth

Weekly Class Attendance Results

Newletter Autumn Term Issue 2

Training Days

Just to remind you that we have training days on Thursday 25^th and Friday 26^th October.

Half Term

Next week is half term. We return to school on Monday 5^th November.

Attendance

One of the outcomes from the Estyn inspection that we had in January was a recommendation to ‘Improve Attendance’. As a result of this, we introduced half termly standard letters that we send out to all parents. The first letters for this academic year will be sent out to you during the first week after half term. The letter that you will receive will give your child’s attendance percentage for the half term.

As a school we believe that good attendance is where success starts.

Dinner Ordering / ParentPay

Just to remind you that from Monday 5^th November we are changing our school lunch ordering system. All parents will need to book and pay for their child’s meals in advance online via ParentPay. Please note that this new system does not allow for any meals to be taken without payment. Guidance notes have been sent out to all parents.

Parental Engagement

Our first Parental Engagement event for this year is being held from 3.15-4.15pm on Wednesday 21^st November. I will send a Schoop letting you know the focus for this event after half term. I hope that many of you can join us and look forward to seeing you at this event. Please save the date for the second Parental Engagement event which will be held on Wednesday 20^th February 2019.

Harvest

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Harvest on Friday 19^th October. I am sure that you will agree that it was a wonderful occasion. Many thanks for your donations for the Caldicot food bank.

Children in Need

Once again this year we will be supporting Children in Need which takes place on Friday 16^th November. Just to let you know in advance that we have decided to ask our pupils to dress in BRIGHT COLOURS for the day for a donation of 50p.

Christmas Concerts

Our Nursery and Reception concert is being held on Friday 14^th December in our school hall starting at 9.30am and our Year 1 and 2 concert is also being held on Friday 14^th December in our school hall starting at 2.15pm.

Due to the fantastic level of attendance at our Key Stage 2 concerts we have decided to have two separate concerts this year. The Year 5 and 6 concert is being held in our school hall on Wednesday 12^th December starting at 2.15pm. The Year 3 and 4 concert is being held in our school hall on Thursday 13^th December starting at 2.15pm.

Pantomime

We have once again booked a Pantomime ‘Cinderella’ to come to school on the morning of Thursday 20^th December. Once again, as a thank you for all of your support, our PSA have decided to fund the event this year.

Sporting Success

Football

On Thursday 11^th October both our Year 4 and Year 5 / 6 football teams took part in our area Community Development Football tournament. I am delighted to tell you that our Year 5 / 6 team were overall winners and will now be going forward to the Monmouthshire Finals to be held in February. The Year 5 / 6 team were also invited to take part in the EFL cup run by Newport County. This was a regional tournament and so we are very proud of the fact that our team reached the quarter finals. Well done to both teams!

Parental Surveys

Last year we sent out a questionnaire for Parents to complete so that we could use the results to improve our service to both you and your children. We are looking to send the same survey out again, once we have the link, via our Schoop messaging service. Please look out for this as we welcome and value your opinions.

P.S.A.

At the Annual General Meeting for the PSA held on Thursday 4^th October I am pleased to inform parents that the following committee members were elected:

      Chairperson                 Mrs Helen Seymour

      Vice-Chairperson        Mrs Caroline Middleton

      Treasurer                     Mrs Taneyha Thomas

      Secretary                     Mrs Jo Shinton

The first fundraising events for this year will be a film night after school for pupils from Year 2 up to Year 6 on Wednesday 24^th October and our Christmas Fayre on Friday 7^th December.

Governor News

Just to let you know that the following people are our current Governing Body members:

            CCllr Jim Higginson               Chairperson

            Mr Mike Sage                         Vice Chairperson

            Mrs Vanessa Barnett

            Ms Dawn Sadler

            Mr Henry Higgins

            Cllr Maria Stevens

            Mrs Sue Millar

            Mrs Lucinda Lund

            Ms Ceri Middleton

            Mr David Price

            Mrs Emma Wilcox

            Mr Anthony Moses

            Mrs Sian Dolbel

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher

New Autumn/Winter Menu

�Dinner Menu

Meal Booking System

Meal Booking System

In a bid to enable our school to minimise food wastage and reduce the administration time for teachers, from 5^th November 2018 (after half term) our school lunch ordering system will be changing.

Parents will need to book and pay for their child’s meals in advance online via ParentPay. Meals can be selected at any time but must be paid for within 2 hours of selecting them. Same day booking closes at 9am. This new system does not allow for any meals to be taken without payment and ordering online including FSM.

Lost Coats

Car Key Found in our grounds

New Summer Menu

Class Attendance Results

Home Project on Victorian Inventors

Weekly Class Attendance Results

Nasal Spray Vaccine

Nasal Spray Vaccine

Weekly Class Attendance Result

Weekly Class Attendance Results

Newsletter - Autumn Term Issue 1

Welcome to the first newsletter of the year. I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer although it seems like so long ago now already!

I would like to send a very warm welcome to all our new families who have joined us this year!

Summer Works

You may have noticed that during the Summer holidays the new gate has been finished and we now have a ‘buzzer’ entry system in operation from 9.15am-3pm. This is also covered by a new CCTV system. All other gates on site will be locked each day at 9.15am and only be re-opened for the end of day at 3pm.

Parking

Although we have a car park for our parents to use I am aware that this is not big enough for everyone to park in and many parents still have to use the road side for parking at the beginning and end of the day. Could I please request that should you need to park on the roadside you are mindful of local residents and do not block driveways and that you stay clear of parking near a road junction.

Could you please ensure that the two disabled spaces in our parent / visitor car park are kept free for use by blue badge holders. Many thanks for your cooperation with these matters.

Bikes and Scooters

We are happy for our pupils to ride their scooters or bikes to school accompanied by their parents, but do not allow these to be ridden in our school grounds, as it can be a danger to others, particularly younger pre-school siblings. Please ensure that your son / daughter dismounts their bike or scooter before entering the school grounds. Scooters and bikes can be left, at your own risk, in the fenced area provided by our PSA near the Alianore Road entrance. Please note that our green cycle shelter is for use by our Year 5 & 6 pupils only.  Thank you for your help with this matter. 

Training Days

The following days have been allocated as training days for this academic year:

Thursday 25^th October        

Friday 26^th October

Monday 7^th January

Friday 22^nd February

Monday 22^nd July

Schoop

Just to remind everyone to update their Schoop settings to take into account the change of Year group from September. Many thanks.

Photographs

‘Wye Valley’ photographers will be in school on Tuesday 23^rd October to take individual photographs and sibling photographs. They will be available before school from 8.15am to take group photos with non-school siblings. Please note that we will organise the individual and in-school (including Nursery) sibling photos. We will send out further details via Schoop closer to the date.

Parents Evening

Our Autumn term Parents Evenings are being held this year on Tuesday 9^th October and Wednesday 10^th October. Your child’s class teacher will send an appointment to you for one of these dates closer to the date.

Harvest

We will be holding our annual Harvest Service for pupils from Reception up to Year 6 at 9.30am on Friday 19^th October. I am delighted to tell you that our new link minister Reverend Brackpool will be joining us for this event. Once again this year we will be collecting items to donate to the Caldicot Food bank. Parents are welcome to join us for this well attended event!

Attendance

This year the school has, once again, been set a very challenging target of 95.5% with regard to pupil attendance by the Local Authority. In order to encourage high attendance we operate a half termly attendance award system – pupils with 100% attendance will receive a certificate and gold sticker and pupils with over 95% will receive a silver sticker. We also have a weekly whole class star system and each half term there is a reward for the class with the highest attendance for that period.

Can I please remind parents that it is very important that pupils attend registration at 9am and 1pm in order to secure their ‘present’ mark. Pupils can then be collected after registration to attend any medical appointment that they require. Although parents may request for their child to be absent during term time, by completing the relevant form, please note that this may not be authorised if your child’s previous attendance is below 95%. Obviously any absence from school has an impact on a child’s education and I would like to also point out that any pupil arriving late to school will miss valuable teaching input.

Pupil Absence

Could I please remind parents to use our dedicated absence line for reporting pupil absence as this saves valuable time in the mornings. When leaving a message please give a reason for your child’s absence. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.

Good Conduct Awards

As a school we operate a half termly ‘Good Conduct Award’ system where we reward pupils with a certificate who have shown excellent conduct and behaviour both within the classroom and around the school. This is part of our school ethos encouraging both good behaviour and good manners.

School Uniform

It is wonderful to see everyone in the correct school uniform this year. However, we have already found that a number of items do not have names in them. Can you please ensure that all of your child’s clothing has their name clearly marked. Thank you!

Dinner Money

Could I please ask all parents to ensure that their Parent Pay accounts are in credit for dinners at all times. Many thanks.

Free School Meal Entitlement (FSM)

Could I please urge all parents who may be entitled to receive FSM for their son/daughter to make an application even if you feel that your child will not eat all of the meals that are offered. As a school we receive additional grant funding based on the number of pupils who are entitled to FSM to provide additional support and resources for pupils within the school. If you would like further information or help with this please see Mrs Williamson in our school office.

PSA News

All parents/guardians of pupils attending Durand Primary School are automatically, together with all staff, members of the School’s Parent Staff Association (PSA). Some parents/guardians and staff choose to form our School’s PSA Committee. If anyone is interested in supporting this small hard-working group of people please come along to the AGM at 3.15pm on Thursday 4^th October.

Governor News

The Governing Body would like to remind parents of the following general rules that are printed in our School Handbook:

General Rules / Guidelines for Parents

1. Pupils should not enter school grounds before 50am. The school will not accept responsibility for any pupils on site prior to this. From 8.50am staff are available to supervise pupils.

2. Pupils are not permitted to use any of our outdoor equipment and no ball games are to be played on either yard before the start of school.

3. Only pupils with permission from a member of staff are allowed to remain in the school building during breaks. These pupils will be supervised.

4. The only jewellery permitted to be worn by pupils whilst at school is a wrist watch and one pair of stud earrings.

5. Electronic games, personal music players (Ipods, MP3 players), mobile phones and toys should not be brought to school without prior permission from the Headteacher or class teacher.

6. Pupils must not make use of the school grounds during evenings, weekends and in the holidays, unless they are part of a supervised club.

7. Chewing gum is not allowed in school at any time and no-one is allowed to eat or drink during lesson times, other than from water bottles provided.

8. No roller skates, skateboards, scooters or bicycles are allowed to be ridden on the school premises unless it forms part of a supervised activity e.g. Foundation Phase play and Safe Cycling.

9. Parents and pupils should not bring pets on to the school site for Health and Safety reasons without prior permission from the Headteacher.

10. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is not permitted anywhere within the school site in line with Monmouthshire County Council Policy.

Dates for your Diaries / Calendars

In order to help parents plan, as well as the dates indicated above, we have set the following dates for this academic year:-

Children in Need – Friday 16^th November

Parental Engagement - Autumn term, Wednesday 21^st November, 3.15pm

• Spring term, Wednesday 20^th February, 3.15pm
• Summer term, to be confirmed

• Year 5 & 6 Concert, Wednesday 12^th December at 2.15pm
• Year 3 & 4 Concert, Thursday 13^th December at 2.15pm
• Nursery and Reception Concert, Friday 14^th December at 9.30am
• Year 1 & 2 Concert, Friday 14^th December at 2.15pm
• Year 3 & 4 Party, Tuesday 18^th December, 1.15pm
• Year 5 & 6 Party, Wednesday 19^th December, 1.15pm
• Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 Party, Thursday 20^th December , 1.15pm
• Pantomime (in school) Thursday 20^th December, 9.30am
• Winter Jumper Day, Friday 21^st December

St. David’s Day celebrations – Monday 4^th March

Red Nose Day – Friday 15^th March

Drama Production (Drama Club only) – Thursday 11th April

Music Concert – Foundation Phase, Thursday 13th June at 2pm

                                -Key Stage 2, Friday 14th June at 6pm

Sports Day – Wednesday 22^nd May (with reserve dates on Thursday 23^rd May, Friday 24^th     May, Wednesday 5^th June and Thursday 6^th June)

Moving-up Day / Year 6 visit Caldicot School – Date to be confirmed

End of Year Showcase – Friday 28^th June from 2.15pm

Class Assemblies -   Friday 15^th March, Reception

• Friday 5^th April, Year 1
• Friday 17^th May, Year 3
• Friday 7^th June, Year 2
• Friday 14^th June, Year 5
• Friday 28^th June, Year 4
• Friday 5^th July, Nursery (pre-school pupils only)
• Wednesday 17^th July, Year 6, Leavers

All class assemblies start at 9.30am and parents are welcome to stay for refreshments afterwards.

Please note that the dates were correct at the time of publishing but could be subject to change.

Term Dates for 2018-2019

Plus May bank holiday on Monday 6^th May 2018.

I look forward to working with you all this year!

Many thanks to you all for your continued support!

Mrs Allison Waters

Headteacher