Greenhill Primary School
Gallwn Gyda'n Gilydd Together We Can
Welcome
MARCH NEWSLETTER
Dear parents and carers,
Welcome to our March newsletter. Spring has sprung and lighter days are upon us!
As always here at Greenhill, it has been a very busy term with lots happening!
End of term
Friday 31st of March is the final day of the term. We want to thank you all for your continuing support of the school as we strive to provide high quality education for all of our young learners, and we wish you all a happy and relaxed Easter.
Due to staff training on Monday April 17th school will only be open for children who attend Dosbarth Aur (Gold) and Dosbarth Arian (Silver). All other classes will return to school on Tuesday April 18th.
The staff from Dosbarth Arian and Dosbarth Aur will be attending training on May 28th, therefore school will not be open for children in these classes on that date.
Communication
Many of you will have noticed that we currently have a major problem with our phone lines. We have had an engineer who has recommended that the whole system should be replaced. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide a timeline for this work to take place. In the meantime, we thank you all for your patience and understanding and ask that, should you need to contact the school, you use our mobile number, 07572010246.
Please ensure we are kept up-to-date with any changes of phone number or address.
SeeSaw is our preferred method of communication. It is essential that all parents and carers download the SeeSaw apps (Class and Family) so you can keep up to date with letters and messages. We have a SeeSaw help page in the Parents section of our website, www.greenhillprm.co.uk
Special Event Days
We held several special days this term celebrating welsh culture and heritage and also raising awareness of charitable causes.
During Greenhill Book Day we participated in a wide range of tasks to celebrate literature. For example, in Dosbarth Fioled they examined and ranked covers and created stacks of books like Matilda.
School Dinners
From Monday 17 April 2023 there will be an increase in the charges for school meals.
For pupils in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 the cost will increase to £2.30 per day.
Please note that pupils in the following year groups do not pay for schools meals due to the introduction of Universal Primary Free School Meal (UPFSM)
• Nursery - All registered nursery age pupils attending a maintained school for at least two funded sessions (on a given day) per week will be eligible for a free school meal when in attendance on those days.
• Reception
• Year 1
• Year 2
From September 2023 pupils in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 will also be eligible for the UPFSM.
Attendance
It is vital that all absences are reported to the school as soon as possible. Please phone the office (01443 875521) or text the school mobile (07572 010246) to report absences and remember to give a specific reason for absence.
Polite Reminder- the school day finishes at 3.15pm. We have an increasing number of children being collected before the end of the school day, this should only happen for medical appointments (evidence will be required) or where authorisation from the Headteacher has been sought and granted. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Social Media
Unfortunately, we are still experiencing technical issues beyond our control with Facebook.
However, we are also on Twitter and can be found @Greenhill10 if you would like to follow us.
We remind parents and carers to be wary of the social media use of their children. Many social media sites are age restricted and are not suitable for use by children of primary school age. For example, both Instagram and TikTok have age restrictions of 13 years for users.
We frequently remind children of issues regarding online safety and appropriate use. However, it is the responsibility of parents and carers to monitor and regulate social media use away from school.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/social-media/
Parking
We politely ask parents and carers who drive and park in and around the school site to be mindful and courteous of pedestrians and other road users. Please stick to the 5mph speed limit and park in appropriate and safe places.
Dates for Your Diary
17.04.23 - INSET: School closed for all children apart from Arian and Aur.
15.05.23 - 17.05.23: Residential visit for Dosbarth Fioled
26.05.23 - Dosbarth Fioled to visit Techniquest
28.05.23 - INSET: School closed only for children in Arian and Aur.
05.06.23 - 23.06.23 - Year 5 daily swimming lessons
06.07.23 - Sports Day
A Sad Farewell
It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Mrs Simmons this term. Mrs Simmons has been a highly-valued member of the school community for many, many years and has taught hundreds and hundreds of children over that time, probably including many of the parents reading this letter!
All of us at Greenhill Primary thank Mrs Simmons for everything that she has done for the children of Greenhill, Gelligaer and beyond and wish her a long and happy retirement!
As always, thank you all for your continued support, showing that together we can all strive for the best for our children.
Lisa Jones Head Teacher