Good morning

I hope you are all well and ready for the weekend ahead. If only we could have a little sunshine to go with it!

Every now and again, we signpost parents to information we feel may help at home. Today I'm sharing a 'Social Media Guide' for parents along with a question "Do you really know what your children get up to online?".

www.ysgolyllan.co.uk/uploads/6/0/9/8/60987703/social-media-a-guide-for-parents.pdf

If the answer is yes, then great, but as an extremely busy parent myself, I can't always say that I know exactly what my daughters are up to every moment that they are online and that's why regularly, my wife or I will take time out to take a look, to talk to our children and to check what social media content or chats our daughters are involved in. You may feel that this is intrusive but it is our way to protect our daughters and ensure that they are safe online and also using it respectfully. We set these ground rules from the offset, when our eldest two daughters first received their phones, and it will be the same rules for our youngest when the time comes.

We, like you, have all of the safety measures in place but we know that we can't simply rely on that.

The internet and social media is a powerful tool when used correctly. But used incorrectly and irresponsibly, it is also a deadly weapon. In school, we do our utmost to make the children aware of online safety and respect but this is clearly is a message that consistently needs to be addressed by everyone. We hear about occasions outside of school where online chats have upset children and caused issues. With Mental Health high on the national agenda right now, I think that now is a perfect time to remind ourselves of the dangers and take some time to talk to our children.

I hope the guide is useful and that your children are able to remain safe online.

Take care and have a lovely weekend.

Mr. Griffiths

Dear Parents/Guardians

Use of face coverings in school: Update to Welsh Government guidance

The Welsh Government has updated its operational guidance on the use of face coverings in schools and colleges.

Please find the full update here: Update to Welsh Government guidance

The guidance now states that face coverings should be worn:

• in all areas outside the classroom by staff and learners in secondary schools and colleges
• on dedicated school and college transport for learners in year 7 and up
• by visitors to all schools and colleges, including parents and carers picking up and collecting children
  

The move follows the publication of SAGE evidence and a recent TAG report.

To reduce the risk of transmission amongst parents and relatives, please wear masks when visiting school, and at drop-off and collection areas. Maintaining clear social distance at the school gates will also reduce risk and set a good example to pupils.

If you have a secondary school aged child, be aware that face coverings should now be worn by year 7 and above pupils in all areas outside the classroom and be worn on dedicated school transport for year 7 and up.

Please follow these guidelines and encourage your child to follow theirs too.

Along with regular hand washing/sanitising and social distancing, this will reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 at school as far as possible.

The guidance has been made stronger to keep you and your families as safe as possible. It is based on new advice from Welsh Government’s Technical Advisory Group, as we learn more about the way COVID-19 is transmitted.

For this reason, you may now see school staff wearing masks and/or face shields during drop-off and collection times.

Thank you for your help in doing all we can – together - to keep ourselves and each other safe.

Yours sincerely
​
Mr. Griffiths

Good afternoon all

Well, what a birthday party that was ... it's not often a birthday party lasts more than a couple of hours!!! Everyone is shattered - but in a very good way :)

The children have been a credit to you all today and I hope that they have all enjoyed their special birthday party.

Lots of video coverage took place throughout the day but we have no idea how much or how little they will be able to show on television. I believe we will be broadcast on TV/radio at the following times. Please do check the the timetables yourself though just in case!

Mr Williams was on BBC Radio Wales this morning at 6.55am
BBC Radio - Wynne Evans show (one of our pupils was live at 1.10pm - available on the iplayer and app as catch-up)
ITV Wales news report at 6.00pm
BBC Radio Wales mention at 5.40pm
BBC Wales news report at 6.30pm

If you would like to see the birthday messages received and viewed by the children, please follow this link in the email. We hope that it works but will try again if you are unable to access it. We ask that you do not share this on social media or outside of our school community as we have not had permission from all contributors for public sharing. Those that have given permission have been shared with the media/press.

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support - the staff, pupils, governors and parents. The messages of support have been overwhelming and we would not have had as many birthday messages if it wasn't for you all helping out. The donations given were also very generous - I can assure you that any monies not spend on the party celebrations will go directly to the children and resources for them.

I hope the children enjoyed the day, I hope you all enjoy the viewing this evening and I hope we as a school community have done you proud.

Take care.

Mr. Griffiths

Please see the important information below - we have been asked to distribute this information out to the wider community.​

Fire safety warning for the Flintshire countryside
 
Flintshire Countryside Service is urging people to take extreme care in the countryside during the current hot weather and take all possible steps to prevent fires.
 
The warning comes as fires affected land in parts of Gwynedd and Anglesey, as well as the devastating fires in the North West of England.
 
Councillor Carolyn Thomas, Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Countryside, said: “Whilst many of us will be enjoying this unusually prolonged spell of extremely hot weather, it does not come without risk.  The ground is now tinder dry and the risk of fire is increasing by the day.  A fire out of doors, whether started deliberately or accidently, can spread and cover large areas very quickly.  Simple precautions such as avoiding barbeques in the open countryside and making sure that lit cigarettes are discarded properly and safely can significantly reduce the risk of fire.  We would ask people to please take the utmost care when in the countryside and take all necessary steps to protect against fire.”
Kevin Roberts, Senior Fire Safety Manager, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “In these dry conditions, fires involving grass, bracken and heather can develop extremely quickly, especially in raised winds, and fires can soon get out of control and spread to neighbouring properties or forestry, with the need for us then to attend to extinguish them.
“So if you are out, it is more important than ever in these conditions to make sure that any smoking materials are discarded and extinguished properly. If you are out camping, again make sure that campfires or barbeques are fully extinguished. Better still, avoid open fires altogether in this dry period.
 “These fires place tremendous pressure on our resources, with firefighters tied up for a considerable length of time working to bring them under control. Quite often they also happen in areas where access is extremely difficult and water supply is limited.
 “Remember - setting fires is a criminal offence and we are actively working alongside North Wales Police to combat deliberate incidents – those found to be responsible will be prosecuted.”

We hope you have all had a lovely break. Tomorrow is the first day of term for pupils.

Apologies that you have not received information via email over half term - we have been experiencing some problems with our email/text service over the half term break and they are still trying to rectify the problem. 

The Friends of Ysgol y Llan have asked us to send out the following reminders:

1. Smarties tubes are to be returned to school this week (before Fri 15th June)
2. Father's Day gifts will be ready for Thursday 14th June (money to be sent to school with your children)
3. Own clothes day will be this Friday 15th June in exchange for £1 or bottles
4. The next Friends meeting is Friday 15th June at 2.30pm to discuss the school fair
5. The latest Friends of Ysgol y Llan update is on our school website 
http://www.ysgolyllan.co.uk/foyyl-blog/friends-of-ysgol-y-llan-update

Our latest newsletter is on the school website
http://www.ysgolyllan.co.uk/uploads/6/0/9/8/60987703/friday_1st_june_2018.pdf

We look forward to seeing all of the children again and finding out what they have been up to over the holiday.

​Many thanks

​Good morning

It has been brought to our attention that one of our pupils was contacted inappropriately online over the weekend via the game Roblox. Fortunately, this pupil was very sensible and told their parents immediately about the contact.

We are therefore asking parents to be vigilant and continue to talk to your children about online safety and the possible risks. It may also be a good time to review the current online security measures in place at home.

We will continue to inform pupils about online safety throughout curriculum time.

For your information, a fact sheet about Apps, Gaming and Dating Apps has been provided by our Education Welfare Officer - this has been emailed to you but is also available via the link below. Although it is not all relevant, there may be some apps/games that your child is familiar with.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Mr Griffiths

Apps Fact Sheet
http://www.ysgolyllan.co.uk/uploads/6/0/9/8/60987703/app_fact_sheet.cleaned.pdf

Previous police correspondence
http://www.ysgolyllan.co.uk/mr-griffiths-blog/a-message-from-north-wales-police

Good afternoon
At the beginning of March, we received information that there has been an increase in scarlet fever notifications in 2018. 
​https://twitter.com/YsgolyLlan...​
As you will be aware, we have had a number of cases of 'Slapped cheek' and rashes in school - in the whole, these have been diagnosed as viral infections.
However, I believe that we have now had one case of scarlet fever. If your child does have a rash and you are unsure, we do advise that you take them to your local GP as a precautionary measure. Antibiotic treatment is recommended for affected children and they can return to school 24 hours after commencing the appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Many thanks and enjoy your weekend.

Take care today but enjoy the snow - we don't always get much snow and we can all make some special memories!

MA reminder that we welcome any donations of Easter Eggs for our Easter Bingo this year (14/3/18). Thank you if you have already sent in donations - it is very much appreciated.

Thursday 1st March is St. David's Day and our school Eisteddfod. Pupils may attend school wearing national costumes and/or colours.

Friday 2nd March - we will be celebrating World Book Day. Leaflets and £1 book tokens were sent out early last week. Children are invited (it is not compulsory) to attend school as their favourite book character. If they have taken a 'Shelfie' (a photo of them in front of a book shelf), please bring this to school for the display.

Nant BH meeting - there will be an informal meeting with parents/guardians of children attending Nant BH this year next Wednesday at 3.30pm in Class 4. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like any information provided, please let us know.

Mother's Day Secret Shop will be held next Thursday 8th March straight after school. The Friends of the school have kindly asked for any donations of cakes to be brought in on the day. Thank you in advance for supporting this event - last year, we had a number of delicious cakes sold during the event and we hope that we have similar contributions this year. Please contact the school office or the Friends if you have any queries.

Adverse weather - you will be aware that forecasts suggest more snow on Thursday & Friday this week. If we have to close school, we will first notify the Flintshire Council Council via their school closure website (please sign up for notifications from this) followed by other means of communication.