The Official Wenvoe Homepage
Can you lend a hand? 
Saturday Feb 11th 9-12am
Gwenfo School
Wear your old clothes and help us tackle a range of jobs around the school
From weeding and planting to painting and building equipment.
We would love your help. Bring the family!
Refreshments provided
Please let Miss Starke or Mrs Hazelton know if you can help.
Tel: 02920593225
The Wenvoe Playgroup
We hope that everyone has had a peaceful Christmas and would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Everyone at Playgroup would like to say thank you to Bellway for visiting us in the Autumn Term and for their kind donation. The monies donated allowed us to purchase a banner for the front of the hall, advertising our new opening times. A new sink and cooker for the children’s role play area was also purchased, so thank you Bellway.
Can we also take this opportunity to thank Gwenfo School for inviting us to the Foundation Phase Christmas Concert (dress rehearsal). We had a lovely time and were thrilled to see some of our past and present playgroup children together once more. Our little ones sat so beautifully throughout the performance, they were amazing. We would also like to say thank you for always making our staff and children feel welcome and part of the school.
Moving forward in 2017
Our ‘wrap around service’ is proving very popular with parents/families and we would recommend that if you are thinking of using the wrap around care in the Spring or Summer term that you contact us a.s.a.p.
Also, if you have a child who is aged 2 years and 4 months between now and May then please get in touch. We have waiting lists for some days and may
have to employ additional staff if demand is high.
You can contact us on 02920597494 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday, email us at wenvoeplay group@btinternet.com or contact us via our website wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk
Thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Concert. The Children did us proud
It is very hard to believe that we have now completed a full term in school!
The children all deserve to be congratulated on their wonderful Christmas performances – parents and grandparents really were incredibly well entertained in both the Infant and Junior concerts. We really must say a very big thank you to Mrs Sian Jones, who actually wrote and produced the KS2 performance – Mrs Jones is a truly talented lady.
The Infant children thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas trip to the Sherman 
Theatre to see “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. Junior pupils went to see “The Borrowers”, which they equally enjoyed.
Our school choir really did perform beautifully in the Community Carol Service in St Mary’s Church. Thank you to our school choir, to parents for their continued support and again, to Mrs Jones.
Thanks must also go to our PFTA who give tirelessly of their time throughout the year; their hard work in organising the door entries and raffles during our Christmas concert season has been greatly appreciated.
We would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and all good wishes for 2017!
So How did the Scout Post Go?
Happy New Year from 1st Wenvoe Scout Group. We hope that you had a wonderful time with family and friends, or perhaps just enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet and some better than usual telly. Here in the Williams residence as I type this, we are still waiting for our delivery scout elves to text us with confirmation that they have delivered their bags of post. We then have to report back to the main sorting office that all our mail has been delivered. So it’s all go here at the moment. By the time you read this it will be a distant memory and you will all be cursing through dry January or just about sticking to that diet. Keep at it!
I know we all grumble that scout post is so early but if you take a moment to think about what’s involved you might realise that we really do need that time to get the job done. Last posting day in 2016 was 5th December and we had already started sorting on the Saturday and Sunday. One person drives down to the main sort in Pontcanna scout hut where all the Cardiff and Vale groups meet to swap post for each other. We hand out post to each area – Barry, Rhiwbina, Grangetown etc and they hand us our Wenvoe post which is brought back to our sorters in the community centre. We sort this into streets, farms and so on and by Thursday of that week (so, Thursday 8th 2016) we finished sorting and handed out bags of mail to our deliverers. That mail has to be delivered by the following weekend – which is usually the weekend before Christmas. That’s the latest the mail should be delivered by so you can see I hope why we have to sell stamps so early and have such an early day for our last post. You’ll just have to be more organised if you missed it! And by the way, it is only stamps sold in Wenvoe which benefit our scout group – so don’t buy them from anyone else!. Oh, and another myth, last years stamps are just as valid as this years, they don’t go out of date!
This year we had the usual cards from optimistic senders, ie just names, no, and/or incorrect addresses. So if anyone recognises: Vicky Haines in Draenen Wen (no number); Mr & Mrs Pugh 53 Heol Draenen Wen (no such number exists); Julie & Ray & family, Culverhouse X; Nicola and Martin (no address at all) and the last one, John Burles or Burkes, (again, no address well I’m sorry but our scouting telepathy skills failed us and regretfully we were unable to deliver these cards. The 53 Heol Draenen Wen card is a serial offender each year – so if you do recognise it perhaps you might ask your friends and relatives if they have your correct address.
It’s just a thought.
I say this because we do have a report back from the scout post organisers in February each year and sometimes we hear the odd grumble that post was not delivered and whilst that is no doubt true for a very small amount of post for one reason or another, sometimes it’s because the address was simply wrong in the first place.
We also had a fair number of cards for further afield which we cannot deliver at all, for example, Sidcup, London, Welshpool to give you a few examples. We put most of these in the Royal Mail as we have no other way of delivering those. It would be nice to think that the recipients pointed this out to the senders – but I suspect that is wishful thinking. Of course, this year we have had a few more houses to deliver to with the developments at Redrow and Bellway at either end of the village. I apologise to our army of sorters who had to suffer the Husbands ‘witty’ nickname for each end of the village which I won’t share here, save to say that the word ‘end’ featured in both… I know, I know, I’m sorry and no offence is intended, honestly.
Moving swiftly on, of course the real reason for this article is to thank the army of sorters, sellers, deliverers, exchange swappers, Ian who is still the ‘main man’ despite what the Husband thinks, custodians of the post boxes and of course our treasurer who has to count up all the fiddling small change. We couldn’t do scout post without you, it would simply be an impossible task so we value your help more than you could ever know. We are always grateful for help with post – which is a lovely Christmassy thing to do, so if you fancy popping down next year please let us know.
Sue Williams
PS – We have a card for a Mr and Mrs K M Rees, Southlands, St Lythans, CF5 6BG. No house by this name is recognised in the area. Contact wenvoe scoutgroup@gmail.com if you wish to claim the card.
It feels as if Christmas is upon us already in school – with the Christmas concert practices in full flow! Indeed, you may have heard some strains of Christmas music if you have been walking past school.
We had a super Children in Need day – the children dressed up in spots and enjoyed a cake sale and a raffle. The staff also had a Bake Off competition!
Vicar Jon came visit Year 1 in school: they were delighted to show the work they had completed as a follow up to the church visit. Activities undertaken included: making stained glass windows, writing prayers and using the Paint computer programme to draw pictures of the church.
The response to The Children In Need Shoebox Appeal was fantastic and we would like to say a very big thank you to all our parents and children were so kindly gave so many donations.
We have held a Book Fayre this week – as always, it has been very well received. School receives a percentage of the profits to spend on books which is always wonderful – and we have great fun choosing our new books. Thanks must go to Mrs Edwards who has run the Book Fayre and our Year 6 volunteers who have ably assisted.
We now look forward to the run up to Christmas and the exciting activities and trips we have planned for December.
As we write this we are busy creating our Christmas crafts and practising our songs in time for Christmas.
Our concert this year is on Friday 16th December at 11am here at the playgroup.
Our news. Most recently we benefited from a grant from the ‘Big Lottery’ to help with costs towards advertising and new equipment for the children. We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the ‘Big Lottery’ for the support shown to the group.
Here at the playgroup we support children’s care from the age of 2 years and 4 months to 4 years and 11 months. We do this by offering various hours each morning and by working closely with the local nursery provision at school to provided extended care.
For further information on how we can help, please phone 029 20597494 Mon – Fri 8:30 – 12:30pm, contact us via email wenvoeplaygroup @btinternet.com or why not take a look at our website wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk
We would like to thank everyone in the community who has supported Playgroup over the past year and thank those who continue to support the playgroup by volunteering their time to ensure it runs smoothly.
to you all
PLAY HARD, WORK HARDER
Life as a teenager in this village is difficult. Standards are high and the heavy work load can seem too much some times. Yet, youth of Wenvoe: it’ll be worth
it. When the job you so want is waiting for you, and you are happy – the hard work will have well and truly paid off. Yet, until then you’ll have to revise and wait; luck won’t get you through your exams unfortunately. Although, just because the hard work is tough it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves. It’s important to get a healthy balance between relaxation and work, so that you don’t lose your mind!
Remember: you’re never too old to play in the park, or to sled down the hills of the field during Wenvoe’s rare winter wonderlands. Feel free to play a round of tennis with a friend in the courts, or simply get out of the house, look around and enjoy the nature that surrounds you. Join the football club, or come and punch something for an hour or so in Karate.
School doesn’t have to be unbearable. Merely, bearable…
Tirion Davies
It’s hard to believe that we have already completed a half term! It has been a very busy and productive time, with the Infant Department being transformed through all the building work – Year 1 and the Nursery have a super new classrooms, which is incredibly exciting for us all.
The children have been absolutely brilliant throughout the construction and have conducted themselves in such a sensible and mature manner! We really could not have asked for more – so a massive well done to all our pupils!
Reception parents have been treated to a nursery rhyme recitation to celebrate the end of their nursery rhyme topic- many thanks to Miss Williams, Mrs Brown and Mrs Morris and well done, Reception! Year 2 have led the Harvest Festival service – a big thank you to Mrs James and Mr Rhys – and Year 2, of course!
Year 1 visited St Mary’s Church – they were welcomed by Vicar Jon who then enthralled them with a wonderful talk and demonstration (using child models!) of clerical apparel. The children were also highly entertained by the font and getting splashed with water!
A massive well done to all our children for their entries into the Scarecrow Festival and congratulation on winning a prize.
A happy half term break to all – before we know it, we will soon be back, practising for our Christmas concerts!
As I write this all 20 children have settled well into their daily routines and are enjoying activities at this time to celebrate Diwali (Hindu festival of light).
We have had a great response to our new ‘Wrap around service’ with Gwenfo Nursery, with more children adding to this service in January.
We operate 5 days per week and transit the children across to the nursery for their afternoon sessions. We also collect children Monday’s and Friday’s at 11:20am and walk them to the playgroup for afternoon care until 3:15pm
There is limited space available at this time, so if you are interested in your child joining the playgroup between January and May 2017 then please get in touch a.s.a.p. not to be disappointed.
You can contact us on 029 20597494 Monday – Friday between 9am and 1pm, email us at wenvoeplaygroup@btinternet.com or view our website wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk which has a link to our email and all contact numbers.
Do you shop online for you or for your business?
You could earn funds for Wenvoe Playgroup just from doing your normal weekly shop, buying Christmas presents, booking the family holiday, or taking out insurance with easyfundraising.co.uk. Wenvoe Playgroup has registered with the site, where over 3,000 retailers and companies are registered. Every time you shop, it costs you nothing extra but the 
retailer makes a donation to our pot.
So next time your shop online, do it using this link and raise a free donation for Wenvoe Playgroup every time you shop!
https://www.easyfundraising. org.uk/causes//.
Thank you for your continued support.
The children have settled back well into school after the summer holidays and have all been incredibly helpful and patient during the period of building work – a massive thank you to them all!
Our new Reception children have all settled in very well and it is lovely to see them all looking so happy and smart in their new uniforms! Our Nursery class opened on Monday and, by all accounts, a fun time was had by all! We look forward to seeing the children grow and develop during their time with us in Gwenfo.
Year 6 had a thoroughly enjoyable session at Beach Teach. The children have also been engaging in Dance taster sessions – with a new after school Dance Club starting very soon.
We are looking forward to the coming year and the exciting times, opportunities and challenges ahead.
