Category: Kids
Looking Forward
As I write this we are half way through our Summer Holidays and looking forward to a very busy year at Playgroup from September.
The Playgroup is now full for morning sessions with limited space on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons only. We have started a waiting list for morning spaces for 2020 and people are already registering interest for September 2020, especially those who are hoping to attend with wrap around care at Gwenfo Nursery.
As mentioned in July What’s On, we are offering breakfast club for those who are due to start at Gwenfo Reception from September. We still have a few spaces remaining should you wish to attend Breakfast and onto Reception @ £5 per morning from 8am. Breakfast is flexible with days, you don’t have to do all five, however, you will need to do the same breakfasts each week during term time.
We can also offer limited space for breakfast and onto Gwenfo Nursery from 8am @ £5 per session or if you are eligible for Government Free Child Care, 50p per session. Again, you don’t have to do everyday, you can just do a couple of days as long as they are the same each term week.
For further information please telephone us on 02920597494 or email us at wenvoeplaygroup @btinternet.com and speak to Sandra.
Please view our website and read our Admissions Statement of Purpose and Operational Plan which highlight our practice and costs. www.wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk
We look forward to seeing everyone return on Wednesday 4th September
Children’s Corner – Washable Paint
How to make washable chalk paint
You will need:
Cornflour
Water
Food colouring
Mix the water and cornflour in equal parts (try 1/2 cup of each to begin with) then add food coloring until it reaches the color desired. It will dry lighter. You can use the paint on paper, chalk boards or even to paint on your patio – but remember to ask a grown up first!
Children’s Summer Workshops
Wonderful 50th Celebration
Well what a wonderful 50th celebration it was for Wenvoe Playgroup. Thank you to all those who supported the event in various ways. It was lovely to see staff and families, past and present, in attendance and although it was raining it didn’t dampen our spirits. The children thoroughly enjoyed the bouncy castles and tattoos available, with a warm, friendly atmosphere about them. It was lovely to bring everyone together.
We would like to mention a few people who supported our event both local and from surrounding communities.Thanks go to:
- Dinas Vets – For providing the Banner to advertise the event
- Jacky and Ken Rattenbury – For their cash Donation of £200 which paid for the Soft Play and Bouncy Castle. Also, for the cake donations to sell at the event.
- Brickability- Donation of Vale Golf Vouchers for the raffle
- Beech Tree – Donation of a Meal voucher for the raffle
- S.R. Davis Meat & Poultry – For the donation of meat for the BBQ
- Yates Fruit & Veg – Strawberry donations for the yummy chocolate dipped strawberries
- Wenvoe Wheelers – For their Cash Donation of £150 as a birthday gift, supporting the event
- Wenvoe Village Hall Management Committee – For the free hire to hold and celebrate the event.
Although the event was about celebrating 50 Years of Wenvoe Playgroup and not necessarily making money, the raffle raised £210 which Barclays Bank has offered to match doubling the money, so thank you Barclays.
Thank you to: Jody, Amy, Lisa, Michelle, Emily, Ceris and their families, for all their hard work in making the day such a success. You did us proud.
It is good to know that many support Wenvoe Playgroup, our Community Charity.
As we are a not for profit group, fees cover the basics and any profit is used for equipment for the children. Our Management Committee give all their time voluntarily and over the years they have worked tirelessly to support the group with their fundraising ideas and events. This ensures that Playgroup continues for the Community and surrounding communities, so a big ‘Thankyou’ to all those who have kept the Playgroup going for 50 years and well done.
By the time you are reading this, we will be closed and enjoying our summer holidays.
We re-open on Wednesday 4th September for all returning children and those who start Nursery at Gwenfo School. Breakfast club also starts for not only Nursery and Playgroup children, we are also taking Reception children. Please make sure you
are booked into breakfast club prior to attending. Breakfast club starts at 8am daily.
There are no afternoon sessions or all day care sessions between 4th and 6th September. Our full service will start from Monday 9th September. Our new families and younger members are welcome to visit from Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th September as settling in days ready to start from Monday 9th September.
For further information please visit our website www.wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk or email us at wenvoeplaygroup@btinternet.com (all contacts are on the website).
Enjoy the holidays and see you all in September.
August Gwenfo School News
August Gwenfo School News
As always time seems to be flying! At the time of writing, we now have only 4 days left until the summer break!
Our Christian value is still respect with the theme of saying goodbye and moving on.
The school has recently had their sports day. Everyone did amazingly and Greaves won! Tia from Year 6 won the School Sports Personality award for being an important part of the Netball Team and a good sporting role model to all.
The Netball Team did really well in the Kent Tour! Both A and B teams won in the first tournament and B team won again in the second tournament! The A team did well and came second! They have also recently hosted our own tournament in which they won again! The next day they also won the Saint Patrick’s School Tournament. Well done Gwenfo Netball!
The whole school got very emotional during Year 6 Leavers Assembly. The Year 6 class then went to Cosmeston to have their Leavers BBQ. They all enjoyed it a lot!
Year 4 have taken part in a Rugby Tournament. They were unbeaten in the Tournament and brought back another trophy for Gwenfo School. Year 3 have had fun walking up to the woods and measuring the trees there. They have also enjoyed doing tennis in their PE sessions. Year 2 are preparing to move up from the Infants to the Juniors. They have also been out in the sun learning to cross the road. They have been doing very well. Year 1 have also been learning to play tennis. It’s clear they’re all having an amazing time. Reception will be having a Mini Beast Ball. What a great end to the year!
The choir have done amazing singing at the Motorpoint Arena. They all did their best. They sang songs like ‘A Million Dreams’ and ‘Roar’. Lots of money was raised for Cancer Research when the school did their own Race for Life.
There will be lots of fun and sunshine in the last couple of days in school before summer break!
Alfie Osborne and Ella Darko
June School News
As always, time seems to be flying! At the time of writing, we now have only 4 and a half weeks left until the Summer break!
Our Christian value this half term is: RESPECT Show Respect to Everyone 1 Peter 2:17
Our pupils have been engaging in some wonderful activities; Year 6, accompanied by Miss Starke, Mrs Gordon and Mrs Briscombe, enjoyed a super day at the Hay Book Festival.
The Reception class have thoroughly enjoyed their Music and Movement sessions on a Thursday afternoon and Year 5 have worked so well together as a team to complete physical challenges – during Forces Fitness Sessions.
Several of our pupils enjoyed celebrating Eid with their families and told us, in such excellent detail, about the lovely experiences they had enjoyed.
We celebrated our own Gwenfo Book Day last Friday (14th June); the children were able to come into school as a favourite character or in their pyjamas. It was truly lovely to observe the older and younger children sharing books and stories together.
Due to the inclement weather, our sports day had to be postponed; we are now keeping our fingers crossed that the sun will shine on our reserve date of July 1st!
You will probably have noticed that we are having building work done in school; this is to complete our complement of super Foundation Phase classrooms. The plan is that it will be completed in time for when the children return to school in September!
Our netballers are currently “on tour” in Kent. They are playing at two different venues and we send them all our good wishes. Thanks really must go to Mrs Plevey and family, Mrs Kennedy and Mrs Morris for giving so freely and generously of their time in accompanying the team.
Year 6 are currently having cycling proficiency sessions and Year 4, swimming lessons. Swimming lessons are undertaken in a fortnightly block.
So as we head into our final few weeks of term, we will be very busy, including with transition activities and hopefully, enjoying some lovely sunshine too!
All About The Wenvoe Playgroup
Wenvoe Playgroup started back in 1969 here at the Village Hall in Wenvoe.
In 1974/5 Playgroup moved for a short time to the Cricket Pavilion (no longer standing) whilst the hall was re-built by local residents. The New Village Hall as it stands today was designed and built with Playgroup very much in mind.
Again in 1996 when the roof slid on the Village Hall (due to the lack of bracing to hold the roof trusses) the hall was immediately closed and deemed unsafe. Whilst the Management Committee of the hall were fundraising for coffers and seeking grants to fix the roof, the Playgroup moved to the Church Hall.
Over the years the Village Hall has been known for many celebrations and various classes; however its one main purpose for the last 50 years has been ‘The Home of Playgroup’
We are thrilled that over the years, many residents who care about the community we live in, have come together to support and keep the Playgroup open successfully for a remarkable 50 years, WOW!
Many Parents past and present have contributed to Playgroup’s success with their fundraising efforts and serving on the Management Committee whom we would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to. However, as Parents come and go over the years, there is a set of Parents who came and stayed behind the scenes. A BIG THANK YOU must go to Lisa and Darren who have been friends of Playgroup for many years, supporting silently in the background. Lisa supporting annual raffles, fayres and fundraising events, and Darren who volunteers to manage our website, putting up with late night emails to change documents at short notice. We (especially me) are grateful to you for all your help throughout the years and we hope that Playgroup will be around for another 50 years (however, I don’t think I will be).
My History:- The Village Hall has been a big part of my life, with 25 years to date spent on The Management Committee of the hall. In 2008 the Playgroup was under threat of closure, and without the rent for the hall, my thought was that we would lose the hall. Fearing losing our Village Hall to become a block of flats or houses, I came to run the Playgroup with a future vision of wrap around care. Although the School was unable to obtain a Nursery (as the Vale said they had no money) as soon as the new housing development was underway, a friend mentioned the S106 payments and I supported the previous Head Teacher of Gwenfo School to request that a Nursery be built. Obviously, Playgroup numbers fell dramatically, back to similar numbers that we had back in 2008. After 5 years of love of, and the generous support from everyone at Playgroup (and friends and residents), we are now thriving once more. My plan took 11 years to come to fruition and I would like to thank all those who believed in me. I have completed everything I set out to do as a Registered Leader and now it’s the feeling of what’s next.
Big thanks to the staff, friends, parents and everyone around me who supported my vision and helped achieve it. I couldn’t have done it without your love and support. When people ask me if I enjoy my job, my answer is always,’ it’s not a job, it’s a way of life.’
From this year 2019, Wenvoe Playgroup is changing its structure and will be known as Wenvoe Playgroup CIO. Again, moving with the times to make the Playgroup stronger and hopefully continue for many years to come.
I am now no longer the Registered Person; I am now proud to be part of a fantastic team to a vision I once had. Onwards and Upwards.
Love and thanks to everyone who has supported me in my venture
Sandra xxxxxxxxxxxx
The Playgroup is fully booked for the morning sessions from September this year until July 2020. However, we do have a few afternoon spaces left and pick up for lunch from Gwenfo Nursery School.
I would recommend if you are thinking of joining us from September 2020 to email us and put your Child’s name on the waiting list as we expect to go from strength to strength.
Also, if you wish to add to our waiting list, if someone changes their mind in the coming school year, again email us and we can keep you up-to-date.
At this time, we are looking to support Gwenfo School with Breakfast Club for reception age children. Breakfast club is for children aged 2 years and 4 months to age 4 years and 11 months at this time. However, hopefully from September it will be available for those up to 5 years inclusive. Breakfast club for reception will cost £5 per morning available Monday to Friday 8 am with transition onto Gwenfo Reception for 8:50am. Spaces will be limited.
Contact us on 02920597494 or email wenvoeplaygroup@btinternet.com for further information. Our website is www.wenvoeplaygroup. co.uk. For further information, please read our Statement of Purpose.
Scout Group Award
Playgroup Changing Its Structure
From September this year, Wenvoe Playgroup will be changing its structure to Wenvoe Playgroup CIO, securing the group for many years to come. We have a high intake for 2019 to 2020 so if you are thinking of joining and haven’t already done so, please contact us for availability
Here at the Playgroup, we work alongside Gwenfo Nursery providing wrap around care, with many children attending mornings with us and on to afternoon nursery. We do have some spaces available for pick up from Gwenfo Nursery at this time from 11:20am to 12:45pm Monday to Friday £8 per day and afternoon spaces available 11:20pm until 3:15pm on Wednesday and Thursday at £18 per day.
Both Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan now offer the 30 Hour Free Childcare which allows you 17.5 hours free at Playgroup, if you meet the Welsh Government,s criteria.
Visit www.wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk. Telephone: 02920 59749; email wenvoeplaygroup@btinternet.com