Good evening,

We are very much looking forward to opening our doors once again on Monday 29th June and seeing the pupils once more. Many preparations have been made to ensure the site, staff, pupils and parents are ready. We will continue to support those pupils who are not returning just yet with distance learning activities also.

We thought it might be useful to parents to have all the information that has been sent out these past few weeks in one place. Please find below correspondence sent out regarding reopening:

Letters from Parkland Primary:

3.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+3.6.20.docx

13.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+13.6.20.docx

17.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+17.6.20.pdf

19.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+19.6.20.pdf

22.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+19.6.20.pdf

26.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Letter+26.6.20.pdf

Digital media shared from Parkland Primary:

Reopening Parkland Video: https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Reopening+Parkland.mp4

Reopening Parkland Parent Information Pack:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/Q8c31H3SjjB4A/

Playtimes at Parkland Video: https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/Playtimes+at+Parkland.mp4

Letters from the Local Authority:

4.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/LA+Letter+4.6.20.pdf

22.6.20

https://www.j2e.com/parkland-primary-school2/FelicityP/Reopening/LA+Letter+22.6.20.pdf

Another year is over and it’s ended in style in Parkland. Parkland Parents’ Association undertook the mammoth job of holding the Christmas fayre. It was a very successful event with a significant amount of funds raised. The whole event was extremely well organised and many children and their families and friends came to enjoy themselves and support the school. A big ‘Thank you’ to everyone who supported us, volunteered and worked on the association to organise the evenings’ fun and activities.  The pupils and staff have had so much fun this term rehearsing and performing a range of Christmas spectacles! Every child from Rising 3s to Year 6 has been involved. We have enjoyed carol services, pantos and nativities. Our school choirs and orchestra spread the festive cheer to our local community when they visited Hazel Court, Laugharne Court, Parkland’s Church and Singleton Hospital, singing and performing for all the residents. The pupils have been on wonderful school trips, such as to the panto and the Gower Heritage Centre to visit Santa. The year 6s also enjoyed their trip to Manor Adventure where they had a fun-filled PACKED week full of daring and adventurous activities, while on residential there. Earlier on in the term Year 6 were trained by Bikability and learned how to use their bikes safely on the road. Reception have continued to visit their friends in the Old Vicarage Nursing Home also. The school has been developing pupils’ creativity throughout the school this term which the pupils have relished. You just need to look at the Year 6 pupils’ faces on Twitter – you can see how proud they are of their marble runs!  What a term and what a year! No wonder the children and staff are exhausted. I’ll leave now by wishing you all a very, merry Christmas, a happy holiday and brilliant new year. See you in 2020!

Parkland staff received training on October 25th from the world renowned Professor Andy Penaluna, who is Professor Emeritus and Research Director of the Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David . He has a wealth of experience and knowledge and came to share this with us. Andy Penaluna’s Swansea TED talk about Education and Creative thinking has inspired debate and new ways of approaching the development of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs in education. At Parkland, as a Pioneer school and an Innovation school, we are creating a curriculum and approach that will give learners opportunities to develop their creativity, independence and their ability to transfer their  thinking and skills to new situations, challenges and opportunities.

 

Parkland staff have been developing their Welsh skills during this term. The second stage of a school wide training program has begun to ensure that all adults working at Parkland have confidence in using and understanding Welsh and are promoting it with out pupils as a living language. We are raising the profile of Welsh at Parkland, and are encouraging our pupils to use it around the school, and to extend their responses in everyday conversation. We have had a very positive response, and the impact is beginning to be seen around the school.

Year 6 pupils had an amazing time at their residential at Manor Adventure  near Abernant Lake, they had the opportunity to,  canoe, paddle board, experience the zip wire, climb,  orienteer, and try  archery to name a few activities! All staff who accompanied them were impressed by their excellent behavior and growing independence. They are a credit to the school and their parents and carers.

 

 

What a busy and eventful final term we had! We had to bid our lovely Year 6s a fond farewell and we wished them all the very best in their new schools. They celebrated their final year in Parkland in style – visiting London and getting to do many different ‘touristy’ things like visit the Natural History Museum, Tower of London, London Eye and Tower Bridge. They also took a boat trip down the Thames and delighted in seeing Matilda the Musical. Other events of particular note were:

• the orchestra playing beautifully to a packed crowd in the Grand Theatre.
• the year 6s showing great stamina and determination when climbing Pen Y Fan
• our Digital Heroes visiting the Sony Center and getting to grips with Raspberry Pi
• our choir performing to a brilliant standard in the National Eisteddfod
• Mal Pope visiting and watching year 3 and 4s perform a dance (inspired by mining) to his music from his new musical Calon Lan
• every class raising money for the school through their entrepreneurship theme ‘You’re Hired’
• a gloriously sunny summer fete with a whole host of activities – a HUGE thank you to the PTA for their continued support
• the London Conchord Ensemble visited and wowed all the pupils and staff
• year 4s working with pupils in Olchfa creating fair trade recipes as part of an entrepreneurship project

The summer was ended in style with every member of our school, from nursery to reception, performing in the Brangwyn Hall. Each year group performed their own number alongside the school’s orchestra and choir. It was an unforgettable night and thank you to all the parents, guardians and other family members who supported the school. A huge congratulations to the pupils who performed amazingly and did the school very proud indeed.

What a brilliantly successful day we had at the Urdd’s regional competition on Saturday. I was super proud of both entries who performed to an exceptionally high standard – Anastasia came third for her poetry recitation and the choir came first! They will join Sully during May half term and compete in the National Eisteddfod – good luck all! A big thank you must go to the parents for taking their children to Port Talbot on Saturday and especially to Mrs Davies and Mrs Norbury too.

Yesterday a number of our pupils competed in the cylch Eisteddfod. The school was brilliantly represented by all those involved and there were many success. Malena came 3rd in the solo singing competition, the choir came 1st and for the boys recitation; Taran came 3rd, Sam cam 2nd and Sully came 1st! Well done to all those involved it was wonderful to see yet more talents on show. Thanks to all the staff for their hard work behind the scenes too.

Both year 4 and 5 have been on residential visits this half term to Llangranog and Margam Park respectively. I hear from the pupils and staff that they all thoroughly enjoyed and learnt lots of new skills. The children were very well behaved whilst away and were great ambassadors for our school. I was also reliably informed that the weather was good for most of their time away.