Mrs O'Brien - Foundation Phase PPA

Hello I am Mrs O'Brien and I currently cover the lessons in Progression Steps 1 & 2 for PPA. In my spare time I  enjoy spending time with my family, walking our dog and running with my friends. I also like to eat a lot (this is why I run!), my favourite foods are pasta and cake!  When I was in school I particularly enjoyed art lessons and later on Childcare, which eventually led me into becoming a Childminder for 11 years before I trained to be a Teaching Assistant. Before Childminding, I also worked in a pub on an evening, so that I could pay my bills when I was a student! Since then, I have continued my training and qualified as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant. As an adult my choice of a career is slightly different to the one I wanted as a child, when I was determined to be a Lollipop Lady! Today, I love my job and wouldn’t want to do anything else.

What will be learning throughout the year?

Our lessons during PPA time will focus on real life authentic experiences/life skills. Lessons are planned separately for each year group and will be practical, fun and of course, educational. The topics through the year include:

Autumn Term – Keeping Safe and Enterprise

Personal Hygiene, People Who Help Us, Stranger Awareness, E-Safety, Road Safety and First Aid will be included.

Enterprise will involve each pupil designing, costing, creating and packaging their own product ready to sell around Christmas.

Spring Term – Cooking and Sewing

While cooking, we will be learning various skills and language relating to the subject. Recipes will be followed in order to create healthy and tasty food.

Mixing, rolling, spreading/knife control, shape cutting, sieving, weighing, measuring, whisking/beating, grating, kneading, rubbing, peeling and slicing (phew!) are some of the skills to be explored.

Sewing will involve learning how to use needles and thread, basic stitches and design, resulting in the creation of an individual or class project.

Summer Term – Forest School

We will be out in the Forest School area or our gardens carrying out various activities relating to nature and wildlife. This will include activities such as planting/growing, habitats and identifying minibeasts and birds.

I am really looking forward to a productive and exciting year!

Mrs Hendy - RWI Intervention 

Hello everyone Mrs Hendy here! I would just like to tell you a little bit about myself. As a child I loved planting seeds with my dad in his greenhouse and cooking with my Nan baking cakes, fruit pies and jelly jam made with gooseberries and blackcurrants picked from her garden. I’m sure that’s why I love  gardening and eating cakes so much today! My favourite subjects at school were cooking and English. I loved reading and writing.

When I left school I went to college to do catering and when I left I became a school cook. During this time I became a parent helper in the classroom and realised I loved helping children to learn so I went back to college in the evenings to retrain and became a Teaching Assistant.  At school I love helping children to read and write.  Fred and I love playing Fred Games with the children and I think they enjoy it too.  I'm so lucky to have a job I love! 

At home I love to plant flowers in my garden and really enjoy listening to the birds singing while they enjoy the treats on the bird table. I enjoy reading books about famous actors that they have written themselves. 

My family and I love to holiday at Tenby in a caravan. It’s one of our favourite places with such lovely beaches and plenty of places to take Alfie and Tess (our two dogs) for walks. If I wasn’t a Teaching Assistant I would love to work in a cafe. I love chatting to people and of course I'd serve beautiful cakes and delicious fruit pies!

Mrs Goward - Community Champion

Hi everyone, Mrs Goward here!  I have been working at Tredegar Park Primary for over 6 years now.  What many of you don't know is that I was once a pupil here, I loved it so much I had to come back!  Some of the teachers who taught me still work here.

I have had the pleasure of working in lots of different year groups but now have a different role as Community Champion within our school.  I am enjoying this role as I get to see everyone. I oversee the Heddlu Bach as well as carrying out RWI and ELSA interventions. The Heddlu Bach (Mini Police) is a programme for children between 9 to 11 years old who work alongside the local Neighbourhood Policing teams to promote good citizenship in our school and local area and will be involved in community engagement events. The ELSA intervention promotes emotional wellbeing of children and young people. I have a few ideas for other groups that I am really excited about setting up in our school which includes life skills and to involve the local community so watch this space……….!

When I’m not in school I love spending time with my family. I like going to the cinema, walking my dog and playing board games. I do enjoy playing Just Dance and Mario Kart with my 2 daughters even though I usually come last. I also love to play cricket! I play for a ladies cricket team and I teach Allstars cricket too. 

If you see me around the school don't forget to give me a wave!

Mrs Everson - Year 5 and 6 Intervention Groups

Hiya, I’m Mrs Everson and I am a TA in the upper juniors. This year I will be doing interventions with years 5 and 6.

Before I became a TA, I worked in the local corner shop, cleaning and stacking the shelves. Then when I was 16, I went to Nash College to train as a Nursery Nurse. This was for two years. When I qualified, I came and worked at Duffryn Infants in the Nursery. Years passed and I worked at other schools. Then after I had my two children I opened my own Parent and Toddler Group called Little Stars. I ran this for ten years while my children were growing up. I felt I needed to move on with my life and applied for a job at Tredegar Park Primary. Luckily, I got the job! I had come full circle and was back at Duffryn!

In my spare time I love to read. I especially enjoy reading autobiographies about famous people. My favourite thing to do, is sit in my garden in the sunshine and read with my two black cats around me. I also have an allotment patch, where I grow various vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and runner beans. It is hard work, but worth it! Lastly, I enjoy going to my local gym to do Zumba, even though I’ve got two left feet! Its tiring but great fun!