Greetings from Santa

Education – End of Term Arrangements
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS AT NEATH PORT TALBOT
Pupils of a secondary school age will be moving to distance learning provision in NPT from Monday, 14th December, onwards. If your child is in years 7 to 13, schools will be delivering learning remotely and ensuring that pupils continue with their studies until the end of term on December 18th.
It is vitally important that all pupils engage with this on-line provision and we must emphasise that, on the advice of Public Health Wales, children and young people should not be allowed to meet with friends and congregate in public places. This remains a school week and all staff and pupils are expected to respect it as such.
Head teachers will be making local decisions regarding the support for vulnerable pupils who will be expected to attend according to the school’s advice.
This announcement does not affect primary school settings or special schools.
As the Minister notes, “This is not an early Christmas holiday, please do everything you can to minimise your contact with others.”
In acknowledging this announcement, the Leader of the Council, Cllr. Rob Jones, said, “Pupils in our secondary schools can make a difference to reducing the transmission of the virus by staying at home, engaging with their learning and by being responsible in their actions.”
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Secondary schools and colleges in Wales will move to online learning from Monday as part of ‘national effort to reduce coronavirus transmission’
Secondary schools and colleges in Wales will move to online learning from Monday, December 14 as part of a ‘national effort to reduce transmission of coronavirus’ Education Minister Kirsty Williams confirmed today.
The Minister made it clear that, thanks to the efforts of education staff across the country, schools and colleges are safe and secure environments, with almost half of all Welsh schools having had zero covid cases since September.
However, it is also recognised that education settings being open can contribute to wider social mixing outside the school and college environment.
By making this decision, the Minister felt it was important to make a ‘clear, national direction’ to take pressure off individual schools, colleges, local authorities, parents and carers.
The Minister said her decision followed expert advice from Wales’s Chief Medical Officer showing that the public health situation in Wales was deteriorating.
The latest TTP data shows that rates of Covid-19 have further increased across Wales and have now exceeded 370/100k with a test positivity of 17%.
The R rate in Wales has increased to 1.27 with a doubling time of just 11.7 days.
As during the firebreak, local authorities and schools will be expected to consider what provision is suitable for vulnerable learners and this could include ‘on- premises’ learning.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: “Every day, we are seeing more and more people admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms.
“The virus is putting our health service under significant and sustained pressure and it is important we all make a contribution to reduce its transmission.
“In his advice to me today, the CMO recommends that a move to online learning should be implemented for secondary school pupils as soon as is practicable.
“I can therefore confirm that a move to online learning should be implemented for secondary school pupils and college students from Monday next week.
“We recognise, as we did during the firebreak, that it is more difficult for primary and special school age children to undertake self-directed learning.
“That is why we are encouraging primary and special schools to continue to stay open.
“Having spoken to local education leaders, I am confident that schools and colleges have online learning provision in place.
“This will also be important in ensuring that students are at home during this time, learning and staying safe.
“Critically, and this is very important, children should be at home.
“This is not an early Christmas holiday, please do everything you can to minimise your contact with others.”
“The education family in Wales has pulled together so many times this year to make a real difference to the course of this virus and ultimately to save lives and I know we can do the same again.
“Together we will keep Wales safe.”
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Aled Evans
Director of Education, Leisure and Lifelong Learning,
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Cyfarwyddwr Addysg, Hamdden a Dysgu Gydol Oes,
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Castell-nedd Port Talbot
01639 763298
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Sardis Chapel Christmas Services




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Snow on the Beacons
Winter has arrived on the Brecon Beacons

Image taken by RDN photographer Mike Davies from Craig y Llyn
Our RDN team mamber Hugh Lewis was snow hunting there too.



Images taken from Craig y Llyn by Hugh Lewis (RDN)
Recycling & Refuse Collection



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Resolven Post Office
Message from Cllr. Dean Lewis
Would it be possible for you to get a post out to inform your readers that the post office will be closed until the 30th of November, due to Marcia needing an operation on the 23rd after suffering with chest/heart complications?
Wishing her a full and speedy recovery from myself and all of the residents
DEAN LEWIS
Extra good wishes from RDN. Marcia has contributed excellent stories for us over the years.
RDN TEAM
Funeral Notice for Mr Stan Crawley

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Accepting COVID
I have an anxious problem
And it’s worrying you see
I can’t think past the dreaded COVID
For the life that once suited me
It’s been like a strange horror story
And it’s not over yet
Time is getting more precious each day
The older and wiser I get
I must start thinking positively
But it’s hard when I look around
With social distancing and isolation
And face masks on the ground
But the cavalry is coming
Boris has told us that soon it will be here
The toot of the bugle is sounding in the distance
But call it a vaccine, if you prefer
I want to be an optimist
But being pessimistic is more my style
But hope always springs eternal
And time will surely tell, in a while
We all want this to be over
We all want to see this come to an end
But Lets hope it’s sooner rather than later
Because life is given only as a lend
So in the end we must think past COVID
It’s vital for the life that lets us be free
But the when, where, how and why?
Must be left to the Powers that be!!
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‘Arthur Rose’
Resolven
13 November 2020
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Identifying Abuse : Stop-Challenge-Protect
Next week is VULNERABILITY Week with the rolling out of Operation Amethyst involving Zak Bird, Police Community Support Officer, Community Safety who has provided the following information.

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Resolven Remembers
As the Resolven Branch of the Royal British Legion recently ceased to exist and according to the Welsh Government Covid-19 restrictions and recommendations, only a fraction of the normal number of people gathered at the Resolven Cenotaph at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
A shortened service of Remembrance took place and due to the non-availability of the Vicar, Mr David Richards and Mr Roger Place, former members of the local British Legion branch lead the Remembrance and Mrs Diane Sims played pre-recorded ‘The Last Post’ followed by two minutes silence.
Talented village residents had prepared an unique display of poppies and appropriately painted stones at the gates of the Cenotaph.
Resolven found a new way to remember the fallen.










“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.“

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