Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have done so well this week in learning across the curriculum. A number of pupils have increased their levels of engagement and this is really important as it supports them to learn more! One child has been calmer in class and has really enjoyed listening to drumming. In maths, two children used a 5 frame and confidently knew there were 5 objects in total. A number of children have been working really hard on their phonics too. There have been many developments in physical health and wellbeing; one child tolerating their glasses for 40 minutes and another being independent in using their new school chair. One child ate snack and requested it using their communication book. Also in communication, one child has been initiating using their PECS book, using 3 to 4 symbols and verbalising each symbol to make requests. There have been some great developments in social skills. One class walked beautifully to the bakers and bought themselves some yummy treats as part of their maths and communication learning. Another has been a great friend and has been sharing their toys. Another child has learnt how to play tag and is really enjoying playing this with the other children in their class. Lastly, we must mention our football team who all worked incredibly hard and showed great team spirit at the Albion cup tournament. They were a credit to our school and great ambassadors for Palatine. We are very proud of them!
This week’s sign of the week is science.
School Closure reminder
School is closed on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th as per my letter of Wednesday due to the NEU strike.
Absence procedure
If your child is poorly please ring the school on 01903 242835 on the morning that they are going to be absent and leave a message on the absence line. Thank you!
We all appreciate the importance of protecting children online at school. We use filtering software alongside other measures to keep children safe. However, the majority of dangers posed online come from inside the home. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has released a checklist to help mitigate the risks at home from the internet.
Increasingly and worryingly, young people are being contacted in their own homes via online platform and apps. There is a significant rise in children being groomed and coerced online by abusers. Requests for sexual pictures and videos is now the predominant type of sexual abuse imagery found on the internet.
In 2022, the IWF investigated a staggering 375,230 reports of child sexual abuse imagery with over half being online with an internet connected device as opposed to an abuser being physically present in the room with the victim. The IWF have produced a guide for parents and carers which you can access here.
Evidence suggests that children with SEND can be more vulnerable to online abuse; children with vulnerabilities including SEND are seven times more likely to experience online harm in their lifetime.
• A child with complex needs may be less likely to understand or recognise the signs of online sexual abuse.
• Some SEND children may interpret things literally or struggle to understand more abstract concepts – such as why an adult might pretend to be a child online.
• Children with reduced emotional processing skills may be more vulnerable to attention from others – including adults looking to groom them online.
• In addition, if a child struggles with communicating their feelings or needs, they may find it harder to share instances that make them feel uncomfortable.
So what can we do as parents and carers? We are advised to TALK;
Talk to your child about staying safe online
Agree ground rules about the way in which technology is used at home and as a family
Learn about the platforms and apps your child loves and take an interest in their online life
Know how to use tools, apps and settings that can help keep your child safe online
Attendance Focus
For the week commencing 27th February, the classes with the best attendance were;
• Explorers hub – Llama class & Zebra class both with 100%
• Investigators hub – Badgers class
• Engineers hub – Sloths class
Buggy Park
• You will recall that a couple of weeks ago we announced that we would be setting up a buggy park so that parents can leave buggies at school when dropping off children. This is now up and running near the bike shed with signs indicating where buggies can be left.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Very best wishes,
Catriona