Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have had a really exciting week in school. Some of our pupils went to a curling competition yesterday and won, returning to school with a magnificent trophy! We are very proud of them! Many children have worked hard on developing their communication skills this week. One child said “I want cheese please” using their PECs board. Another has been learning new signs with their adults and using them in context. Another knows all of the Makaton signs to Wiggly woo. One class has enjoyed exploring switches from their sensory story- What the Ladybird Heard Next. Within social and emotional skills development there has lots of wonderful progress. One child is now verbally asking for help when needed without being prompted! Another has tolerated ‘triggering’ words when they have been used near them. Another came off the bus smiling and came straight to class. Another is starting to think about ‘why’ they are feeling a certain emotion during Zones of Regulation sessions. One class has been enjoying song massage, working on their social, emotional and mental health and choosing skills. In personal and social skills one pupils has been amazing with sharing this week and another put their shoes on independently. Another can now transition around the school without holding an adult’s hand. Another is developing their independence during toileting. Two children loved making banana angel delight using a switch. There has been some progress in engagement too and a number of children have been engaging more with their learning including one child engaging in an adult-led task for 5 minutes. In maths development, one child has used buttons to subtract and in literacy a pupil has been reading brilliantly and has now moved up to the next band of books! Another pupil has written a fact book with illustrations that he read to me. He included words and drawings of ankles and hips and was able to show me where they were! A child has thoroughly enjoyed their first swim of the year and did some good pushing off the wall with their feet. Some of our pupils won a New Age Kurling competition retuning to school with a magnificent trophy. Finally, a group of children performed with friends from Oak Grove Time to Dance last night. They opened the show to thunderous applause and were absolutely magnificent!
Attendance Focus
For the week commencing 13th March, the classes with the best attendance were;
- Explorers hub – Zebra class – 100%
- Investigators hub – Leopard class
- Engineers hub – Koala class
This week’s sign of the week is sun.
Talk PANTS – talking PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep children safe and helps them understand that their body belongs to them, and they should tell someone they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried. Each letter in the word PANTS gives one of the rules:
Privates are private
Always remember your body belongs to you
No means no
Talk about secrets that upset you
Speak up, someone can help
The NSPCC has lots of tips and advice with the help of the friendly dinosaur Pantosaurus who has his very own song to sing along with to reinforce PANTS. There are a range of PANTS guides for parents and foster carers which are downloadable in a number of different languages including Polish, Lithuanian, Bengali. There is also a guide for those with a disability and for children with autism as well as videos that have been created for children who communicate using Makaton. Some common questions parents have asked and some typical questions from children and how to answer them here.
Easter Holiday Clubs – Worthing, Shoreham, Crawley & Horsham
3rd – 14th April – for more information on dates, locations and how the clubs run & to book, visit www.theoutdoorsproject.co.uk/westsussex or call 07931 557 981
Reminder
Last day of term for pupils Thursday 30th March
Staff will be attending PRICE training on Friday 31st
First day of the Summer term: April 17th
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Very best wishes,
Catriona