5th May 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have had a wonderful week in school and it is fabulous to see them so immersed in their topic learning. There have been some great developments in communication; one child can now say three words, which they couldn’t say before. Another has been communicating and finding their adult to guide them to activities of their choosing. Another has been telling us about their weekends accurately during circle time. A number of children have been able to request toys using a communication board. In social skills a pupil has been doing some lovely turn taking. One child asked another to go swimming with them and played with them for the whole session. This is significant progress for this child in interacting with another child. Another approached an adult for a hug when they were feeling tired. Another child sat for snack and lunch time using a motivator. In maths, two children were using their problem-solving brains to win a game of noughts and crosses and another has really progressed with their skills. In literacy learning there has been continued progress in Phonics and a class worked with great focus to write their own farmyard poems.
Finally, we are so very proud of our year 6 children and how well they have done on their residential trip. They stayed at Avon Tyrell and have been amazing; taking part in archery, a tree top trail, low ropes, adventure course, disco, campfire, canoeing and pedalo activities. They behaved impeccably and overcome their fears! The progress they have all made since joining Palatine is wonderful to see at this point when they can use all the skills they have learnt to achieve at new and exciting activities away from home. We are so proud of them!
Safeguarding Spotlight
With the summer holidays approaching, it is important that parents and carers can make sure that their children will be happy and protected in extra-curricular clubs and activities within the community. The Safe Clubs for Children campaign was launched to support parents and carers with advice and guidance on out of school activities. Clubs offer great ways for children to develop their skills and confidence as well as having fun. But did you know that where you send your child may actually not be registered? Even people who have committed criminal offences can legally continue to work in roles like children’s entertainers.
Providers should have the relevant safeguarding procedures in place and be able to answer parent/carer questions regarding their child’s safety. High quality clubs and organisations will always welcome questions about their activities, the safety of their environment and the care of children.
If you have a concern regarding a child’s safety at a club, report it. Details of how to do this can be found here.
Sun Safety
With better weather hopefully here to stay, please remember to stay protected and safe in the sun:
Ø Sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer
Ø Sunburn does not just happen on holiday; you can burn in the UK, even when it’s cloudy
Ø There’s no safe or healthy way to get a tan.
Ø A tan does not protect your skin from the sun’s harmful effects.
Ø The sun is strongest in the UK between 11am and 3pm from March to October
Top tips for everyone:
Ø Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm
Ø Adults should use at least factor 30 sunscreen (SPF30) and children should use at least factor 50 (SPF50) even when it is cloudy. Sunscreen should also have at least 4-stars for UVA protection
Ø Protect your lips with at least SPF 30 lip balm
Ø No sunscreen offers 100% protection so it is important to cover up with suitable clothing, sunglasses (with CE Mark and British Standard Mark 12312-1:2013E) and a hat (that shades the face, neck and ears)
Ø Remember that babies and children’s skin is much more sensitive than adults and babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight
Ø Make sure the sunscreen is not past its expiry date; most have a shelf life of about 2 years and store out of direct sunlight.
Ø Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed skin, including the face, neck and ears. Don’t forget feet and backs of hand too.
Ø Sunscreen should be applied 20 minutes before going out
Ø Apply sunscreen liberally and frequently; approximately 5 teaspoons for the whole body and one teaspoon for face and neck
Ø Re-apply sunscreen straight after you have bee in water, even if it is “water resistant,” and after towel drying, sweating or when it may have been rubbed off. Even if you have not been in water, the sun can dry sunscreen off your skin so it’s important to re-apply at least every 2 hours.
Ø UVA radiation can penetrate glass; this can be a car window, so ensure you protect your skin if you are on long car journeys or spend a lot of time sat by sunny windows.
More information and advice can be found here from the British Skin Foundation and advice here from the NHS
Following the unexpected issues with the fire alarm a couple of weeks ago and children outside for longer than expected, we now keep the following brand of sun protection in the emergency ‘grab & go’ bag in the event of needing to evacuate. From September, this will be included on the same permission form as that for administering ad hoc paracetamol (Calpo) and antihistamine. The sun cream we have is Tesco Soleil Sensitive Spf 50 fragrance free sun protection lotion. It will be used in unforeseen incidents and only with consent.
Important – now that summer is approaching, we encourage parents to apply sun cream in the morning and that you send the sun cream of preference into school with your child so that we can ensure more is re-applied during the day. For children with specific allergies this may be quite specialist or prescribed.
Attendance Focus
For the week commencing 24 April, the classes with the best attendance were;
- Explorers hub – Pelican class
- Investigators hub – Gecko class
- Engineers hub – Sloth class
Important
You will have received two letters on Tuesday, one about the holiday programme being run by Albion in the Community and the other about after school provision from Activ8. Please remember to email Kaarina by 10 May if you are interested in Activ8 and May 12 if you are interested in the holiday programme – kdougherty@palatineschool.org
This week’s sign of the week is look!
Upcoming dates:
May 8th: Coronation bank holiday
June 21 and 22: Summer term parents’ evenings
June 23: INSET day
Have a lovely weekend!
Very best wishes,
Catriona