22nd September 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
It feels like autumn is finally here this week! Despite the strong winds and the rain, the children have done some fantastic learning. A pupil, who has just started at Palatine, has had a great first week. Some of our children had a wonderful sensory story all together exploring some of the things they like. One child dressed a doll independently and another engaged briefly with singing and loved the parachute during “hello”. In classes across the school, children have made progress in their engagement and one child has been joining in sessions without wearing their ear defenders. One child joined in with a whole PE session with their friends. In personal and social development, one child drunk all of their water bottle. Another has been doing great sharing with their new friends. One child put their hand up to have a turn doing singing. Children have also worked hard on developing their behaviours for learning and one child didn’t give up on a task even when it was really challenging. Pupils have been working really hard on their phonics and it was lovely to hear a child blend sounds to make words that he had written reading them to me with such pride! There has been some great progress in communication this week. One child used the word ‘and’ in their sentences and another said ‘goal’ when he scored. Another signed a definite ‘more’ for ‘more paddling’ in the water. In one of the funniest moments of the week, one child who is starting to vocalise a lot more, mimicked the sound of my voice when I call the buses at the end of the day!
Attendance Focus
Best attendance last week :
Explorers Hub – Peacock class & Polar Bear class both with 100%
Investigators Hub – Gecko class & Crocodile class both with 100%
Engineers Hub – Sloth class
Safeguarding Spotlight
Operation Encompass
Domestic Abuse Notification
Domestic abuse is often a hidden crime that is not reported to the police. Therefore, data held by the police can only provide a partial picture of the actual level of domestic abuse experienced. Many cases will not enter the criminal justice process, as they are not reported to the police. At Palatine School, we are working in partnership with West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police to identify and provide support to pupils who have experienced domestic abuse in their home. Nationally this scheme is called Operation Encompass and is an alert system for schools to be aware that a child might have witnessed domestic abuse and is in need of additional support. On receipt of any information from the Police, the designated safeguard lead will decide on the appropriate support the child needs, this could be silent or overt. If you yourself are a victim of domestic abuse or are concerned about someone who is, please contact the Police or use these details below:
Useful contact numbers:
0808 2000 247 – National Domestic Abuse Helpline
0808 8010 327 – Respect Men’s Advice Line
0300 300 8585 – Ask for the Freedom programme
Useful websites:
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/gender-violence/domestic-violence-and-abuse-getting-help
The sign of the week is like.
Therapy Dog
As you will know from Kaarina’s email on Monday, we have a therapy dog, Willow, joining us on Monday afternoons with her owner, Liz. Willow is fully trained, assessed and registered as a Pets As Therapy dog. The Pets As Therapy visiting scheme is the largest scheme of its kind in Europe and their registered dogs are recognised by the Royal College of Nursing and welcomed by medical authorities in many areas.
There is good evidence and research that shows canine therapy in school has many benefits for children, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities If you haven’t already done so, please complete the permission form as soon as possible. Without consent from parents/carers, your child will not be able to see Willow.
Have a lovely weekend!
Very best wishes,
Catriona