DRUMBEAT SCHOOL. Monthly Newsletter. Dates for the Diary. Dear Parents and Carers. Monday, 29 October First day of term

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1 DRUMBEAT SCHOOL Monthly Newsletter Dear Parents and Carers It has been a brilliant start to the year. Classes are settled and the weather has been lovely. Teams for all classes have worked hard to make the new classes work. It has been obvious that this has paid off and the children are very happy. It was a very good turnout for parents evening and thank you for your feedback. We are aiming to have longer sessions next time. There is much excitement about the Shakespeare Festival and our production of Macbeth. Please purchase tickets. A limited amount of tickets are available through the school see page 6 for details. Sadly we have to say goodbye to 2 members of staff. Michael Cheeseman who works at Brockley and Kelly Warner who works at Downham. They will both be missed by staff and children. Good luck to both of them for the future. Have a lovely break and see you in the new term. Marie Neave Executive Headteacher Dates for the Diary. Monday, 29 October First day of term Thursday, 1 November 6th Form Open Day from 1:30 at Brockley Site Friday, 2 November Coffee Morning at Downham 10am Topic: Communicating with your child talking, symbols & signing Friday, 9 November Coffee Morning at Downham 10am Topic: Benefits and what is available to you Monday, 12 November Shakespeare School Festival Drumbeat s performance of Macbeth 7pm at The Albany Friday, 16 November Coffee Morning at Brockley 10am Topic: Benefits from Age 16 yrs what is your young person entitled to Friday, 23 November School photos at both sites Drumbeat School & ASD Service 1

2 The following pupils received Headteacher s Star Awards this month: Glen Dayoni in Tiger Class received a certificate for good reading. Cinemas: autism-friendly screenings As cinemas are often places that are not easily accessible, autism-friendly screenings (AFS) aim to make families feel welcome, comfortable and relaxed in an environment that can otherwise seem traumatic. Families are able to enjoy a film in an environment designed for people on the autism spectrum, their friends and carers. During the film, low lights are left on inside the auditorium, the volume of the soundtrack is reduced and there should not be any trailers. Cinema goers are free to move around, make a noise or take a break during the film if they need to - these are activities not usually encouraged at regular screenings. Listed below are some organisations that The National Autistic Society (NAS) is working with, but others such as Odeon, Vue, Cineworld and Showcase also hold regular autism-friendly screenings. Picturehouse Picturehouse runs regular autism-friendly screenings at cinemas across the country. These take place on one Saturday or Sunday a month when they show a popular family film. London The Ritzy, Brixton Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month East Dulwich Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Greenwich Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Stratford East Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Hackney Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Crouch End Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Clapham Picturehouse Autism Friendly screenings run on the third Sunday of each month Please visit for more details. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 2

3 Drumbeat Coffee Mornings for Parents Coffee mornings will be held at both sites and are open to all Drumbeat parents and carers. Please attend as many as you feel relevant to you. Date & Time Drumbeat Site Theme Led by Friday, 2 November at 10am Downham Communicating with your child talking, symbol and signing Using visual forms of communication such as pictures and signing can really help a child to be understood. Is your child learning to use PECS at school and you would like to use this at home too? Has your child got a few words but you would like some tips on how to teach them more? Then come along to learn about how you help your child communicate. Janette McDonald Speech and Language Therapist Friday, 9 November at 10am Downham Benefits and what is available to you An opportunity to look at how you can access funding for the family. The Family Funds is just one example. Open to all Brockley and Downham parents. Sheryl & Contact a Family Friday, 16 November at 10am Brockley Benefits from Age 16 years What is your young person entitled to? At aged 16 there are a number of changes to benefits you may already claim, for example, if you receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA), this will be replaced by Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Similarly you can claim for Education and Support Allowance (ESA). This workshop will give you information about how to make a claim and tackle difficult questions. Sheryl Friday, 7 December at 10am Friday, 25 January at 10am Downham Downham Using visual supports at home make & take sessions We understand that it can be hard to make pictures and symbols at home and also understand the best way to use them. Would you like a set of visual instructions for home to help your child get dressed by themselves? Do you need a communication board to help your child talk to you whilst you play together? Then come along to our make and take session. Meet the Governors This is an opportunity for parents and carers to meet the Drumbeat Governors in an informal setting. Parents can discuss with Governors the role they fulfil within the school. Janette McDonald Speech and Language Therapist & Rosie Hallett Occupational Therapist Sheryl Wednesday, 30 January at 10am Brockley Life Beyond Drumbeat Post 19 options This session will be led by a member from adult social services and Lewisham Education. The aim of the session will be to provide information about pathways for young adults with disabilities. This will include what is available and entitlement. You will have an opportunity to ask questions throughout. Denise Gallagher DHT, Lewisham SEN & Linda Smith Lewisham Adult Social Care Drumbeat School & ASD Service 3

4 Drumbeat 6th Form Drumbeat School and ASD Service caters for young people on the autism spectrum. Our 6 th Form is open to year olds. We run a 3 year programme focussing on life skills and independence. Come and see what we are all about by booking a place on one of our open days. These will take place on: Thursday 1 st November at 1.30pm Thursday 15 th November at 1.30pm Thursday 17 th January at 1.30pm To book your place, please call or a.effahmensah@drumbeat.lewisham.sch.uk Drumbeat School & ASD Service 4

5 Music In September, we were lucky enough to work with professional Guinean drummers from the Alanouwaly Salifou Sylla Foundation. They came into school to work with Key Stage 3 students and staff, teaching them about West African rhythms and playing as a group. The students all enjoyed making lots of noise, chanting and using the lovely djembes made from mango trees. It was great to see how lots of our students were happy to get up and dance freely and interact with the teachers without prompting. The two workshops were concluded by a wonderful final group performance and dance. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 5

6 We have tickets on sale for the Macbeth performance on 12 November at 7pm at a reduced price of 6.50 per ticket. To purchase tickets, please call Sean on Payment will be by card so please have your card ready when calling. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 6

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8 Harvest Festival Drumbeat Primary staff and students celebrated the Autumn Harvest with a special assembly. Some of the students and the Primary choir performed the story of The Little Red Hen makes a pizza. Great fun was had by all. We would like to thank all the parents that came to watch and for the generous donations of food from everyone. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 8

9 Kangaroo Class We have had a great first term so far in Kangaroo Class. All the pupils have settled in very well and are enjoying being a part of Drumbeat School. It was fantastic to see all the parents that attended our first Stay & Play session. We really enjoyed playing with our parents/carers and having breakfast-time with them. We looking forward to seeing you at our next one! Stay & Play Sessions We have Stay & Play sessions planned for this term ( ): Tuesday 16th October, Tuesday 20th November and Tuesday 11th December. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 9

10 Turtle Class This half term Turtle Class has been telling the story of The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse. We have been reading our own version of the story, both in books and also at the interactive whiteboard, as well as making our own paintings of the different animals in the book. This half term holiday we are taking home our version of the story so that we can read them with our parents, family and friends. The class has also been working very hard on their individual targets. I have been impressed at how well all the children are focusing on their individual targets. They have all shown great focus and concentration. Well done everyone! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 10

11 Tiger Class Tiger Class have been exploring colour and light. We read the story The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle and we painted a polka dotted tiger. We have also been learning about shapes and numbers. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 11

12 Zebra Class This half term Zebra Class had a trip to the Green Chain Walk. We sat on logs and listened to Wow! Said the Owl story. We then went to collect leaves to create our own tree from the story. In art lessons pupils have created Owls using different textures and materials. We love taking part in our daily yoga sessions as it helps us to stay calm and focused. We all really enjoy sitting and relaxing in the reading area where we get to explore books. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 12

13 Panda Class Panda class has had a great start to the new school year. We have made new friends and enjoyed lots of different activities together. We have been working hard on our communication skills, maths and enjoyed cooking and decorating cakes. In literacy we have made Gruffalo masks, animal prints and role played the Gruffalo story with puppets and songs. We are looking forward to another great half term. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 13

14 Giraffe Class Giraffe class have had a very good start to the term. This term s topic is All creatures great and small and Giraffe class have been doing a lot of work based on the story of The Gruffalo. This work has included some excellent Literacy work. The children have also created a lot of fantastic artwork, decorating a Gruffalo, making collages of the other characters the story and decorating and painting woodland scenes. Abraar drew a scary Gruffalo! Continued on next page Drumbeat School & ASD Service 14

15 Giraffe class have enjoyed attending Roger s art classes where they decorated the initial letter of their name using tissue paper making a wonderful stained glass window effect. Linking with our topic, Giraffe class visited the Centre for Urban Ecology on the Greenwich Peninsula for our first outing. We had a fabulous trip; the Giraffes hunted for newts and worms, looked at birds from the hide and afterwards we all went to the playground in Chinbrook Meadows. It was great fun! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 15

16 Issue 58 October 2018 Lions Class This term the Lions have been learning about different habitats. So far, we have talked about jungle and woodland animals and the students enjoyed creating collages and engaging in writing activities to support the topic. Everyone continues to work hard on their weekly literacy and numeracy targets. This term we have prepared lots of exciting food during our cooking session, and the children particularly liked making cakes and cheese on toast. Lions like a good party and this month we celebrated Hergie s birthday with the most amazing birthday cake! We have lots of exciting things to look forward to in the next term and the children are particularly excited about going swimming. Continued on the next page Drumbeat School & ASD Service 16

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18 Leopards Class During this term Leopard class have been studying the book The Snail and the Whale. One chapter of the book shows a scene with a volcano. We decided to make our own volcanoes in class. First we found an experiment on the internet and got together what we needed. We then collected the bottles and as a class made the volcanoes out of paper-mache. Once they had dried we then had to paint the volcanoes in brown paint. When they were ready we mixed the materials needed which were baking soda, water, paint and white vinegar. We then added them all together and this was the effect. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 18

19 Greetings from Lancelot Class We have had a busy and exciting start to the term. The students have settled in well and are enjoying the learning and activities we have been doing. In Literacy we have been reading Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes. The students have loved this and it has linked to geography and learning to find their way to different rooms and areas within the school. In Maths we have been concentrating on number work, including counting to 100 for some pupils and beginning to add and subtract numbers to 10 and beyond. We have taken part in drama and drumming workshops. This the students have greatly enjoyed. On Thursday this week we are heading out to our first class trip to the Pumpkin Farm in Rochester. We cannot wait! We will let you know in a future newsletter how it went. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 19

20 Excalibur Class Gardening Project at Beckenham Place Park Since October students from Excalibur Class in KS3 have been taking part in this exciting project at Beckenham Place Park. The students have been guided and supported by the class team and also by Lucy Mitchell, who does Regeneration and Asset Management, at the park. During their sessions the students explored the park, wildlife and nature and they also built a bug hotel. Excalibur s students really enjoyed these session and their hard work will contribute to improving the park s life. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 20

21 England Athletics National Volunteer Awards 2018 Regional Winner London - 'Inclusion Award' National Winner - 'Inclusion Award' Adam Thomas, Teaching Assistant in Empire Class, has volunteered with S-Factor Academy (Athletics club based in Lewisham Ladywell Arena). He has spearheaded the clubs disability group since 2013, as disability coordinator, lead inclusive coach and mental health champion. He has grown the group from 1 coach and 2 athletes, to more than 10 qualified coaches/ volunteers and over 100 unique participants. His work has opened doors for so many individuals to get involved that wouldn t have otherwise as a coach, leader and/or athlete, PAN disability Athletics is now truly inclusive to ALL in Lewisham. "I m honoured and this is only going to spur me on to bigger and better things and push the boundaries for our para-athletes." Adam Thomas Drumbeat School & ASD Service 21

22 Tower Class Tower class have been settling in to a new classroom and team. Staff are getting to know everyone s strengths and interests. New challenges and experiences lie ahead for all pupils promoting independence, wellbeing and an Asdan qualification. Students are accessing a variety of activities at Brockley including music, dance, art, exercise, and gardening alongside valuable life skills learning through shopping, preparing snacks/meals and for some having support to follow personal hygiene routines. In addition to learning on the Brockley site three students are attending Forest School at Bromley College one day a week where they are clearing and cultivating an area of woodland and becoming familiar with the College environment. Two students have started one day a week work experience placements in local cafes. One student is part of a small group working on the Drumbeat Brockley allotment and has made great progress preparing a selection of the allotment for planting Spring vegetables. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 22

23 Media project, Battersea Class Students have been working on a media project where they have been learning the correct ways to take a photo using a high tech camera and how to change settings to get different effects. They have also received training on the best ways to light the room before taking photos. Students have been taking photos of each other and capturing different emotions which they then reviewed and discussed. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 23

24 Work experience at Keatons Community Hall, Tuesdays Since September students have been attending their placement at Keatons Community Hall as part of their work experience. They have been working on numerous skills since starting including team work, communication and self-help skills. Students have been doing excellent work in the garden areas, cleaning and tidying inside areas and washing up and making refreshments. Students have also been completing their work experience folders each week and recording what they have done and the skills they have developed. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 24

25 Lewisham Speak Up Group, Deptford Albany On Friday 5 th October students from Brockley attended the Lewisham Speak Up Group which was open to all people with a learning disability who live in Lewisham. Members of the council came to talk to the group about what they can offer people with a learning disability, which included social clubs, dance and hobby groups and post 19 education to name a few. They discussed choices people have when they finish school and students got to stand up and ask questions. A very useful trip and students enjoyed a free buffet lunch at the end. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 25

26 Black History Month Special Assembly: Wednesday 10 th October As part of black history month students from all classes at Brockley took part in a special assembly which involved the tale of Ananasi spider got such a thin waist. Students, with the help of staff, designed and created the set, props, costume and masks in order to tell the story. During the same assembly Tower class shared their knowledge of African and Caribbean fruits and brought in real life examples to share. Battersea class shared their collage art work which was based heroes that the students look up to in school. We discussed them in assembly and students said why they had chosen certain staff members. Thank you to all students and staff that took part and for all the hard work that went into this behind the scenes. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 26

27 Free digital skills drop-in sessions If you need help to improve your basic digital skills and use online services, you can come along to free drop-in sessions at the digital zone in Catford Library. Help available The digital skills volunteers at our digital zones can help you with: basic skills such as creating an account paying for things like council tax and rent reporting problems including flytipping and graffiti booking services such as garden waste and mattress collections applying online for things like Blue Badges and benefits. Drop-in sessions To get the free support, drop into Catford Library on: Tuesdays, 2 4pm Wednesdays, 10am 1pm Thursdays, 2 4pm. Come along to Catford Library during these times and ask at the reception desk for help. Contact: Catford Library 1 Laurence House 1 Catford Road SE6 4RU Tel: Drumbeat School & ASD Service 27

28 If you are in receipt of any of the following benefits you may be eligible to receive Free School Meals for your child: Universal Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit net earnings threshold of 7400 from April 2018 Guarantee element of pension card Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 To apply for Free School Meals please go to You will need to create an account and submit an online application. For more information Whilst your child will be eligible for the Universal Free School Meals in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, the school could benefit from Pupil Premium funding of up to 1320 per child if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits Universal Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit net earnings threshold of 7400 from April 2018 Guarantee element of pension card Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 An application for Free School Meals will confirm whether you are eligible and allow the school to claim the funding. To apply you will need to create an account and submit an online application at the link below For more information pupil.support@lewisham.gov.uk Drumbeat School & ASD Service 28

29 AUTUMN TERM 2018 SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES 2018/2019 AUTUMN TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY AUTUMN TERM 2 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY Monday 3 September Staff training day Tuesday 4 September Students first day of term Friday 28 September Staff training day Friday 19 October - Students last day of term MONDAY 22 OCTOBER FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER Monday 29 October Students first day of term Friday 21 December - Students last day of term* (School will close at 1pm on this day) MONDAY 24 DECEMBER FRIDAY 4 JANUARY SPRING TERM 2019 SPRING TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SPRING TERM 2 EASTER HOLIDAY Monday 7 January Staff training day Tuesday 8 January - Students first day of term Friday 15 February Students last day of term MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY Monday 25 February Students first day of term Friday 5 April - Students last day of term* (School will close at 1pm on this day) MONDAY 8 APRIL MONDAY 22 APRIL SUMMER TERM 2019 SUMMER TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SUMMER TERM 2 Tuesday 23 April Students first day of term Friday 24 May Students last day of term (MAY DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 6 MAY) MONDAY 27 MAY FRIDAY 31 MAY (SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 27 MAY) Monday 3 June Students first day of term Friday 19 July Students last day of term* Monday 22 & Tuesday 23 July Twilight Staff Training Days non attending Drumbeat School & ASD Service 29